CMWKSD -Chapter 50 The Complete Downfall of the County Magistrate

Ji Yiqing and Ji Chaomian, as an added favor, gave Wang Sheng a few practical ways to sell these items.

There was no need to talk about the recipes—once they were offered, people would order them. The main concern was how to sell the vermicelli.

Ji Chaomian and Ji Yiqing suggested a simple, straightforward method: Wang Sheng could find a spot near a restaurant or a grain shop and sell it directly. After two or three months, the townsfolk of the county would know what vermicelli was. Add a few casual words—explaining that it could be a staple food, or cooked in soups and stir-fries—and people would be enticed. Everyone wanted affordable, filling dishes for their table; few could resist.

As they spoke, the two of them left the restaurant. Shen Mei, carrying her basket on her back, followed obediently behind them.

Wang Sheng squinted his eyes, while Mrs. Wang beamed with delight. As a fellow business-minded person, she knew exactly how much money these items could fetch. Even giving Jiu Yue a ten percent cut wasn’t a problem—they could still make a fortune.

Seeing Wang Sheng staring at Ji Yiqing and Jiu Yue’s backs, standing distractedly to the side, she asked, “What are you looking at?”

Wang Sheng clicked his tongue. “I just find it strange. Didn’t they say the Ji family was entirely controlled by the matriarch, and that Ji Yiqing’s branch was heavily bullied? So how come…”

Why did Second Aunt seem a little afraid of Ji Yiqing and Jiu Yue?

Mrs. Wang maintained her composure, refraining from rolling her eyes in the street. “Why do you care? That’s their family’s business. The recipes are in your hands—aren’t you going to see what to do next?”

Wang Sheng immediately snapped back. “Oh, oh, yes.”

Jiu Yue and Ji Yiqing bought more things for home, leaving Shen Mei with less and less room to sit. She kept feeling like they were about to throw her off the carriage. After all, she was the only extra person on it.

Fortunately, neither Ji Yiqing nor Jiu Yue seemed to have any intention of doing so. They packed the items tightly but didn’t show any sign of kicking her out.

Shen Mei huddled in the corner, holding the pastries Jiu Yue had bought for her—a huge bag, meant to satisfy her sweet tooth.

Shen Mei felt unworthy. The bag of pastries, some delicate, some rough, cost several hundred wen. How could her mouth possibly deserve them?

Looking up at the piles of goods almost reaching the top of the carriage, Shen Mei had a concrete sense of Jiu Yue’s wealth. This person really knew how to make money.

Jiu Yue sat with one leg dangling, the other bent on the carriage frame. Ji Yiqing drove the carriage, occasionally casting glances at Jiu Yue. He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of upbringing could make her both intelligent and seemingly straightforward, maintaining her dignity no matter who she faced. She neither fawned nor lowered herself, and even her movements exuded ease and elegance.

That lazy yet noble aura made it hard to imagine Jiu Yue was a killer who could end someone’s life with a single move.

Jiu Yue’s dual nature was striking: she treated life casually, yet could save a stranger for a single favor or a brief encounter.

“Is today a ten-day break?” Jiu Yue suddenly asked. Ji Yiqing quickly withdrew his gaze and replied with a simple “Hmm.”

Jiu Yue smirked slightly, anticipating more fun back home. Shen Mei, meanwhile, tensed. Before leaving, she had warned Ji Dahu repeatedly to tell Ji Zhouye and Ji Wanqiao to never provoke the eldest branch—especially since his second brother had just married. That was a ruthless woman.

Shen Mei wasn’t sure if the young and reckless Zhouye and Wanqiao could understand how much their mother worried for them.

Jiu Yue casually tossed fifty taels into the carriage. “Second Aunt, you carefully developed the recipes. I’ve always said that as long as someone is obedient and useful, I will never shortchange them.”

Shen Mei’s hands shook as she held the fifty taels, forgetting all about her earlier worries about Zhouye and Wanqiao.

Passing through East Street, the carriage slowed amidst the commotion ahead, inching forward. Jiu Yue recognized the area; it was where rural merchants came into town—a bustling, lively spot.

Seeing the crowd, Jiu Yue craned her neck to look. Ji Yiqing, sitting beside her, waved a hand behind him, subtly shielding her. “Be careful, don’t fall off.”

Jiu Yue nodded, then spotted the foolish county magistrate, Jiabao, sitting on the ground picking through discarded vegetable leaves.

Although he was the ruler of the county, not all townsfolk would fail to recognize him. Sure enough, Jiu Yue overheard hushed gossip, and noticing Jiabao was unprotected, she smirked.

Ji Yiqing, on instinct, scanned the crowd and saw Assistant magistrate Li on the second floor of a tea house opposite. This was a complete cut-off of Jiabao’s backup—a sign that the appointment had been secured; otherwise, no one would risk offending the prefect and letting Jiabao be humiliated like this.

Assistant magistrate Li must have known that as long as Jiabao lived, it wouldn’t be easy to settle into the magistrate position smoothly.

Jiu Yue and Ji Yiqing barely glanced at him before looking away. For someone as evil as Jiabao, seeing him eat scraps of rotten vegetables was hardly noteworthy. Years of being a killer had eroded Jiu Yue’s empathy and compassion, and Jiabao, as a person, deserved to die.

Ji Yiqing felt no sympathy either; for a corrupt official who plundered the people and held a position he didn’t deserve, this was merely justice served.

Soon, the steward who had accompanied Lady Yun hurried over, exhausted but dutiful, and took Jiabao away.

News of the county magistrate’s foolishness spread like locusts. In just a few moments, the entire county knew.

Ji Yiqing flicked the reins again, thinking of Jiu Yue’s words about Lady Yun’s downfall. Whatever Jiu Yue had done had left her unable to assert her power, even struggling to manage herself. The prefect would no longer protect Jiabao—otherwise, he wouldn’t have ended up humiliated in this manner.

Finally, the matter concerning Jiabao came to a complete close.

Ji Yiqing exhaled, once again realizing how small his own power was. For years, the two young men had failed to remove a petty county magistrate. Yet Jiu Yue, in just a few months, orchestrated a chain of events that toppled him completely.

The county of Qingshui was finally restored to peace. As they left the city, Ji Yiqing turned to Jiu Yue. “On behalf of the people of Qingshui County, thank you.”

Jiu Yue nodded, puzzled.

Ji Yiqing said no more. To outsiders, Jiu Yue might seem cruel and bloodthirsty, but to him, she was clear-minded, upright, and a genuinely good person.