Xu Zitian knew that he was only able to become this County Magistrate because his mentor had pulled strings for him. Otherwise, with the Xu family's fortunes already in decline, who knew how long it would have taken him to be assigned an official post? It could have taken an eternity.
He had always kept this favor in his heart. He also knew his mentor most despised those who picked sides too early or got involved in court factional struggles, so he dared not disappoint him. So what if he offended the Third Prince now? As long as the Third Prince was not the Crown Prince and had not ascended the throne, Xu Zitian would not pledge his loyalty.
"If you can't produce evidence, who's to say you aren't a spy sent by an enemy state to sow chaos in our dynasty? His Highness the Third Prince is of noble status; why would he come to hold his own subjects accountable over a mere criminal?"
