Making you a son-in-law is not about making you conquer the world.

"Thump thump thump..." Tian Gou kowtowed on the ground like a woodpecker pecking at food, afraid that Lin Ping would turn around and leave.

Lin Ping nodded in satisfaction, deliberately pretending to be deep in thought.

Jiang Yunying rolled her eyes at him and asked softly, "When did Liu Yong kneel and kowtow to my husband? Don't keep me in suspense whether my husband can or can't do it."

Jiang Yunying naturally knew that Lin Ping was deliberately teasing her. Kowtowing could bring inspiration? Nobody believed that!

If Lin Ping couldn't answer the question now that things had gotten this far, he would bring shame to the City Lord's Mansion. Therefore, Jiang Yunying didn't want him to escalate the situation further.

"Don't even mention kowtowing, even if this fellow grovels before his husband, he won't find the slightest inspiration. However..." Lin Ping paused for a moment, looking at her lecherously, and continued, "If my wife gets a little closer, my inspiration will definitely explode!"

Lin Ping spoke quite loudly, deliberately for others to hear, partly to show off their affection, and partly to let Tian Gou know that he had been tricked.

However, Lin Ping whispered in Jiang Yunying's ear, deliberately acting mysteriously. Even if others heard it, it would be considered eavesdropping, so they would be too embarrassed to expose him directly. Thus, Tian Gou continued to kowtow.

Jiang Yunying pinched his waist with her jade-like fingers, but still moved closer to him, with large patches of skin pressed tightly against Lin Ping's.

Lin Ping trembled with happiness, then suddenly had an inspiration and deliberately drew out, "This character... seems... somewhat familiar!"

Bang!

In his anger, Tian Gou used too much force, and a blood blister immediately appeared on his forehead. He grimaced in pain and cursed Lin Ping a thousand times over in his heart.

Lin Ping didn't want to go to great lengths for a small fish, so he decided to let it go this time. He said loudly, "The top part is the character '明' (míng), and the bottom part is the character '空' (kōng). This means the sun and moon are in the sky. If I remember correctly, it should be pronounced '曌' (zhāo)."

At first, people didn't think highly of Lin Ping, believing him to be a complete spendthrift who couldn't read many words and that his antics were nothing more than a publicity stunt.

However, this explanation seemed to make some sense, and many people nodded in sudden realization, even secretly giving him a thumbs up.

Tian Gou froze on the spot, his forehead pressed against the ground, too afraid to get up. He never imagined that Lin Ping would actually recognize him and give such a perfect explanation.

"I wonder if my answer is correct?" Lin Ping asked Huang Liang respectfully. Huang Liang was a second-class Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) and had taught in Jiangcheng Prefecture for many years. He was very knowledgeable and could probably recognize the character.

All eyes turned to Huang Mengliang, waiting for the correct answer.

Huang Mengliang nodded and said, "The Prince Consort's explanation is absolutely correct."

Absolutely identical?

Would Dr. Huang Mengliang actually use this word?

This was a tremendous compliment and honor, and Lin Ping immediately became an enviable role model for scholars and talented men.

"Husband, I don't recall seeing this character in the City Lord's records?" Jiang Yunying asked curiously. Although she mainly practiced martial arts, she had also read some classic texts, but she had no recollection of this character.

“Nonsense, this was a character that Qin Ke created specifically for Wu Zetian back then. Of course, it wasn’t recorded in your Wu Kingdom History. I suppose Tian Gou discovered this character by chance.” Lin Ping thought to himself, but he didn’t know how to explain it to Jiang Yunying.

"So, it was my wife who gave me the inspiration!" Lin Ping shamelessly replied.

Tian Gou got up like a dead dog, his last bit of dignity gone, and he truly regretted provoking Lin Ping.

Just as he was about to slink away, Lin Ping walked over with a smile and said respectfully, "I once came across a phrase, but I don't know how to pronounce the last character. I would appreciate it if you could enlighten me, Lord Registrar."

Faced with Lin Ping's sincere smile, Tian Gou was at a loss. If he still had any pride, he would have taken the opportunity to humiliate the other party. But at this moment, he just wanted to save face as much as possible. How could he refuse?

Seeing Tian Gou's eager expression, Lin Ping quickly wrote a line of small characters on the Xuan paper: "The prefect of a prefecture is the god of the people!"

Tian Gou chuckled upon seeing these, for they were all commonly used characters. He hurriedly read, "The magistrate of a prefecture is the son of the people..."

"What the hell is this?" Tian Gou immediately adopted the spirit of a fake scholar who only reads half of an unfamiliar character, thinking to himself, "Turtle?"

Most of those present were charlatans, and they mostly misread it as "turtle," so they secretly sneered.

Jiang Yunyu, looking dejected, approached Lin Ping and almost took his elder sister's place, asking softly, "Brother-in-law, how could you publicly insult the prefect as a bastard?"

To be honest, Jiang Yunyu was a little scared, after all, the other party was numerous and they were all powerful and influential people, and even he, with his status, was not among them.

Insulting court officials is a serious crime, and the other party has ample reason to arrest Lin Ping. Even the city lord's mansion cannot protect him.

How could Tian Gou let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? He pretended to be unaware and read on: "The magistrate of a prefecture is the king of the people!"

These words caused an uproar. The prefect's face turned green. He was a prefect, after all, and yet he was openly called a bastard.

"Lin Ping, how dare you call the Prefect a bastard!" Tian Gou belatedly rebuked.

Everyone looked at Lin Ping with suspicion, thinking: Is this guy stupid? How could he make such a basic mistake?

"Lin Ping, how dare you! I have no grudge against you, yet you insult me ​​like this. Don't think that just because you have the City Lord's Mansion protecting you, you can do whatever you want. Guards, seize him!" The Prefect said coldly, his face contorted with rage.

This needs to be properly explained. How could Lin Ping and him have no grudges against each other?

Furthermore, with the city lord's mansion protecting them, they really can do whatever they want.

Seeing that dozens of constables were about to rush in aggressively, Jiang Yunying immediately gripped her long sword and naturally shielded Lin Ping behind her, saying softly, "Husband, don't be afraid, your wife is here!"

That's right. With his wife by his side, what is Lin Ping afraid of? But he didn't want to end the interesting engagement banquet in this way, so he calmly said, "Prefect, please don't be in such a hurry. This is just the beginning. Why are you thinking of using force? Dr. Huang, don't you agree?"

Huang Mengliang wasn't a fool; he had already seen through the tense situation. He had intended to take the opportunity to slip away, but unexpectedly, Lin Ping called him out again, so he had no choice but to reveal the truth and explain, "This is the character 'Tian,' not the 'turtle' that the registrar mentioned..."

"What? The Heavenly Rank?" Tian Gou was so frightened that his pants got wet, and a foul smell filled the entire hall.

If that's true, then Lin Ping's words mean that the prefect of a prefecture is the god of the people.

Instead of insults, there was great praise.

The prefect's face darkened. He couldn't very well arrest Lin Ping for praising him, so he could only continue with a gloomy expression: "Take Tian away and give him one hundred strokes of the cane!"

One hundred strokes of the cane?

Everyone sighed in dismay; this was a recipe for disaster, potentially breaking three of Tian Gou's legs and rendering him bedridden forever.

"Spare me, Your Excellency, spare me!" Tian Gou struggled frantically, but was still grabbed by his limbs and lifted above his head by several constables.

Then came a series of pitiful screams.

"Husband, don't be too reckless..." Jiang Yunying said helplessly in Lin Ping's ear, even worrying about the enemy.

Lin Ping turned his head and chuckled, "With my wife here, it's alright to be a little reckless."