Jingzhao Prefecture.

Lu Junfang was reading in the backyard when he suddenly heard that Prince Yong had arrived, which startled him so much that he quickly stood up.

"Don't let him in!"

"Go tell him that I've gone to work outside the city!"

"promise!"

After Lu Junfang dismissed the yamen runners, her heart was still pounding.

He had just been reprimanded by Gao Shilian this morning, who warned him not to give the magistrates of Chang'an and Wannian counties any special favors, and Li Jue came to his door this afternoon.

Lü Junfang was able to become the Prefect of Jingzhao because he had powerful backers in the court. He had long heard that Li Yifu and Su Dingfang were recommended by the eldest grandson of the emperor.

Although he couldn't understand why the eldest grandson would recommend these two people, the struggle between the eldest grandson and the Crown Prince had already evolved into the competition between Li Chengqian and Li Tai back then.

However, this time the roles were reversed, with Li Jue, the eldest grandson, becoming the attacker.

Lu Junfang had no great ambitions in officialdom; he just wanted to finish his term and then ask someone to help him find a job in a remote area or a sinecure in one of the Six Ministries.

He never imagined that he, the seemingly insignificant Prefect of the Capital, would be drawn into the power struggle between the Crown Prince and his eldest grandson.

Just as Lü Junfang was secretly relieved to have escaped a disaster, she saw the yamen runners running over again.

"Your Excellency, His Highness Prince Yong did not come alone!"

Upon hearing this, Lü Junfang immediately flew into a rage.

"Even if he brought the Heavenly King himself, I would not see him today!"

"But……"

"There's no 'but'!"

"oh……"

The yamen runners arrived at the gate of the Jingzhao Prefecture again and addressed Li Jue and Xiao Yu.

"Reporting to my esteemed guests, my master is indeed not here!"

"Not here?"

"You don't want to see us, do you?"

"No, no, no, my husband said he's really not here!"

"puff……"

Li Jue couldn't hold back any longer when he heard this, and jokingly teased Xiao Yu.

"Sir, your reputation isn't good enough either!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu's face turned red with anger, and he angrily addressed the constable.

"Have you mentioned my name to Lü Junfang?"

"without……"

"My husband said he wouldn't see even the King of Heaven himself!"

Xiao Yu snorted coldly upon hearing this.

“Go back again, and this time tell him directly that his mentor, Xiao Yu, requests an audience!”

The constable looked bitter upon hearing this, and remained motionless.

"Sir, please don't make things difficult for me. I wouldn't dare disobey my master!"

Upon seeing this, Li Jue quickly threw out a gold leaf.

"I'll treat you to some wine!"

The yamen runner's eyes lit up the moment he saw the gleaming gold leaves.

"Please wait a moment, sir. I will go and inform him on your behalf!"

Although the yamen runner hurried off to relay Xiao Yu's message, Xiao Yu was still dissatisfied and even looked at Li Jue with some resentment.

"Eldest grandson, you are of noble birth, how can you accept a bribe from a mere yamen runner?"

"Sir, this doesn't count as bribery, it's just a tip!"

"It's the same... Whether you give a tip or bribe, it encourages the laziness of the yamen runners!"

"If this continues, won't ordinary people also have to pay tribute if they want to get things done?"

Li Jue smiled faintly upon hearing this.

"We shouldn't say it will continue like this; we should say it has happened throughout history!"

"Officials have two mouths; if you have reason but no money, don't come in. This is a common saying among ordinary people that has been passed down for thousands of years!"

"this……"

Xiao Yu wanted to give Li Jue a lecture, urging him to act like a gentleman, but just then he saw Lü Junfang running out, panting.

"My esteemed teacher, please accept my bow!"

Seeing this, Xiao Yu turned around angrily.

"Hmph!"

"Now that you're a high-ranking official, you don't even recognize your teacher anymore!"

Upon hearing this, Lü Junfang immediately knelt on the ground.

"Please forgive me, sir. I truly did not know you were my esteemed teacher!"

"Just because I'm not your teacher, you can just disappear?"

"I……"

"Dear teacher, I also have my reasons..."

Xiao Yu sighed upon hearing this.

"Get up!"

"promise!"

“Master, please come with me to the back room…”

Before long, the three arrived at the back hall of the Jingzhao Prefecture. Xiao Yu sat casually in the main seat, while Lü Junfang only dared to stand aside and serve.

"I wonder what brings you here, my esteemed teacher?"

"I wouldn't presume to offer advice, I simply wish you could do me a favor by giving the magistrates of Chang'an and Wannian counties a hand!"

"this……"

"I dare not hide it from my mentor, someone instructed me not to do anything to help these two people..."

"who?"

"this……"

Lu Junfang glanced at Li Jue beside her, wondering if she could say such a thing.

Just as he hesitated, Xiao Yu spoke calmly.

"You don't need to worry. I am already the eldest grandson's man. I share the glory and the loss of the eldest grandson."

"Because of our teacher-student relationship, you can also be considered the eldest grandson of the family!"

"ah?"

Lu Junfang was stunned when she heard this. She hadn't done anything and yet she had become the eldest grandson's person?

"Master, don't you hate getting involved in factional strife the most?"

Xiao Yu nodded upon hearing this.

"yes!"

"I hate it now too!"

"However, my support for the eldest grandson has nothing to do with factional strife; it is simply out of a sense of public duty!"

As Xiao Yu spoke, he handed the memorial that Li Jue had given him to Lü Junfang.

"Look at this, this is what the eldest grandson is going to do!"

"oh……"

After quickly reading through it, Lü Junfang finally understood why Li Jue had invited his mentor to act as an intermediary.

It turns out that what Li Jue was going to do was a great thing that would benefit the country and the people!

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!