Chapter 85: Eating a Few Bowls of Noodles

Chapter 85: Eating a Few Bowls of Noodles

Early the next morning, Meng Yuan had finished his preparations and stepped out to see Tie Niu standing guard at the door, looking like a guardian deity.

Tie Niu wore a sword at his waist and carried a bow on his back, truly resembling a valiant warrior.

"Brother, Teacher Nie asked me to accompany you and said you shouldn't eat meat. Why is that? Are you not allowed to eat meat anymore?" As soon as he spoke, the warrior's demeanor vanished.

Meng Yuan chuckled and adjusted his attire, "This journey is very dangerous. Are you sure you want to come?"

The news of escorting Chen Shouzhuo had already reached Xie Shen.

Meng Yuan suspected that Xie Shen would not let this go and would keep a close eye on him. However, Chen Shouzhuo was an imperial official, and Xie Shen wasn't a fool; he wouldn't cause unnecessary trouble.

Therefore, Chen Shouzhuo wasn't in any real danger; the real threat was to Meng Yuan himself.

If Tie Niu were also present, he would certainly not be targeted by Xie Shen. But given their deep friendship, with Tie Niu's temperament, if Meng Yuan were to be targeted, he would undoubtedly come to his aid.

"We're good brothers!" Tie Niu asserted.

Hearing this, Meng Yuan patted Tie Niu's shoulder, "Then you must listen to me and follow my arrangements on the road."

"Of course!" Tie Niu agreed without hesitation.

The two set off directly to wait in front of the Imperial Mansion.

Half an hour later, they finally saw Xun Mei and Du Gukang sending off Chen Shouzhuo.

Chen Shouzhuo was simple and honest, riding a small donkey with a cloth bag hanging on it, likely containing some clean clothes.

Meng Yuan had asked about this the day before; Chen Shouzhuo was indeed escorting the Empress Consort's old belongings. Xun Mei wanted to gift a horse but couldn't, let alone money.

Riding the donkey, Chen Shouzhuo was flanked by Meng Yuan and Tie Niu, appearing much shorter, but he didn't seem the least bit uncomfortable. Instead, he smiled and asked for their names.

"Mr. Chen, how should one be an official?" After walking for a while, Meng Yuan initiated a conversation, hoping to gauge Chen Shouzhuo's temperament to plan their journey.

If he was amiable, all would be well. If he was stubborn, they would have to appease him.

"I'm two years older than you. If you don't mind, you can call me Brother Chen, no need to be formal." Chen Shouzhuo was very humble.

"Brother Chen." Meng Yuan bowed respectfully.

"Younger Brother Meng." Chen Shouzhuo smiled and returned the bow, "I've never held a high office. These years, I've been a county magistrate in a remote, small county. But I do have some insights on being an official."

Meng Yuan listened intently.

"A truly capable county magistrate should have influence."

Chen Shouzhuo pointed to the sky, "Superiors as external support, deputies as internal allies, local aristocrats and gentry as informants. In this way, the clerks will follow orders, and the government office will be under your control."

"What about the common people?" Tie Niu asked curiously.

"If you care about the people, then superiors will hinder you, deputies will divide power, local aristocrats and gentry will become strangers, and clerks and officials will be incompetent." Chen Shouzhuo smiled.

Tie Niu scratched his head, not understanding.

"What the gentleman means is that if the county magistrate doesn't interfere with everyone's money-making, then the official position will be stable. If you don't let everyone make money, things won't get done." Meng Yuan explained with a smile.

"That's about right." Chen Shouzhuo nodded in approval.

"It seems like you're in the latter situation, Mr. Chen." Meng Yuan asked with a smile.

Chen Shouzhuo waved his hand and smiled, "Riding a small donkey is still better than riding on the people, at least I can have a clear conscience."

Meng Yuan didn't ask further, but he always kept Tie Niu close to Chen Shouzhuo, and for half a day, he remained vigilant, yet there wasn't a single anomaly.

Crossing the Canglang River, they continued south.

After two nights, they reached the city walls of Donghe County, yet there was still no sign of Xie Shen.

When they arrived outside the city gate, they saw a grand reception already set up, with a group of scholars and clerks, accompanied by several elderly gentlemen and many students, all gathered to welcome them.

"We didn't reveal our itinerary or inform them in advance. How did they know to come and greet us?"

Meng Yuan smiled, "It seems the visitors are not friendly."

"Are we the visitors?" Tie Niu asked curiously.

Chen Shouzhuo stepped forward and exchanged a few words with the leading scholar.

"I'm two years older than you. If you don't mind, you can call me Brother Chen, no need for formalities." Chen Shouzhuo's words resonating with her every word and body, seemed to be under her control.

"Brother Chen." Meng Yuan bowed respectfully.

"Younger Brother Meng." Chen Shouzhuo smiled and returned the bow.

