Chapter 38: Confrontation at the County Office

They arrived at the magistrate’s office together, but because Honglian’s identity was somewhat sensitive and inconvenient to reveal in public, she remained outside.

"Go on in yourself. If they dare to come and cause trouble again, I will step forward to testify that you were the one who recovered these items."

Given Feng Yuzhi’s personality, she certainly wouldn't give up.

Xu Feng struck the official drum at the entrance, and a bailiff soon appeared.

"Who has a grievance to report?"

"It is not a grievance, but a report of a case. May I be taken to see the Magistrate?"

"And who might you be?"

"I am Xu Feng, a scholar of this county."

Upon hearing that he was a scholar, the bailiff’s tone became much more respectful. Scholars held official status and, aside from the Emperor, were not required to kneel before other officials.

"Wait in the hall; the Magistrate will be here shortly."

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the Magistrate finally arrived.

"Who is before the court? What case do you wish to report to this Magistrate? Speak quickly."

He had likely been briefed by the bailiffs beforehand; otherwise, Zhao Qingyun would not have been this polite. He wouldn't have been in a good mood to be disturbed during his rest on such a hot day.

"Magistrate Zhao, the Imperial Court recently lost a shipment of gold. Investigations revealed it was stolen by barbarians. I happened to encounter them while traveling. I have slain them, and the stolen gold should be returned to the Court in its entirety."

Hearing this, Zhao Qingyun, who had been leaning back in his chair with an air of indifference, widened his eyes in astonishment.

He had been suffering from a headache over this very matter recently. The agents of the Six Fan School had been visiting repeatedly, demanding his assistance and insisting that the band of barbarians had fled to Gusu. Since it involved military funds, any mishandling of this case could put an end to his political career.

He had never expected someone to bring him such a massive surprise. The items had been found, meaning he would not only escape punishment but would also be credited with a great merit.

"Excellent! Is the gold here? Where are the heads?"

"Everything is right here."

Zhao Qingyun personally opened the chest and took a look. Indeed, the chest was filled with gold stamped with the Imperial seal, and the barbarian features on the severed heads were unmistakable.

The men had the custom of wearing small braids, their nose bridges were high, and their eyes were not the usual black, but carried a faint yellow hue.

With the gold and the heads verified, Zhao Qingyun’s attitude immediately became warm.

"Good! Truly worthy of being a scholar of our dynasty. With such a merit, one day you will surely rise to the rank of a high official."

"You are too kind, Magistrate. This was merely my duty."

Having been a corporate slave who had struggled in society for many years, Xu Feng knew how to say the right things. Had it been his predecessor, he likely wouldn't have known how to respond.

Just as Zhao Qingyun was holding Xu Feng’s hand, intending to chat further, someone struck the official drum outside once more.

Xu Feng’s expression darkened. He turned to look and saw exactly what he expected: Feng Yuzhi and Zuo Jincheng had arrived together. These two were not planning to give up.

"Magistrate, please wait. There is more to this matter."

"Oh? And who are you two? What is this 'more' you speak of? Explain yourself clearly!"

Zhao Qingyun frowned and returned to his seat beneath the plaque inscribed with "Bright Mirror Hanging High."

"May it please the Magistrate, I am Zuo Jincheng, and the person beside me is Feng Yuzhi, the wife of Xu Feng."

"This gold and these heads were not recovered by Xu Feng. They were items I had stored at the Feng residence. I never expected him to steal them and come here to claim the merit. I ask the Magistrate to discern the truth."

Zuo Jincheng spoke with absolute certainty, as if the items were truly his. Feng Yuzhi naturally stood by his side to support him.

"Magistrate, I can testify. This was indeed not recovered by Xu Feng. I ask the Magistrate to be clear-sighted and not be deceived by this base person."

Zhao Qingyun grew increasingly confused. If Feng Yuzhi was Xu Feng’s wife, why would she stand with Zuo Jincheng against him? Just then, a bailiff stepped forward and whispered in his ear.

"Magistrate, Feng Yuzhi is the eldest daughter of the Feng family, and this Xu Feng is a live-in son-in-law of the Feng family."

Upon learning this, Zhao Qingyun’s gaze toward Xu Feng lost its previous weight. How could a scholar stoop to being a live-in son-in-law?

"You keep saying these are Zuo Jincheng’s items, but do you have proof? You cannot simply rely on your words to seize this merit."

He had compromised too many times already. He would have no further ties with the Feng family, and this time, Xu Feng would not back down.

However, he had not expected Zuo Jincheng to be so well-prepared.

"Naturally, I have proof. I have been tracking this group of barbarians for some time. Not long ago, they passed through Jianfeng Mountain, and I led men to ambush and capture them. If I recall correctly, one of the heads has a sword mark near its ear."

Zhao Qingyun ordered a bailiff to verify this, and indeed, a sword mark was found on one of the heads.

The situation reached a deadlock. In truth, this sword mark was not caused by Zuo Jincheng. He had indeed been searching for the barbarians, but had found nothing. The barbarians had simply clashed with a security firm on the road and sustained the wound; Zuo Jincheng had heard of this from others and decided to gamble on it.

"Humph! You are nothing but a weak scholar; how could you possibly have such skill? Do you think these barbarians are so easy to kill? If you could take them down without any effort, who would believe your ghost stories?"

Feng Yuzhi mocked him on the spot, and Zuo Jincheng, not one to remain silent, looked at Xu Feng with a mocking smile, as if to say, "What can you do to me?"

"How come I’ve never heard of you having such impressive martial arts? It seems you’ve gone mad with the desire for a government position."

With the evidence provided by Feng Yuzhi and Zuo Jincheng, Zhao Qingyun no longer believed Xu Feng. A scholar with no strength to truss a chicken killing several barbarians did sound preposterous.

"You two make a valid point. Well, Xu Feng, do you have any other explanation? If not, I shall have to punish you."

Zhao Qingyun slammed the gavel and glared at Xu Feng.

"Magistrate, wait. I personally witnessed Master Xu kill these barbarians, and their bodies are located nearby. If necessary, I can lead the Magistrate there to verify it at any time."

"As for who is trying to claim credit, it will be clear once we arrive. I wonder if you two have the ability to produce a few corpses?"

At the critical moment, Honglian appeared to testify for Xu Feng. She had been nearby the whole time, and seeing Xu Feng being pushed into a corner, she had to intervene.

Watching Honglian walk toward him step by step, Zuo Jincheng looked as if he had seen a ghost. His mouth hung open, and he couldn't utter a word. Feng Yuzhi also hadn't expected Xu Feng to hold such a trump card.

They both suddenly fell silent, not daring to speak further.

"M-Magistrate, there may be some misunderstanding here. Please, grant me time to investigate this clearly."

Seeing Zuo Jincheng choose to give up at the critical moment, Feng Yuzhi could hardly believe it. She felt she could still work on Xu Feng; as long as she could convince him to back down, the merit would still belong to Zuo Jincheng.

But she hadn't expected that after the Magistrate nodded, Zuo Jincheng would turn and leave without looking back, not leaving a single word behind.