Chen Qingwan had some doubts in her mind, and said to Qiao'er:
"Come on, let's go to the tea stall up ahead and have a bowl of tea!"
If you want to get information, you have to go to places like teahouses and taverns.
People from all walks of life come to this place, from the north to the south, and from all social classes, so they can naturally hear different news.
Qiao'er was worried that going to such a place would be dangerous for Chen Qingwan because there would be too many people around.
"this……"
"Stop with this and that, hurry up!"
Chen Qingwan took the lead and walked forward. Since the Empress had made her decision, Qiao'er naturally couldn't say anything more.
She had no choice but to follow behind, constantly glancing left and right, afraid that something might happen.
Chen Qingwan deliberately chose a tea stall with many people to sit down, ordered a pot of tea, and slowly drank it.
Hearing these people chatting, Chen Qingwan feigned confusion and asked a question:
"Gentlemen, I come from out of town. Is this county magistrate really as good as you all make him out to be? I just heard someone call out 'Lu Qingtian'!"
"How many good deeds must one do for the people to be worthy of such a reputation?"
A burly man dressed in coarse cloth and with a full beard glanced at Chen Qingwan, then drank the tea in his bowl with great gusto before speaking in a booming voice.
"You're an outsider, yet you're so eager to learn, so I'll tell you. What Lu Qingtian has done is unprecedented and unparalleled. Only the title 'Qingtian' (meaning 'upright' or 'righteous') is worthy of him!"
The bearded man praised Lu Yan profusely before revealing what he knew.
"Lu Qingtian led the county's soldiers to rob a border caravan. He didn't pocket the money himself; instead, he distributed it to all the people in our county!"
"I've never heard of any county magistrate who would do such a heroic deed and be so considerate of the people. What else could he be but an upright and just official?"
The others nodded in agreement, and a scholar-like man shook his fan and slowly began to speak.
"Lu Qingtian is even braver than some generals. He led his troops to capture a lot of barbarians."
"As the saying goes, 'He can bring peace to the world with his pen and shake the universe on horseback.' He is truly a pillar of the nation and a model official!"
The scholar then showered Lu Yan with praise and commendation, and then told everyone else.
"Those barbarians are building irrigation canals and planting crops for us, which saves us a lot of effort and prevents us from being helpless when disaster strikes!"
"Everyone knows that bluestone road on East Street, right? That road was built by the barbarians we captured. Lu Qingtian didn't conscript any laborers, nor did he charge anyone money to build the road!"
The young man who was serving tea to several people finished serving everyone and then told them with a smile.
"Lu Qingtian is a hero in our county. He sees all the difficulties we ordinary people face and always thinks about how to help us!"
“The things we used to buy from merchants were so expensive. Now that Lu Qingtian is here, ordinary people like us can afford them. And for the same price, we can buy two of the things we used to buy one of!”
Everyone smiled and nodded in agreement.
ah?
Capture barbarians and make them do hard labor?
Robbery?
Is this something a county magistrate should do?
Hearing these people recount Lu Yan's heroic deeds, Chen Qingwan and Qiao'er were speechless for a moment.
Chen Qingwan couldn't help but mutter to herself.
"This... this is considered a good official by ordinary people, and doing these things makes him a paragon of justice?"
Qiao'er muttered a complaint under her breath.
"That's right. What good official gets rich by robbing caravans? What good official gets promoted by capturing barbarians?"
"I think it's just a publicity stunt. Even if these things were to be done, that's what military officers should do. What county magistrate would do these things? This is just nonsense!"
Qiao'er had preconceived notions, so she didn't have a good impression of Lu Yan. The reason she said this was, in effect, a rebuttal to what the common people were saying.
She didn't dare to complain in front of the public.
The two women had just been slightly disrespectful to Lu Yan, and the old woman had stopped them from leaving. They still remembered it vividly, and Qiao'er dared not cause trouble for Chen Qingwan.
Although Chen Qingwan remained silent, a curious look appeared on her face.
"So, what kind of person is this guy? Is he a good person or a bad person? Why do the people approve of him?"
Qiao'er honestly shook her head.
"I don't know. Maybe he's not a good person. Otherwise, why would someone submit a memorial impeaching him? Some things are probably not baseless!"
Chen Qingwan gently shook her head.
"Let's not jump to conclusions. We need to spend more time investigating, and then we'll naturally have the results."
"If this guy really made so many mistakes, then chop off his head. If he's really as good as the people say..."
Chen Qingwan only said half of this sentence and did not continue.
Because she didn't know what to do if Lu Yan was really as the people said.
Because Lu Yan did something a county magistrate shouldn't have done, he was labeled a "righteous and just official" by the people.
It's a good thing, but not something that ordinary people can do. It would be inappropriate to arbitrarily say it's a bad thing.
"Your Majesty, what should we do now? Should we continue listening to what these people have to say?"
Qiao'er thought that even if she listened to what these people were saying, it would be nothing more than similar things.
She couldn't be sure if Lu Yan had done so many surprising things.
However, if she were to publicly reveal her desire to investigate the bad things Lu Yan had done, she feared they would never be able to leave the county.
Therefore, even if an investigation is necessary, it will be conducted secretly and discreetly.
Instead of what they had expected, many people complained that Lu Yan was a despicable magistrate.
"It seems things aren't so simple now. Let's find an inn near the county government office and stay there so we can investigate secretly!"
“From there, we can have a clear view of what’s happening around the county government office, see how he handles the people’s affairs, and have a basis for judgment.”
Chen Qingwan's idea was simple: a good official can handle any matter, big or small.
Even if someone is good at putting on a show, their true nature will still be revealed when they are unaware that someone is secretly investigating them.
This is the opportunity Chen Qingwan has been looking for, and it's also the opportunity to see Lu Yan's true colors.
Qiao'er paid for the tea, and she and Chen Qingwan left the tea stall.
The two walked and stopped along the way, and even saw the road built by the barbarians. This bluestone road was wide and flat.
soon.
They walked to the vicinity of the county government office.
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