Chapter 64 (Seeking Follow-up Reads) The Magistrate Attacked, Undercurrents Surging

The autumn sky was clear and crisp, making it the ideal season for diligent study.

Inspired by Chen Ping, the child prodigy, who served as their role model, the students of Huating Academy grew increasingly hardworking and studious.

Even Ye Chongwen, who had traditionally lacked persistence, refused to be outdone, and the length of time he could sit quietly at his desk grew longer by the day.

Seeing the academic atmosphere in the academy becoming more positive and progressive, Elder Ye, Li Yang, and the other instructors felt deeply gratified.

Meanwhile, Yongshun County had once again commenced the renovation of its roads.

This time, Magistrate Wang was entirely free from the distress of insufficient funds and grain.

Everyone universally agreed that Magistrate Wang was bound to receive a promotion within the current or coming year.

During such times, there was never a shortage of people eager to add flowers to the brocade.

Hearing the news, the merchants of the county sprang into action, all extending a helping hand.

Some donated massive sums of money and provisions, while others actively assisted in procuring materials.

Magistrate Wang was now in high spirits, and he directly overturned the original road construction plan.

He changed it to a full-scale operation, aiming to completely renovate all the roads in the county within a single year.

This ambitious new plan received the staunch support of all the merchants.

Elder Ye, who had just rested for half a month, barely had time to catch his breath before Magistrate Wang invited him to the county yamen once again.

He was appointed to take sole charge of the master account for donations and provisions related to the road repairs.

As for the sub-accounts of each individual road, they were entrusted to several scholars from the county school and the veteran bookkeepers of major commercial firms.

In the past, Magistrate Wang’s hands had been tied, not daring to employ them for fear that interested parties would meddle, but now he found them exceptionally convenient to use.

Under the current overwhelming trend, who would dare to swim against the current?

...

Time slipped into the twelfth lunar month.

Yongshun County, located in the southern region of the Dayu Dynasty, welcomed its first snowfall.

Amidst the freezing cold and icy weather, digging earth and quarrying stones became difficult tasks.

Magistrate Wang had no choice but to order a temporary halt to the road renovations, pay the laborers their wages, and dismiss them, intending to re-recruit them after the start of spring.

Over the next few days, accompanied by Zhao Jin and others, he inspected the various construction camps and checked the storage conditions of the materials.

As they stepped out of the last work shed, heavy goose-feather snowflakes began to drift across the sky.

Admiring the snowy scenery, Magistrate Wang remarked with a sigh of praise, "A timely snow promises a bountiful year; our Yongshun County is bound to enjoy a great harvest next year!"

"If I can witness the people living in peace and contentment before I leave Yongshun County, my heart will finally be at ease!"

A smile lingered between Magistrate Wang’s brows, and the nerves that had been tightly strung for months finally relaxed at this moment.

What none of them expected was that behind a snowdrift in the distance, several sinister pairs of eyes were staring right at them.

On the way back to the yamen, as the carriage reached the foot of a mountain, a sudden sound of falling stones echoed from ahead.

"Not good!"

"Protect the magistrate! Fall back, everyone!"

In an instant, boulders cascaded down like an avalanche, cutting the road in half and smashing several deep pits into the ground.

Had the procession been a fraction forward, these falling rocks might have landed right on their heads, or even crushed Magistrate Wang’s carriage.

At this thought, cold sweat broke out on the backs of the yamen runners.

How perilous!

When all movement ceased, the yamen runners prepared to step forward and clear away the rubble.

However, Chief Constable Zhao Jin frowned vigilantly and hastily called out to stop the runners.

Something was amiss.

Although snow was swirling, there was no melting water anywhere.

The cliff was not particularly steep; why would so many stones fall all at once?

His gaze grew sharp.

Someone was making a move against the magistrate!

Zhao Jin immediately drew his iron ruler, his hawk-like gaze sweeping across the surroundings.

Exchanging glances, the yamen runners quickly steadied themselves.

Thin mist wrapped around the mountain ridges, drifting snow flattened the withered grass, and the bitter cold sent shivers straight to the bone.

Magistrate Wang lifted the carriage curtain and, upon seeing the defensive posture of the yamen runners, felt a deep sense of puzzlement.

Could someone really be laying an ambush?

Yet that made no sense!

Yongshun County currently enjoyed harmony between the government and the people, with scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants all united in purpose; surely no one would wish to harm him.

Furthermore, with a promotion imminent, he would soon leave this place, severing any direct conflict of interest with local factions. Who would bother to make such an unnecessary move?

Even the resigned Vice Magistrate Huang had kept his head down during this period, terrified of stirring up further complications.

