Chapter 111: Visit by County Magistrate
"Although the affairs of the court are important, your body is still your own, you must be careful..." Holding Ye Mingsheng's big hand, Cui carefully warned:

"I understand!" Ye Mingsheng smiled and nodded.

After Ye Tie and others paid their respects to Cui one by one, Ye Mingsheng gave them a holiday and asked them to go home. Although they were Ye Mingsheng's relatives, because Ye Mingsheng's father was an official in his early years, they moved from the village to the county town to live.

The rest of the Ye family members still live in Yejia Village under Fengshan County, so although he has returned home now, Ye Tie and others still need to ride horses to the countryside and it will take some time before they can get home.

The mother and son chatted for a while, and the meal at the Ye Mansion was prepared. After the meal, Cui finally remembered and asked Ye Mingsheng: "Mingsheng, how many days can you stay this time?"

Feeling the expectation in Cui's words, Ye Mingsheng's heart sank, but he still said frankly;

"Mother, I came back this time because I was leading my troops through Fengshan County, so I took the time to come back and take a look, so... I can't stay too long. I will return at noon tomorrow and lead my troops back to Luoan."

Hearing Ye Mingsheng's words, Cui's expression inevitably showed a little disappointment. After a moment, the old woman forced a smile on her face, nodded and said:
"My son is a military officer of the Imperial Guards, he should put state affairs first!"

Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng hesitated for a moment, but still did not tell Cui about his plan to transfer back to Liaoyang. After all, this matter was just an idea of ​​his at the moment, and nothing had been decided yet.

Now that he has told Cui, although Cui may be happier now, if by some chance he fails to accomplish the task, Cui's hope will be as great as her disappointment...

The loving mother and filial son accompanied Cui for a while. Because of her old age, Cui began to feel sleepy. With the help of her maid, she went back to her room to rest. Just when Ye Mingsheng was alone in the Ye Mansion with nothing to do, he suddenly heard news from the doorman that Ma Runchuan, the magistrate of Fengshan County, came to visit.

Although Ye Mingsheng was a little surprised to hear the news, he still straightened his clothes and took the initiative to go to the gate of Ye Mansion to greet them.

Although he had no connection with Ma Runchuan, since this man was the county magistrate of Fengshan County and the Ye family had lived in Fengshan County for generations, it would be a good idea for him to meet him.

When he walked outside the mansion gate, Ye Mingsheng saw a middle-aged civil servant standing in front of the gate. He was in a dignified manner and dressed in a seventh-rank official robe with a egret patch. Behind him were some yamen runners.

Among them was the black-faced sturdy man who had stopped him at the city gate and was whipped by Ye Tie. However, at this time, the officers were not holding knives, guns, sticks or clubs, but some beautifully wrapped gifts...
Seeing them like this, Ye Mingsheng roughly understood the other party's intention. At this time, the middle-aged civil servant Ma Runchuan also saw the imperial army bullfighting uniform embroidered with rhinoceros patches on Ye Mingsheng's body. His eyes suddenly condensed, and without hesitation, he took the initiative to step forward and said with a bow:
"This subordinate sees Ma Runchuan passing by Commander Ye!"

Although it was their first meeting, Ma Runchuan did not doubt Ye Mingsheng's identity. After all, official robes were not something you could wear whenever you wanted. Without the corresponding official position, wearing official robes without permission would be punishable by beheading according to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Therefore, facing such severe punishment, few people dared to wear official robes without permission.

Secondly, according to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, military households have some benefits. Ye Mingsheng's appointment as the seventh-rank commander of the imperial guards also exempted the entire Ye family from a lot of land taxes and deed taxes.

Therefore, as the official of Fengshan County, Ma Runchuan knew very well that the Ye family had a commander of the imperial guards, so now that he saw Ye Mingsheng in his official robes, he naturally had no doubts. "Sir Ma, you and I have the same official position, there is no need to be so formal,"

Ye Mingsheng smiled and bowed, also returned the greeting, and then continued: "It is rare for Magistrate Ma to visit my humble home. I am sorry for not welcoming you in person. Please come in, come in quickly!"

"Master Ye, please!"

Seeing Ye Mingsheng's good attitude, Ma Runchuan's eyes lit up. He said a few humble words and then followed Ye Mingsheng into the Ye Mansion. The servants who followed Ma Runchuan also came in carrying gifts.

In the main hall of the Ye Mansion, Ye Mingsheng and Ma Runchuan sat down as host and guest respectively. The maids of the Ye Mansion served Ye Mingsheng and Ma Runchuan a cup of fragrant tea respectively.

Looking at Ma Runchuan's respectful expression, Ye Mingsheng smiled, he was not surprised. Although he and Ma Runchuan were both seventh rank, he was a member of the imperial guards and a Beijing official, while Ma Runchuan was a local official. According to the convention of the Great Zhou court, when the official ranks were the same, the Beijing official was half a level higher than the local official.

In addition, it is a chaotic era now, with civil officials declining in power and military officials rampant. Civil officials are naturally inferior to military officials, so the combination of the two has led to Ma Runchuan's current humility...

Although it was the first time the two met, Ma Runchuan knew that his status was lower than Ye Mingsheng, and his words were full of humility. Ye Mingsheng, because the Ye family was under Ma Runchuan's rule, was also interested in getting to know Ma Runchuan, and he spoke very politely.

Unlike other military officers of the Imperial Guard, he was not arrogant and self-reliant, so the two of them hit it off immediately. After some greetings, although it was not as exaggerated as "I regret not meeting you earlier", they were in a good mood and liked each other.

After the greetings, seeing that Ye Mingsheng was easy to talk to, Ma Runchuan did not hesitate and called the dark-faced strong man over, then confessed to Ye Mingsheng:
"To be honest, I came here not only to pay a visit to Lord Ye, but also to ask Lord Ye for a favor. Don't bother with this thing!"

At this point, Ma Runchuan pointed at the dark-faced strong man and said:

"This man is called Zhao Shitou, he is my wife's cousin. My family spent a lot of money and finally found him a job. Unexpectedly, he was so blind that he offended Lord Ye! He deserves to be beaten!"

As soon as Ma Runchuan finished speaking, the dark-faced sturdy man named Zhao Shitou knew what was good for him. He knelt down in front of Ye Mingsheng with a clang and slapped himself mercilessly, saying loudly while slapping him:

"I have been blinded by greed and deserve to die. I beg Lord Ye to be magnanimous and forgive me this time..."

(End of this chapter)