In the hall of the county government, Qiantang County Magistrate Yang sat upright, staring at Xu Xian kneeling in the hall from above, feeling angry and annoyed, and hating him so much that his teeth itched. He narrowed his eyes, looked Xu Xian up and down, and thought to himself: Madam is right, the one who stole the silver from the treasury is really an internal thief. Well, this kid has made me angry, I can't let him off easily this time. With a roll of his eyes, he slammed the gavel and shouted: "You bold thief, you dare to disregard the law and rob the silver from the treasury. How many accomplices do you have? Where is the stolen silver now? Tell the truth one by one."
Xu Xian knelt in the hall, sweat dripping down his forehead, and he felt miserable. He had no idea how he got a hundred taels of silver on him, and it was stolen silver from the government treasury. He was thrown into prison for no apparent reason, and now he was being interrogated in the court. He had lost six of his seven souls, and when he heard the questioning in the court, he said, "Sir, I have never stolen the silver from the treasury, and I don't know where the hundred taels of silver came from. I am innocent, please be careful." Although Xu Xian was at a loss, he was clear-headed. He knew that he could not admit the crime of stealing silver from the treasury. If he did, he would become a thief, and according to the law, stealing silver from the treasury should be executed. He could not become an innocent soul under the knife for no apparent reason.
"Okay, the evidence is irrefutable, and you still dare to make excuses. It seems that you will not confess unless you are severely punished today. Come, punish me severely." The bailiffs on both sides rushed up, pinned Xu Xian to the ground, raised the boards, and prepared to beat him.
Xiaoqing hid her figure and stood at the gate of the county government office. She frowned and looked disgusted as she watched the foolish county magistrate trying to force Xu Xian to confess. She looked at Xu Xian, who was pretending to be calm but had already turned pale with fear. She softened her heart and thought that since the incident was caused by her, she would help Xu Xian. She bent and flicked her middle finger, and a golden light shot out from her finger, hitting the yamen runner who was about to punish her with a stick.
"Puff—" a white light blocked Xiaoqing's attack, and a familiar voice sounded in Xiaoqing's ears:
"—Qing'er, don't act rashly!" As soon as the words fell, Bai Suzhen appeared at the gate of the county government office. She hid her figure, and no one could see her except Xiaoqing.
"Qing'er, why are you here? Have you been okay these days?" Bai Suzhen suddenly became a little at a loss when facing Xiaoqing. After Xiaoqing left, the five dragon envoys also left one after another, and she was the only one left in the huge Bai Mansion. In the dead of night, she often tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. She thought a lot, but the more she thought, the more upset she felt. Finally, she made up her mind that she would repay Xu Xian's kindness before thinking about other things. Xu Xian's ambition was to practice medicine and save lives, so Bai Suzhen decided to help him open a medicine shop and try to help him become a famous doctor, which was also a way to repay his kindness. But when Bai Suzhen found Xu Xian's sister's house, she was shocked to hear that Xu Xian was arrested and thrown into prison for stealing silver from the treasury. She hurried to the county government office, but she never thought that she would meet Xiaoqing here. She felt mixed emotions for a while.
"Why are you here, sister? Are you here to save Xu Xian?" Xiaoqing stared at Bai Suzhen, and when she saw her nod, she suddenly sneered and turned her head away. Seeing Bai Suzhen's joy faded instantly, a feeling of sourness passed through her heart: "Xu Xian is so lucky!" She clenched and unclenched her hands, barely suppressing the unhappiness in her heart. She said in a hoarse voice: "Since my sister is here, I think he will be fine. There is no need for me, Xiaoqing, to be nosy here." After that, she was about to leave.
"Qing'er—" Bai Suzhen was anxious and grabbed Xiaoqing's wrist: "Where are you going?"
Xiaoqing smiled bitterly: "The world is so big, there is always a place for me, Xiaoqing, sister, don't worry about me." She lowered her head, with no expression on her face. In fact, if Bai Suzhen is not around, any place is meaningless to her.
"Can you stay here instead of leaving?" Bai Suzhen's tone was cautious, with a hint of trepidation and anxiety. A mistake is fine if made once, but it is unforgivable if made again. Last time, she let Xiaoqing leave because she was confused. When Xiaoqing was really no longer around, she suddenly realized that without Xiaoqing, everything in her life became meaningless. Even though she was not sure what kind of feelings she had for Xiaoqing at this moment, there was one thing she was sure of, that is, she could never let Xiaoqing leave again, otherwise she might really lose Xiaoqing forever.
Xiaoqing bit her lower lip tightly, feeling conflicted. She naturally wanted to stay with Bai Suzhen, but if she was asked to stay as a sister, she couldn't do it. Unless Bai Suzhen accepted her, staying would only make the two of them awkward. After struggling for a long time, Xiaoqing finally decided to leave.
"Sister, I—"
"ah-"
Xiaoqing's words were interrupted by a sudden scream. She and Bai Suzhen looked towards the court, where the bailiffs were beginning to torture Xu Xian. Xu Xian was a weak scholar and could not stand the torture. After a few strokes, he could not help but scream in pain.
"Qing'er, if you have anything to say, can you please wait until we rescue Xu Xian?" Bai Suzhen was worried that Xu Xian's life would be in danger if he was beaten with a few more boards. Although she was eager for Xiaoqing to agree to let her stay, she knew that there were priorities and saving Xu Xian's life was more important at this moment.
"Okay, let's save Xu Xian first, and we'll talk later." Xiaoqing was not a heartless person. Seeing Xu Xian being tortured, she felt sorry for him. "Sister, do you have any ideas?" She had wanted to help Xu Xian just now, but was stopped by Bai Suzhen. It seemed that she had already made a plan in her mind.
"Well, I do have a plan that can save Xu Xian's life." Bai Suzhen looked at Magistrate Yang thoughtfully, and then she said, "Qing'er, come closer and listen."
Bai Suzhen explained this to Xiaoqing. After listening, Xiaoqing's eyes lit up and she smiled softly, "Good idea, I'll do it right away." Then she flashed into the back hall of the county government office. After a moment, she returned and clapped her hands. She stared at the magistrate Yang who was smiling smugly in the hall, and raised her lips and sneered, "This foolish county magistrate, I'm afraid he won't be able to laugh in a while."