“Also,” Chen Qingwan rubbed her throbbing temples.
"Select another person with a clean background to serve as Minister of Revenue,"
"Take inventory of the grain currently in the warehouses, and give all the embezzled money to me to provide relief to the disaster victims."
"If anyone starves to death again, I will hold them accountable!"
"This servant obeys the decree!"
Qiao'er accepted the order and left, and the palace finally quieted down.
Chen Qingwan sat alone on the dragon throne, rubbing her forehead wearily.
The drought in Qingzhou had already caused her a great deal of trouble.
At this crucial moment, the Ministry of Revenue made such a huge mistake, how could she not be furious?
She suddenly remembered Lu Yan, the young magistrate who had made a name for himself in Shannan County.
Although this guy is glib and his behavior is somewhat unreliable, he does have some real skills.
If he were in the government, he might be able to help her share some of the pressure.
Thinking of this, a resolute glint flashed in Chen Qingwan's eyes.
"Someone come here!"
"What are your orders, Your Majesty?"
A guard entered in response.
"By imperial decree, Lu Yan, the magistrate of Shannan County, has rendered meritorious service in subduing the barbarian tribes. He shall be appointed as the prefect, and Shannan County shall be incorporated into Shannan Prefecture."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
...
On the other side, Prime Minister Liu An returned to his residence with a gloomy expression.
He slammed his official hat heavily on the table, startling the maidservant who was serving him, who trembled and spilled her tea.
"A bunch of idiots! Traitors! They're greedy for that little bit of money, but they can't even do things properly!"
He roared, which frightened the maid so much that she knelt on the ground, her body trembling like a leaf.
"Please calm down, sir. Getting angry will harm your health."
A staff member dressed in a blue long gown and sporting a mustache bowed and cautiously offered his advice.
Liu An glared at him and said irritably:
"Tell me, what are we going to do about this? His Majesty has his eye on the Ministry of Revenue now, our good days are over!"
The aide stroked his beard, his eyes darting around, and said:
“My lord, in my opinion, this matter is inextricably linked to Lu Yan, the magistrate of Shannan County.”
"His Majesty went to Shannan County before and came back to thoroughly investigate the granaries. I don't believe there's nothing fishy going on."
"You mean, it was Lu Yan who impeached us before His Majesty?"
Liu An narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing within them.
"I dare not speak presumptuously; this is merely a guess."
"But Shannan County has developed so rapidly in recent years, Lu Yan must have plundered a lot of the people's wealth."
"In my humble opinion, we can send someone to Shannan County to investigate thoroughly; perhaps we can find some clues."
"Then, we can..."
The aide made a throat-slitting gesture.
Liu An pondered for a moment, then nodded:
"You're right. Then send people to investigate and find evidence of Lu Yan's crimes to bring him to justice! A mere county magistrate dares to oppose me!"
"Your Excellency is wise!"
The aide smiled obsequiously.
Liu An, with his hands behind his back, paced a few steps in the study, then said:
"Furthermore, His Majesty has been single for so many years, it's time for the harem to have some children."
"If Your Majesty is unwilling, then let's hold a selection process and choose men from various families to enter the palace!"
"Select more of our own people and place them around His Majesty."
"Sir, you truly have great foresight!"
The staff member flattered him again.
......
Meanwhile, in the Northern Xiang Kingdom.
The King of Beixiang was furious and smashed the wine cup in his hand on the ground, shattering it into pieces.
"Outrageous! This brat Lu Yan dares to seize the land of the barbarians for himself!"
He paced back and forth, seething with anger.
"The land of the barbarians has been an annex of my Northern Xiang Kingdom since ancient times. What right does the Great Tong Dynasty have to interfere?"
And what's this talk about promoting the development of Beixiang Kingdom? That's utter nonsense!
A minister cautiously offered his advice:
"Your Majesty, please calm down. Lu Yan is cunning and treacherous. Why not send an envoy to negotiate and persuade him to return the barbarian lands?"
"Negotiation? Negotiate with that slippery fellow? Humph!"
The king snorted coldly.
“Send someone to Shannan County and tell Lu Yan to obediently hand over the barbarian lands.”
"Otherwise, don't blame my Northern Xiang Kingdom for being impolite!"
Upon hearing this, the old minister inwardly groaned, but dared not offer any further advice, and could only accept the order and depart.
On the other side.
Lu Yan and his entourage, along with the disaster victims who had been rescued from Qingzhou, returned to Shannan County in a grand procession.
Looking at these emaciated disaster victims whose eyes were filled with hope, Lu Yan felt a sense of accomplishment.
After settling the disaster victims, Lu Yan rushed back to Shannan County without stopping.
He found Night Owl and said mysteriously:
"Night Owl, I'm entrusting you with an important task."
Night Owl clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "Please give your orders, sir."
"Do you see that little Kui?"
"Give him a good workout. I'm going to train him into a tiger general who can take on a hundred men!"
Lu Yan pointed at Li Kui, who was gnawing on a chicken leg.
Night Owl glanced at Li Kui, somewhat puzzled.
"Sir, this lad doesn't seem very reliable..."
Lu Yan chuckled.
"Whether he's reliable or not, we'll only know after training him. This kid may seem unreliable, but he has a fierce determination deep down. If we train him properly, he'll definitely amount to something!"
"And most importantly, we must cultivate his loyalty, so he doesn't run away one day!"
Night Owl accepted the order and left, leaving Li Kui staring blankly at Lu Yan:
"Big brother, what do you mean? What are you going to train me to become?"
Lu Yan patted him on the shoulder and said meaningfully:
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
