Chapter 45: Surrendering the Seal and Resigning from Office

A sensational piece of news swept through the entire Yongshun County town in the span of just a single day.

"Assistant Magistrate Huang has resigned!"

Everyone who heard this news felt a tingling sensation across their scalps, finding it utterly difficult to believe.

Even the most cautious individuals deliberately kept their distance from those spreading the rumors, wishing to avoid any entanglement should the local government issue a formal denial.

If this were merely a rumor, it certainly carried enough weight to warrant such caution.

Looking back, the Huang family had spent generations building the connections and influence required to secure this assistant magistrate position for him.

Over the years, Assistant Magistrate Huang had not disappointed his clan; single-handedly, he ensured that all the family's business ventures sailed smoothly.

The initial investment had been recouped tenfold long ago.

Among the younger generation of the Huang family, Third Master Huang was unquestionably a pillar of talent.

When he passed the imperial examinations amidst the hopes and efforts of his entire clan, it became a celebrated local legend.

Common country folk might not possess lofty literary sentiments, but stories of arduous toil culminating in success always resonated widely, serving as exemplary tales for educating the younger generation.

At the beginning of his tenure, this earned Assistant Magistrate Huang considerable popular support.

One could say that the position of assistant magistrate was the very lifeline of the Huang family.

Without it, the family would instantly tumble from its standing as a top-tier gentry clan in Yongshun County.

Under such circumstances, even if Assistant Magistrate Huang truly harbored a desire to retire and return home, the clan would never have permitted it.

Therefore, why on earth was he suddenly stepping down without any warning?

Countless people rushed to the Huang family's ancestral residence under the guise of paying a visit, eager to probe Assistant Magistrate Huang's true intentions.

Those astute enough to visit the Huang estate were exceptionally shrewd; they naturally sensed that a hidden force was at play behind Assistant Magistrate Huang's downfall—a pressure so formidable that even he could not resist it. Consequently, they needed to grasp the shifting power dynamics in Yongshun County as quickly as possible.

Guests flooded the Huang residence day after day. To these inquiring acquaintances and relatives, the Huang family offered only a single narrative:

"Base merchants wandering freely in and out of the county office have stripped the magistracy of all its dignity."

"A dignified imperial official willingly associating with peddlers and lackeys is nothing short of self-debasement."

"We scholars refuse to serve as colleagues to such a person; we would rather resign our posts and spare ourselves the sight."

This explanation sounded plausible, aligning neatly with the aloof sensibilities of certain literati. Yet, those who truly understood Assistant Magistrate Huang paid no heed to such flimsy rhetoric.

Instead, bizarre and deeply sinister conspiracy theories began circulating through the taverns, teahouses, and ordinary alleys of the county town.

Some claimed that Magistrate Wang had used the road construction donations to completely crush Assistant Magistrate Huang, leaving him utterly stripped of prestige in the yamen and devoid of any hope of holding his head high in an officialdom built on face and connections, thereby driving him to resign.

Others whispered that Magistrate Wang's confidant, Chief Constable Zhao, had held a steel saber to Assistant Magistrate Huang's throat in the dead of night, forcing him to resign under threat of exterminating his entire household.

Such rumors swiftly spread across Yongshun County, becoming the favorite topic of idle chatter among townsfolk over their meals.

The atmosphere throughout the entire county town grew somewhat eerie.

Just as the level-headed folks were still defending the peace, voluntarily helping to calm the rumors by whispering that Assistant Magistrate Huang was merely venting verbally, he went ahead and hung his official seal directly from the roof beam of his office in the yamen!

His official robes, along with all his tally badges and documents, were scattered messily across the room, discarded by Assistant Magistrate Huang like worn-out shoes.

Then, entirely alone, dressed in plain civilian attire and holding his head high, he walked out of the county office where he had lorded over others for years.

Not a single soul came to bid him farewell—it was a departure both desolate and haughty.

*An elder of power for years, he quarrels not with vulgar things; having settled his family affairs, he sleeves the clear breeze and sings.*

This was how the pedantic, uninformed scholars later appraised him.

When Magistrate Wang repeatedly verified the news, his mind went blank for a moment.

Hanging up one's seal and resigning was the style of ancient scholars of renown, entirely genuine and leaving no room for retraction.

He stared with absolute astonishment at Elder Ye, who wore an identical expression, an indescribable shock gripping his heart.

Both men understood Assistant Magistrate Huang and believed they had long since seen through his petty schemes.

