What? He treated me this badly, and I still have to thank him?

County Clerk's residence, courtyard.

Sunlight filtered through the sparse branches, but it did nothing to dispel the subtle gloom hanging over the courtyard.

"Headman Chen, you—you look terrible. What happened to you?"

Steward Li sat on a stone stool. Seeing Headman Chen before him, his face pale as paper, clad only in a thin undershirt with a robe haphazardly thrown over it, and still trembling slightly, he raised his voice in feigned surprise.

Though he was about to be transferred, he still had fairly reliable sources of information.

All the major events that took place would reach his ears.

"Steward Li, you have to get justice for me." Headman Chen's voice was hoarse and edged with a sob, as if he had suffered some enormous injustice.

Steward Li said, "Don't panic. Whatever happened, tell me slowly. There's no need to rush. Start by telling me exactly what happened."

He led Headman Chen over to the stone table and had him sit. Then he picked up the teapot and poured him a cup of tea. Headman Chen took it and gulped it down, but seemed to touch a sore spot. Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, and his face twisted in pain.

Steward Li saw every bit of it.

Good heavens.

He'd really been bullied this badly. He'd never seen Headman Chen in such a sorry state.

"My lord, it's not that I, Chen Xingzhi, enjoy filing complaints. But one of Song Qing's subordinates is simply too arrogant. He defied his superiors, showed no regard for rank, acted like a tyrant, and did whatever he pleased. I beg you to strip him of his post and punish him!"

Headman Chen hated Lin Fan to the bone. Even as he recounted Lin Fan's crimes, he could barely contain his fury.

Steward Li frowned and fell into thought, apparently weighing the matter. Headman Chen piled on the pressure. He sprang up, took off the robe draped over his shoulders, and abruptly turned around, baring his entire back to Steward Li.

"My lord! Look! See for yourself! That Lin fellow did this! He's a lowly Rookie Officer, yet he dared to lay such a vicious beating on me, a headman! He's arrogant and overbearing. If he isn't punished severely, how are we supposed to lead the Security Bureau from now on? What about the rules? What about rank?"

Hiss—

When he saw the crisscrossing lash marks across Headman Chen's back—skin split open, swollen and purple-black—Steward Li couldn't help drawing a sharp breath, despite having braced himself.

That brutal?

Was he slaughtering a pig?

Even when he played around with his concubines, he'd never been that rough.

When Headman Chen woke to find a doctor applying medicine to his wounds, he immediately stopped him, struggled to his feet, and headed straight for the county clerk's residence, gritting his teeth through the pain. He wanted the county clerk to see his injuries.

He had to make the county clerk understand that the Security Bureau had a madman on its hands.

Steward Li stood and, concerned, draped the robe back over Headman Chen's shoulders. "Headman Chen, calm down. Don't get worked up. You should rest and recover. You could have come once you were healed."

As he spoke, Lin Fan's face surfaced in his mind: the domineering swing of that club, and the confident way he'd said he would secure one last enormous achievement for Steward Li before leaving.

At first, Steward Li had scoffed and dismissed it. Anyone could brag. But after seeing that swing, he believed him.

Could a human being really do that?

Headman Chen sat back down. Though he was furious, he couldn't help glancing at the open doors of the reception hall in the distance. Normally, when he came by, the county clerk would have led him inside. Why were they talking out in the courtyard?

As he was lost in thought,

Steward Li slowly said, "First, tell me why he beat you."

Remembering those humiliating events, Headman Chen didn't want to say much. Still, he told him how he'd been knocked unconscious with one punch in the street, then gone to the Security Bureau the next day to find the man, drawn his saber...

"You're saying you drew your saber and threatened to cut him down?"

Steward Li seized on the crucial point, interrupting Headman Chen's rambling and striking straight at the heart of the matter.

"Yes. At the time, I was blinded by anger, but..."

Steward Li raised a hand to stop him and shook his head. "You fool. You drew your saber and threatened to kill him. How could he not fight back? Leaving the facts aside, have you even considered how wrong your actions were?"

"You drew your saber in the Security Bureau and threatened to kill a colleague. If you'd done that somewhere else, they'd have stripped you of your uniform. Besides, you know how good he is in a fight. The fact he didn't take your saber and cut you down was only because he considered you a colleague. Otherwise, you wouldn't be sitting here. You ought to thank him."

"Ah! I'm supposed to thank him?"

Headman Chen was stunned. He hadn't expected the county clerk to say that.

Suddenly, he had a bad feeling.

