Chapter 52 of 100

Chapter 52

15 min read3,630 words

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As Zhao Chen stood at the classroom door, he took a deep breath and firmly held the secret letter given to him by his mother.

Although Wang Ning was the county magistrate, he was not a crude person. Upon hearing Zhao Chen's teasing words about Wei Hui, he immediately understood. While Zhao Chen and the others were feasting, he quietly signaled a few beautiful maids to leave.

In a storeroom at the back of the county office, Liu Hui, the chief clerk of Lantian County, was pacing back and forth anxiously. The room was somewhat cold, but the thought of the densely packed civilians outside the city walls made his heart turn to ice.

Zhao Yuankai was afraid that the civilians would cause chaos if they entered the city. He preferred to let them freeze to death in the icy weather rather than let them in. When Liu Hui went to the county office to argue with Zhao Yuankai, he was locked up.

Liu Hui was extremely anxious. As the sky grew dark, if the civilians were left outside the city, a tragic scene would likely appear by morning!

Suddenly, a series of light footsteps came from outside the door. Liu Hui, excited, leaned against the window and looked out. Seeing the county magistrate Wang Ning, a slight annoyance flashed in his heart, but he still asked hopefully, "Brother Wang, has the envoy from Chang'an arrived?"

"Brother Liu is indeed clever. Seeing me, you guessed it was the envoy!" Wang Ning smiled as he walked towards the storeroom and said to Liu Hui.

"Where is the envoy now?" Liu Hui ignored Wang Ning's flattery and asked anxiously.

"Oh, County Magistrate Zhao prepared a welcome banquet. The two envoys are feasting in the second hall!" Wang Ning smiled and said to Liu Hui.

"Feasting!" Liu Hui was shocked and opened his mouth wide. At this critical moment, they were still feasting. Could it be that those people had already entered the city?

Thinking of this, Liu Hui asked tentatively, "Brother Wang, what about the people outside the city?"

"They are still outside!" Wang Ning's face suddenly turned sad, and he sighed, "The envoy has said that anyone who dares to let them in will be held accountable!"

'Clang!' Liu Hui's face turned purple with anger. He wanted to curse but held it back, and instead punched the window frame, leaving a bloody mark on his fist.

"Brother Liu, don't be angry. It's all my fault for not explaining clearly!" Wang Ning, seeing Liu Hui punch the window frame, felt a twinge of satisfaction but quickly explained.

"Brother Wang, are you saying that the civilians outside the city have entered, and County Magistrate Zhao is outside?" Liu Hui, hearing Wang Ning recount the events, was stunned and found it hard to believe.

"Doesn't Brother Liu feel relieved?" Wang Ning, having opened the storeroom door, smiled and asked Liu Hui, who was dumbfounded.

"You and I are both officials in Lantian. Now that County Magistrate Zhao is locked outside, do you think I should be happy?" Liu Hui frowned at Wang Ning's smug look, feeling a sudden disdain.

Wang Ning had previously fawned over Zhao Yuankai, but now that Zhao Yuankai was in trouble, he immediately showed a smug look, truly a despicable person.

Liu Hui, after saying this, flung his sleeves and walked towards the second hall. Wang Ning, standing behind, watched Liu Hui enter the second hall, cursed under his breath, and hurriedly followed.

The mutton stew was perfectly cooked, the meat tender. Although there were no spices, the膻味 (mutton smell) filled the mouth. With the steaming hot pot, the cold was quickly driven away.

This was probably why Zhao Yuankai had prepared the hot pot. It was undeniable that he had reached the pinnacle of flattery.

"Your subordinate, Liu Hui, the chief clerk of Lantian County, greets the two envoys!" Liu Hui walked into the second hall and bowed to Wei Hui, then hesitated slightly before bowing to Zhao Chen.

"Brother Liu has come at the right time!" Zhao Chen smiled. "County Magistrate Zhao has prepared a few pots of mutton stew. Brother Liu can eat some to warm up!"

"Thank you for your kindness, but your subordinate is not hungry!" Liu Hui bowed to Zhao Chen and pleaded, "To be honest, the people who petitioned with me are still locked in the county jail. I beg the envoy to order their release!"

"Of course!" Zhao Chen, hearing this, looked at Wang Ning, who had just entered, and said with a smile, "County Magistrate Wang, isn't this your responsibility?"

