Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Early in the morning, Qian Ming, with dark circles under his eyes and swollen mouth, bumped into Mu Mu as soon as he walked out of the government office.

"Hey!" Mu Tou's eyes widened as he circled around Qian Ming. "Did you have a fight with your wife last night?" He lowered his voice deliberately. "Did you get caught hiding your private money?"

Qian Ming waved his hand unhappily: "No, there was a little accident."

Mu Tou stared at the wound on his face and said in amazement: "You have a bruised face..." He suddenly slapped his forehead and said, "How about asking the master for a day off? I'll ask Jiuer to get some medicine and apply it."

"No need," Qian Ming rubbed the corner of his mouth that hurt, "The young master is in need of help right now, so this little injury won't be a problem."

As he was speaking, Liang Dahai came back from the well carrying a bucket. When he saw Qian Ming's appearance, he almost dropped the bucket: "Brother Qian, did you have a fight with your wife?"

Qian Ming sighed helplessly: "Oh, no, don't talk nonsense, my wife and I are fine."

Liang Dahai looked unconvinced: "Then your injury..."

At this time, Zhang Liu came over slowly. He squinted his eyes and approached Qian Ming, clicking his tongue and saying, "Xiao Qian...you..."

Qian Ming finally couldn't stand it anymore and raised his voice, "Oh, last night, I was beaten up by a gangster in the classroom!"

Zhang Liu turned away with a look of misfortune upon hearing this, and said, "You were a soldier, too. How could you be bullied by these hooligans?"

"Don't disbelieve me!" Qian Ming pointed in the direction of the classroom, "The kid is still tied up in the classroom!"

Mu Tou became excited when he heard this, and stuck his axe into the ground: "I have to go and take a look!" Then he ran to the classroom.

Qian Ming quickly grabbed him and said, "Don't! That kid is very fierce."

Liang Dahai came over and asked mysteriously, "Brother Qian, what does that little thug look like? Is he big and strong?"

Qian Ming coughed awkwardly twice: "Ahem... just a half-grown child..."

"What?" The three of them exclaimed in unison.

Zhang Liu stroked his beard and shook his head: "Xiao Qian, your skills..."

Mu Tou was already laughing so hard he was rolling on the floor. "Hahaha, Qian Ming got beaten up like this by a half-grown kid! I have to tell the young master right away!"

"You dare!" Qian Ming pretended to chase him, but he pulled his wound and grimaced in pain.

At this time, Zhang Jingwei's voice came from the gate of the county government office: "What are you arguing about so early in the morning?"

Everyone fell silent immediately. Qian Ming lowered his head, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into. Zhang Jingwei walked closer and frowned, "Qian Ming, what's wrong with your face?"

Mu Tou was about to speak with a stifled laugh when Qian Ming glared at him fiercely. Qian Ming gritted his teeth and replied, "Master, last night in the classroom..."

"I see." Zhang Jingwei waved his hand. "That's perfect. Come with me to interrogate that kid." He glanced at Qian Ming's injuries and added, "And by the way, let Sun Yaolang take a look at you."

Qian Ming was so angry that he stamped his feet, but he could do nothing but follow Zhang Jingwei to the classroom with his head down. Behind him, he could hear the suppressed laughter of Mu Tou and Liang Dahai.

……

The moment Zhang Jingwei stepped into the classroom, he was greeted by a stagnant air mingled with the stench of blood, sweat, and sawdust. He subconsciously covered his nose with his sleeve, his gaze sweeping across the chaotic scene like a knife.

Inside the detention room, craftsmen were clanking and dismantling the wooden bars of the cell. Amidst the flying wood chips, several yamen runners gathered around a crooked wooden table. Xiao Kewei, half his face swollen, was sipping tea with a grimace. Seeing Zhang Jingwei enter, the runners hurriedly straightened up and shouted in unison, "Master Zhang!"

"What happened last night? Why are there workers repairing the classroom so early?" Zhang Jingwei's voice was not loud, but it made the noisy classroom quiet instantly.

Qian Ming, standing behind him, had beads of sweat on his forehead. He stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Excellency, this is what I arranged last night. This cell has been in disrepair for a long time, and the bars are loose. It's really unsafe to hold prisoners here."

