From a slave to the Great Qian Martial Saint

"Greetings, Your Excellency!"

The crowd, who had initially harbored doubts, immediately knelt down upon seeing Zhao Qiancheng enter in the robes of a fourth-rank official.

"Today is to congratulate Brother Chen, not for official business, so there's no need for formalities."

Zhao Qiancheng gestured for everyone to stand up, then smiled at Chen Shi and said...

"I came in such a hurry that I didn't even have time to change my clothes. It's also the fault of Chief Du and the others for not informing me in advance. I only found out from Chief Wu."

"How could I trouble you, sir, with such a small matter?"

Chen Shi bowed with his hands clasped in greeting, his face showing humility.

Even in the nick of time, how could he not have time to change his clothes? Chen Shi knew that Zhao Qiancheng was deliberately trying to save face for him.

Whether he wanted to host the martial arts banquet or not, he had to accept Zhao Qiancheng's favor.

"Your humble servant, Wei Shouren, Magistrate of Gegang County, pays his respects to Your Excellency the Prefect!"

As the two were talking, Wei Shouren bowed and came over.

Zhao Qiancheng came specifically to congratulate Chen Shi, which clearly indicates that the two have a very special relationship.

Regardless of the specifics of the relationship, he has offended Chen Shi this time, and Zhao Qiancheng will likely punish him for it.

At the same time, Wei Shouren suddenly realized why Li Changying not only didn't help him but also tried to curry favor with Chen Shi; he must have known about the relationship all along.

At the same time, he suddenly realized what was happening, but he also felt a surge of resentment. He had always treated Li Changying quite well, yet he hadn't reminded him of this matter beforehand.

However, it's too late now.

He desperately wanted to slip away, but Zhao Qiancheng had already come in, so how could he possibly escape?

As a subordinate, how could I not come to pay my respects?

"Magistrate Wei arrived before me."

Thinking that Wei Shouren had also come to congratulate Chen Shi, Zhao Qiancheng smiled and said, half-jokingly.

"Young Master Chen is no ordinary man, and Magistrate Wei has the advantage of being close to him; he should seize this opportunity."

"Yes, yes."

Wei Shouren nodded repeatedly, barely managing to agree, not daring to utter a single word more.

"Ha, he's not here to offer congratulations."

But would others let this misunderstanding continue? Du Yueming snorted coldly and directly exposed the truth.

"Instead of offering congratulations, they're looking for someone to arrest Big Brother!"

"Um?"

Zhao Qiancheng, who had just been beaming with joy, suddenly turned grim and looked at Chen Shi.

"Brother Chen, what's going on?"

"Replying to your lord, I will lower my rank..."

"This official is asking Brother Chen, whether I have given you permission to speak!"

Wei Shouren was about to explain when Zhao Qiancheng interrupted him with a sharp rebuke.

Wei Shouren opened his mouth, but dared not say anything more.

"Since Lord Zhao has asked..."

Chen Shi frowned slightly, sighed softly, and then recounted the whole story.

Wu Debiao set up the scheme, and Wei Shouren acted out of personal favoritism, ultimately forcing his father to commit suicide. Although he now has the ability to settle the matter privately, "reporting to the authorities" is indeed the best solution.

"Such a thing has happened! How dare you, Wei Shouren!"

After listening to Chen Shi's words, Zhao Qiancheng glared at Wei Shouren and shouted angrily.

Wei Shouren trembled and immediately knelt on the ground.

According to the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty, although Zhao Qiancheng was Wei Shouren's direct superior as the prefect, he could not directly punish him.

However, the prefectural governor holds supreme administrative power over the prefecture and has the authority to control and impeach subordinate officials.

Restraint, in this context, means limiting his rights, or even temporarily confining him.

Impeachment, on the other hand, involves submitting a memorial to the imperial court to convict him.

As a prefect, if you impeach a county magistrate, as long as there's nothing seriously wrong, the imperial court will generally not bother to investigate and will simply proceed accordingly.

It can be said that if Wei Shouren had no other strong backers or support, Zhao Qiancheng could have completely decided his life or death!

