The Double
Chapter 269 - 109 Seven Days_2

Chapter 269: Chapter 109 Seven Days_2

But none of these were important.

Bai Xue said, "This looks much more impressive than the county government office back in our hometown."

"Who knows what sort of ill-gotten wealth funded this," Ye Mingyu said with disdain. "If he had used the silver for renovating the government office to aid the poor, I suspect there wouldn’t be so many begging children on the streets."

Jiang Li said, "Uncle sure sees clearly."

"Of course," Ye Mingyu nodded proudly.

Just as Jiang Li had expected, they indeed intended to leave them hanging for a while. At least for half an hour, no one came out from the county government office to greet them, and the government officer in charge of supervising them was clueless upon questioning. Standing for so long without any tea to drink, Ye Mingyu became thirsty and impatient, saying, "What are these people dragging their feet for, aren’t they going to meet us at all?"

"People who think highly of themselves always need to put on a show," Jiang Li laughed. "Be patient, I think it’ll be soon."

"Why?" Ye Mingyu asked.

"He just wants us to reach the point where we can’t wait any longer and then call us in. Since you, uncle, are already getting impatient, once he sees you’re uncomfortable, his heart will be at ease, and naturally, there’s no need to keep us waiting."

Ye Mingyu said irritably, "So, he just wants us to suffer, is that it? What kind of person is this?"

"I, too, want to see what kind of person he is," Jiang Li said with a smile.

After patiently waiting a while longer, someone finally came out, but it wasn’t the leading soldier from before, rather it was a person resembling an attendant. He sized them up and then said, "The lord invites you in."

"Stop calling him lord, I’m not from Tongxiang, why should I care about his lordship?" Ye Mingyu hummed from his nose.

The attendant seemed to have his own anger, but fearing Ye Mingyu’s formidable fists, he contained his rage and said, "Please come in."

Jiang Li and Ye Mingyu then followed.

The deeper they went into the county government office, the more Jiang Li realized that everything was completely renovated; not only were the furnishings all new, so were all the government officers, guards, and even those serving tea, without a familiar face in sight.

They must really fear falling into disrepute, hence the eagerness to destroy evidence.

When they reached the main hall of the government office, they saw a line of government officers standing on both sides of the hall, holding sticks with fierce expressions; Jiang Li and Ye Mingyu walking in felt just like criminals being brought up to the court for sentencing.

The attendant said, "Lord, the people have been brought in."

Jiang Li looked up.

Sitting in the high seat at the front of the main hall was a skinny middle-aged man. This person, with a sharp chin and monkey cheeks, seemed instantly unlikable, especially his triangular, droopy eyes that scrutinized others, creating a sleazy impression. If not for others saying so, who would believe this was the county magistrate? It’s said we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but the saying "the face reflects the heart" seemed fitting; this man looked fundamentally dishonest. He looked more like a street thug than a magistrate.

His way of sitting was also quite improper, causing Jiang Li to frown slightly. The position he occupied was often sat in by Xue Huaiyuan in the past. Her father had sat there to deliver justice for the people of Tongxiang, but this man sat there as if a monkey in robes, his presence alone was distasteful, as if he was insulting the government office.

"It is you who wish to seek out this official?" the gaunt, monkey-like lord asked haughtily.

When Jiang Li caught sight of this person’s face, she felt he looked familiar, and couldn’t help but ponder where she had seen him before. As she looked at him, he also looked at Jiang Li, and upon clearly seeing her face, a flicker of greed passed through his eyes.

Ye Mingyu immediately noticed it and was furious, protectively pulling Jiang Li behind him, almost bursting with anger.

Just at this moment, Jiang Li suddenly remembered the man’s identity—Feng Yutang!

She was astounded, not expecting that the one to replace Xue Huaiyuan, the newly appointed county magistrate, would be Feng Yutang!

Jiang Li had seen Feng Yutang before. Initially, when the previous chief clerk in the government office had to return home to take care of his gravely ill mother and voluntarily resigned his post, Feng Yutang was recommended as his replacement. Feng Yutang, a scholar from Tongxiang, had repeatedly failed the imperial examinations, but he was literate and could write articles. Xue Huaiyuan brought him by his side, hoping that with this position, Feng Yutang would perform well. However, Feng Yutang turned out to be corrupt in the government office, colluding with the attorney to manipulate court decisions, attempting to influence Xue Huaiyuan’s rulings.

When Xue Huaiyuan discovered the matter, he was furious, and even though Feng Yutang had amassed a significant amount of money through his corruption, Xue Huaiyuan punished him with several dozen heavy beatings and expelled him from the government office. Jiang Li remembered Feng Yutang boldly threatening Xue Huaiyuan would pay for this, almost getting chased down by Xue Zhao for another beating.