Father, who is both a heir and a descendant, is still biased; the bound system has gone berserk.

The crowd erupted in uproar.

The woman turned her head and stared at Lu Changshen with a terrified expression.

"How dare you slander my uncle?" The woman stepped forward, her eyes venomous. "Your words are baseless; do you have any evidence?"

Lu Changshen glanced at the woman with disdain and said, "I was once a fifth-rank clerk in the Ministry of Revenue. Although I have no evidence, Miao Shuo cannot withstand investigation."

After saying this, he bowed directly to Marquis Xuanwu and said, "My lord, that Miao Shuo once colluded with Duan Yuqing. Although I have no evidence, I am certain that he was corrupt."

He even looked at Zhao Yongquan, "This Zhao Yongquan is an accomplice. He is Miao Shuo's subordinate. He helped Miao Shuo embezzle the tax revenue of Xishui Town."

The onlookers looked at each other, their faces filled with shock.

Zhao Yongquan was furious. He roared, "Lu Changshen, you're spouting nonsense!"

Lu Changshen glanced at him. "Whether I, Lu, have made false accusations or not, Your Excellency can easily find out with a simple investigation. I trust Your Excellency will not wrong you!"

"you!"

Zhao Yongquan turned to Marquis Xuanwu, his face full of grief and indignation, "My lord, this Lu Changshen is spouting nonsense and wronging me. I beg you to see the truth."

He bowed his head and kowtowed heavily, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.

If this Marquis Xuanwu doesn't know his place, then he will...

Marquis Xuanwu's expression was grave. He looked sharply at Lu Changshen and said, "Lu Changshen, do you know what the crime is of wrongly accusing an official of the imperial court?"

Lu Changshen immediately replied, "This humble subject knows, and everything this humble subject has said is true."

Lu Changshen bowed deeply, a dark light flashing in his eyes. Whether he could redeem himself and return to officialdom depended on Marquis Xuanwu.

Marquis Xuanwu gave him a cold look, then turned and said, "To the county government office!"

Among the crowd, the Crown Prince frowned slightly.

Ying Yufu said, "If it's true that a county magistrate could embezzle 300,000 taels of silver, then he is a truly corrupt official."

He deserves to be killed.

The crown prince hesitated, as if he wanted to speak.

The two lifted their feet, intending to quietly return to the inn and head together to the county government office.

The county seat is 20 li away from Xishui Town.

Unexpectedly, just as Ying Yufu took a step, the system's voice sounded in her mind.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for helping the Marquis of Xuanwu find his biological son, saving Liu Aniu's life, and rescuing the Northern Xuan General Star! System reward: 2000 points!]

[Ding! Congratulations, host! For the death of Pang Jian, which severed the Empress's arm, the system has awarded you 500 points! Your current point balance is 9142!]

[Ding! The face-slapping mechanism has been triggered. Host, please help Miao Shuo prove his innocence and eliminate the corrupt officials in Mingxi County.]

Three system notifications rang in her mind in a row. Ying Yufu calmly followed the Crown Prince out of the crowd.

He was shocked.

[Little Dian, is Miao Shuo innocent? That despicable man Lu Changshen actually dared to frame the county magistrate?]

Xiao Dian: [Host, Lu Changshen didn't exactly frame Miao Shuo; it's just that Miao Shuo was incredibly unlucky to have Zhao Yongquan take the blame!]

Ying Yufu looked at Zhao Yongquan, who was following behind Marquis Xuanwu, with a shocked expression.

[Little Dian, does a mere garrison commander have such great power?]

The Crown Prince's pupils dilated in shock, and he nodded repeatedly in his heart. Yes, yes, without the support of the county magistrate, how could a mere garrison commander have such power?

[Host, this Zhao Yongquan is no simple man. He's Cang Mingze's man, and he has connections above him. Being that county magistrate, Miao Shuo, isn't easy; he's surrounded by wolves and tigers.]

Crown Prince: Miao Shuo is so unlucky!

Lu Zhaodi stood up again in the crowd.

"Let's go to the county town and take Hongxing with us. The clinics there are good; we can give Hongxing a proper check-up."

Liu Youcai said, "The clinics in the county town are expensive."

Lu Zhaodi rolled her eyes at him. "What do you know? Can't you see my nephew is about to turn his life around? Once he becomes a high-ranking official again, our whole family will be set for life."

