Chapter Twenty-One: Entering the County Office

The midday sun blazed fiercely.

Xu Yuan had spent the entire morning at the Ji family’s security office, chatting with Ji Wu about recent changes, the situation around Qingshan County, and the developments of recent years.

At noon, he enjoyed another sumptuous meal personally prepared by Cai Shulan. The hours passed with a rare sense of fulfillment.

But joyful moments are always fleeting; how brief a day truly is.

He had other matters to attend to—he could not spend the whole day at the Ji family’s security office.

Qingshan County’s administrative office.

Wang Hongbo sat at his desk handling official business, while a graceful maid offered him freshly washed sweet grapes, gently lifting them to his lips.

Aside from them, two consulting guests lingered in the hall, their presence unremarkable to those accustomed to it.

Once Wang Hongbo had dealt with most of his immediate paperwork, one of the guests spoke up, “Sir, the prominent families of Qingshan County have been urging us to hurry with the river repairs. At the very least, they want us to gather the necessary materials and workers. What do you think...?”

“Hm?” Wang Hongbo sneered at his words, “When it came time to donate money, they dodged and delayed, dragging their feet. Now that I’ve finally collected the funds, they expect us to start work immediately?”

It had taken him great effort to gather that money, and now they wanted him to actually do the work?

Were all the benefits supposed to go to Qingshan County?

“Ahem.” The second guest coughed lightly and said, “That may be so, but appearances must still be kept. If nothing is done for too long, discontent will surely brew among the people of Qingshan County, which would not bode well for your term of office.”

Qingshan County was a large and wealthy place, with a copper mine to its name. As the saying goes, even handling pork leaves a trace of grease—holding this office promised no end of opportunities for profit.

But that very fact made the position highly sought after. To become magistrate of Qingshan County, Wang Hongbo had exhausted every connection he could muster. No sooner had he taken up the post than he was eager to recoup the money spent securing it.

Since he was here, why not make the most of it?

After conferring with his personal strategists, he decided to use the river project as his pretext.

Of course, this was merely a pretext—one needed a reason to collect funds, after all.

He spent half a year consolidating his position with various means. Only after he was secure did he dare bring up the matter in earnest.

Over the course of another year—through persuasion, pressure, and promises—he finally got the county’s wealthy families to contribute a sum of money. Even the year’s taxes were increased several times over, allowing him at last to replenish the coffers he’d drained to purchase his office.

But to actually spend this money on repairing the river? That would defeat the whole purpose!

“True, but some action must be shown. Sir, you could say that the spring rains have set in, and soon there may be thunderstorms, making construction unwise.”

“Then, for now, we recruit just a few workers and do a token reinforcement of the riverbanks... Drag it out for another year, and the matter can rest for now!” The advisor’s eyes gleamed as he spoke.

To the magistrate, wealthy families were like pigs—can they be slaughtered? Certainly, but only once. The remaining pigs would grow wary after hearing their fellows’ screams, and might even revolt, which would be disadvantageous.

Far better were the countless commoners of Qingshan County, an endless field of chives—cut them down, and they regrow. The county was prosperous, after all; there was no fear of exhausting the roots.

Drag it out for a year, and that’s another year of extra taxes. The choice was obvious.

“Excellent. I’m quite taken with this plan—let’s do it. Oh, and this morning, an auspicious omen appeared: a celestial palace opened in the heavens! This is a blessing, witnessed by all!”

At this, Wang Hongbo’s face took on a sly mien, his spirits rising. “Such a portent cannot be ignored. We must report this and instruct people to gather rare treasures for presentation to our superiors!”

“Indeed, sir!” the two guests chorused, nodding in agreement.

No one outdid Lord Wang in devising schemes for extracting wealth.

How fortunate Qingshan County was rich—any lesser place would have been ruined by now.

Just as the three were about to plot out the details, a sudden shriek rang out from outside the county office.

“Hm?” Wang Hongbo’s brows knit in displeasure as he leapt to his feet. “Who dares make a commotion outside the administrative hall?”

Before he could even rise fully, a figure in white strode unhurriedly inside, heedless of all around him.

What a figure he was! Clad simply in white, with not a single ornament, yet he seemed like an immortal descended from a painting.

He moved with effortless grace, long dark hair cascading to his shoulders, features as though carved from flawless jade, his skin luminous and fair. There was a casual ease to his stride, a nonchalance that captivated the entire room in an instant.

Wang Hongbo had seen his share of handsome young men, but none could match the one before him. Even without considering his extraordinary aura, his appearance alone marked him as peerless.

Not even Liu Sanyuan, famed for his triple academic honors, could compare.

Skin like snow, bones of an immortal—what else could one say?

Who, upon seeing such a person, could help but be shaken to the core?

“Are you the magistrate? Wang Hongbo?” Xu Yuan asked, breaking the spell that had fallen over the room.

“I am.” Wang Hongbo had been about to offer a gesture of respect, but the cold glint in those star-bright eyes brought him to his senses.

“You... You’re the one who killed Licheng!” Wang Hongbo jabbed a finger at Xu Yuan, eyes wide with alarm.

He remembered now. Li Licheng’s guest advisor had described the killer as strikingly handsome, with an uncommon air, barely over twenty, and most notably dressed all in white.

Of course, clothes could be changed, and that was hardly proof in itself.

But everything else matched, and since the man had brazenly entered the county office, his identity was plain.

“So it is you.” Xu Yuan nodded slightly at his reaction. “You’re well aware of your son-in-law’s deeds, aren’t you?”

“Insolent knave! How dare you bark before a government official!” Wang Hongbo roared. “Guards! Seize him at once!”

In fact, as soon as Xu Yuan had entered so openly, people had noticed the commotion and rushed over with swords and staves at the ready.

Among them were several martial experts whom Wang Hongbo had hired at great expense. Ever since Li Licheng had been murdered in broad daylight, Wang Hongbo had been particularly vigilant about his own safety.

For the first few months, he kept a whole retinue of martial artists as bodyguards, but the cost was steep, and after a few quiet months, he kept only four to protect him, just in case.

It seemed his precautions had not been in vain—they were about to prove necessary.

This brazen criminal dared to try his luck a second time?

So Wang Hongbo thought—when, all of a sudden, his vision blurred and he found himself hoisted bodily into the air.

Xu Yuan now stood before him, and as for the guards he had relied on, not one had even appeared...