They knew he possessed deep ambitions and was prone to petty machinations, such as obstructing the road construction plan, against which they had taken various precautions.

Yet for him to suddenly hang up his seal and resign without warning or preparatory fallback was tantamount to tossing away his life.

To dare risk everything with such desperate abandon defied all belief!

Magistrate Wang's facial muscles twitched as he failed utterly to comprehend how matters had reached such a pass.

If you disagreed with the road construction donations, you could have voiced your protest!

Given Assistant Magistrate Huang's status, any objection he raised would naturally have been taken seriously.

Even if his protests proved fruitless, he could have appealed to the prefectural yamen to uphold justice.

Why had he skipped all these steps and taken such an extreme, unannounced path, driving both sides straight into a dead end?

Elder Ye's brows were tightly furrowed as well, while Chen Ping nearly scratched his scalp raw.

With this development, the issue transcended a mere personal feud between the magistrate and the assistant magistrate.

It would severely impact all official business, including the road construction project.

Although Magistrate Wang had managed over the past few days to raise nearly half the funds and provisions for the road construction from local merchants—funds that would ensure the completion of the road from the county town to Qingsong Township on schedule, and even kickstart the trunk roads connecting the entire county so that Yongshun would finally become accessible and shed its isolation—the premise for all these rosy prospects was basic stability within the yamen and the orderly execution of their duties.

After all, whether it was paving roads or collecting taxes, the entire staff of the county office needed to pull together in basic unity.

If the yamen itself descended into civil war, nothing could possibly be accomplished.

Furthermore, the assistant magistrate was a pivotal official; training a replacement in a short time was difficult, let alone expecting a new appointee to seamlessly take over all affairs without friction.

Realizing the vicious cunning of Assistant Magistrate Huang's move, Magistrate Wang immediately forced himself to calm down.

He understood full well that if this matter were botched, he would betray the expectations of the common people, break his promises to the merchants, and let the months of painstaking labor by numerous officials and laborers go up in smoke.

Not only would the roads remain unbuilt, but his own official career would likely come to an end.

With breath coming heavy like an ox and eyes burning red, Magistrate Wang ordered Zhao Jin:

"Find out immediately what Third Huang is up to and who is pulling strings behind the scenes!"

"I refuse to believe he has the stomach for such ruthlessness; this simply doesn't look like something he could pull off!"

Yet, looking across the entirety of Yongshun County, how many people possessed the standing to incite or coerce Assistant Magistrate Huang into making such a sacrifice?

Elder Ye and Chen Ping exchanged a quiet glance, both reading profound doubt in the other's eyes.

When anomalies occur, demons are surely at play; this was no longer merely anomalous—it was verging on the unnatural.

The actions of both Assistant Magistrate Huang and Sixth Master Huang far exceeded their expectations.

Generally speaking, the greater the anomaly, the greater the peril!

A gentleman does not stand under a tottering wall.

In times of urgency, one must act with expediency—should they perhaps temporarily slow down the road construction donations?

Just as the old man and the young man locked gazes in silent communication, Magistrate Wang seemed to sense the unusual atmosphere and barked:

"The road construction donations cannot be slowed down by even a fraction!"

"We might have let it go if we hadn't embarked on this path to begin with, but after months of intensive planning, halting now would waste money and exhaust the people, inevitably inviting public mockery and resentment."

"If that happens, the yamen will lose all authority, and disaster will follow!"

Magistrate Wang had invested years of energy and time into the road construction project.

Now that he had finally found a clear path forward, let alone Assistant Magistrate Huang blocking his way, even if a mountain of blades and a sea of fire lay ahead, Magistrate Wang could not retreat; he had to charge through.

Hearing Magistrate Wang's declaration, Elder Ye grew even more apprehensive.

Repairing the roads was indeed a virtuous deed, one that would permanently and thoroughly alleviate Yongshun County's plight.

Yet, at the very least, they needed to figure out what game Assistant Magistrate Huang was playing in order to guard against unknown risks.

However, he could not state this bluntly, given that Magistrate Wang was currently too enraged to maintain his usual composure and rationality.

Chen Ping quietly followed in Zhao Jin's footsteps, stepping outside the yamen.

Although Zhao Jin served as the chief constable, in charge of arresting bandits and criminals in Yongshun County, he had zero experience dealing with a situation of this magnitude.

This was not due to any deficiency in Zhao Jin's abilities, but rather because the current crisis had far transcended the ordinary.