Zhang Jingwei sneered and turned his gaze to Xiao Kewei, who was sitting crookedly in his chair. "How did Xiao Zhubu get beaten like this?"

The sound of chains clashing echoed from the corner. Zhang Jingwei then noticed a young man huddled against the wall, bound and shackled. Thick chains clashed around his wrists and ankles, rubbing his skin raw. The boy, about fifteen or sixteen, was dressed in rags, his exposed skin covered in scars, both old and new. The most striking was a fresh knife wound on his right cheek, the blood already clotted dark red.

Qian Ming pointed at the young man and said, "This brat was the one who beat him up! Xiao Zhubu was interrogating him last night, and he actually had the audacity to attack and hurt someone!"

Seeing Zhang Jingwei looking at him, the young man suddenly raised his head, and glared at him with a pair of wolf-like eyes. Zhang Jingwei was shocked - there was no fear in those eyes, only pure anger and contempt.

"What's your name?" Zhang Jingwei took a few steps closer and asked condescendingly.

A yamen runner sneered, "This is a lowly slave, without a name!"

"Bullshit!" the boy suddenly shouted, his voice hoarse but unusually loud. "My sister named me 'Stone'."

Zhang Jingwei raised his eyebrows slightly: "You have a sister?"

The yamen runner interrupted, "How could he have a sister? He was raised by a group of refugees, but he had a bad temper and often got into fights. His adoptive parents couldn't control him anymore, so they sold him to someone else. Last year, he was bought by a concubine of the Deng family and became a servant."

Zhang Jingwei keenly noticed that when the yamen runner mentioned "Deng's concubine daughter," a strange light flashed in the boy's eyes. He squatted down and looked at the boy at eye level: "Is the sister you are talking about the daughter of the Deng family?"

"It's none of your business!" The young man spat out a mouthful of blood, which landed right on the tip of Zhang Jingwei's boot.

"Hey! You little bastard, how dare you talk to my master like that?" A yamen runner swung up a water and fire stick and was about to hit him, "I'm going to beat you to death!"

Zhang Jingwei raised his hand to stop him: "Enforce the law in a civilized manner, don't use violence."

The anger in the young man's eyes grew even stronger. "You dog officer, what do you want from me? You look so young, could it be that you've recognized the old dog of the Shi family as your godfather?"

"I'm so angry!" Qian Ming slammed the table. "Master, this kid is too outspoken. Let me teach him a lesson."

Zhang Jingwei waved his hands, a smile appearing on his lips: "Hey, don't be so irritable! He's just a child, just treat it as childish talk."

"I'm fifteen years old this year, and my sister said I'm an adult!" The boy struggled to stand up, and the iron chains rattled.

"Yes, yes, yes, you are an adult now." Zhang Jingwei nodded, a gleam in his eyes, "Then since you are an adult, you must bear the consequences, right?"

The young man sneered: "If you have to fart, do it now and don't disturb my sleep."

Zhang Jingwei's eyes fell on the bloodstains on the boy's body, and his brows furrowed even tighter: "Whose blood is this?"

The yamen runner replied, "My Lord, it belongs to that lowly slave."

"Did you resort to lynching last night?" Zhang Jingwei's voice suddenly turned cold.

The yamen runner hesitated and said, "This kid won't learn his lesson unless he is beaten..."

Zhang Jingwei reached out and gently touched a fresh whiplash on the boy's shoulder, but the boy didn't even frown. "Doesn't it hurt?" Zhang Jingwei asked.

"I'm not afraid of pain!" The young man raised his chin.

Zhang Jingwei narrowed his eyes: "Not only is he a big-tongued person, but he's also very stubborn!"

The bailiff came over and whispered, "It's true, Your Excellency, you don't know this, but this slave is like a monster. He has no sense of pain and fights without regard for his life. He has injured more than a dozen of the Shi family's guards."

Zhang Jingwei suddenly reached out and pinched the tenderest skin on the inside of the boy's arm. The boy just looked at him coldly, not even a muscle twitching.

"Analgesia?" Zhang Jingwei muttered to himself, his eyes falling on the boy's face.