Chapter 71 - 71 The Magical Widow
71 The Magical Widow
But now that the magistrate’s wife was suffering from a strange illness and had not met with guests for a long time, it was equivalent to the magistrate losing a powerful support. What was worse was that there were still people spreading rumors about the magistrate’s wife, saying that she was suffering from a serious illness that was difficult to recover from and that she did not have much time left. It also affected the magistrate’s reputation to a certain extent.
Therefore, the county magistrate was also very troubled by this matter. He had been actively seeking medical treatment from various sources, but he was unlucky and had not been able to find anyone who could really treat this strange illness.
Now that a miraculous widow had appeared and could destroy the reputation of a highly-skilled expert like Divine Doctor Qin, who was unrivaled within a hundred miles, they naturally had to see if she was really as capable as the rumors said.
The county magistrate also had this idea at this time. When Chen An mentioned it, he went with the flow and agreed.
“Alright, then let this old master try to see if she’s an expert with some real ability or a liar who’s fishing for fame. If she really has the ability, this Lord will naturally treat her as a guest of honor, but if she’s just fishing for fame, then don’t blame this Lord for abhorring evil and tolerating her.”
After he finished speaking, he asked Chen An to get a few constables from the government office.
There were a total of four shops in the county government office, and each person was assigned four bailiffs as assistants. It was just like a medium-sized sesame temple.
These four constables knew that they were no match for the county magistrate’s trusted aide, Chen An. However, the position of the second most trusted aide was also very coveted. The position of the First Constable represented the degree of trust in the county magistrate’s heart. This was the position that the four of them were fighting for and trying to keep.
The current First Constable’s surname was Liao, and he used to be a bailiff under the previous First Constable. Later on, the previous Constable was ambushed during the process of hunting down a criminal, and he died on the spot. Later on, this Constable Liao succeeded in his position.
He was able to succeed in this position because he was indeed outstanding. He really did not only rely on the light of the former First Constable.
The four constables were called to the side hall to drink tea. The four of them had official duties to attend to, but the county magistrate suddenly told them to put down their duties and return first. This made them a little confused. They didn’t know what had happened, but they were secretly speculating in their hearts.
After about half a cup of tea’s time, the county magistrate came back with Chen An.
“Sorry for the long wait, constables.”
When the county magistrate wasn’t doing official business, he would usually show some respect to the wise and do things regardless of status. However, this so-called respect and closeness seemed somewhat fake because it was very deliberate.
“Master, it’s not hard on us. It’s our blessing to work for the Imperial court and master. There’s no such thing as hard work.”
The one who spoke was a Constable surnamed Wang. He had been actively trying to show off in front of the county magistrate. It was clear that he wanted to get the position of Constable Liao without any intention of hiding it.
“Master, do you have any instructions for us?”
Constable Liao did not care about Constable Wang’s behavior. He went straight to the point. This clearly showed the difference between him and Constable Wang, as well as the reason why he was the First Constable.
“Yes, this official has a very important matter that I would like to ask you all to help with. Moreover, this matter can only succeed, not fail.”
The county magistrate had said the last sentence because he had heard from Chen An that the widow seemed to have a very strong personality. The people from the Qin Village had come to ask for medical treatment and give gifts, but they had all been rejected by her. It seemed that she was extremely unwilling to let others know that she could cure.
“Old master, if you have anything, just tell us. We brothers will go even if we have to go through mountains of daggers and seas of flames!”
Constable Wang expressed his opinion in a hurry and glared at Constable Liao in a threatening manner.
“There is no need to go through mountains of daggers and seas of flames. I just want you to invite a person here, and that person is said to have a bad temper, so it is not easy to invite her.”
The county magistrate turned to Constable Liao and said, “No matter what method you use, you must invite this person over.”
Since the county magistrate had given the order, the four constables had to set off immediately. However, they were there to invite people and not to capture them, so they naturally could not bring their bailiffs with them.
Although the four constables’ speed was fast, it would still take them some time. If they were to walk from here to Qin Village, it would take a long time to bring Mo Ruyue back to the county town. By then, the city gates would have already been closed. Even if the bailiffs were to follow the county magistrate’s order to invite people, they could not simply break the gates and enter the city.
Therefore, the magistrate specially allocated two horses and a carriage. He also called Constable Liao aside and gave him two silver notes.
“We must invite that widow. It’s best not to threaten her. Otherwise, she might use some tricks during the treatment process. Money talks. I don’t believe that this is not enough to invite a wild woman like her.”
“Don’t worry, master. I’ll definitely get this done for you. ”
This was the first time Constable Liao had made a promise to the county magistrate. This was also the reason why the county magistrate had allowed him to take over the position of the former First Constable.
He didn’t fight for anything with the outside world and didn’t leave behind anything that should be done.
Normally, there was no need for four constables to go together to invite a woman over. However, in order to show his sincerity, the county magistrate still sent all four of them.
After the four of them set off, the other three constables were chatting enthusiastically, except for Constable Liao, who was looking straight ahead without saying a word. He seemed to be a little unsociable.
“Liao, it’s rare for us brothers to come out together, so don’t look so serious. We’re not working on a case, so why do you have to be so serious?”
Constable Wang spoke again. His words were laced with a spear and a stick, and he seemed very impolite.
“Even if it’s not a case, it’s something the old master arranged. Naturally, we have to treat it seriously.”
Constable Liao was obviously a man of principle. He did not seem to mind Constable Wang’s offensive tone, but his words were a little somber.
“Hmph, being serious doesn’t mean that you have to put on a straight face and act like a door God. We’re going to invite a widow. If a delicate and weak woman sees you like this, won’t she be scared to death? At that time, let’s not talk about inviting master and madam to see the widow personally. It’ll be good if we get this job done ourselves!”
Constable Wang said in a strange tone.
He just couldn’t accept it. How did this bailiff, who used to follow the previous Constable, suddenly become the new top Constable? Whereas he, who was a veteran, could only watch him step on top of his head. Based on their experience and ability to handle cases, he was clearly far better than him. The magistrate was biased and unfair!
He had been suppressing the anger in his heart, so he had been going against Constable Liao in every way, trying to force him to attack him. This was an excuse for him to vent his anger, but he didn’t expect that this man surnamed Liao would not take the blow.
Constable Liao looked at Constable Wang in the eye, which was a rare sight. A trace of disdain flashed across his eyes, but no one noticed his emotional fluctuation.