Chapter 21 Popular and well-received programs
Putting everything else aside, the junior sister's arrow just now was really cool.
In the next encounter, he cleanly and swiftly kicked over eight Kunlun slave men, too lazy to even draw his sword. The action of drawing the bowstring and coldly pointing it at Liu Zilin's angry face was even more impressive.
Ouyang Rong began to suspect that his junior sister was the Qi cultivator Yan Wuxu had mentioned.
It's just unclear which lineage it belongs to, whether it's Confucianism or Taoism, because the Xie family of Chenjun is a famous family of Confucianism and metaphysics, the latter of which involves Taoism, and Taoism also has reclusive gentlemen.
Ouyang Rong went over and helped the Hu woman up from the ground, handing her a handkerchief to wipe her face.
At this moment, Yan Wuxu arrived in a hurry with a group of constables on the street, and was astonished to see the scene of two gentlemen suppressing the young scoundrels and their lackeys... Well, actually, it seems the same even without one of the gentlemen, but his junior sister is his advisor, and Ouyang Rong currently approves of this combination of wisdom and courage. His mentor is indeed farsighted. Besides, "wisdom" is also very important, okay?
"Your Excellency, are you alright?"
"Do you want me to have something to say?"
"No, no, it was just a bit of a surprise. I thought I was late, I was so worried."
"Not too late, we've arrived just in time. Protect this... Hu girl, and then find a doctor to check if she's injured."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
Just then, the man named Liu Zilin angrily asked, "You think you can just walk away after killing my bird?!" He then turned to his slumped subordinates and yelled, "Stop playing dead on the ground, go back and get some reinforcements!"
Even when pointed at by a bow, he remained arrogant, his eyes coldly fixed on Xie Lingjiang, who was frowning.
But just as a Kunlun slave tried to get up, his leg was pinned to the ground by an arrow.
Yan Wuxu also coldly retorted, "How dare you speak to the magistrate like that?"
Liu Zilin raised his chin and sneered, "County magistrate? He's just a stinking beggar! He's come to our Longcheng to beg for money? Does he want money, women, or a promotion? Fine, come home with me and kowtow a hundred times to my elder brother!"
Ouyang Rong smiled.
Liu Zilin glanced at the arrow in his subordinate's leg out of the corner of his eye.
"snort."
He scoffed, ignoring the cold-faced young woman in front of him who seemed to possess explosive martial arts skills, and also ignoring the large group of constables. His eyes were fixed on Ouyang Rong, pointing at his face and uttering harsh words:
"You dare shoot my bird? This isn't over yet!"
“It’s definitely not over yet.” Ouyang Rong nodded.
"Fine, you've got guts. My food upstairs is getting cold, let's go eat! Don't run away, we'll wait and have some fun." Liu Zilin dusted off the hem of his robe, turned around with a cold smile as if no one else was there, and leisurely walked away.
Ouyang Rong chuckled and turned to walk back.
On both sides of the long street, scholars and ruffians walked in opposite directions.
Xie Lingjiang turned to look at Ouyang Rong's back, frowning as if she wanted to speak.
Yan Wuxu's expression was solemn, while the other constables of the county government breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to follow the magistrate back to the county government office.
However, the next second, Ouyang Rong's voice, tinged with a strange and surprised tone, came:
"What are you all standing there for? He's about to escape! Hurry up and catch him! Um, you guys didn't actually think his acting fooled me, did you?"
The newly appointed official helplessly shrugged, realizing there was truly no chemistry between them.
"Take this law-abiding resident of Longcheng, who was walking his bird in the street, to the county government. Being new to Longcheng, I don't have much to offer, so let's have a traditional performance that the elders and folks enjoy..."
"Case handling today."
Xie Lingjiang suddenly smiled, startling everyone.
Liu Zilin's expression changed slightly.
...
The Longcheng County Government Office is located on Luming Avenue on the east side of the county seat.
The weather was nice today. At the entrance of the county government office, Magistrate Diao was leading a large group of clerks and yamen runners, eagerly waiting.
