Prime Minister.

Chapter 101, Section 100: [Feigning Compliance]

The moment Jiang Sheng made his move, Wu Qiong, the head of the express patrol in Linqing County, knew he had kicked a hornet's nest.

Regardless of the strength of their martial arts skills, the ruthlessness with which he attacked without hesitation despite knowing the identities of the officials, and the calm expression of the young man's attendant, were enough to prove that these outsiders were very powerful and at least did not take the Linqing County government seriously.

Wu Qiong's expression shifted uncertainly. At this moment, in addition to the disaster victims, more and more people were gathering outside. If he didn't handle the situation well, he would definitely be in trouble with the county magistrate.

But having witnessed Jiang Sheng's skill and domineering presence, he dared not make a move, and could only forcefully shout, "How dare you attack the officials!"

Jiang Sheng looked to the side and then questioned Xue Huai. He certainly wouldn't reveal his identity without the person's consent.

“Even government officials cannot harm people without cause; he brought this upon himself, however—”

Xue Huai glanced at the constables lying on the ground and said calmly, "We can go with you to the county government office to clarify things."

There were too many disaster victims here, and many onlookers as well. Xue Huai was unwilling to have a violent conflict with a group of constables. If it turned into a large-scale riot, that would definitely be the outcome he didn't want to see.

Most importantly, the current squad leader can't make any decisions. If Xue Huai wants to resolve the difficulties of Cui Shiqi and the disaster victims as soon as possible, the only way is to go directly to the local official.

Wu Qiong clearly hadn't expected Xue Huai to have this attitude. He had originally prepared to hold on while sending people to fetch reinforcements.

He was naturally eager to go to the county government office, but he was not at ease at the moment because the other party was still calm and composed, which meant that even in the county government office, the other party had enough confidence to face the county magistrate.

With this in mind, Wu Qiong had someone help the constables up from the ground, and then said to Xue Huai, "Alright, sir, come with us."

Now that Wu Qiong realized Xue Huai was a tough opponent, he naturally didn't dare to boss him around.

Xue Huai turned to Cui Shiqi and said, "Doctor Cui, would you like to come along? We can also take care of your family's pharmacy business at the same time."

He had put it so clearly, how could Cui Shiqi not understand?
"Thank you, sir."

Cui Shiqi bowed respectfully.

Xue Huai nodded slightly, then gestured for Wu Qiong and the others to lead the way.

Throughout the entire ordeal, he never visited the disaster victims, nor did he make any promises in public.

The Linqing County Government Office is not far from this open space, just west of Daning Temple. You only need to pass through Jieyuan Hutong, Zhoukou Street and Xinkai Street.

The county government office faces south and adopts a typical government office layout with a central axis symmetry and three-tiered steps. However, compared to ordinary county government offices, the Linqing County Government Office occupies a larger area, which also reflects the wealth of this important canal town.

The group bypassed the screen wall and entered the ceremonial gate, then arrived at the main hall of the county government office.

At this moment, Yan Baoyong, the magistrate of Linqing County, who had already received the report, sat upright behind his desk, with a middle-aged advisor standing beside him.

Yan Baoyong was thirty-eight years old at the time. At that age, he was only a county magistrate, which seemed to indicate that his career was not going smoothly. However, this was not the case. Firstly, Linqing was a top-tier county, and the county magistrate was a sixth-rank official. Secondly, Yan Baoyong was only a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination). The fact that he was able to hold onto this lucrative position was enough to show that he was either highly capable or had someone promoting him.

He had a square jaw, a broad forehead, and deep-set eyes like pools. His lips drooped down and he had three strands of black beard. He sat upright like a pine tree with a straight spine, without the hunched back of a typical scholar-official.

"Chief Wu, what happened?"

Yan Baoyong's solemn gaze swept over Xue Huai and the others, and he was immediately surprised. With his experience in officialdom, he could naturally see that Xue Huai's composure was not a pretense, but a calmness that could only be cultivated through long experience.

Upon realizing this, he abandoned his plan to intimidate the other party first and decided to find out the truth of the matter first.

Wu Qiong dared not be careless and told the whole story in detail.

Yan Baoyong's expression remained unchanged, but the more he listened, the more frightened he became.

The messenger who delivered the message earlier gave a vague account. Yan Baoyong only knew that Wu Qiong and others went to Cui Shiqi to ask for the shop, but they were obstructed by several outsiders, who even assaulted and injured the messenger.

After hearing Wu Qiong's account, Yan Baoyong finally understood what had happened.

Looking again at the composed Xue Huai, Yan Baoyong softened his tone and asked, "Who are you? What brings you to Linqing?"

Xue Huai said calmly, "The newly appointed Assistant Prefect of Yangzhou is Xue Huai."

There was sudden silence in the hall.

The middle-aged advisor standing beside Yan Baoyong suddenly widened his eyes, then looked at his benefactor in a panic.

Wu Qiong and the other county officials thought they had misheard, especially the injured constable who had been whining and asking the county magistrate to intervene. Upon hearing Xue Huai's words, he immediately shut his mouth, his body trembling slightly, and he involuntarily tried to hide behind someone.

The thought that he had almost smashed the scabbard into Xue Huai's face filled him with immense fear.

Since entering the county government hall, Cui Shiqi had stood in a corner like a ghost until Xue Huai revealed his identity, at which point he showed some surprise, and hope appeared in his eyes. Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the hall.

The next moment, Yan Baoyong strode up to Xue Huai and bowed, saying, "Prefect Xue, it is an honor for me to visit my humble county. I have failed to greet you properly and hope you will forgive me!"

