The shopkeeper glanced at Qin Chuan and Xiao Yue, as if he had the two of them figured out.
Ah Bao quickly came in through the back door and whispered something in the shopkeeper's ear.
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's expression immediately changed, but his eyes darted around as he said to Qin Chuan and Xiao Yue, "Gentlemen, your horses eat local horse feed, not from the capital, so please give us two coins."
Qin Chuan and Xiao Yue exchanged a glance, puzzled as to why the shopkeeper had suddenly changed his mind and was no longer planning to extort money from them.
It should be known that horse feed also costs money, so it was reasonable for the shopkeeper to ask for money for the horse feed. However, he was clearly trying to extort money from them just now, but suddenly he stopped and only asked for two coins. This left Qin Chuan and Xiao Yue puzzled.
However, adhering to the principle of "keeping a low profile," Xiao Yue still gave the innkeeper two coins directly, and then the three of them walked out of the inn's inner hall.
At this moment, Zhang Cheng and Li Aniu also led their horses out. Zhang Cheng's face was extremely calm, while Li Aniu's face was blank.
Qin Chuan led the four of them to another inn, which had three superior rooms available.
So, Li Aniu and Zhang Cheng shared a room, Xiao Yue and Jiang Lianyue shared a room, and Qin Chuan shared a room by himself.
Qin Chuan was initially worried that Xiao Yue and Jiang Lian Yue, these two beauties, might not get along, since the two women had once been at odds. However, to his surprise, the two women were quite harmonious throughout the night and didn't utter a single word of argument.
The next day, the five of them set off again early in the morning, heading to Yuhang County.
They arrived at the Yuhang County Government Office at noon that day. Qin Chuan and the other four parked their carriage in the large open space in front of the government office. Qin Chuan told the other four to wait while he walked alone towards the gate of the government office.
Before he could even step onto the steps, two gatekeepers yelled at him, "Hey, what are you doing! Don't you see this is the county government office? If you want to report a crime, go beat the drum. If you come any closer, you'll get a beating!"
Qin Chuan glanced around and saw a large drum beside him. However, he hadn't come to report a crime. He took out his official seal from his pocket and glared at the two constables: "Open your dog eyes and see clearly. I am the clerk appointed by the imperial court to govern this county. Don't I have the qualifications to go in?"
The two constables exchanged a glance, then immediately bowed and clasped their hands in greeting. One of them said respectfully, "So it's you, Sir! Please allow me to go into the main hall and announce your arrival!"
Go!
Qin Chuan waited patiently, and soon, the three officials of Yuhang County, Hong Ying, Lin Shaotang, Lin Shaotang, and Zhao Wenkai, all dressed in official robes, came out to greet him.
Magistrate Hong Ying glanced at Qin Chuan and smiled, "So it's the clerk appointed by the Ministry of Personnel who has arrived. The yamen runners are blind to your greatness and have kept you waiting. Please come with me to the main hall for a chat."
County Magistrate Lin Shaotang also cupped his hands in greeting: "Brother Qin Jiang."
The registrar, Zhao Wenkai, gestured and said, "Clerk, please come in."
Qin Chuan's incognito visit to Yuhang resulted in the Ministry of Personnel creating a new identity for him—Qin Jiang, the newly appointed clerk of Yuhang County.
The clerk was a minor official outside the ninth rank, in charge of arrests, investigations, prisons, and public security in a county. If there was no county magistrate or registrar, the clerk would concurrently handle these duties, and was responsible for everything.
It can be said that although the clerk was of low rank, he wielded considerable power and was an official appointed by the imperial court.
That's why the county magistrate, the county assistant, and the registrar were so polite to this "Qin Jiang".
Qin Chuan glanced at Xiao Yue, Jiang Lianyue, and the other three.
Magistrate Hong Ying immediately understood, realizing that he had brought his family. A meaningful look appeared in his eyes, and he asked, "Who are these people?"
"Oh, it's my wife and her attendant."
"So you're my brother's family, uh..." County Magistrate Lin Shaotang wanted to say something, but he held back.
Qin Chuan knew what these two meant. A mere clerk only received five bushels of rice a month and lived in a single room. With so many family members with you, it would be difficult to make arrangements...
But they may not realize that once the "anti-corruption allowance" system begins to be implemented and the results are available, even a lowly clerk can receive 100 taels of silver a year.
Thinking of this, Qin Chuan clasped his hands in greeting to the three of them and said, "Master, my family and I rent a house outside, so we won't be staying in the back hall."
The main hall of the county government was used for hearing cases, the second hall was where the county magistrate lived, and the third and fourth halls, collectively known as the "back halls," were where officials such as the county clerk, registrar, and clerk lived.
Upon hearing Qin Jiang's words, Magistrate Hong Ying secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Then tonight... the county magistrate, the registrar, and I will host a welcome banquet for you. The Zui Xia Lou in our county is quite famous throughout Jiangnan. The beauties and entertainment there are top-notch. You must not have been there before, have you?"
"I've heard of it for a long time, but I've never seen it before," Qin Chuan said.
"Alright, alright, you hand over your duties first, then settle your family. Although you've arrived at your post today, you won't be doing any official business. We're going to drink until we drop tonight, hahaha!" County Magistrate Lin Shaotang stroked his beard and laughed loudly.
Qin Chuan smiled slightly, followed the three into the signing room to complete the handover, and then came out.
Seeing Xiao Yue, Jiang Lianyue, and the other three waiting on the open space, Qin Chuan walked over to Xiao Yue and said, "Let's go rent a house."
"Huh?" Xiao Yue opened her mouth in surprise.
They seemed to have no idea what to do.
"Huh what?"
Qin Chuan glanced at her and continued, "A mere clerk, with a monthly salary of five shi of rice, do you think the county government has enough houses for us to live in? I might be able to get a room, but do you all insist on sharing a room with me?"
"Oh." Xiao Yue pouted.
The group went to the street to find a rental agency. As expected of Suzhou and Hangzhou, the rental service here is very developed. Qin Chuan quickly rented a courtyard.
Although it's not very big, with no more than ten rooms in total, it's very exquisite, with white walls and gray tiles, and it sits next to a pool, giving it a unique charm.
"Lotus Pond Courtyard".
Qin Chuan smiled as he looked at the words on the doorplate.
It seems a scholar or literati once lived here, and he also liked to name his place "small courtyard," which is quite interesting.
Unfortunately, Xiao Yue, Jiang Lianyue, and the other three didn't understand the joke and didn't find the name of the courtyard particularly special.
Jiang Lianyue even remarked, "What a common name."
Qin Chuan couldn't help but roll his eyes at her: "All you do is talk nonsense and act like a ghost all day long. You're so elegant..."
"Don't bully me like that!" Jiang Lianyue glared back at him.
Who bullied you?
Qin Chuan, completely unaware of what was going on, said something, having completely forgotten that he had thrown the feminine wash into her medicine box...
"If it weren't for His Majesty's order, I wouldn't have come with you."
After saying this, Jiang Lianyue picked up the medicine box, snorted coldly, and went into the courtyard.
Qin Chuan didn't say anything when he saw that she had taken over the room hidden in the deepest part of the room. After all, there were enough rooms, and she could stay in whichever one she wanted.
He deliberately chose a room next to Xiao Yue's, planning to chat with his understanding sister-in-law when he had nothing to do that evening.
As for Jiang Lian Yue, her cold and sarcastic demeanor was something that couldn't be dealt with in a short time...
As evening approached, Qin Chuan did not forget to go to the county government office to meet with several county officials, and the county magistrate, the county assistant, and the registrar were already waiting for him at the entrance of the county government office.
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