great-warnovel Chapter 169 Official Robe Frozen Hard! The County Magistrate, Alone in His Empty Room, Tremblingly P
Chapter 169 Official Robe Frozen Hard! The County Magistrate, Alone in His Empty Room, Tremblingly P
The moment he left the Wolf Fang Special Zone, Magistrate Fang felt as if he were a sinner who had been expelled from the Garden of Eden.
Behind them, the neon lights and sweltering heat created a scene of "paradise on earth."
Before him lay a desolate winter wasteland, its landscape scarred and battered by howling winds.
That thin line separates heaven and hell.
The carriage—if that rickety, leaky cart with creaking axles could even be called a carriage—bumped violently along the bumpy official road.
"Ouch! My back is killing me..."
Magistrate Fang clutched his aching lower back, curled up in pain in the musty smell of old cotton wadding.
His mind was replaying uncontrollably the scene he had witnessed the previous night in that "Optimus Prime" RV:
The car was so steady that not a drop of red wine spilled.
Qin Yue, the fourth son of the Qin family, leaned lazily against the soft leather couch, holding the delicate and supple Madam Qin in his arms.
With his long, jade-like hand, he peeled a crystal-clear grape and fed it to Madam Qin. Then, he took her fingertip into his mouth, his gaze so intense it could drown a person.
That kind of extravagance, that kind of steady, comfortable happiness...
"Clang!"
The broken wheel hit a stone, and Magistrate Fang's head slammed heavily against the carriage floor, instantly jolting him back from his reverie to the cold reality.
"Sir, we've arrived at the county town."
The driver's voice carried a sense of despair and death.
Magistrate Fang lifted the greasy carriage curtain, and a gust of cold wind, carrying withered leaves, slapped him hard in the face.
We've arrived?
This is the county town under his rule?
The once bustling streets are now eerily silent, like a ghost town.
Nine out of ten shops on both sides were empty, their doors tightly shut, with only the "whooshing" sound of the wind blowing through the broken signs, as if mourning the city.
"Go to the post station... and get a faster horse." Magistrate Fang wrapped his thin official robe tighter around himself and gave the order with trembling hands. "This broken carriage... I can't sit still for a moment longer."
However, when he arrived at the post station, he was greeted only by an empty stable and a few postmen who were dozing off by the fire.
"Where are the horses?!" Magistrate Fang stared furiously at the manger, which was completely bare of horsehair. "Where are the horses raised by the imperial court?!"
The courier lazily raised his eyelids, saw that it was the county magistrate, and without bowing, simply pointed to the ground:
"They were led away by the 'Iron Stake Ma Family'."
"Master Ma said that fodder is expensive now, and it's a waste for the horses at the post station to just eat and not work."
He's taken them to the car dealership to haul goods.
If adults want to use a car... they have to go to Ma's car dealership and get a number.
"Outrageous! Those are official horses! What right does the Ma family have...?"
"Because they control the logistics of the entire county." The courier rolled his eyes, broke open the roasted sweet potato in his hand, and the aroma filled the air, but he didn't share a single bite with the magistrate. "Sir, save your energy."
In this county town now, besides the Ma and Liu families, who else has a hot meal to eat?
Magistrate Fang was so angry that he trembled all over, and his finger pointing at the postman was twitching, but it eventually fell limply to the ground.
this is the truth.
In this cold winter of scarcity, the official seal was less useful than a horsewhip in Master Ma's hand.
He could only drag his frozen legs and slowly make his way back to the county government office.
If the county town is a ghost town, then this county government office is a forgotten cold palace in the King of Hell's palace.
The vermilion paint on the gate had peeled off, revealing the gray, decaying wood inside.
Above the main hall, the plaque inscribed with "A Clear Mirror Hangs High" was covered with a thick layer of dust and hung crookedly, as if it might fall down at any moment and completely shatter this crumbling government office.
"Someone come... serve tea..."
Magistrate Fang slumped in the hard, icy armchair, feeling the chill from beneath his buttocks creeping up his tailbone and into the top of his head.
