The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 828 - 806: Different Ideals Five

Chapter 828: Chapter 806: Different Ideals Five

County Magistrate Tang shook his finger and said, "No, no, no, this is not changing the subject. This is the very topic I wanted to discuss with you."

"As friends, I think it’s quite necessary to talk with you about this. These longstanding grudges only exist temporarily, and now you are just 12 or 13 years old, at the beginning of your lives. There’s no need to spend your whole life focusing on them, so I want to ask, what do you want to do in the future?"

County Magistrate Tang added, "Regardless of whether this case can be solved, there must be something you always want to pursue, right?"

Manbao asked, "Does Lord Tang also have such a commitment?"

County Magistrate Tang nodded and said, "Yes."

He thought for a moment and then said, "Well, I grew up motherless, and my father was rather gentle, so I was very attached to him. At that time, he was an official at the Ministry of Justice, so he always took me there with him, managing work while looking after me."

Bai Shan was surprised, "The officials at the Ministry of Justice agreed to your father bringing a child to work?"

County Magistrate Tang laughed and said, "The former emperor had agreed, so naturally, the officials agreed as well."

County Magistrate Tang didn’t elaborate on why the former emperor would agree to such a bizarre arrangement, then continued, "That’s where I began my studies, looking at the cases in the Ministry of Justice, and I frequently listened to my father handling cases. Great Jin is vast, extending from Kucha in the west to Dengzhou in the east, from Huihe in the north to Yazhou in the south, and I might not be able to travel throughout Great Jin in my lifetime. At the age of twelve, I toured the realm with my father, which took five years and involved solving seventy-eight difficult local cases, thirteen of which were wrongful accusations. Behind every single case, there are at least two families affected."

County Magistrate Tang looked at them and said, "What I don’t see, I can’t manage; but if I do see, no matter how difficult, I will intervene. It doesn’t matter if it involves the Prince of Yizhou or my friends."

"Zhangbo, on the other hand, has even purer aspirations. He simply wants to manage the welfare of the people, to become a marquis, a chancellor, and to be remembered through the ages. What about you?"

Manbao replied, "I don’t know why, but listening to you talk about County Magistrate Yang’s ideal, it always feels somewhat vulgar. Did you do that on purpose?"

"No, tell me what you want to do in the future? Have you not thought about it?"

"Of course, I have," said Manbao eagerly. "I want to travel all over Great Jin, see every creature in the world, and also become a divine doctor like Bian Que and Hua Tuo."

County Magistrate Tang gave her a thumbs up and praised, "Great aspiration, though it’s somewhat difficult. The latter is manageable; Doctor Ji mentioned that you are exceptionally intelligent and your medical skills are improving. But the former, do you know how vast this world is, how many creatures are out there?"

Manbao shook her head, "I know. I’ve always been reading geography books, but unfortunately, there are no maps. If there were maps to refer to, things would be much clearer."

County Magistrate Tang widened his eyes, "You also want to look at maps? I haven’t even seen the complete map of Great Jin many times."

Manbao had found many maps and star charts in the encyclopedia center. Keke said that there were even clearer electronic maps, 3D projections, etc., that could be used as guides, clear enough to show every shop on the street and even every puddle on the road.

Of course, they couldn’t achieve this now, but, "Why don’t we print out maps to sell? At least we should let the people of Great Jin know from where to where their country extends, right?"

"Hmm, whether the common people know or not I’m not sure, but spies from other countries might know very clearly. I only saw the complete map of Great Jin a few times by riding on my father’s coattails. You are still thinking about selling them in large quantities, what are you thinking?"

County Magistrate Tang decided not to engage with her any further, turning to Bai Shan, "What about you, what do you want to do in the future?"

Bai Shan stated, "To clear my father’s name!"

County Magistrate Tang then sighed, "I’ve already said this is just a case, a brief period you have to experience in your life. Making it your life’s goal... what then after the case is solved, if your father’s innocence is proven, or if your father is actually not innocent?"

"He is currently known as the county magistrate who died fighting bandits and was awarded by the government, but if something else that could damage his reputation is found..."

Bai Shan’s face turned pale as he asked, "Do you suspect my father?"

County Magistrate Tang responded, "It’s just a hypothesis, and because you are my friend and still young, I discuss so much with you."

Replaced by anyone else, he would just concern himself with investigating his own cases. How could he possibly worry about them being hurt in the future and come to talk about life ideals prematurely?

County Magistrate Tang bluntly broke it to him, "Bai Shan, I have seen many cases and solved many as well, including unnatural cases where a father kills a son or a son kills a father. I just want to tell you, no one should live on behalf of someone else, spending a lifetime for someone else. You should have your own ideals, your own aspirations, your own goals."

"I remember you once said you wanted to fulfill your father’s dying wishes. Is that to follow your father’s wishes completely? Don’t you have your own desires?"

Bai Shan remained silent.

Manbao, sensing the tense atmosphere between them, softly suggested to Bai Shan, "Ask the teacher when you get back."

Thinking of Mr. Zhuang, County Magistrate Tang smiled and said, "Yes, go back and ask your teacher what he thinks."

Bai Shan, with a stern face, said, "Let’s return to the case at hand. Isn’t the most pressing matter to investigate my father’s case?"

"That’s not very urgent," County Magistrate Tang replied. "I haven’t been to your house yet to see what your father left behind, so there isn’t much about the case to discuss with you now."

County Magistrate Tang paused, then added, "I just find it very strange that, after the breaking of the Jianwei Canal dyke, why would someone go to great lengths to find someone who has been missing for ten years?"

Bai Shan knew he was referring to the three people who had come to Qili Village four years ago looking for Zhou Yin and said, "At that time, the incident had just occurred, and Lord Wei was still gathering evidence. They might have been afraid that the evidence my father held was detrimental to them."

Lord Tang nodded, "That’s one reason, but now, why is your grandmother still so afraid of someone coming to the door? In the Jianwei Canal case, including the Prince of Yizhou, all were punished."

He turned to Bai Shan and continued, "So, I suspect that the evidence your father held was not only about the construction of the Jianwei Canal or involved more than just the Jianwei Canal. In the third year of Dazhen, your father had only been in office just over a year, what kind of evidence could he have had that would cause such relentless pursuit?"

Bai Shan didn’t reply.

Lord Tang said, "I will write to Zhangbo to have him look for Lord Wei in the capital."

He paused and then looked at Manbao, his expression kinder as he smiled, "Your mother was probably from Shangzhou. The death notice was arranged by Lord Wei, who is always thorough in his actions. Even if he were to fabricate it, it would still contain some truth. I will verify this when I return and can also help investigate whether your mother still has any living relatives."

The main thing, however, was to confirm this case, eliminate Zhou Yin and his wife from suspicion, and then focus on investigating the case of Bai Qi.