Volume 1, Chapter 28 – You’re an Unregistered Citizen, You Can’t Get Married

In Huang Qi’s line of sight, seven or eight men in official robes entered through the main gate. Leading them was a man in his early thirties, wearing a black gauze cap and a dark blue magistrate’s robe embroidered with an exquisitely detailed mandarin duck on the chest. His strides were brisk, the hem of his robe fluttering with each step—clearly a man of decisive action.

“This must be the famously virtuous County Magistrate, Luo Guoliang.”

Huang Qi studied him curiously. The man had sharp, sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, and a clean-shaven, fair complexion. His features were chiseled and well-defined, and he stood taller than most men in Ping’an County. His handsome appearance alone was enough to win people’s favor—especially certain women.

Luo Guoliang’s expression was grave. He had just returned from a risky inspection of the rural areas, only to find that dozens of households in one village had vanished overnight.

Having wasted his trip, he was about to return to the government office to discuss countermeasures when he was met with a bizarre scene upon entering the main hall. His chief constable and several attendants knelt on the ground, bruised and battered, while a crowd of subordinates looked on.

Even more outrageous—three commoners sat nearby on chairs, two of them “sound asleep”, while the remaining veiled “village woman” sat with her legs crossed, utterly unbothered.

“What is the meaning of this? Is this a courtroom or a marketplace? What kind of disorderly conduct is this?”

Luo Guoliang’s furious roar sent his subordinates scrambling to stand at attention on either side.

“A courtroom? More like a marketplace—no, worse than one.”

Huang Qi remained seated, legs still crossed, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

“And who are you, this ‘village woman’? How dare commoners barge into the courtroom so casually? And those two ‘sleeping’ over there—don’t think you can disrespect the law like this! Defiling the courtroom is a capital offense!”

Luo Guoliang took two steps forward, his expression shifting to surprise as he noticed the “village woman’s” figure. Despite the coarse fabric of her dress, it couldn’t hide her striking, curvaceous silhouette—rare in the harsh conditions of Ping’an County.

“Oh, so defiling the courtroom is a capital offense? Then why don’t you start by beheading this Constable Wang first?”

Huang Qi replied flippantly. Though this magistrate had a sterling reputation, today’s events had left him somewhat disillusioned.

“Constable Wang, explain yourself!”

Luo Guoliang turned his glare onto the battered constable.

“I… I…”

Wang stammered, unable to form a coherent response.

“Allow me to explain.”

An uninvolved official stepped forward respectfully. “Your Honor, these three villagers are from Huatian Village. They came to register their marital status, but Constable Wang drugged the young woman in an attempt to violate her!”

“What?! How could this happen?!”

Luo Guoliang’s eyes widened in disbelief, his entire body trembling like a sieve. He stormed to the magistrate’s seat and slammed the gavel down with a loud crack!

“Wang Kai—is this true?!”

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“Your Honor, I’ve been wronged! She’s slandering me! We didn’t provoke her, yet she beat us for no reason!”

Seeing the numbers on his side, Wang suddenly found the courage to lie.

“You’re telling me several attendants lost to a single young girl?”

Luo Guoliang’s voice was thick with skepticism.

“Uh… Your Honor… That’s not the point…”

Wang awkwardly tried to deflect.

“Nonsense! If that’s not the point, what is? If you can’t even subdue one girl, what use are you to this office?!”

Luo Guoliang’s furious rebuke echoed through the hall. The instability in Ping’an County was due in no small part to these incompetent fools.

Wang shrank back, too afraid to speak further.

“You—the ‘village woman’. Do you have anything to say?”

Luo Guoliang turned back to Huang Qi.

Finally uncrossing his legs, Huang Qi stood and approached calmly, retrieving the smaller packet of drug from his robe.

“Magistrate Luo, this is the drug Constable Wang ordered a runner to slip into our tea. My in-laws are unconscious because of it—they’re not just ‘sleeping’. If you don’t believe me, have someone examine them.”

As Luo Guoliang took the drug, he paused briefly, surprised by the village woman’s height—nearly matching his own. Women of such stature were rare in Ping’an County, if not the entire Huangtian Prefecture.

Setting the matter aside for now, he inspected the drug while ordering a physician to examine the tea and Huang Qi’s parents.

“Your Honor, the tea is indeed laced with a knockout drug. These two are poisoned.”

The physician confirmed moments later.

Luo Guoliang’s breathing grew heavier. He slammed the gavel again, bellowing at Wang.

“Wang Kai! What do you have to say for yourself now?!”

“Your Honor, I’ve been framed! That’s her drug—she staged this to incriminate me!”

Wang stubbornly clung to his lie.