"Yes, yes, your subordinate understands. I will release them immediately!" Wang Ning, seeing Zhao Chen's smile, felt a chill and hurriedly said. He then turned and left to release the people he had locked up.

"Your subordinate has another request, I hope the envoy will agree!" Liu Hui, watching Wang Ning leave, bowed to Zhao Chen and said, "County Magistrate Zhao is the leader of Lantian County. Now... now he is blocked outside the city, which is really inappropriate!"

"Are you pleading for Zhao Yuankai?" Zhao Chen, hearing this, was slightly surprised. Not just Zhao Chen, but Wei Hui and Qin Ming also looked puzzled.

"County Magistrate Zhao got what he deserved!" Liu Hui quickly explained. "But your subordinate believes that even if County Magistrate Zhao is at fault, he is still an official appointed by the court and should be dealt with by the emperor!"

Zhao Chen, hearing this, smiled slightly and looked at Wei Hui with a strange smile. Liu Hui's words were exactly what Wei Hui had said outside the city, word for word, as if they had planned it in advance.

Wei Hui pretended not to see Zhao Chen's strange look and said to Liu Hui, "Brother Liu, County Magistrate Zhao is guilty of killing people indiscriminately. It is fitting that he suffers outside the city!"

"Your subordinate still thinks this is inappropriate!" Liu Hui looked at Wei Hui with a troubled expression and said stubbornly.

"Enough, Brother Liu!" Zhao Chen interrupted Liu Hui coldly. "This is not negotiable. Instead of worrying about Zhao Yuankai, you should think about how to settle the civilians in the city!"

"Your subordinate understands!" Liu Hui, seeing Zhao Chen's cold face, knew it was futile. He sighed and said, "Actually, your subordinate has already discussed this with others and has a plan to settle them!"

"Tell us about it!" Zhao Chen, hearing this, became interested. With thousands of people suddenly entering the city, he had been thinking about how to properly settle them. The best way would be to settle them in temples, monasteries, or vacant houses in the city, but this would not accommodate many people.

"Here's the plan!" Liu Hui paused, choosing his words carefully. "Your subordinate and others have thought that once so many people enter the city, the temples and monasteries will not be able to accommodate them all. Therefore, we discussed the possibility of calling the heads of the neighborhoods and districts to bring some people back to their homes and settle them there!"

"This might not be appropriate!" Wei Hui, hearing this, frowned and said after a moment's thought, "These people are refugees. How can good families be willing to let them stay in their homes?"

"The envoy is right!" Liu Hui smiled and said, "If they stay in the main house, it would not be appropriate. But if they stay in the storerooms or sheds, and the government helps, it should not be a problem!"

"Storerooms and sheds!" Wei Hui, hearing this, was surprised. If these places were used, ordinary families would not be too resistant.

"Yes!" Liu Hui smiled confidently. "Your subordinate has already visited and found that many families have storerooms with enough space to accommodate four or five people!"

Brilliant! Zhao Chen, listening to Liu Hui, was deeply impressed. Who said that scholars in this era were all rigid? Liu Hui clearly made him look at him differently.

To come up with such a plan and to visit the places in advance, this style of work was very much like that of people from the future, a typical materialist!

"This is a great plan!" Zhao Chen looked at Liu Hui and laughed. "With this plan, the problem of settling the civilians in the city is solved! Brother Liu is wise and resourceful, a great blessing for the people of Lantian!"

Zhao Chen's words made Wei Hui and the others nod in agreement. Compared to Zhao Yuankai, Liu Hui was more like a true parent official of Lantian County.

"Your subordinate is ashamed!" Liu Hui, hearing Zhao Chen's praise, blushed and bowed to Zhao Chen and Wei Hui, explaining awkwardly, "This is a great plan, but it was not thought of by your subordinate, but by someone else!"

Someone else! Zhao Chen, hearing this, was stunned and looked at Wei Hui, then at Liu Hui, and asked, "Who came up with this brilliant plan?"

"This person is a scholar from elsewhere!" Liu Hui smiled at Zhao Chen. "His surname is Ma, and his given name is Zhou."

Ma Zhou? What the...!

Zhao Chen, hearing this, was utterly shocked and opened his mouth wide in surprise!

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