Chapter 125

Said to wait a bit, Xu Qinglian had made up his mind, first let this ignorant brat stand obediently for half an hour. So Xu Qinglian deliberately slowed his morning routine, waiting for him to dress and wash up, after tidying up, time had practically been killed, Xu Qinglian sauntered to the back door, where he met Xu An, who with a smug face said: "He's still outside?"

Xu An whispered: "He's eating noodles at the stall across the way!"

Xu Qinglian furrowed his brows, came to the door, only to see a bench placed sideways outside, a young man sitting with his back to it, holding a big bowl of beef noodles, happily eating—who else could it be but Hu Xiaotian?

Hu Xiaotian heard the footsteps behind him, turned around, and with a smile brighter than morning light said: "Sir, have you had breakfast?"

Xu Qinglian let his face droop, gave him no pleasant expression, and shook his head.

Hu Xiaotian called out: "Boss, send another bowl of noodles over!" The noodle stall was right across the street, so ordering takeout was quite convenient.

Xu Qinglian really found it both laughable and exasperating; he cleared his throat and said: "Sir Hu, as court officials, sitting outside eating noodles with people coming and going seems a bit improper, doesn't it?" Although Xu Qinglian's appearance was truly not much to look at, he still cared greatly about his image; in fact, this is a common ailment among officials—who among them doesn't care about their image? Even if they secretly engage in all sorts of petty theft, fraud, and deceit, they must outwardly maintain a splendid, upright facade; this has always been the case throughout history.

Hu Xiaotian slurped a big mouthful of noodles and said: "Sir Xu, that's wrong; the people regard food as heaven. Even as court officials, we still need to eat and sleep—it's just eating a bowl of beef noodles on the street. Ordinary folks wouldn't gossip about it; you can't accuse us of corruption just because we ate a bowl of noodles. A corrupt lifestyle, don't you think?"

At that moment, the noodle stall owner brought over another steaming bowl of beef noodles; although he had been running the stall here for a while, this was the first time the County Magistrate had eaten his noodles. The owner couldn't help but feel a little excited, his hands trembling as he splashed some broth out.

Hu Xiaotian took the beef noodles, gave the stall owner five wen coins, and handed the bowl to Xu Qinglian: "Sir Xu, I'm treating you; this beef noodle soup is delicious."

Xu Qinglian had no choice but to take the bowl; though he had met many officials of various ranks, he had never seen someone like Hu Xiaotian before. He sat beside Hu Xiaotian holding the bowl of beef noodles, lowered his head and took a bite. Honestly, the beef noodle soup really wasn't bad.

The noodle stall owner stared across the road at the scene, hardly able to believe it: the County Magistrate and the Vice Magistrate sitting together on a long bench, sharing his beef noodles. Such a sight was quite amicable.

Xu Qinglian sipped the meat broth, sweat beading on his nose, his gaze fixed on the deserted backstreet: "Why didn't Sir Hu come last night?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Although I, as a subordinate, really wanted to meet Sir Xu, I thought he was out on an inspection, weary from a day's work, and ought to rest properly at night, so I could only decline his kind invitation."

Xu Qinglian said nothing, silently dealing with the bowl of beef noodles before him, using this to express his contempt for Hu Xiaotian; such a lowly lie trying to fool someone who has been navigating the bureaucracy for nearly thirty years like Xu Qinglian seemed hardly effective.

Hu Xiaotian then fell silent as well, dealing with the remaining broth, and soon finished the bowl upside down.

Xu Qinglian slowly finished the bowl of noodles, let out a relieved breath, and said: "Comforting—I haven't felt this comfortable eating in a long time." Then his gaze fell on Hu Xiaotian's youthful, energetic face: "Sir Hu, you're really considerate!"

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "In Qingyun, there's only one superior—you, Sir Xu. You can call me Xiao Hu, or else Xiao Tian; that sounds more intimate."

Xu Qinglian silently cursed. Do we know each other that well? He nodded and said: "Then I'll call you Xiao Tian."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Sir Xu, I have just taken office in Qingyun; I hope you will continue to support me in the future."

Xu Qinglian secretly thought: I am a senior ninth-rank official, you are a junior ninth-rank; if I promoted you and you even advanced half a grade, you'd be on equal footing with me—not that I'm unwilling to support you, but I lack the authority. He smiled and said: "As officials in the same court, we ought to look after each other."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Sir, when will you hold court today?"

Xu Qinglian said: "I heard that yesterday in court you handled several cases with impeccable order, which greatly relieved me; previously, all matters big and small weighed solely on me, but since you arrived in Qingyun, I can finally breathe easy."

Hu Xiaotian hehe-laughed: "From now on, I will certainly learn more from you, Sir."

Xu Qinglian silently cursed: "In a mountain without tigers, monkeys proclaim themselves kings; I deliberately left you some room yesterday to show yourself, never expecting your true nature to be fully exposed—I wish I could stop him from taking all of my authority. Young, yet he hides knives in his smile, treachery in his grin, sweet words with a sword in his belly; at a glance he's clearly no good." He cursed Hu Xiaotian in his heart while wearing a friendly smile: "In one year my term will be up, and this place will be yours." No matter how unwilling he felt saying those words, the fact remains: as soon as he learned that the superiors had sent a young Vice Magistrate, Xu Qinglian already understood that this person was sent to replace him. But he never imagined Hu Xiaotian's background was so profound; a mere ninth-rank County Magistrate was nothing in his eyes.

