Chapter 30 Chapter 30 "What are you doing? What are you doing! Wang Er...
"What are you doing? What are you doing? Wang Er is now under the government's control, and no one is allowed to visit him!" said the lawyer with his neck held high in the county government office.
Jiang Wan stood at the doorway, breathing rapidly. Her cheeks flushed from running, and beads of sweat formed on her forehead. She clutched her chest, forcing herself to calm down. Her young apprentice was about to be taken away, and she didn't have much time. However, confronting the magistrate was pointless. At this moment, she needed to remain calm, so she could find a way out.
She observed her surroundings calmly. Wang Er was in a separate cell within the prison, seemingly larger than the other prisoners' cells. The windows were tightly shut, preventing anyone from seeing what was going on inside. But at least there was a window—the cell was completely dark.
Judging from the attitude of the legal advisor, the magistrate and Huang Xingquan had obviously reached an agreement.
Before this, she had always wanted to delay it until Lord Shen came, but in the current situation, Huang Xingquan was willing to invest a huge amount of money with a 50% profit. Faced with such a huge temptation, the county magistrate would definitely not listen to her.
There's no point in procrastinating, so why not take a gamble?
Jiang Wan quickly adjusted his expression, suppressed his worry, put on a cold face, and said in a cold voice, "Go call Li Weimin over."
When the lawyer saw that she had the audacity to address the magistrate by his name, his eyes nearly popped out of his head in shock. "How dare you, you rude little rascal, address the magistrate by his name! Our magistrate is very busy and has already instructed us not to see you!"
Jiang Wan snorted coldly, "I saved Li Weimin once in court that day. I thought he'd learn his lesson and stay out of trouble, but I didn't expect him to jump into the fire pit himself. I heard the news and thought I'd remind him again because he helped me escape from citizenship. But since you're like this, there's no need for me to do anything unnecessary."
"Tell Li Weimin that I won't give you birthday gifts anymore, and ask him to stop bothering me in the future." Jiang Wan flicked his sleeves and turned to leave.
The lawyer stared at her graceful back, stunned. No, what did this mean? How could this be completely inconsistent with the magistrate's assumptions?
The master judged that even if Jiang Wan could hear the news and rush over, she would surely tearfully beg him to spare Wang Er, or perhaps offer money in exchange like Huang Xingquan had done. But Huang Xingquan's family was wealthy and powerful, and his annual profit would be over a thousand taels. How much could Jiang Wan, a young girl who had just been freed from her official duties, have? Therefore, the master specifically ordered that she not be seen!
When he met Jiang Wan, the advisor had imagined many scenarios, but he hadn't expected her to dare speak like that. What did she mean by "saving Lord Li"? To him, it was clearly Lord Li giving her face by letting Wang Er off. Could there be some hidden truth here that he, and even Lord Li, didn't know?
After some thought, the lawyer decided to report the situation to Magistrate Li. If the Magistrate still refused to see him, he could just send him away, so that he wouldn't be disobeying orders. If he wanted to see him, then he could report it to him, so that he wouldn't delay the matter.
So the master waved his hand and shouted, "Stop it!"
A dozen detectives rushed forward and surrounded Jiang Wan. The lawyer quickly left the detention center and went to report to Li Weimin.
Two cups of tea later, the lawyer returned, waved his hand, and shouted, "Bring this troublemaker to the magistrate's residence!"
The voice was louder than before, but the confidence had weakened. Jiang Wan broke free from the two constables who were trying to capture him, raised his head coldly, and glanced at his master.
The lawyer didn't dare to look her in the eye, lowering his head and remaining silent. Seeing that he didn't try to stop him, the detectives didn't dare to force Jiang Wan into custody, so they could only follow behind obediently.
Jiang Wan followed the legal advisor to the county magistrate's office with a stern face, feeling a little more at ease. Judging from the legal advisor's reaction, her words had definitely caught Li Weimin's attention, and he was genuinely afraid she might learn some serious news.
"Is this Li Weimin's study?" Jiang Wan raised his eyebrows and asked, looking at the closed door in front of him.
The lawyer put his hands behind his back and said calmly, "Yes, the magistrate has not yet finished his official duties. Please wait outside for a while."
Jiang Wan curled her lips. This was a show of force. Making her stand outside in the middle of winter, waiting for who knows how long. Jiang Wan had used this method in a previous life before; it was incredibly effective at wearing down someone's temper. Just standing there for an hour would wear down anyone's stubbornness.
To intimidate Li Weimin, the first step is not to lose momentum.
Jiang Wan ignored the officials behind him and pushed open the study door and walked in. There was a full charcoal fire burning in the study, making it very warm. Li Weimin was sitting inside drinking tea - there was not a single document on the desk.
It was really a deliberate attempt to intimidate me.
"You bold and unruly person! How dare you trespass into the master's study? Why don't you apologize to the master now!" the lawyer shouted behind him.
This was the first time that Li Weimin, not only the legal advisor but also Li Weimin himself, had seen such a bold commoner.
Although Li Weimin was furious, seeing Jiang Wan so confident, he couldn't help but feel uneasy: Could she really have connections, or know something? She came from the Duke of He's mansion, and it had only been four months since Duke He's execution. It was very likely that she had connections in the capital...
