Be a small county magistrate in ancient times

Zheng Jiasheng turned his face away again, as if he had nothing to say to his younger brother.

“Xi Dong has now become an official, holding a government job, what is there for you to be unhappy about?” Zheng Linsheng said.

"No matter how capable she is, that's her business," Zheng Jiasheng said. "After all this commotion, how could I possibly benefit from her influence?"

"Hey, what are you talking about? You're her father, of course he'd support you!" Zheng Linsheng leaned closer to Zheng Jiasheng. "You just..."

Seeing that Zheng Jiasheng didn't intend to pay attention to him, Zheng Linsheng patted the other man on the shoulder again, "Go directly to the entrance of the county government and wait for her. If she ignores you, just keep waiting. Does she really dare to ignore you?"

Zheng Jiasheng rolled his eyes at him, annoyed. "We've already split up the family, what right does she have to tell me what to do?"

Zheng Linsheng emphasized again, "You are her father! Without you, where would she be? Even if you sold her, let alone separated from the family, she would still have to take care of you. This is something she owes you as her child."

Zheng Jiasheng's expression softened visibly, and after a while he said, "I don't want things to get too ugly."

“Leave this to me. You don’t need to do anything. I’ll make sure she’s completely obedient.” Zheng Linsheng imagined. “Once she brings back her monthly wages, our lives will be much better. You and your sister-in-law won’t have to do hard labor outside anymore. Our whole family can enjoy a comfortable life.”

You never leave the house, you don't know that the people in the government office don't just pay wages, they also give out clothes and shoes every season. One person can't possibly wear all that, so we can only help her out a bit."

Zheng Jiasheng said, "How can anyone else wear her clothes, which are only for a little girl?"

“Tell her to talk to the yamen and ask if she can get a bigger one. I’ve seen people do that before.” Zheng Linsheng laughed as he spoke, as if the good days were about to come true. “In two more years, have Xidong take her brother to the yamen too, and then we’ll be the ones who call the shots in this village.”

Zheng Jiasheng smiled too, but he wasn't as optimistic as Zheng Linsheng. "That girl Xidong is very stubborn."

Zheng Linsheng waved his hand, "No matter how stubborn she is, it's no use. The higher the position, the more afraid she is of losing face. We have nothing to lose now, so if she wants to have some dignity in the county government, she has to treat us well." Zheng Jiasheng, for reasons unknown, said to Zheng Linsheng, "If you go to see her, you have to talk to her nicely and not make her angry."

This implicitly means that Zheng Linsheng is to go find Zheng Xidong.

With these words in mind, and thinking of the immediate benefits, Zheng Linsheng immediately got off the kang (a heated brick bed), put on his shoes, and rushed to the county.

He didn't know Zheng Xidong's exact address and asked several passersby, but they didn't know either.

He could ask the yamen runners on duty at the row house, but he was a thief who was used to being a thief. He would get weak in the knees at the sight of yamen runners, especially since he had been taken advantage of by the yamen runners in Beishan County once. He didn't dare to ask them at all.

He came out full of confidence, but returned dejected.

At the same time, in the capital city, thousands of miles away, the Imperial Guards reported to the Emperor that Liu Dexiang had been brought back.

The emperor frowned upon hearing the name and immediately summoned the Minister of Personnel and the Minister of Justice, ordering them to preside over Liu Dexiang's trial.

When the Minister of Personnel heard about this, he cursed Liu Dexiang and Lady Wei countless times in his heart. If it weren't for Lady Wei's recommendation, he wouldn't have suffered this year's troubles.

Regardless of his thoughts, he still ordered his servants to hurry on their way.

The emperor was already displeased with him; he absolutely could not arrive later than the Minister of Justice. (End of Chapter)