Shao Qing's eyes were sparkling. Wei Jing was in a good mood and leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"Go to bed, it's late."

This goodnight kiss has been going on for the past few days, sometimes deep, sometimes shallow, but at most it's just a light touch on the lips, nothing deeper.

Shao Qing accepted it well and behaved much more naturally. She said "hmm", then fell obediently into his arms and soon fell asleep.

Wei Jing was full of energy, so it wouldn't matter if he didn't sleep for a night or two. However, he enjoyed the peace of lying next to his wife. He stared at her for a moment, tucked the quilt in for her, and closed his eyes.

…

Although he went to bed late, Shao Qing was still worried about Ji Huan and the others, so he got up early, washed up quickly, had breakfast, and went to the front with Wei Jing.

At noon, the county government received a letter, which was brought by a passing caravan.

Wei Jing said: "My family in Yuzhou will be here soon. The letter was delayed on the way. If I calculate the date, it will arrive soon."

Zhuang Yanqi asked, "Why didn't the county lord's family protect you and your wife when you take up your post?"

Shao Qing sighed, "We had family members to protect us when we were on our way to take up our new post, but unfortunately we ran into bandits on the road and were poisoned by drugs because of our carelessness. All of our family members and guards died for the two of us. Due to the time limit for our post, we had no choice but to write to Yuzhou while on the road."

"I see."

Zhuang Yan suddenly realized what was going on. He had not seen Wei Jing take action with his own eyes, and he did not know how strong Wei Jing's martial arts skills were. He thought that the knockout drug was a common tactic used by bandits, and that he was careless for a moment, so he did not suspect anything.

As for Kou Xuan, not to mention that he was not sure that Shao Qing was lying, even if he knew it was a lie, he would still listen to it seriously, so he also looked scared.

This matter was reasonably put on the agenda, waiting for Ji Huan and others to arrive.

In the afternoon, Deng Guang came again to report that there were a dozen outsiders who were former caravan guards and came to apply for county soldiers. They were very skilled and young, and could settle in Pingtao. He asked if they could be recruited?

When recruiting additional county soldiers, priority will naturally be given to those with local household registration. Pingtao was a large county, and recruiting an additional 3,000 soldiers would have been easy. However, due to Wei Jing's high requirements, progress was slow and the quota was not filled.

Seeing that these ten or so people had really good conditions, Deng Guang was reluctant to refuse them, so he came to ask them specifically.

This was exactly what Wei Jing had arranged yesterday. Hearing this, he hesitated for a moment and said, "Okay."

He also instructed: "If there are other people with outstanding personal qualifications, they do not have to be limited to the Pingtao household registration."

Deng Guang went back happily.

…

While Shao Qing was busy with official duties, he instructed Nanny Ping to clean the rooms on both sides of the backyard in preparation for Han Xi, Zhang Yong and others to move in tomorrow.

Nanny Ping and her grandchildren were servants selected by Wei Jing himself.

He has lived in Pingtao for generations and has a clean family background and was born into a poor family. Aunt Ping had been a widow for many years. Her only son passed away at the beginning of the year, leaving her with only a pair of young grandchildren and a lot of debts. Even if she sold all her old houses, it would not be enough to pay off the debts, so she had no choice but to sell herself.

Nanny Ping is actually only in her early forties. She is respectful, honest and very skillful. Her granddaughter Chunxi is twelve years old this year, which is just right for her to be Shao Qing's personal maid, which is also what Wei Jing likes.

As for the grandson Chunsheng, he is ten years old this year. He works as an errand boy and can help his grandmother and sister when he is free.

Although these three generations of grandparents and grandchildren were poor, they loved cleanliness. The old and the young were strong and had lively eyes. Currently, neither Wei Jing nor Shao Qing plan to place too many people in the backyard, so this combination is just right.

…

The next day, Ji Huan and others who had come all the way from "Yuzhou" arrived. They were accompanied by the families of Zhang Yong and Chen Qi, as well as fifty or sixty carefully selected "family guards".

Everyone paid their respects to Wei Jing in the side hall.

Also present was Kou Xuanzhuangyan, who came specially because Wei Jing mentioned yesterday that the visitor was an old retainer who could just alleviate the county government's need for manpower.

Now that we have new colleagues, we should come over.

However, when they met for the first time, they were both shocked.

The "housekeeper" Ji Huan is over thirty years old, with a square jaw and a wide mouth, and his demeanor and behavior are calm and measured; the leaders of the "family guards" Han Xi, Zhang Yong and Chen Qi are either thin or burly, with different appearances but all with sharp eyes, and are agile in movement, so they must be quite skilled.

These four men looked exhausted, but one could tell at a glance that they were not the kind of people who would just live a mediocre life.

There are also dozens of "family guards" behind them, all of whom are energetic and orderly, and it is obvious that they are all experts.

Zhuang Yan sighed, "From the county lord's demeanor, I know he is not from a small family. It is indeed true."

These dozens of guards cannot be trained by small country gentry.

