Transmigrated into a minor official in a county government, with children at home waiting for rice t

The torture chamber door was open. Fang Zhong'an looked up at the sound of footsteps and hurried to the door, "Zhang Yashi, the person has escaped!"

Zhang Sanlang stopped in the corridor. "Who ran away?"

"Zhang Dalang's family! The shop assistant, Qiang, is also missing. I sent someone to deliver the message early this morning, but the shop door was closed, and no one answered after knocking for a long time."

"The lady from the teahouse next door said she saw Zhang Dalang's family before dawn. They were carrying a small bundle and leaving in a hurry with their waiter, A-Qiang. She greeted Zhang Dalang's family, but they ignored her."

Zhang Sanlang remained calm upon hearing this, and began to ponder.

Fang Zhong'an glanced at his face, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. "Old Manager Zhang is bedridden. Zhang Dalang is taking care of him personally. When he heard that his wife had run away, he was so angry that he fainted..."

Zhang Sanlang waved his hand to interrupt him, "What about the matter of the prefecture sending someone for a follow-up inspection?"

Fang Zhong'an then remembered the important matter and hurriedly pulled out a document from the corner of the desk and handed it over. "This is a document that arrived this morning. Magistrate Wang will be at the county office tomorrow. The coroner arrived first and has already gone to the City God Temple."

Zhang Sanlang glanced at the document, put it back on the corner of the desk, and said, "Fang Tiesi, there are two things you need to do immediately."

Fang Zhong'an straightened his back.

"First, go to the county magistrate's office and find Magistrate Sun. Have him issue a handwritten order to the archers at the city gates: any female relatives leaving the city within three days must have their official passes checked; those without passes should be detained. The checks must be thorough, and they can only be released after you can identify them. Do you recognize them?"

Fang Zhong'an nodded, "I recognize him. I recognize Zhang Dalang's family and his servants."

"That's good. Once the person is found, arrest them immediately and bring them to the county office. Second, summon Liu Dongqing, the head of the eastern outpost, to the household registration office. Old Zhao isn't here, so send Xu Fang."

Fang Zhong'an responded and turned to run out the door, his footsteps fading into the distance in the corridor.

Seeing that Xu Zheng and the others were busy, Zhang Sanlang didn't go in to disturb them. He straightened his cuffs, turned around, and walked out.

Just as he reached the household office, he suddenly heard a loud rebuke coming from the ceremonial office next door. The voice was quite loud and carried barely suppressed anger. Zhang Sanlang slowed his pace and turned around to go around to the corridor.

The door to the ceremony room was half open. Zhou Quan stood behind the desk, his two mustaches bristling with anger. He pointed at the opposite side with his finger. Zhang Sanlang didn't even need to look to know that the only people who could make Zhou Quan angry were Zhou Ji and his son Zhou An.

Zhou An huddled in front of the desk with his head down, his shoulders hunched over, a stark contrast to his stiff neck in the old house yesterday.

"Your mother is blind and snobbish! Zhang Erguan executed a corrupt official in Tanzhou, and someone in the court impeached him a few times, and she cowers in fear? What a woman's perspective!"

"Those are the top ten Jinshi graduates in the second class, figures whose policy essays have been personally praised by the Emperor! Executing a few corrupt officials might at best result in a demotion or transfer, but it would actually earn them a reputation for integrity in the court!"

Zhou Quan's voice rose higher and higher, his finger almost poking Zhou An's forehead, "That bastard of a father of yours! Back then, he was greedy for wealth and status and ran off to marry into the Zhou family, abandoning even his ancestral surname. He's trying to wipe out the Zhou family line!"

Zhou An shrank his neck, wiped his head and face, and didn't dare to make a sound.

Zhou Quan grew angrier as he spoke, slamming his hand on the table, making the teacup jump. "Look at you, you coward! You're such a wimp, unlike any other member of the Zhou family! Your father was just like this in front of Madam Jiang, wasn't he? You..."

