Chapter 165: You Are Not In Exile You Are Clearly Traveling!
Chapter 165: Shock and Awe
"Teacher?"
Seeing the county magistrate bowing to what they thought was a beggar and calling him "teacher," everyone was stunned.
Master Li, now pale as a corpse, collapsed to the ground, unable to believe his eyes. "How is this possible? How could a beggar be the teacher of the county magistrate?"
The waiter fainted, thinking the same thing as Master Li: How could this be?
The restaurant owner trembled, sweating profusely, utterly shocked. He had backed the wrong horse! Magistrate Tan's appearance wasn't because of Master Li at all.
"This…"
The onlookers and bailiffs were equally stunned. Even Chen Xue was surprised. Her father had a student who became a county magistrate? Thinking back to her father's previous position as an Assistant Minister of Revenue, it started to make sense.
"Zhengming!" Tan Shuxian, styled Zhengming, was filled with emotion. Tan Shuxian was not strictly Chen Yuan's student. Years ago, Tan Shuxian had excelled in the imperial examinations and was assigned to the Ministry of Revenue, where Chen Yuan had taken him under his wing, sharing his insights and guiding him. Magistrate Tan had treated Master Chen as a mentor, and Master Chen had advised him that to advance in the Ministry, he needed grassroots experience.
However, lacking connections and patronage, Magistrate Tan had no way to secure a local post. Chen Yuan recommended him during a court meeting, leading to Magistrate Tan's appointment as a county magistrate, a position he had held for three years. Recently, he had been summoned back to the capital but delayed his departure, waiting to repay his debt to Chen Yuan.
"Teacher!" Tan Shuxian, tears in his eyes, lamented, "I failed to clear your name…"
"Zhengming, there's no need for that," Chen consoled him. "Blessings can come from misfortunes, and vice versa. Keeping my life is already a great fortune. This might even be a blessing in disguise."
Magistrate Tan was momentarily taken aback by Chen Yuan's enlightened outlook but was relieved to see that his teacher hadn't lost hope. Unknown to Magistrate Tan, Chen Yuan saw their exile as an opportunity. Away from the capital, in the southern regions, they could live without the constant political peril.
Returning to the matter at hand, Chen Yuan wasn't interested in clearing his name, focusing instead on survival and advising against stirring trouble that could provoke the emperor further.
"Why, Teacher?" Magistrate Tan asked, puzzled.
"You should focus on serving the people well, not on vindicating me," Chen instructed.
Magistrate Tan, though reluctant, accepted this, vowing to remember it.
"Teacher, what happened? Are you all unharmed?" Magistrate Tan turned to Chen Yuan's wife, "Greetings, Madam. Greetings, Sister."
Madam Chen, familiar with Magistrate Tan, smiled at him. Chen Xue, however, was astonished at her father's connections, which might have been why their lives were spared despite the corruption charges.
Chen Yuan explained the incident briefly and truthfully.
"Leave this to me, Teacher!" Tan, turning to Master Li and the others, was furious that his teacher had been endangered on his turf.
"Spare me, sir!" Master Li, terrified, knelt and begged for mercy, denying his actions.
"Insulting and attacking an imperial official is a capital offense," Tan declared, causing Master Li to soil himself in fear.
"Death is avoidable, but punishment is not!" Tan sentenced, "Take him away and give him twenty strokes."
Magistrate Tan had no intention of killing Master Li, not wanting to become corrupt himself. Twenty strokes would serve as a harsh lesson.
"Thank you, Master Tan!" Master Li, relieved, thanked him profusely.
"Thank my teacher," Magistrate Tan corrected, "without him, it wouldn't be just twenty strokes."
Master Li quickly thanked Chen, his demeanor drastically different from his earlier arrogance.
Seeing this transformation, the onlookers sighed, understanding the allure of power.
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