As soon as Lord County Magistrate stepped down from his sedan chair, he saw Xiao Changyi and nearly went weak in the knees, hastily walking up to him.
"Your subordinate pays respects—"
Just as the County Magistrate was about to lift his official robe to kneel, Xiao Changyi stopped him, and all that could be heard was Xiao Changyi’s indifferent voice, "Lord County Magistrate, it is improper. Even if my wife is a First-class Good Citizen, she remains a commoner. If you kneel before her, would it not be detrimental to her?"
Although the County Magistrate was sincerely anxious and fearful, he understood what Xiao Changyi meant and dared not offer a grand salute to Xiao Changyi again.
An Jing also understood Xiao Changyi’s meaning, but she didn’t expose it. Instead, after casting a meaningful glance at Xiao Changyi, she said to the County Magistrate, "Lord County Magistrate, you personally came to give joyous news to a common woman, I am unworthy of such honor."
The County Magistrate immediately replied with due respect, "It’s been thirty-five years since Hecheng County has had another First-class Good Citizen. It’s truly a matter for celebration, and naturally, I had to come."
The government officials who had come to report the good news, and those who carried the sedan chair, didn’t understand why their master was being so courteous to An Jing and Xiao Changyi, even referring to himself as ’your subordinate.’
Following that, the County Magistrate presented the decree for First-class Good Citizen to An Jing.
An Jing opened it and discovered that not only was the County Magistrate’s official seal on it, but also the seals of the provincial official and the Magistrate.
It seemed that the conferment as a First-class Good Citizen had gone through several levels of approval.
The provincial official is equivalent to the modern mayor, while the Magistrate is like the governor of a province. With these seals, An Jing also knew that her being named a First-class Good Citizen also required the consent of the Magistrate and the provincial official; the County Magistrate could not make this decision on his own.
"Xiao Bio Gong, may I have a word with you?" the County Magistrate asked with trepidation.
Xiao Changyi said nothing and simply turned, entering the courtyard.
The County Magistrate hurriedly followed.
Xiao Changyi stopped in the middle of his family’s courtyard; the Lord County Magistrate still dared not offer a grand salute, but bent at the waist and in a low and respectful voice, he reported, "The Magistrate has instructed me to relay that the Emperor is already aware of the grain rice matter and it will be promoted within Xiyun Kingdom, so people need not laboriously use stone mortars to mill rice anymore. The Magistrate has also instructed me to relay that the Emperor is very concerned about... Xiao Bio Gong, hoping that you could return to the Capital for a visit."
Xiao Changyi snorted coldly, "He’s just a minor Magistrate; does he dare meddle in my affairs without fearing that I will chop off his head?"
"Xiao Bio Gong, please quell your anger!" The County Magistrate was immediately so frightened that he fell to his knees.
Xiao Changyi, without so much as a glance at the County Magistrate, said coldly, "Go back and tell him to stick to his duties. Matters of the Royal Family are not for him to manage. Even if the Emperor does not hold him accountable later on, I will still take his head."
"Yes, yes, yes," the County Magistrate immediately agreed, his face pale and his body covered in a cold sweat. Fortunately, he was not implicated.
It wasn’t until the County Magistrate and his men had left that An Jing and Xiao Changyi turned to head back into the courtyard.
Once inside, An Jing laughed and asked, "What did you say to the County Magistrate just now that scared him into being as pale as a ghost and unsteady on his feet?"
Xiao Changyi replied indifferently, "There are people above him who cannot rest easy."
"It must have been the County Magistrate who said something to you first."
"Hmm," Xiao Changyi paused before still deciding to share with An Jing what the County Magistrate had said to him.
An Jing frowned and said, "So, this Magistrate is not a good one?"
"He has ability, but he likes to play smart and cut corners," Xiao Changyi said very fairly.
"Haha," An Jing suddenly laughed, jokingly saying, "He said the Emperor is very concerned about you, don’t tell me that those ten pounds of fermented bean curd and ten pounds of rice-flower fish, you sold them to the Emperor."
Xiao Changyi nodded honestly, "Mm."