Wei Jing said: "My family has fallen into poverty. I am ashamed to say this."

It was obvious that he was not an ordinary person. He happened to be demoted from the Central Plains to the southwest, so he made up an excuse that his family had fallen into poverty. With just a few sentences, people could imagine that he and Shao Qing's family suffered misfortune because of their failure in the political struggle.

In this case, it is normal that some foundation is still there, and the appearance of Han Xi and others is not too surprising.

Zhuang Yan responded with a smile, and hurried forward with Kou Xuan to greet Ji Huan and the other three.

"My name is Zhang Gong, courtesy name Boyan. I will need your guidance in the future."

The person who spoke was Ji Huan, and of course they used fake names that they had agreed upon. Han Xi called himself Xu Xin, Zhang Yong called himself Yan Hua, and Chen Qi called himself Shen Liang.

These four people were either smiling warmly, or calm and composed, or behaved roughly but cheerfully and generously. Anyway, they knew how to act in a perfect manner, and they gave a very good impression when they first talked with the people of Pingtao.

After a few pleasantries, Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "I must drink three hundred cups with you guys someday and have a long chat."

"Alas, three hundred cups are not enough."

Zhang Yong laughed loudly: "It's time to serve big bowls. Let's drink three hundred bowls!"

Ji Huan shook his head and laughed: "Gong Shu, after three hundred bowls, aren't you afraid of bursting your stomach?"

Everyone laughed.

This first meeting was quite harmonious. Zhuang Yan smiled and turned to the head of the table and bowed: "Your Excellency, I have some important official business to attend to. Please allow me to leave first."

Kou Xuan followed closely behind.

Zhuang and Kou were very considerate. Seeing that it was almost time, they took their leave and let the two parties who had not seen each other for a long time talk.

Wei Jing nodded: "Go ahead, I'll set up a banquet tonight, we can drink and chat then."

Zhuang Yan, Kou Xuan and others quickly left, leaving only their own people in the side hall. Nanny Ping, who was waiting, asked the families of Zhang and Chen to move to the back first.

As for the dozens of Qing Zhai guards, Wei Jing randomly selected a few of them to stay and told the rest to go together first and he would make arrangements later.

This place was deserted and the police and clerks might show up at any time, so it was not a good place to talk. Wei Jing stood up and walked out, and everyone followed him.

When he arrived at the study room, he was the first to push the door open.

Ji Huan and four others followed, and as for the remaining Qing Zhai guards, they skillfully stood in front of and behind the door, guarding silently.

…

Ji Huan and his three companions followed their lord while looking around. They wanted to avoid talking to others on this trip, so they were not surprised to see them enter the outer study. However, they were surprised to find that there was a young woman in the lord's outer study.

The partition door was pushed open, and Ji Huan stepped in. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a woman in blue sitting at a desk, writing something with her eyes lowered.

He was stunned at once.

What is a man’s study room? That is the heart area, no one can approach it lightly. What is the identity of his lord? In the past, anyone who approached without reason would be executed immediately.

I remembered Wei Jing’s words “Respect her as you respect me”. This, is this the mistress? princess?

Sure enough, the woman in green heard the door open, raised her head, and said with a smile, "Husband."

She had green hair like clouds, fair skin and beautiful looks. Her big almond-shaped eyes blinked with tears and were filled with smiles.

She stood up to greet him, but Wei Jing had already walked behind the desk with a few big steps. He said "hmm" and looked down at him. He caught a glimpse of the documents on the desk and frowned, "Didn't you say to take a break before dealing with it?"

The Shaofu is in charge of a county's finances. This is Shao Qing's main job at present, but due to staff shortage, she also handles some of the work of the county magistrate, handling various documents, and is very busy.

She was busy but fulfilled, and she enjoyed it very much. Wei Jing indulged her but did not want her to be too tired. When he went out just now, he told her to go into the inner room, lie down and rest her eyes, but he did not expect that she got up in such a short while.

Shao Qing smiled: "I'm not tired, I just got up."

This work intensity is not bad, since you are young and energetic, she smiled. Wei Jing had no choice but to say, "Don't do this next time."

The two of them whispered a few words in a very short time, but they didn't know that the four people behind them had already widened their eyes in surprise.

The first surprise was that Shao Qing actually sat directly in the main seat in the study, and Wei Jing showed no strange expression when he saw him.

What was even more surprising was the change in Wei Jing’s aura in just a short while.

From cold to mild.

Speaking of Wei Jing, he was once as strong as the sun, heroic and valiant. He stood tall in the northern border, as majestic as a mountain and immune to wind and rain.

When we met again this time, we were still as dignified as before, but the enthusiasm was gone. It was like falling into an abyss of ice a hundred feet deep, cold and indifferent.

The reason, of course, is a shocking change that occurred half a year ago.

Let’s not talk about how sad and indignant Zhang Yong and others felt at first sight. What surprised them was that the moment they saw Shao Qing, Wei Jing’s whole body became as cold as if encountering a spring breeze. The ice and snow melted in an instant and he became gentle. He even spoke in a low voice with concern.

