Chapter 694: Chapter 688, Chapter 689: Resolution, Homecoming

"Boldness. I have yet to pronounce judgment on you, and you dare to show contempt for the court. Guards, take this man away and give him twenty lashes," Chief Clerk Liu ordered.

"Certainly." A constable responded.

Seeing the situation, Liu Da watched Chen Mo with a playful and triumphant expression.

"Who dares!"

A powerful and cold voice resounded from outside the hall, causing everyone to look over involuntarily.

Chief Clerk Liu slammed the gavel and shouted, "Who is disrupting the court!"

"Tap tap tap..."

In the next second, countless armored warriors flooded in from outside the hall, the friction of armor leaves producing a crisp metallic clashing sound, and the brilliant Bright Armor made the faces of the people in the hall suddenly change.

Chief Clerk Liu felt his heart skip a beat; how could a small Jiyin County have so many armored troops?

As he saw a middle-aged man who looked like a general walking in from outside the hall, Chief Clerk Liu hurriedly stepped down from the high platform, ready to greet him, but unexpectedly, the middle-aged general fell to one knee before Chen Mo, respectfully saying, "Subordinate Sun Meng, pays respect to the Prince. I apologize for my late rescue; I ask for Your Highness’s forgiveness."

In this context, "rescue" refers to assisting royal members and not solely emperors.

Chen Mo is currently King Wei, so Sun Meng naturally uses the term "rescue."

"Thud..."

At this moment, Chief Clerk Liu also fell to his knees, with both knees on the ground, cold sweat pouring down his back, and he thought to himself, "It’s over."

Although he did not know which prince was mentioned, regardless of who he was, it was not someone a petty Chief Clerk of Jiyin County could provoke.

Gao Ping stared blankly at the nearby "Mo Cheng," shock appearing on his face.

"Sun Meng, take this young man to his village, summon the witnesses who saw the truth back then, I want to uphold justice," Chen Mo said, pointing at Gao Ping.

"Certainly."

...

Meanwhile, in the backyard of the County Government Office.

County Magistrate He had just lain down for a short while, not deeply asleep, when a commotion erupted outside. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Being disturbed in his rest, He County Magistrate felt displeased. Although he had delegated his powers, it did not mean he had become a mere figurehead in Jiyin County, and he frowned, asking, "What is Liu up to again, Fusheng, go and see what is happening outside?"

The steward waiting outside heard this and walked out of the backyard.

Soon, the steward returned, directly barging into He County Magistrate’s room, his expression flustered as he closed the door and locked it down.

Seeing the situation, He County Magistrate asked, "What’s got you so anxious?"

"Master, it’s not good. Many soldiers have stormed into the government office, and the front hall is surrounded. These soldiers are all armored, and I’ve heard the one who beat the drum to seek a grievance is a prince," the steward said.

"Ah?"

He County Magistrate’s expression changed drastically, and he sprang up from bed, quickly putting on his shoes, and anxiously asked, "Armored warriors, a prince? Which prince?"

In the Western River Land, there are indeed a few local kings, but they are far from Jiyin County.

Given the current situation, dare they roam around with troops?

The steward replied, "I do not know, but the prince is a young man."

"A young man?" He County Magistrate felt a chill in his heart, murmuring to himself, "Could it be bad luck?"

Although County Magistrate He had resigned himself, he still harbored a glimmer of hope that Chen Mo would not exact retribution on him, meaning he could continue as the County Magistrate of Jiyin County.

But if this young prince was King Wei, then everything would be over, and there would be no hope left.

"No use panicking, go out and see," He County Magistrate said boldly, knowing that with the government office surrounded, hiding here was futile anyway.

And the result turned out to be exactly as he suspected, that prince was indeed King Wei Chen Mo.

With the witnesses brought forward, and Chen Mo upholding justice, the witnesses, upon learning of Chen Mo’s identity, naturally felt safe from Liu Da’s tyranny and spoke of Liu Da’s misdeeds.

Liu Da realized he couldn’t escape death, and knowing Chief Clerk Liu had extorted him many times, in his final moments, he desperately accused Chief Clerk Liu, detailing his various misdeeds; he also deserved to die.