Liu Youcai thought it made sense. Maybe Lu Changshen could replace the county magistrate this time. Then, wouldn't they be in charge of Xishui Town?

The family immediately headed to the county town together.

In the evening, Ying Yufu and her party arrived at the county government office.

Upon receiving the news, Magistrate Miao Shuo was already waiting in front of the county government office.

Accompanying Miao Shuo were the county magistrate, the registrar, and others.

Seeing that several carriages finally stopped in front of the county government office, Miao Shuo immediately went to greet them.

"Your humble servant, Miao Shuo, pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince, Princess Anguo, Marquis Xuanwu, and the old Marquis!"

Miao Shuo stepped forward, knelt down, and bowed.

The group disembarked from the carriage. The Crown Prince glanced at Miao Shuo, and his eyes lit up instantly when he saw Miao Shuo's appearance.

So that's what Father meant when he said Miao Su wasn't good-looking!

He cleared his throat to hide the gossip in his eyes and said, "Get up."

Miao Shuo and his group stood up.

Ying Yufu looked over curiously and saw that Miao Shuo was a thin old man.

The old man had dark skin, beady green eyes that gleamed with a sharp light, and a mustache that made him look rather sleazy.

Ying Yufu gasped inwardly, her voice trembling with suspicion: "Xiao Dian, are you sure this magistrate didn't embezzle?"

[Host, judging people by their appearance is wrong!]

Ying Yufu silently reflected on herself. Yes, Xiao Dian was right; judging people by their appearance was wrong.

The Crown Prince tilted his head and whispered in her ear, "I know him. He was the top scholar in the imperial examination when my grandfather was alive. He was originally going to enter the cabinet, but because he was ugly, he was framed and sent to Mingxi County as magistrate."

At that time, the emperor's grandfather told the emperor to send him out first, and then recall him and give him an important position after the emperor took office.

Later, when his father ascended the throne, he summoned him back, but the man refused, indicating that Xi County needed him more.

"Is that so?" Ying Yufu exclaimed in surprise.

The Crown Prince continued, "This Miao Shuo comes from a poor family and was raised by his elder brother and sister-in-law. His elder brother and sister-in-law only have one daughter, so she should be that woman."

Ying Yufu looked at the extremely cruel woman.

The woman's face turned pale. She quickly walked to Miao Shuo's side, her brows furrowed with anxiety.

But Miao Shuo gave her a gentle look, offering silent reassurance.

The woman, who had been looking anxious, immediately calmed down.

She lowered her head and obediently stepped aside, completely abandoning her previous aggressive demeanor.

"Your Highness's arrival in Mingxi County is an unprecedented honor for the county. I have prepared a simple meal and wine; please do not find it offensive!"

The crown prince looked at him, nodded reservedly, and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Magistrate Miao."

The group followed them into the county government office.

Upon entering the living room, one sees a large round table set up with food on it.

In the center was a large bowl of thick white rice porridge. Around it were some stir-fried vegetables, pickled vegetables, and a large bowl of white steamed buns.

Oh open!

There wasn't a single trace of meat in it.

Upon seeing it, the prince exclaimed, "Wow, these steamed buns are so white!"

The county magistrate stepped forward, smiling and flattering, "Your Highness, Magistrate Miao is known for his integrity and usually eats only cornbread. These white steamed buns weren't prepared specially because we heard Your Highness was coming. We hope Your Highness won't find them offensive!"

Crown Prince: "Which eye of yours saw that I was disgusted?"

The prince sat down directly, grabbed a white steamed bun, and took a bite.

Ying Yufu glanced at the county magistrate; he was fair-skinned and had a smiling face that made him seem easy to talk to.

Miao Shuo smiled and said, "I am honored that Your Highness does not mind. Please try this congee. It is very fragrant and delicious."

He then said, "Old Marquis, Marquis, Princess Anguo, Madam, Heir Apparent, please!" Miao Shuo said.

The prince ate his porridge and steamed buns, nodding repeatedly, "Not bad, not bad, tastes good!"

Miao Shuo smiled, his eyes narrowing. "I'm glad Your Highness is satisfied."

The crown prince took another sip of porridge, swallowed it, and asked, "Magistrate Miao, someone said you embezzled 300,000 taels of tax revenue. What do you say about that?"