"Prefect, please understand! I have been wronged!"

Wei Shouren looked terrified and hurriedly tried to explain himself.

"You cannot listen to only Chen Shi's side of the story! Regarding his father's case, I handled it impartially based on the evidence at the time, and there was no favoritism or perversion of justice!"

"Upholding justice? Without showing favoritism?"

Zhao Qiancheng chuckled softly, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Wei Shouren.

Zhao Qiancheng had been an official for many years, climbing all the way to the position of prefect. What hadn't he seen and what didn't he know?

Wei Shouren was so confident back then that he must have been careless in his work. If he wanted to investigate, he could find out everything about him in no time!

Moreover, when someone is determined to find fault, they will always find a pretext.

Even if Wei Shouren were an incorruptible official, as long as we are determined to punish him, we will find a reason to do so.

"Please have mercy, Your Excellency! Please have mercy, Your Excellency!"

Seeing Zhao Qiancheng's expression, Wei Shouren immediately understood what it meant.

Terrified, he kowtowed and begged for mercy again, then gritted his teeth and said in a low voice.

"If you would be so kind as to grant me this favor, everything I have will be yours!"

"Oh?"

Zhao Qiancheng smiled knowingly and said.

"What do you mean by 'everything'?"

"Silver, jewels, land, even concubines—if you, my lord, are willing to relinquish your official position and spare my life, I will offer them all!"

Wei Shouren looked at Zhao Qiancheng with a mixture of fear and hope.

"How dare you, Wei Shouren!"

But the next moment, Zhao Qiancheng shouted loudly, and his expression suddenly became even more stern.

"You dare to openly bribe this government official! This crime alone is enough to cost you your official position!"

"I... am not... a subordinate official..."

Wei Shouren stared wide-eyed, his face full of astonishment, unsure of what to do.

Zhao Qiancheng was actually setting a trap for law enforcement!

The key point is that Zhao Qiancheng is clearly determined to kill him, so saying anything now is probably useless.

In his panic, Wei Shouren couldn't help but wonder why Zhao Qiancheng was helping Chen Shi so much!

Could it be that, like him and Wu Debiao?

This doesn't mean Chen Shi is Zhao Qiancheng's brother-in-law, since Chen Shi doesn't have a sister. Rather, it means Chen Shi is actually one of Zhao Qiancheng's men, helping him with some shady dealings.

Those gang members all call Chen Shi "Brother Chen."

It seems reasonable, but it doesn't make sense. If that were all, would Zhao Qiancheng be so biased towards Chen Shi?

He even made a special trip from Yongqiu City to congratulate Chen Shi.

"Your Excellency! I do not understand why you are so protective of this child!"

Since things are already like this, even if I die, I can't die a foolish death.

Why?

Zhao Qiancheng looked at Wei Shouren with a mocking pity on his face.

"You don't even know his identity, yet you rashly provoke him. You've wasted your many years as an official."

"His status? Chen Wangshi sold him; now he's just a servant..."

Wei Shouren's eyes widened, a vague unease creeping into his heart.

"The servants are fine, but not all servants are the same. The servants of the Marquis of Jing'an's household are far more valuable than you, a seventh-rank county magistrate!"

Zhao Qiancheng snorted coldly, his smile growing wider.

"The Marquis of Jing'an's residence..."

Upon hearing these words, Wei Shouren's pupils dilated in shock once again.

Lady Chen actually sold Chen Shi into the Jing'an Marquis's household!

Zhao Qiancheng was right; the servants of the Marquis's mansion were more valuable than him, a seventh-rank county magistrate.

"No! Even in a marquis's mansion with so many servants, he's just an ordinary servant!"

Immediately afterwards, Wei Shouren shouted in a panic, like a drowning person trying to struggle.

"That's true, but how could Brother Chen be an ordinary servant? Now I will tell you Chen Shi's true identity!"

Zhao Qiancheng's face darkened, and he addressed everyone in a deep voice.

"Chen Shi is one of the twenty-three stewards of the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion! Moreover, he has been stripped of his slave status and is now a retainer of the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion in blue robes! How dare you be so insolent!"