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

The two became increasingly close as they talked, which made Wu Yan grin and occasionally glance at Zhang Sanlang.

Half an hour later, the sound of horses' hooves could be heard outside the courtyard.

Wang Zheng has arrived.

He wore a moon-white silk robe with a black half-sleeved outer garment, a jade pendant at his waist, and held a silver-inlaid ebony folding fan in his hand. Behind him were four attendants, each with a short sword at their waist.

Wang Zheng entered the flower hall and glanced around. Seeing Zhang Sanlang sitting at the head of the table, he waved to Liu Geng, pulled up a chair, and sat down. "Master Zhang, I heard you weren't feeling well a few days ago. Are you feeling better now?"

Zhang Sanlang put down his teacup, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Thank you for your concern, Young Master Wang. I'm all better now."

Seeing his politeness, Wang Zheng curled his lips, unfolded his folding fan and slowly waved it twice. "Just now, Liu Gong's steward came to the mansion in the north of the city to invite me. I thought something serious had happened, but it turns out it was about the Yan family's lost grandson."

"I'd like to offer a word of advice to Mr. Zhang: the Liu family is no ordinary household in Juancheng; they have many women and children in their home. If the archers rush in and search the chests and trunks, it will alarm the women in the inner quarters, and that won't sound good if word gets out."

"Besides, the Liu family mansion is deep inside. If you can't find it, wouldn't you be falsely accusing someone of theft? At that time, if Master Liu submits a complaint to the prefectural government, even Magistrate Gu might not be able to save face."

Liu Geng smiled at Zhang Sanlang, "Mr. Zhang, what Young Master Wang said is quite right. To be honest, I have many women in my household, and my grandson is still young. I really can't afford to cause any trouble. You see..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Sanlang frowned slightly, a troubled look on his face. "Young Master Wang, Lord Liu, and Chief Wu have already arrived with their men. County Magistrate Gu's warrant is here; if he returns empty-handed, he won't be able to explain himself."

He put down his teacup, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Wang Zheng, and said, "Since Young Master Wang is willing to stand up for Lord Liu, why not write a guarantee stating that the Liu family has no kidnappers and that there are absolutely no Yan family grandsons or maids hiding in the house?"

"With this guarantee, Commander Wu can report back. I'll also have something to say to Magistrate Gu, which will help me smooth things over for Lord Liu. What do you think, Young Master Wang?"

Wang Zheng stopped fanning himself. "Write a guarantee? Does Master Zhang want me, Wang Zheng, to sign it?"

Zhang Sanlang smiled even more politely, "Young Master Wang, it would be best to write a guarantee. You are the eldest grandson of Lord Wang and the head of the prefectural school. Your guarantee is more effective than Lord Liu's own words. Magistrate Gu will not doubt it after seeing it."

"I just heard from Liu Gong that he has already pledged allegiance to Wang Gong. If that's true, Wang Gongzi probably won't be able to refuse. Writing this guarantee will involve some responsibility, but if we don't, wouldn't we be disheartening to Liu Gong?"

Liu Geng's eyes lit up, and he quickly bowed to Wang Zheng, "Young master, with this guarantee written, the three officials can explain themselves, and I, Liu, can also clear my name."

The smile on Wang Zheng's face faded.

Since the guarantee was written to help Liu Geng out of a predicament, Gu Yansheng naturally dared not disrespect the Wang family.

But if Liu's residence is truly searched and people are found, this piece of paper will be the very evidence he himself handed over to Zhang Sanlang.

He tapped the edge of the table with his fan. "Master Zhang, I'm here today to mediate on behalf of Lord Liu, not to sign anything."

Zhang Sanlang glanced at Liu Geng and sighed, "Master Liu, since Young Master Wang refuses to write, I can only follow Magistrate Gu's orders. Commander Wu led his men in for a thorough search, and Master Liu's house was ransacked for no reason. Please forgive me if this disturbs the inner quarters."

Hearing this from the side, Liu Geng grew anxious and reached out to tug at Wang Zheng's sleeve, his face full of pleading, "Young Master Wang, please write it down. There's no Yan family grandson in my house. If you write it down, it'll save everyone trouble."

