After resting at home for a few days and arranging things at home, Song Ning set off for Yuanzhou City.
Yuanzhou City is not close to Tianxiang County. Last time they came, they traveled relatively quickly, but still took a horse-drawn carriage and it took them a day and a night to get there.
This time, Song Ning received better treatment; the prefect himself sent someone to escort her.
Two guards followed in front of and behind the mule cart, and they treated her with considerable respect.
This time, besides Li Xingwang and Shunzi, Song Ning also brought Craftsman Li with him.
She hadn't forgotten that she still had a shop in Yuanzhou City. After all, Yuanzhou City was a prefecture, and even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. It couldn't possibly be worse than Yongning County, so there was still a good chance of making money there.
The journey was relatively smooth; the roads were much easier to travel on, and I didn't suffer much.
When Song Ning arrived at the city gate of Yuanzhou, he looked out and noticed that the two characters "Yuanzhou" that had been peeled off on the city wall had now returned.
As expected of a prefecture, it was quite different. The entire city was two or three times the size of a county town, and it sold all kinds of things. The streets were bustling with people, and the sounds of vendors calling out their wares blended together with the noise of carriages and shouts.
Li Xingwang and Shunzi stared in disbelief: "Er Ya, this is my first time in Yuanzhou City, it's really huge!"
Song Ning smiled and said, "Let's go to the government office first, and after we're settled, I'll take you shopping."
Although He Qiu did not greet them at the city gate, he brought a large number of people to wait at the entrance of the government office.
As soon as Song Ning got out of the car, He Qiu came up to her: "Miss Song, you've finally arrived."
"I apologize for keeping Lord He waiting."
"Quickly, hurry into the mansion."
The prefectural government office is different from the county government office, and is of a higher standard. Although the prefect's residence is also next to the government office, it is a separate mansion.
Song Ning and his companions went to the back hall of the government office to have tea and rest for a while. At noon, they had lunch with the officials of the prefecture.
There was no other woman at the entire dinner table besides Song Ning.
Song Ning could sense that some people were not very welcoming of her appearance.
At the dinner table, she said things that many people didn't know, which attracted a lot of attention, and some people couldn't stand it.
Song Ning smiled politely throughout and didn't say anything unnecessary.
After finishing the meal, Song Ning felt utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally. Indeed, interpersonal relationships are the most complex thing in the world.
He Qiu probably figured it out, and kept Song Ning to talk.
“Miss Song, you were invited by me to do things for Yuanzhou. If there are any ignorant people, just tell me and I will find a way to deal with them. As for the rest, Miss Song, you don’t need to worry about it.”
"Thank you, Lord He. Please rest assured, I am here on official business. The rest is none of my concern."
Seeing that Song Ning was so cooperative, He Qiu was very satisfied.
No wonder Zheng Gaoyi treats this little girl like a treasure; she really understands things very quickly.
Song Ning understood He Qiu's meaning. Although she was invited by the prefect, she was still just a commoner. Yuanzhou City was not like the county, and she couldn't afford to offend the people here.
He Qiu wanted her to endure it if she could, and to avoid it if she couldn't.
As the prefect, He Qiu's attitude was already quite good; he didn't spell things out directly, but she understood.
However, she was essentially doing things for money, and the entire government office was her client, so she naturally wouldn't go out of her way to provoke them.
However, Song Ning did not expect that as soon as the excitement over here subsided, He Qiu hurriedly left the mansion and headed to the General's Mansion.
Xie Linzhou was playing pitch-pot in the courtyard when He Qiu came in and quickly bowed, saying, "Greetings, General."
"Lord He, there's no need for such formalities. Please have a seat."
"Your subject dares not." The general was standing, but he was sitting; he would never dare, even if he were beaten to death.
"Serve tea to Lord He."
"yes."
After throwing his last arrow, Xie Linzhou walked into the pavilion, where a servant handed him water and a handkerchief.
Xie Linzhou asked while wiping his hands, "I heard you have distinguished guests at your residence?"
He Qiu respectfully replied, "Nothing can be hidden from the general. Someone did come to the manor, but he is not a distinguished guest. He is just a craftsman that I invited."
Xie Linzhou paused slightly, his eyes narrowing as he looked at He Qiu. Zhang Ping, standing beside him, knew that the young master was displeased.
"I heard you hosted a banquet at your residence today?"
"Yes, General. I was unaware that you had also returned to Yuanzhou. I hope you will forgive me."
Xie Linzhou raised a smile that revealed no emotion and said calmly, "Then tell me, what was said at the banquet today?"
He Xian was taken aback: "This..."
"What? You don't want to talk?" Xie Linzhou's face darkened. He Qiu was startled and quickly knelt down: "General, please forgive me, I dare not."
He Qiu recounted everything that had happened at the banquet that day in a trembling voice, not daring to hide anything.
After he finished speaking, Xie Linzhou remained silent for a long time. He Qiu couldn't figure out what this man was thinking, and cold sweat broke out on his brow.
Xie Linzhou took a small sip of tea; the tea was slightly red, reflecting in his dark eyes.
"Lord He, how long have you been in Yuanzhou?"
"Reporting to the General, it has been fifteen years."
Xie Linzhou nodded: "It has indeed been quite a long time. The magistrate of Jiangning County has been in office for ten years now. Don't you think he should be promoted?"
"This...this...it's all up to the general to decide."
"If that's the case, then let him take your place. Perfect, you can go and replace him."
He Qiu's face turned deathly pale, and he kowtowed repeatedly: "General, General, please forgive me, I know I was wrong, General, please forgive me, I know I was wrong!"
"Song Ning was someone you invited to do something, and it was something important that would benefit the people and the country. Is this how you treat someone like this?"
Xie Linzhou felt like killing someone. These people were gossiping about him like that, even though he was the one who had to coax them. The fact that he could still sit still showed that he had a good temper.
"General, please forgive me. It was my fault for not taking good care of you. I deserve to die. Please rest assured, General, I will definitely treat Miss Song well."
Xie Linzhou stood up, walked to He Qiu, looked down at him, and said in an icy tone, "He Qiu, you must understand that I am only being patient with you today because of your many years of service to the country and the people. If there is a next time, you should not be a county magistrate anymore, but just retire and go back to your hometown."
He Qiu's heart trembled again and again. He dared not raise his head and quickly kowtowed: "Your subject understands, General, rest assured, Your subject will definitely remember it."
Seeing that it was almost time, Zhang Ping stepped forward and helped He Qiu up.
"Alright, Lord He, I'll take you back."
He Qiu was drenched in sweat and his legs felt weak. Just now, he thought his time as prefect was over.
He Qiu was carried out by two people, and he could barely stand up when they were almost out of the general's mansion.
Zhang Ping chuckled from the side, "Lord He, you know my young master has this kind of temper. You have to believe me, he still trusts you a lot, otherwise he wouldn't have entrusted such an important place as Yuanzhou to you."
He Qiu nodded: "Yes, yes, I understand."
The area under Xie Linzhou's jurisdiction was granted by special permission from the emperor, and the appointment and dispatch of officials there were entirely at Xie Linzhou's discretion.
In other words, even if Xie Linzhou directly dismissed, investigated, or even killed someone, the imperial court would not say anything.
He Qiu, still shaken, wiped the sweat from his brow and asked in a low voice, "General Zhang Ping, if I may be so bold as to ask, that Miss Song, and you..."
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