Chapter 40: A Turn for the Better

  Cao County's assistant has arrived, and Xiao Fan finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had been waiting for so long, just for this moment.

  Power is indeed a good thing, with just one word from the superior, it can easily decide life and death. Xiao Fan was very clear that if he were really taken into the big prison, the result would be known without thinking, absolutely a dead end. No one has thoroughly offended the county magistrate and still lived in peace. It's too easy for officials to get rid of an ordinary citizen, so easy that it's almost lazy to find excuses and charges. When officials want civilians to die, civilians have no choice but to die.

  Xiao Fan once again personally experienced the wonders of power, he began to feel that he was living too miserably. A great man without power, in this ever-changing Ming dynasty, could only live like an ant, what's the point of that? This time Cao County Magistrate saved himself, but what about next time? And the time after that? Must a transmigrator like himself always wait for others to come and rescue him?

  Men ultimately still have to rely on themselves, and power is the thing that makes people feel most secure.

  A thread of ambition to contend for the top position finally sprouted quietly in Xiao Fan's heart, broke through the soil and occupied the fertile land in his heart with a crazy momentum, unstoppable.

  Hearing the loud shout from the street corner, Chen Siliu's desperate and lifeless expression finally showed some signs of vitality. He involuntarily perked up his spirit, turned his head and looked at Xiao Fan with an almost grateful expression.

  Xiao Fan smiled and nodded at him, then stretched out his hand, seemingly carefree, but actually making a scissors gesture towards him, extremely cute.

  The Cao County Magistrate, not wearing official attire, but dressed in a long gown with floral patterns and brocade, walked towards him with a calm expression. A group of yamen runners cleared the way, shouting loudly, exuding an aura of authority. The onlookers by the street hastily bowed their heads and retreated, not daring to look directly at him.

  Behind him were two middle-aged men in casual clothes, and Xiao Fan knew at a glance that they were the county's chief accountant Xie and the history compiler Li. Seeing them walking one on the left and one on the right, slightly behind County Magistrate Cao, with an air of reverence, Xiao Fan was secretly shocked. This County Magistrate Cao was not to be underestimated; in such a short time, he had already pulled into his own camp the most important officials in the county office - the chief accountant, the history compiler, and the police chief. This was probably not something that could be achieved with just money; it was likely that they were also impressed by County Magistrate Cao's backing from the illustrious Prince of Yan, Zhu Di.

  Cao Yi appears to be rough and uninhibited, but in reality he is meticulous and capable, not to be underestimated. Xiao Fan felt a little fortunate that he had taken the right stance, making friends with someone like this was much more pleasant than being an enemy.

  At the time of confusion, Cao Yi had already walked in front of Xiao Fan.

  Xiao Fan came back to his senses and cupped his hands in greeting: "Humble commoner Xiao Fan has seen County Magistrate, Chief Clerk, and Record Keeper."

  Cao Yirui's eyes quickly swept over the stunned Zhou Zhanggui not far away, and he nodded slightly to Liu Captor without being easily detected. He then burst out laughing: "Xiao Laoxiong doesn't need to be so polite, today all officials and colleagues from the yamen are here in plain clothes. I heard that Chen Dongjia's Drunken Immortal Pavilion is opening today, and this official is taking the liberty of asking for a cup of 'get rich' wine to drink, haha."

  The onlookers burst into a loud murmur. What did the newly appointed County Magistrate just call Xiao Fan? Xiao young brother?

  Ancient people have always prioritized etiquette, and addressing someone is not a trivial matter. A high-ranking official of the imperial court, an eighth-grade official, actually addresses a humble son-in-law who lives under his roof as "brother" or "younger brother". This Chen family's uncle... is he still the timid son-in-law from back then? When did he manage to establish a relationship with County Magistrate, and judging by their demeanor, it seems like they are extremely close.

