Chapter 4

  Time flies, four years have passed in the blink of an eye...

  Tianyang County. Crowd A: "I heard that a new county magistrate is coming today, and he's only 18 years old, so young..." Crowd B: "I heard our county magistrate is a bought official, anyone can be an official as long as they have money." Crowd A: "Why do you think he came to our place?" Crowd C: "It's obvious, this is the former residence of Left Prime Minister, whoever comes here to take office will be promoted within a year, but it also depends on their abilities. If he makes a mistake, he'll lose his official position in no time."

  "The clip-clop of horse hooves was getting closer and closer, a messenger rode up to the city gate and shouted: "The new county magistrate is about to arrive, prepare to welcome him!" After finishing speaking, he ran into the city. Rich man A: "A small county magistrate making such a big show." Rich man B: "Is this good? It's very beneficial for us." Rich man C: "What do you mean by saying that?" Rich man A: "Idiot, don't you understand? If he's one of those self-righteous people, we'll be in trouble every day and won't even make a penny." "Oh..." The crowd suddenly realized.

  "County Master Tao has arrived..." A loud shout was heard by everyone. A brand new sedan chair came into view, and when it reached the crowd, it slowly descended. A young man stepped out of the sedan chair, and he was indeed Leng Wuwei.

  "Hello everyone, my surname is Leng and my name is Wu Wei. I always feel that my surname isn't very good, which makes many people afraid to approach me. But don't worry, I'm a kind-hearted person. If anyone has any difficulties or troubles, you can come find me. I also hope to get close to everyone." After finishing speaking, he cupped his hands and headed towards the city.

  Tianyang County is a medium-sized county town with a population of several thousand. As it is the hometown of the current Prime Minister, every newly appointed official must make a contribution here. Last time the Prime Minister returned to his hometown to sweep his ancestors' tombs, the county magistrate immediately widened the streets by half. In order to make this place prosperous, each official has put in a lot of thought. Of course, this is related to Prime Minister Li Zhong's thirty years in high office without falling. Here, it is like a small capital city, with people and goods coming and going incessantly from all directions, things that can't be seen elsewhere will definitely be seen here, and when the month begins, it is even more prosperous.

  "Wronged, sir, wronged..." At this moment, an old woman rushed over, stumbling and staggering. Leng Wuwei helped the woman up: "What grievances do you have, speak quickly, I will settle your case on the spot today, and let everyone see that I am a man of my word, not one who urinates standing up."

  The old woman sobbed: "Your Honor, my son Zhao Dazhu worked at the Li Mansion a month ago. Unexpectedly, Little Cui, the young lady of the Li Mansion, suddenly died in my son's room. The people of the Li Mansion falsely accused my son of murder. The county magistrate, without investigating clearly, forced me to confess and is preparing to execute him after three months. I beg Your Honor to do justice for us commoners."

  Leng Wuwei: "How can this be? Alright, I've taken on this case. The trial will begin in three days."

  "Hold on! Cold Qian County, it seems like you haven't completed the handover procedures yet." A person who looked like he was about to vomit walked over wearing official robes. He was Cao Xianling, but it was said that he had been promoted and was now the Vice-Prefect of Yangzhou, a sixth-rank official.

  Magistrate Cao said: "County Magistrate Leng, I think you should be familiar with the rules of being an official, even if you bought your position."

  Leng Wuwei: "Alright, alright... you can do as you like. But if I want to turn the tables on Lord Cao, what rules would apply?"

  Magistrate Cao: "Hmph, first you must have sufficient evidence to prove his innocence, then report it to the Ministry of Punishment for re-trial before a verdict can be made."

  Leng Wuwei: "Thank you, sir, for your guidance. I will definitely investigate this case until the truth is revealed. Let's proceed with the handover now."

  After the two left, Crowd A said: "This county magistrate came easily, I'm afraid it's easy to lose him in a few days." Crowd B said: "Yes, he doesn't understand the situation here at all. The Li Mansion is the old home of Lord Li, and everyone knows who killed Little Cui..." Crowd C said: "You don't want to live anymore, if someone from the Li Mansion hears you say this, they won't let you off." Crowd D said: "It seems that this official is different from the previous ones, he really does seem to be doing things for the people..." Crowd A said: "Which one didn't come like this, but in the end, power and influence still overwhelm people, both before and after..."

  Inside the county government office. After Cold Worryfree finished handing over to Magistrate Cao, Cao said: "From this moment on, I am your superior, you'd better be careful." Cold Worryfree: "Don't worry, I don't take bribes or bend the law, so don't worry about me. You should take good care of yourself, in a few days I'll come visit you again. Here are some small gifts, please accept them."

  Cao Tong turned around and said, "Good kid, you have a future. But I advise you not to interfere with this case, it's not good for you."

  Leng Wuwei: "I know this too, you don't dare to offend those people, how can I? I'm just pretending for the sake of those commoners, after all, I've just arrived. I have to win over some popular support, right? You can tell that nobleman to rest assured, once I've gone through the motions, everything will be back to normal - like a nephew holding a lantern."

  Cao Tong said: "You young man, not bad, you understand things and have potential."

  Leng Wuwei: "Then tell me who this noble person is, so I won't accidentally offend them in the future."

  Cao Tong said: "I was just praising you, how can you be so stupid? Where is this? This is Tianyang County, the home of Old Master Xiang. After leaving Li's mansion, who else has such great power?" Leng Wuwei suddenly realized.

  After seeing off Cao Tongping, Leng Wuwei began to think: everything is going according to plan, now it's time for Tian Da to make his move.