"Bring forth the court. This official would like to see just how bold he can be." County Magistrate Zheng suppressed his anger, ordering the commencement of the court session.
After a cry of "majestic," County Magistrate Zheng looked at the young man below the stand.
"Scholar Xu Qing, it is you who accuses Zheng San, a servant of this official?" County Magistrate Zheng slapped the gavel.
"Exactly." Xu Qing remained calm.
County Magistrate Zheng glared at him coldly: "You claim he stole a chicken from your home, do you have evidence?"
Xu Qing said, "It’s all written in the statement, with both personal and physical evidence."
County Magistrate Zheng snorted, "Nonsense, he has been by my side all the time, how could he possibly go to your house to steal chickens and dogs?"
"Don’t forget, my lord, not long ago, he had been to Golden Ray Monastery." Xu Qing spoke slowly.
County Magistrate Zheng sneered: "Indeed, you’ve come for that business. Don’t bother causing trouble here."
Seeing that Xu Qing had revealed the matter, he simply stopped pretending.
Everyone had their own backing.
A mere scholar, could he compare to a righteous Imperial Officer of the Court who had passed the provincial examination?
Xu Qing had his background, and County Magistrate Zheng had an even stronger one; behind him stood Duke Wei Mansion.
The Court had successfully eradicated bandits and established customs duties, and Duke Wei Mansion contributed to this.
This was the confidence of County Magistrate Zheng to deal with Xu Qing.
Duke Wei had already made concessions, to deal with such a scholar, those above would have to concede as well.
This is the rule of the game among the great figures.
And it was the realization Xu Qing should have.
No matter how great the clamor of the lesser figures, they were still lesser figures.
What ’Timely Rain of Jiangning’, what ’Fierce Tiger of Jiangdong’.
As a governor with control over a hundred li, couldn’t he handle this person?
Xu Qing said with a calm smile, "Standing is too tiring, would the official please bring me a chair."
"Dream on," County Magistrate Zheng said coldly.
However, his words seemed ineffectual, as soon as Xu Qing finished speaking, a chair was brought over.
"What are you doing?" County Magistrate Zheng looked at the Government Official in front of him, almost in disbelief.
Xu Qing sat in the chair and said indifferently, "The official kindly provided a chair for me, a scholar. He was merely following orders."
"Nonsense, this official certainly did not say so."
Xu Qing asked, "You guys tell me, did the official say it or not?"
"He did," the Government Officials said unanimously.
Joking aside, County Magistrate Zheng was a passing official, just working for a few years before moving on, but Xu Sanyuan was the ’Timely Rain of Jiangning’, and now countless people in and out of the city were benefiting from the kindness of Golden Ray Monastery and Recovery Society.
They were locals and knew what mattered most.
Moreover, their leader Guo Zhuang had trained them well.
In the County Government, there was no mountain higher than another; above was only one cloud, and that was Xu Sanyuan.
County Magistrate Zheng never imagined that, as an Imperial Officer of the Court, his words could be so powerless within his own County Government. At the same time, he felt a chill all over.
How dared these Government Officials?
The shrewd ones among them already heaved a secret sigh.
What’s there to fear about offending the County Magistrate? If they offended Xu Sanyuan, the grass on Zhao the arrest officer’s family graves was already growing tall.
To go up against a broken County Magistrate is one thing, but Xu Sanyuan truly dared to exterminate entire families.
Xu Qing looked calmly at County Magistrate Zheng, "Old Master, everyone says so; why don’t you think it over, did you say it or not?"
County Magistrate Zheng’s face turned ashen, but he did not continue. Instead, he said, "What do you want?"
Xu Qing’s maneuver reminded County Magistrate Zheng of the historical tale of ’Pointing at a deer and calling it a horse’. He could no longer regard the County Government as his own, instead, he felt like he was in a dragon’s den, utterly helpless.
However, the fact that he, a Scholar, came to sit in this Magistrate’s seat was not due to his family’s shadow, but the backing of Duke Wei.
If he couldn’t handle this task well, he could forget about his future prospects.
Facing a formidable adversary, he must strategize carefully.
Still, if he had been given a few more months, he could have reorganized the County Government, and he wouldn’t be as passive as he was today.
After all, he had only been in office for a month and hadn’t even gotten to know everyone.
Xu Qing declared, "I just want justice."
"What justice? It’s just a chicken, I’ll admit it on his behalf, and recompense you," said Zheng.
Xu Qing explained, "My lord, this is not an ordinary chicken. Every day, it consumed precious medicinal herbs. All in all, I have spent over a hundred Silver on it."
"So you’ve caused such a fuss just for these hundred Silver?"
Xu Qing shook his head: "According to the laws of our Court, stealing goods worth a hundred strings of cash warrants a punishment of a hundred lashes and exile to a distance of three thousand miles."
"What, you want me to sentence him to a hundred lashes?"
"My lord, the law is such, please let righteousness override kinship."
"Please, my lord, let righteousness override kinship!"
Shouting in unison came the voices of the Government Officials.
"You..." County Magistrate Zheng collapsed over the case files, gasping.
He had no choice under the current circumstances; he had to feign unconsciousness.
"Qin the Archivist, what are you waiting for? The Imperial Officer has been fainted by the servant’s indignity, help the official with the seal," Xu Qing greeted the nearby Qin the Archivist.
"Yes." Qin the Archivist grinned pleasingly, moved the Old Master to the side, and enjoyed the treatment befitting of the County Magistrate himself.
To pronounce judgment and seal the documents, done swiftly and effortlessly.
As County Magistrate Zheng heard the movements, his heart was in turmoil. He finally regained consciousness after the seal was applied, saw the verdict in front of him, and angrily said, "Xu Gongming, don’t you go too far."
Xu Qing stood up, came before County Magistrate Zheng and said plainly, "Who started the bullying first? Open your eyes wider, crossing the river is not a pawn."
He approached County Magistrate Zheng and whispered, "It’s the chariot."
"You act so perversely, your downfall is surely not far off," continued County Magistrate Zheng, "Insulting superiors is the great taboo in the officialdom; no one can save you."