Xue Huai said calmly, "Magistrate Yan, there's no need for such formalities. I am just passing through your area on my way south to assume my post. I apologize for the inconvenience."

"Your Excellency is too kind. I was unaware of this beforehand, which led to my subordinates making such a rash move."

Yan Baoyong was extremely decisive. He immediately turned to Wu Qiong and scolded, "How dare you be so disrespectful to the Prefect! Kneel down and apologize!"

Wu Qiong and the other officials turned pale, realizing that the magistrate was trying to smooth things over for them. They immediately disregarded their dignity and knelt down to kowtow to Xue Huai, begging for forgiveness.

"It's just a misunderstanding, Magistrate Yan, there's no need for that."

Xue Huai waved his hand and changed the subject, saying, "This little matter is insignificant, and I have no intention of interfering in the affairs of Linqing County. However, I have a few words to say."

Yan Baoyong's eyes darted around, glancing at Cui Shiqi not far away. He quickly made up his mind and said with a forced smile, "You mean the pharmacy owned by Doctor Cui? Actually, it's all a misunderstanding. I sent that fool Wu Qiong to invite Doctor Cui just to clarify this matter. From now on, the pharmacy is Doctor Cui's private property, and no one is allowed to covet it! Please rest assured, Your Excellency, as long as I am still in charge of Linqing, I will absolutely not allow anyone to forcibly seize other people's private property."

Jiang Sheng and his guards felt contempt, thinking to themselves that this county magistrate really had a dog's face.

"I see. It seems I misunderstood."

Xue Huai smiled slightly, then looked at Cui Shiqi and asked, "Doctor Cui, are you relieved?"

Cui Shiqi understood the deeper meaning in Xue Huai's eyes and stepped forward, saying, "Prefect Xue, Magistrate Yan, I only want to treat the sick and save lives. I am not good at running a business. I originally thought of reselling the shop to Master Wu for three thousand taels of silver, but I don't know if he is willing to accept it."

"How could he not agree?"

Yan Baoyong laughed, glanced at Wu Qiong, and said, "Why don't you hurry up and invite Master Wu here? Tell him to bring the silver notes!"

Wu Qiong inwardly grumbled, but outwardly dared not hesitate and quickly accepted the order and left.

Yan Baoyong then invited Xue Huai into the inner hall and said with utmost respect, "To be honest, Your Excellency, although I am far from the capital, I have heard of your great reputation. In the case of corruption in the Ministry of Works, you assisted the Grand Minister of Works in eliminating the villains. During the imperial examinations, you single-handedly created a fair and just environment for thousands of candidates. Such achievements are too numerous to recount. Your Excellency has repeatedly made meritorious contributions at such a young age, and you are truly a role model for us officials."

"Brother Yan, you flatter me."

Xue Huai followed him into the inner hall, discreetly observing the interior environment. He wondered how many private interests in the canal transport were hidden among those exquisite furnishings.

After the two sat down, Yan Baoyong showered Xue Huai with compliments as if they were free, praising him to the skies. Xue Huai, however, simply smiled and humbly declined the compliments.

"Brother Yan, what's the situation with those disaster victims outside Daning Temple?"

Xue Huai took a sip of tea and asked the question as if it were nothing.

Yan Baoyong immediately tensed up and hurriedly explained, "Your Excellency, these disaster victims fled from Wei County in the west. They should have been provided with relief by Wei County, but they claimed that whoever's territory the victims were currently in should be responsible for them. What kind of logic is that? I felt sorry for the victims and couldn't bear to drive them out, so I had no choice but to let them stay in the city. I have already sent someone to the prefectural city to report to the prefect and request that the prefect write a document to the magistrate of Wei County, but there is still no decision yet, alas..."

Xue Huai nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "Brother Yan's compassion is admirable. However, these disaster victims are all citizens of Great Yan. We can't just stand by and watch them starve and die of disease. In my humble opinion, it would be better to settle them down first, at least to give them a roof over their heads and food to fill their stomachs. Compared to the indifference shown in Wei County, wouldn't it be more meaningful for Brother Yan to lend a helping hand?"

Yan Baoyong held this young magistrate in even higher regard.

From Wu Qiong's statement, he already knew that Xue Huai had not revealed his identity or made any promises to the disaster victims based on his official position.

In other words, since the other party is making a private request rather than using his power to intimidate people, the relief of the disaster victims is still Yan Baoyong's achievement. Most importantly, this Xue Tongzhi has a strong background in the court. If he can say a few good words for him in the future, wouldn't he have a chance to rise to prominence?

Upon thinking of this, Yan Baoyong suppressed his excitement and said without hesitation, "Don't worry, sir, I will make the arrangements immediately and ensure that the disaster victims are resettled."

"Brother Yan, you love the people so much, I'm sure the court will see your achievements."

Xue Huai gave a seemingly plausible but ultimately unconvincing compliment.

Yan Baoyong's smile grew even wider, and he wanted to arrange a banquet to welcome Xue Huai, but Xue Huai politely declined.

"The imperial court has given me forty days to take up my post, and I cannot afford to be delayed on the road for too long."

Xue Huai smiled, stood up and said, "Brother Yan, we'll meet again someday."

"This humble servant will escort you to the dock."

"Brother Yan, please wait, there's important business ahead."

Xue Huai turned and walked away, the faint smile on his face quickly fading, leaving only a cold and solemn expression.

(End of this chapter)