After a long while, an old yamen runner came up carrying a chipped, rough porcelain bowl.
A few withered yellow tea leaves floated in the bowl, the water was lukewarm, and before even taking a sip, you could smell a musty, stale odor.
"This...this is for people to drink?"
Magistrate Fang's hand, holding the bowl, was trembling violently.
He remembered the cup of tea he had at the Qin family's house.
That was a top-quality Da Hong Pao tea brewed with water from a snow-capped mountain that had been there for millennia, served in a thin-walled porcelain cup as smooth and lustrous as jade.
Qin Mo, the second son of the Qin family, that refined scoundrel, was holding Madam Qin's hand at the time, teaching her how to appreciate tea.
He remembered Qin Mo pushing up his gold-rimmed glasses and whispering in Madam Qin's ear, "Sister-in-law, tea should be drunk while it's hot... to warm you up."
If it gets cold, your second brother will feed it to you with his mouth.
The scene was so intense that it made Magistrate Fang's eyes sting.
"Clang!"
He smashed the broken bowl in his hand to the ground.
Tea splashed everywhere, wetting his official boots that were already frozen solid.
"This official position... is untenable!"
"I want hot tea! I want underfloor heating! I want... I want that automatic toilet!"
After the venting, there is a deeper emptiness and desolation.
The entire back office was deserted; there wasn't a single person to speak to.
"Where is Madam?" Magistrate Fang suddenly remembered something and grabbed the old yamen runner by the collar. "Has Madam returned?!"
That was his last hope.
No matter how cold or dilapidated this place is, as long as my wife and children have a warm bed... oh no, even if it's a cold bed, at least there's still a human presence.
The old constable shrank back, took out a crumpled letter from his pocket, and carefully handed it over:
"My lord... Madam had it sent back."
"The messenger said... Madam tells you not to wait anymore and to go to bed early."
Magistrate Fang snatched the letter and tore it open with trembling hands.
The letter paper was specially made by the Qin family, sprinkled with gold, and carried a high-class rose fragrance.
The aroma was so overpowering and so familiar that it instantly made the musty smell throughout the room seem even more shabby and harsh.
By the dim light of the oil lamp, Magistrate Fang could make out the words on it:
[To My Lord:]
When you read this letter, I should be lying on that imported latex massage bed in Yunqi Garden, enjoying Master Qin's "rejuvenating hands".
Sir, you have no idea.
Although Master Qin's hands looked cold, they were truly divine.
He was wearing gloves, and his finger technique was so delicate... As he massaged the lymph nodes to remove toxins, I felt as if the coldness in my bones was being rubbed out.
And the underfloor heating is so hot that I'm sweating even in just a single layer of clothing.
And that conveyor belt hot pot, the meat that Old Master Qin Meng personally cut was incredibly tender...
My lord, look at that shabby bed in our county government office. It's as hard as a coffin lid. My old back just can't take it.
And that kitchen, there wasn't even a decent piece of charcoal, it was all smoky and smoky. How could I, with my freshly done face treatment, endure that?
So, I've made my decision.
That winter, I stayed at the Qin family's house to "recuperate".
If you get cold, wrap yourself in one of the old cotton-padded coats that I left there.
Don't worry about it.
Your loyal (but more pleasure-loving) wife, Madam Liu.
"Smack."
The letter slipped from Magistrate Fang's hand and fluttered to the ground.
Every word was like a resounding slap across his old face, which was bruised and blue from the cold.
What "recuperating"? This is clearly... a case of being so engrossed in pleasure that one forgets everything else! They've been "fed" their fill by those wolves!
A picture involuntarily appeared in Magistrate Fang's mind: his wife, Liu, was lying lazily in a warm, spring-like room, wearing a thin, sexy gauze nightgown.
The gloomy and sickly Qin Qiye was kneeling by the bed, pressing her face (or somewhere else?) repeatedly through his gloves.
His wife, meanwhile, let out a soft, comfortable moan…
"ah--!!!"
Magistrate Fang clutched his head and let out a mournful wail.
