"Ah, Magistrate Chen! Right this way, please, right this way," Wei Yuefu greeted him with an enthusiastic smile, stepping forward to meet him.
Although the magistrate was about to step down, it was fundamentally a promotion; there was no need to let the tea grow cold before the guest had even departed.
The face that needed to be given still had to be given—and precisely because the man was leaving, Wei Yuefu was inclined to offer even more.
Such trivial courtesies harmed none of his interests and even earned him a bit of goodwill, so why not indulge in them?
Upon seeing Wei Yuefu, Chen Youqing spoke with flattered humility. "What virtue or talent does this humble official possess to warrant the Lord Baron coming out personally to greet me?"
Ordinarily, it was Chen who would have sought an audience. Still, Wei Yuefu was an affable man who rarely put on airs.
"Magistrate Chen is stepping down as the parent official of our Wenchi County," Wei Yuefu said with a chuckle. "Consider this evening my farewell gathering for you.
"Tonight's spirit feast was prepared in haste, so please, do not look down upon it."
Hearing Wei Yuefu's modest tease, Chen Youqing hurriedly replied, "I would not dare! For the Lord Baron to display such generosity fills me with nothing but delight; how could I possibly look down upon it?"
How could he fail to discern that Wei Yuefu was simply being polite? No matter how hastily a spirit feast was thrown together, how low could its standard truly be?
Especially given that this Baron of Qingpu County was famed for his openhandedness.
"Hahaha! As long as you don't mind, that is all that matters," Wei Yuefu said, ushering Chen Youqing into the manor.
Once they were seated, a retinue of maids carried in the courses of the spirit feast and arranged them across the table.
After three rounds of wine, Chen Youqing finally broached the real subject: "Lord Baron, regarding that plot of land you set your sights on, this humble official had the paperwork drawn up overnight.
"Tomorrow, you need only send someone to fetch it.
"I will be transferred away in two days, but there is one matter I must urge the Lord Baron to treat with caution."
This was where the serious discussion began. As for the land Wei Yuefu wanted, he paid handsomely; the owners were only too eager to sell and then work as tenant farmers for him.
To be a tenant farmer under Wei Yuefu meant one genuinely got to eat meat.
The vast majority of common folk could barely taste a mouthful of meat or fish throughout the entire year.
"So sudden?" Wei Yuefu had not expected him to depart in just two days; he had assumed there would be at least two or three months remaining.
This caught him somewhat off guard.
Wei Yuefu clapped his hands, and all attendants present withdrew from the room.
Evidently, what came next was unfit for outside ears, or Chen Youqing would not have offered such a pointed warning.
"Please, Magistrate Chen, speak freely."
Once everyone had left, Chen Youqing finally spoke: "Lord Baron, the prices you offer are far too high. It is not just the prominent families of our Wenchi County who are grumbling with resentment.
"The neighboring counties and even the prefectural capital have felt the ripple effects.
"My fear is that someone might submit a memorial against you, accusing you of competing with the people for profit."
Hearing this, Wei Yuefu's expression did not waver. Though what Chen Youqing described exceeded his expectations slightly, it was hardly an intractable dilemma.
Still, it was indeed tied to land.
"No matter. Let them memorialize as they please," Wei Yuefu said dismissively. "I am a Qi Refiner."
The reason was simple: the Emperor of Great Xuan was now a World Proxy and had tasted the benefits firsthand.
His priorities would undoubtedly shift.
"However, since Magistrate Chen came here personally, I imagine you have more to say than just this," Wei Yuefu added.
How could Chen Youqing fail to see that these local prominent families posed no threat to Wei Yuefu whatsoever?
Even if they pulled strings to impeach Wei Yuefu, by the time their memorial twisted its way through bureaucratic channels to reach the imperial desk, it would nine times out of ten simply be suppressed.
The high officials at court could hardly do without Wei Yuefu's agricultural produce; the tangible benefits were undeniable.
