After the family split up, I achieved martial arts sainthood.

The word "take care of" clearly has a hidden meaning.

Gu Xin smiled calmly, as if he hadn't noticed anything, and met Zhao Kuo's teasing gaze, replying, "I will remember Zhao's kindness and repay him properly."

His so-called remembrance and repayment are hardly anything positive.

Zhao Kuo understood, his eyes suddenly turned cold and sharp, and he gave Gu Xin a deep look.

But he didn't say anything more and turned to leave.

The group of people behind them dared not linger and followed.

Upon seeing this, Liu Ke's original team grabbed him and tried to leave with him.

Did I tell you to leave?

Upon seeing this, Gu Xin's smile vanished, and he looked at Liu Ke's team, asking them in a cold voice.

This……

Upon hearing this, the soap makers from Liu Ke's team all changed their expressions drastically, and their breathing became heavy.

Zhao Kuo, who was leading the team away, stopped and looked back at Gu Xin, then smiled and said, "I have a mission to assign, and everyone is to follow orders. Does Captain Gu have a problem?"

He bypassed his superiors and used the excuse of a mission to take away Liu Ke's team.

This directly leaves Gu Xin, like Chen Tong, as a commander without any troops.

So what if you sit in this position?

Without my permission, you will still be unable to move an inch and will be nothing.

Upon seeing this, Chen Tong's face darkened. Zhao Kuo's actions were not only making things difficult for Gu Xin, but also slapping him in the face.

Gu Xin was someone he arranged; making things difficult for Gu Xin is making things difficult for him.

He couldn't help but snort coldly, wanting to retort in kind.

"Of course there's a problem!"

But Gu Xin smiled calmly and retorted without fear.

"Do you have a problem?"

Zhao Kuo's face darkened, and his gaze toward Gu Xin became fierce.

Gu Xin stood ramrod straight, his smile unchanged, and pointed at Liu Ke, whose arms were both broken, with a light laugh: "No matter who it is, if they want to move any of my people, they have to ask for my permission first. Otherwise, if anyone dares to go, well, this is what will happen to them."

Gu Xin ignored Zhao Kuo and instead looked at Liu Ke's team with a light laugh.

The meaning of "threat and intimidation" is obvious.

Swish swish!

In an instant, the faces of Liu Ke's gang of soap makers changed drastically, and they all became panicked.

Both pairs of eyes looked at Gu Xin, and all of them became fearful.

They dared not doubt for a moment that Gu Xin was just talking.

"Threatening your men in front of me, Captain Gu, isn't that going a bit too far?"

Zhao Kuo clenched his fists, his eyes turning cold.

"How I discipline my men is my business, not for Chief Zhao to worry about."

Gu Xin remained smiling, responding with neither arrogance nor servility.

This attitude is enough to demonstrate his resoluteness.

Zhao Kuo gave Gu Xin a cold look, knowing that Gu Xin's stance would not be compromised with him.

At this moment, Chen Tong was watching him intently from the side, so even though he wanted to lose his temper, he didn't dare to act rashly.

If he dares to make a move, Chen Tong would definitely not mind taking this opportunity to smash his dog's head.

"Alright! I've got Captain Gu's words in mind!"

After a moment of silence, Zhao Kuo had no choice but to grit his teeth, snort coldly, suppress his anger, and turn to leave.

Zhao Kuo's group left with him, leaving Liu Ke and his group standing there, trembling with fear, unease, and helplessness.

"Throw this man out of the government office!"

Gu Xin glanced indifferently at Liu Ke's team, pointed at Liu Ke, and gave instructions.

Liu Ke's team was small, consisting of only six people.

The Qingyuan County government's brigade consisted of three teams, each with six members.

The total number of people officially registered in the soap-making class was only about twenty.

There is one squad leader and three team leaders.

Faced with Gu Xin's instructions, the six constables dared not neglect their duties. They quickly left the county government office, their faces flushed with grief and indignation.

The front courtyard of the county government office quickly fell silent, leaving only Gu Xin and Chen Tong behind.

"Well done!"

Chen Tong gave a thumbs-up in praise, quite pleased with Gu Xin's performance.

Gu Xin's actions today have allowed him to finally hold his head high.

"From now on, we'll have to rely on you, adults!"

Gu Xin glanced at Chen Tong and smiled, his words carrying a hidden meaning.

"Go ahead and do it. If there are any obstacles, I'll step in!"

Chen Tong patted Gu Xin on the shoulder and made a solemn promise.

In the past, he was alone and unable to manage everything. He could defend against those above him, but not those below, and he couldn't take care of both ends.

Now he only needs to keep a close eye on what's above him, and he can leave all the work below to Gu Xin, which undoubtedly reduces his pressure considerably.

What's more, he has now brought in powerful external support.

"good!"

Gu Xin nodded happily, then he would go all out.

"What are you planning to do?"

Looking at Gu Xin, who seemed confident, Chen Tong couldn't help but ask curiously.

"I don't have many ideas at the moment. The first step is to consolidate my power."

