Door Breaking Knife Constable Chen

Chen Zhiyuan brought the stuff to the county office. The person guarding the door was not two bailiffs but a scholar in his forties.

This person was none other than Adviser Tang, whom Chen Zhiyuan had met in the hall today.

"Constable Chen, you're finally here. If you hadn't come, the county magistrate would have made me stand here all night."

When Adviser Tang saw Chen Zhiyuan, he hurried down the steps to welcome him while complaining.

The heavy burden in his heart was relieved. The newcomer, Constable Chen, seemed to be a man of character.

"I'm sorry, Adviser Tang. This is the first time I raid a residence so I have to be meticulous. It's my fault for making you suffer."

Chen Zhiyuan quickly stepped forward and cupped his fists to apologize. He took out two gold ingots from his pocket and put them into Adviser Tang's sleeve, and he said softly, "Don't worry, Adviser. These are the clean money that I took out from my five thousand coins. I'll take it as an apology to you."

The county magistrate did not avoid this adviser at all for such corruption. It was obvious that in the county magistrate's eyes, this adviser was of great importance. If that was the case, then it was necessary for him to take good care of his relationship now.

Adviser Tang weighed his sleeves, and a big smile immediately appeared on his face. With this weight, Constable Chen was indeed a decent man.

"Constable Chen, you are too kind. Quickly go in. The county magistrate is still waiting for you."

Adviser Tang's resentment was replaced by joy. He called Chen Zhiyuan to hurry into the residence.

Chen Zhiyuan and Adviser Tang entered the government office. They saw a candle lit in the main hall. Only County Magistrate Liu Qingshan was sitting in the empty hall and dozing off. It was obvious that he had been waiting for a long time.

"County Magistrate, Constable Chen is back!"

Adviser Tang gently went forward to wake Liu Qingshan up and whispered.

Liu Qingshan woke up in a daze. When he saw Chen Zhiyuan bowing, he instantly woke up and stood up excitedly. He suddenly felt that he was too impatient and sat back down again. He tidied up his expression and asked, "Constable Chen, how does it feel to be on duty for the first time?"

"County Magistrate, you're wise and mighty. The brothers under me dared to risk their lives and finally beheaded the bandit leader Xu Qingfeng. The money that the Xu family owed to me was also taken back. This is the five thousand taels that you borrowed from me back then. I'm here to return it."

After Chen Zhiyuan finished reporting, he opened his bag. Three hundred taels of gold, five large pearls, and two deeds for the prosperous shop were placed on the table.

Liu Qingshan's eyes widened. He looked at the pile of gold on the left, then looked at the few bright pearls on the right. Finally, he picked up two house deeds. Those were the rare deeds of the shop in the east of the city. One of them would cost at least three thousand. He could not help but look up at Chen Zhiyuan. "Constable Chen, this is worth five thousand?"

"That's right. This is worth five thousand. The Xu family colluded with the Black Wind Mountain bandits. The money was given to the king of the mountain. Naturally, the money that was confiscated from the family was a little less. Speaking of which, it was not little. There were still more than forty thousand. This was not inclusive of the livestock, horses, and goods."

Chen Zhiyuan explained calmly.

His words had two meanings. First, the money of the Xu family had been used to rebel. If it was a little less, others would not be able to say anything. Second, there was still more than forty thousand in cash. Regardless of whether it was the county magistrate who took it for reporting or to give it to the high-ranking officials, it was enough.

After Liu Qingshan heard this, he pondered for a moment and then grinned, and he said happily, "That's right, that's right. Constable Chen, I'll trouble you again to transport the Xu family's property back to the government office overnight. I'll report to the high-ranking officials tomorrow about today's raiding. I'll let you stabilize your position, so you can rest assured and continue your work."

"Thank you, Lord!"

Chen Zhiyuan hurriedly saluted, then he said, "Lord, I've completed this mission and want to take a few days off. After all, I left in a hurry when I came and didn't have the time to explain to my wife. And also the reward money for the villagers of Taoyuan Village for killing the thief. They're still waiting for me to bring it back for them."

"Yes, sure! I allow it. Currently, the world is experiencing a drought, and the emperor is very concerned about the common people the most. Constable Chen, you should return to your hometown to rest, and at the same time, you also helped the county to appease the villagers of Taoyuan Village. How about this, the villagers who escorted the leader of the bandits yesterday would be rewarded with half a string of coins!"

Liu Qingshan nodded and patted Chen Zhiyuan's shoulder with a smile.

"Then, County Magistrate, I will thank you on behalf of the people of Taoyuan Village for your great kindness."

Chen Zhiyuan hurriedly thanked him loudly again, secretly cursing in his heart.

He was so greedy and received a lot, and he only gave so little to the contribution of the people. If the rebels really invaded the city, perhaps no one would be willing to come even if he spent money to buy his life!

Then, Chen Zhiyuan rushed back to the Xu Residence again and asked the bailiffs to pack the remaining money into boxes and transport it back to the government office.

He stayed at the end and threw the lantern in his hand onto a box of account books. He shouted, "Xu Qingfeng, you thief. You didn't forget to burn the account books even before you died. We were unable to trace the bottom of the Black Wind Mountain. You deserve to die!"

The bailiffs looked at Chen Zhiyuan with joy and gratitude on their faces. They escorted the carriage all the way back to the government office.

The next day.

Whether it was the county magistrate or the bailiffs, they all came especially early.

After all, the county magistrate had ordered to raid the home of the county's extremely wealthy Lord Xu. After the night had passed, there should have been a result.

Looking at the mountain of gold and silver treasures in the county office, as well as the countless antiques and copper coins, they were both surprised and scolded the Xu family for harming the county.

They were feeling happy in their hearts despite the scoldings.

After they had confiscated so many treasures, the county could, according to the law, keep a portion for their own use and hand over the rest.

The portion that was kept for their own use was naturally for the officials and a smaller portion for the errand runners. After all, it was free money. Even if it's little, they would still enjoy it.

The county magistrate personally supervised the scribe to rewrite the accounts. Only then did he examine the Xu family's father and son's bodies and wrote an official document to report to the high-ranking official.

Immediately after, he ordered the bailiffs to run to the county and inform those who owed money to the Xu family to pay the principal and not the interest. The Xu family's property and goods were sold at market prices, causing countless people to shout "Master Qingtian".

Liu Qingshan could not help but be overjoyed. He had been the county magistrate of Qingshui County for so long, and this was the first time that so many people had taken the initiative to kneel down to him.

Constable Chen, who had just arrived at the county office, brought the corpses of the bandits into the city yesterday and made a name for himself. Today, he raided and confiscated the home of Lord Xu, whom everyone was afraid of.

For a time, he became the hottest topic in Qingshui County. It was said that Constable Chen often carried a butcher's knife on his waist. After the rumor went around for a few days, Chen Zhiyuan was inexplicably given the nickname "Door Breaking Knife".

At that moment, Chen Zhiyuan did not know about that at all. After he dismissed Xu Qingfeng's wife and concubines and sealed the Xu Residence, he bought a good horse with the county magistrate's seal of the land contract and the money that the people of Taoyuan Village deserved and happily rushed to Taoyuan Village.

That was his home.