Zhou An, perhaps angered by the scolding, gritted his teeth, raised his head, and spoke, "Uncle, I want to return to the Zhou family. I want to be adopted into your branch of the family. Do you agree?"

Zhang Sanlang, who was standing under the eaves, was surprised to hear this and gently put his left leg down.

Zhou Quan's hand froze in mid-air, his face contorted with rage, and the turban on his head bulged slightly.

However, Zhou An's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head. Zhou Quan's anger was still simmering, but he froze.

He opened his mouth, but no words came out. His two whiskers twitched twice, and the lines at the corners of his mouth first curved downwards and then upwards, his facial expression changing seven or eight times.

From shock to bewilderment, from bewilderment to disbelief, from disbelief to a kind of almost helpless ecstasy, it felt as if someone had pushed me from behind, and I staggered forward half a step before I could stand up by bracing myself on the edge of the table.

"What...what did you say?"

Zhou An noticed his uncle's expression change, so he straightened his back a bit. "Uncle, I want to go back to the Zhou family. If you agree, I'll talk to my parents. I'll kneel before my maternal grandparents. My surname is Zhou, so I should be a member of the Zhou family."

"Uncle, you had a falling out with Grandpa because of my father, and you never remarried. Why not have An'er adopted into the family line so you can take care of him in his old age and see him off in his final days? It would also save An'er from having to constantly be mindful of others' feelings in the Jiang family..."

Zhou Quan abruptly turned around, wiped his eyes with his sleeve, and then turned back. His voice was hoarse, even his tone had changed, and his eyes shone with admiration, "Good! Good! Good!"

He said "good" three times in a row, each word heavier than the last, with the last "good" ending with a tremor.

He walked around the table, reached out and grabbed Zhou An's shoulder, pressing him tightly as if afraid he would run away. "I promise. I promise! You come back and be adopted by your uncle! From now on, Anlang will be my adopted son, Zhou Quan's son!"

Perhaps overwhelmed by the shock, Zhou Quan's legs buckled as soon as he finished speaking, and he knelt on one knee before his nephew. Startled, Zhou An quickly knelt down as well, "Father... you've got it backwards! It should be An'er bowing to you!"

Zhou Quan grinned, not angry at all, but instead patted his shoulder affectionately. "Anlang, your uncle is happy. Don't change your mind now. Adoption requires clan agreement, a written contract, and the approval of the county official to be valid."

Zhou Quan slowly stood up, took a step back, looked Zhou An up and down, then took a step forward, brushed the broken cicada wing off his shoulder, took another step back, looked him over again, and then took another step forward to straighten his crooked collar.

He was flustered and disorganized, like a first-time father holding a newborn baby, unsure of what to do first. He grinned to himself, overjoyed and indifferent.

Zhou An felt a little embarrassed by his antics and turned his head away to cough.

Zhou Quan's eyes darted around, a thought flashing through his mind. He suddenly stopped smiling, his gaze sharpening. "You brat, tell me the truth. Did you pull this stunt on your uncle just to marry that girl named A-Yun?"

Zhou An did not avoid his gaze. "An'er and Uncle dare not lie, partly because of A-Yun. More importantly, I have lived in the Jiang family for eighteen years. My two older brothers are surnamed Jiang, but I changed my surname to Zhou eight years ago."

"After that, they sat at one table for banquets, and I sat at another. During the New Year's ancestral worship, they worshipped the Jiang family ancestors, but I couldn't even enter the ancestral hall. Uncle, I'm an outsider in the Jiang family, and I've wanted to come back for a long time."

Zhou Quan stared at him for several breaths, and a smile reappeared on his face, even deeper than before, stretching the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes even more.

He stood on tiptoe and gently tapped Zhou An on the head, his touch slightly awkward. "Good lad! Alright! You just mentioned that Miss Yun, the Third Master has recognized her as his godmother?"

"Very good! With the Third Master's protection, the Second Master will naturally care as well. She's practically a member of the Zhang family now. If you marry her, you'll become the Third Master's godson-in-law, and the Zhou and Zhang families will be legitimate relatives!"