Can't a girl be a traitor like Cao Cao?

"Naturally, I'm not as fortunate as you all, who can take all the money into their coffins and enjoy it in the underworld..."

Upon hearing Hui Ziheng's words, the expressions of the clan members immediately turned ugly.

Just as they were about to say a few words to Hui Ziheng, they suddenly heard a report coming from outside.

It turned out that the county officials had arrived.

Upon seeing this, everyone in the banquet hall immediately sat up straight.

Then, two superiors, accompanied by several constables, entered one after the other, carrying their regalia.

The first person to enter was a somewhat overweight, greasy middle-aged man with an extremely official air, sitting in the side seat next to the main seat.

Hearing the greeting from the side, this person was Mao Qingyan, the Prefectural Magistrate of Xiangshui County.

He was also a local county official who devised the "fake bandit suppression" strategy.

The other middle-aged county official was somewhat thin. However, he had a rather masculine air and a handsome beard that reached his chest.

He just looks rather dejected right now, and doesn't seem to be in very good spirits.

Chi Junlin immediately recognized that this must be Li Yi, the local official in charge of the Xiangshui County whose concubine had been abducted by bandits.

When the guests saw that Li Yi was not sitting in the main seat at the banquet, but instead in a side seat on the other side, they couldn't help but feel a little strange.

Master Hui then asked, "Why doesn't the Prefect sit in the main seat? Is there anyone in Xiangshui County more qualified to sit in this position than the Prefect?"

He glanced at the two officials appointed by the court, and seeing that they did not look at each other, he continued, "And why hasn't the Commandant arrived yet? This bandit suppression can be done without anyone else, but it absolutely cannot be done without the Commandant!"

In this Xiangshui prefecture, there are quite a few officials who receive salaries from the imperial court, but no matter how many there are, the most important prefectural officials are the prefect, the assistant prefect, and the commandant.

Similar to the county-level system under its jurisdiction, the prefect was responsible for governing affairs, managing all officials under his jurisdiction, and was the person with the most power.

The Prefectural Governor's assistant was the deputy to the Prefect, and had the power to control money, grain, population, and taxation.

As for the Commandant of the Commandery, he ranked third in a commandery and was usually in charge of the military affairs of the entire commandery, responsible for matters such as suppressing thieves and maintaining order.

Because the bandit suppression operation required the use of archers and strong men within the prefecture, which involved military mobilization, Master Hui said that the bandit suppression operation could not be carried out without the Prefectural Commandant.

Upon hearing Master Hui's question, Prefect Li Yi was about to answer.

Mao Qingyan spoke first, "Because of the national policy of tax reduction, the imperial court has dispatched supervisory officials to various regions to ensure the implementation of the tax reduction policy. Today, an imperial inspector from my Xiangshui County is also coming. The county commandant will be there to guide the imperial inspector."

I thought that since the Hui family was going to host a banquet for us county officials, we might as well take this opportunity to introduce you all to His Majesty the Imperial Envoy.

"Second Master Hui, you surely won't mind me using this opportunity to offer my humble opinion?"

Seeing that Mao Qingyan spoke first, Li Yi hesitated for a moment and then remained silent, seemingly somewhat wary of Mao Qingyan, the prefectural magistrate.

Chi Junlin keenly noticed this.

It seems that the two chief officials in the prefecture are not on good terms.

Upon hearing this, Master Hui immediately stood up and said, "How dare I! It is an honor for the Hui family to host the Imperial Envoy. Moreover, we can take this opportunity to explain to the Imperial Envoy the situation of bandits in Xiangshui County..."

"I am deeply grateful for this opportunity, Your Excellency."

Upon hearing Master Hui's words, the other members of the Xiangshui clan exchanged glances.

It seems that the person connected to the Hui family is Prefectural Magistrate Mao Qingyan. Otherwise, why would the Prefectural Magistrate send an imperial envoy to meet with these Xiangshui clans?

So... is this bandit suppression campaign a genuine effort to eradicate them?

However, just as they were thinking this, Mao Qingyan picked up his teacup and gave everyone a slightly cold look.

Then, as if casually, he said, "I'm telling you in advance, when the imperial envoy arrives, don't mention anything about floods or bandits in front of him."

The imperial envoy is here to reduce our taxes; he cannot tolerate any unpleasant words.

Otherwise, if he were to use the pretext of suppressing bandits and rewarding the troops to levy additional military taxes on the county—

Should I pay for this, or should you all pay? Please consider this carefully.

Upon hearing Mao Qingyan's words, the members of the Xiangshui clans sensed something was amiss.

Why does it sound like the Prefect is reluctant to bring up the matter of suppressing bandits?

So, is it a real crackdown or a sham crackdown?

Are Lady Hui and the Prefect not on the same side?

Meanwhile, Prefectural Magistrate Mao Qingyan secretly sneered.

In his view, today's banquet was a result of Hui Shi instigating these lowly people to put pressure on him under the guise of suppressing bandits.

He had no idea that Hui was deceiving both sides this time, so he naturally assumed that the Xiangshui clan and Hui were in cahoots.

But it's impossible to suppress the bandits.

Fortunately, an imperial envoy from the court did come to inspect the tax reduction matter today.

Mao Qingyan then used this as an excuse to shut up these lowly people.

As for the fate of the Hui clan—Mao Qingyan never intended for this most prosperous clan in Xiangshui County to continue to exist.

He had long coveted the Hui family's vast assets in the area and was planning to use this banditry as an opportunity to destroy the Hui family and then split the profits 30/70 with the Water Gang.

And he's the third in the Water Gang, and the seventh!

The deal has been finalized, and we're just waiting for an opportunity to take action.

How could he possibly agree to suppress the bandits at today's banquet?

