The First Military God of the Border

"Brother Lin, are you here for a drink?"

"No, no, I came here specifically to see you, sir."

The two walked side by side, chatting happily.

Song Qingyan was used to it, but this scene was quite a big deal in the eyes of Hu Ning and the others.

Qiu Mingyuan was the third-in-command of the county government, and in terms of official rank, he was even above the judicial officer.

But now, I'm chatting so amiably with a hunter, like we've been old friends for years.

"Brother Lin, please have a seat."

Lin Hui sat down, pretending to know nothing, and asked, "Lord Qiu, what are you doing here?"

"Here's the thing, someone has complained to the county government that there's something wrong with Shiweitian's wine, and the magistrate has asked me to come and see what's going on."

Lin Hui nodded: "Oh, I heard there's a lot of wine here, and business is booming. There shouldn't be any problems, right?"

"I can't help it, there are cases, so I have to deal with them."

"Hmm, Lord Qiu, I understand. You're not using someone as a pawn, are you?" He glanced casually at Hu Ning as he spoke.

"The Thirty Mile Red liquor offered by Shiweitian Restaurant is the best strong liquor I've ever tasted. Most importantly, after the county magistrate tasted it, he said it was the best strong liquor in Linjiang County. He's even planning to write a sign for Boss Song to hang up."

Even though no sign was written, Qiu Mingyuan believed that Lin Hui could retrieve it from the county government office right now.

The atmosphere instantly became extremely eerie.

The most surprised person was Hu Ning. Even if he was stupid, he could understand that Lin Hui knew the county magistrate and had a very good relationship with him.

What should I do?

Hu Ning pondered a solution. Although he had a powerful patron who held military power, with the Northern Wilderness now advancing south, Cheng Wuyou couldn't possibly care about him.

Moreover, even if Cheng Wuyou were here right now, he wouldn't dare to confront the county magistrate head-on. Although the county magistrate is only a seventh-rank official, he has the final say on everything, big and small, in the county.

At this moment, Qiu Mingyuan no longer cared about accepting Hu Ning's money.

"Brother Lin, it's all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding."

"Since even the county magistrate praises Thirty Mile Red wine so highly, then the person drinking it must have a problem with their stomach, not the wine itself!"

Qiu Mingyuan's heart skipped a beat. Lin Hui had made his point very clear; now it was up to him to decide what to do.

Qiu Mingyuan's eyes darted around, and he chuckled, "Brother Lin, you're absolutely right, you're absolutely right."

He turned to Song Qingyan and said with a forced smile, "Boss Song, I was being presumptuous today. Someone, apologize to Boss Song."

The constables who had come with Qiu Mingyuan looked at each other, and finally An Shirong was the first to step forward: "Boss Song, we were blind to your greatness and offended you. Please don't take offense."

"Brother Lin, since there's nothing else here, I'll be taking my leave now. Next time you're at the county office, you must come and find me, Brother Lin. I'll have ten years' worth of fine wine ready for you."

Lin Hui clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Lord Qiu, you're too kind. Next time the magistrate invites me for a drink, I'll definitely invite Lord Qiu along."

"Alright, alright, alright, Brother Lin, I've decided to be your friend."

"Thank you for your kind offer, Lord Qiu."

Lin Hui suddenly changed the subject: "But Lord Qiu, since there are no problems at Shiweitian, I wonder if the situation is the same at Shuangji?"

Qiu Mingyuan was stunned; he hadn't expected Lin Hui's revenge to come so quickly.

"Lord Qiu, the Northern Wilderness army is now very close. The front lines are fighting a bloody battle. Food, weapons, and especially military pay are crucial to the morale of the border troops. If the taxes from the rear are insufficient, things could go wrong."

"Brother Lin is right. We must not let the soldiers on the front lines suffer."

Lin Hui pointed at Hu Ning and said, "Lord Qiu, as far as I know, Shuangji has been in arrears on a lot of taxes since it opened. Lord Qiu should investigate this thoroughly."

Now it was Hu Ning's turn to be unsettled. He knew very well what was going on. After the Ghost Master and General Cheng had been dealt with, the county government's tax revenue was just a symbolic exchange, and it couldn't withstand any investigation.

This is terrible. The original intention was to bring down Shiweitian Restaurant, but in the end, it backfired on me. Not only did I spend money, but I also have to lose even more.

