The White-Bone Demon of the Farm is as rich as a country

In the early morning, the sky was gloomy, with dark clouds covering it, pressing down heavily, making people feel suffocated and depressed, as if a torrential rain was about to fall. In this gloomy atmosphere,

The drum for appealing against justice at the gate of Luling County Government Office suddenly began to sound rapidly, "dong dong dong dong". The drum sound was low and heavy, like a heavy hammer hitting people's hearts, making their already depressed mood even heavier.

At this time, County Magistrate Zhou was sitting in the court with a gloomy expression. His narrow triangular eyes were slightly narrowed, revealing a hint of impatience and anger.

The yamen runners on both sides held killing sticks in their hands, standing listlessly and weakly on both sides of the court, as if they were also affected by the gloomy weather and had lost their former majesty.

A sharp, duck-like voice shouted, "The one who announced the drum is coming up!" Then there was a burst of uniform shouts: "Mighty~~~Wu~~~"

Chu Ning'an, calm and composed, showing no sign of panic, strode into the hall with firm and steady steps. He saluted County Magistrate Zhou and said loudly, "Student Chu Ning'an greets you, Your Excellency."

Magistrate Zhou, however, did not respond to his greeting. Instead, he coldly demanded, "Why don't you kneel before me? Have you already achieved fame and honor?"

Since there was a conflict between him and the Zhou family, County Magistrate Zhou would definitely know his identity. He was just using it to make things difficult for him.

He had not yet passed the important examination, so strictly speaking, he could not be considered a true scholar. According to common sense, if we look deeper, he should have knelt and bowed before an official like County Magistrate Zhou.

However, the situation was different. Chu Ning'an had won first place twice in a row! In the land of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, there was a rule that was not explicitly stated but was widely circulated and known to everyone: anyone who could win first place in the county and prefectural examinations in succession enjoyed the special treatment of not having to kneel when meeting officials.

In other words, even if someone wanted to force the top candidate in the double examination to kneel down and pay homage, it would probably be difficult to do so. After all, this unwritten rule has long been deeply rooted in people's minds and has become a tacit custom.

At this time, standing in the lobby of the county government office, he remained calm and fearless in the face of the pressure and difficulties deliberately imposed by County Magistrate Zhou.

He straightened his body and responded in a neither humble nor arrogant manner, "Your Excellency, I was the top scorer in both the county and prefectural examinations in Jiaqing Prefecture. According to local customs, I should be allowed to meet officials without kneeling."

These words were so well-reasoned and well-founded that County Magistrate Zhou, who had originally intended to intimidate the other party, was speechless for a moment.

County Magistrate Zhou narrowed his eyes slightly, and the gloom in his eyes became more and more intense. It was obvious that he realized that the young man in front of him named Chu Ning'an was not easy to deal with.

After a moment's silence, he spoke again and asked, "Chu Ning'an, were you the one beating the drum to complain just now?"

Chu Ning'an nodded and replied, "It was the students beating the drums."

Without waiting for County Magistrate Zhou to continue asking questions, he quickly took out the petition he had prepared in advance from his pocket and handed it forward respectfully with both hands.

After taking the complaint, County Magistrate Zhou glanced at it briefly and then casually said, "Are you suing Zhou Tong from Zhoujiazhuang?"

Chu Ning'an answered again with certainty: "That's right."

Upon hearing this, County Magistrate Zhou turned to a yamen runner in the hall and ordered, "Yamen runner Zhou, quickly go to Zhoujiazhuang and bring Zhou Tong to the hall for questioning."

A burly and serious-looking yamen runner strode out from the queue. After respectfully bowing to County Magistrate Zhou, he took the order, turned around and strode out of the court.

At this moment, County Magistrate Zhou stared intently at Chu Ning'an, who was standing in the hall. He slowly asked, "Your petition clearly states that the An family has already transferred the farm to you, and you have now smoothly taken over. If that's the case, why are you still suing Zhou Tong, the An family's steward?"

Magistrate Zhou, a man of many years, possessed a mastery of questioning. He simply mentioned Chu Ning'an's successful takeover of the manor, but made no mention of the Zhou family's possible vandalism. This would have made others think Chu Ning'an was being unreasonable.

Sure enough, at this moment, Chu Ning'an clearly heard a burst of discussions coming from behind him.

Someone said with disdain, "Hey, look at this young man! He looks like an educated man, but why is he so ungrateful? He's taken such a big advantage, yet he's still thinking of suing the other person!"

Another voice echoed, "Who says it's not true? But it's hard to say. Isn't everyone aware of the Zhou family's moral character? Maybe they've been using some shady tricks behind the scenes to trick them!"

Another person lowered his voice and sighed, "Alas, this young man is really confused. Why does he have to pick on the Zhou family when there are so many people to pick on! Doesn't he know that our county magistrate is a member of the Zhou family?"

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