Chapter 4, Thorny Cases

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Yong'an County Yamen

The officials on both sides wielded their water and fire sticks, striking the ground in a hurried yet rhythmic manner, instantly creating a sense of urgency in the hall

However, he is not in a hurry. Although the heavens did not grant him an extraordinary system or a golden finger, they certainly did not skimp on providing him with some skills.

Tang Ning is well aware that he is merely a shield; the two have not held a wedding ceremony, yet there is a marriage certificate. His father-in-law is the county magistrate, and it would only take a couple of sentences for him to arrange an identification document in Tang Ning's name and conveniently register their marriage at the government office.

The changes that occurred in him serve a purpose beyond merely recalling a few movies watched during moments of boredom; anything he has seen with his own eyes or heard with his own ears can be firmly etched in his memory

The father-in-law has a dignified appearance, while the mother-in-law is quite the opposite, giving off a very gentle feeling. Upon meeting her, Tang Ning finally understood where the charm that Zhong Yi possesses comes from

He quickly got out of bed, washed up at an extremely fast pace, and then went to meet his nominal father-in-law and mother-in-law with Zhongyi

As for Zhongyi, his nominal wife, she is like a pool of clear water, calm and undisturbed, neither warm nor overly distant towards him

After being called out by Qing'er a few times, he lost all sense of sleepiness

Fortunately, although he did not inherit the memories of this body, he seemed to possess an innate ability for reading and writing, which he could only attribute to some form of muscle memory of this body

A clerk in the yamen fell ill, and what Tang Ning needs to do is to temporarily take his place during the court session tomorrow

He moves a large number of books from his favorite study every day, returns them the next day, and conveniently borrows new ones.

Yesterday, I met my father-in-law, but it was the first time meeting my mother-in-law. Tang Ning surprisingly felt as if a new bride was meeting her in-laws

The young lady is so beautiful, and she is also a renowned talented woman in Lingzhou City; how can she not be more appealing than a pile of books?

"It is hard to get out of bed in the morning" and "It is hard to become awake in the morning" are two different concepts

Tang Ning is not concerned about this; they are truly "people from two different worlds." What he is thinking about now is not how to cultivate feelings with her or to foster a harmonious marital relationship, but rather how to return.

He merely took a nap on the bus and inexplicably found himself here; he thought that one morning when he woke up, he would inexplicably return.

The imperial examination, lacking business acumen, without capital, upon careful consideration, it seems he does not possess even one or two skills that he can showcase... Stepping out of the Zhong residence, even the next meal becomes a problem, it appears that only by idling here and living off others can he barely sustain a semblance of life...

What kind of karma did he accumulate in his past life for heaven to play such a big joke on him

Might and Valor

After she finished speaking, she left the room. Tang Ning walked over, closed the door, and a faint smile appeared on his face

Tang Yao Yao stood in the courtyard, glanced at the tightly closed door, and turned to ask: "Has he been like this for the past half month?"

As for the memories from his past life that resided in his mind, aside from occasionally revisiting a few movies he had watched to pass the time, they seemed to serve no other purpose

The defendant was soon brought up, and Tang Ning's task was to document the trial process, which, in principle, should not allow for any distractions

Judge Zhong struck the gavel and loudly declared: "Court is in session!"

However, he has not seen him since that day

"Yes, it must be so," Tang Yaoyao comforted herself, as she did not receive a satisfactory response.

Are you saying that she might have delayed a future top scholar?

He pushed the door open and walked out. At this time, there was still some time before lunch. After leaving the Zhong residence, he wandered around the street for a while, spending nearly half an hour, before returning to the Zhong residence.

"If it weren't for you, I would have had no choice but to marry the son of Governor Dong." Zhong Yi looked at him, thought for a moment, and then said, "I am very sorry for the pain you have suffered. When you recover your memory, if you wish to leave, I will ask my father to let you go."

Zhong Mingli neither admitted nor denied, saying: "There is a rather tricky case these days; if it is not handled well, I fear that Governor Dong will take the opportunity to make things difficult..."

He locked himself in his room, reading books all day long, and never went out except to eat, sleep, and use the restroom

He inquired with the beggar from that alley and learned that he did not come every day. Lingzhou is quite large, and the territorial awareness among beggars is quite pronounced. However, not every beggar has their own territory. Those without a territory tend to roam around within Lingzhou. That day, they also encountered that little beggar for the first time

Tang Ning sighed; although he had only given him a handful of water and a bun, it was, for him, a life-saving grace

Bang

She rubbed her brow and asked, "Has he shown any strange behavior these days?"

This is an insult to one's character, which no man can tolerate

The magistrate Zhong spoke again: "Bring the prisoner!"

Within the room, Tang Ning stood up and let out a long sigh

Qing'er thought for a moment and said: "The young master sometimes laughs inexplicably, and at other times he has a furrowed brow, often talking to himself. By the way, the young master goes out every day to chat with a group of beggars..."

