Chapter 3: The County Magistrate

  "Quickly put out the torches, there are archers inside!"

  At this time, the inner government transmitted a shocking and earth-shaking cry of "The officials and soldiers have come! Kill the thieves!" The crowd of thieves had just lost their leader and were frightened by the divine arrow that came from nowhere. They didn't know whether the government was real or fake, but they thought it was true that the officials and soldiers had arrived, so they fled in all directions. Fortunately, no one chased after them to kill them. The crowd of thieves gathered some of the wealth and cloth that they had already obtained and left the city through the damaged part of the city wall.

  The next morning, Anyang County Government Office.

  Shen Heng, the county magistrate of Anyang, sat at the top, his eyes were full of bloodshot, and his forehead was covered with sweat, as if he had a nightmare last night and didn't sleep all night.

  "County Magistrate, our official residence was robbed last night and the grain and silk in the treasury were looted clean." Han Xiaoqu said this and paused for a moment. Then Shen Heng hastily added: "This is all due to my incompetence, please report the losses in the prefecture to your superior, I will make up for it myself!" It's no wonder that the county magistrate would say this, not to mention that Han Xiaoqu himself was an official in the capital, but just among the Han family members who held important positions, there were six or seven people, and any one of them could easily bring him down with a few words.

  "It's fine to compensate for something! My family, the Han of Anyang, has a modest estate and some grain and silk that can be used as compensation. However, this Dayu Hall is a legacy left by our ancestor, Han Weigong, located in the heart of Anyang City. It was set on fire and looted by a group of thugs, with arrows flying everywhere, and yet the officials turned a blind eye. In the end, it was only resolved when one of my family's servants shot and killed the leader of the gang. This is unacceptable!"

  "Magistrate, you are right! You are absolutely right!" At this point, the county magistrate was already sweating profusely. He almost saw his own tragic future: the mansion built by a former high-ranking official being burned down by bandits, while the government troops did not lift a finger. As the county magistrate, he would be held accountable for "failing to maintain peace in his territory", and there was no way he could escape this crime. In desperation, he raised his head, bowed deeply to Han Xiao, and said: "Please, sir, point out a way for me, I am eternally grateful!"

  "What's the need for such courtesy, County Master? The Han family is also your subject. You don't have to, you don't have to!" Han Xiaoqian stood up and declined the county master's grand bow, smiling: "Actually, as long as the county master captures those thieves, I will be eternally grateful." As he spoke, Han Xiaoqian called out towards the outside, and Yue Fei, who was standing at attention outside, walked in, holding a tray.

  "This man is a guest in my house, surnamed Yue and named Fei. It was he who shot and killed the leader of the thieves, Zhang Chao, last night, which ensured the safety of my family!" Han Xiaoqu pointed to the tray: "Here are 50 taels of silver, which will be used as a reward for the brave warriors who captured the thieves, to buy them a few drinks!" Han Xiaoqu had never experienced such a frightening night since he was young, and in his heart, he hated those thieves and this incompetent county magistrate to the extreme. He must have all the thieves killed, and by offering this reward, no matter how he dealt with the county magistrate later, no one would blame him for it.

  Shen Heng hastily stood up and declined: "The reward for capturing the bandits is within the county's jurisdiction, how dare I ask the superior officer to bear the expense!" Han Xiaoju pretended not to hear, turned around and ordered Yue Fei: "Yue Fei, you stay here at the county magistrate's residence, waiting for further instructions. If one bandit escapes, don't come back to the prefecture, but also don't let the soldiers harm innocent civilians!"

  "Yes sir!" Yue Fei hastily replied.

  "County Magistrate, I'm taking my leave!" Han Xiao didn't wait for Shen Heng to respond and turned around to walk out. The county magistrate could only bid farewell with courtesy. It wasn't until Han Xiao walked out of the courtyard that Shen Heng finally lifted his head, looking at Yue Fei and the fifty taels of silver in his hand, and let out a sigh. This was no red envelope, but rather a huge boulder hanging over his own head, ready to drop at any moment!

  Magistrate Shen Heng paced back and forth on the platform, then suddenly ordered: "Summon the county lieutenant and county commander to my study immediately. I have important matters to discuss with them!"

  "Yes, County Lord!"

  Shen Heng had just given the order to disperse, and was about to return to his study, when he happened to see Yue Fei standing there, still holding the fifty taels of silver in his hand. He couldn't help but feel a surge of anger, let out a cold snort, and with a sudden flick of his sleeve, hastily brushed past him and rushed into his study.

  In the study, Shen Heng had already recounted the situation of Han Xiao's visit earlier. At this time, he no longer needed to maintain that humble appearance and shouted at County Wei: "County Wei, why didn't you lead the bowmen to capture them last night when such a big thing happened in the city?"

  "County Magistrate, the situation at night is unclear. If we rashly go forward, it will only result in unnecessary casualties among our soldiers and be of no benefit to the matter!" County Magistrate Zhu Zhi was a stout man with a scar on his face that ran from the right side of his forehead to the bridge of his nose. When he spoke, the scar would slightly tremble, giving him an air of authority. At this moment, he was speaking eloquently, but in his heart, he was secretly cursing: "You're not unaware of the situation in the county, those archers don't even practice regularly, they have no armor or sharp weapons, they can barely handle catching small thieves and robbers, how can they possibly go up against these bandits who are roaming freely across the state?"

