Chapter 204: The Wu Twins, Candidates for Temple Keeper

Outside the government office, it was noisy and bustling, a truly lively scene.

The people of Jinmen, besides being fond of joining the fray and loving a spectacle, were also prideful, fond of showing off, and unafraid of trouble.

Seeing the Wu family members emerge, some in the crowd cheered, some offered congratulations, and there were also those who winked and made strange faces.

The Wu brothers led the way out, first cupping their hands in a salute to the crowd, then specifically thanking their neighbors and friends.

As the old saying goes, when a family faces hardship, neighbors lend a hand.

Today, the Wu family was in trouble, and everyone from the Funeral Street who could come had come; even the child of the mute carpenter at the end of the street was there, holding a puppy that had just turned a month old, cheering them on.

The Wu brothers felt a warmth in their hearts, saying that once this matter was settled, they would set up a banquet on Jingxia Street to sincerely invite friends from all directions and repay the deep affection of their neighbors and fellow villagers.

A "literary hoodlum"—one of those who hung around the government office all day, soliciting business to help people file lawsuits—spoke up: "The chief culprit of the case in the government office hasn't been determined yet, so how is it that the two of you have already come out?"

Without waiting for the Wu brothers to answer, this literary hoodlum, who carried brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on his person, followed up immediately: "Could it be that you lack a legal advocate? My name is Lü Gao Qin, alias Lü Jingtian. With me here, I guarantee I can help you gain an extra thirty percent of the argument!"

Literary hoodlums were most skilled at twisting words to incite litigation and most adept at blowing small matters out of proportion. Such people were called "litigation sticks" by the authorities, which shows just how unwelcome they were.

However, if used well, even a literary hoodlum could exert a tremendous effect.

Lü Jingtian was exactly such a character. In his early years, he had dabbled in litigation in Jingcheng, and because he was well-versed in the legal codes—almost able to recite them backward—plus having a nimble mind, he had built up a great reputation in just two or three years, earning the nickname "Lü Jingtian."

It meant that once he opened his mouth, he could shock even the heavens!

However, later on, Lü Jingtian seemed to have botched a case in Jingcheng, and his reputation fell from the pedestal to the bottom of the valley overnight.

If you were to say no one sought his legal services, that wouldn't be true; after all, the man had some ability, and even if he had botched one case, there were still people who would seek him out.

It was just that Lü Jingtian valued his reputation; he couldn't stand others constantly mocking him with that old case, so in a fit of pique, he came to the Jinmen territory.

Not many people knew him here, and everything could start anew.

And right now, the Wu brothers' case was undoubtedly a good opportunity for him to make a name for himself.

"We appreciate your kind intentions, brother."

"You really don't want it? I can provide legal advocacy for free." Seeing the Wu brothers were indifferent, Lü Jingtian analyzed the stakes: "You don't understand the ways of this place. That Yang Hong, no matter how incompetent, is still an Assistant County Magistrate. Even if he plotted against you, the two of you didn't actually lose your lives. Once the case files are submitted for imperial review, it's not certain he'll suffer much damage. Though I am untalented, I have ways to make him lose a few layers of skin even if he doesn't die."

A formidable legal advocate has a mouth that can talk the dead into living and the living into dying. Lü Jingtian might not have much else, but he certainly dared to talk big.

"That's not necessarily so." Wu Wencai smiled calmly: "Just watch and see whether Yang Hong can survive or not!"

Lü Jingtian shook his head; this young man was still too full of himself, thinking he could do anything, unaware of the wisdom in listening to advice to get ahead.

Seeing the two Wu brothers about to walk out, the onlookers watching the drama squeezed to both sides, barely managing to clear a path outward.

The crowd didn't think much of it, until they saw the two brothers walking toward a carriage parked not far away, and then some felt something was wrong.

"This carriage, why does it look like an official one?"

Some were puzzled, so others turned their heads to look.

After about half a cup of tea's time, the curtains of the two carriages were lifted, and Wu Zhiyuan and Wu Wencai stepped out from within one after another.

The servants and retainers who had been waiting for a long time guarded them on both sides, making the two appear even more dazzling.

How did the two brothers look, you ask?