Chapter 251 The Imperial Envoy Has Arrived!

Upon hearing what Prefectural Magistrate Mao Qingyan said, the Hui family members' expressions turned somewhat unpleasant.

Because, in his opinion, the affairs of the Water Gang were completely irrelevant to him, and he clearly didn't want to care about the life or death of the Hui family.

Upon hearing this, members of other clans also began to have other ideas.

At this point, it was clear that they were no longer on the same page as Wyeth.

Surprisingly, Prefect Li Yi frowned at this moment.

Suddenly, he spoke up, "However, no matter what, the Dongting River gangs are a major scourge in Xiangshui County."

Why shouldn't we suppress them?

Even if this matter has nothing to do with the Imperial Inspector, it can't be said that it has nothing to do with our prefecture, can it?

Upon hearing the prefect's words, the clansmen showed surprise once again.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, the prefect spoke up in support of the Hui family.

Could it be that Prefect Li Yi was actually on Hui's side?

But upon hearing the prefect's words, Mao Qingyan looked at him with a smile.

Then, softening his tone, he said, "Your Excellency, you've forgotten the pain once the wound has healed... Kang."

My lord, you must not forget what happened in Xiangshui County when you were trying to wipe out the Water Gang.

If it weren't for what happened back then, so many people in my Xiangshui County wouldn't have died...

Even you, an adult, almost... haha.

Although Mao Qingyan's tone was gentle, his words were ruthless in refuting Li Yi to the extreme.

As the governor of a prefecture, he was insulted by his deputy, a prefectural official.

This shows the extent to which Mao Qingyan suppressed Li Yi's power in normal times.

Li Yi hesitated for a moment, as if recalling unpleasant memories, and then became dejected again.

It seems they haven't fully recovered from the previous setback.

However, upon hearing Mao Qingyan's words, Hui Ziheng immediately showed a displeased expression.

Then he spoke up, "What do you mean, sir? Does it mean that because we failed to wipe out the Water Gang in the past, we can only bow down and be slaughtered by them from now on?"

Not everyone in my Xiangshui County wants to be a spineless coward!

Moreover, with Miss Lin Jun's help now, it's not entirely impossible to wipe out the Water Gang!

Hearing someone dare to contradict him, Mao Qingyan smiled and asked in return, "Who are you?"

Hui Ziheng then cupped his hands and said, "Reporting to the Prefect, I am Hui Ziheng, the instructor of the local militia."

"Oh, your surname is Hui."

Mao Qingyan nodded, looked at him, and said with a forced smile, "No wonder you were in such a hurry to jump out."

I haven't asked you yet what exactly is going on with Wyeth.

For the past few years, my Xiangshui County and the Water Gang have been getting along very well, yet you insist on provoking them.

Now look what's happened, the trouble has turned on us!

What does Wyeth want next? Is it going to drag Xiangshui County down with it?

Hearing Mao Qingyan's distorted and fabricated story, Hui Ziheng's face turned pale with anger.

But he couldn't lash out at his superior who was in charge of the entire prefecture.

Mao Qingyan snorted coldly and continued, "And who is this Lin Jun you mentioned?"

"Your Excellency, Miss Lin Jun is the disciple of the leader of the Southern Martial Arts Alliance. With her assistance, we can leverage the power of the martial world..."

"Okay, okay."

Mao Qingyan waved his hand, indicating that he couldn't be bothered to listen anymore.

Then, with a disdainful expression, he said, "What martial arts alliance leader? Isn't he just a wanted criminal head selected by the imperial court?"

As an official appointed by the imperial court, how could you expect these people to help you eliminate the Water Gang?

I think you don't even want to be the militia training instructor anymore!

Upon hearing this, Hui Ziheng couldn't help but fly into a rage and immediately wanted to say, "Fine, I won't do it then!"

But Hui Sanmei immediately stopped her with a look and shouted, "Ziheng!"

Hui Ziheng then angrily sat back down.

At this moment, Hui Sanmei smiled and raised a cup of wine to Mao Qingyan, saying, "My nephew is ignorant and has offended the Prefect. I hope you will be lenient and not hold it against him."

"Hmph, that makes more sense."

At this moment, Mao Qingyan looked at Hui Sanmei, a greedy and disgusting smile on his greasy face, and then said, "The third young lady of the Hui family is still sensible and knows how to speak."

"Where, where..."

"Actually, it's not impossible for me to agree to suppress the bandits."

"Oh? What does Your Excellency mean?"

"As long as the Third Miss is willing to come to my residence and be with me..."

Just as Mao Qingyan was about to make an unreasonable request, a familiar man with a small mustache ran in from outside and informed him.

"My lord, the imperial envoy has arrived!"

The people inside immediately became serious.

Mao Qingyan immediately put down his wine cup and stood up, then said to Li Yi, "Prefect, let's go and greet the Imperial Envoy."

Upon hearing this, Li Yi had nothing to say and walked towards the door with Mao Qingyan.

Before leaving, Mao Qingyan gave the people in the room a warning look, signaling them not to say anything.

However, at this moment, Chi Junlin was seated in the highest position.

Seeing the familiar figure walking in from outside, he suddenly revealed an amused smile.

-

That being said, it was several months ago that the imperial court dispatched imperial inspectors to various regions to conduct a detailed investigation into the tax reduction.

Although the decree caused widespread discontent when it was first issued.

—Because the imperial envoys sent out for inspections were all temporarily selected from various ministries; doing a good job didn't guarantee a reward, but doing a bad job would certainly result in punishment—

However, the decree itself still received the support of many insightful people in the court.

Because the people are the foundation of taxation, and taxation is the basis of the nation.

Throughout history, regardless of changes in government policies, any national policy that reduces taxes is invariably a good policy that benefits the country and its people.