Chapter 504

"Ah, I'm really curious about one thing—how exactly did you manage to make those people in Hezhou Officialdom so obedient?" Qin Zhanhong lay lazily on the couch, her right leg stretched out straight, occasionally lifting it up, deliberately drawing Chen Wuji's gaze.

Chen Wuji cooperated, staring, and casually said: "Hezhou Officialdom was first ravaged like a violent storm by Gu Wenjie, after which a bunch of leaders died; by the time it came to me, my methods were relatively milder, but I still had heads rolling, so how could they not be afraid?"

"These people are unlike those aristocratic clans; they lack deep foundations, so they have no bold confidence—they will definitely yield when they should."

Qin Zhanhong snorted with laughter, her alluring figure twisting as she deliberately bent her leg, presenting more to Chen Wuji's view: "These people have finally waited for someone to deal with them; I also have some knowledge of Hezhou Officialdom. They invent pretexts and do wrongdoing with ease, but getting them to actually do real work is nearly as hard as climbing to heaven."

"Looking at them now, I can hardly believe this is the Hezhou Officialdom crowd. I've been idle these days, taking a look, and honestly, it's opened my eyes—each of them works as if risking their lives, utterly clean and diligent to the extreme."

Although her posture was flirtatious and bold, her words were unusually solemn.

Chen Wuji also cooperated fully, standing aside with arms crossed, turning himself into a cat watching the crotch: "Later they'll have plenty to keep them busy."

"I just overheard a bit outside—you're really ruthless." Qin Zhanhong laughed, "When that Officer Cheng went out, his face turned green."

Chen Wuji said helplessly: "If it weren't truly that no one else could be used, I wouldn't want to rely on these old Hezhou officials for everything. After all these days, in the Hezhou Prefecture Office I've found only Zhang Xun."

"Just mentioning this makes me angry—Qin Feng, that dog, kept postponing the agreed day; he delayed himself, then dragged Li Run along, turning to me to figure out a solution on my own, insisting I persist."

He had been sending messages to Qin Feng and Li Run for a while, but the two ended up not coming halfway.

Qin Feng's letter said that Qing County had urgent matters entangling it, needing prompt handling; if not dealt with, it would affect future control over Hezhou, letting Chen Wuji in Hezhou overcome whatever he encountered first, and they would rush over after finishing Qing County's affairs.

Such subordinates are simply overturning the natural order, yet Chen Wuji couldn't say anything about it.

Qin Zhanhong laughed like a silly girl: "Actually, subordinates like Qin Feng are truly good—they have no pretense with you."

"That's true, but could you stop playing with your leg? This is the office; at any moment some clueless person might burst in."

Qin Zhanhong instantly became pouting with arrogance; she not only didn't mind, but even pulled her skirt open a bit more: "I do my thing; as long as you don't join me, even if someone comes in they won't see anything—they couldn't possibly take advantage of me."

"Just some guys—I merely took a bath in the mountains, and they got me a job."

Chen Wuji: ……

This batch can't be gotten past, right?

"I will take responsibility to the end." Chen Wuji held back for a while before finally forcing out that sentence.

Qin Zhanhong giggled: "Even if you don't take responsibility, you have no choice—I'm stuck with you for life. This lifetime I'm yours, whether you acknowledge it or not."

"……"

What should one do upon encountering a bewitching woman who is indispensable?

Obviously, dote on her to death!

Such a woman is hard to encounter even across several lifetimes.

Having met her, aside from doting on her to death, what other reason could there be?

Originally Chen Wuji's remark was meant as teasing, but Qin Zhanhong saying that left him only able to be serious.

At this point, if he tried to add a sentence, it would likely earn him a beating.

"Has His Majesty the Emperor sent any news?" Chen Wuji asked seriously while looking.

Qin Zhanhong shook her head: "How could it be that fast? A round trip takes at least a month, and it's only been a few days. Right, I meant the li Express; normally it would be about two months."

Chen Wuji nodded regretfully: "Then we'll just wait slowly."

"Husband, regarding this business with His Majesty the Emperor, I advise you not to pin too much hope on it." Qin Zhanhong gave Chen Wuji a high leg lift while saying, "Although His Majesty the Emperor has lofty ambitions, frankly speaking, he is now completely surrounded by aristocratic clans and nearly emptied of power by the powerful ministers."

"Even if His Majesty the Emperor wanted to do this business with you, he now finds it no easy task to accomplish anything. As a Nine-Five Sovereign, I truly don't understand how he ended up so powerless—why not just cut down those ministers instead of keeping them around to restrain himself?"

Chen Wuji shook his head: "If things in this world were really as simple as you think, that would be great."

Perhaps the vast majority of people in the world think like Qin Zhanhong.

After all, that's the emperor—how could the emperor possibly be emptied of power by his subjects?

But in fact, such occurrences are not rare in history.

There have even been cases where the emperor was turned into a mere mascot.

"I think you're overcomplicating things—if these people won't listen, just kill them all and bring in a new batch. There are plenty who want to be officials in this world; surely some will be obedient." Qin Zhanhong said.

"Just like what you did in Hezhou—cut down anyone who displeases you."

"Then why did I keep those people in Hezhou Officialdom? Moreover, governing a prefecture and a country are two different matters; the outcome of doing something is completely different." Chen Wuji countered.

"I can't explain this clearly in a few words; when you have free time, read a few more history books. Whatever you can't figure out will be found in those books."

Qin Zhanhong muttered discontentedly: "You just find it troublesome."

"To explain this thoroughly, I probably need to talk with you all night." Chen Wuji said.

"All right, then I'll act the virtuous woman and read when I have time—I really am curious about what this is all about." Qin Zhanhong suddenly flipped over and lay on the couch, arranging a lovely, very convenient welcoming gesture for Chen Wuji.

Chen Wuji hurried over and turned her over: "You can't just lie there—if someone comes in, how would you notice? Stop playing; I have a question for you."

Qin Zhanhong giggled, leaning into Chen Wuji's embrace: "Go ahead and ask—we've been chatting all along, it's no delay."

"The Zhang Family members were all secretly escorted to the capital by your people, right?" Chen Wuji asked.

Qin Zhanhong stared for a moment: "Which Zhang Family are you talking about? Zhang Mingyuan?"

"Yeah."

"They were all taken away, but the subsequent matters aren't handled by me, and I never asked—how did you suddenly think to ask about this, husband?"

"I've run into something; I need to confirm it." Chen Wuji said.