"May I ask who you are? Why do you interfere with the government's law enforcement?"
The yamen officer looked at the middle-aged man who suddenly appeared, and saw that although he was dressed in ordinary clothes, he had an outstanding temperament and an air of calmness and self-respect. He was actually more impressive than the prefect of Qin.
He went through the big names on the cards in the city in his mind, and found that none of them looked alike. His expression became more and more cautious, wondering which god he had offended.
The other party's politeness did not calm down Zhou Weiran, but his anger only became more intense.
Bullying the weak and fearing the strong, being arrogant at the front and respectful at the back, it can be seen how these government officials were tyrannical in the past. With such subordinates, what kind of good person can Shangguan be?
"Call Qin Yi over to me."
Qin Yi is the name of the prefect of Qin.
The faces of the government officials changed greatly. How could the identity of a person who casually call the prefect by his name be so simple? I am afraid that I will encounter a tough problem today.
They didn't dare to delay and hurried to call someone.
The prefect of Qin came after hearing the news. When he saw the middle-aged man at the city gate, he broke out in a cold sweat in the middle of winter. He bowed and said, "Zhou, Zhou Shaoqing! I don't know that Lord Zhou is here, and I am not welcome from afar, so why not?"
Please forgive me, sir."
Zhou Weiran held two wanted notices in his hand and sneered, "Master Qin and I are both fourth-rank officials, and we dare not be a courtesy to Master Qin."
Even so, Beijing officials are always on a higher level than local officials when they meet, so Qin Yi should salute Zhou Weiran, especially now...
He looked at the city gate and probably understood what was happening.
It's really hard for the government officials to search for Wang's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law all over the city these days, so they make some extra money privately, but he turns a blind eye. Now it seems that he has caused trouble.
Qin Yi's scalp was numb. This was the chief minister in charge of prisons, Lisi Shaoqing. For him to see the government officials oppressing good people was like hitting the point of a bullet.
He was the first to confess his crime, "Sir Zhou, my subordinate officials failed to control me properly and allowed the government servants to bully the weak and run rampant in the countryside. I am willing to be punished."
"It's not just the government officials who are bold, I think Mr. Qin is also very arrogant."
Zhou Weiran threw the wanted order at him, "Master Qin, why don't you tell me, what crime did these two women commit that warrants your search throughout the city?"
Qin Yi had night sweats on his forehead and was hesitant to explain.
Wang and Ye were wanted, but there were no specific charges on the warrants. First, there were no charges against them. Second, Qin Yi was arrogant and thought he had everything under control, so he didn't have to worry about racking up charges.
I thought I actually bumped into and kicked a hard board.
"For such an important wanted criminal, Master Qin can't even think of a crime?"
"Master Zhou..."
"No need to say any more."
Zhou Weiran turned coldly and said, "What Master Qin did, I will report it to Your Majesty at the meeting. Master Qin can take care of himself."
Qin Yi's expression changed drastically, and then Zhou Weiran didn't even wait for him to plead. He walked directly back to the carriage and left the city gate under the escort of a motorcade.
The government officials were frightened and looked at the prefect's face cautiously. Qin Yi said with a cold face, "You bastard, hurry up and catch up!"
Everyone did not dare to refute and quickly followed the convoy, watching it pass through the streets one after another and stop in front of a most ordinary house.
Ye Sanyong looked at the locust tree at the door and confirmed that it was this family. Then he got off his horse and knocked on the door, "Da Ya, it's me. Your third uncle, I'm back. Open the door quickly."
Ye Zhenzhen woke up early this morning and tried to disguise herself and put on makeup as a habit, but was stopped by Cui Weizhen, "There is no need to hide your appearance anymore, Magistrate Qin is nothing to be afraid of."
Her eyes suddenly lit up and she asked excitedly, "Is Third Uncle coming back today?"
Cui Weizhen nodded, "Da, Shaoqing Lisi came back with my third uncle as an imperial envoy. Mr. Zhou and his father are close friends. With his help, people like the Qin Prefect need not be afraid."
There was a flash of nostalgia and sadness on his face, probably because he was thinking of his late father.
Ye Zhenzhen hugged his waist distressedly and nuzzled into his arms obediently, "You and my mother and I, we will all be with you."
Cui Weizhen laughed and rubbed her head gently, but it didn't mean much, but his dark eyes shone with the light of ambition.
One day, he will truly hold the power to protect his family, instead of being trapped in a shoal like now and having to rely on his own strength.
Aunt Yu was very frightened when she saw the true appearance of their family. Aunt Cui explained it sincerely, and finally got her understanding. She also scolded the dog magistrate, showing quite a jealous temper.
Without letting them wait any longer, there was a knock on the door soon.
Hearing the familiar voice, Ye Zhenzhen couldn't wait to open the door. When she saw Third Uncle's thin and tired face, her eyes immediately turned red, "Third Uncle, you are suffering."
Ye Sanyong rubbed her head hard with his big palm, "You bitch, don't imitate this bitch's trick. There is a nobleman in the car, where is Brother Zhen?"
Ye Zhenzhen: "..."
Did the third uncle have some misunderstanding about her gender?
Cui Weizhen looked at her with a smile and solemnly bowed and apologized to Ye Sanyong, so as not to be criticized again, but judging from Ye Sanyong's expression, it was clear that he was very useful.
They were going to the carriage to invite someone, but Zhou Weiran had already taken the initiative to get out of the carriage. When old friends met, it was inevitable to feel sentimental again.
Zhou Weiran looked at the son of his old friend who was already as tall as him, feeling both sentimental and happy. He patted his shoulder and said, "Okay, okay, Brother Zhen, your son is just like his father. As expected, your father's reputation has not been ruined."
At a young age, he was very thoughtful and able to make good decisions. He single-handedly managed to fool a county magistrate and a doctor from the Ministry of Rites. When he was ordered to leave Beijing, the man named Su didn't know about it.
This kid is so handsome and talented!
Cui Weizhen was not complacent, and solemnly bowed to his elders, "Uncle Zhou Shibo, I have not seen you for so many years. I wonder if the old lady is in good health?"
"People always have some minor problems when they get older, but they are not serious. I just mentioned you to the training court a while ago, and I miss you very much."
Zhou Weiran smiled and said, "You don't know, right? That boy from Xunting is also married. If his grandmother hadn't been unwell, she would have wanted to come with you this time. He asked me to apologize to you and also asked you to study hard.
Provincial examination, see you in the capital next year."
Cui Weizhen naturally knew. He also knew that the person Su Yinghuai provoked in Beijing was none other than Zhou Xunting. His letter asking Ye Sanyong to take him to Beijing also implicated the Zhou family and his son in the plan.
In any case, after all, he had plotted against the other party. Seeing that Zhou Weiran was still thinking about his old relationship, Cui Weizhen could not help but feel a little guilty.
"The old lady is ill. It's natural for Xunting to serve at home. It won't be too late for me to meet him next year."
The words he spoke were confident, calm, steady and generous, which was completely different from Xun Ting's liveliness. Zhou Weiran couldn't help but feel a little pity when he thought of the old times when they were naughty and mischievous.
I don’t know how many hardships I have endured to achieve this mature and steady temperament.