Carrying the little lucky star, leading the villain on the road to exile

Chapter 274. Xu Zitian

Xu Zitian knew that he was able to become the county magistrate only because his mentor had helped him.

Otherwise, the Xu family has already fallen into decline, and it would be a long time before they could be appointed as officials.

He always kept this kindness in his heart, and he knew that his mentor hated those who took sides early or got involved in the power struggles in the court, so he dared not disappoint his mentor.

Even if he offends the Third Prince now, so what? As long as the Third Prince is not the Crown Prince and does not ascend to the throne, he will not be loyal.

"If you can't produce any evidence, how can anyone know if you were sent by an enemy country to wreak havoc on our dynasty? His Highness the Third Prince is of noble status, so why would he hold his own subjects accountable for a mere criminal?"

After Xu Zitian finished speaking, he waved his hand and said, "Don't worry that he might hurt me. If he dares to kill me, he will not escape the crime of murdering an official of the imperial court. You can kill him without hesitation."

Ming Peifeng was furious. It is said that poor and remote areas breed unruly people, but he did not expect that the county magistrate here was the same. Not only was he impervious to reason, but he was also exceptionally cunning.

Whether he moves or not, he cannot escape this imprisonment.

I regret not bringing people with me; now I'm in an even more passive position.

While he was weighing his options, the constables eager to make a name for themselves swarmed forward, and he dared not take another step forward, leaving him no choice but to submit.

"You're very good, I'll remember you." Before being taken away, Ming Peifeng didn't forget to utter a harsh remark.

Xu Zitian said, "That is my honor, but I must also give you a piece of advice: those who are arrogant will surely perish."

After Ming Peifeng was taken away, Gu Kaiyuan and his servant emerged from the corner and quietly withdrew from the inner office.

"Young Master, this Lord Ming is protecting the Master and the others. Should we go and inform him?"

Lin Hua had barely finished speaking when Lin Wei smacked him, saying, "What are you doing? This is not something the young master can interfere with."

Doesn't he realize that his relationship with the master is so strained, and the young master wants to stay far away from him? Why drag him into this now? What kind of brain does he have?
"I'm doing this for the young master's own good. Without their protection, won't the master and the others turn their attention to the young master again?"

We're all from the same village; let's not get dragged into this again.

Lin Wei: "Young Master, what Lin Hua said seems to make sense. Shall we go and send a message?"

Gu Kaiyuan said, "Don't worry, the magistrate won't keep him locked up for long. After all, Ming Peifeng didn't come alone. His men won't wait for him to return; they'll come looking for him."

Moreover, they're only detaining Ming Peifeng, not arresting everyone, so the Gu family will still have people protecting him. As for whether it will be done so meticulously, that remains to be seen.

This trip wasn't without its rewards; it seems this county magistrate is a tough nut to crack. "What's the reputation of this magistrate?"

“He’s a capable official,” Lin Hua said approvingly. “We inquired about him yesterday. Since taking office, this Lord Xu has been impartial in handling cases. If anyone dares to cause trouble, he hasn’t let a single one go.”

From the moment he took office, he acted swiftly and decisively, transforming the somewhat chaotic county into an orderly and well-organized place within two months.

Those who were so arrogant before, even if they have powerful backers, will have to behave themselves in this county town.

Gu Kaiyuan had only thought about revenge his whole life, and he left the county town very quickly, so he really didn't know these details.

Now that he doesn't have those worries, he can finally step away and see a different side of the world.

If the magistrate is willing, then staying here a few more days wouldn't be a bad idea. Xu Zitian took a few gulps of water before Wu Xingshun, who had rushed over, said, "Keep a close eye on things during this time; things are probably going to get turbulent in our county."

"But is it related to that person from earlier?" Wu Xingshun didn't care; they could solve many troublesome things together.

"You could say it's related to him, but more so to the palace," he said. He and Wu Xingshun were old partners and fellow disciples, except Wu Xingshun was a nominal disciple, someone his master had placed by his side, and someone he trusted.

"But do these exiled people have powerful connections?"

“A few days ago, my master sent someone to deliver a message that three of the exiled people were high-ranking officials in the imperial court.”

This involves a batch of government funds that have gone missing; these were embezzled military funds.

The person was convicted, but the silver disappeared without a trace, and His Majesty didn't know why he didn't investigate. This was quite intriguing.

Now that the Third Prince is involved, it's likely already a factional struggle.

"Three people embezzling together?" Wu Xingshun found it hard to believe. "How did they manage that?"

There were no secrets between the two of them, let alone the three of them; it was simply impossible for them to be so united.

"There is only one main culprit. A censor offended His Majesty and several princes by making accusations without any evidence in court, and was thus convicted by the joint memorial submitted against him."

"This is a talent," Wu Xingshun couldn't help but praise, "He probably has powerful backers, right?"

"That's hard to say, but it's the least important one." Xu Zitian's expression was solemn. "Master specifically instructed us to be careful of that guy surnamed Chen. He's probably His Majesty's pawn."

Besides inquiring about the treasury funds, the more likely explanation is that they are planting eyes and ears in Lingnan.

"Is Master overthinking this?" Wu Xingshun felt that it was impossible. "Exiled here, he would be subject to control everywhere and could not even leave this county. How could he possibly have eyes?"

"What I've seen and heard along the way is already enough," Xu Zitian said meaningfully.

Wu Xingshun immediately thought of the checkpoints along the way, his eyes shining, "So, His Majesty has finally remembered to clean up this area."

"That's possible. After all, this is Rongchao's territory. How could it become a cradle for some people to amass wealth?" Xu Zitian didn't know how many memorials he had submitted, but unfortunately, his memorials had to go through the prefect's hands, and he probably never had the chance to reach His Majesty.

He had once written to his mentor, who told him to be patient and wait for the right opportunity. It seems that this is the opportunity.

"And the last one, the one who holds that sum of treasury silver," Wu Xingshun asked with some curiosity, "how much did he embezzle?"

"The exact figure is unknown, but it must be at least several hundred thousand taels."

“My goodness, the combined salaries of the two of us are only a little over two hundred taels a year. He’s got some nerve.”

"It's not that he's brave, but that someone is emboldening him!" Xu Zitian is now extremely grateful. Back then, his master carefully selected him and sent him to this remote and impoverished place. If it were near the capital, he would have been caught up in something at any time.

He decided to downplay this year's achievements and only give it a mediocre rating. He would stay here no matter what, once his term ended next year.

"The person arrested today claimed to be a staff member of the Third Prince. Although I thought he was a fraud and arrested him, his identity is probably true."

(End of this chapter)