No matter how Magistrate Wang pondered it, he could not imagine who would be audacious enough to make a move at this critical juncture.

Hesitant, he was about to voice his question to Zhao Jin.

Suddenly, a dense, clustered sound of footsteps crunching on snow erupted from the forests on both sides ahead.

Magistrate Wang’s heart skipped a beat. "Bandits after all?!"

Unless they were all blind, the perpetrators could not possibly miss their official uniforms and iron rulers.

Yet those footsteps did not pause for even a second!

To proceed in full awareness—this was no ordinary highway robbery; it looked far more like...

Assassinating officials and starting a rebellion!

At this realization, Magistrate Wang felt a mixture of fury and shock.

Staring in the direction of the noise and listening intently for a moment, Zhao Jin said to Magistrate Wang, "Your Honor need not panic. The number of opponents is not large, and this commotion is nothing more than a bluff."

"According to our dynasty's laws, anyone who plots to assassinate an official is treated the same as a rebel. I suspect they lack the courage; they probably just want to scare us."

The yamen runners stood firm at various positions guarding the carriage, not moving an inch.

Sure enough, after a long while, the hillside that had been making noise grew quiet.

With a glance, Zhao Jin signaled one of the men to follow, and the two of them headed upward from left and right to reconnoiter.

Before long, the two returned empty-handed from the forest.

Approaching the carriage, Zhao Jin reported, "Your Honor, judging from the traces they left behind, there are about ten bandits, and their movements were extremely coordinated, leaving minimal tracks at the scene."

"With such discipline, they are definitely not ordinary outlaws!"

"If they had truly charged down to fight us, our chances of winning would be slim!"

Zhao Jin’s words caused everyone’s expression to change.

Magistrate Wang fell silent for a moment as well, a slight chill gripping his heart as he spoke in a hoarse voice, "Tell me, why on earth would they attempt to intimidate me like this?"

Before Zhao Jin could reply, he answered his own question: "If they were colleagues from officialdom, even amidst political struggles, they would never stoop to such despicable tactics."

Sorting through the cause and effect of the matter, his gaze swept sideways toward the now-deserted mountain forest.

"Lately, I have only been diligent in repairing the roads. Could it be that the roadwork has stepped on the toes of some major figure?"

"Yet Yongshun County is a barren and remote place; how could it possibly attract the attention of a major figure?"

Stepping down from the carriage, Magistrate Wang walked straight toward the foot of the mountain, crunching over the uneven gravel and braving the swirling snow.

"No matter who you are, I will never halt the road repairs!"

Standing with his hands clasped behind his back, a look of resolute determination stamped across his face, he called out toward the front.

"If I were to abandon the task simply because of a little intimidation from the likes of you, I might as well be dead!"

Magistrate Wang’s voice was not particularly loud, yet it echoed far and wide across the mountains.

If the bandits had not gone far, they surely would have heard it.

Hearing this, Zhao Jin straightened his expression, a surge of deep respect welling up within him as he declared with absolute conviction, "Zhao Jin is willing to work alongside Your Honor to complete the great undertaking of road repair."

"No matter who wishes to harm Your Honor, they will have to step over my dead body first!"

Infected by this passionate atmosphere, the yamen runners at the scene chimed in one after another, swearing to protect the magistrate to the death.

Seeing the high morale of the crowd, the corners of Magistrate Wang’s mouth curled into a faint smile.

Backed by the will of the people, all ghosts and monsters deserved nothing more than to grit their teeth in the shadows.

Back at the county yamen, Zhao Jin informed Elder Ye of what had transpired in the mountains.

Although it had ended without incident, Elder Ye was not nearly as optimistic as Magistrate Wang.

From the very beginning, he had sensed an invisible undercurrent slowly surging beneath the surface.

Though he did not know whose handiwork this was, a lifetime of experience gave Elder Ye a heavy premonition of danger.

He urged Magistrate Wang to strengthen his personal security detail.

This time, Magistrate Wang did not refuse.

Since the roadwork was not yet complete, he could not afford to gamble!

Seeing that Magistrate Wang had heeded his advice, Elder Ye finally let out a sigh of relief.

He then suggested, "Your Honor, since the road repairs have been suspended due to the harsh weather, no further moves should be made for now. We must simply endure under the premise of ensuring our own safety!"

"We shall endure until the court's commendation and transfer orders arrive, endure until we leave Yongshun County!"

"Once you reach a higher position, you can naturally investigate this matter at your leisure!"

Elder Ye had witnessed far more perils than Magistrate Wang, who had only been an official for a few years.

He knew all too well that under such bizarre circumstances, staying still was far wiser than making a move!