Xia took the jade pendant and noticed that both its quality and decoration were different from the inferior goods below. Although she was unsure about Wan Suizhou's identity, she was also afraid of offending a powerful figure.
So he agreed and took the jade pendant into the county government office.
When Xia met the magistrate, she presented him with the food she had prepared. She stroked the jade pendant in her sleeve, pondered for a moment, and then handed it to him.
“My lord, there is an old man outside who asked me to give you this jade pendant, saying that you will understand after you see it.”
The magistrate hadn't paid much attention to it, but when he glanced at the jade pendant, he was so startled that he almost dropped his rice.
He hurriedly put down the bowl and nervously stretched out his hands, saying to his wife, "Quickly bring me the jade pendant, let me take a closer look!"
Seeing his cautious expression, Xia was puzzled, but she still handed him the jade pendant.
The magistrate took the jade pendant; its color was as clear as glass, and its texture and feel were of the highest quality.
What surprised him most was that the reverse side of the jade pendant was carved with a lifelike crane, while the front side had the character '万' (wan).
"Amitabha! Where is this person now?!"
Upon seeing the jade pendant, the magistrate's legs went weak, and he plopped back down on the stool.
Madam Xia quickly helped her up, but she had never seen her husband with such an expression before, so she hurriedly asked him, "What's wrong, sir? What is the meaning behind this jade pendant?"
The magistrate wiped the sweat from his brow and said in a slightly trembling voice, "The crane on this jade pendant is an accessory that only a first-rank civil official can use. Who knows which minister from the capital it came from!"
Xia was also surprised when she heard this.
In their small county town, the highest-ranking official was the county magistrate, a seventh-rank official, a first-rank official—a very important figure they might never meet in their entire lives.
"Quickly! Quickly! Invite them to the main hall!"
Just as the magistrate was hurriedly preparing to entertain the important guest, a jailer suddenly reported: "Your Excellency! Something terrible has happened! The prisoners in the jail have all gone mad; they are staging a collective protest!"
"What?!" Upon hearing this, the magistrate was so enraged that he almost collapsed.
"What on earth is going on?!"
The story begins with Wan Kongshan being beaten in prison.
Lin Sheng thought that if he beat Wan Kongshan into submission, he would naturally confess. But to his surprise, even though Wan Kongshan was beaten so badly that he couldn't get up, he still had his unyielding pride and refused to ask for mercy, determined to say that he was innocent.
And those who were just watching the spectacle in prison gradually changed from spectators to admirers.
So people spontaneously began to speak up for him.
At first, Lin Sheng was able to suppress them, but gradually the group was won over by Wan Kongshan's spirit and they all began to shout and fight in the prison.
This matter naturally reached the ears of the county magistrate.
The magistrate had no time to attend to Wan Kongshan's affairs, but when he saw the character 'Wan' on the jade pendant, he seemed to suddenly realize something and exclaimed in horror to his men, "Quick! Release that prisoner now!"
At that moment, Wan Suizhou also entered, led in by a servant.
Unlike their previous dismissal and disdain, this time the servants were extremely respectful. The county magistrate, in particular, almost knelt down when he saw Wan Suizhou walk in solemnly.
Fortunately, Wan Suizhou reached out and stopped him, thus avoiding an awkward situation.
“Magistrate, you are too kind. I have long since retired and returned to my hometown. That jade pendant was merely a gift from His Majesty, who cherished me.”
Wan Suizhou's words had two meanings. The first meaning was simply to tell the county magistrate that he too had once been a powerful figure in officialdom, holding the highest rank of the first grade.
Another meaning is that although I have retired to my hometown and become a commoner, you can't bully me. After all, the jade pendant in his hand shows that His Majesty once respected him.
The magistrate was naturally clever; he wiped the sweat from his brow and personally poured tea for Wan Suizhou.
Wan Suizhou didn't beat around the bush and simply asked, "I heard that my son has been arrested. I've brought my daughter-in-law here just to ask what crime he committed."
The magistrate hurriedly asked, "May I ask your son's name?"
Wan Suizhou said, "Wan Kongshan."
The magistrate was somewhat taken aback upon hearing this.
He hasn't even interrogated any criminals from Wankong Mountain today.
This is strange. Although he had doubts, the magistrate still summoned a constable and said to him, "Go to the jail and see if there is anyone named Wan Kongshan. If so, bring him here immediately."
The constable responded and hurried off.
In less than a quarter of an hour, Wan Kongshan was brought out.
But this sight broke Zhang Xiu's heart.
He was perfectly fine when he left home, but after only half a day, he was beaten black and blue.
The magistrate was also unfamiliar with Wan Kongshan.
No matter what crime someone has committed, they should be convicted only after being interrogated by him.
But he had never seen Wan Kong Mountain before, so why was he being tortured for no reason?
Seeing that Wan Suizhou looked very unwell, the magistrate quickly ordered Wan Kongshan to be released and asked him what had happened.
Although Wan Kongshan was angry, he still recounted the whole story.
Upon hearing that someone had acted without authorization, the county magistrate was furious and immediately ordered Lin Sheng to be arrested.
Lin Sheng never expected to run into such a tough opponent. Under the county magistrate's torture and coercion, he finally confessed to the Lin family's steward.
Soon, the county government issued an arrest warrant, and the steward was arrested.
Lin Sheng, on the other hand, was punished with twenty strokes of the cane for accepting bribes and was immediately dismissed from his post.
Because of this incident, the county magistrate realized that he had neglected his duties, so he specifically ordered a reorganization of the constables under his command and an investigation of a group of prisoners in jail.
Of course, these are all things to be discussed later.
The most important thing at hand was that the county magistrate had invited the best doctor to treat Wan Kongshan's injuries, and out of remorse, he personally escorted the Wan family back to Lanhai Village.
For Lanhai Village, a place of modest wealth and ordinary people, it was an immense honor for the county magistrate to personally escort a villager home.
So when the magistrate stepped into the Wan family's courtyard, many villagers already cast envious glances at him.
And the first person to be affected was naturally Zhao Damei, who received the news.
When she squeezed through the crowd and saw the county magistrate and his wife chatting and laughing with the Wan family, she felt not only envy, but also ambition, thinking about how she could also climb into that relationship.
So when she shamelessly went up to them, the Wan family looked at her with disdain and disgust.
"Why didn't you call out to me when you had guests at your house? My sister-in-law could have helped take care of them..."
Although Wan Suizhou patiently endured Zhao Damei's insincere smile, the bulging veins on his forehead clearly showed how annoyed he was.
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