The Little First Grand Secretary in My House

Hey readers,

I will be taking April off [its final exam month], so my translations will be back the beginning of May. I apologize for the frequent breaks that I'm taking, but my uni classes are pretty difficult this year. [crying]

This Zhu Yishi was a scholar, so he could claim to be a student, and being able to meet the county magistrate without having to kneel is a special privilege granted by the court to people of fame.

Magistrate Hu nodded, then looked at the people in the Qingyuan Academy standing aside: "Do you have someone to represent you?"

After the crowd looked at each other, Lin Miao showed a bit of bitterness before shaking his head and said, "No one."

After a pause, he stepped forward and said, "I will be the master of the museum..."

"Wait a minute!"

At this time, there was a cry from the crowd, and along with the voice, Boss Chen walked into the lobby with an elegant young man in his twenties.

This young man was born tall, dressed in a half-old dark blue scholar’s robe, extraordinary and handsome. From his appearance, it seemed that he was not an important person, but he made Magistrate Hu stand up from the chair.

"Third Young Master Shen!"

Magistrate Hu bypassed the big court table and came forward. He was very easy-going, and it could even be seen that he was trying to please the other, no longer presenting a solemn face and serious attitude.

"Hu Xianzun." Shen Fu nodded in return.

He was born as a Juren. Although he was not an imperial court officer, the Shen family in Xia County and even the entire Pingyang Mansion could overcast everyone's presence.

The oldest uncle of the Shen family worshipped Taichang Temple ¹, and he was a veritable third-ranked high-ranking official. The second master of the Shen family was the number one scholar in the 20th year of Chengtian, and now he is a prefect in the south of the Yangtze River. Presumably after returning to Beijing after his tenure, he became another important court official. Not to mention that the old man of the Shen family was once listed as a cabinet member. Although he has driven to the west, he still has lingering prestige. It's no wonder that the magistrate Hu, as a majestic magistrate, had to put down his pride to welcome Shen Fu's younger generation.

"I wonder why the third young master is here this time—"

"I'm here to listen." Shen Fu said.

Hearing this, County Magistrate Hu subconsciously looked at Gao Youzhi next to him. Gao Youzhi had already stood up. He shook his head unobtrusively when he received the gaze of the magistrate Hu.

How could he invite someone like Third Young Master Shen? If he could really invite him, he wouldn't be the owner of a small academy in a remote area.

Since he’s not on Qinghe's side, then he was invited by people from Qingyuan?

In particular, the man who came with the Third Young Master was talking to Lin Miao. The expressions on the magistrate Hu and Gao Youzhi’s faces immediately became a bit ugly, and they couldn't help but wonder what the third young master Shen had come for.

"In my spare time, I just heard about a student murder case in this county, and I came here to listen to it. Magistrate Hu doesn't need to care, just handle it impartially."

...

On the other side, Lin Miao said to Boss Chen: "Brother Mo, I’ve troubled you."

Boss Chen's face was haggard, and his voice said dryly: "What trouble? This Young Master Shen was someone I met by chance, and I wasn’t able to talk to him. This time I can please him..." He paused before saying: "But with him in attendance, Magistrate Hu and others have to be cautious about their verdict. Brother An Qi, I can only help this much."

Although Boss Chen didn't make it clear, how could Lin Miao not know? That third young master of Shen had the name of "book idiot". This reputation is not a bad reputation, but it means that Shen Fu loves books like crazy, and he has no other hobby besides his preference to collect all kinds of unique books.

Boss Chen’s family has learning origins. Although he opened a small bookstore, the three generations of the Chen family have a hobby of collecting all kinds of unique books, and they also have a deep background. There is a Song Dynasty block copy from the Chen family, which is of good appearance and rare. The Chen family never wanted to show it to others. Shen Fu didn't know where he learned of such news and asked someone to come.

But Boss Chen was unwilling to sell, and fortunately, Shen Fu was not a thief, so this matter was dropped. This time Boss Chen really had no one else to ask for help, so he brought the rare book to the door, and only then did Shen Fu agree to come forward.

However, Shen Fu explained it in advance. He would only observe. At most, when there was unfairness in the verdict, he was make an interference in the judgment of Magistrate Hu. If Boss Chen hoped that Shen Fu could settle the matter for Qingyuan, that was impossible.

Lin Miao hung his head and folded his hands: "I am ashamed of myself."

"Why are you ashamed? Nothing is more important than saving you." Boss Chen waved his hand.

But Lin Miao was really ashamed. After this series of events, he was even a little confused as to whether the things he insisted on were right or wrong.

...

Hearing this, Magistrate Hu immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

After thinking about it, he knew that the Shen family puts heavy emphasis on maintaining a good reputation so how could they help the criminal Lin Miao? It is more likely that he was entrusted by others to come out and monitor the court case, but even if he is just monitoring, he has made Magistrate Hu act more cautiously.

However, he [Magistrate Hu] also thought about it clearly. In fact, the case is very easy to judge. There is a lot of human testimonies and physical evidence, and it is expected that people in Qingyuan will not be able to understand the scheme behind this case. Once the case is settled, it will be final. At that time, even if he respects the third young master, he can still make a verdict that Lin Miao and the others are still young and will only be sentenced to a crime of migration. This act will not only win a good reputation, but also leave a good impression in front of the third young master.

In fact, Magistrate Hu and Gao Youzhi didn't intend to put people to death anyways. They just wanted to save one person and make Qingyuan Academy close down.

Magistrate Hu was determined and asked Shen Fu to sit down before returning to the big case.

In order to quiet the main hall, there was another banging of the staff from the officials standing on both sides. Boss Chen hurriedly retreated outside the main hall. The inside and outside of the hall suddenly became quiet.

Magistrate Hu looked at the people in Qingyuan and asked, "Do you have someone to stand for the litigation? If not, this officer will start the trial."

The Qingyuan Academy did not invite a lawyer here, and it was not that they did not want to invite one. It was just that the academy was already a mess and they didn’t have time to find one. In Lin Miao's case, except for his wife and daughter, no one came forward. Boss Chen wanted to hire a lawyer, but no one dared to take this case.

He invited a few people, but when they heard the details, they all shook their heads and waved their hands. Otherwise Boss Chen wouldn't spend so much effort to invite Young Master Shen. He just wanted to play sly and make Magistrate Hu’s men be merciful when he makes a verdict for the case.

"No." Lin Miao shook his head, stepped forward and said: "If possible, I will be acting as the lawyer..."

"Wait a minute!"

There was another call from outside the hall. Magistrate Hu looked over and felt unhappy. He made up his mind that if it wasn't the Emperor who came this time, he would definitely make the person suffer a lot. When the court is in session, can it be stopped by just anyone? !

1. actually, I have no idea what the author is saying here. 官拜太常寺卿 if any reader can understand, please tell me QaQ ↑