Lu Yan pretended to be injured and covered his chest:
“Miss Chen, your words are hurtful! I, Lu Yan, am a conscientious and good official!”
"This time I came to Qingzhou, and I did indeed bring grain to relieve the people."
Chen Qingwan snorted coldly:
"How much food did you bring? Enough to fill a gap between your teeth?"
"Qingzhou is so big, and there are so many people suffering from the disaster. What good is your little bit of food?"
Lu Yan smiled mysteriously:
"Miss Chen, you are unaware of this."
"Although I didn't bring much food this time, my plan is not simply to distribute porridge and food."
"My goal is to bring some of the disaster victims to my newly established sub-county."
"Divided into counties?" Chen Qingwan was even more puzzled.
"What county division? I've never heard of that before."
Lu Yan proudly raised his chin:
“A few days ago, I led the warriors of Shannan County and completely defeated those barbarians.”
"They subjugated their territory and established a branch county of Shannan County there."
"The land there is fertile and rich in resources, enough to resettle some of the disaster victims."
Chen Qingwan was stunned; she had previously thought Lu Yan was just bragging.
Unexpectedly, he actually did it!
The land of the barbarians was extremely dangerous, and many soldiers had suffered defeats and returned home empty-handed.
Lu Yan, a mere county magistrate, actually conquered the barbarian tribes.
They even established sub-counties?
"You...you really established a branch county in the barbarian lands?"
Chen Qingwan's voice carried a hint of disbelief.
Lu Yan smiled slightly, took out a sheepskin map from his pocket, and slowly unfolded it:
"Miss Chen, please take a look. This is the location of my newly established branch county, as well as the surrounding terrain."
"The land here is fertile and the water is plentiful, making it very suitable for farming and living."
Chen Qingwan took the map and examined it carefully.
The map clearly marks the mountains, rivers, cities, villages, and the locations of the counties.
The more she looked at it, the more alarmed she became; the map was drawn with exquisite detail.
It was clearly based on on-site investigation and not fabricated out of thin air.
"This...this map is real?"
Chen Qingwan raised her head, her gaze fixed intently on Lu Yan.
Lu Yan shrugged:
"Of course it's true, would I lie to you?"
"If Miss Chen doesn't believe me, she can send someone to investigate in person."
Chen Qingwan fell silent, though she still had doubts in her heart.
But Lu Yan's expression and tone, as well as that detailed map, were telling.
All of this forced her to begin to believe in this seemingly unreliable county magistrate.
Perhaps it really did create a miracle.
She looked Lu Yan up and down, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
Lu Yan felt a little uncomfortable under Chen Qingwan's gaze and coughed lightly:
"Miss Chen, why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"
Chen Qingwan snapped out of her daze and coughed lightly to cover it up:
"It's nothing, I was just a little surprised. I didn't expect you to have this skill."
Lu Yan grinned:
"Of course! I, Lu Yan, am not someone whose reputation is undeserved!"
Qiao'er exclaimed in surprise from the side:
"My God, he actually did it! Those barbarians are ferocious and vicious; even our Great Tong Dynasty's army couldn't handle them. Lu Yan actually..."
Li Dazhuang couldn't help but chime in:
"That's right, I used to go with the general to suppress the barbarians,"
“Those guys were all incredibly fierce, like wild beasts. Our brothers suffered countless casualties, and we didn’t gain any advantage.”
"Lord Lu was actually able to subdue them, that's truly amazing!"
Chen Qingwan glared at the two of them, "Stop gossiping about our Da Tong here!"
Hmph! This Lu Yan is quite capable, but he doesn't need to belittle the army of my Great Tong, does he?
Qiao'er and Li Dazhuang quickly shut their mouths, not daring to say another word.
Lu Yan waved his hand:
"It's alright, Miss Qingwan, they're just curious."
"The land of the barbarians is indeed extremely dangerous. My success this time was also due to luck."
"It was thanks to the brave warriors of Shannan County that the barbarians were defeated."
Chen Qingwan nodded:
"Lord Lu, your achievements this time are enough to go down in history. The imperial court will surely reward you handsomely."
Lu Yan smiled modestly:
"I don't care about rewards or anything like that. I only hope that more people can live a peaceful life."
Chen Qingwan's heart was filled with turbulent emotions.
On the surface, she praised Lu Yan highly, but deep down she felt a sense of vigilance.
This Lu Yan, at such a young age, already possesses such skills.
Not only did they pacify the barbarian tribes, they also privately established sub-counties and expanded their territory.
Such ambition is truly alarming.
Could it be... that he truly harbors rebellious intentions?
Upon returning to the capital, we must make preparations to execute this corrupt official.
"Lord Lu, your words are far too high-sounding."
“I used to live in the capital, and I heard a lot of stories about the ‘great achievements’ of corrupt officials.”
"Which of them isn't using the guise of speaking out for the people to line their own pockets and exploit the common people?"
"Are you expanding your territory in an attempt to extract benefits from the imperial court?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Yan not only wasn't angry, but instead chuckled, revealing a set of bright white teeth:
"Miss Chen, you're wronging me. Who am I, Lu Yan?"
"He was famously honest and upright, with nothing to his name!"
"I am expanding my territory not for myself, but for the people of Shannan County, and for the prosperity of the Datong Dynasty!"
Qiao'er rolled her eyes and muttered to herself:
"You, someone who claims to be clean-handed? I wonder who built a chain of inns in Shannan County."
Chen Qingwan looked at Lu Yan with a half-smile, her eyes filled with a hint of inquiry:
"Oh? Since Lord Lu is so noble and virtuous, then tell me, what benefits do you want?"
Lu Yan pretended to ponder for a moment, then slapped his thigh, looking as if he had suddenly realized something:
"Oh dear, look at my memory!"
"Our Shannan County has expanded so much now, both by fighting the barbarians and establishing branch counties,"
"Is the word 'county' a bit inappropriate?"
"Therefore, I have already submitted a memorial to the court, requesting Her Majesty the Empress to appoint me as a prefect."
Chen Qingwan's eyelids twitched, and she almost lost control of her expression.
Lu Yan is really asking for an exorbitant amount!
A mere county magistrate actually wants to become a prefect?
He wasn't afraid of biting his tongue in the strong wind!
"Prefect?" Chen Qingwan suppressed a laugh and repeated the word.
"Lord Lu, aren't your ambitions a bit too high? What do you think a prefect is? Do you think you can just become one whenever you want?"
Lu Yan shrugged, his face showing complete innocence:
"There's nothing I can do about it; who told me I'm so capable?"
"Under my governance, Shannan County is thriving, the people live in peace and contentment, and commerce is booming."
"With such a great achievement, it would be unreasonable not to promote him to prefect, wouldn't it?"
"you……"
Chen Qingwan was speechless for a moment, unable to find a reason to refute.
Lu Yan's words sounded shameless.
But upon closer examination, it's not entirely without reason.
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