"I've never held a high office. These years, I've been a county magistrate in a remote, small county. But I do have some insights on being an official."

Meng Yuan listened intently.

"A truly capable county magistrate should have influence."

Chen Shouzhuo pointed to the sky, "Superiors as external support, deputies as internal allies, local aristocrats and gentry as informants. In this way, the clerks will follow orders, and the government office will be under your control."

"What about the common people?" Tie Niu asked curiously.

"If you care about the people, then superiors will hinder you, deputies will divide power, local aristocrats and gentry will become strangers, and clerks and officials will be incompetent." Chen Shouzhuo smiled.

Tie Niu scratched his head, not understanding.

"What the gentleman means is that if the county magistrate doesn't interfere with everyone's money-making, then the official position will be stable. If you don't let everyone make money, things won't get done." Meng Yuan explained with a smile.

"That's about right." Chen Shouzhuo nodded in approval.

(End)

Upon seeing that the new County Magistrate was not one to be trifled with, the local gentry quickly gathered to discuss the matter, but they couldn't come to a conclusion, as the new magistrate had yet to make a move.

With no other choice, the group had to disperse.

Among them was a middle-aged aristocrat named Li Tianyun, who immediately returned home with his servants.

Without even stopping for a cup of tea, he quickly wrote a letter, sent someone to deliver it, and dispatched another to keep an eye on the county government office.

In the blink of an eye, five days passed, and Li Tianyun's home welcomed several new guests.

The visitors were none other than Xie Shen and Xie Zhongliang, among others.

Leading them to a room and dismissing unrelated personnel, Li Tianyun respectfully greeted them, "Young Master Xie."

"Cut the small talk!" Xie Shen said directly. "How did it go?"

"That Chen Shouzhuo doesn't accept bribes, refuses invitations, and doesn't even let oil and salt pass. Instead, he's been reviewing old case files, and my old steward has been arrested!" Li Tianyun lamented.

"I don't care about that Chen fellow, I only want to deal with that martial arts expert, Meng Yuan!" Xie Shen frowned.

"He left Zhao Tie Niu to follow Chen Shouzhuo, while he goes out every day, eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner outside. He even went to a brothel to take a look!" Li Tianyun explained.

"How can he have the time to eat when I'm running around?" Xie Shen laughed.

"He's got a good appetite," Li Tianyun said. "Three bowls of noodles in the morning, two bowls of noodles at noon, and he even bought a roast dog leg for dinner!"

Xie Shen turned to Xie Zhongliang, so angry that he smashed his wine glass, "Seeing him eat and drink well makes me feel worse than if he had killed me!"

He immediately stood up, "If I didn't have something important to attend to these past few days, I would have killed them all on the road! I'll take care of it tonight!"

Xie Zhongliang quickly tried to calm him down, "Chen Shouzhuo is an official appointed by the court. If something happens, the higher-ups will definitely investigate. We can't kill him."

"Even if they investigate, it will have to go through my father's hands!" Xie Shen said.

"Isn't this causing unnecessary trouble? We're here to get revenge, not to kill Chen Shouzhuo," Xie Zhongliang said.

"Then what should we do? Even killing a castrate master will require a lot of effort!" Xie Shen was getting angry.

Xie Zhongliang immediately said, "The Eldest Young Master said that every time Chen Shouzhuo takes office, he creates chaos. When the local aristocrats get anxious, they'll definitely take action. Isn't this already causing turmoil? We can use this chaos to kill him, and no one will suspect us."

"Does it have to be this complicated?" Xie Shen frowned.

"The Eldest Young Master said that it's not a good time to cause trouble. He didn't want the Second Young Master to go out in the first place. If something happens to Ying Shi, he'll definitely blame us. So, it's better to lie low for a couple of days, and we'll deal with Meng Yuan cleanly and swiftly," Xie Zhongliang explained.

Xie Shen remained silent.

Li Tianyun, however, was full of ideas. "Young Master Xie, if you want to deal with those two young boys, it's easy. I'll take care of it myself."

"Tell me," Xie Shen said.

"I noticed that those two boys haven't experienced much of the world. They even pay for their meals and are very friendly. Such people are the easiest to manipulate! We can hire some people, frame them, and they'll hang themselves!" Li Tianyun exuded confidence, "Since he likes eating noodles, let's give him a feast!"

Li Tianyun was brimming with confidence as he whispered his plan.

"Will it work?" Xie Shen became interested.

"This is a method to deal with impulsive youths and upright gentlemen. If it succeeds, great, but even if it doesn't, Chen County Magistrate's reputation will surely be ruined," Li Tianyun smiled.

"Go ahead! If it's successful, your son's official position will be secured," Xie Shen said immediately.

"Hold on," Xie Zhongliang stopped Li Tianyun, who was overjoyed. "Be careful. We've just arrived, and we don't want them to trace us back."

"Don't worry!" Li Tianyun assured him.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end