The county magistrate, whose real name was Diao Guangdou, was a scholar of about fifty years old. He had a goatee and wore a crisp official robe. He was getting impatient and kept peeking out at the end of the street.
Finally, at a certain moment, Magistrate Diao spotted a tall, slender young scholar leading a large group of people toward the county government office. He quickly led his subordinates to meet them.
"Your Excellency, you've finally arrived!"
Being warmly welcomed with tears in his eyes by someone old enough to be a grandfather, Ouyang Rong felt a little awkward. He silently withdrew his hand and casually asked:
"There's no need to check the letter of appointment and the Ministry of Personnel's documents, is there?"
"No need, no need. I met you the other day. You are Magistrate Ming, the upright and just magistrate that our Longcheng County has been eagerly awaiting."
"Alright, let's go in and hold a ceremony first."
"Alright, alright... wait, are we going in for the court session? Isn't this supposed to be a welcome feast? Wait, what are all these people behind you... why is the Third Young Master of the Liu family here too?"
"If there is a grievance, of course the court should be convened."
"But...but the county government office was flooded before, and several buildings, including the main hall, collapsed."
“Then let’s move the case out and handle it outside. I think this street in front of the gate is pretty good, with a good flow of people.”
"..."
Before long, at the entrance of Longcheng County Government Office, on Luming Street, a unique trial began. Everyone took their places, and the street entrance was blocked by people who had rushed to the scene.
Ouyang Rong changed into a seventh-rank official's robe and took his seat.
"The court is now in session."
The second seated county magistrate, Diao, patted the wooden clapper:
"Who are you in the hall, and why are you reporting this crime?"
Standing below were Liu Zilin and a Hu female dancer named "Yingniang".
The former put his hands behind his back and pouted, while the latter lowered his head and nodded.
No one spoke for a moment.
“No wrongdoing, court adjourns…” Magistrate Diao prepared to turn around and give his instructions.
Xie Lingjiang immediately went over and helped Yingniang up. "It's alright. Tell me your grievances, and the magistrate will uphold justice for you."
Yingniang hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.
Liu Zilin suddenly snorted coldly.
Yingniang immediately knelt down with a thud, crying out, "I've been wronged!"
Before Xie Lingjiang could even breathe a sigh of relief, Yingniang turned to Liu Zilin and kowtowed repeatedly.
"It's the Third Young Master's fault! I accidentally spilled the food on my face, which is why I was chased by the Third Young Master's hawk. This caused the Third Young Master to be misunderstood by the county magistrate. It was my fault, the Third Young Master's fault!"
Liu Zilin stepped on Yingniang's head, stopping her from kowtowing, and pointed at her lowly head, saying:
"It's my eagle's fault! It was shot dead by some blind fool because of you, you bastard. Go back and build a grave for my eagle, and you'll be wearing mourning clothes and going to its funeral!"
"They let their eagles injure people and still dare to act so arrogantly!"
Ouyang Rong stood up, grabbed a bag of dead birds from Yan Liulang's hand, and slammed it hard onto Liu Zilin's face. "Kneel down before me in court!"
County Magistrate Diao quickly stood up to dissuade him, and whispered to Ouyang Rong, "This is the third young master of the Liu family, perhaps we should just let it go."
Ouyang Rong ignored him, nodded to Xie Lingjiang who was holding her sword and clenching her fist, and she immediately took a stern-handling stick from the timid yamen runner beside her and walked down.
Liu Zilin, though outwardly fierce, said weakly, "What are you trying to do? How dare you abuse your power in court? I'm going to take this to the state level!"
Ouyang Rong's expression remained unchanged, and he slammed his wooden clapper on the table: "Kneel down."
"I will not kneel!" Liu Zilin raised his head. "I am a scholar from the state academy, and my family will send me to study at Bailudong Academy at the end of the year. I am a scholar, and I cannot kneel before an official!"
Xie Lingjiang hesitated and paused, then turned around to ask for instructions.
