Wei Zijian, like a reckless hothead, charged forward, and Wei Shulan, sighing, had no choice but to chase after him.
Zhao Zhitong and the other two also hurried into a jog, following them.
Wei Zijian was exactly the type of spoiled brat who had never learned any of life's hard lessons. He ran straight to the main entrance of the County Government Office. By the time Zhao Zhitong and the others caught up, they saw Wei Zijian being held up by the collar by a bodyguard at the entrance.
"Where did this little brat come from! Do you know what this place is? Daring to barge in like this, don't you value your life?!"
The bodyguard was burly with a large beard and looked utterly terrifying. His voice boomed as if it could shake the heavens, and the long saber at his waist alone was enough to make anyone tremble with fear.
Wei Zijian's face turned white with fright. After the bodyguard tossed him down the steps, he sat on the ground, stunned for a long moment. His mouth opened as if he wanted to cry, but it was as if he'd lost his voice.
Only when Wei Shulan ran over and helped him up did he snap back to his senses. He threw his head back and burst into loud wails, WAHHHH!
The two bodyguards at the entrance of the County Government Office, hands resting on their sabers, stood on either side of the doorway. Hearing Wei Zijian's cries, they both looked over in their direction.
Wei Shulan whispered, "Cousin, stop crying, please stop crying! The bodyguards are all looking at us."
Saying this, she glanced nervously at the two bodyguards. She was terrified that they would get annoyed by the noise, come down, and arrest them all.
But Wei Zijian wouldn't listen. Not only did he not stop, but he also cried even louder.
At this point, Zhao Zhitong walked over and said sternly, "Stop crying!"
Startled by Zhao Zhitong, Wei Zijian's crying stopped abruptly. He opened his eyes, saw it was Zhao Zhitong, and started to wail again.
Zhao Zhitong continued fiercely, "Still crying?!"
Wei Zijian stopped again, looking at Zhao Zhitong with tear-filled eyes. She glared back at him, eyes wide with warning. If he dared to make another sound, she would scold him again.
Wei Zijian successfully pursed his lips, not daring to cry anymore.
Nearby, Qiao Muchen and Zhao Yue stared with wide-open mouths, their faces etched with surprise. This was the first time they had ever seen such a fierce Zhao Zhitong.
Then Zhao Zhitong, adopting a fierce tone that was more cute than intimidating, said, "From now on, you follow Lanlan obediently. No talking out of turn, and no running off. Understood?"
Wei Zijian looked at Zhao Zhitong through blurry, tear-filled eyes. Under her fierce gaze, he obediently nodded. "Understood."
Now it was Wei Shulan's turn to be shocked. This cousin of hers, whom even his own father couldn't control, who never learned his lesson no matter how many times he was scolded or punished, had actually listened to Zhao Zhitong so obediently.
Instantly, her admiration for Zhao Zhitong rose to a new level. Her Tongtong is so amazing, so cool!
Seeing that the troublemaker had ceased his antics, Zhao Zhitong finally turned and, together with Qiao Muchen, ran towards the bodyguards at the entrance.
Zhao Zhitong wasted no words. She directly took out the waist token Prince Liang had given them and showed it to the bodyguards. Then, she said in a manner neither servile nor overbearing, "Mister Bodyguards, we have something very important to discuss with the County Magistrate. Could you please inform him for us?"
When the two bodyguards saw Prince Liang's waist token in the little girl's hand, they were both stunned. These little children actually have Prince Liang's waist token!
The two exchanged a look. Then one of them turned back to Zhao Zhitong and the others, saying, "Alright, please wait."
With that, he immediately ran inside to pass on the message.
Zhao Zhitong and Qiao Muchen stood quietly at the entrance, waiting. This was Zhao Zhitong's second visit to the County Government Office, so she was relatively calm.
However, it was the first time for Qiao Muchen and the others.
The towering gates and the majestic, imposing stone lions at the entrance filled them with both curiosity and awe.
