Chapter 24: Gaining the Regency of a Wise Ruler / Eagerly Seeking Talented Individuals...
Qi Chengming pondered for a moment, but couldn't figure it out, assuming that Master Qin was worried about the current situation. He comforted him, "Don't worry, the village chief of Xia Shi Village has told me everything about you. I will take care of all these people before I leave." There won't be any hidden dangers.
Xiao Dezi timely reminded from the side: "This is His Highness the Second Prince."
Of course.
'...How could he not recognize his new master?'
Qin Liusong's expression shifted several times, a hint of bitterness in it. The next moment, he lifted his robes, knelt on the ground with a thud, and performed a deep, graceful bow. He gritted his teeth and cut to the chase:
"Your Highness, I have a map of a bandit stronghold to present to you. I am willing to follow you from now on and share your burdens!"
Now that his sweet fruit, which had not yet fully ripened and was not yet ready to be used, has been picked and eaten by the new master, should he blame the new master for eating it at the wrong time?
The only merit Qin Liusong could use to recommend himself was the map of the bandit strongholds. If he didn't use it now, it might become useless. Now was the best time for him to recommend himself—go for it!
Therefore, Master Qin promptly handed it over.
The others were taken aback by his sudden words.
Qi Chengming watched with astonishment and suspicion as Master Qin ground the ink in one go. He took the densely packed route and defense maps, glanced at them, then looked up to carefully observe Master Qin. After a long while, he remained silent: "..."
"Your Highness?" Master Qin looked somewhat uneasy.
"This is truly a great gift, Mr. Qin," Qi Chengming said, regaining his composure and confirming in a gentle tone.
"Once we've purged the officials here, new officials will be sent to take up their posts. You don't need to worry about offending anyone and ending up in a bad position. On the contrary, the fiefdom I'm going to is in Liuzhou, where conditions are harsh. Have you really thought this through?"
Qi Chengming was stunned for a while, suddenly realizing that everything was going too smoothly—
When they wanted evidence, Master Huang stepped forward. He wanted to take advantage of the fact that the imperial court was about to send people to suppress the bandits so that he could take the opportunity to make some money for himself. This idea had barely taken shape when Master Qin jumped out and delivered a map.
He's even been worrying about it these past couple of days...
When a prince is enfeoffed, his entourage should include eunuchs in charge of internal affairs, his personal retainers, and officials from his own household. However, from the court's perspective, Emperor Hongren seemed to have completely forgotten about this, appointing no one. From the perspective of private factions, no one saw any investment potential in Qi Chengming, and no one offered to invest.
This was completely out of sorts when they arrived in Liuzhou.
Normally, Steward Song can handle all sorts of internal affairs for him, but there are always occasions when he needs the help of his retainers and guests, right? What will he do then?
Now my wish has come true!
—Master Qin was the first scholar to come and join him. Qi Chengming's entire palace system was truly in dire need of such a personal attendant.
"My mind is made up, and I will never regret it!"
Over here, Qin Liusong was still repeating it firmly.
Fearing that the Second Prince might still have doubts and refuse to accept him, he quickly fabricated another excuse: "Your Highness is truly admirable for upholding justice for the people. You are the wise ruler in my heart... May I ask, if I do not submit now, when will I ever do so?"
These words pleased the steward, Xiao Song, Xiao Dezi, and Xiao Chengzi in the room immensely. They nodded silently and found the scholar much more agreeable.
--good!
Those who admire His Highness are discerning!
"Very well." Qi Chengming was overjoyed to hear this.
He didn't hide his emotions, grabbing Qin's arm and chatting warmly and happily, without any airs: "Mr. Qin... you really saved me from my urgent problem! We can talk about other things later. Right now, there's a job I'd like to ask if you'd be willing to take it?"
"Since the lord has given the order, I will go without hesitation." Qin Liusong immediately changed his words with a serious expression, cupped his hands and accepted the order.
"Alright, I have a batch of confessions from local officials regarding collusion between officials and criminals. Mr. Qin, go and interrogate them, and find out all the solid evidence. Make sure their statements are substantial."
With a single glance from Qi Chengming, the Imperial Guards dragged the ashen-faced Magistrate Tang out, leaving only a desperate, pleading voice fading into the distance: "Your Highness! Your Highness, I'm innocent! Your Highness—"
"Yes, Your Highness, I will not disappoint you!" Master Qin's voice rose, his eyes brimming with tears, as he made his resolute promise.
His voice was choked with emotion, and he struggled to keep his tone from changing when he replied.
How could Qin Liusong not be excited?
Having lived two lifetimes, this was the first time he had spoken to His Majesty so closely, one-on-one, and His Highness's attitude was so kind and respectful... Oh! The thing he had been obsessed with his whole life had finally come true!
If it weren't for the fear of disrespecting the emperor, Qin Liusong wouldn't have just held back a couple of tears; he would have burst into tears and cried his heart out.
...From now on, he will dedicate his life to serving the country well and must never fail the Emperor's grace!
Qin Liusong, full of ambition and eager to prove himself, went out to run errands.
He doesn't yet realize how valuable his status as the "first person to pledge allegiance" is. Once he finds out and understands, he'll be ecstatic.
“We’re also gathering people to prepare to go up the mountain.” Qi Chengming frowned, but his expression relaxed when he saw the map.
He arrived in Yiyang County today and swiftly accomplished only two things—
First, Commander Mao should send a group of men to secretly hunt down the centurion's subordinate; they've gone after Master Qin's servant. If they aren't brought under control immediately, their presence will become a destabilizing factor in Yiyang County.
