Volume One: Riverside City Chapter Nine: The Distinctive Features of the County Office

After two hard months of toil, he had barely earned a little over a hundred taels of silver, only to lose it all and find himself back at square one. Even Li Ling, who had lived two lives, could not accept such a result; his spirit felt on the verge of collapse. His younger sister, Li Yue’er, was completely crushed—she wept bitterly, blaming herself: “It’s all my fault. The silver is lost, and brother was injured… What are we going to do now?”

Seeing this, Li Ling had no time to be disheartened. He hurriedly comforted his sister: “Yue’er, don’t cry. Losing a few dozen taels of silver isn’t the end of the world. The most important thing is that we’re safe.”

“Brother Li is right. We’re alive and well—that’s what matters. A few dozen taels…” Xu Cang tried to console them as well, but as soon as he spoke, his expression froze, disbelief written all over his face, as if the words burned his tongue. “A fe…few dozen taels of silver? Is the bookstore really that profitable?”

Li Ling continued soothing his sister softly, nodding slightly. Beside him, Gu Yuezi stepped in to explain: “Master Li earned every coin through his own efforts. The popular volumes of ‘Investiture of the Gods’ sweeping Jiangcheng were written by him. Those are his rightful royalties, and I am the owner of Gu Family Bookstore.”

Only then did Xu Cang understand. He had heard from classmates how captivating the Investiture of the Gods was, assuming it was penned by some seasoned cultivator. To his surprise, it was written by a bookstore owner even younger than himself. But the question remained: why would someone so learned toil so hard writing books to earn money? With such scholarship, wouldn’t it be better to sit for the imperial exams and secure an official position?

The answer only came later, after Yue’er fell asleep and the three quietly stepped outside to talk in the courtyard. Li Ling had no desire to reveal their situation, but since Xu Cang had helped them and their friendship had grown closer, he saw no reason to keep it hidden and briefly explained their plight.

After hearing the story, Xu Cang’s admiration for Li Ling grew even stronger. He had thought his own family was poor and that only passing the county exam was unfortunate, but now he realized the Li siblings were far worse off. At least his family owed no such massive debts. Yet Li Ling remained determined, managing to earn what he had never dreamed of in just two months. Compared to that, Xu Cang felt utterly useless.

Then Xu Cang asked with concern, “Brother Li, if you can’t repay your debts on time, I’ve heard that Master Zhuang Qiang is a formidable man. If you fail to pay him back, at best you’ll suffer greatly; at worst, your family could be ruined…” His voice trembled at the thought.

Even Xu Cang worried now. “Master Li, I genuinely want to help you. I believe that with time, you can repay any amount. But you know my bookstore is also short of funds. I can’t come up with two hundred taels all at once. So…” He pulled out twenty taels of silver he had brought and handed it to Li Ling. “Take this twenty taels for now. In a few days, I’ll try to gather another hundred for you. As for the rest, I’m afraid I’m powerless.”

Li Ling was no pretentious man. Seeing genuine kindness, he accepted the silver without hesitation and clasped his fists in gratitude: “Thank you, Boss Gu, for your generous help. I, Li Ling, promise to repay you as soon as possible.”

Gu Yuezi smiled, stroking his beard. “I trust you, Master Li. But what of the remaining tens of taels?”

“For now, the only option is to report to the authorities. Hopefully, the magistrate’s office can help catch the thief and recover the silver,” Li Ling explained. The stolen silver wasn’t just royalties — there were also deposits from customers borrowing books that had to be returned.

“The government…” Gu Yuezi hesitated but said no more, simply nodding. “Tomorrow, I’ll accompany you to the magistrate’s office as a witness.”

“Count me in,” Xu Cang volunteered. Though only a student, he reasoned his presence at the county office might help.

Li Ling thanked them again and urged them to return home. It was already past the second watch of the night, and the city was silent. The two left, leaving only a bookstore assistant behind to watch the shop—no one could be certain whether the thief might return.

That night, Li Ling stayed by Yue’er’s side. The little girl, injured and frightened, woke several times from nightmares. Only with Li Ling nearby did she find peace. It wasn’t until dawn that Li Ling finally dozed off briefly.