Then there was County Magistrate He, who, upon investigation, was found not to have been involved in Liu Da and Chief Clerk Liu’s crimes, nor had he accepted bribes from them.

But this did not mean he was innocent.

As the head official of a county, not being a mere puppet, how could his disregard for his duties not be considered another form of indulgence and crime?

Furthermore, as the parental official of the county, County Magistrate He was the primary responsible party for any mishaps in the county.

Moreover, Liu Da and Chief Clerk Liu committed more than just the crime against Gao Ping’s family alone.

Could County Magistrate He guarantee he was completely uninformed about these matters?

Additionally, through deeper investigation of County Magistrate He’s previous conduct, he was found to have committed embezzlement, albeit not excessively.

According to the law of the Great Song, though it was not a capital offense, decades of imprisonment was unavoidable.

Judging by County Magistrate He’s age, he’s likely to die in prison.

Finally, the County Captain was not any better.

He may not have murder cases on his hand, but he engaged in oppressing the commoners, forcibly took local women, and made them his concubines and such, more than once, deserving execution.

The incident at Jiyin County gave Chen Mo a stern reminder.

A new Emperor brings in new courtiers.

Across the land, many County Magistrates remain, but they were not Chen Mo’s original appointees, so as Chen Mo took control, they inevitably fretted over potential replacements, thus simply neglecting their duties and allowing rampant crime within their domains.

Laziness, inaction, and such.

"Once back in Xiangyang, I must swiftly complete the final imperial examination, appoint officials, and remind them to serve the local populace, address grievances, report cases they cannot handle..."

Chen Mo resolved firmly in his heart.

After arranging for a temporary County Magistrate to handle Jiyin County’s affairs, Chen Mo left Jiyin County.

Before departing, Gao Ping came to bid farewell, expressing gratitude for Chen Mo’s great kindness and presented Chen Mo with a large bamboo shoot, which was the most valuable item his family could afford.

Chen Mo accepted the bamboo shoot, patted Gao Ping’s head, and instructed him to take good care of his parents.

Gao Ping’s parents’ right legs had been recently broken but were reattached by Sun Meng, and with proper care, they wouldn’t become disabled; however, their left legs had been crippled for a long time and couldn’t be healed.

What Chen Mo could do was confiscate Liu Da and Chief Clerk Liu’s assets and give some money to Gao Ping’s family, restoring their paddy fields.

"Will I... can I become someone like you in the future?" Gao Ping asked Chen Mo.

These words made Chen Mo pause, and Sun Meng, Luo Yong, and others were also momentarily stunned before chuckling softly.

Chen Mo replied, "You can, certainly you can."

Finally, he gave Gao Ping a cultivation technique of the Blood Nourishing Technique, suggesting that Gao Ping might try cultivating it, then departed.

As Gao Ping watched Chen Mo’s departing figure, a seed was planted in his heart, and he silently encouraged himself.

...

The Third Year of Yong’an, Summer, Early June.

On this day, Xiangyang.

Although June had entered midsummer, Linzhou’s southern side bordered the Huai River, and its northern side was mountainous Yu State, making the weather not too hot, with bright sunshine and lush green grass.

Having become Prefect of Linzhou, Wei Linchun, Captain of the Central Camp of the Brave Cavalry Guard Shao Jinneng, the local County Magistrate, and a group of officials were standing at the city gate, gazing toward the end of the official road in the distance, expectations visible on their faces.

Wu Mi and her group were also present, but being women, they waited inside the carriage and did not show themselves among the crowd.

The streets on either side of the city were crowded with commoners and scholars from Huai State, Yu State, Qingzhou, and the northern and southern regions who ranked on the examination list, their eyes filled with anticipation to see their "idol."

"Sun, we’re about to see King Wei, aren’t you excited?" Qu Jiangyang asked Sun City beside him.

Just as Sun City was about to speak, someone in the crowd ahead exclaimed, "Here he comes, here he comes," causing the crowd to stir.

ps: There was a little mistake in the previous text; it is now the Third Year of Yong’an, not the Second Year of Yong’an; this has been corrected. I apologize.