After hearing about Magistrate Gao's experience, Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "His Majesty is a wise and virtuous ruler with discerning eyes."
"Lord Gao is truly talented and learned. Although he has spent more than ten years in the position of registrar, he has finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel. He will surely have a prosperous official career in the future."
Magistrate Gao laughed and said, "In that case, I'll take your kind words as a sign."
The two then chatted about other things, and Gao said, "Speaking of which, the previous magistrate was too capable, which was not a good thing for me."
Yan Qingqing asked, somewhat puzzled, "What makes you say that, Lord Gao?"
Magistrate Gao smiled wryly and said, "To be honest, I had already inquired about Chengyang County before coming here."
The former magistrate was the eldest son of the Ling family in the capital. I originally thought he was really the kind of person who was involved in cockfighting and dog racing, just like the rumors said.
But who knew that he, seemingly unruly, was actually a genuine and dedicated official who wholeheartedly served the people.
In addition, there is a man named Ming Zhaoshuo in Chengyang County who devoted his entire fortune to the country and the people. During the plague, the good reputation of the two of you working together to prevent and fight the epidemic has spread throughout our Great Yan Dynasty.
This would normally be a good thing, but it's too difficult for me to achieve anything significant in this area.
After Magistrate Gao finished explaining, Yan Qingqing instantly understood his concerns.
For a county magistrate willing to get things done, it is indeed easier to achieve political success in such a prosperous place than in a poor one.
But prosperous places are full of opportunities for personal gain, and Magistrate Gao is clearly not that kind of person.
Yan Qingqing then said with a smile, "It seems that Lord Gao's public trial a few days ago was a shortcut to make everyone remember you better and trust you."
Magistrate Gao replied somewhat embarrassedly, "I knew these little tricks couldn't fool Lord Ming Zhao."
I do want to use this incident to show the people of Chengyang County that I do have some skills.
However, this case now appears to be more complex than it seems.
This wealthy merchant's origins are unknown, and he died mysteriously after arriving in Chengyang County. I suspect his death was not natural.
Yan Qingqing glanced at Gao Zhiyan and asked, "Then why are you being so high-profile? Are you planning to alert the enemy?"
Magistrate Gao nodded and said, "That is exactly what I intend to do."
Magistrate Gao meant that only when the person behind the scenes was convinced that he thought it was just a simple case of child abduction would they lower their guard and reveal their true intentions.
Yan Qingqing thought for a moment and said, "Did Lord Gao ever suspect that the child's identity was problematic?"
Magistrate Gao said admiringly, "I do have this idea, but I can't find any clues for the time being, so I can only think of a way later."
Yan Qingqing nodded in agreement. These matters were not within her job responsibilities; she had only asked out of curiosity.
However, Magistrate Gao believed that Yan Qingqing was very capable. In his later work, whenever he encountered any difficulties, he would habitually ask Yan Qingqing for her opinion. Of course, these are all stories for later.
After seeing Gao Zhiyan off, Yan Qingqing returned to her room.
Seeing that Yan Qingqing had been gone for so long, he asked, "Madam, did you get along very well with the new magistrate?"
Yan Qingqing glanced at her and replied, "You think you know so much?"
Ruyi said with a smile, "Madam has been gone for so long, she must have gotten along well with the new magistrate, otherwise she would have kicked him out long ago."
Yan Qingqing laughed and scolded, "You're getting more and more outrageous. He's the county magistrate, he has real power."
"How can I, a mere scholar with only a title, possibly carry the weight of such a person?"
Ruyi pursed her lips upon hearing this; she certainly didn't believe Yan Qingqing's words.
In her heart, their mistress was the most capable, and the newly arrived county magistrate was no match for her.
After some time, the weather grew hotter and hotter, but Yan Qingqing still hadn't received any reward from the emperor.
Yan Qingqing had already given up; she considered all that money as a waste. Anyway, her current rank wasn't low enough.
At least in Chengyang County, no one was taller than her, and she didn't have to kneel before others.
However, Yan Qingqing was unaware that the ministers in the capital's Golden Hall had already caused a huge uproar over her.
According to the Emperor and Xiao Mochen, Yan Qingqing's great contributions warranted the rank of First-Rank Lady.
However, the ministers, led by the Qian and Yu families, disagreed.
They felt that Yan Qingqing was a court lady who received the emperor's salary and shared his burdens.
During the disaster, which minister didn't contribute money and effort? Why is Yan Qingqing the only one to be rewarded, and with such a generous reward at that?
Xiao Mochen coldly looked at the few people who were shouting the loudest, and he knew that these old bastards were deliberately looking for trouble.
My aunt's reward should have been given long ago, and she could have gone to the capital much sooner, but because of their obstruction, my father has been unable to make a decision.
Xiao Mochen was unwilling to wrong Yan Qingqing, because according to the opinions of the Qian and Yu families, giving Yan Qingqing the title of a third-rank lady was already a great favor.
After all, there are very few first-rank ladies in the capital.
Furthermore, with the title "Mingzhao" bestowed upon Yan Qingqing, it's likely that there won't be many people in the entire capital with a higher status than her.
Before Xiao Mochen could even give his people a signal, Ling Ziyuan could no longer stand.
He stepped forward to refute, saying, "Lord Wu, you are mistaken. The contributions made by Ming Zhaoshuo to the disaster victims are evident to all."
She used all her family fortune to buy 200,000 dan of grain and sent it to the border to relieve the crisis of our Great Yan.
He also saw through the rumors of the plague spread by the thieves and reassured the people of the seven prefectures. He is truly a lucky star for our Great Yan.
Such a significant contribution goes unrewarded; are you suggesting a sycophantic, incompetent person like you be rewarded instead?
This Lord Wu is a lackey of the Yu family. Whenever there's trouble, the Yu family sends him to the front lines. He himself can't see the bigger picture, thinking he can gain merit by supporting the Crown Prince when he ascends the throne.
He was also one of the most vocal opponents of Yan Qingqing's reward this time.
Lord Wu blushed with embarrassment after being spoken to by Ling Ziyuan. He pointed at Ling Ziyuan and said, "Ling Ziyuan, don't take advantage of your family's power and act arrogantly just because you got a third-rank official position."
You have served as the magistrate of Chengyang County for three years, and you are still unmarried.
That Mingzhao Shuo Ren is a widow, and every time she is promoted, it is because of your memorial.
I simply don't believe that you two, a lone man and a lone woman, aren't having an affair.
"We still don't know where those high-yield grains discovered by the Ming Dynasty's Zhaoshuo people came from."
Lord Wu's words infuriated Ling Ziyuan. He would accept it if he really had an affair with Yan Qingqing.
It's a pity that he never even touched Yan Qingqing's hand and yet he was slandered like this.
Even if he doesn't care about his reputation, Yan Qingqing still cares about her honor.
It's already difficult enough for Yan Qingqing, a woman, to raise several children alone. How can she face people again if she's labeled like this?
If that petty woman Yan Qingqing finds out that someone has slandered her and he didn't clear her name, she'll definitely not let him off the hook.
Thinking of this, Ling Ziyuan rolled up his sleeves and cursed, "You old bastard!" Then he walked up to Lord Wu and slapped him across the face.
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