Lord County Magistrate was shocked at the moment and quickly asked County Captain Jiang, "Is this true? Then why didn't you say it earlier? Instead, you said it was your son-in-law's idea?"
County Captain Jiang sighed and said, "For your lordship, this is a meritorious deed, but for a boy from a farmer's family, proposing such an idea is potential disaster. It was he who begged my son-in-law not to tell the lord, fearing that if others learn it was his idea, those removed village chiefs would trouble his family."
County Magistrate Xu pressed on, "Do you mean to say it was the young man's own wish to keep it secret?"
County Captain Jiang nodded affirmatively, "Precisely. My son-in-law and I originally intended to keep it a secret for him for a lifetime, but then we thought it inappropriate to hide it from your lordship and told you the truth, hoping for your forgiveness."