"The Qin family...you've gone too far!"
"They stole my taxes, they stole my official seal, and now they've even stolen my wife!"
"This is going to make me... childless!"
He suddenly pulled something out of his pocket.
That was a card Qin Lie casually tossed to him before leaving.
Crafted from pure gold, with a ring of small diamonds inlaid around the edge, it shimmered with an eerie and alluring light under the dim oil lamp.
[Wolf Fang Special Zone - Lifetime Supreme VIP - Black Gold Card]
The back was also engraved with a line of wild cursive script, the strokes sharp and aggressive, exuding an extremely arrogant and bandit-like air: 【With this card, all Qin family properties are free.】
Completely free.
These two words were like serpents in the Garden of Eden, hissing and flicking their tongues in his ear.
With this card in hand... he could immediately turn his horse around and roll back to his warm and comfortable home.
Go sleep in that bed that's as soft as a cloud.
Let's go eat that hot pot that's so delicious it'll make your eyebrows fall off.
Go and let those "wolves" serve you comfortably.
But... he's an official appointed by the imperial court! He's the local official in charge of this entire area!
Magistrate Fang's hands trembled as he stroked the cold, hard gold card with his fingertips.
The feel of it was heavier than any gavel he had ever touched.
"My lord..." The old constable beside him, looking at his master's delirious, half-crying, half-laughing appearance, cautiously asked, "How about... we pawn this card and get some charcoal in return?"
"You got it?"
Magistrate Fang suddenly raised his head, and in that instant, the certain persistence in his eyes completely collapsed under the pull of the biting cold and the extreme desire.
He gripped the card so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"What a load of crap!"
He forced out those three words through gritted teeth, his voice hoarse, yet carrying a resolute determination:
"This isn't a card..."
"This is fate!"
He stood up and looked around the drafty, bare county government hall.
Looking at that grand master's chair, a symbol of power—sitting on it only brings a bone-chilling cold.
Looking at the plaque that read "A Bright Mirror Hangs High"—all that was reflected was his current disheveled and desolate state.
"This official position... let whoever wants it take it!"
Magistrate Fang abruptly took off his official hat and threw it onto the broken table.
"Gurgle—" The official hat rolled a few times and fell into a dusty corner.
"Prepare the carriage!" Magistrate Fang roared, his eyes burning with a flame of "corruption."
"Where to?" The old constable was bewildered.
"Where else can we go?!"
Magistrate Fang gritted his teeth, carefully tucking the gold card into the innermost lining pocket, right next to his still-beating heart:
"Back to Wolf Fang Town!"
"This official...this official is going to 'inspect'!"
"Go check if their underfloor heating is warm enough! If their beds are soft enough! If their food smells good!"
Even if it means death...
"I, too, will die in the Qin family's arms of pleasure!"
"Even if it means becoming a live-in son-in-law..."
"It's still better than guarding this tomb of the living dead!"
……
The wind and snow intensified.
Just as Magistrate Fang was preparing to sell his soul for the sake of "quality of life".
Wolf Fang Special Zone, top floor of Cloud Top Apartment.
A crisis concerning "quality" is erupting.
"broken."
Su Wan sat on the bay window covered with a thick wool carpet, holding a freshly peeled lychee in her hand.
The flesh, which should have been crystal clear and juicy, now had an unpleasant grayish-brown color, and the skin even oozed a sticky black liquid.
A faint, sour smell permeated the warm air.
"This lychee... why does it smell bad?" Su Wan frowned and threw the lychee back into the plate with disgust.
She was just looking for something sweet to calm her nerves (after all, she'd been through a lot with those men these past few days), and this is what they gave her to eat?
"Clang!"
A loud bang.
The door to the room was kicked open.
Qin Lie strode in.
He had just returned from the martial arts arena, still carrying a chilling aura and lingering killing intent.
But when his gaze fell on Su Wan's aggrieved little face and the plate containing rotten lychees, his murderous intent instantly materialized.
"What happened?"
Qin Lie walked up to her, picked up the rotten lychee with his large hand, and with a slight force, "Pfft." Black liquid splashed everywhere.