  Chen Siliu was originally trapped in a state of great sorrow and despair, but unexpectedly the situation took a turn for the better, and he quickly returned from hell to heaven. Hearing what Magistrate Cao said, how could Chen Siliu, with his clever mind, not understand the meaning?

  Although his body was still trembling slightly, Chen Siliu made an effort to calm down and said respectfully: "Thank you, Second Master, for your concern. The Chen family's business is grateful for your kindness. Lord Cao's condescension in visiting our humble wine house has brought great honor to our humble abode."

  Cao Yi burst out laughing and said, "What are all these people doing standing at the door? Xiao Shao, come on, let's go in and have a few drinks. You're clever, but unfortunately your drinking capacity is really bad. I'll have to train you properly..."

  Xiao Fan rubbed his nose and smiled wryly: "If the adults want to drink, of course, I wouldn't dare not accompany them. Unfortunately, it's probably not possible now. I accidentally offended Huang Zhixian's authority and am now preparing to follow Liu Boguan to eat prison food in the big prison..."

  Cao Yi heard this and pretended to be stunned for a moment, then sank his face, his eyes gradually becoming as sharp as a knife blade, staring at Liu Captor: "What's going on? County Master wants to arrest Xiao Fan? How did I not know? What crime has Xiao Fan committed?"

  Liu caught a glimpse of Cao Yi and exchanged a quick glance, then with an air of official business, he said lightly: "This humble officer is only acting on the orders of the county magistrate to apprehend someone. As for what crime Xiao Fan has committed, this humble officer truly does not know."

  Cao Yi's originally cheerful expression turned solemn, his eyebrows furrowing into a "川" shape. Anyone with eyes could see that the county magistrate was unhappy.

  Turning to look at Li Dianshi behind him, Cao Yi asked: "Lord Li, you are the county's historian and in charge of the county's prisons. The county magistrate wants to arrest Xiao Fan, do you know what crime Xiao Fan has committed?"

  Li Dianshi furrowed his brow and said, "I haven't heard the county magistrate mention this matter either. Perhaps it's because I'm not capable enough, or perhaps the county magistrate is used to making decisions on his own without informing me, which is quite normal."

  The onlookers gasped in shock at Li Dian's words, which were too severe. Although the literal meaning was still respectful to Huang Zhizhou, the hidden implication was too vicious. The phrase "乾纲独断" (absolute power) was originally used to describe the emperor, but Li Dian used it to describe Huang Zhizhou without hesitation. Speaking such words in front of the crowd would likely create a certain impression about Huang Zhizhou if they were to reach the imperial court or even the emperor's ears.

  In the early morning of the Hongwu era, Zhu Yuanzhang's control over folk writings and speeches was extremely severe. Any inappropriate or threatening words to imperial power would be dealt with severely, with lighter punishments being imprisonment and heavier ones being extermination of nine clans. Zhu Yuanzhang showed no mercy in this regard, and his policies were enforced swiftly and harshly. This also led to the emergence of the notorious "Brocade Guard" secret police organization, whose main function was to monitor the writings and speeches of scholars and civilians. Fortunately, after the Hu Weiyong and Lan Yu rebellion case, due to the Brocade Guard's excessive persecution of innocent people under the pretext of searching for Hu-Lan accomplices, Zhu Yuanzhang had no choice but to publicly burn the various torture instruments in the imperial prison and abolish the infamous Brocade Guard organization. Only then did the court and civilians get a few years of respite.

  If it were still the Jin Yiwei of those years, Li Dian Shi's words would have been spoken out, and within half an hour, Huang Zhizhou would be politely invited by some bailiff or garrison commander of the Jin Yiwei to drink tea in the imperial prison of the Jing Shi Town, and enjoy the treatment of a suspected rebel. If he was lucky, Huang Zhizhou might even receive the imperial edict "His crime deserves death" personally written by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang.