With this thought, Li Weimin's arrogance faded, and he waved his hand, telling his advisor to retreat. He had intended to intimidate Jiang Wan, but since he hadn't initially convinced her, further provocation would only infuriate her, hindering the subsequent conversation.
Li Weimin pointed to the cushion on the other side of the desk, put away his previous rude attitude, and said in a calm tone: "Miss Jiang, please sit down."
Jiang Wan didn't hesitate and sat down at the desk and poured himself a cup of tea.
Compared to Jiang Wan, Li Weimin was the elder and a high-ranking official, so according to etiquette, he should have sat down first. But Jiang Wan sat down naturally, and Li Weimin, not caring about etiquette, followed her and sat down. He took a sip of tea and asked, "Miss Jiang, why don't you make a birthday gift? Is the price I offered not enough?"
This was another roundabout way of talking. Li Weimin knew it wasn't about the price, but about "getting into trouble." He wanted to know what the trouble was, and what Jiang Wan knew.
But Li Weimin refused to ask himself and hoped that she would ask it herself, so that Jiang Wan would be the passive party.
The Great Zhou officialdom was rife with intrigue, and even the more remote towns imitated the turbulent undercurrents of speech in the capital. However, officialdom and the business world also had similarities. Jiang Wan had been involved in this for many years, and Li Weimin's scheming was simply not enough for her.
"The price your Excellency has promised is certainly enough," Jiang Wan said calmly, "but I'm afraid your Excellency won't be able to pay it when the time comes, and my months of hard work will be wasted."
Li Weimin smiled and said, "I own an entire county and have a fortune, so why can't I afford it?"
Jiang Wan took a sip of tea slowly. "It's precisely because I'm so wealthy that I can't afford it."
As soon as he finished speaking, the teacup hit the table with a crisp sound. After two rounds of confrontation, Li Weimin was already a little restless. When he put down the teacup, he used a little more force, and the "thump" sound exposed his inner anxiety.
Having been the magistrate for years, he had never encountered a rival as formidable as Jiang Wan. Facing this little girl, his words were like hitting cotton, completely powerless.
But after all, with his many years of experience as an official, Li Weimin quickly realized his mistake, quickly adjusted his mood, and slowly asked, "Miss Jiang, what do you mean by this?"
"Sir Li, you know better than me where your immense wealth comes from," Jiang Wan said.
Li Weimin was about to burst his temper. "How dare you! I have never made a mistake in all these years. What evidence do you have?"
Jiang Wan sneered, "I didn't say you were wrong. Why are you so anxious to ask me for evidence?"
Seeing Li Weimin's uncertain expression, she knew that his heart was already in turmoil, and it only took a gust of wind to completely stir up the water.
"While others may not know, it's impossible for Lord Shen, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, to fail to notice. Especially since... your favoritism towards Huang Xingquan these past few days has become a well-known fact—" Jiang Wan deliberately dragged out his words, gave Li Weimin a meaningful look, and sighed with a hint of regret, "Lord, you should make preparations early."
"What!" Li Weimin, influenced by Jiang Wan's previous words, had already subconsciously believed her. Hearing Lord Shen's name, he was immediately frightened and asked hurriedly, "Lord Shen is coming to Xiaofangpan City? How did you know? When will he come?"
Jiang Wan was very secretive. "I come from the Heguo Mansion, so I naturally have my own connections. If you want to know the specific time, you can send someone to inquire. You have been entrenched in Xiaofangpan City for several years, so you wouldn't be without such a trick, right?"
This was a blatant irony. Under normal circumstances, Li Weimin would have found a reason to beat Jiang Wan up, but now, his face pale with fear, he didn't care. He pleaded, "What should I do? The news of Huang Xingquan bribing me has spread all over town. Lord Shen will definitely investigate!"
Jiang Wan took a step back. "I reminded you that day that reputation comes first. You didn't take my words to heart, and now I can't do anything about it."
Li Weimin had long lost the majestic image of a county magistrate. His hair was disheveled. He grabbed Jiang Wan's arm and shook it vigorously: "No, no, Miss Jiang, you must have a way. Tell me what to do, and I will definitely listen to you."
Jiang Wan raised an eyebrow: "Really?"
"Absolutely true!"
"Sir, hasn't the case been decided yet? Isn't Wang Er still here? I don't need to tell you what to do." After saying this, Jiang Wan's nerves, which had been tense these days, finally relaxed a little, and he unconsciously smiled.
At this point, Li Weimin naturally let Wang Er go. Once his spies found out Lord Shen's whereabouts, the case would be solved. Wang Er's revenge, as well as the revenge for his brother's previous beating, could also be avenged.
By then, the commercial street will have new owners, and the rents of the shops will probably be much lower. Jiang Wan took his apprentice's hand and left the county government office, sending him to Doctor Zhang for treatment. Then, a pleasant system voice sounded:
"Skills are passed down through generations. Congratulations to the host for successfully rescuing his apprentice and contributing to the inheritance and promotion of handicraft techniques. You have completed the mission [Save a Life] and received 100 points."
The remaining points on the system interface changed from 162 to 262.
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