After he finished speaking, he gave Zhang Sanlang a forced smile and said, "Third Master, I'm not trying to pressure Young Master Wang. It's just that the tea has gone cold, and things need to come to an end."

Wang Zheng glanced at Liu Geng, then looked at Zhang Sanlang, noticing his calm expression but unwavering determination in his eyes.

He thought for a moment, then put the fan on the table. "Alright, get some paper and pen."

Liu Geng was overjoyed and hurriedly ordered the steward to prepare paper and grind ink.

Wang Zheng picked up his pen, first wrote the words "guarantee certificate," and then glanced back at Zhang Sanlang.

Zhang Sanlang smiled and gestured for them to proceed, his expression amiable.

Wang Zheng guessed that he wouldn't dare to do anything, and after a moment of contemplation, he finally put pen to paper.

保状

Wang Zheng, the guarantor, is the head of the Puzhou Prefectural School.

Because Yan Shizhong's grandson, Bange'er, and his maid, Jin'er, went missing, the Juancheng County government sent an archer to investigate Liu Geng's residence. The archer happened to know Liu Geng and knew that his family had lived in the west of the city for generations and had never harbored or abducted anyone.

I hereby guarantee with my life that there are no Yan family grandchildren or maids in Liu Geng's residence, nor is there any harboring of kidnappers. If it is later found that Liu's residence is indeed guilty of the aforementioned misconduct, I will gladly accept the punishment for making a false guarantee.

To avoid future disputes, I hereby issue this guarantee as proof.

October 17th, the fifth year of the Taiping Xingguo era

Guarantor: Wang Zhengya

The person in question: Zhang Shen

Liu Geng's expression relaxed, and he leaned back in his chair, speaking with a hint of playful banter between acquaintances, "Third Master, I invited you into the courtyard for tea because I respect you as a clerk in the county government."

"But if you really insist on searching, I, Liu, am not without recourse. Surely the Third Master should consider the Prince's influence in the state? Haha!"

After he finished speaking, he chuckled twice, since he had only met Zhang Sanlang once.

Wang Zheng blew on the ink off the guarantee, nodded at Zhang Sanlang with his folding fan, and continued, "What Lord Liu said is correct. Zhang Sanlang, you are in charge of the Household and Criminal Affairs departments, which are responsible for finances and criminal matters."

"Searching houses and arresting people is the duty of County Magistrate Sun. You overstepped your bounds and it won't sound good if word gets out. Besides, the official document for the relocation will be issued in a few days."

"The detailed records of taxes, censuses, official residences, and post roads that Juancheng needs to report all fall on your shoulders. If you cause a disturbance by wrongly searching innocent people at this time, and the prefecture blames you, it's uncertain whether Magistrate Gu will protect you."

Upon hearing Qian Zhixing's words, Liu Geng's eyes lit up, and he straightened his back even more. "Young Master Wang is right. Third Master, you are young and promising, why jeopardize your future for a grandson of the Yan family?"

Zhang Sanlang took a sip of tea, a slight look of surprise on his face. "Young Master Wang is well-informed; he even knows about the relocation and official documents."

Wang Zheng unfolded his folding fan and slowly began to wave it. "My ancestors lived in the prefecture, and there are still a few old friends there."

Zhang Sanlang nodded, as if he had been taken aback by those words.

He put down his teacup, glanced at Wang Zheng and Liu Geng, and said, "Young Master Wang is right. The official document for the relocation is about to be issued, and there's a whole host of things to do in the Household Department. I don't want to waste any more energy on that."

The smile lines on Liu Geng's face reappeared.

Wang Zheng nodded in satisfaction. "It's good that you've come to your senses, Master Zhang. As for the matter of the Yan family's grandson, I'll have Liu Gong send someone to inquire about it. You take your men back first, and I'll speak to Magistrate Gu about it another day."

When Zhang Sanlang saw the words "I am guilty of falsely guaranteeing" on the guarantee, his eyes lit up with joy. He quickly folded it up and put it in his sleeve. "Young Master Wang is so generous. With this guarantee, everything is easy to discuss."

He turned his head, his smile vanishing, and sternly addressed Wu Yan, "Captain Wu, what are you waiting for? Search the Liu family immediately!"