Chapter 470: with translation of chapter title

Chen Wuyi instantly became alert, immediately tensing and saying: "Family Head, how could I possibly eavesdrop on your wall corner? Even if I could, I wouldn't dare!"

"You brat, you'd better not have, otherwise go be an envoy!" Chen Wuji snorted; he really was a bit doubtful now.

These guys are all constantly going up and down; who knows if there are any, looks like we'll have to be careful doing this kind of thing from now on.

Times are different now; his courtyard is now full of people.

Chen Wuyi froze for a moment, "Commandant, can we... now also send an envoy?"

"As long as I want, I can do it—what's impossible? Look around us, everyone's rebelling; I, in the name of the Court, send an envoy to talk with them—who could find fault with me?" Chen Wuji said.

Although it was just a threat to Chen Wuyi, Chen Wuji really could do this; it's just a matter of whether he wants to or needs to.

"Oh..." Chen Wuyi responded, immediately reaffirming: "Family Head, I really wasn't eavesdropping on your wall corner."

"For now, I'll believe you!"

When Chen Wuji entered the government office, Recorder Staff Officer Cheng Zhiheng had already gathered all the officials of the office.

A bunch of people were busy with who knows what, anyway they were bustling about, their silhouettes filling the courtyard, feet barely touching the ground.

"Greetings, Commandant!"

Upon seeing Chen Wuji appear at the doorway, everyone immediately stopped, clasped their hands, and saluted.

Chen Wuji gave a faint hum and asked, "What are you all busy with?"

An official said, "Deputy Commandant, we are organizing the household registrations gathered from yesterday's visits, compiling them into a ledger for your review."

"How's the organizing going?"

"Almost done; the number of household registrations submitted yesterday wasn't large, so sorting and organizing is relatively simple."

Chen Wuji nodded: "What's your plan for today?"

"Deputy Commandant, yesterday we visited fewer than three hundred households in the city; today we need to continue visiting, and Officer Cheng requests that we also distribute grain to those households that haven't received grain yet."

"Alright, you go ahead and get busy."

"Yes!"

Chen Wuji entered the Second Hall, which was his office.

This courtyard has several halls; the named ones are Retreat Thought Hall, Qinzhi Hall, and the Divination Room, but functionally they're all similar—places where the Prefect handles daily office work, meets subordinates, and discusses government affairs.

What surprised Chen Wuji was that Cheng Zhiheng had actually assigned two clerks to his courtyard.

When Chen Wuji entered the hall, the two clerks had already prepared everything needed: the seal, brushes, ink, bamboo slips, and even hot tea on the table.

Chen Wuji reached out to feel the teapot's temperature and asked with a smile, "Just brewed?"

"Yes, your subordinate saw you arriving at the gate just now and thought you might need a cup of hot tea this morning to soothe your throat and refresh yourself, so I prepared it in advance," a clerk said, bowing slightly.

Chen Wuji nodded: "Alright, you go get busy."

"Yes!"

Since becoming an official, Chen Wuji finally understood why so many people scramble to become officials. The feeling that power brings truly easily intoxicates people; sometimes he doesn't even need to say a word, and people will flock to attend him.

After pouring himself a cup of hot tea, Chen Wuji began his day as acting Prefect.

The dispatched documents weren't many, basically all concerning relief and grain distribution.

Hezhou, which had just been pulled from the ruins of neglect yesterday, couldn't possibly have any other official business.

The top priority right now remains disaster relief and pacifying the people's hearts.

"Commandant, Officer Cheng has arrived!"

Chen Li appeared at the doorway and reported.

"Let him in."

"Here!"

Cheng Zhiheng lowered his head slightly and hurried into Qinzhi Hall.

"Greetings, Commandant."

Chen Wuji glanced at Cheng Zhiheng, who looked like a thief, and said, "Cheng Sir, what's this expression? I put you in charge of disaster relief, yet you're sneaking off to do thief‑business—how did you end up looking like a bandit?"

Cheng Zhiheng's mouth twitched slightly.

"Your doorway is full of armored guards, those gleaming horizontal knives—how could I not be nervous?"

"Deputy Commandant, I'm naturally timid," Cheng Zhiheng said, steeling himself.

Chen Wuji laughed and scolded, "This is Qinzhi Hall, not an execution ground—what do you have to fear?"

Cheng Zhiheng squeezed out a smile uglier than crying.

He wanted to say, this place feels almost like an execution ground.

Those few colleagues who weren't found yesterday have now turned into stiff corpses on the city wall—how could he not be afraid? He's scared to death, and to preserve his own life and do this job well, he was so tense last night that he didn't dare sleep, burning the midnight oil to find a solution.

Having been an official for so long, he had never been this diligent in governmental affairs.

"Commandant, this is the household registration situation of the city's residents visited yesterday, with artisans and provincial troops etc. categorized in detail." Cheng Zhiheng stepped forward quickly and placed a large pile of bamboo slips on Chen Wuji's desk.

Chen Wuji casually picked up a volume and opened it.

This records the military households, i. e., the provincial troops.

Because the bamboo slips have very limited space for writing, they only simply list a person's name, age, and residence—for example, a certain lane number—and each person takes up half a line.

"How many provincial troops are there in the city?" Chen Wuji asked.

"Not many—just this roll." Cheng Zhiheng immediately said, "These people are all deserters, but since they escaped from the rebel Gu Wenjie's hands, they don't count as having committed offenses, so I, your subordinate, took it upon myself not to mention this to them."

"Well done; summon these provincial troops and temporarily put them on city defense." Chen Wuji said.

"Also, I forgot something yesterday: while you're out registering households, if you encounter any young strongmen, you can ask whether they're willing to enlist."

"We're different from those bandits like Gu Wenjie—we have military pay and military merit rewards; the exact numbers you can find out by contacting the Sheep Commandant after you go out, and have him send someone with you."

Cheng Zhiheng bowed his head in assent.

Chen Wuji simply glanced at it, set the bamboo slips aside, and said, "Not bad, but we still need to speed up the pace—let's get this done within these two days. Also, what's the reaction of the city's grain merchants?"

Cheng Zhiheng's old face flushed with embarrassment; he said with a mournful face: "Subordinate I personally went yesterday to see the grain merchant's Shopkeeper Shi, but…… I was…… turned away at the door by the other side, I have embarrassed the Commandant..."

Chen Wuji remained silent for a moment, then said: "You really have embarrassed me; a staff officer actually being turned away at the door by a merchant—why didn't you tell me about this yesterday?"

"The matter didn't work out; Subordinate I have no face to see the Commandant. I was thinking of trying again today; perhaps Shopkeeper Shi will be open today and willing to talk with me." Cheng Zhiheng said hesitantly.

Chen Wuji snapped angrily: "I don't believe you, as an official, are always this timid. Next time you encounter such a thing, come straight to me—does that surnamed Stone not give you face? He is clearly just humiliating me!"