Had the county clerk taken a bribe?

Was he speaking up for that Lin fellow?

"My lord, I was in the wrong, but let's not talk about that. Let's talk about what's happened lately. He captured He Sen, made a scene at Loyalty Hall, and arrested people left and right, leaving everyone in a panic. That's destabilizing the city," Headman Chen said.

Steward Li waved a hand. "No, I don't see it that way. He Sen and Loyalty Hall alike are tumors in Yong'an. But they've been entrenched for years, with roots too deep to uproot. The people have long complained about them. Now that the Security Bureau has a capable man taking action, he's restored our reputation."

As he spoke, he stood with his hands clasped behind his back, the picture of a man concerned for his country and its people.

"Remember, our Security Bureau belongs to the imperial court, and it belongs to the people. We have to stand with the people. If the people applaud what we do, then we're doing the right thing. If they complain, then we haven't done enough."

"Over the years, thanks to my painstaking efforts, Yong'an has become much more stable. But there's still a long way to go."

That righteous speech, delivered from the moral high ground, left Headman Chen completely dumbfounded. His mouth hung open, and he couldn't speak for a long while.

Headman Chen was so anxious and angry that he couldn't hold back any longer. His voice broke into a sob. "My lord, so you're really going to do nothing and let him humiliate me? My lord, I've served under you for years. Even if I haven't earned merit, I've worked hard. You can't just abandon me!"

"Ah." Steward Li sighed. "Xingzhi, you're both dear to me. You, Song Qing, and that Lin Fan are all the same. Taking sides with any of you would look bad and harm unity."

He walked over to Headman Chen and patted him on the shoulder. "I think we should let this matter go. You're colleagues. It's normal to have disagreements and grievances. Just have a drink together in private, talk things through, and settle the issue."

"You're a headman. You have to put the bigger picture first."

The moment he said that,

Headman Chen exploded.

It completely ignited the anger and resentment he'd been suppressing for so long.

Blood rushed to his head, and words he hadn't thought through burst from his mouth.

"My lord, just how much silver did he give you?"

As soon as he said it, he regretted it. His face turned deathly pale.

Smack—

Steward Li flew into a rage and slammed his palm on the table. "Chen Xingzhi, how dare you spout such nonsense! Everyone knows that I, Li, am clean and upright. You're trying to smear me. What exactly are you up to?"

Headman Chen was so frightened that he hurriedly stood. "My lord, that's not what I meant. I acted rashly. I deserve to die."

Steward Li's expression turned icy, his gaze piercing into the depths of Headman Chen's heart like a blade. "You've disappointed me deeply. I was thinking that, after all these years of hard work, I'd put in a good word for you once I'd been transferred and recommend you for the county clerk's post. But now you're a headman, yet you're picking a fight with a mere Rookie Officer. If I promoted you to county clerk, would you still have any regard for me?"

Thump!

Headman Chen dropped to his knees and kowtowed like a pestle pounding grain.

"My lord, please calm down! I know I was wrong! I'll never do it again! Please give me another chance!"

He raised his hand and slapped himself hard.

He wanted to climb the ladder more than anything.

After all these years, he was still only a headman, with the county clerk looming over him like a great mountain. As long as the mountain remained, he had no chance to rise. He'd considered using connections to become a clerk.

But he wasn't willing to settle.

A clerk was a civil post. How could it compare to the position of county clerk?

The county yamen and the Security Bureau were separate, independent offices.

The county yamen handled construction, taxes, household registration, education, and everything else across the city.

The Security Bureau was responsible for maintaining public order throughout the city.

He'd built up an extensive network of connections in the Security Bureau. But if he took a civil post, or was transferred to the county yamen as a civil official, the people who'd once shown him some respect might no longer acknowledge him.

"That's enough. Go back and stay put. Tend to your wounds. I don't want to hear anything more about this matter." Steward Li waved him away with distaste, as if shooing a fly.

"Yes, yes."

Headman Chen felt as if a great burden had been lifted. He scrambled to his feet and hurried away in disgrace, not even caring about the sharp pain in his back.

After Headman Chen had disappeared from sight, Steward Li tapped his fingers on the table and turned to look at the reception hall. He could see the craftsmen coming and going, while the lingering power of that club still haunted him, refusing to fade.

But more than that, he'd have to pay for the repairs himself.

A moment later,

Steward Li rose, intending to see how the repairs were coming along.

A hurried voice called out.

"Steward Li..."

Damn!

Who the hell is it this time?