Zhao City Lord's face betrayed no emotion, only asking indifferently, "I hear Ning Zongqi is skilled in both literary and martial arts, and has the reputation of being unmatched with both saber and arrow. However, he is still young, and I fear his actions may not be entirely stable."
"What do you all think?" The Zhao City Lord, not one to run a one-man show, spoke frankly, posing the question to the generals present.
But with Han Yu's previous example, having lost both his wife and his army, no one dared to speak for a time, fearing another trap.
The Zhao City Lord retracted his gaze with satisfaction. "Since no one objects, this City Lord grants you the authority to act as you deem fit. If there are urgent matters, you may report to me directly."
Ning Yue was delighted to hear this. Finally, someone would be there to cover his back and clean up his messes.
Although the Zhao City Lord's praise was thinly veiled criticism, always picking on him, an honest man, Ning Yue didn't mind at this moment. He bowed and assented.
However, as everyone was about to disperse, Ning Yue still wasn't finished.
He turned to Han Yu, the Han Qianhu, and respectfully said, "Han Qianhu, please wait. I wonder when Han Qianhu will be free? This subordinate, though of humble rank, dares not forget the worries of the nation. It would be best to decide on the candidates for Longxi as soon as possible!"
Han Yu's body stiffened, and he slowly turned halfway around.
Even with his usually good temper, seeing Ning Yue taking advantage of the situation to leverage his authority, he couldn't maintain a pleasant expression.
Moreover, appeasing his subordinates and stabilizing morale would not be easy, and trivial matters were the most troublesome.
His brow furrowed with inner vexation, he replied impatiently, "The incumbent Qi Zongqi still has over a month before he leaves his post. Why are you in such a hurry now?! Our Great Yuan Dynasty governs all four directions, flourishing and prosperous. It hasn't reached the point where a ninth-rank military officer needs to worry!"
Ning Yue persisted, remaining bowed, "Please, Sir, set a definite date, so this subordinate can make arrangements early."
With the various sirs and the City Lord present today, Ning Yue absolutely refused to miss this opportunity.
After today, if Han Yu were to obstruct him even slightly, it would be twice the effort for half the result.
At that time, perhaps even the hundred personal guards would become pre-arranged 'rotten fish and shrimp.'
At this moment, the Zhao City Lord's inquiring gaze, along with everyone else's, fell upon the two of them, though most were simply watching the show.
Xue Zhenfu also recovered his senses.
It must be said, young people's minds work fast.
His momentary distraction almost ruined a major matter!
So he echoed, "Han Qianhu, is there any difficulty with this matter? It's just a matter of gathering people and notifying them. I think we have everyone here today, so it's quite suitable. Why not—"
"Five days!" Han Qianhu quickly interrupted Xue Zhenfu. At this point, he no longer cared about insubordination or disrespecting a superior, and blurted out, "In five days, at the third quarter of the Wei hour, this Qianhu will definitely gather all the men for Ning Zongqi to choose from!"
A dignified new Qianhu was forced into such a situation by a Zongqi.
And in front of everyone in Gu City, Han Yu felt his face burning. Any lingering good impression he had of Ning Yue was now completely gone.
Han Zhenfu narrowed his eyes, staring fixedly at Ning Yue in the distance. His grizzled beard trembled repeatedly, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
...
That night, the evening breeze blew, swaying the octagonal palace lanterns hanging high in the Zongqi's office.
The flames flickered, casting an uncertain light on Ning Yue's handsome face as he sat upright, adding a touch of mystery.
"Tsk tsk tsk! Not simple, not simple!" Xue Ren, who had circled Ning Yue countless times, his gaze probing, as if trying to see through the mind of his subordinate.
"As expected of my soldier! With a single long saber, he suppressed three hundred Zong Qi Guans, coerced a Qianhu, and directly questioned the City Lord. You were truly magnificent today, you really brought honor to me!"
"Tell me, what else are you not afraid to do?"
Seize your family's property, become your sister's husband, bring that girl Xue Zige to justice, punish her as a lowly slave, and make her cry and wail every day!
Ning Yue secretly mused, knowing that the more he spoke, the more mistakes he would make, so he simply kept quiet.
He could tell that Xue Ren was not being sarcastic. It seemed he was accustomed to being suppressed by the military rules, and seeing Ning Yue's fierceness today, he felt a sense of catharsis.
And Xue Ren, finally sitting back in his original seat, shook his head for a moment, then pointed to his empty teacup, signaling the magnificent Ning Zongqi to pour tea.
"Having followed me for so long, with my verbal instructions and personal examples, you've finally secretly learned some of my true skills. But even if the City Lord hadn't said anything today, this Baihu was going to promote you to deputy anyway. It's just that that old man played the good guy and beat me to it. How infuriating!"
Ning Yue immediately bowed, "It's all due to Xue Ge's excellent guidance and protection of me!"
"Alas," Xue Ren said, raising his teacup to clink with Ning Yue's, as if drinking fine wine. "That's not right."
Then he said seriously, "Individual performance, imperial cultivation!"
Ning Yue lowered his head, looking at the fragrant, pleasant green tea in his cup, gently swaying in the evening breeze, yet always firmly confined within the teacup.
Just like his fate, like a duckweed, seemingly free, yet every action could only be within the rules, treading on thin ice, walking along the abyss.
So he asked, "Xue Ge, what exactly is the situation in Longxi?"
When it came to serious matters, Xue Ren also became solemn, "The situation is complex, difficult to explain in a few words."
Ning Yue poured more tea, "Then please try to be as concise as possible."
Xue Ren glanced at the person opposite him, not minding his subordinate's presumptuous words. After all, their relationship was familiar, and he actually felt closer because of it.
He said in a deep voice, "Longxi is located on the frontier. Further west is the Gobi Desert, and to the north, it penetrates deep into the demon race's territory. It's a mixed bag, with a lot of trouble."
"On the surface, there are three major local powerful families: the Li family, the Sun family, and the Hu family, forming a three-way standoff. Besides them, there are many smaller families that are more or less involved..."
"As for the gangs, there are quite a few famous ones. In a few days, I will give you the detailed information. When you go there, if you can't open up the situation for a while, you can pick a few weaker ones to start with!"
Ning Yue nodded silently. For an official to clear out gangs and confiscate ill-gotten gains, that was upholding justice and eliminating evil for the people!
Ning Yue adhered to the way of an official, and he was quite skilled at handling such matters.
It was an easy task.
Xue Ren continued, "Besides that, you also need to pay special attention to a civilian organization there—the Hunter Association!"
Ning Yue's spirits lifted. He had heard the name of the Hunter Association many times in Gu City, and today he could finally understand the details.
But he saw Xue Ren's heavy gaze as he slowly spoke, "This organization can be said to be the source of all evil in Longxi!"