Gu Xin shook his head and smiled, without engaging in any grand pronouncements.

It will not be easy to put Chen Tong in power and make him a true bigwig in Qingyuan County.

The combined blockade by the four major clans is not so easy to break.

If you want to do those things, you must first have a solid foundation.

Only after establishing a firm foothold in the county government can one take the initiative to do other things.

"OK!"

Without further ado, Chen Tong said, "Let's go, I'll show you around the county government office."

Gu Xin didn't refute anymore and followed Chen Tong around the county government office.

During this time, Chen Tong also introduced Gu Xin to the current situation of the Qingyuan County government office.

There are currently four high-ranking officials in the Qingyuan County government office.

Besides County Lieutenant Chen Tong, there were also County Magistrate Tian Zheng, County Assistant County Magistrate Guo Yong, and Chief Clerk Yu Xie.

Tian Zheng was also an outsider, a scholar who passed the imperial examination, and came from a prominent family in Jingzhou.

Jingzhou, one of the thirteen states under heaven, was named after the capital of the Sheng Kingdom.

County Magistrate Guo Yong and Chief Clerk Yu Xie were both locals from Qingyuan County.

Among them, Guo Yong was the brother-in-law of the head of the Qian family, one of the four major clans in Qingyuan County, and Yu Xie was the brother-in-law of the concubine of the head of the Hu family, another of the four major clans.

Besides the four high-ranking officials who need attention, the power hubs within the county government, such as the Three Offices and Six Departments, and the City Guard Division, also need to be taken seriously.

The three classes refer to the fast class, the soap class, and the strong class.

The "Quick Class" refers to the constables, who are mainly responsible for arresting criminals, apprehending thieves, investigating cases, and pursuing murderers.

When they had free time, they would also be responsible for collecting taxes and patrolling at night.

The soap-making team was mainly responsible for standing guard, protecting the hall, and administering punishments with canes.

His position is similar to that of a bailiff in Gu Xin's previous life.

The guards were responsible for guarding warehouses and prisons, as well as escorting criminals and transporting tax grain.

According to the rules of Sheng State, the authority of the Third Class was under the jurisdiction of the County Commandant.

However, the leaders of the third shift were all from the four major clans. Without the approval of the four major clans, the third shift refused to cooperate, leaving Chen Tong as a commander without any real power.

The six offices refer to the offices of officials, households, rites, military, criminal justice, and public works.

The authority over the six offices rested with the county magistrate and the registrar.

In addition, there is the City Guard Division, which should also be the department under the jurisdiction of the County Commandant.

Now it is under the jurisdiction of the county magistrate.

Magistrate Tian Zheng was not involved in politics and was happy to be highly respected by the four major clans, so he became a hands-off manager, allowing Assistant Magistrate Guo Yong and Registrar Yu Xie to hold all the power.

This also meant that the City Guard was still effectively controlled by the four major clans.

Under such circumstances, even with his exceptional personal abilities, Chen Tong faced immense difficulties in the county government.

His orders never leave the government office.

Even after leaving the government office, the subordinates either outwardly comply but inwardly defy them, or simply ignore them altogether.

As a result, Chen Tong held office for several years but had no prestige whatsoever.

In recent years, he has tried to break the deadlock and has recruited many people.

Unfortunately, those people either had courage but lacked the strength, and ultimately died tragically in the streets.

They either had the strength but lacked the courage, ultimately succumbing to the intimidation of the four major clans and turning against them.

Even those with strength and courage are rarely able to withstand the ruthless methods of the four major clans, and ultimately fall into depravity.

Even if Chen Tong occasionally gains momentum, the four major clans will join forces with County Magistrate Tian Zheng to suppress him in one fell swoop.

In short, it is extremely difficult to make a name for yourself here.

"This is the current situation at the county government. How about it? Doesn't it make you feel pressured?"

After Chen Tong explained the situation at the county government office, he looked at Gu Xinxiao and asked him a question.

He had previously won over many people, but most of them backed out after learning about the situation in the county government.

One by one, they slunk away, never daring to set foot there again.

"You've worked hard, sir!"

Gu Xin clasped his hands in a fist salute, feeling a surge of admiration for Chen Tong.

Despite the extremely difficult situation, Chen Tong remained true to his original aspirations and persevered in his attempt to break the deadlock.

This kind of perseverance and willpower is not something that ordinary people possess.

Gu Xin suddenly understood why the Qinglin Gang could act with impunity.

There is absolutely no law or reason here.

More accurately, the legal system is in the hands of a minority.

"Want to quit?"

Chen Tong looked at Gu Xin and asked with a teasing smile.

quit?

Gu Xin shook his head and smiled: "I once heard a saying that I might share with the adults."

"What did you say?"

"The law cannot yield to illegality."

"Good! Well said! The law cannot yield to illegality!"

Chen Tong immediately clapped his hands in admiration, and his gaze toward Gu Xin showed even greater favor.

"Gu Xin, keep up the good work! Later, I'll introduce you to a high-ranking official."