Magistrate Diao also advised, "Yes, you can't kneel. How about we reschedule the case for another day..."
Ouyang Rong suddenly laughed.
"Who said he had to kneel before the official?"
He pulled a jade pendant from his waist and threw it on the table. “What a coincidence, Brother Ling Jiang and I are also scholars from Bailudong Academy. Our teacher is the deputy headmaster, so he is of a higher generation than you. In Confucianism, there is a strict hierarchy. You kneel down before me!”
Xie Lingjiang raised an eyebrow, glanced at Ouyang Rong, seemingly with some admiration, but the rod in her hand did not stop at all, and she directly struck the young scoundrel on the shin.
Liu Zilin cried out "Ah!" and knelt down in grief, hugging his legs and howling.
Wow, that was ruthless! Even the onlookers gasped in shock.
Xie Lingjiang, who went to help Yingniang, felt the gazes of everyone and seemed a little embarrassed. After thinking for a moment, she added coldly, "In the academy, it's normal to break a leg when dealing with scoundrels."
"Having a legitimate reason for learning this, this junior sister is learning quite quickly..." Ouyang Rong suppressed a smile and slammed the gavel down again:
"If you kneel down, then we will continue the trial. You have three charges today: First, throwing objects from a high-rise building in the street, injuring passersby; second, injuring people while walking your bird, which is unsightly and frightens the public; third, acting tough in court, threatening women, and distorting the truth."
Liu Zilin gritted his teeth and argued, "Those were all the dishes I ordered. I was delivering food to them, doing a good deed!"
Ouyang Rong grabbed a cup of hot tea from the table and splashed it on his face. "I'm giving you my tea as a gift; it's also an act of charity."
A burst of laughter erupted from the onlookers.
Liu Zilin's face, covered in tea leaves, turned bright red.
Ouyang Rong's voice was calm and methodical:
"First offense: compensate each of the people whose property was damaged on the street with ten strings of cash."
"Second offense: compensate each of the frightened people with ten strings of cash."
"Third crime...you kowtow back to her."
"She's just a lowly slave who sold herself, and you expect me to kneel before her??" Liu Zilin looked utterly incredulous and retorted defiantly, "It's just silver, I have plenty. Whatever amount you want, I'll just pay you!"
Ouyang Rong ignored him and turned to Yingniang, asking, "How many times did you kowtow just now?"
Yingniang quickly waved her hands: "I didn't kowtow, I didn't kowtow."
Ouyang Rong listened intently: "What? One hundred? Okay, one hundred!"
Yingniang: "..."
Liu Zilin glared and protested, "She clearly said she didn't!"
Ouyang Rong casually tossed out a ticket, "Fight!"
Liu Zilin was shocked and angry and wanted to speak, but Xie Lingjiang had already kicked him down in front of Yingniang. Yan Liulang also picked up a stick and began to beat his buttocks, and the onlookers cheered.
"Wait a minute... wait a minute... I'll kowtow, I'll kowtow!"
"You kowtow, she counts. After you've kowtowed and handed over the money, get out of here."
Ouyang Rong drew a judgment slip and tossed it aside. He then stood up, dusted off his sleeves, and amidst the resounding kowtows, walked to the three-tiered steps of the county government gate. Turning around, he faced the gaze of the entire crowd and proclaimed loudly:
"I came to Longcheng to do only one thing:"
Disaster relief.
"Flood control."
"And... justice!"
My fellow fans, these two chapters are a tribute to "The Bullet," and there won't be any more. I really love this show so much that I don't even want to change the dialogue QWQ. One of the initial impulses for writing the first volume of "The Gentleman" indirectly came from it. I remember reading in a popular science article about Yuan Dynasty figures that a scholar who handled a phrase in a historical record about "a great famine" started his career as a minor county magistrate, experiencing the process of being beheaded and taken in as a dog by a local bully. The article only mentioned it in a humorous way, but it sparked endless imagination in me.
(End of this chapter)
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