Magistrate Zhang readily agreed.
A letter arrived from the capital, but it was sent via a post station. The person who wrote to Miss Qiao must be someone of great importance.
It seems that Miss Qiao's abilities have also attracted the attention of a noble person.
Magistrate Zhang felt even more that he could not be negligent.
"The county government has specially trained carrier pigeons to travel to and from the capital. They are accurate and efficient. Since Miss Qiao trusts me, she can rest assured and wait for news."
Having accomplished most of his business here, Qiao Lian'er prepared to take his leave and return home.
Magistrate Zhang sighed.
"I still need to apologize to Miss Qiao for my daughter's matter. If I had known that I would have kept her locked up for a few more days, Miss Qiao would have run into her as soon as she arrived."
Qiao Lian'er originally didn't want to get involved, but seeing that Magistrate Zhang kept bringing it up, she reminded him, "Magistrate Zhang, Miss Zhang is lively and lovely, but she often causes trouble outside, and the people are complaining. This is your family matter, but it also concerns your reputation. If you offend someone powerful, it might be difficult to deal with."
"Yes, I've thought about this too. Actually, Ci'er isn't completely unteachable, but—" Lord Zhang hesitated.
Finally, he steeled himself and said, "There's a reason she did all this."
Arson is wrong, no excuse is needed.
Qiao Lian'er didn't understand.
Lord Zhang said, "She did this just to upset me and make things difficult for me. She... she resents me."
A hint of pain appeared on his face as he spoke of this.
Does that mean Miss Zhang is making a scene all the time to show off to Lord Zhang?
It's normal for children to make noise to attract adults' attention, but Ms. Zhang's actions went far beyond that.
Who knows, one day I might have to bear the blame for someone's death.
Lord Zhang recounted an old story.
“When she was eight years old, I handled a case and sentenced the criminal to be executed in the autumn, which aroused the resentment of a family.”
"The last family colluded with the thieves, kidnapped Ci'er's mother, and demanded that I release the criminals."
“That prisoner is extremely wicked, having killed seven innocent people. How can we let him go and endanger the world? While I was dealing with that family and pretending to agree to release him, I was secretly arranging for someone to rescue the lady.”
"Things are going very smoothly. The lady has been rescued, and the prisoner has not been released."
"Unexpectedly, they had given the lady poison beforehand, and she died of the poison the next day."
"From then on, Ci'er hated me intensely. She felt that I was not a good official, nor a good father or husband, and that I couldn't even protect her mother. So, she kept causing me trouble."
"Don't be fooled by her sweet talk; she's actually thinking something completely different."
Lord Zhang shook his head: "Looking back now, when we rescued the lady, those people's expressions were a bit strange. I should have immediately found a doctor to examine the lady. In the end, I was careless."
“I wish I could go back to that time. Madam could have been saved. It was I who harmed her. No wonder Ci’er hates me so much.”
Qiao Lian'er remained silent. It was strange that a pampered and carefree young lady, who had never experienced any hardship or setbacks, would unleash such malice.
So, there's a reason behind this.
Zhang Ci'er's father was the county magistrate. To maintain the stable operation of the county and win the people's praise, she would disrupt the order and incite the people's resentment.
“I’m cleaning up the messes Ci’er made. If she goes to a restaurant and doesn’t pay on credit, I’ll send someone to make up the difference. I’ll also use my savings to compensate for the shops and restaurants that were burned down. If anyone is injured as a result, I’ll also get them a doctor and medicine.”
"But it's been seven years, and she's been confined to her home countless times, yet she hasn't changed; in fact, she's become even more outrageous."
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