Mr. Cheng had ruled on the case, but he did not demand that Mrs. Li be punished immediately.

Because Li Cun was suffering from convulsions due to a high fever, his condition looked especially grave. A life was on the line, and compassion had to be considered alongside the law.

Therefore, he allowed Mrs. Li to take her son to a doctor first and return to the government office later to receive her punishment.

Mrs. Li’s situation was an emergency that required special handling, but for the three members of the Zheng Family, Mr. Cheng showed no mercy.

Mr. Zheng had utterly disgraced all scholars. His wife, Mrs. Zheng, felt no shame for her husband. Instead, she tried to make excuses for him at every turn and even harbored resentment, seeking revenge against the victim. How was that any different from aiding a tiger in its evil deeds?

She would have to be severely beaten with dozens of planks to teach her a lesson she wouldn’t forget.

The three members of the Zheng Family were dragged away, screaming and crying, to be beaten. Meanwhile, Li Cun was swiftly carried on the back of a servant of the Wang Family’s two young masters to the clinic.

Mrs. Li followed them, taking one wave of curious onlookers with her. Another wave of townspeople went to watch Mrs. Zheng and the others get beaten, and the entrance to the county government cleared out in an instant.

Once everyone had left, Mr. Cheng signaled for Chen Song to join him in the rear hall.

In the rear hall, he naturally gave him a series of instructions, such as to "be cautious in word and deed," "not to give anyone a handle against him," and to "go back and properly console the two students, making sure they don’t dwell on today’s events."

He also offered many words of encouragement before finally sending Chen Song on his way.

Throughout the exchange, Chen Song acted with the utmost reverence and fear, even showing a look of tearful gratitude at the end. Only after watching Mr. Cheng leave did he let the expression drop from his face and head outside.

Outside the county government building, Chen Wanqing asked De’an and Zhao Jing, "Do your knees hurt?"

"They don’t hurt. We only knelt for a little while. It’s nothing."

"It’s cold out, and the ground is hard. You should rub some medicinal oil on your knees later, or I’m afraid it might affect your walking tomorrow."

"Don’t worry, big sister. We’re really fine."

Chen Song emerged just then, and with him were some constables from the county government.

One of them was holding a pot of paste, while the other carried a thick stack of essays.

The essays not only bore the authors’ names but also a comment or two from the Lord County Magistrate. Needless to say, they were going to be posted on the outer wall of the examination hall for public display.

The two constables greeted the group and then went about their business.

Chen Song asked Xu Su Ying, "What should we do now? Go back to the Zhao Village, or head home first?"

Xu Su Ying looked at her children. "What do you all think?"

"Let’s go back to the Zhao Village. The ingot paper money is still on the oxcart. It wouldn’t be right to just leave it at our house."

De’an chuckled. "Besides, I need to tell everyone at the old residence about Mrs. Li getting beaten. I have to mentally prepare them for the fact that Mrs. Li will definitely go to call off the engagement."

At that moment, De’an didn’t yet know that Mrs. Li had already paid a visit to the old residence yesterday. But it didn’t matter, because he would find out soon enough.

On the way back, they ran into Dashan’s oxcart outside the town.

A few fellow villagers had taken Dashan’s oxcart to the county seat today to buy shovels and plows. He couldn’t head back just yet; he had to wait for them so he could take them home.

Even so, it did nothing to dampen Dashan’s enthusiasm.

Dashan looked Zhao Jing and De’an over again and again. He couldn’t resist the urge to clap the two young men on the shoulder, but then he worried his dusty clothes would soil the young masters’ garments, and for a moment, he grew a little awkward.

It was De’an who took the initiative to approach him. "I haven’t been back home in two months. How has your health been, sir? And your wife’s? Nothing major has happened in the village, has it?"

Dashan naturally said everything was fine. After answering De’an’s questions, Dashan calmed down and offered the two his heartfelt congratulations.

"This is incredible! Two new students passing the exam at once! The whole village is buzzing. The messengers came in two separate waves. Jing’s mother was so overjoyed she didn’t know what to do. Not only did she give them a monetary reward, but she also insisted on stuffing a plate of fried pastries into their hands."

He added that Mr. Zhao, his brother, and the others were also so moved that their old eyes filled with tears, and they too gave the messengers a reward.

"After the messengers left, Mr. Zhao led his clansmen to open the ancestral hall and offer incense to the ancestors. I heard they stayed inside until it was dark before the group finally came out."

"The family guessed you’d be back today. When I left, the banquet was already being prepared. Jing, you all should hurry home. Everyone in the village is waiting for you to start the feast."

The group looked at each other, all feeling a sense of relief.

’It’s a good thing we decided to go back. Standing everyone up would have been bad.’

Just as they were about to leave, Dashan remembered something else, and he hesitated, unsure if he should say it or not.