After half a day, Emily Thompson let out a muffled groan and stirred slightly. The woman hurriedly pulled the cloth bag off his head. Emily Thompson slowly opened his eyes, and by the dim light, a tear-streaked face appeared before him. He could just make out—she, she was actually Lily. Emily Thompson felt a spasm run through his whole body, and suddenly, he fainted dead away.

Chapter Seven: The County Magistrate

When he opened his eyes again, it was already daylight. The room was filled with the scent of medicine. Emily Thompson felt as if his head was splitting and his whole body was falling apart, unable to move at all. He struggled to turn his neck and saw Lily crouched in a corner, rapidly fanning the fire under the medicine pot. Sensing something, she turned her head and saw Emily Thompson's two blackened, panda-like eyes looking at her. Overjoyed, Lily couldn't help but exclaim, "Young master, you're awake!"

Emily Thompson swallowed with difficulty and was about to ask something, but Lily interrupted him with a giggle: "You must be wondering how you got back, right? I couldn't move you by myself, but just then Charles Bolton came back, so together we carried you home." She struck a pose as if dragging a pig, bending over with laughter, but then suddenly remembered how, when she helped him onto the bed, he had brushed against her body. Her face flushed, and she shot him a glare.

"Does the madam know?" Emily Thompson's voice was muffled, a tooth missing, making him sound a bit airy.

"Not yet, but Luke Bolton has already been here and even called for a doctor. He said it's just superficial injuries, and you'll be fine after a few days of rest." She glanced at the sky outside and added, "Once it's fully light, Luke Bolton will naturally go and report to the madam."

Seeing her red, swollen eyes, Emily Thompson realized she had been crying and felt a touch of emotion. Though she could be a bit flirtatious, she was warm and sincere to people. If she hadn't called for help in time last night, he might really have perished in the Tang Dynasty.

"Did you see the attackers clearly?"

Lily's smile suddenly faded. She recognized one of them as the cook from the household; the others were probably local ruffians. That cook had come as part of the second wife's dowry and was a trusted aide of Frank Bolton. The reason behind all this was self-evident.

"One of them seemed to be Henry Bolton." After a moment's hesitation, she said it.

Emily Thompson sneered inwardly. He knew without being told that it was Frank Bolton's doing, and suspected it also involved Benjamin Bolton's concubine. The image of those resentful, venomous eyes flashed before him.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached, and the door was flung open. Mrs. Bolton burst in like a whirlwind, followed by Mr. Bolton, panting, sweat already visible at his temples.

"Are you all right?" She saw the smile in Emily Thompson's eyes and felt a bit relieved.

"Fortunately, it wasn't too long, and I owe my life to Miss Lily's timely arrival." Lily had already retreated to the doorway, intending to slip away quietly, but hearing Emily Thompson mention her name, she had to stop.

Mrs. Bolton frowned, lifted a corner of Emily Thompson's quilt, and, upon closer inspection, cried out in shock, "Heavens! How could they be so vicious!" Bruises and dark purple marks stretched from his waist and abdomen down to his legs, and with the yellow-white ointment smeared over them, it looked even worse than a terminal illness.

Furious, Mrs. Bolton turned and fixed Lily with a sharp, knife-like gaze, demanding, "Speak! Who did this?"

"I—I didn't see clearly. They all ran into the woods. It seemed they weren't from our household."

Lily felt a pang of guilt. She stole a glance at the master, saw his gloomy, silent face, and grew even more afraid, not daring to tell the truth.

Mrs. Bolton narrowed her eyes slightly, but Lily's subtle expression did not escape her notice. She sneered inwardly, recalling the events of the previous night.

"Master! Never mind that Young Master Thompson is our guest—just the fact that this happened at our own gate means we can't shirk responsibility. My opinion is, we must report this to the authorities!"

"Report it to the authorities?" Mr. Bolton was bewildered. He didn't know the ins and outs, only feeling that reporting to the authorities seemed a bit excessive. But since his wife was in charge at home, her consulting him was just to save face in front of Emily Thompson.

"Mm! Very well. Once the culprits are caught, they should pay for the medicine and doctor's fees too."

The magistrate of Yilong County, Samuel Lewis, had passed the imperial examination in the twenty-second year of the Kaiyuan era, ranking second class. He had first served several years as a court official in the Ministry of Agriculture, and later, through connections, secured the actual post of county magistrate. This promotion had taught him a key lesson in life: it's good to have a powerful backer. In officialdom, the first thing you need is a patron. Upon arriving in Yilong County, he set his sights on the influential Xianyu family in the neighboring county—after all, wasn't the Xianyu brothers' sister married right here in Yilong?

That day, someone from the The Bolton Residence reported the case at the yamen. Samuel Lewis dared not be negligent and personally came to The Bolton Residence to investigate. He learned that it was the young master's tutor who had been beaten just outside the back gate of The Bolton Residence, and the assailants had fled. Samuel Lewis immediately realized this was a case with no leads; there would be no result, but his attitude had to be proper.

"Afterwards, did Young Master Thompson lose anything? I mean gold, silver, jewelry, or money."

"Not a single coin," Emily Thompson replied, while his eyes kept sizing up the first Tang Dynasty county official he had ever seen. The man wore a headscarf, a light green silk robe with crossed lapels, and a silver belt at his waist. He was nearly forty, with three long wisps of beard under his chin, and his every gesture carried a touch of elegance.