"Your Majesty the Imperial Envoy is ridiculous!" Mei Chen said modestly:
"Huai'an is indeed a good place. Because Xiaguan has little knowledge and talent, he came here to rule for eight years, but the area under the jurisdiction of Huai'an did not achieve unprecedented prosperity. Xiaguan feels deeply ashamed and guilty."
"I have recently been thinking about whether I should submit a memorandum of apology to His Majesty. I want to resign my position and let a capable person come to take charge."
Regardless of whether this statement is true or false, it really caused quite a shock when it was spoken.
Especially those officials who relied on the Mei clan and were Mei Chen's close confidants, felt like they were drawing money from the bottom of the cauldron.
Wu Qingfeng, who was sitting under Mei Chen, pretended to be very respectful and seemed to be listening carefully to the conversation between the two superiors.
In fact, he was panicking inside.
Early this morning, he received the news that Xu Qin was killed by Zhang Dalang's five-gun crossbow and Fuman Tower was burned down.
Afterwards, Zhang Dalang was hit by several arrows and knives. He was thrown into the Qinghe River and floated away. It is estimated that he will not survive.
After daybreak, just send people downstream to search and salvage.
The charges were drawn up.
The criminal Zhang Dalang first pretended to be Fumanlou to deliver food and killed the county magistrate Zhang Yunji in the county government hall.
Then in the middle of the night, he shot and killed the imperial minister with a military crossbow, and then set fire to the Fuman Building, destroying the corpses and destroying all traces.
But before Wu Qingfeng could be happy for long, the news came one after another, each one worse than the last.
Xu Qin was not at Fumanlou that night and went out by mistake.
When he and two other guards returned, they found that Fuman Tower was on fire. In a rage, he rode in pursuit of the arsonist.
As a result, he encountered the Huai'an Guards on guard outside and launched a surprise attack.
As a result, the cavalry lost four cavalry.
What is frustrating is that Xu Qin and the other three were also masked and dressed in black that night, which made Huang Zhengxian think that they were heroes in the world, not willing to fight but eager to escape.
It wasn't until Xu Qin brought the corpses back to the county government office that the truth came to light.
When Wu Qingfeng heard the bad news, he was so angry that he cried and fainted in the toilet.
This kid is so lucky. Could it be that he is really protected by God?
In the afternoon, an order from the prefect came from the government office, saying that the Imperial Envoy Xu Qin was officially inspecting Huai'an Prefecture, and all officials of seventh rank and above were greeted at the gate of the east city.
There was no other way, so Wu Qingfeng cheered up.
Fortunately, Zhang Dalang has been silenced. Xu Qin just wanted to liquidate him without any evidence.
As for the corpses of Huai'an guardsmen exposed at the scene, the Qingzheng Church must have had its own escape plan.
Wu Qingfeng, who had not slept a wink all night and had been frightened all day, looked livid, uglier than his father who had died earlier.
Mei Chen asked him about lying about being sick.
But Xu Qin knew the whole story, but he didn't pay attention to Wu Qingfeng, just treating him as air and surviving for a while longer.
While everyone was having their own secrets and thoughts, Xu Qin and Mei Chen were sitting at the top, drinking tea on the Grand Master's chairs on either side of the sandalwood high-legged square coffee table, chatting and laughing.
Mei Chen filled Xu Qin's tea cup with both hands and said:
"Mr. Xu, thanks to you for the promotion of the new policy, the problem of labor force in rural fields has been solved at once. I am very gratified."
"Your Excellency is young and promising. He is a role model in the hearts of today's distinguished disciples and scholars all over the world. He makes us feel ashamed. I will give you three more glasses later."
"Mr. Mei, you are too polite. You are hiding your secrets."
Xu Qin slowly took a sip of the best Biluochun and made a pun.
"Haha... Where, where... Mr. Xu has taken the official position again and has sex with you."
