Although the prison assistant wanted to curry favor with Wang Yang so that he would not hate him along with Liu Yin, he also feared Liu Yin would hold him accountable for making such a grand fuss. He deliberately hesitated. "I would gladly be of service to you, Young Master, but if the chief clerk blames me afterward, my rank is low and my authority slight. This..." As he spoke, he looked to Zong Rui for help.
"It's fine," Zong Rui said. "Just say I ordered it."
"I'll see to it at once!" the prison assistant said delightedly.
Seeing that none of his colleagues intervened and that the prison assistant was bent on flattery, the young legal clerk looked indignant. I've offended Wang Yang already. It's too late to curry favor now. Better to stand firm and show the chief clerk who his most loyal subordinate is! He wanted to say, "Outside food may not be brought in without the presiding official's permission," but when the words reached his lips, he simply did not dare utter them.
Zong Rui walked over to Wang Yang, his brow tightly furrowed with worry. "Once the commandery troops arrive, the situation..."
Wang Yang smiled. "It's fine. I have a surprise force."
"What surprise force?" Zong Rui asked at once.
Knowing Zong Rui would not rest easy unless he explained, Wang Yang whispered into his ear.
At this sight, the young legal clerk could no longer contain himself. "How can you whisper privately in the courtroom?" he said stiffly.
Everyone looked at the young legal clerk with complicated expressions.
Wang Yang and Zong Rui also stopped to glance at him, then... continued whispering.
Humiliated and furious, the young legal clerk's face alternated between red and white. He strode over to the administrative clerk responsible for