nucmednet Chapter 199 Promotion to County Lieutenant
Chapter 199 Promotion to County Lieutenant
The New Year's atmosphere had not yet completely dissipated, and the Xinyang County government office began its orderly operation in a peaceful atmosphere. Shi Wanxia stood quietly in the main hall, surrounded by her colleagues, all listening to Magistrate Cui's instructions and waiting for the next official arrangements.
Cui Zhihao stood in the hall, his gaze sweeping over the crowd below, a rare look of joy on his face. The Lunar New Year is supposed to be a time for family reunions and celebrations, but Shi Wanxia showed no sign of slacking off.
She stepped forward to help people in need, even during the Lunar New Year, she never forgot to solve their problems and handle cases. What impressed Choi Ji-ho even more was that she also rented two houses to provide shelter for the homeless and arranged jobs for them to make a living.
For a time, the people praised Shi Wanxia's achievements, and her kindness and ability were widely circulated in the streets and alleys of Xinyang County.
"I heard that after the murder occurred on the first day of the Lunar New Year, Miss Shi, you led them to quickly launch an investigation, meticulously unraveling the case and solving it in no time. This truly makes me very gratified." Cui Zhihao looked at Shi Wanxia, his eyes full of praise.
"Based on Miss Shi's outstanding achievements during this period, I have decided to appoint Miss Shi as the County Commandant of Xinyang County, effective immediately."
As soon as Cui Zhihao finished speaking, the hall erupted in an uproar. In this male-dominated world of officialdom, it was rare for women to hold official positions, let alone such an important one as county magistrate.
“Miss Shi is a woman and does not know martial arts, which makes me somewhat hesitant. However, I know that you are familiar with our Cangling laws. For your safety while performing your duties, I hereby grant you permission to select two constables, either male or female, to serve as your guards.”
This decision caused quite a stir, with much discussion taking place in the hall. However, the majority of the conversation was filled with congratulations.
"Congratulations, Miss Shi, on your promotion to the position of County Lieutenant. We will do our utmost to assist you in your official duties."
The county yamen runners all chimed in with their opinions. In fact, at first, these runners were quite critical of a woman holding office. In their minds, officialdom was a man's domain, and women were not supposed to dabble in it.
However, Shi Wanxia gradually shattered their prejudices with her abilities. Whether it was handling complex cases, auditing accounts, or dealing with troublesome tax matters, she handled everything with meticulous clarity and efficiency. Her wisdom and decisiveness were on full display in every official matter, forcing the yamen runners to look at her with new respect.
What made everyone admire her even more was what she had done a couple of days ago. Shi Wanxia's free school originally only admitted boys from impoverished families, but since two days ago, the school has started admitting students aged 7 and above, regardless of gender.
This move caused a huge stir in Xinyang County, and earned her even greater respect from the county officials. In an era deeply rooted in feudal traditions, Shi Wanxia's actions were undoubtedly a bold innovation and a pursuit of the ideal of equal education.
Shi Wanxia bowed respectfully, her clear voice echoing in the hall: "Thank you for your promotion, sir. I will certainly live up to your expectations!" She lowered her head slightly, a hint of undisguised joy flashing in her eyes.
She was deeply grateful for the new position of county constable, but she already had suitable candidates in mind for the two yamen runners promised by the county magistrate.
After being appointed as the county magistrate, Shi Wanxia soon faced her first challenge. A bizarre theft occurred at the Li family, a well-known wealthy merchant family in Xinyang County, on the night of the Lantern Festival.
The Li family reported to the police that a collection of antiques they had treasured for many years had disappeared during the Lantern Festival. These antiques were priceless and represented the hard work of generations of the Li family. Moreover, the Li family had been on high alert, and there was no sign of outsiders entering that night.
After receiving the report, Shi Wanxia immediately led two constables she had chosen, a man and a woman. The man was named Feng Qi, who was strong and skilled in martial arts; the woman was named Shi Qing, who was thoughtful, observant, and also knew some kung fu. The three of them quickly arrived at the Li family's residence.
The Li family mansion was in complete chaos, and Old Master Li was frantic, like a cat on a hot tin roof. Shi Wanxia first calmed Old Master Li down, and then began to carefully examine the scene.
She discovered that the doors and windows of the room where the antiques were stored showed no signs of forced entry, and there were no signs of a struggle inside. This made Shi Wanxia fall into deep thought; she knew that this was definitely not an ordinary theft.
"Master Li, has anything unusual happened or been seen at your residence recently?" Shi Wanxia asked.
Mr. Li frowned as he recalled, "There was no one unusual. It's just that during the Lantern Festival, a few acrobatic troupes came to our house to entertain us, but they only performed in the front yard and didn't come to the back yard."
Shi Wanxia's heart skipped a beat. A variety show troupe? Could this be related to the theft case? She decided to start with this clue.
She led Zhao Qi and Lin Wan to the front yard and found the troupe leader. The troupe members all seemed very nervous, after all, they had been at the Li family's house at the time of the incident. The troupe leader was a man in his forties, his eyes darting around, and he spoke somewhat hesitantly.
"During your performance, did anyone leave?" Shi Wanxia asked sharply, looking at the troupe leader.
"No...no, we've been performing the whole time," the troupe leader replied.
Shi Wanxia didn't speak, but simply looked at the troupe leader quietly, her eyes seemingly able to see through all lies. After a while, cold sweat appeared on the troupe leader's forehead.
"Sir, I... to tell you the truth, one of the boys said he had a stomachache and left for a while, but he came back soon." The troupe leader finally couldn't help but confess.
"What's his name? Where is he now?" Shi Wanxia pressed.
"His name is Xiao Shunzi. He was a new recruit in our troupe, but now... now we don't know where he is," the troupe leader said in a panic.
Shi Wanxia realized that Xiao Shunzi was a prime suspect, and she immediately ordered Zhao Qi and Lin Wan to search for Xiao Shunzi's whereabouts in the city. At the same time, she continued her investigation at the Li family mansion, hoping to find more clues.
While carefully examining the room where the antiques were stored, Shi Wanxia discovered a colorful feather in a corner. The feather was so vibrantly colored that it didn't seem to belong to the Li family. She wondered if it might have been left behind by Xiao Shunzi.
After a day and a night of searching, Zhao Qi and Lin Wan finally found Xiao Shunzi in a dilapidated temple on the outskirts of the city. Xiao Shunzi panicked when he saw the yamen runners and tried to run away, but Zhao Qi easily subdued him.
In the county government hall, Xiao Shunzi initially denied everything, refusing to admit to the theft. Shi Wanxia took out the colorful feather and looked coldly at Xiao Shunzi.
"This feather was found in the room where the Li family lost their antiques. What's your explanation for that?"
Upon seeing the feather, Xiao Shunzi's face turned deathly pale. Knowing he could no longer hide the truth, he finally confessed everything. It turned out he had been bribed by a mysterious person to use a troupe of acrobats to infiltrate the Li family's home and steal the antiques amidst the chaos.
The mysterious man gave him a large sum of money and arranged an escape route.
"Who is that mysterious person?" Shi Wanxia asked.
“I…I don’t know. I’ve only seen him once. He had his face covered and his voice was strange,” Xiao Shunzi said, trembling.
Shi Wanxia knew that there was an even bigger conspiracy behind this. She decided to continue investigating along this clue, determined to bring the mastermind to justice, restore justice to the Li family, and eliminate the hidden danger to the peace of Xinyang County.