It's completely rotten.
"I had the convoy transport this all the way from Lingnan by express courier." Qin Lie looked at the murky black water on his fingertips, his face so gloomy it could drip ink: "For this fresh taste, I changed three batches of horses and exhausted two eagles to death."
"So... this is what Jiaojiao was fed?"
"Brother, let it go..." Seeing that he was truly angry, Su Wan quickly tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "The road is too long, and it's winter now. The road is bumpy, so it's normal for it to break down..."
"Normal my foot!"
Qin Lie took her hand in return.
Ignoring the fact that his hands were still covered in the spoiled juice, he lowered his head and put Su Wan's fingertip, which had just touched the rotten lychee, into his mouth.
"Ugh!" Su Wan was startled and tried to pull her hand away.
"Don't move."
Qin Lie gave the order in a mumbled and unclear manner.
His tongue, rough and hot, swirled around her fingertips, swallowing the lingering sourness along with the original sweetness of her fingertips.
"Pah." He spat out a mouthful of saliva, his eyes as sinister as a wolf guarding its prey:
"It tastes awful."
"It's both sour and smelly."
"This kind of trash...does it even deserve to be in Jiaojiao's mouth?"
"Fourth brother!" Qin Lie roared at the door.
"Coming, coming!" Qin Yue walked in, waving his fan and looking helpless.
He was just downstairs doing accounts when he was suddenly jolted up by his elder brother's roar.
"Big brother, what's wrong now? Who upset you?"
"Look at this." Qin Lie pointed to the plate of rotten lychees.
Qin Yue leaned closer for a look, his brows furrowing, and his usually smiling, almond-shaped eyes instantly turned cold: "This is... the work of the 'Iron Stake Ma Family'?"
"Who else could it be but them?" Qin Lie sneered, pulled out a handkerchief from his waist, and slowly wiped Su Wan's fingers as if he were polishing a defiled treasure: "Our convoy passed through the Ma family's territory and was detained by them for three whole days."
"They claim they're checking for contraband, but they're really just deliberately parking the car in the mud, letting it get baked in the sun and rain!"
"They even dug potholes on the only road, making it more bumpy than a pockmarked face!"
"Great...very good."
Qin Lie wiped Su Wan's hands clean and threw the handkerchief to the ground: "Dare to stop my car?"
"Would you dare let Jiaojiao eat rotten fruit?"
"How dare you make Jiao Jiao frown with grievance over this food?"
He whirled around, looked at Qin Yue, and asked in a chilling tone, "Fourth brother, did you bring the account books?"
"I brought it." Qin Yue closed his fan, a bloodthirsty smile curving his lips. "I've calculated everything: the toll fees the Ma family owes us, the compensation for emotional distress, and the compensation for this plate of lychees..."
"it is good."
Qin Lie strode to the window and looked at the official road in the distance that meandered outwards but became fragmented at its end.
"Fifth and sixth sons!"
"Bring out all your road-building equipment!"
"I'm going to flatten this road!"
"Since the Ma family likes to set up checkpoints..."
"Then I'll show him what...a completely flat plain really means!"
"Jiaojiao." He turned around and looked at Su Wan, the murderous intent in his eyes instantly transforming into an overwhelming tenderness and guilt:
"Stop frowning."
"Brother, I'll go and fix the road right away."
"next time……"
"My elder brother went to Lingnan personally."
"If even one of those lychees dares to rot on the way..."
"Big brother, just turn that road over... over!"
Looking at his seemingly defiant attitude, Su Wan felt a sudden, overwhelming tenderness in her heart.
She reached out and hugged his lean waist, pressing her cheek against his firm chest: "Big brother...you don't need to go to so much trouble."
"Anything my older brother gives me... even if it's rotten, I'll take it..."
"Shut up." Qin Lie lowered his head and sealed her unfinished words with his lips.
It was a kiss that carried a hint of punishment, yet was also very careful.
"My woman."
"Only the best can be eaten."
"The rotten parts... let the Ma family eat them."