Hu Xiaotian saw clearly his purpose in coming to Qingyun for office: his father likely faced an unprecedented political crisis, so he considered sending his only son to serve in Qingyun; if his father stumbled in this major dynastic change, the lofty Qingyun Mountains far from the emperor might preserve this lone sapling of the Hu family; if his father weathered the storm safely, then his tenure in Qingyun could add a brilliant achievement to his résumé, laying a solid foundation for future rise to prominence.

Different backgrounds, different goals—some people can never aspire beyond a lifetime's limited vision, like Xu Qinglian, who spends his days thinking only how to maximize his current power and, before retiring, to amass as much wealth as possible. Hu Xiaotian's gaze, of course, is not confined to Qingyun County; he doesn't even see Xu Qinglian as his rival—how could a sparrow know the ambition of a swan!

Xu Qinglian did not consider Hu Xiaotian a swan; he thought Hu Xiaotian was just a sparrow like himself, this young man trying to snatch food from his bowl. According to Dakang law, the County Magistrate oversees customs, investigates grievances, hears lawsuits, and commands all military and civil affairs of the county; the Vice Magistrate is his assistant. This young Vice Magistrate, upon arrival, displayed an aggressive, overbearing presence, naturally giving Xu Qinglian a strong sense of crisis. His term still has one year left, and during that year he must ensure his political interests are not infringed.

After finishing the beef noodles, the two didn't leave right away but continued sitting on the long bench by the gate; Xu Qinglian said: "I heard you arrested two servants of the Wan household yesterday?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded: "Indeed, those two repaid kindness with hatred, framed and falsely accused Wan family's eldest son, Wan Tingchang."

Xu Qinglian furrowed his brows; what he had heard was not this version—Chief Clerk Guo Shouguang is his confidant, with no reason to deceive him on this matter, yet Hu Xiaotian said it like this—could the situation have changed? The Wan family has deep roots and a powerful patron; perhaps Hu Xiaotian had already heard about this, prompting his sudden shift in attitude? If so, this kid would indeed be savvy. Xu Qinglian said: "You need not concern yourself with this; I will personally get to the bottom of it."

Hu Xiaotian acknowledged with a sound, and Xu Qinglian finally couldn't hold back, displaying his authority before him, deliberately saying: "Sir Xu, is there anything you'd like me to handle?"

Xu Qinglian said: "Yes, the heavy rain two days ago destroyed Qingyun Bridge; this bridge is the essential route from Qingyun Qiao to Harmony Prefecture and Xizhou, causing many inconveniences for travelers—go inspect the scene, then we'll discuss how to fix it."

Hu Xiaotian nodded, but he understood perfectly: Xu Qinglian was trying to sideline him, not let him stay in the government office, and had sent him out to the suburbs the very day after he took office.

After Hu Xiaotian and Xu Qinglian parted, Hu Xiaotian walked around to the front gate of the Government Office, where he saw Chief Clerk Guo Shouguang and a group of bailiffs approaching; Guo Shouguang was noticeably more smug than yesterday, and though he still performed the salute and bow to Hu Xiaotian, the depth of his bow was obviously perfunctory: "Sir Hu!"

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Early, huh!"

Guo Shouguang said: "Sir Xu is holding court today to hear cases, so I came early to prepare."

Hu Xiaotian silently cursed: "What the hell are you asking? Are you preparing to overturn and retry each case I judged yesterday?"

Guo Shouguang deliberately said: "Sir Hu, where are you headed?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "To inspect the damage to Qingyun Bridge outside the city."

Guo Shouguang actually knew full well that this idea was his own suggestion to Xu Qinglian, meant to send this arrogant, rude youngster who thinks he's above everyone out of the government office so he wouldn't have to watch him gesturing and getting in the way here. He hypocritically said: "Sir Hu, you've worked hard!"

At that moment, Murong Feiyan brought Liu Kuohai out from the Government Office; seeing Liu Kuohai, Guo Shouguang couldn't help but startle slightly and shouted loudly: "Where are you going?"

Murong Feiyan gave him a cold glance, completely ignoring him, walked up to Hu Xiaotian and cupped his hands: "Sir Hu, I've brought Liu Kuohai."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Let's go!"

Seeing Liu Kuohai follow them, Guo Shouguang hurried forward to keep pace with Hu Xiaotian: "Sir Hu, this person is the criminal who caused a disturbance at the Wan family's gate—how…"

Hu Xiaotian crooked his finger at him, Guo Shouguang leaned in, and Hu Xiaotian asked: "Chief Clerk or Vice Magistrate, which is senior?"

"Uh... I, your humble servant, dare not compare myself to you, sir!" Guo Shouguang said, his face flushed.

Hu Xiaotian nodded: "Remember, you'd better not meddle in my affairs."

"Uh..."

"Besides, stay away from me—your breath really stinks!"

Two updates delivered, thanks to Maomao Chouchou for flying into the alliance, thanks to Linghu Baobao for the reward, thanks to all brothers and sisters for their rewards, there will be more updates today, please guarantee the monthly ticket.