Both Village Chief Li and Meng Tianze shook their heads and said, "Never seen it before."
Meng Tianze added, "The new magistrate should be a good official; we weren't charged any entrance fee when we entered the city."
The entrance fee was two copper coins per person, so the three of them should have paid six coins. However, the entry into the city was just a routine check, and no money was charged.
Jiang Qinyu thought of the previous magistrate, Zhu Youcai, who could come up with all sorts of bizarre excuses to get money from the people. Comparing him to the current magistrate, she had a general idea of what was going on.
She remembered Lu Yanzheng saying that the person now being transferred to be the magistrate of Yongshan County was one of their own.
The people at the county government recognized Village Chief Li, and when they saw him arrive, the gatekeeper immediately went to report him.
A short while later, a man around forty years old, with a fair complexion and no beard, dressed in official robes and looking extremely serious, led several constables out quickly.
"May I ask if you are the General's wife?" the man asked Jiang Qinyu, bowing respectfully.
Jiang Qinyu curtsied and said, "My husband is Lu Yanzheng, the Great General Who Protects the Nation."
"Madam, please don't stand on ceremony. I am Wei Chengzhong, the newly appointed magistrate of Yongshan County." Although Wei Chengzhong was serious, he showed more respect to Jiang Qinyu.
Jiang Qinyu said politely, "I heard my general mention Lord Wei before."
She didn't say much, because Lu Yanzheng's status was clearly several levels higher than that of the county magistrate. As his wife, if she acted too obsequiously, it would only embarrass Lu Yanzheng.
“Madam, your timing is perfect. I was just about to go to Dingshui Village to find you. Please come in and let us talk in detail.” Wei Chengzhong gestured for them to enter.
Jiang Qinyu and the others had come to see him anyway, so they naturally went inside first.
Village Chief Li quietly approached Jiang Qinyu and whispered, "Niece, what could the magistrate possibly want with us?"
Jiang Qinyu shook her head, "You'll find out soon enough."
Judging from Wei Chengzhong's behavior, he must have received Lu Yanzheng's letter in advance, otherwise he wouldn't have said he was going to Dingshui Village to find her.
The group soon arrived at the county magistrate's office, and Wei Chengzong dismissed the others.
“Madam, I received a letter from the General the day before yesterday, informing me of the matter concerning sweet potatoes. I came today to discuss countermeasures with you. Is that why you came to see me, Madam?” Wei Chengzhong asked bluntly.
Jiang Qinyu felt uncomfortable being addressed as "Your humble servant" so politely, and said, "Lord Wei, there's no need to be so courteous. We came here because of the sweet potatoes."
“The proper etiquette must not be disregarded, please do not take offense, Madam.” Wei Chengzhong looked at her earnestly and said, “Regarding this matter, I do have a few ideas, please listen to them, Madam.”
Jiang Qinyu nodded, "Please speak, Lord Wei."
So Wei Chengzong shared his thoughts.
After he finished speaking, he looked at them quietly.
Jiang Qinyu had to admire this person's intellect. He had only received the news two days ago, and today he had already come up with three solutions. No wonder he was an official, and a low-level one at that.
“Niece, Lord Wei’s methods all seem feasible. Why don’t you make the decision?” After hearing the three plans, Village Chief Li’s mind was in a mess, so he simply stopped thinking about it.
Jiang Qinyu thought for a moment before speaking, “Lord Wei’s method is certainly good, but since Liu Ruyi dared to blatantly claim credit, she must have made thorough preparations. Ordinary methods may not be of much use to her.”
"What does Madam mean?" Wei Chengzhong was not annoyed, but instead appeared to be humbly seeking advice.
Jiang Qinyu smiled and said, "I'm just borrowing Lord Wei's method. We can use these three plans of yours together, depending on how Liu Ruyi decides to act."
"Use it as a template?" Wei Chengzong seemed to be thinking.
Jiang Qinyu nodded, "That's right. If Liu Ruyi comes here and tries to forcibly take the sweet potatoes from Dingshui Village to plant, or even dig up the ones that the villagers have already planted, then we'll petition the people to help her."
If she tries to reason with us and appeal to our emotions, we will judge her morally and spread the story of how the villagers of Dingshui Village planted sweet potatoes so that everyone knows about it.
If she doesn't intervene and continues to use force to suppress people, then we'll resort to Lord Wei's third method.
"Madam is right!" Wei Chengzong said, bowing respectfully. "I admire you!"
Previously, his respect for Jiang Qinyu was based on Lu Yanzheng, but now that Jiang Qinyu had clearly explained how to deal with Liu Ruyi's arrival, he truly felt that she was an extraordinary woman.
Jiang Qinyu humbly replied, "These are just some superficial opinions; Lord Wei's considerations are far more comprehensive."
Wei Chengzong's three plans were originally quite good. If Liu Ruyi didn't cause any major trouble, they would be fine to deal with individually.
However, Jiang Qinyu now has a very poor impression of Liu Ruyi, so she naturally has to prepare for the worst.
Wei Chengzong's method, when disassembled and reassembled, was able to adapt to changing circumstances, saving her the trouble of racking her brains.
“Alright, I’ll have someone go and make preparations right away,” Wei Chengzong’s expression finally softened, and he turned to look at Village Chief Li, saying, “This must be the village chief of Dingshui Village, right? There are still many things that will require your cooperation, Village Chief. Thank you for your hard work.”
"It's no trouble at all, Magistrate. Please feel free to ask if you have any instructions. It's an honor for our village to serve you!" Village Chief Li said hurriedly.
He had served as village chief for several years, so he knew how to say the right things.
Wei Chengzhong was very kind to him, saying, "Village Chief Li is too kind. Dingshui Village has grown high-yield grains such as sweet potatoes and high-yield winter wheat. They are the saviors of the entire Dai Viet. I should thank you on behalf of Yongshan County and the people of the entire Dai Viet."
Village Chief Li waved his hands repeatedly, "This is all thanks to my eldest niece. If you want to thank someone, thank her!"
Wei Chengzhong nodded, "It is indeed thanks to Madam. I will report the matter to the court truthfully and ask the court to return what is rightfully Madam's."
"Uh, Lord Wei, I don't care about the reward, but I don't want someone as cunning as Liu Ruyi to reap the rewards," Jiang Qinyu quickly said.
Originally, she and Lu Yanzheng meant that they shouldn't be too high-profile, for fear of attracting trouble.
However, Wei Chengzhong said seriously, "Madam, you are mistaken. I have already sent an urgent letter to the general, hoping that you will accept the imperial court's reward."
"Huh?" Jiang Qinyu was a little confused. "What does Lord Wei mean by this?"
Wei Chengzong said, "Now that Yongshan County has caught the eye of the imperial court, we can't be too low-key. The more high-profile we are, the less likely they are to touch us. Anyone who dares to touch the people who bring hope to Dayue is a sinner of Dayue!"
His resounding words enlightened Jiang Qinyu, who immediately straightened her expression and said, "Lord Wei is absolutely right."
Both she and Lu Yanzheng were blinded by their own limited perspectives, unlike Wei Chengzong, an outsider who saw things more clearly.
Indeed, if the whole of Dai Viet knew that the sweet potatoes and high-yield winter wheat came from her, who would dare to touch her easily?
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