He is not an easy person to give up, but when faced with such mysterious and bizarre occurrences as time travel, he cannot escape feelings of despair and powerlessness

In the corner of the courtroom, Tang Ning was lost in thought, while in the central position of authority, Zhong Mingli had a stern expression, looking down at a figure kneeling below, and asked in a deep voice: "Defendant Xu Jie, do you know your crime?"

Tang Ning turned his head to look at her, "Hmm?"

Every day he would go to the alley where he woke up, not to seek information about his identity, but to find that little beggar

Half a month after arriving at the Zhong residence, Tang Ning was conscripted for military service for the first time

Miss, the young master is unable to rise in the morning

Qing'er walked outside the room and shouted: "Young master, it's time to eat!"

However, the problem arises again

After dinner, Zhong Yi brought over some case files and placed them on the table in his room, softly saying: "These are some previous case files; you can take a look first, and tomorrow you can write based on them."

The girl's melodious and crisp voice, however, made Tang Ning somewhat allergic, causing her to get goosebumps upon hearing it

Tang Yaoyao scratched her hair, suddenly looked at Zhong Yi, and said in a lowered voice: "A bookworm who only studies like this should find it quite difficult to pass the exam, among the talented individuals you know, there aren't any like this..."

Tang Ning opened a file and took a look, discovering that what he needed to do was not a technical task; it was merely to record some key testimonies and the progress of the case. As long as he could write, there would not be any significant issues

After putting down the documents, Zhong Yi did not leave. After pondering for a moment, she looked at him again and said: "Thank you"

This is not merely a photographic memory; it is a human camera

He began to browse through all the books he could see, trying to find a trace of clues within them

He has nothing to complain about; it is merely a matter of mutual benefit. The Zhong family needs him, their son-in-law, to silence that governor, and he, having just arrived in this world, also requires some time to adapt. If it were not for this frugal father-in-law helping him to take care of matters including his identification, he fears he would not survive even three days.

It seemed that he suddenly thought of something, as he put down his chopsticks, looked at Tang Ning, and said: "The clerk in the yamen is ill and cannot attend court tomorrow. If you have nothing to do, please come over to record a case for him tomorrow."

This is a true bookworm; they have never seen such a "dull" bookworm before

From Zhong Yi, it is evident that the Zhong family has excellent family education. During meals, it is generally a practice to refrain from speaking, and Tang Ning quietly eats as well. When Zhong Yi finishes her meal, they leave the table together and then return to their respective rooms

In the span of half a month, the last glimmer of hope in his heart was nearly worn away.

Qing'er is at the age when a young girl's voice is the sharpest and most melodious. Tang Ning feels that her shouts can be heard throughout the entire Zhong residence.

Thus, in the hearts of the servants of the Zhong family, the image of this new son-in-law gradually became clearer from a state of ambiguity.

Since he has come here, he must make the best of it. Perhaps there will be some solutions in the future, but for now, he can only choose to live well.

Although he and Zhong Yi are nominally husband and wife, it is merely in name only. Tang Ning has her own small courtyard, and Zhong Yi has his own room. The two have always slept in separate rooms, which further substantiates the second speculation

If it were not for that little beggar, not for that handful of water, and not for that bun filled with cabbage, he would probably have already crossed over for the second time

Generally speaking, those who are merely bookworms, focused solely on rote learning, are unlikely to have a promising future; thus, it cannot be said that she has hindered him—this thought provided her with some comfort.

This Miss Zhong is quite good after all

It turns out he was overthinking it

During today's meal, my father-in-law seemed somewhat distracted, as he paused several times with his chopsticks just before bringing food to his mouth, and did not notice when the food he was holding fell off the chopsticks

One must endure even if it is unbearable; he cannot personally go to Qinger to prove this.

Qing'er looked around the room and said with admiration, "It's not that, the young master must have studied hard in the past as well. If he hadn't lost his memory, he might have been able to achieve the highest honor in the future..."

... ...

The son-in-law of the Zhong family is a bookworm, and he is unable to perform in the morning—every time Tang Ning thinks of the way the servants of the Zhong family look at him, she feels like pinning Qing'er down on the bed and spanking her until her bottom is swollen

Tang Yaoyao's face turned pale upon hearing this, feeling as if she had been struck by an arrow in her chest

Tang Ning sat in an inconspicuous corner at the back left side of the county court's main hall, reflecting that what he had seen in television dramas was indeed true. He had never imagined that one day he would sit in such a capacity in a court of law in ancient times

Zhong Yi nodded and said, "He has already read all the books in my study."

The woman opposite him could no longer contain herself and asked him, "My lord, has Governor Dong troubled you again?"

Tang Ning actually has good habits regarding her daily routine, but having just arrived in this world, she is still not fully adapted to everything. Last night, she suffered from insomnia until the early hours, and when she got up in the morning, her eyes could barely open

Tang Yaoyao's face turned pale; it was not merely that she had been struck into a state of soul loss, but rather that she was clearly also suffering from a madness of the heart