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

Inside the county magistrate's residence, the atmosphere was so dignified it could be squeezed out of water. Zhang Jingwei sat upright in the main seat, his face as gloomy as water, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrests of the huanghuali wood chair, making a dull "thump thump" sound.

In the hall, Huangfu Ling, Jiuer and Douya stood with their hands hanging down, like eggplants hit by frost, with their heads almost buried in their chests, not even daring to breathe.

A maid came in cautiously, holding a pair of neatly folded pants, and whispered, "Master, your...your pants have been dried. Do you want to wear them now, or...take them back to your room first?" She obviously also felt the unusual low pressure, and her voice became smaller and smaller.

Zhang Jingwei didn't even raise his eyelids, as if he hadn't heard anything. Seeing this, the housekeeper Zhang Liu quickly waved his hand silently, and the maid hurriedly retreated as if she had been pardoned.

"Come on," Zhang Jingwei finally spoke, his voice low but full of unquestionable authority, "someone who can explain the whole story clearly!"

Huangfu Ling's shoulders trembled, and she took a half step forward. Her voice was filled with grievance and self-blame: "Husband, it's my fault... I shouldn't have... shouldn't have brought Da Huang home..."

As soon as she finished speaking, Jiuer beside her immediately interrupted, eager to distance herself from the matter: "Yes! Blame it on her!"

Huangfu Ling suddenly turned her head to look at Jiuer, her eyes slightly red, with incredible disappointment: "Sister! I thought... I thought you would say something for me, but I didn't expect you to completely refuse!"

Jiu'er stiffened her neck and argued, "Is that the one you wanted to raise? And you kept him in my mother's thatched cottage!"

"If you don't want to keep it, why did you save it in the first place?" Huangfu Ling asked back.

"I saved it out of a moment of weakness. I didn't say I would keep it forever! If you leave it in the thatched cottage, what if my mother comes back one day and hurts her?"

"Then... then you shouldn't have brought it to my house! My husband... he doesn't like pets!" Huangfu Ling tried to divert the focus.

Jiuer curled her lips and blurted out: "Your man is a coward, why do you blame me?"

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Zhang Jingwei slammed the armrest in anger, interrupting the increasingly chaotic argument. "Yes, I'm timid! But is that thing a pet? Ah? It's something that can scare the shit out of people...scare people to death! Okay!" He took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and pointed at Douya, who had been hiding in the back, trying to reduce his presence: "Dounya! You tell the story! From beginning to end, get to the point!"

Douya was startled when his name was mentioned, and he began to narrate with a stammer: "It's...it's...it's a while ago. Madam and Miss Jiuer went outside the city to look for Sun Yaolang, but Sun Yaolang was not at home. They searched everywhere but couldn't find him. Later...later, they heard bursts of howling like cows coming from the woods behind the thatched cottage. It sounded very miserable..."

Jiuer took over the conversation, speaking rapidly: "Let me tell you what happened next! At the time, I thought it was someone's oxen that were attacked by wild beasts. I thought that if there really were oxen, people would definitely come looking for them. If someone was injured by a wild beast, it would be bad. I was anxious, so I... I set a fire to smoke the beast away..."

Zhang Jingwei's pupils shrank, and he leaned forward. "Wait! Was it you who set the wildfire reported in Beizhuang a few days ago?!"

Jiuer subconsciously pointed her finger at Huangfu Ling and said hurriedly, "No, it wasn't us! It was...she who started the fire!"

Huangfu Ling's eyes widened: "But this idea was yours!"

Jiu'er didn't respond and continued, "Later, there were incessant wailing sounds in the mountains. I was afraid that the people's oxen would be burned, so I rushed into the fire without caring about the danger. But when I got in, I found that it was not an ox at all, but a hairy monster I had never seen before! I didn't want to care about it, but it was covered in wounds and had a lame leg, so it couldn't get out of the forest. So... so Ling'er dragged it out..."

Huangfu Ling quickly added, trying to share the responsibility: "But, it was you, Big Sister, who asked me to drag you out!"

"Alright!" Zhang Jingwei rubbed his brows tiredly. "Let's not talk about the past for now. Remember, don't bring anything home from now on! Luckily, you only scared me... scared me today, and didn't really hurt anyone. Otherwise, it would be a huge sin!"

Huangfu Ling whispered: "I'm sorry, husband..."

Zhang Jingwei turned to Jiuer again and said sternly, "And you! Jiuer, I promised Mu Tou that I would take good care of you, but that doesn't mean I really don't dare to punish you! Fortunately, the fire was discovered early and put out in time, so it didn't burn the farmland or houses. Otherwise, you would be in jail!"

Jiuer knew she was in the wrong and whispered, "I understand..."

Zhang Jingwei sat up straight and made a decision: "I'll have General Qi's men take that beast to the Fur Shop for disposal."

Jiuer got anxious when she heard this: "No! Its injuries are almost healed, can't you just let it go?"

"Release it back into the mountains?" Zhang Jingwei glared at her. "What if it keeps turning wild and hurts someone? Can you bear the responsibility?"

Huangfu Ling also tugged at Zhang Jingwei's sleeve, tears welling in her eyes: "You promised me this morning that you would let me have a pet!"

Zhang Jingwei shook her hand off and said angrily, "I did agree to let you raise a pet! But I never said I would let you raise a scary mountain goblin!"

"You don't keep your word!" Huangfu Ling stomped her feet.

"This is no joke!" Zhang Jingwei said in a more serious tone. "Sixth Uncle is old and can't stand such a shock! Give it to the fur dealer. At least the skin can make you a new fur coat for the winter, and maybe you can even taste its meat."

"I don't want it!" Huangfu Ling turned around and said in a firm tone.

Zhang Jingwei tried to reason with her: "Sister Ling, this is not the time for you to act like a spoiled brat."

"I won't!" Huangfu Ling turned around, tears in her eyes, "What if I insist on raising it?"

"No need to discuss this!" Zhang Jingwei said firmly, "I've made up my mind!"

Seeing the situation deadlocked, Huangfu Ling's eyes suddenly rolled. She leaned forward, stood on tiptoe, cupped her hands, and whispered in Zhang Jingwei's ear. Zhang Jingwei's face was stern at first, but as he listened, his brows gradually relaxed, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise. Finally, he revealed a slightly lewd smile, and subconsciously rubbed his hands. After Huangfu Ling finished whispering, she was so embarrassed that even her ears and neck turned pink. She quickly retreated, lowering her head to play with the corner of her clothes.

"Ahem!" Zhang Jingwei cleared his throat, the smile still on his face. He turned to Liang Dahai, who was waiting nearby, and said sternly, "Dahai, um... I want you to bring people to build a sturdy iron cage tonight. We need the finest iron! Isn't the side yard always empty? Put that beast there, and make sure it's locked up!"

Huangfu Ling immediately corrected him, her voice still tinged with shame: "It's called Da Huang! It's not a beast!"

Zhang Jingwei readily accepted the suggestion, and his tone was even a little doting: "Okay, okay, Da Huang, let's call you Da Huang."

Liang Dahai was stunned, thinking he had misheard: "Master? Are you…are you serious? Do you really want to keep that…that Da Huang?"

Zhang Jingwei waved his hands, pretending to be relaxed: "It's okay! If you want to keep it, ma'am, just keep it in a cage. But let me tell you this," his expression turned serious, looking at Huangfu Ling, "it must be strictly guarded and must not be released to hurt anyone! If it really hurts anyone in the future, I will make it into a fur coat myself, no questions asked!"