"Where did this peasant come from, daring to spout such nonsense?" Wan Fu was furious, but also a little guilty, and his voice lacked confidence.
"Haha, a year ago I fled famine and came here. I heard a storyteller talk about your Wan family. He said that your Wan family used Lord Wan's power in the court to bully and monopolize the market and make a fortune."
And you, Wanfu, are a vicious dog in the Wan family, hurting people everywhere and ruining many businesses.
"You've gone to Narcissus Village again today and caused trouble. Who gave you such audacity? Aren't you afraid this will reach Lord Wan's ears?"
Zhao Xian never dreamed that Li Guang, who was usually quiet and somewhat afraid of people, would be so fearless today, showing no fear of the aggressive Wan Fu in front of him.
It seems that Wanfu is not so scary after all. How could a third-rank official of the imperial court compete with an ordinary merchant for business? This is just Wanfu abusing his power and acting like a fox borrowing the tiger's might.
Perhaps Li Guang hit a nerve with Wanfu, who became enraged and, disregarding his own image, raised his whip to lash Li Guang.
Before the whip he raised could fall, Zhao Cheng flashed to his side, grabbed him by the back of the neck, and lifted him up.
"Who dares to be so disrespectful to me..." Before Wanfu could finish speaking, he was thrown more than 20 feet away. The five or six people Wanfu brought with him were shocked and rushed over to help him up.
Wanfu fell hard, wincing in pain, but he shouted loudly despite the agony:
"What are you waiting for? Chop him down."
Several men immediately rushed to the carriage, took out several gleaming machetes, and approached Zhao Cheng step by step.
Zhao Cheng didn't need to draw his sword to deal with these people; he could subdue them with his bare hands.
Seeing Zhao Cheng walking towards them, the group was taken aback, exchanged glances, and prepared to attack him.
Just then, a majestic voice rang out:
"The Prefect has arrived."
Soon a group of people walked towards them, led by four guards who were fully armed and looked very imposing.
Following closely behind was Shen Yong, the prefect of Qing'an, who wore a brand-new official robe, exuding an imposing and powerful aura. On either side of him were Yu Wen and Bao Ping.
Following behind were more than a dozen servants, carrying gold, silver, pearls, agate, silk and satin, and others leading horses and oxen.
Everyone present was shocked by this scene, and Wanfu and his men were even more stunned.
Zhao Xian was secretly pleased. He knew that the prefect had come to reward him, and Wan Fu and the men he brought would not be able to act arrogantly. Zhao Cheng would not need to take action.
"Greetings, Your Excellency the Prefect." Zhao Xian stepped forward and bowed.
Prefect Shen nodded, then looked at Wanfu and his men, and immediately understood what was going on.
"Who are you, and what brings you here?"
Wanfu, disregarding his own pain, hurriedly stepped forward to pay his respects.
"Greetings, Your Excellency. I am from the Wan family of the capital. I have come to discuss some business with Manager Zhao."
"Do you bring a knife when you're doing business?" Prefect Shen sneered.
"Men, seize the armed man."
"Yes, ma'am."
The four guards in front immediately stepped forward, disarmed the men, and tied them up.
Wanfu panicked and quickly stepped forward.
"Your Excellency, it's all a misunderstanding."
"Whether it's a misunderstanding or not, you can explain it to Qing'an Prefecture later. I'm on official business right now, so please shut up," Prefect Shen said coldly.
Wanfu dared not speak, fearing that Prefect Shen would tie him up as well.
At this moment, Prefect Shen looked at Zhao Xian and immediately smiled broadly.
"Young Master Zhao, during this time you made waterwheels, which solved the problem of water supply and irrigation for rice fields. When you were suppressing bandits in Qianniu Mountain, you made a catapult to attack the mountain and destroyed the bandits' fortifications, making a great contribution."
Afterwards, you actively cooperated with the government in suppressing the bandits, ultimately wiping out the remaining bandits in one fell swoop. For this, the Qing'an Prefecture, together with the Provincial Government, hereby issues a commendation. Please have the clerk read the commendation document.
The clerk, Yu Wen, stepped forward and began reading the awards on the commendation order.
"The reward is one hundred taels of gold, one thousand taels of silver, a number of pearls and agates, ten bolts of silk and satin, two fast horses, four oxen, and a courtyard in Qing'an Prefecture."
After the advisor finished announcing the award, he handed the commendation certificate to Zhao Xian and said with a smile:
"The Prefect set off from Qing'an Prefecture early this morning to commend you, so you should at least treat him to a cup of tea."
Zhao Xian was still dazed when the clerk read out the commendation order. He only came to his senses when the clerk asked him for tea.
"The Prefect requests your presence."
Zhao Xian immediately invited Prefect Shen into the house, followed closely by Yu Wen and Bao Ping.
After the group entered the room and sat down, someone brought them tea. After taking a sip of tea, Prefect Shen asked a question.
"What's the deal with that guy who claimed to be from the Wan family in the capital? Who are those people with the big machetes? What are they up to?"
Zhao Xian then recounted what had just happened, adding a final note.
“These people are extremely arrogant. When coercion fails, they resort to violence. You can tell from the large machetes they carry that they openly rob and steal, no different from bandits.”
"Wan Fang is a collateral relative of Lord Wan of the Imperial Court. He has a very large business. He is greedy by nature and does everything he can to amass wealth. He has many servants under his command, and Wan Fu is one of them."
Wanfu is in my hands now, it's his bad luck. He ordered his men to commit crimes with knives in Qing'an Prefecture, I believe Lord Wan will not protect him.
He should keep an eye on those distant relatives who are doing business under his name. There are too many people in the capital who are of higher rank than him; he shouldn't give them any ammunition against him.
It seems that Prefect Shen also knew about the rampant corruption among Lord Wan's relatives. Could it be that this official, who held the rank of third grade, was completely unaware of this matter?
At this moment, Prefect Shen seemed to remember something. He looked at Zhao Xian and asked.
"The triennial provincial examination will be held this month, and there are only twenty-odd days left. Scholars from all over the country have gathered in Qing'an Prefecture. I wonder how Young Master Zhao is preparing and when he will travel to Qing'an Prefecture."
Zhao Xian shuddered upon hearing this. It was true that he was a scholar, but that was the original body and had little to do with him, the transmigrator. Besides, he knew nothing about the imperial examinations in ancient times. Going to Qing'an Prefecture to participate in the provincial examinations was a joke.
Thinking of this, Zhao Xian spoke up:
"After passing the county-level examination, I have taken the provincial-level examination several times, but failed each time. I have squandered my family's good fortune. It seems that this is the end for me. I have many younger siblings, and I can't keep going like this."
Since I started doing business, things have been going quite well, and business is currently booming. It seems I have a knack for business, and I plan to continue. I have no plans to participate in the provincial examinations for the time being.
Prefect Shen nodded. He basically agreed with Zhao Xian's approach. In this era, many scholars spent their entire lives on the path of the imperial examinations in pursuit of fame and fortune, and some families even endured hardship and gave everything for them. It was truly a losing proposition.
Prefect Shen sat for a while, then, due to his busy official duties, he got up to take his leave. Of course, Wanfu and his men were also taken away.
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