One, with a plain gold-topped hat like a flame, the mandarin duck rank badge appearing ready to soar; if not a royal unicorn son, he must be a heavenly official descended to earth!

The other, with a black gauze cap and blue ribbon hanging like ink jade, the lake-silk ceremonial robe reflecting the spring river; he was originally a Hanlin star-scholar, with the majestic air of a Top Graduate!

Was this still that poor boy dressed in cloth?

The onlookers at the government office had expressions as if they had seen a ghost.

That literary hoodlum, Lü Jingtian, had his eyes opened wider than anyone else's!

He thought to himself, he had seen people who could endure, but never anyone who could endure like this. If you had worn these clothes earlier, would you still have feared a Yang Hong?

Lü Jingtian felt at this moment that these two brothers were wickedly clever; they had been holding back a big move, waiting to give Yang Hong a counter-strike!

What is called "killing the person and punishing the heart"—this was it!

Seeing those official uniforms, the crowd that had been unable to part suddenly squeezed out a path half a zhang wide.

Although some neighbors from Jingxia Street had known some inside information earlier, seeing the two looking so spirited now, they were more excited than anyone else.

Their Funeral Street could finally count someone who had made something of themselves!

However, who is this old man next to us? Our street's handsome young man has succeeded, what are you following along and getting excited for?

Guo Dongyang was clapping his hands in excitement.

In his heart, this play was already good enough; he hadn't expected there would be even more thrilling programs to follow!

Inside the government office's courtroom, the disheveled Yang Hong, though as dejected as a dog, still held a glimmer of hope in his heart.

He was, after all, a proper eighth-rank Assistant County Magistrate. Although he hadn't shed blood or sweat for the Great Yong, he had added bricks and tiles to the golden and silver houses of the Prefect and various colleagues.

No matter what, they had to lend a hand, right? Even if they couldn't save him, when he was dismissed and exiled later, he figured they could pull some strings to help him suffer less.

At the head, Censor Wei pondered for a moment, intending to draft the charges and request an imperial decision.

However, just as he was about to write "exile to Yazhou" in Yang Hong's charge column, a commotion suddenly came from outside the government office.

The commotion was brief, ceasing abruptly after a moment, becoming unusually quiet.

It was as if the onlookers outside the hall had all dispersed in an instant.

After a moment of silence, a government office runner hurried through the hall and reported: "My lord, the newly appointed County Magistrate of Pingqi County and a Shujishi of the Hanlin Academy are visiting and are currently waiting outside the government office. Please instruct, my lord."

Censor Wei looked up, his eyes showing confusion.

Pingqi County was in Quyang Commandery; why would the Pingqi County Magistrate come all the way to Jinmen? And that Shujishi, why wasn't he studying or working in the Hanlin Academy instead of running here?

Chen Guangrui and the co-judge Liao Jinzhong were equally puzzled.

In this small Linjiang County government office, there were already enough officials gathered today; how could there be more officials visiting?

Wei Xiangshu temporarily put down his official seal, paper, and brush, and replied: "If there is no urgent business, have them move to the back hall to wait for a moment. Once this matter is concluded, I will go to meet them."

The government office runner, hearing this, said with an inexplicable tone: "Reporting to my lord, both officials outside the hall are related to the case being tried in the hall."

The government office runner didn't know how to explain it; from the moment the other party put on the official uniform, he could no longer call them by their names. Besides their official titles, he could only address them as "my lord."

"Related to this case?"

Wei Xiangshu frowned. This case wasn't over yet, was it?

While ordering the government office runner to go and invite them in, Wei Xiangshu was still puzzled.

At this moment, even if everyone present racked their brains, they probably couldn't imagine that the visiting guests would be related to the poor boys from before.

It wasn't until the Wu brothers, dressed in official and public uniforms, walked in with steady, measured steps, side by side, that everyone woke up as if from a dream.

Seeing his own son-in-law wearing an official uniform of the same rank and grade as himself, Zhang Yong's expression was uglier than ever.

"How are you wearing an official uniform?"

Wu Zhiyuan ignored his father-in-law's questioning and walked straight to the front of the hall, apologizing: "Subordinate Wu Zhiyuan. Previously, to ensure a fair trial, I had no choice but to conceal my identity and only report my former Licentiate status. I hope the Censor will be magnanimous."

