Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Everyone greeted Wu Sheng as he arrived.

“Master Wu, what brings you here?”

Wu Sheng stroked his beard, thoroughly enjoying the flattery.

He chuckled, “The master said life was dull and needed some spice, so naturally, I came.”

“Tsk, tsk, who knew the master had a taste for this!”

“Ha! Of course! The master probably indulges in more fun behind the scenes than we do.”

“Master Wu, what new show have you got for us?”

As everyone chatted, Huang Sheng-rong stood aside, drooling and eavesdropping.

Exciting! So damn exciting, just listening to it makes me want to renounce my vows.

“Hey! Lao Qi, why aren’t you building houses in the county? What are you doing following the master here?”

Suddenly, someone turned to Lao Qi and asked.

Lao Qi scratched his head helplessly, took a piece of paper from his pocket, and placed it on the table: “The master asked me to come here to build a house, said he wanted to build a luxurious brothel.”

“The blueprints were all drawn up for me on the way.”

As he spoke, he pulled out the brothel blueprints from his pocket. From the drawing, one could roughly make out a Western-style design, with many strange decorations and Roman columns.

Everyone gasped after looking at it.

“Damn, what is this? It's drawn so ugly!”

“Can this drawing even be used to build a house? It’s a mess.”

Lao Qi shook his head vigorously and said with a wry smile: “No, if I build according to this drawing, it will definitely collapse! I have to revise it…”

Xie Xian exclaimed in admiration: “Lao Qi, your skills are getting more and more superb, you can even understand such an ugly drawing!”

Lao Qi said proudly: “It’s nothing, the master has drawn before, which county office and theater weren't built only after I revised them!”

Everyone immediately burst into another round of flattery.

Xie Xian suddenly asked: “Then, who is this master…?”

Everyone's eyes focused on Huang Sheng-rong, and Wu Sheng walked over when he saw this.

“Let me introduce you, this is Huijue…”

..............

On the street, Fang Zheng-yi and Bai Rui walked slowly, Bai Rui constantly recounting the various situations in the city.

Fang Zheng-yi frowned as he listened.

After Bai Rui finished speaking, Fang Zheng-yi said: “You’ve done well. I originally planned to stroll around the city for a few more days, but now it seems unnecessary.”

“Tomorrow morning, I will go to take office. You stay by my side and don’t appear in public. Only come out to see me when there is no one around.”

Bai Rui asked in confusion: “Master, is there a need to be so cautious? We don’t have any enemies here.”

Fang Zheng-yi thought for a moment: “It’s always good to be cautious when you first arrive.”

“Besides, this time I am mainly responsible for the grain affairs of Jianjiang. The grain stored in the official granaries is actually moldy. This kind of thing can kill people.”

“I can explain myself to His Majesty.”

“But if I make a slight mistake, a whole area outside the city will die! I can’t be careless. Only after the collusion between officials and merchants is investigated can I start a massacre.”

“The situation in the government office is unclear right now, and I can’t distinguish between friends and foes, so it’s best to keep a low profile.”

“Don’t worry, there will be times when I need you.”

............

The next morning, Fang Zheng-yi changed into his official uniform, dressed himself carefully, and, holding his official certificate, rode his horse ostentatiously towards the government office.

When he arrived at the entrance of the government office, the clerk who received him immediately recognized Fang Zheng-yi as the newly arrived Assistant Administrator and scrambled into the public office.

Upon seeing the Prefect of Jianjiang, he immediately said anxiously: “Prefect! Fang Zheng-yi is here!”

Liu Xun raised his head upon hearing this: “Oh? Invite him in.”

Soon after, Fang Zheng-yi was brought in.

Liu Xun sized up Fang Zheng-yi, and Fang Zheng-yi sized up Liu Xun.

This person was young. Although he was wearing an official uniform, he gave off a very flamboyant feeling, with a large jade thumb ring on his right thumb.

He also wore several large gold rings on his left hand… Showy! Just as the rumors in the capital said, showy!

Fang Zheng-yi didn't find anything special about Liu Xun. He was just a dried-up old man, but his clothes were patched… He had a bit of a detached, otherworldly air about him.

However, how could anyone who could rise to the position of the head of a prefecture be an easy person to deal with?

Before Liu Xun could speak, Fang Zheng-yi bowed first: “Your subordinate, Fang Zheng-yi, has come to take office. Greetings, Lord Liu.”

Liu Xun smiled: “Lord Fang, you’re too polite. I heard that when Lord Fang was in the capital, you were a tutor in the Court of State Ceremonial. There’s no need to be so polite.”

Fang Zheng-yi became even more modest: “Lord, you flatter your subordinate. The past is like fleeting clouds and cannot be taken seriously. Just call me Little Fang!”

Little Fang?

Liu Xun’s expression froze, and the corners of his mouth twitched a few times.

This kid… is indeed a little different from normal people.

“Lord Fang, there’s no need to be polite. There are no smooth roads in officialdom. You are still so young, your future is definitely limitless!”

“However, this official is a little curious… why are you wearing so many rings?”

Fang Zheng-yi smiled slightly: “Oh! It’s nothing, it’s just that this is the first time your subordinate has come to such a distant place, and I thought I might not be able to return.”

“So I sold all my family property and carried it with me, so it’s more convenient.”

Liu Xun said with a forced smile: “Lord Fang is truly incorruptible.”

“Lord Liu, you flatter me. I wonder… where is the Bureau of Revenue? Can I go to work now?”

“If your subordinate is idle for a day, I feel like my heart has been cut with a knife. The imperial court is paying me a salary every month, but I am actually doing nothing.”

“I am truly unworthy of the Holy Grace of His Majesty!”

After speaking, Fang Zheng-yi cupped his hands towards the sky.

Damn?

Liu Xun suddenly felt old for a moment.

How could someone in their twenties be so shameless? No wonder this kid was able to thrive in the palace at such a young age!

It's a pity that he's still in the provinces, with no chance of making a name for himself.

Liu Xun chuckled twice: “No rush! No rush, there is always a welcoming banquet for new officials in this prefecture.”

“Let me take you to familiarize yourself with the environment first, and then introduce you to some people at the welcoming banquet. You can stroll around the prefecture first, and this official will find a clerk to accompany you!”

After speaking, he raised his hand and called over a clerk.

“Wei Shan, follow Lord Fang for a walk.”

“Yes, sir!”

Fang Zheng-yi bowed again: “In that case, thank you very much, Lord Liu!”

Looking at Fang Zheng-yi’s departing back, Liu Xun’s expression seemed a little strange.

This kid is quite polite, but why is he talking so strangely?

Could it be… that the palace likes this kind of style?

Fang Zheng-yi walked with the clerk Wei Shan in the government office, introducing things as they walked.

“Lord, this is the Registry Office, and not far ahead is the Six Bureaus. The Bureau of Revenue is straight ahead at the end of the path.”

Fang Zheng-yi asked: “Where are the previous Assistant Administrators before I came?”

“Oh, there were two Assistant Administrators here before you came, but they were both transferred away. I don’t know where they went.” Wei Shan replied respectfully.

“Then… what kind of food is usually eaten in the government office mess hall?”

Wei Shan said: “This… the current situation is really a bit difficult, so the food eaten in the mess hall is not very good either.”

“It’s often just clear soup and plain water, a few vegetable leaves are considered good, and most of the time we drink thin porridge.”

Fang Zheng-yi looked at him a few times: “Thin porridge? The same kind of thin porridge as in the charity粥棚?”

Wei Shan hesitated for a moment: “It’s probably about the same.”