Bai Qingyuan calmed himself down and realized that he was on his home turf and that his behavior just now was indeed a bit inappropriate.

It would be too embarrassing, especially in front of one's own servants.

He glanced at the darkening sky outside the window and said coldly, "You really came to wish me a Happy New Year?"

"This isn't a fart..."

Seeing Bai Qingyuan's wide eyes, Jing Zhe immediately changed his tune, saying, "I just finished lunch, so I just threw on a coat and came over."

Bai Qingyuan sneered: "In all my years, this is the first time I've ever seen someone offer New Year's greetings at this hour! Offering New Year's greetings? Isn't that a bit late?"

In Anguo, it is customary to pay New Year's visits in the morning, as it is considered unlucky to do so in the afternoon. Therefore, apart from very close friends, few people choose to pay New Year's visits in the afternoon.

Clearly, Jing Zhe's relationship with Bai Qingyuan was not enough to qualify him to come and offer New Year's greetings in the afternoon, hence the question.

Jing Zhe remained calm, glanced outside the door, and smiled, "It's getting a bit late, isn't it?"

So he cupped his hands towards Bai Qingyuan and said, "Since I can't offer my early New Year's greetings to Grand Tutor Bai, then I wish Grand Tutor Bai a happy old age!"

Happiness in old age...

The servants nearby were all stunned, let alone Bai Qingyuan himself, who immediately turned pale and clutched his chest.

"Oh dear, Grand Tutor Bai, don't be so touched! It's nothing, it's just that I came to wish you a belated Happy New Year. Look how excited you are, it's really not that big of a deal!"

"Don't just stand there, didn't you see that Grand Tutor Bai was so moved that his hands and feet were twitching?"

"Yes, quickly help Grand Tutor Bai to bed!"

"Don't just stand around, pour some hot water for Grand Tutor Bai!"

"Grand Tutor Bai is so hospitable; it seems he will surely have a happy old age!"

"..."

Watching a group of servants carry Bai Qingyuan away, Jing Zhe walked out of the Bai family residence with satisfaction…

...

Over the next few days, Jing Zhe bought gifts and took Zhu Xinning to the Zhang family. After a hearty meal, he took Zhang Xiaoyu home with him when he left, and then visited the Duke of Huguo's mansion.

During these past few days, Jing Zhe spent his days with the four women he met in Jingzhou, and his evenings with Zhu Xinning and Zhang Xiaoyu, enjoying the company of his family.

Good times always pass too quickly. Before we knew it, it was already the seventh day of the new year. The newspaper officially started work, and the main task on the first day was to recruit new people. Naturally, the candidates were selected from among the sixth-rank Grand Secretaries of the Baohe Academy.

Because Jing Zhe is now a second-rank official, the editor-in-chief and other department heads of the newspaper have also been promoted accordingly, from the sixth rank to the fifth and lower ranks, which was something Chen Jiannan and others had never dared to imagine before.

In addition, with the news that the newspaper would hold a celebration banquet and distribute year-end bonuses before the end of the year, the Da'an Newspaper became the most sought-after unit in Anguo. As a result, when the recruitment notice was released, the scholars of Baohe University were scrambling to get into the newspaper, and some even went so far as to use back channels, cultivate relationships, and give gifts.

However, Chen Jiannan was already adept at handling such matters, and he recruited enough staff for the newspaper in just one day.

The next day, the eighth day of the month.

Early in the morning, Jing Zhe went to the palace to attend court.

Unfortunately, Bai Qingyuan was not there; it is said that he had taken a long sick leave…

The court officials also heard that Jing Zhe had gone to pay a belated New Year's visit to Bai Qingyuan on the first day of the Lunar New Year, which angered Bai Qingyuan to the point of fainting, leaving everyone sighing with regret.

It's one thing to make someone faint from anger in the imperial court, but to chase someone to their home and make them faint from anger—that's something else entirely.

At the start of the court session, Emperor An inquired about the newspaper's recruitment, as this concerned when Jing Zhe would be able to open a branch office.

Jing Zhe recounted the completion of the recruitment process, and then reported the promotion of Chen Jiannan, the editor-in-chief, and the heads of various departments of the newspaper to higher official positions, which was approved by Emperor An.

"Has President Jing decided on specific dates for opening branch offices in various locations?"

Emperor An asked.

"Your Majesty, let's do it tomorrow."

Jing Zhe thought for a moment and replied.

"tomorrow?"

Not only Emperor An, but all the other ministers were shocked.

Everyone says that the whole first month of the lunar calendar is the New Year celebrations, but now we haven't even passed the Lantern Festival yet, so no one expected him to leave at this time.

"Isn't it a bit too early?"

Emperor An asked.

"It is a bit early, but it's better to do good things sooner rather than later. After all, there are too many places to go, so it's better to go sooner rather than later. Moreover, the sooner we open all the branches, the sooner we can open the embassy in Yueyao and facilitate cooperation with Yueyao sooner!"

Jing Zhe said with a serious expression.

"President Jing's concern for the country, its people, and its stability has truly moved me!"

"President Jing is truly a role model for us all!"

"A role model for us all!"

"..."

With Emperor An leading the way, the other ministers also spontaneously began to praise him. Jing Zhe waved in response, feeling quite pleased with himself.

Jing Zhe wasn't that great or selfless; the reason he rushed to various places so early was naturally for the sake of his women.

During his time in Jingzhou, Jing Zhe spent every day with the four women there, accompanying them both during the day and at night, all for this one day.

The sooner he leaves, the sooner the other women can arrive in Jingzhou, and the sooner the cooperation with Yueyao Kingdom can be solidified, so that Murong Xi can relinquish the throne more quickly after returning to Yueyao Kingdom.

Moreover, it has been almost a month since he returned to Jingzhou. Jing Zhe has started to miss Mu Qingren and the others. He said he went out to open a branch, but actually it was to see his women and bring them all to Jingzhou.

According to Jing Zhe's plan, there are at most three cities he wants to visit: Jiangling, Kunlun County, and Ruzhou.

Because his third sister Qingqiu, fourth sister Pei Yunxi, Mu Qingren, and Wang Yingqiu were there, and these three cities were also the locations of the three major sects, he needed to personally go there to set up branches. His disciples had already gone ahead to pave the way for the other smaller places. Once he and Chen Jiannan and the others had set up branches in these three places, he could let them go out and join his disciples.

At this moment, Emperor An asked, "President Jing, do you have any requests for this trip? You can tell me."

Jing Zhe thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, since this is my first time visiting many of these cities, I will need to use local residences and may also need to employ local officials. I'm afraid that some people might see me as young and not cooperate with me, or deliberately cause trouble..."

Emperor An glanced at Jing Zhe and thought to himself, "You have a gold medal and an emperor's sword, plus your temper, who can possibly stump you?"

However, since Jing Zhe had spoken, he wouldn't embarrass him in public, so he waved his hand, signaling him to continue.

"Therefore, I would like to request a written edict from Your Majesty, so that anyone who dares to obstruct me may be executed first and reported later!"

"..."

I wonder what this guy is thinking again.

However, given his style, the person he wanted to kill was probably not a good person either. Thinking of what Su Mochen had said yesterday, Emperor An immediately nodded in agreement.

————