Around the early morning hour, the three met at the county office as promised. All looked weary from sleeplessness, spirits low. But upon reaching the solemn gates of the magistrate’s office, they straightened up and explained their purpose to the guards blocking their way.

“You’re here to report a robbery and assault from last night? That’s a serious case. First, you’ll need to fill out a complaint form,” the lead guard said, grinning unpleasantly. He rubbed his fingers together suggestively.

Xu Cang didn’t understand the gesture, but Li Ling promptly handed him a string of copper coins. “Please prepare some writing materials for us, officer.”

Weighing the coins, the guard’s attitude softened slightly. “Wait here… better you wait inside the antechamber. Standing outside all day isn’t good.”

Led inside through a side gate, the three waited in a small side room. Only then did Xu Cang whisper angrily, “This is outrageous! These county office guards openly demand bribes! Brother Li, how could you give them money? You’re encouraging their corruption—it’s unworthy of a gentleman!”

Li Ling and Gu Yuezi exchanged weary smiles. Only a bookworm like Xu Cang could regard such rules as sacred. With a sigh, Gu Yuezi advised, “Master Xu, many things in this world aren’t as the sages’ writings describe. As the saying goes, ‘the county office’s gate opens outward; if you have reason but no money, you won’t get in.’ If not for the coins from Master Li, we wouldn’t have gotten through the door.”

He glanced at Li Ling. “Besides, a hundred or so copper coins won’t get us far. The new magistrate for Jiangcheng hasn’t arrived yet, so the staff here are even lazier than usual.”

Li Ling raised an eyebrow, surprised by such misfortune.

Their conversation was cut short by the arrival of a clerk bearing writing materials. The paper for complaint forms carried an extra charge. Perhaps considering the coins given, the clerk even offered some guidance on how to fill out the form properly—a service of sorts.

When Gu Yuezi asked, “When will the Fourth Magistrate handle the case?” the clerk answered casually, “Hard to say. The county office is busy, and the Fourth Magistrate has many cases piled up. Who knows when he’ll have time?”

The so-called Fourth Magistrate was the senior official responsible for criminal cases and theft investigations—akin to a chief of police or magistrate judge. With no county magistrate in place, the Fourth Magistrate held supreme authority.

“But this is a major case—an armed home invasion,” Xu Cang protested.

The guard shot him a glare. “You only have one side of the story; we can’t just take your word. Everything here follows the rules.” With that, he grabbed the complaint form and turned to leave, clearly displeased.

Li Ling’s anger flared. Even prepared for corruption, spending money only to be dismissed like this was unbearable.

Xu Cang hurried forward, grabbing the officer’s sleeve. “Please wait! We implore the Fourth Magistrate to spare time to investigate this matter—it concerns the safety of Jiangcheng’s people. Thank you.”

The guard’s irritation vanished instantly, replaced by a smile. He chuckled, “Why didn’t you say so earlier? Don’t worry, I’ll request the Fourth Magistrate to act swiftly and right your wrongs.” With that, he strode inside briskly.

“This means…” Li Ling guessed, “Boss Gu, you bribed him again?”

Gu Yuezi turned with a wry smile. “I was going to say yesterday, once you report to the authorities, whether you get your silver back is uncertain. You’ll definitely have to pay a few taels more. The hundred copper coins just got us in. If you want them to actually help and have the Fourth Magistrate investigate, there’s more bleeding to come. I gave that officer two taels of silver just now—probably not enough.”

“What? You gave him two taels?” Xu Cang gasped, wincing. That was enough for his family’s half-month expenses!

“Alas, we are but common folk. If one of us were a titled scholar, it would be a different matter,” Gu Yuezi sighed.

Li Ling was speechless. Clearly, he had acted too hastily. This was not 21st-century China; these offices were not truly public servants. But now that the money was spent, all he could do was hope for the best.

The two taels did have some effect. After more than half an hour waiting in the side room, someone came to escort them to the main hall to meet the Fourth Magistrate and present their case regarding the crime from the previous night…