When Liang Xin saw that they actually dared to draw their knives, he jumped very high.
"What are you all standing there for?" he commanded Zhang Xiangyang and his men. "This guy dares to lay a hand on an official like me! Seize them immediately! These audacious bastards should all be thrown into jail and thoroughly interrogated to find out where they came from! They're utterly lawless!"
Zhang Xiangyang and his men immediately sprang into action, each taking out their weapons and, relying on their superior numbers, surrounding them completely.
The young man, exasperated, looked up at his master and asked, "Master, what do you think? This is him..."
Seeing that Liang Xin was unyielding and determined to convict them, the man felt a bit annoyed. He took a token from his waist and threw it towards Liang Xin.
"Pah!" Zhang Xiangyang pounced over, snatched the token, and spat it on the ground twice. "What kind of thing dares to use it as a hidden weapon? You think you can mess with Lord Liang? Don't forget your grandfather is here! You'll have to get past me first if you want to make a move!"
Zhang Xiangyang held the token in his hand and weighed it a couple of times. He didn't see any sharp parts, but he was blinded by the dazzling golden light on it.
It felt heavy, like something made of gold or silver when touched.
Zhang Xiangyang had a slight thought of pocketing the money and taking it back to make a bracelet or something for his wife and daughter.
Liang Xin wasn't very skilled, but his eyesight was sharp. He noticed the exquisite craftsmanship of the token, and more importantly, the few symbols that flashed across it made him feel a little uneasy.
"Xiangyang, let me see it. There seem to be words on it," Liang Xin said, reaching out to Zhang Xiangyang.
Zhang Xiangyang reluctantly took the document in his hand, looked it over, and frowned, saying, "Where is the official? I can't see him. There are no words on it!"
But Liang Xin had already taken the token from his hand and placed it in front of him to examine it carefully.
“Sir, look, I told you there were no words on this, didn’t I?” Zhang Xiangyang moved closer to Liang Xin.
Suddenly, a 'thump' was heard.
Zhang Xiangyang felt that Lord Liang, who was standing next to him, seemed to have shrunk by half a head.
wrong!
This is not a case of being half a head shorter.
Why did his Lord Liang suddenly kneel down in front of that man when he was perfectly fine?
Zhang Xiangyang's eyes widened in anger, convinced that this man was behind it all. Could it be that he had secretly used a hidden weapon on his master again?
Before Zhang Xiangyang could even open his mouth to question him, Liang Xin had already knelt before the man, his face pale, his teeth chattering as he cried out, "My...my...my lord..."
"???" Zhang Xiangyang felt completely bewildered, and before he knew it, he was pulled down to his knees by the other people in the county government office.
The more knowledgeable clerk stepped forward, glanced at the distorted symbols on the token, and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He exclaimed, "Qi Si..."
The symbols on the token were not crooked or meandering; they were clearly seal script or bronze inscriptions.
Everyone present was shocked.
They had never heard of this name before, but they knew that the surname 'Qi' was the imperial surname, the same as the emperor's!
That means this man is royalty!
Offending him and showing contempt for the royal family is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family!
Everyone was drenched in cold sweat, feeling a strange sensation in their necks that didn't belong to them, and the thought that their extended family members were probably going to join them in a mass grave.
"How dare you!" The young man who had been blocking the man's way glared at him disdainfully: "How dare you address my master by his name?"
"No, no..." Liang Xin was already limp on the ground, not daring to move. On the contrary, Zhang Xiangyang, who was usually eloquent, was now thinking very quickly, burning all the incense sticks of his ancestors.
He figured that since he was going to die sooner or later anyway, he might as well use his shamelessness as the "thousand-year-old tortoise prime minister" to try and save his family's lives.
"This...sir, this...it's all a misunderstanding..." Zhang Xiangyang put on a fawning smile: "Please be magnanimous and don't hold it against us lowly servants...sir, you must be tired of standing, right? I'll go get you a stool!"
The young man glanced at Qi Sichen for instructions before nodding to Zhang Xiangyang.
Zhang Xiangyang scrambled to his feet and quickly ran to Liang Xin's study to retrieve the armchair he usually sat in, then brought it to Qi Sichen.
The other yamen runners followed suit, bringing out all the benches in the yamen for Qi Sichen's subordinates to sit on.
However, these subordinates were much more disciplined than the constables trained by Zhang Xiangyang. They stood behind Qi Sichen with cold faces, not saying a word, and still holding their weapons tightly in their hands.
It seems that with a single order, they could take the heads off all those they've offended.
The constables were panicked and afraid, hiding to the side, trembling with fear, and dared not step forward at all.
"I've heard some things..." Qi Sichen sat down slowly before speaking, his voice clear and melodious like a spring babbling in a lake.
However, every word he said was like a lash against Liang Xin, recounting his entire life, especially his years in office and his acceptance of bribes, which he knew very well.
Liang Xin knelt on the ground, prostrate, cold sweat dripping down his forehead and pooling beneath him.
Liang Xin, who was usually quite eloquent, didn't dare to utter a single word at this moment.
Because he knew perfectly well that every word Qi Sichen said was true!
Moreover, he is a member of the royal family!
Liang Xin never expected that he, a mere seventh-rank official, would one day fall into the hands of Regent Qi Sichen.
It's hard to say whether he was lucky or unlucky. He probably wouldn't have had a chance to meet a member of the royal family like Qi Sichen in his life, but he was dealt with as soon as they met.
Thinking of the vague rumors circulating about the imperial court, Liang Xin dared not speak any longer, keeping his mouth tightly shut, regretting his past actions.
“However…” Qi Sichen paused for a moment before slowly saying, “I also heard that you’ve become quite different since you fell ill? You’ve even started doing practical things.”
“I…” Liang Xin wanted to look up, but didn’t know what to say. He was feeling flustered and confused.
Qi Sichen didn't wait for his reply and continued, "Considering that you have managed things well and reformed, I'll just leave the previous matter as a record. If you dare to do it again, not only will your official hat be gone, but your head will be gone too."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Liang Xin was overjoyed, never expecting that Qi Sichen's words meant he would let him go.
Although it was recorded, he had already been enlightened by the little deity, so he would never do those unscrupulous things again!
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