Adhering to the principle that a wise man doesn't suffer a loss in front of him, Hu Ning apologized to Lin Hui with a smile: "Brother Lin... Brother Lin, you are a magnanimous person and don't hold a grudge. I didn't know who you were and offended you. I apologize to you."

"If Brother Lin can spare me today, I, Hu Ning, will remember this kindness and repay it handsomely in the future."

Lin Hui said very politely, "Boss Hu, you flatter me. I'm just a powerless peasant. You should talk to Lord Qiu about this."

Hu Ning turned to look at Qiu Mingyuan, hoping that Qiu Mingyuan would spare his life for the sake of the money. Qiu Mingyuan looked at Hu Ning's pleading eyes, cleared his throat and said, "Brother Lin is right. Let's go to Shuangji now."

After saying this, Qiu Mingyuan left with the yamen runners.

As for Hu Ning, his face was ashen. He glared fiercely at Lin Hui before leaving with his men.

With these troublemakers gone, the lobby of Shiweitian Restaurant instantly fell silent.

Song Qingyan let out a long sigh of relief, patting her chest with her hand, her trembling figure captivating onlookers.

"Lin Hui, thank you so much, sister. Otherwise, the restaurant would have had to close down."

Lin Hui calmly said, "Sister, it's nothing. You're my sister, so it's only right that I help you."

Song Qingyan smiled and nodded, her gaze towards Lin Hui becoming even more ambiguous.

"By the way, shall we go and check out the winery?"

Lin Hui had the same idea. Once the winery was nearly fully expanded, he could let Fan Wujiu and the others go down the mountain.

In the backyard winery, five or six workers were working hard to expand the facility. Song Qingyan had gone all out, digging out a huge wine cellar just as Lin Hui had instructed, and increasing the number of wine-producing equipment from one set to three.

In other words, once completed, the output of wine will be three times that of today, or even more.

"How is it?"

Song Qingyan asked Lin Hui.

Lin Hui nodded: "Very good. With these three sets of brewing equipment, no matter how many customers we have, it won't affect our business."

Song Qingyan asked, "By the way, what's the situation with your people? When will they arrive?"

"My people can come anytime, but where will they stay?"

Song Qingyan covered her face and smiled: "Don't worry, I thought of that a long time ago. Look, these used to be storage rooms, which have been idle for a long time. I've already had them cleaned up. There are ten small rooms in total, which can accommodate thirty to fifty people without any problem."

Lin Hui nodded in satisfaction.

The reason for sending Fan Wujiu and others to Shiweitian was that the area genuinely needed manpower.

But more importantly, Fan Wujiu and his companions had special identities and needed a refuge. The Shiweitian Restaurant, with the protection of the county magistrate, was undoubtedly their best refuge.

Therefore, Lin Hui didn't ask Song Qingyan how much she paid them. As long as they had a place to live and enough to eat, that was perfectly fine.

"Take a fast horse with you when you go back; the situation is not optimistic."

"Okay, but I want two." Lin Hui didn't refuse; instead, he asked for more.

Because these are indeed turbulent times, and the situation on the border is not optimistic, Linjiang County is too close to the border. Once the border is breached, a fast horse will be the best tool for escaping.

"Sister, please be careful too. If the situation gets serious, come to Sigou Village."

Song Qingyan nodded: "There are more and more unfamiliar faces in the city these days. Among the people drinking at the restaurant, there are even Tartars from the Northern Wilderness."

"A spy?"

"It should be."

"I heard from the border soldiers who came to drink that several military towns are already on the verge of collapse, and the reinforcements from the northern wilderness are still coming south in droves."

Lin Hui frowned; he hadn't expected Beihuang to move so quickly.

Last time Ma Dayuan said that Beihuang was about to move south, but I didn't expect that in just a few days, the vanguard would already be attacking the border military town.

"Sister, what are your plans?"

"What plans can I possibly have? I'll just have to take it one step at a time."

While they were chatting, on the northern border, a small village of about a hundred people was being robbed by a ten-man team from the Northern Wilderness. The women, unable to endure it any longer, fought desperately against the Northern Wilderness beasts who were violating them.

After killing one person, the entire village was massacred. The people who had hidden away, led by the old village chief, became homeless refugees and were staggering towards Linjiang County.