Rumor Has It That I'm Pregnant with His Highness' Child

219 Smooth

Magistrate Liu originally thought that it was better to avoid trouble and just brush it off.

But it was different now. The woman kidnapping case concerned his future career.

If he didn’t do his best, he wouldn’t be able to keep the black official hat on his head.

County Magistrate Liu did not dare to slack off anymore.

He sent out all his subordinates. From the city to outside the city, to the surrounding villages and official roads, they had to be strictly investigated.

There were really not enough people for the job. County Magistrate Liu rolled up his sleeves and personally went to the city gate to check on the people entering and leaving the city.

It was also because of County Magistrate Liu’s example that his subordinates worked especially hard.

Be it the constables or the officials, they were all busy.

At the city gate, County Magistrate Liu’s eyes widened as he stared at the pedestrians.

Everyone who passed by him, no matter their identity, had to be scanned from head to toe.

That gaze was as sharp as a knife, making one’s hair stand on end.

Especially when he saw young women, County Magistrate Liu still had to take out those portraits and compare them one by one. After confirming that they were not the women in the portraits, he let them go.

When an old man led an ox cart through the city gate, County Magistrate Liu suddenly called out to him.

“Wait a minute!”

The old man had no choice but to stop and bow to County Magistrate Liu.

Magistrate Liu walked around the ox cart and asked in a low voice when he saw the sacks piled up on it.

“What’s in this sack of yours?”

The old man hurriedly said, “It’s just some rice and grains. If you don’t believe me, you can ask the other officials. They’ve already checked just now.”

The junior official beside him nodded in agreement. “Yes, we just opened a sack. It’s really filled with rice and grains.”

However, County Magistrate Liu felt that it was not enough to check only one sack.

Who knew what was in the other sacks?

He ordered, “Open all the sacks and check them one by one!”

The bailiffs immediately moved the sacks.

The old man hurriedly shouted, “It’s really rice and grains in here. Why don’t you believe me? I often come to the city to market. Many people in the city know me. I won’t lie to you!”

However, no matter what he said, County Magistrate Liu was unmoved. It seemed like he was determined to check them one by one. It was a matter of his future. He could not be too careful.

The old man was anxious. He gestured toward the nearby crowd, indicating that he needed help.

The next moment, a carriage rushed towards the city gate from afar. The driver of the carriage tugged at the reins as he shouted at the top of his voice.

“The horse is frightened. Move!”

Seeing the carriage rushing straight towards the city gate,

The people who had gathered near the city gate scattered. Even the bailiffs who had been checking the ox cart were forced to retreat.

At this moment, everyone was in a panic.

No one noticed that the old man was walking out with the ox cart.

Only County Magistrate Liu noticed where the ox cart was going. Alarm bells rang in his head. Ignoring the danger of being hit by the carriage, he strode after the ox cart, shouting as he did so.

“Someone stop that ox cart! If anyone can stop it, I’ll reward him with a hundred taels of silver!”

There would be brave men under heavy rewards.

When the commoners, who had wanted to hide far away, heard that there were a hundred taels to be earned, they immediately rushed towards the ox cart like a swarm of bees.

Even though the old man whipped the ox hard, the ox cart still could not move fast. Soon, the ox cart was surrounded by the commoners.

County Magistrate Liu caught up with the bailiffs.

“Take him down!”

Seeing that the situation was bad, the old man pulled out the big saber hidden under the ox cart and jumped off the carriage to rush in the direction with the least people.

He looked quite old, but the way he swung his saber was very imposing. Coupled with his ferocious expression, the commoners were frightened and retreated, not daring to fight him head-on.

Magistrate Liu shouted at the top of his lungs, “A hundred taels! There would be a hundred taels if we capture him!”

In the end, it was still money that moved people.

Even though they knew that there was danger, a few men who thought they were up for it still stood up and tried to fight the old man.

The bailiffs also pulled out of the official road and fought with the old man.

In the end, the old man was defeated and tied up on the spot. However, there were casualties among the magistrate officers; two of them were injured.

Magistrate Liu asked the two bailiffs to get their injuries treated. The remaining people unloaded all the sacks on the ox cart and opened them one by one to check what was inside.

The top few sacks indeed contained rice and grains.

But the sacks below contained people. They were young ladies.

Their hands and feet were bound and their mouths gagged. Their eyes were closed and they were motionless.

Fortunately, they were still breathing. From the looks of it, they were only unconscious.

Magistrate Liu took out the portraits and compared them one by one. He was certain that these girls were part of the group of lost women.

He was overjoyed. There was finally an explanation!

“Take them back quickly and get a doctor to treat them.”

...

“Yes, Lord Liu!”

When the commoners saw County Magistrate Liu personally rush to the front line despite the danger and save the kidnapped girls, they applauded.

Someone else was shouting.

“Lord Liu is so powerful!”

“It’s our Wangsong City’s blessing to have an official like Lord Liu!”

County Magistrate Liu, who was about to go back and report the case, stopped.

He stared at the citizens.

From the moment he got into the imperial examination and had the chance to become an official, people kept telling him that the most important thing to be an official was tact.

Only a tactful person could survive in the treacherous bureaucracy.

County Magistrate Liu admitted that he did not have any talent in the world, so he did not have any great ambitions.

Ever since he took office in Wangsong City, he had always adhered to the principle of being tactful. He tried his best to build a good relationship with the local gentry and strived to please the higher-ups.

...

He did not care what the people thought of him. In any case, he would only be staying here for three years. As long as he did not make any major mistakes within three years, he would be promoted to the next position.

To him, the citizens of Wangsong City were nothing. He did not care about the commoners, so they naturally did not have a good impression of him.

Usually, when the commoners saw him, they were more afraid than respectful.

Occasionally, he could hear the commoners scolding him behind his back for working on a case in a daze.

But now, the commoners were praising him from the bottom of their hearts. Everyone looked at him with admiration and respect.

It was as if they had only truly acknowledged County Magistrate Liu at this moment. Magistrate Liu could not help but feel his blood boil.

He seemed to have returned to his youth and looked forward to the future with his classmates. At that time, he had made a wish that if he could become an official in the future, he would definitely be a good official who could serve the people!