"So, during your expedition this time, with the full cooperation of Qinghe County, you suppressed the rebellious militia at minimal cost, and in the process, wiped out the bandits from Qiongdu to Qinghe? You even wanted to commend the leader of the Qinghe Zhuangban for his great achievements and recommend him for the position of Qinghe County Magistrate?"
In the study of the prefect's mansion, Prefect Gao Bin looked at Xiao Cheng with a grim expression.
To be honest, no one was a good person. Xiao Cheng was known for his unpaid wages, embezzlement of military funds, and reselling of military equipment. He tolerated all of this. After all, he couldn't expect his subordinates to be saints. Who didn't have expenses? He even accepted Xiao Cheng's exaggerated battle reports. After all, as long as they could win the battle, who cared about the process?
But this time, Gao Bin felt that all his years of Qi-cultivation skills had been ruined by Xiao Cheng.
"Look at your battle report, and then look at the documents submitted by Qinghe County. Not only are the contents identical, but they even both recommend that obscure Lin Hai, a minor official no one has ever heard of, for promotion straight to county magistrate! How do you expect me to speak to the Ministry of Revenue? They also claim that the previous county magistrate fostered bandits and was eventually killed by them due to an uneven distribution of spoils. Some of the Qinghe militia were instigated by the previous county magistrate to rebel, but were later persuaded by you, Captain Xiao, and County Lieutenant Wang Liang, and were ultimately inspired by the greater good and joined the government forces to eliminate the bandits."
Gao Bin laughed in anger, "You guys are taking this too far. You think you can get away with putting all the blame on a dead man? Xiao Cheng, tell me, how much have you received from Qinghe County?"
Xiao Cheng was about to speak when he saw a figure swaying outside the door. Gao Bin called out, "Come in." The person who came in was not the steward of the prefectural government as before, but a young man, about fifteen or sixteen years old, who looked very smart.
After entering the room, the young man did not even look at Xiao Cheng. He just put a box that looked very heavy on the tea table next to Gao Bin, whispered a few words to Gao Bin, put down a document and left.
Gao Bin saw Xiao Cheng's strange expression and explained, "A few days ago, the housekeeper got drunk and fell into the fish pond in the back garden and drowned. This boy is called Chen Fan. I personally went to a human trafficker and picked him out. He has a clean background and a clear history, and he's smart and sensible. So I bought him and brought him home to be my personal servant, to help him grow."
"Your Excellency has a unique vision. This young man Chen is extraordinary. With your cultivation, he will become a great man in the future." While flattering, Xiao Cheng finally understood what Ling Yang meant by "We will cooperate with you". After all, Chen Fan made a gesture to Gao Bin when he had his back to him. This gesture was the secret code for the "people who will cooperate with you" that Ling Yang mentioned.
Xiao Cheng was grateful for his commitment to the contract. If he hadn't been a man of his word, his head would have been hanging at the gates of the military camp tonight if he had just said a single bad word about Qinghe County. However, he never expected Qinghe County to infiltrate the prefectural government so quickly.
"Oh, speaking of this, let me mention one more thing. I only discovered after the former housekeeper died that he was not only greedy for money behind my back, but also nepotism. Most of the guards in the mansion have become his people. I'm very worried about this. So, you can select a few dozen good men from your barracks to serve as guards in my mansion. I'll feel more at ease with your people."
After Gao Bin finished speaking, he waved his hand and had no desire to continue the previous topic. He directly let Xiao Cheng leave.
Xiao Cheng sighed as he retreated: "Yes, if it were someone from the barracks, you could really rest assured. From now on, you won't have anyone of your own around you. They're all from Qinghe County. You really brought this upon yourself and can't blame anyone else."
Xiao Cheng, who had walked into the garden, saw Chen Fan from afar. Seeing that he was surrounded by many eyes and ears, he quickly put on a flattering face, took out a small ingot of silver from his pocket, walked over, and said with a smile, "Brother Chen, it is truly a blessing that you have been able to cultivate the prefect. From now on, I will rely on you for your care."
Chen Fan took the silver calmly and said, "As long as Captain Xiao works hard, good things are still to come. There is no need to worry at all."
In the study.
Chen Fan placed the silver coins on the table and said respectfully to Gao Bin, "Sir, this is a reward from Captain Xiao."
Gao Bin waved his hand and said, "If he gives it to you, just take it. As someone close to me, you should still take the tribute you deserve. As long as you don't touch things you shouldn't touch, don't worry, you will have a good life ahead of you."
Seeing Chen Fan withdraw, Gao Bin sighed: "What a pure heart! He is a good seedling worth cultivating."
After saying that, Gao Bin opened the box, and a glass, oh no, a crystal coral appeared in the box.
After taking a look at the crystal clear coral, Gao Bin opened the official document beside him. After a quick glance, he sighed and said to himself, "Qinghe County is really lucky."
A few days later, an official document from the prefectural governor's office arrived in Qinghe County. In it, Gao Bin, acting as prefect of Xichuan, appointed Lin Hai as acting magistrate of Qinghe County and stated that he had submitted a petition to the Ministry of Personnel recommending Lin Hai as the official magistrate. However, at the same time, there was significant news: after a period of mobilization, the empire was not only fully prepared for war but had also renewed its offensive against the Chen Dynasty on the central front. Therefore, Gao Bin stated in the document that every imperial official was required to contribute to the war effort. Therefore, the tax exemption for Qinghe County was rescinded and the county was required to deliver more pig iron to the central government for use in the war effort.
"It seems that this is Gao Bin's exchange condition. He needs more pig iron to shut the central government's mouth, so he threw the county magistrate's hat to us." Lin Hai closed the document and said to everyone.
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