Wei Yuefu only wanted a bit of land; why not just let him have it? It infringed upon none of the court ministers' interests.
Moreover, the more land Wei Yuefu held, the more he produced, which worked all the more in their favor.
They would have to be mad to harm their own interests just to benefit a bunch of distant, irrelevant provincials.
"Does Lord Baron Wei know who will be succeeding me?" Chen Youqing asked directly.
Wei Yuefu shook his head and said frankly, "Imperial appointments are confidential. How could I possibly know?
"Please don't keep me in suspense, Magistrate Chen."
"It is Li Chongzhao," Chen Youqing answered plainly upon hearing Wei Yuefu's response.
Wei Yuefu found the name completely unfamiliar. After all, he was no scholar; unless someone was exceptionally renowned, he wouldn't have heard of him.
"Never heard of him," Wei Yuefu said, then asked, "Is there something peculiar about this man? Could he use the prominent families as a blade?"
"Precisely," Chen Youqing replied. "This man is unyielding and upright, incapable of tolerating the slightest speck of sand in his eye."
"Then... who arranged his appointment?" Wei Yuefu could not fathom it. His territory was rather special, practically on the verge of becoming his personal autonomous domain.
"The Crown Prince," Chen Youqing revealed without hesitation. "After passing the provincial examinations, this man served as the county instructor in Feiyun County.
"During his tenure, an imperial censor from the court came to inspect the county academy. While the other instructors all knelt on the ground to announce their names, he alone offered merely a deep bow.
"Furthermore, he declared: 'In the censor's office, one must observe the etiquette of subordinate officials. Yet this schoolhouse is a sanctuary where teachers pass on the Dao and resolve doubts; it is not a place to bend the knee.'
"Because of this incident, he was impeached by that censor. Yet, as a blessing in disguise, it brought him to the attention of the Crown Prince."
Hearing this, Wei Yuefu did not know whether to laugh or cry. Where in any of that was there genuine uprightness and integrity?
He saw the stubbornness, certainly; the man's head was hard enough.
As for anything else, it remained to be seen.
"He certainly managed to generate quite a reputation for himself," Wei Yuefu remarked. Whether the story was entirely true or staged, the momentum it created was real enough.
That led him to ponder one question: why had the Crown Prince assigned such a man as county magistrate of Wenchi County?
Wei Yuefu had never hidden the fact that he was acquiring land, and the ministers at court turned a blind eye to it.
If they truly moved against him on those grounds, what would happen to everyone else? He was hardly the only one doing so.
Although Wei Yuefu was not part of officialdom, he understood the principle of harmonizing with the dust.
"The Lord Baron ought to prepare beforehand," Chen Youqing advised.
"Since it is the Crown Prince's arrangement, the official procedure is certainly beyond reproach," Wei Yuefu said, rubbing his chin. "If this Li Chongzhao harbors other notions, we can simply send him off with a promotion."
Trying to pull an official down would be too sensitive given Wei Yuefu's standing, easily courting trouble.
Sending someone packing through advancement, however, was far simpler.
For Wei Yuefu, all it took was pulling a few strings in the capital, and plenty of people would gladly lend a hand.
Not to mention, this was the Crown Prince's maneuver; other princes might not discern the Crown Prince's intentions, but disrupting his plans was always the right move for them.
"By the way, where is Magistrate Chen being transferred?" Wei Yuefu asked. "If it is somewhere I have connections, I could certainly write a letter on your behalf."
Hearing this, Chen Youqing's eyes lit up.
This was the very offer he had been waiting for; why else would he come to Wei Yuefu's door and divulge all of this?
It was nothing more than an exchange of benefits.
"To answer the Lord Baron, this humble official is being transferred to..." Chen Youqing knew this was no time for false modesty and promptly explained the details of his new post.
Wei Yuefu naturally did not mind lending Chen Youqing a helping hand. In his eyes, Chen was reasonably capable.
Barring unforeseen accidents, the man was bound to govern a region of his own eventually; it could simply be considered an investment.
Chapter 22