Mei Chen laughed awkwardly, then suddenly his face turned serious and he said:
"Sir Xu, although the imperial court has issued a new policy on land tax for several months, and we are actively making arrangements, there is a lot of opposition from the vast rural areas, which is caused by hundreds of years of traditional bad habits."
"As for the Wu Family Courtyard in Gushan Town, Qinghe County, there are still many such local tyrants and bullies, and the relationships are intertwined and complicated. We are at a loss to understand what they are saying. I sincerely ask you to cut the knot quickly and provide a helping hand."
Having said this, he suddenly stood up and saluted, "On behalf of all the officials and common people in the whole government, I would like to thank the imperial envoy in advance!"
These words are half flames and half sea water. They are both a helpless move and an attempt to avoid the most important.
In Xu Qin's opinion, the main reason was that he did not want to offend the rich and powerful.
Think about it, not to mention other wealthy families, it would be very difficult for other families of the Runan family alone.
They all regard the Mei family as following their lead.
And the Mei family cannot step forward to protect the vital interests of the family members at critical moments. Is this morally justified?
The head of the Mei family, Runan Hou Mei Yin, has sent a message, saying that he cannot openly defy the imperial court.
Then obstruct it secretly?
Hum hum, so defeated.
After hearing this, Xu Qin raised his eyebrows lightly. He glanced at Wu Qingfeng, who was under Mei Chen, and said meaningfully:
"Master Mei may have underestimated the courage of his subordinate officials to kill their relatives for justice. Let's not talk about it from afar. Let's just talk about Mr. Wu Qingfeng, the prime minister in front of me. He is upright and upright, and he has emerged from the mud without being stained."
"With such a role model here, are you still afraid that someone below you will not accept it?"
These words were like a loud slap in the face, which made Mei Chen smile with a hint of weirdness and gritted teeth.
As for Wu Qingfeng, he even laughed so hard that blood dripped from his head.
"The lower official is stupid, so I can only ask Mr. Xu for instruction."
"I heard that Mr. Xu has obtained the true biography of Master Daoyan. He knows things like a god. He is like a living god. It is rare to see him today. I am very honored."
Wu Qingfeng stood up and saluted, with a bright smile on his face.
Xu Qin was very indifferent to his inner flattery. He did not show any expression, but continued to chat with Mei Chen for a few more innocuous words.
At this time, Xu Sanlang came over and whispered a few words to him. Xu Qin was stunned for a moment, but he still got up and walked out.
This situation shocked Mei Chen, Wu Qingfeng and others, but they did not dare to say anything and could only sit in their original positions and pretend to be calm.
After turning out of the side hall, Xu Qin saw a general waiting anxiously by the roadside.
Looks a bit familiar.
"Comrade Sheng Yan, the commander of Dahe Guard, went to see the imperial envoy, Mr. Xu."
Oh, Sheng Yanyi, the eldest son of Sheng Yong, the Marquis of Licheng and the left commander of the Jiangfang Army.
The last time Jiang Fangjun clashed with the three guards of Wuliangha, he saw Sheng Yong and his two sons in the Qinzheng Hall of the East Palace.
And General Ping An.
No wonder he looks familiar.
"General Sheng, please rise."
Xu Qin slightly raised his right hand and returned a half salute.
Sheng Yanyi stood up, and there was another figure behind him. He was Ping Yi, the son of Ping An, the commander of Huaian Guards.
The two of them sneaked out, mainly because they wanted to explain the rebellion by the masked soldiers that happened in Qinghe County last night.
Sheng Yanyi and Heping Yi were both sons of Jianwen's old generals. They all followed their fathers to participate in the Jingnan Central Army's fight against the Yan Army.
Last time, they were almost framed by Qiu Fu and other Jingnan upstarts, but thanks to Xu Qin's rescue, they escaped.
They were assigned to the Huai'an Prefecture Health Center later that year, and they learned how deep the water was here.
The situation between the two of them was very embarrassing.
On the one hand, they are cowardly and unwilling to participate in the Qingzheng Church's efforts to win over them.
On the other hand, we must also guard against being framed by Jin Yiwei.