After a short while, the bodyguard returned and said to Zhao Zhitong and the others, "Hey, you lot, come with me."
Zhao Zhitong glanced back at Wei Shulan and the other two, who quickly followed. The group followed the bodyguard into the County Government Office.
The bodyguard led them into a side hall, told them to wait there, and then departed.
As soon as the bodyguard left, the children relaxed considerably. They began to look around the side hall. Zhao Zhitong and Qiao Muchen sat down on chairs to one side, quietly waiting for the County Magistrate.
Zhao Yue looked around for a bit, then also sat down in a chair beside Zhao Zhitong. Wei Shulan kept her eyes on Wei Zijian the entire time.
Before long, a young maidservant brought them tea, then stood to one side, waiting, without saying a word.
They waited for a long time, but the County Magistrate still didn't appear.
Zhao Zhitong and Qiao Muchen exchanged a look. Qiao Muchen mouthed, "What do we do? He still hasn't come."
Zhao Zhitong also mouthed back quietly, "Why don't we go ask?"
Qiao Muchen nodded in agreement, stood up, and approached the young maidservant by the door. He asked, "Um, when will the County Magistrate be here?"
The young maidservant glanced at Qiao Muchen and said lightly, "The Master is busy. Please wait a moment."
Oh. Qiao Muchen hadn't managed to get any information. Just then, Zhao Zhitong walked over. She first shot Qiao Muchen a disdainful look, then turned to the young maidservant with a sweet smile. "Pretty big sister, you're so beautiful!"
Zhao Zhitong's eyes were crystal clear, and as she looked at the young maidservant, they radiated utter sincerity. "You're the prettiest big sister I've ever, ever seen!"
The young maidservant's face turned red from the compliment, and she smiled modestly. "No, no, you're very cute too."
Zhao Zhitong continued, "Wow, pretty big sister, your voice is so lovely too! It's just like... just like the singing of the larks from our mountains!"
The young maidservant was so delighted by Zhao Zhitong's compliments that she beamed. "Haha, you little charmer, you really have a sweet tongue! My name is Chun Hua. You can call me Sister Chun Hua."
Qiao Muchen stood to the side, looking at Zhao Zhitong in confusion. Then he watched as Zhao Zhitong chatted away with the young maidservant, their conversation ranging far and wide, covering all sorts of topics.
From there, their conversation shifted to the major events that had occurred at the County Government Office that day. And then, the young maidservant, without any reservation, spilled everything.
It turned out that the imperial censor, sent from above to manage the locust plague, had arrived that day. The County Magistrate was currently hosting the imperial censor.
Upon hearing that the imperial censor for the locust plague had arrived, Zhao Zhitong and Qiao Muchen exchanged a look; an idea sparked in both their minds.
Zhao Zhitong then said, "Sister Chun Hua, will the County Magistrate be hosting for a long time? If not, could you perhaps take us to see the County Magistrate? We also came today because of the locust plague."
This was something the young maidservant couldn't agree to. No matter how much Zhao Zhitong had endeared herself to her, she wouldn't dare.
So, Zhao Zhitong said, "Well then, how about this: it seems the County Magistrate won't have time for us today. Let's just go home and come back tomorrow."
Hearing this, Zhao Yue looked shocked. "Ah? We're not seeing him today? Then this whole trip was a waste!"
Wei Shulan also looked surprised.
Zhao Zhitong winked at Zhao Yue and said, "That's right. The County Magistrate has an important guest today, so he definitely won't have time to see us."
Zhao Yue was so dense he completely missed the signal Zhao Zhitong was sending him. Thinking they were really leaving, he said with regret, "Well, if we come back tomorrow, we'll have to tell Teacher. We can't just skip class."
Qiao Muchen said, "...Zhao Yue, since when did you become so diligent about your studies? That doesn't sound like you at all."
Zhao Yue retorted indignantly, "Why couldn't I say something like that? I happen to love studying now!"