In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 141 Accompanying a Big Shot

Wu Han never imagined that he, a lowly peddler, would meet, or rather... travel with such an important person.

Yes.

Today, four strangers joined Wu Han's caravan. Two of them were Chen Dao's two uncles, and the other two...

Although both men were dressed very plainly, a closer look would reveal that the middle-aged man with the beard had a particularly distinctive air about him.

The middle-aged man was none other than Xu Zhiwen, the magistrate of Taiping County.

Wu Han never imagined that one day he would be traveling with the county magistrate.

You have to understand, Wu Han was just an ordinary peddler, who at most could only come into contact with minor government officials, and had never come into contact with a high-ranking official like a county magistrate.

As for why Xu Zhiwen appeared in Wu Han's caravan... that story probably goes back to three days ago.

Three days ago, just as the wheat planted in Chenjia Village was sprouting tender shoots, Zhang He and Xu Zhiwen's advisor, He Jian, also entered Xu Zhiwen's home and presented him with the information they had collected about Chen rice.

"That's it?"

Xu Zhiwen, after glancing at the documents, exclaimed in surprise. These two had spent several days gathering only four pieces of information about Chen Dao:

1. Chen Dao was indeed born in Chenjia Village. His father passed away several years ago. He has a younger sister and he and his sister depend on their mother, Li Ping.

2. Chen Dao has been frequently going to the city recently, mostly to buy daily necessities such as grain, herbs, and salt.

3. Chen Dao had close ties with the Fuhu Boxing School, and was also on good terms with a peddler in the city named Wu Han.

4. Every time Chen Dao went to the city, he would visit a shop called Baicaotang.

The first of these four pieces of information was found by He Jian and Zhang He from the county government's household registration records, while the latter three were obtained by asking others in the marketplace.

It was clear that Xu Zhiwen was not satisfied with the information the two had gathered about Chen Dao. What he wanted to know was why Chen Dao had a pet like Xiao Yuan that resembled a monster, what secrets Chen Dao held, and why he had a magical breed of chicken like the Blood Feather Chicken, rather than these superficial pieces of information.

"Reporting to the County Magistrate."

He Jian clasped his hands and said, "You said before that we should not conduct investigations in a way that would alarm Chen Dao. Therefore, we cannot go to Chenjia Village to investigate. We can only learn about him through people in the county who have some contact with Chen Dao. Naturally, the information we can get is very limited."

The best way to investigate a person is, of course, to go to their place of residence to investigate. However, going to Chenjia Village to investigate would undoubtedly alarm Chen Dao, which would go against the county magistrate's requirements. Therefore, this was all the information He Jian and Zhang He could get about Chen Dao.

"All right!"

Xu Zhiwen knew that the two had found out as much as they could, so he didn't press them further. Instead, he asked thoughtfully, "Who is this Wu Han? And where is Baicaotang?"

"Baicaotang is a pharmacy near the North Gate, run by a grandfather and granddaughter. All the herbs they sell are common medicinal materials!"

He Jian recalled for a moment and said, "As for Wu Han, he was originally a peddler who sold livestock in the East Market, but he has stopped selling goods there recently."

"Oh?"

A glint of shrewdness flashed in Xu Zhiwen's eyes, "A peddler who doesn't sell goods?"

"They don't sell their goods in the East Market!"

He Jian corrected, "According to the information we found, Wu Han has been frequently traveling between Chenjia Village and Fuhu Boxing School recently. Every time he goes out of the city to Chenjia Village, he transports a large amount of grain, salt and other goods. When he returns, he brings a considerable number of livestock to sell to Fuhu Boxing School. It is said that the profits are very high."

Wu Han's frequent visits to Chenjia Village could not be kept secret from those who were interested. After all, Wu Han was always accompanied by a truck and a large number of guards whenever he entered or left the city. He Jian only needed to ask the refugees outside the city and the residents near the North Gate to easily find out the details of Wu Han's entry and exit from the city.

"I see!"

Xu Zhiwen suddenly realized, and then a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes. This peddler named Wu Han was clearly the best way to understand Chen Dao...

After a moment of contemplation, Xu Zhiwen said to Zhang He, "Zhang He, go and invite Wu Han here."

"Yes!"

Zhang He clasped his hands in greeting and rushed to Wu Han's house. Upon seeing Wu Han, he said, "Wu Han, the magistrate wants to see you. Come with me!"

"!"

Wu Han was struck dumb, feeling completely bewildered!

The term "county magistrate" might not be immediately familiar to villagers outside the city, but Wu Han, who lived in the city, was very familiar with it because it represented the highest-ranking official in Taiping County: the county magistrate!

The magistrate wants to see me?

Wu Han couldn't help but list out everything he had done recently, and found that he hadn't broken any laws. He then went on to list things he had done as a child, and apart from peeping at the woman next door taking a bath out of excessive curiosity, he hadn't done anything heinous...

Why would the county magistrate want to see me when I haven't done anything wrong?

Wu Han was completely bewildered. Even the lowest-ranking officials in the government had to greet him with a smile, so he really didn't know why such a big shot as the county magistrate wanted to see him.

"This... brave warrior."

After a moment's hesitation, Wu Han addressed Zhang He as a brave warrior, asking, "May I ask why Your Excellency wishes to see me?"

"You'll know when you get there!"

Zhang He said with a smile that his attitude towards Wu Han was still quite good.

Seeing this, Wu Han felt a little more at ease. The messenger who came to inform him was so polite, which meant that... the county magistrate wanting to see him might not be a bad thing.

Regardless of the circumstances, Wu Han could not refuse the county magistrate's request to see him. So, after telling his wife, he followed Zhang He to Xu Zhiwen's house.

Xu Zhiwen's house was not large, much smaller than the Zhu family's house. As Zhang He crossed the gate and entered the living room, Wu Han immediately recognized the county magistrate sitting in the main seat.

Of course, this was not because Wu Han knew Xu Zhiwen, but because he recognized his official robes. When Zhang He went to Wu Han's house, Xu Zhiwen had already changed into a blue official robe with flying birds embroidered on it, which made him look dignified.

"So you are Wu Han?"

Xu Zhiwen looked at Wu Han, who had been brought by Zhang He, and asked in a calm tone, but Wu Han felt immense pressure.

Just as the vast majority of people in China never see their city's mayor, the common people in Xia Kingdom rarely see officials like county magistrates; the only people they can usually come into contact with are the minor officials in the county government.

Therefore, when facing Xu Zhiwen, Wu Han was inevitably a little nervous and replied with a restrained expression, "Your Excellency, I am Wu Han!"