Chapter 121: Idiot

Qingyun Fang on the opposite side has calmed down; for the short term, the Daoist Priest likely won't have time to arrange anything else.

As long as the other side doesn't drift, Wen Gu won't need to worry too much.

After finishing his official duties and reviewing the work reports from the Clerks of the Jingqing Two Wards, Wen Gu thought of something.

The next day, he headed toward the Centai Academy, which was currently under construction.

With money, grain, building materials, and labor, all supervised by authoritative figures, the academy was being built very quickly.

Wen Gu wanted to find Old Master Hong to discuss something, but it was unfortunate that the old master was just about to go back to retrieve something.

Thinking that there were no urgent official duties anyway, Wen Gu accompanied the old master as he walked toward the central residential area of Neicheng.

Today, the old master was not riding a horse, so the two walked at a leisurely pace, chatting about academy affairs.

In the central area of Neicheng, which is to say the wards near Zhao Fu, most of the residents were powerful and wealthy families.

Many of the residents in the ward where Old Master Hong lived held official posts. Wen Gu had been here many times and could clearly feel the changes in this place.

The changes here after the new year were significant, especially regarding personnel, with quite a few new faces.

Not far away, it was relatively lively.

Wen Gu knew that a small isolation zone was to be built here, funded by the powerful and wealthy residents within the ward themselves.

The time for the monsters outside to be active was approaching again, and to guard against the intrusion of the Evil Plague, the nobles wanted to add another layer of protection.

It was just that...

"Is there a lot of difficulty in the construction of this courtyard used for isolation?" Wen Gu asked.

The progress was the same as when he last checked; apart from another pile of building materials, nothing else seemed to have changed.

The construction progress was invisible to the naked eye.

A few Clerks were behind a pile of building materials, chatting about some topic, and burst into laughter.

Old Master Hong glanced over there and shook his head: "I haven't heard of any difficulties. That courtyard is the responsibility of Zhuo Cheng, the new Ward Chief here. Have you heard of him?"

"The eldest son of Prime Minister Zhuo," Wen Gu said.

"Right, that's him." Old Master Hong was also very dissatisfied with the construction progress of the isolation courtyard, but he was responsible for the academy's affairs and was very busy, so it was inconvenient for him to intervene here.

As they were speaking, another person walked over from the front.

The figure was tall and had the air of a young master from a noble family, but there was a faint, contradictory sense of decadence about him.

The person who arrived was none other than the son of the Prime Minister that Wen Gu and Old Master Hong had just mentioned, Zhuo Cheng, Ward Chief Zhuo.

The other party passed by the location of the small isolation courtyard first.

The Clerks who had been gathered there chatting and laughing had quieted down, but they didn't show much respect, offering only a perfunctory salute.

Ward Chief Zhuo, carrying a sense of gloom, scanned the construction site and then looked at the few Clerks, his tone devoid of fluctuation: "I heard there have been some delays here; what is going on?"

One Clerk said with a cheeky grin: "Oh, it's a small matter! It's already been resolved, no need for the Ward Chief to worry."

Ward Chief Zhuo's expression became more serious, and his tone deepened: "The progress must be accelerated! Do not be negligent or careless!"

The Clerks opposite had faces showing three parts confusion and seven parts disapproval. For just this, you want to lose your temper and put on a sour face?

Another Clerk said: "Ward Chief Zhuo, you can rest easy. We've been staying in the North for two years now; the weather doesn't get hot that quickly, no need to be in such a rush."

Ward Chief Zhuo watched them quietly, and seeing that they truly had no other explanation, he revealed a tolerant smile, silently and sincerely praising:

"Idiots!"

It was just an exhalation of breath; the few people opposite did not hear it clearly.

The Clerks were puzzled: "?"

Ward Chief Zhuo maintained his fake smile, the words squeezed out from between his teeth: "Is there a possibility that it might get hot a little earlier this year? Head of the Family Zhao has reminded all wards to prepare early, and I emphasized this to you just a few days ago!"

"Is... is that so?" Some Clerks began to recall.

But others thought that this new Ward Chief Zhuo was just putting on airs and acting like a fox borrowing the tiger's might.

Just as they were about to mock him, they caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of their eyes. Looking over, their attitudes changed immediately, their gazes bypassing Ward Chief Zhuo to look at Wen Gu and Old Master Hong, who were passing by, full of enthusiasm:

"Ward Chief Wen! Old Master Hong! How did you two end up walking back today? There's a lot of debris here, please watch your step."

A Clerk had already picked up a broom: "I was just about to sweep this area. Don't worry, the next time you two walk this way, the road will definitely be smooth!"

Someone who didn't know better would think Wen Gu was their Ward Chief, completely leaving the actual Ward Chief Zhuo aside.

However, this Ward Chief Zhuo did not put on a cold face, but instead wore a perfect social smile, coming over to exchange pleasantries with Wen Gu and Old Master Hong.

Wen Gu responded kindly, also performing a set of perfect scholarly social etiquette with the other party.

After the pleasantries and greetings were finished, Ward Chief Zhuo turned to check elsewhere.

At the moment he turned away, although Wen Gu could not see it, he could imagine the seamless switch to the other party's world-weary expression.

Wen Gu and the old master did not stay there long, continuing to walk toward the old master's residence.

At the place where the building materials were piled, the Clerks gathered together again and began to chat.

"That guy surnamed Zhuo pulls a long face all day, looking at everyone as if he's impatient. Who does he think he is?"

"Exactly! So what if he's the Prime Minister's son? Does he think he can compare to Ward Chief Wen?"

"Be precise, the son of the former Prime Minister!"

"That's why having power in your hands is the most important thing. Just having a title and no real power, who's afraid of him?"

In a ward crowded with powerful and wealthy people like this, even the sweepers, night watchmen, and night-soil collectors had backers, let alone these Clerks.

For this new Ward Chief, just keeping up appearances was enough; as for how much respect they had or whether they followed his instructions, that was a different matter.

Wen Gu and Old Master Hong walked far away, and the old master sighed.

"The Zhuo family's situation is not very good."

"I have heard a little," Wen Gu said.

The Zhuo family of the South had produced several important court officials, but now the state of the world was different, and the fates of the great noble families varied.

The Zhuo family had only arrived recently; when the river waters rose, the family took their team and traveled north by boat, arriving in Xinzhou.

After Prime Minister Zhuo arrived, he remained bedridden, and the Head of the Family of the Zhao Family even went to visit him specifically.

It is said that the former Prime Minister, Old Master Zhuo, does not have much time left.

Once Prime Minister Zhuo passes away, this eldest young master of the Zhuo family will certainly be marginalized in every way; it is not even certain if he can keep his position as Ward Chief.

Old Master Hong said, "Zhuo Cheng used to be an official in the imperial court just like his father; perhaps the disparity is too great now, and he hasn't adjusted for the time being."

Wen Gu looked over in that direction.

Looking at the eldest young master of the Zhuo family, it does not seem like he hasn't adjusted "for the time being"; rather, there is a sort of madness to him, like a living person who is half-dead.

On the other side.

The newly appointed Ward Chief Zhuo, this eldest young master of the Zhuo family, had already finished his patrol and returned home; after tidying up a little, he beckoned.

Without needing a word, the attendant skillfully took out a soft pillow stuffed with cloth.

Zhuo Cheng took it, placed it against the wall, and then began to bang his head against it with a thud-thud sound.

While banging his head, he cursed in a low voice:

"Idiots!"

"A bunch of idiots!"

"Do I really have to keep working with a bunch of stupid, pretentious, and incompetent idiots?!"

Just destroy it all!

(End of this chapter)