Do you know: I should be fat and you should be thin!

"Still no system? Was it really just a lucky encounter? I have to verify it tonight..."

Zhou Ning landed and jumped a few more times to get used to his light-footed skills.

Not to mention soaring through the air, it's quite easy to be two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) off the ground!

"Pengqi, teach me!" Gu Tingye grabbed Zhou Ning, his eyes burning with desire.

Zhou Ning said, "I really want to sell you this method of suddenly generating internal energy, but I don't even understand it myself. Right now, I'm relying entirely on a burst of energy, which is scattered throughout my limbs and bones. These few jumps have used up some of it, and I don't know if it can replenish itself."

Gu Tingye said dejectedly, "Never mind, I knew you wouldn't lie to me. It seems this is your destiny."

"Second Brother Gu, you have your own destiny. Look at you, so young, yet you are not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also incredibly wealthy. I truly envy you! If I could, I would really like to exchange my inner strength for your fortune, even half of it would be fine. This is my sincere opinion," Zhou Ning said sincerely.

Since he was an official and didn't need to mingle in the martial arts world, the only use of his internal energy was to prolong his life. But how could that compare to Gu Tingye's wealth?

If I had this million-string fortune, wouldn't it be better to live a few more years?

Gu Tingye stopped dwelling on it and asked, "Now that you've finished your wedding night, could you help me calculate where my son is now?"

"You mean Chang-ge'er? Was he taken away by Zhu Man-niang after all?" Zhou Ning asked in surprise.

Gu Tingye nodded and said, "Ever since I read your letter and confirmed the matter of the Sheng family, I have been on guard. I just didn't expect that she would seduce one of my servants in the middle of the night and still take Changge'er away."

"Second Brother Gu, you've asked the wrong person. I don't know how to calculate these things. You should try Yuqing Temple," Zhou Ning said.

Do you really think I'm a fortune teller?

This is called a spoiler!

Gu Tingye said anxiously, "Can't you calculate? Don't you know what will happen in the future?"

He wasn't in a hurry because he was certain that his son, who had been taken away by Zhu Manniang, was not in any danger. That's why he waited until after Zhou Ning's wedding to inquire about the matter.

"What nonsense are you spouting? When did I ever have such abilities? We may be familiar with each other, but don't you dare slander me!" Zhou Ning said.

Gu Tingye said urgently, "Then I won't ask anything else, I just want to know if my son is safe!"

"This may be a bit cruel. Please accept my condolences..." Zhou Ning said regretfully.

Gu Tingye slumped into his chair, incredulous. "You mean, Changge'er will...die?"

Zhou Ning nodded.

If I remember correctly, Changge'er was dragged down by Zhu Manniang and died young while traveling.

"Ning-ge'er, Gu-jia-ge'er, breakfast is here! Hey, what happened to the roof?" Xiao-mei carried two food baskets into the hall and noticed the hole in the roof!

Zhou Ning took the two food baskets and said, "Remember to send meals to Madam and Madam Wei. Also, remind Madam to change the bed today, as it will be needed tonight. Have someone mend the hole in the inner hall, otherwise it will leak and cause problems."

Xiaomei agreed and went back to work.

Zhou Ning laid out six dishes and two bowls of rice, and seeing that Gu Tingye had lost his appetite, she ate first.

He was unemployed, while I was extremely busy with official duties!

After a long pause, Gu Tingye asked, "Pengqi, what do you think I should do from now on?"

Zhou Ning swallowed his food and asked, "Is the old Marquis still alive?"

Gu Tingye said, "Ever since the Sheng family's marriage proposal was disrupted, I've been going along with him and haven't dared to upset him. He was perfectly fine when we left Bianjing."

"You've heard about your mother, Bai, from your wet nurse. Actually, the old Marquis feels indebted to you, and I suspect he's already made a will. That will clearly state that all of Bai's dowry (including paddy fields, shops in the city center, and silver deposits in her businesses) will go to you. That's at least tens of thousands of taels of silver. Remember that. Then there's Zhao Zongquan, the militia commander of Yuzhou. I told you before that you should go and work for him; I guarantee you a bright future," Zhou Ning said.

Gu Tingye asked curiously, "I believe you! I will go to Zhao Zongquan's place. But with such a good opportunity, why don't you go too? The merit of supporting the emperor and saving him will surely bring you a title in the future. Don't you want it?"

"He's just a local militiaman right now, and I'm just a civil official with no martial arts skills. What could I do in Yuzhou? Help him with his accounts? Help him farm? I'd better stick to being a county magistrate and see if I can become a prefect in three years. If I can be transferred back to the capital, that would be even better. Don't worry, we brothers will see each other again then. After all, I definitely have to go back to the capital, otherwise, wouldn't my six-courtyard mansion have been a waste of money?" Zhou Ning laughed.

"With such internal strength, what martial art wouldn't you learn quickly? I can teach you the unique skills of the Gu family, and we can go to Yuzhou together, how about it?" Gu Tingye said.

Zhou Ning shook his head and said, "The tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind. I am already the top scholar in the civil service examination, and I do not covet the reputation of being proficient in both literature and martial arts. Besides, I am only thirteen years old. If I want everything, I will be wearing purple robes and holding a title before I am even twenty. Then a lot of dirty things will come knocking on my door, and I will not be able to avoid them even if I want to."

Gu Tingye: "..."

After Zhou Ning finished eating, he got up, changed into his official robes, and prepared to work.

Seeing that no one was around, Gu Tingye finally couldn't hold back and cried for his son.

The main hall of the county government!

Yesterday, all seven victims from Dongcun came. Zhou Ning ordered the bandits to be brought in and made them identify the perpetrators in court!

According to the victim's identification, in addition to the one who had already become a corpse, there were actually two other perpetrators among the eight!

"Your Excellency, please understand! I was once a law-abiding citizen, but I fled here because of the severe floods in Hebei..." a bandit who had committed violence cried.

"Snapped!"

The gavel slammed down!

"Shut up! Natural disasters are merciless, but people are compassionate! If you had only come here to beg for food, my Tianchang County would naturally have taken you in and provided porridge! But you robbed with weapons and raped women and children, which is truly despicable! Due to the policies of my Great Zhou, all the elite soldiers in the area have been transferred to the Imperial Guard, and all the prefectures and counties only have old and weak militia soldiers, which is why you small band of outlaws have been able to roam thousands of miles! But you didn't expect that my Tianchang County had already organized nearly a hundred local militia, which is why I brought you to justice. I have found that you are all guilty of five counts of filth, and according to the laws of my Great Zhou, you should be hanged! Do you accept the sentence?" Zhou Ning said loudly.

"Your Honor, we haven't seen a single bolt of cloth, so how could there be five? We've been wronged, Your Honor!" The eight surviving bandits cried out in injustice.

What kind of official is this?

They lie without even thinking!

"How dare you! You dare to roar in court! According to the law, you should receive ten strokes of the cane. Do you accept this?" Zhou Ning asked.

"I refuse to accept this!"

"I'm not having it either!"

The eight bandits shouted in unison.

"Alright, then add ten more strokes to each one! Give them the beating!" Zhou Ning threw out the order!

The constables hadn't managed to beat anyone yesterday, so they were itching to do it. As soon as the order was placed on the ground, they pinned all eight of them down and struck them hard on the back!

The eight people screamed in agony as three of the wooden sticks used to carry out the attack broke!

At this moment, a doorman rushed into the courtroom.

"Your Excellency, something terrible has happened! Hundreds of refugees are trying to enter our county. They have no travel permits and are all gathered at the entrance of the county town, begging you to open up the land and distribute grain!"

......