The second plan is to head straight to the county government office to rescue Master Qin, and then have the Imperial Guards, following the clues provided by Master Huang, arrest people house by house and "invite" all the officials on the list for interrogation. Now that this matter has been handed over to Master Qin, who is familiar with the situation locally, he certainly knows how to do something even more impactful.
Now that Qi Chengming wants to take the opportunity to rob the bandit's den, he can't help but worry that he doesn't have enough manpower... But looking at how detailed the map is, he feels relieved.
Most of the bandits are still imprisoned. It would be laughable if they had a map and still couldn't defeat the few old, weak, sick, and disabled people left behind on the mountain.
"Your Highness, we can handle this dangerous and rough work," Chief Steward Song quickly said, offering a tactful suggestion.
“That’s right.” Xiao Dezi also realized what was going on and brought up a matter, “There are so many people in the caravan, and we don’t know how to arrange them. There are also so many bandits. Your Highness… what do you think?”
"Forget it." Seeing that they all came to persuade him, Qi Chengming had no intention of deliberately seeking trouble or putting himself in danger. He would just wait here for Commander Mao to return from searching the bandit stronghold.
“I think Magistrate Tang won’t mind if we stay at his house temporarily, right? Bring the bandits along too, and keep a close eye on them—kill anyone who misbehaves. Anyway, it’s reasonable for us to keep only a few leaders as evidence.”
Qi Chengming's face darkened, and as he spoke, the young boy's face became menacing.
After a brief search during the rescue, we discovered that Magistrate Tang alone owns three magnificent private residences! They are all lavish and opulent, built entirely of gold and silver. We wonder how many wealthy merchants he has robbed in collusion with bandits over the years.
Qi Chengming felt a pang of heartache at the thought of the cost of the entire convoy staying at an inn. They still needed to rest in Yiyang County for several days to sort things out before setting off again, giving everyone, who were exhausted from the journey, a good rest.
Why not stay in a place where a criminal official is staying? He's not going to put on a brave face when he's not.
"Yes!" Qi Chengming's confidants bowed their heads in agreement and went out to carry out their respective duties.
Half an hour later, the convoy members settled down.
A few quarters of an hour later, with Master Huang's help, the evidence against Master Qin was thoroughly investigated and the search was completed.
Bishu served Qi Chengming a cup of strong hot tea, making his sitting and waiting less strenuous. The bright green and fragrant tea leaves were the finest "Enshi Jade Dew," originally a treasured possession of Magistrate Tang, which Qi Chengming accepted without hesitation.
He waited for several more hours, and Bishu even came in to adjust the wick of the ivory lamp several times, before a commotion arose outside: "Your Highness!"
The sounds of doors opening, weapons clashing against armor, and people moving about.
Qi Chengming suddenly stood up and saw Chief Steward Song, his face beaming, following behind Commander Mao. Both of them had a joyful New Year's expression on their faces. As soon as they stepped through the door, they bowed down profusely, congratulating him in unison: "Your Highness—we've struck it rich!" "We've made a fortune!"
Qi Chengming's heart pounded wildly: "...You're rich?!"
He asked dreamily.
How much money did they plunder?!
A note from the author:
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The next chapter will be available for purchase, and there will be a long chapter of 10,000 words tomorrow. To thank everyone for the nutrient solution and spoilers you've given, I will add extra chapters later!
Thank you all for your enthusiastic support during this time! It really gave me a lot of motivation to write!
There will be another giveaway tomorrow, and we'll also be randomly giving away red envelopes in the comments section over the next few days, so don't forget to check it out!
For those of you who only planned to make it this far, we'll meet again someday.
.
I recommend my own column for pre-order—
"Being a Good Eldest Brother with a System (Qing Dynasty Time Travel)"
Copywriting:
Before going to sleep, Jun Gu read a novel about a prince who was reborn in the Qing Dynasty. When he woke up, he found himself transmigrated into the body of the eldest prince in the novel.
a bolt from the blue!
Did he become the eldest prince, Yinqi, who, because he was the eldest son, had to become the whetstone for the crown prince, and whose love-hate relationship with the crown prince lasted for more than 30 years, resulting in mutual destruction and no good ending for either of them?
After being reborn, did that crown prince learn from his mistakes and begin to punish the dishonored and humiliated eldest prince, ultimately causing him to suffer an even more tragic fate than in his previous life?!
The future looks bleak.
Fortunately, he awakened the system in time. The shop sells everything: butterfly pills, antidote pills, power pills, contraceptive incense, and gender-predicting pills...
System: "Are you worried about your future? Are you heartbroken by the struggle for the throne among the princes? This system is the best helper for the host to protect himself!"
Jun Gu, who had been feeling hopeless, quickly straightened up: "Alright, alright, let Father Khan give up on that idea—no longer let me be the prince's whetstone. The ability to protect my life depends on you!"
.
The reborn Crown Prince Yinreng was equally shocked.
Everything in this life has changed beyond recognition:
Most of the brothers have mysteriously disappeared?! All of Khan's sons combined only number a few:
The eldest prince, skilled in martial arts, became the crown prince himself; the third prince, fond of literature; the fourth prince, pragmatic; the fifth prince, kind-hearted and plump; the sixth prince, who died young; and the seventh prince, who was born with a disability.
The fact that he had so few children made the Khan cherish each and every one of them.
The struggle for the throne among nine princes? That's gone.
The primogeniture struggle? That's gone too. This eldest prince is completely off! Yinreng swears he's not the reckless, impulsive older brother he was in his past life! Who is he really?
But... looking at the eldest prince in front of him, who was gentle and kind, with the air of an elder brother, and was waiting for him to go to the study together, Yinreng felt that it didn't matter who it was anymore.
The important thing is, you should never switch it back!
This guy... is actually pretty nice.
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