Beside him, Wu Wencai also showed a look of shame.

As soon as the two finished speaking, the hall was in an uproar.

Wei Xiangshu, despite being well-informed, couldn't help but be stunned. Chen Guangrui was equally stunned, but he quickly regained his composure.

If it were someone from another imperial examination cohort who had done these things, he might have been surprised, but thinking that the two were once Licentiates of the Xuji cohort, Chen Guangrui inexplicably felt it made sense.

Now, as long as anyone said they were from the Xuji cohort, no matter what unexpected actions they took, Chen Guangrui wouldn't feel surprised.

Liao Jinzhong, who had already planned to find an excuse to leave early, had to sit back down.

Interesting, truly interesting. This Jinmen was much more interesting than he had imagined before coming.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers reside.

Seeing his sons wearing official uniforms, Wu Yaoxing was trembling with excitement.

Two officials from one family—the Wu family's ancestral grave wasn't just emitting blue smoke; it was on fire!

Some were happy, some were sad. Yang Hong could no longer hear the sound of Wei Xiangshu drafting the charges; he only felt his ears buzzing, his vision darkening, and a fishy taste in his throat and tongue, as if he were about to spit blood at any moment.

Zhang Yong was ashen-faced; once today's events were over, his tenure as County Magistrate would likely be at an end.

But at the same time, he felt inexplicably relieved. Yang Hong, having colluded with the Heavenly Heart Sect to plot against the twins, was definitely not going to survive, but his youngest daughter, Zhang Wan, was still alive, and by the looks of it, Wu Zhiyuan was still deeply in love with her...

Setting aside the complex feelings of these people, after Wei Xiangshu clarified the cause and effect, he not only didn't blame the Wu brothers for hiding their identities but instead praised them highly.

Having the thought not to use their official status for personal gain showed the character and moral fiber of these two brothers.

Waiting until the case was concluded to put on their official uniforms again and then pleading guilty with their official status was in accordance with etiquette.

The more Wei Xiangshu looked at the two, the more he liked them; in contrast, the likes of Zhang Yong and Yang Hong were like festering sores and malignant tumors, making one feel nauseated just looking at them.

Liao Jinzhong looked at the Wu brothers and let out a soft sigh.

What a pity. If children who understood etiquette and knew how to advance and retreat were made into eunuchs and taken as foster sons, he would surely be very satisfied.

Finally, Wei Xiangshu ordered his subordinates to give Zhou Heng, Yuan Hu, and others fifty strokes of the heavy rod each, and Yang Hong an additional thirty, for a total of sixty.

According to the Great Yong legal code, Zhou Heng and Yuan Hu were to be beheaded according to the law, and Yang Hong's death sentence was provisionally drafted, awaiting approval.

The two accomplices from the Heavenly Heart Sect were sentenced to strangulation, to be executed on a selected day.

After drafting the charges, Wei Xiangshu said: "Every grievance has its source, and every debt has its debtor. Considering that you two brothers are now officials in the same court, I have specially prepared a report to the upper court. For prisoners sentenced to death like Yang Hong, I will let the two of you choose one to supervise the execution. If there are no mishaps, this case should be concluded by the autumn executions this year."

Hearing this, the two brothers cupped their hands and bowed in thanks again.

When the case ended and the government office prepared to beat the drums to adjourn the court, the Wu brothers looked at the two rows of government office runners, but Xu Qing's figure was nowhere to be seen.

In the government office's morgue, Xu Qing was discussing business with someone.

The case of Chen Feng's family from Qushui Township was also concluded today, and the body of the Chen family's eldest daughter-in-law was still being held in the morgue.

The Chen family had to come to claim the body, and the coroner in the morgue, having cooperated with Xu Qing for a long time, had recommended the Mortuary Service Shop to Chen Feng.

The shopkeeper of the cloth store wasn't short of money, and upon hearing that the Mortuary Service Shop could handle the funeral arrangements, he directly handed the matter over to Xu Qing.