  "Nonsense, you're just a county constable, and now there's a thief in the city setting fires and causing a commotion among the local gentry. You're still trying to talk your way out of this? If someone from the Han family reports this, you'll be the first one to be held responsible!" By this point, Shen Heng was hoarse from shouting, his usual dignity and composure long gone. The county constable and county lieutenant exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with helplessness. They had risen through the ranks from humble beginnings, and now that they had reached this position, they were basically at the end of their careers. Shen Heng, on the other hand, was a rigid and stubborn jinshi, a graduate of the imperial examination. Although there were many paths to becoming an official during the Song dynasty, family background was highly valued, and even children of high-ranking officials had to try to obtain a jinshi degree through the imperial examinations. If this incident were to be reported, the county magistrate would at most receive a reprimand from his superiors, and his career might suffer some setbacks; but for himself, he would likely be stripped of his position and have to return to being an ordinary commoner, losing all the achievements of his past few decades.

  "Magistrate Xun is right!" County Lieutenant spoke up to help Magistrate Wei out of the awkward situation, "However, since things have come to this point, there should be a way to resolve it. After all, you are the parents' official of the Han family. Even if the Han family is a prominent family in our county, they will still give you some face."

  "Hmph!" Shen Heng snorted: "Face? That Han Xiao will be the envoy to Liao State in a few days, where is the need to sell this official's little face. There he was, throwing down 50 taels of silver as a reward for the brave warriors, saying it was to capture those thieves who attacked Hu Jin Hall last night."

  "Fifty taels?" The county lieutenant's face showed a greedy color, in the Northern Song Dynasty, silver prices were high, although there was a saying that one guan of money could be exchanged for one tael of silver, but the actual exchange rate was far higher than this proportion. Generally speaking, white silver would not appear in daily consumption, only in official rewards or large-scale trade, and with the county lieutenant's income level, fifty taels of silver was a considerable amount.

  "Hu Wei, I don't care what methods you use or how much money it takes, but within three days, not five days, you must capture all those bandits. Even if you can't get them all, you must behead and capture their leaders, otherwise I won't be able to explain this to the Han family!"

  "Yes, County Magistrate!" The county lieutenant hastily stood up to receive his orders. At this moment, the county magistrate's words "no matter how much money" had already bewildered him.

  "Hold on, that Han Xiaoqian just brought a guest named Tian Ke, saying that this man shot and killed the bandit leader last night to protect his family's property. Take him with you, he might be of some use!"

  "Yes, County Magistrate!" The county lieutenant responded with a single word: "However, the archers have not received their sauce money for many days. If we don't pay them some reward money in advance, I'm afraid it will be hard to get them to exert themselves!"

  Shen Heng waved his hand impatiently and said, "Go find the accountant to discuss the expenses, don't bother me with this. Remember, you must capture the thief within five days!"

  "Thank you, County Master!"

  Zhu Zhi Xing hastily brought several subordinates to the main thin place, took 200 strings of money, 200 pieces of cloth, 10 stones of rice, and 3 stones of wheat. He also brought Yue Fei back to the county Wei Si, summoned all the on-duty subordinates, and ordered them one by one: "You go to the street first to buy two sheep, two pigs, more fish, two buckets of wine, and have them killed and sent back to the government office. You several bring cymbals and drums, go to your respective villages, tell the village archers that the government has a mission, no matter who brings their family belongings, they can eat the best Hu Bing, Su Mi Fan, there is wine and meat, and also give 50 cents, if you bring horses or mules, double it. After the event, there will be rewards! As for you, Hu Er, quickly go to the warehouse to take out knives, swords, helmets, and armor, and cut 10 kilograms of good meat to send to Zhang Tiejiang, let him use his heart to repair the iron well, labor costs are calculated separately. You several ride mules to explore around, see if there are any large groups of strangers' traces. Do you all understand?"

  "Understood!" The crowd responded with a thunderous roar, rushing out of the door one after another. It was said that there would be meat to eat, wine to drink, and even rewards. These few people were all in high spirits, moving swiftly and quickly.

  The county lieutenant was not an incompetent person, and with a few quick orders, he dispatched his subordinates, without any chaos. In the blink of an eye, only Zhu Zhi and Yue Fei were left in the hall. Unlike the county magistrate, who had ill feelings towards Yue Fei because of Han Xiaoji, the lieutenant instead saw an opportunity to gain something from him and felt a bit of goodwill towards him. He looked Yue Fei up and down, smiling: "You young man, where are you from? I heard it was you who shot and killed the bandit leader last night, protecting the master's family property, well done!"

  Yue Fei hastily bowed to the county magistrate: "I, Yue Fei, am from Yonghe Village, Tangyin County, Xiangzhou. Due to my family's meager landholdings and inability to make a living, I became a tenant farmer at the Han family estate in Anyang. Last night was just luck; the bandit leader was reckless, standing under the lamp and shouting, which is how I shot him!"