  Xiao Fan was stunned for a moment before he understood the meaning behind Li Dian's words, and he couldn't help but wipe away the sweat on his forehead. They say that scholars are ruthless, and he didn't think much of it before, but now he truly understands. Scholars...are indeed not to be trifled with! A single careless remark can be deadly.

  What does this mean? Knowledge is power!

  Xiao Fan decided that in his spare time, he would definitely read more books, good books, to enrich and arm himself, determined to be a bookworm with bad water in his belly...

  Even Cao Wei couldn't help but slightly raise an eyebrow after hearing Li Dian's words, and he looked at Li with a somewhat startled expression.

  The scene was dead silent, and the onlookers were all staring at Cao Yi, their eyes gleaming with excitement. Anyone with discerning eyes could see that the direct confrontation between the two masters of Jiangpu County had begun because of this matter.

  Zhou Zhanggui, who was standing silently by, was shocked to hear Li Dianshi utter such a vicious slander, directly accusing Huang Zhizhou. He felt an overwhelming sense of urgency and hastily pushed his way out of the crowd, shouting: "Xiao Fan is suspected of injuring the county magistrate's son, and County Magistrate has ordered Liu Captor to apprehend him. I implore Your Honor, Cao, to take note!"

  Cao Yi frowned and said in a cold voice: "Who are you?"

  Zhou Zhanggui was so frightened that he took a step back and tried to calm himself down, saying: "I'm Zhou, the shopkeeper of Jinyulou..."

  "Do you have an official title?"

  "......Nothing."

  "You have no official rank or position, yet when you see me, your superior, why don't you kneel? How dare you be so rude to me?" Cao Yi angrily said.

  Zhou Zhanggui was so frightened that his legs went soft, and he knelt down with a thud. Then, with a pitiful look, he glanced at Xiao Fan and Chen Si Liu, the implication in his eyes clear: they too had no official titles, why weren't they kneeling?

  Xiao Fan almost burst out laughing, why does Cao County always like to play this set? I remember the first time I saw him, he also did this to himself, is it his innate inferiority complex that led to this paranoid tendency, and he must have people kneel down to talk to him before he feels comfortable?

  Cao Yi let out a hum, ignoring Zhou Zhuang's resentful gaze, and turned to Liu Captor loudly: "As an official of the imperial court, one should love the people like their children. Xiao Fan has no evil deeds, no criminal name, and was arrested without reason, which is quite inappropriate. Perhaps County Master has some misunderstanding about Xiao Fan, it's not certain. Liu Captor, you have the guards return, this official will take responsibility for Xiao Fan's case in front of County Master."

  The crowd of onlookers was shocked once again upon hearing this.

  Cao Yi's words sounded polite on the surface, but in reality, they had already slapped Magistrate Huang in the face. Second Master had openly defied First Master's orders in front of so many people, and this incident would spread to every street and alley in Jiangpu County within an hour. Magistrate Huang's reputation and prestige were now irreparably damaged.

  Liu caught a glimpse of a smile in his eyes, then still maintained a professional demeanor and calmly said: "Since Lord Cao has given the order, I dare not disobey. I will take my brothers and leave."

  Zhou Zhanggui was still kneeling on the ground, and Cao Yi seemed to have forgotten that he existed, nor did he tell him to get up.

  However, Zhou Zhanggui didn't mind this. He was now icy all over, and the scene that had just occurred kept replaying in his mind. Looking at Xie Zhuren and Li Dianshi who were smiling meaningfully behind Cao Yi, as well as Liu Buzhang who was seemingly impartial but actually insincere, a strange chill suddenly seeped into Zhou Zhanggui's entire body.

  How could this be? Has Jiangpu really changed its ways?

  Thinking of this, Zhou Zhanggui couldn't help but tremble all over, flustered and at a loss.

  A loud, ear-splitting clang of a copper gong suddenly rang out in the distance, startling Zhou Zhanggui from his reverie.

  "His Honor Huang, the county magistrate, has arrived in person; clear the streets and withdraw."