As the two were talking, footsteps came from the city wall.
Then, a group of people came running down the stairs. The person in the lead was wearing an official robe and had a fairly well-proportioned figure. He looked to be about forty or fifty years old.
Approaching Jing Zhe, he cupped his hands in a respectful bow: "Your humble servant, Chen Tao, Prefect of Kunlun County, pays his respects to Chief Jing!"
Behind him stood a man in a long robe who looked scholarly, who, along with the other officers and soldiers, bowed and said, "This humble official greets Chief Jing!"
Jing Zhe nodded and said calmly, "No need for formalities!"
The highest-ranking official in Kunlun County was the prefect, who was only a fourth-rank official. He was no match for Jing Zhe, who was a second-rank official, so he still had to put on airs.
Everyone then looked up, and the scholar-like man looked at Jing Zhe and said, "Do not worry about having no friends on the road ahead, for who in the world does not know you? What a fine poem, truly a fine poem! President Jing, I wonder if this poem has an upper and lower stanza?"
Jing Zhe shook his head and said, "It was just a spontaneous remark, nothing more. There's no question of a first or second part."
"As expected of President Jing!"
Upon hearing this, the scholar clapped his hands and said, "This casual remark is something that countless scholars in Anguo would be far inferior to. It seems the rumors are true. President Jing is indeed the number one talent in Anguo!"
"No, no..."
Jing Zhe shook his head.
"President Jing, there's no need to be so modest..."
"What I mean is, I'm not just the number one talent in Anguo, but the number one talent in the world!"
"..."
The scholar had originally intended to flatter Jing Zhe, but little did he know that Jing Zhe's flattery was far more impressive than his own. He was immediately speechless, and the Kunlun County officials beside him were also dumbfounded.
Zhang Xiaoyu and Chen Jiannan, who knew Jing Zhe well, smiled knowingly, thinking to themselves that when it came to shamelessness, no one could surpass him.
Jing Zhe then asked, "Have you heard of me?"
The scholar came to his senses and said, "President Jing is a man of great talent. Whether it was 'Spring waters are bluer than the sky' written in Yongzhou, or 'May we all live long and share the beauty of the moon, though separated by a thousand miles' written at the Mid-Autumn Festival poetry gathering in Jingzhou, I have had the honor of reading them. I have long admired President Jing's poetic talent. I never thought I would be able to witness President Jing's brilliance in person. I am truly fortunate!"
"..."
Flattery will get you everywhere. As long as you're human, or at least a normal person, you'll naturally want to hear flattery. Jing Zhe was no exception. He looked at the scholar and nodded silently, signaling him to continue.
Seeing this, the scholar became even more enthusiastic: "If you ask me, all the scholars in the entire An Kingdom want to see the charisma of President Jing and be baptized by his poetry. It's much more useful than reading ten thousand books!"
What's your name?
"Replying to Chief Jing, I am Chen Mingbo, a minor clerk in the Kunlun County government office."
Jing Zhe nodded, thinking to himself that since he was called the registrar, and he was eloquent and worked by Chen Tao's side, he must usually do the work of a secretary.
"Hmm, you're not bad."
Jing Zhe said this before turning around and looking at him: "Prefect Chen, it's almost dark, why are you still on the city wall?"
Prefect Chen immediately smiled and said, "To be honest, Chief Jing, there hasn't been much going on at the yamen lately, so I've often been waiting for you on this city wall tower. Today, as it was getting dark, I thought I'd have to go back, but I didn't expect Chief Jing to come!"
"wait for me?"
Jing Zhe was somewhat curious.
"President Jing, my master wrote to me more than ten days ago saying that you would be coming to Kunlun County to open a branch of the Da'an Newspaper. He instructed me to fully cooperate with you to get the branch up and running. Since I don't know when you will arrive and there's nothing much going on in the city lately, I've come here to wait."
Seeing Jing Zhe frown, Prefect Chen immediately added, "President Jing, my master is Prime Minister Zhu."
Upon hearing this, Jing Zhe suddenly realized what was going on.
As the Prime Minister of Anguo, Zhu Tong was considered the head of the civil officials in Anguo. His students were all over the country. It was understandable that he would make some arrangements before coming to the local area.
"So Prefect Chen is my uncle's student. Then we're no strangers here. Prefect Chen, please don't stand on ceremony. Please arrange for us to return to our lodgings!"
"Yes, President Jing!"
Subsequently, under the leadership of Prefect Chen, the group checked into Zuiyunlou, the best inn in Kunlun County. Prefect Chen originally wanted Jing Zhe to stay at his residence, but Jing Zhe refused.
He came to Kunlun County primarily for private matters, with official business as a secondary concern. Staying in the prefect's residence caused him considerable inconvenience in handling affairs.
On the way, Prefect Chen couldn't wait to introduce the situation in Kunlun County to Jing Zhe. From the prefect to the common people, and the promotion of Kunlun Mirror, everyone in Kunlun County was looking forward to the establishment of the Da'an Newspaper branch.
Therefore, Prefect Chen had already cleared out a place for Jing Zhe in the most prosperous area of Kunlun County, and even the interior decoration and furnishings were ready, just waiting for the Da'an Newspaper Office, Wenxiangju and Zhangjia Winery to move in.
Prefect Chen originally wanted to take Jing Zhe to see the place after he settled down, but Jing Zhe refused again.
"Prefect Chen, it's too late today, and I have to go to Kunlun Mirror tonight, so let's postpone the trip until tomorrow!"
After Jing Zhe finished speaking, he patted him on the shoulder again: "However, Prefect Chen's efficiency is really too high. When I return to Jingzhou, I will definitely say a few good words for Prefect Chen in the court and in front of His Majesty! It's a waste of talent to keep someone like Prefect Chen in the local area!"
"Thank you so much, President Jing! Thank you so much, President Jing!"
Every official has the desire to serve in the capital and hold a high-ranking position. As a disciple of Zhu Tong, Prefect Chen naturally knew how much Jing Zhe was favored by Emperor An. So how could he not be excited when he heard Jing Zhe say this?
After Prefect Chen took his leave, Chen Jiannan stepped forward and remarked with emotion, "Compared to what I experienced in Ruzhou, opening a branch of the Da'an Newspaper in Kunlun County is far too easy!"
When we were in Ruzhou, we had to choose the location ourselves, and once we chose the location, we had to find ways to acquire it. Just acquiring Juxianlou took a lot of effort.
Now, someone has helped them choose the location, and the interior decoration and furnishings are all set up. Even the publicity work has been done in advance. With so many people coming, all they need to do is follow the steps to produce and distribute the newspaper.
Jing Zhe also laughed and said, "Yes, compared to Kunlun County, Ruzhou is like a hellish start. But the easier it is, the better we have to do. We can't let people laugh at us!"
Chen Jiannan nodded repeatedly after listening, packed his luggage, and intended to ask Jing Zhe to go downstairs to eat together, but Jing Zhe refused.
Afterwards, Jing Zhe led Zhang Xiaoyu out of Zuiyun Tower and headed straight for Kunlun Mirror, following the directions they had inquired about from Prefect Chen.
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