Shopkeeper Chen said it didn't matter where the body was buried, and he didn't care about the quality of the coffin, as long as it wasn't brought back to the Chen house!

Xu Qing naturally had no objections, and the two signed a liability waiver on the spot, with Wang Lingyuan as a witness, to prevent Chen Feng from going back on his word and coming back to demand the body later.

"If the body is buried in the mass grave, it's bound to be dragged away by dogs or washed away by water; these are all uncertain things. Shopkeeper Chen, look carefully; once the contract is signed, you can't come looking for me if something happens later."

Xu Qing didn't introduce a funeral package with after-sales service to Chen Feng; looking at the other party's attitude toward the Chen family's eldest daughter-in-law, he figured even if the other party knew, they wouldn't specifically buy it.

After Chen Feng pressed his thumbprint, Xu Qing immediately smiled: "I love dealing with straightforward people. In the future, if there's anything in Shopkeeper Chen's household, just come to Jingxia Street to find me. I'll definitely make the price satisfactory for Shopkeeper Chen!"

Xu Qing didn't have a good impression of Chen Feng, so he spoke without any reservations.

Chen Feng's face fell immediately upon hearing this.

"There will never be a next time! From now on, my Chen family won't trouble Shopkeeper Xu again." With a cold snort, Chen Feng flicked his sleeves and left.

"Junior brother, that mouth of yours!" Wang Lingyuan shook his head helplessly.

Xu Qing clicked his tongue and said: "What I said was already polite. When Chen Feng was in court, for the sake of his own face, he deliberately tried to force the benefactor who saved his child to death..."

Pausing, Xu Qing continued: "In the courtroom, the Chen family once said that the eldest daughter-in-law, out of jealousy, privately spread rumors that the child of the Chen family's concubine was a bastard born of an affair, and also said Chen Feng was a useless man."

Seeing Wang Lingyuan sigh and shake his head, Xu Qing raised an eyebrow: "Didn't senior brother notice that Chen Feng doesn't care about his child at all?"

"It's evident that this person is also a fence-sitter who believes in slander and has no backbone."

"Whichever child is born into his family is truly unlucky."

The two brothers chatted for a while, and before parting, Wang Lingyuan asked again: "Junior brother, is your arm feeling better now?"

Xu Qing lifted his left arm, which couldn't move easily due to the stiffening of the hand bones, and laughed: "It's already much lighter, senior brother, don't worry."

Wang Lingyuan watched Xu Qing lift his arm, which was as stiff as a zombie's, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Junior brother, you look exactly like the walking corpses that Master Liu used to drive."

Wang Lingyuan hit the nail on the head, but it was just a casual remark; if Xu Qing really said he was a zombie, he wouldn't believe it anyway.

After all, in this world, where would there be a zombie as gossipy and talkative as Xu Qing?

When Xu Qing left the government office, he happened to run into County Magistrate Chen Guangrui talking to Chen Feng at the entrance.

Passing by the two, the latter gave another cold snort.

Well, he's a petty and vengeful one!

"My lord, you're joking. It should be my Chen family climbing the social ladder, if anything..."

After Chen Feng left with light steps, Xu Qing, who hadn't gone far, turned back along the same path.

He stood at the government office entrance, pretending to be unconcerned, and started chatting with the gatekeeper.

"Did that Shopkeeper Chen pick up silver or something? Why is he so happy?"

The gatekeeper laughed: "Picking up silver is nothing. The Magistrate intends to adopt his son as a godson. Isn't that better than picking up silver?"

Xu Qing was thoughtful upon hearing this.

This Magistrate Chen is quite interesting.

It's just hard to tell if he had this idea after hearing that Chen Feng's child was saved by the Baosheng Goddess, or if he saw Chen Feng's indifference toward his concubine and child and did it deliberately.

It could also be both.

Xu Qing's gaze passed through the government office entrance and landed on the courtroom where the "Bright Mirror Hangs High" plaque was.

He suddenly smiled.

Magistrate Chen's move gave him a reminder. If there's anyone with the compassion to care for children, besides Magistrate Chen, there might also be a certain Madam Jin...

Magistrate Chen was destined not to be the temple keeper of the Baosheng Temple, but Madam Jin was just right.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 205 =====