The four of them looked at each other. Wei Jing's instructions were already very serious, and now they were even more serious.

"Your Excellency has met the Madam."

The four of them greeted her respectfully at the same time. As for the title of princess, it was also inappropriate to mention it anymore.

"No need to be polite, please stand up quickly."

Shao Qing greeted them with a smile. The four people in front of her were all outstanding people just as she expected. After calling them up, she was not in a hurry to get to know them in depth. Instead, she sat aside and gave the main seat behind the desk back to Wei Jing.

Wei Jing told everyone to take a seat and said, "If you have anything to say, feel free to speak."

What this means is that there is no need to worry about Shao Qing being present.

Zhang Yong and the others knew exactly what was going to be discussed next. They were surprised again, but fortunately they had the preparation just now, so they accepted it quickly.

After collecting his thoughts, Ji Huan said, "My Lord, I wonder what the situation is like in the Central Plains now? The Second Prince has been on the throne for half a year, I'm afraid..."

After these words came out, he, Zhang Yong and the other two all looked solemn.

After they rebelled against the Northern Army, they led the Qing Zhai Guards to search for Wei Jing day and night, and no longer cared about the affairs of the Central Plains. Another thing is that they no longer dared to use any of the previous information channels. Based on what they saw and heard along the way, they no longer had a clear idea of ​​the current situation in the court.

I don’t think it will be good.

No matter how much the late emperor's actions were criticized, his identity was that of a monarch. If the monarch ordered his subjects to die, they had to die. And the second prince was the newly appointed crown prince, and his ascension to the throne was legitimate and there was nothing to question.

Half a year was enough time for him to clean up the court inside and outside, and replace key positions with his own confidants.

However, no matter how weak the Great Chu was, it was still a behemoth. It would not be easy for Wei Jing to shake it after surviving the disaster.

Since Ji Huan and his three companions had decided to go south to follow Wei Jing, they had already put themselves on the same side as the latter, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack or even overthrow the Great Chu. This was inevitable.

Now that we have finally reunited with our lord, this matter should be put on the agenda immediately.

The prospect was not easy, and everyone looked solemn.

"You don't need to worry too much."

Wei Jing smiled faintly and glanced at Shao Qing. Shao Qing understood and immediately opened a wooden box behind the desk which was specially used to store official reports. He rummaged through it, took out one of the boxes and handed it to him.

"Look at this."

He handed the report directly to Ji Huan on his left.

The court bulletin is an official document used specifically to inform local areas of the court's movements and political intelligence. Everything from the emperor's edicts and ministers' memorials to the appointment, dismissal and transfer of relevant officials were copied on it. In fact, it is an ancient internal news newspaper that prevents local officials from being in the dark and making reckless decisions.

When it came to Wei Jing, the identity of county magistrate had an additional advantage: he could openly control the court's movements.

Seeing his attitude, Ji Huan and others couldn't help but look surprised. Ji Huan took the report and lowered his head to read it carefully. Zhang Yong and others couldn't wait and hurried over.

"This summer, the lower reaches of the Yellow River burst their banks. Although the scope was not wide, a large section of the river from Chenliu to Fugou was in danger. My second brother issued an edict to promote Guo Yun to the position of the Chief Water Supervisor, taking over all water control matters."

Wei Jing raised the corner of his lips slightly, and said in a sarcastic arc: "Guo Yun, your request to use the water to attack the desert has been approved."

"Bundle water to attack sand?!"

Ji Huan was so frightened that his hands shook, and he dropped the unfinished report, which was snatched away by the quick-eyed and quick-handed Han Xi. The three of them hurriedly unfolded the report and read it quickly.

Ji Huan stood up with a bang: "Controlling water and attacking sand is only beneficial to a certain area, and is extremely disadvantageous to the overall management of the Yellow River! Moreover, the riverbank of the lower reaches of the Yellow River is now several feet or even dozens of feet higher than the flat ground. The soil in the area from Chenliu to Fugou is loose and can be easily eroded by the river. Once, once..."

Water flows with high sand content are extremely unruly. Once there is a slight change, it is likely that the entire country will be flooded and people will suffer everywhere.

The former crown prince saw this very clearly. When he first entered the court, he petitioned his father the Emperor to adopt the strategy of widening the river to retain sand, storing water and strengthening the embankments. He also appointed the hermit Qu Yun, whom his uncle Fu Jun had found with great difficulty, as the Capital Water Supervisor to comprehensively manage the Yellow River.

Controlling the Yellow River is not a matter of a day or two, especially when the river is wide and has stagnant sand, which will take even longer. However, in the past decade, initial results have been achieved. In the past two years, there has been no major breach of the Yellow River dikes, and the disasters caused by spring floods and summer floods have not been serious.

There is a glimmer of hope, but now the width of the river and the amount of sand trapped in it have been cut in half abruptly. Should we adopt the method of restraining water and attacking sand, which has a completely opposite concept? !