The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the Somersault Cloud, Old Zhu was so envious he cried!

What does it mean when "the flood washed away the Dragon King Temple, and family members no longer recognize each other"?

That's my wife! Not yours!

Zhang Dekai screamed inwardly, the veins on his neck practically bulging out.

However, on the surface, he put on an expression of deep gratitude, repeatedly bowing and saying, "Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

Before he arrived, Zhang Dekai was already prepared to be cuckolded.

Otherwise, with his abilities as a down-on-his-luck scholar, asking the county magistrate to help him would be harder than climbing to heaven.

"You are..." Qian Youde stopped mid-sentence, frowning as he couldn't remember the other person's name.

"My name is Zhang Dekai!" Zhang Dekai quickly took over the conversation.

"Oh, I know, Nephew Dekai!" Qian Youde slapped his thigh, feigning a "I remember you" expression. "I remember you are..."

I got stuck halfway through my sentence!

"I was a student in the fourth year of the Hongwu reign, so I can be considered your disciple!" Zhang Dekai quickly added.

"Oh! I know!" Qian Youde's eyes lit up, and he spoke more and more smoothly, "I remember you ranked first in the exam, right?"

"...I'm ranked last."

"Oh, really?"

Qian Youde wasn't embarrassed at all. Instead, he patted Zhang Dekai on the shoulder and comforted him, "It's okay, last place is still first!"

After saying that, he opened his mouth, preparing to continue recalling.

Zhang Dekai couldn't bear to watch any longer and screamed in his heart: I beg you, please stop! If you keep going, I really don't know how to respond!

He quickly skipped that step, knelt down with a thud, and cried out in tears, "I beg you, Lord Qian, to do me justice!"

Qian Youde straightened his face, adopting the demeanor of a righteous and just official:

"Dekai, what grievance do you have? Speak quickly! I will certainly do justice for you!"

Zhang Dekai wiped away his tears and began to tell a story with great emotion:

"My lord! I live on the outskirts of the county town. I have a house and fields, and my life is very happy."

"Who knew that one time when my husband went away to study, leaving my wife alone at home, a group of robbers took advantage of the situation! While my husband was away, they forcibly kidnapped my wife!"

"After much difficulty, I managed to find my wife's whereabouts and gathered a few kind neighbors to go and rescue her."

"And then...and then those bandits found us and gave us a really bad beating!"

Zhang Dekai beat his chest and stamped his feet, crying his heart out:

"Those kind-hearted neighbors were beaten to death on the spot! Only I was lucky enough to escape... Your Honor, you must do justice for me!"

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, Qian Youde flew into a rage: "How could such a thing happen within my jurisdiction? It's utterly outrageous!"

However, what truly enraged him was never the rampant banditry or disregard for the law.

Rather, he had long since set his sights on the beautiful young woman, Lin Xiu'e.

I'm figuring out how to get my hands on some to try.

Before he could even make a move, a group of bandits beat him to it!

The woman Qian Youde hadn't even touched before had already become someone else's.

How could he not be angry?

Seeing Qian Youde's furious expression, Zhang Dekai was overjoyed and quickly pressed his advantage, saying:

"Lord Qian! These bandits have no regard for the law! They have openly abducted women within your territory, clearly showing they have no respect for you! I implore you to send troops immediately to subdue them and rescue my wife!"

"Sending troops?"

Upon hearing that troops were to be mobilized,

The anger on Qian Youde's face froze instantly, and his tone became hesitant.

Sending troops costs money, and money is needed to rescue a woman who has already been transformed into someone else's shape.

This made Qian Youde feel that it wasn't worth it!

"Zhang... what's your name again?"

"My name is Zhang Dekai."

"Oh, Zhang Dekai." Qian Youde picked up the celadon bowl again, took a sip of fresh milk, and said slowly, "This matter of yours is a bit difficult."

"The robbers have abducted your wife; you should go see the county magistrate."

"I'm just a county magistrate, in charge of money, grain, and taxes. Arresting people isn't my job."

Zhang Dekai lowered his head, but in his heart he cursed Qian Youde's ancestors for eighteen generations.

What do you mean by "it's not your business"?

Haven't you already sidelined the county magistrate?

Throughout the entire county, everyone knows that you, Lord Qian, are the real decision-maker!

He was just now patting his chest and saying, "I, the official, will stand up for you."

As soon as they heard it would cost money, they immediately denied everything!

Fortunately, he had anticipated this reaction from Qian Youde.

He also has a backup plan.

Zhang Dekai leaned closer, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously:

"Lord Qian, although my wife was kidnapped, she has not been touched by anyone until now."

Qian Youde, who had already turned to leave, paused upon hearing this, immediately turned back, and asked eagerly:

"Is that really true?!"

"It's absolutely true!" Zhang Dekai said with a sorrowful expression. "My wife has a strong personality. When I went to find her today, she secretly told me that the bandits kidnapped her to marry the village chief's son."

"She refused to comply, saying that if anyone dared to touch her, she would kill herself! Now those people are even starving her in their attempt to force her to submit... When Xiaomin found her, she hadn't eaten for seven days."

Upon hearing this, Qian Youde gasped in shock and exclaimed:

"I never imagined... that such a chaste and resolute person could still exist in this world!"

He stroked his chin, his eyes sparkling, and he began to feel a little tempted again.

There was nothing he could do; besides liking married women, Qian Youde also had a particular fondness for this type of woman.

The more chaste and virtuous a woman is, the more he wants to conquer her!

Although he was tempted, Qian Youde still had a concern in his heart.

Lin Xiu'e is so strong-willed, what if he manages to save her but she refuses to submit even if she'd rather die?

Wouldn't he have wasted his effort and money?

Zhang Dekai, observing Qian Youde's hesitant expression, knew what he was thinking.

His eyes darted around, and he spoke first, lowering his voice:

"Lord Qian, to be honest... my wife has always admired you very much."

Upon hearing this, Qian Youde's eyes immediately lit up:

"Oh? What do you mean?"

Zhang Dekai sighed, his face bearing the expression of "family scandals should not be aired in public":

"To be honest, sir, my wife... ever since she saw you from afar when you were inspecting the countryside two years ago, she has never been able to forget you."

She often told the little people that Master Qian was a handsome and promising young man, the most remarkable person she had ever met.

He stole a glance at Qian Youde, and seeing the other man beaming with delight, he continued to embellish the story:

"I'm a man too, and naturally I felt bad after hearing those words."

"But what can we do when you're just too outstanding, sir?"

"This time, when she was kidnapped by robbers, she refused to submit even at the cost of her life. I think... it's mostly because she cares about the adults and wouldn't let anyone touch her."

These words made Qian Youde feel completely at ease, and he even smiled so broadly that his back teeth showed.

He stroked his chin, a smug look on his face saying, "I knew it."

"I never expected... that the Lin family would be so righteous."

He slapped his thigh and immediately made the decision:

"Very well! I'm determined to help you with this! Dekai, rest assured, I will definitely rescue your wife safely!"