“Oh, so I poisoned my own… in-laws to frame you? Is this how you usually conduct investigations, ‘Chief Constable’? I’m genuinely worried for the people of this county!”

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Huang Qi’s sarcasm was razor-sharp.

“Wang Kai, how dare you lie to my face?! Isn’t this the same drug confiscated from a human trafficker just days ago? How would she have gotten her hands on it?!”

Luo Guoliang’s face flushed with rage as he hurled the drug onto the desk.

“You abused your authority and stole confiscated evidence—the audacity!”

“Th-this…”

Wang was cornered. Realizing the gravity of his situation, he dropped to his knees, begging:

“Your Honor, spare me! I was momentarily blinded by lust—I’ll never do it again!”

“Blinded by lust?”

Huang Qi shuddered at the phrase.

“Indeed, Your Honor. Perhaps it’s best to handle this discreetly. If word gets out, it could severely damage the office’s—and the court’s—reputation.”

An elderly official in green robes whispered into Luo Guoliang’s ear.

“Secretary Yuan, have you lost your senses?”

Luo Guoliang’s brows knitted together.

“As an officer of the law, he broke the very rules he swore to uphold! If I let such corruption slide, it would be the real blow to the court’s reputation!”

“Your Honor is wise!”

Secretary Yuan quickly backtracked.

“Enough! Guards—take these men to the dungeons!”

Luo Guoliang waved impatiently.

“It seems the magistrate truly is as just as the rumors say.”

Huang Qi’s expression softened slightly.

“Next, have these two poisoned villagers taken to the back for rest. Fetch a physician to examine them thoroughly.”

As his subordinates scrambled to obey, Luo Guoliang approached Huang Qi.

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“Miss… please rest in the rear courtyard as well. We’ll discuss matters once your in-laws awaken.”

“Oh? A moment ago, I was just a ‘village woman’. Now I’m a ‘miss’?”

Huang Qi’s quiet mockery carried no fear—having once been a cultivator, he held little reverence for mortal officials.

“My apologies. Today’s incident was a failure on my part. I take full responsibility.”

To his surprise, Luo Guoliang bowed deeply, his tone sincere.

Huang Qi couldn’t press further. Reluctantly, he muttered:

“Fine, I’ll forgive you. But when my in-laws wake up, don’t tell them what happened.”

“Why?”

Luo Guoliang looked puzzled.

“Do you want the whole county knowing about this?”

Huang Qi shot back irritably. The last thing he needed was his parents learning their “daughter-in-law” had beaten several attendants to a pulp. His current identity required discretion.

“Ah! Of course, of course!”

Luo Guoliang nodded eagerly—this arrangement suited him perfectly.

Before long, Huang Kairong and his wife awoke, oblivious to the earlier chaos, believing they had merely dozed off comfortably.

The family of three returned to the main hall to register Huang Qi’s marital status, with Secretary Yuan overseeing the process.

After verifying the Huang family’s details in the county records, Yuan began questioning Huang Qi.

“Name?”

“Qi Huang ¹ 齐凰 . ‘Qi’ as in orderly, ‘Huang’ as in phoenix.”

“Place of origin?”

“Huangtian Prefecture, Huangtian County, Western Radiance Dynasty.”

Huang Qi had prepared his backstory well, answering smoothly—until:

“Father’s name?”

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“Ch— No, no… Cheng Yuan.”

“Mother’s name?”

“Jiang… Jiang Linian.”

Cold sweat broke out on Huang Qi’s back. He knew hesitation would raise suspicion, so he instinctively blurted out the names of his dream-world parents.

Secretary Yuan’s eyes narrowed.

“Can you remove your veil?”

“Why?”

Huang Qi tensed. Unlike commoners, officials might recognize Cheng Hongling’s face—he couldn’t risk exposure.

“For marital registration, we must verify your identity and age. You sound quite young—if you’re underage, we officials must answer to your parents.”

Yuan’s reasoning was airtight.

‘Damn, he’s got a point. Can’t argue with that.’

Huang Qi forced his tone to soften.

“Apologies, my face is swollen. I’d rather not show it.”

“Yes, yes! Our daughter-in-law just had her wisdom teeth removed. Young women care about their appearance—surely you understand, Your Honor?”

Li Fen quickly interjected.

“Then your identification plaque? You must have that.”

The identification plaque was a personal record issued by the Western Radiance Dynasty, bearing the holder’s name, origin, and a rough sketch of their features.

Huang Qi’s heart pounded. As an unregistered “black household,” he had no such thing. Still, he feigned calm.

“Sorry, I left it at home.”

Secretary Yuan set down his brush slowly.

“Then I’m afraid, as an unregistered citizen, you cannot marry.”