Wei Yuefu had tapped quite a few connections to confirm Li Chongzhao's situation.
Unless everyone had conspired to lie, this Li Chongzhao was indeed extraordinarily stubborn.
Even if it were merely cultivating a persona, if someone maintained it for an entire lifetime, Wei Yuefu would consider it genuine.
Pondering it carefully, Wei Yuefu also understood the Crown Prince's intentions.
The Emperor of Great Xuan was in middle age, reaching the point where he had to start considering his succession.
Although the Spiritual Energy Revival had turned a small portion of people into Qi Refiners, whether Qi Refiners could extend their lifespans was still up in the air.
No one had been able to verify it yet, so going by the average lifespan, the Emperor of Great Xuan had actually lived quite long already.
Moreover, the various spiritual-energy-infused agricultural produce Wei Yuefu cultivated held immense value for the Crown Prince.
Thus, it was best to hold it in his own hands, which required laying plans in advance.
Lest the Emperor of Great Xuan pass away down the road, leaving him scrambling in panic.
So Wei Yuefu estimated that Li Chongzhao's first order of business upon arrival would be stripping him of his title as Baron of Qingpu County.
Back then, to recruit Qi Refiners, the Emperor of Great Xuan had enfeoffed far too many noble titles.
The Crown Prince might not be able to hold them in check. The Emperor of Great Xuan knew this as well, which was why he turned a blind eye or even subtly cooperated.
Yet that had been before. Now that the Emperor of Great Xuan had become a World Proxy, traversing different worlds, his ambitions had surely soared even higher.
Then there were two possibilities for what came next.
One was relinquishing power entirely, perhaps even abdicating to become the Retired Emperor, while retaining a grip on core authority and shifting his focus elsewhere.
The second was not relinquishing power at all, holding both reins firmly.
Given the Emperor of Great Xuan's decisiveness, Wei Yuefu guessed it would be the first.
The landscape and underlying logic of the Great Xuan Dynasty were actually shifting, for the heaven-and-earth marvels, heaven-and-earth treasures, and even Dao Seed points rewarded by the Descent Missions were all driving the dynasty to sprint headlong toward the pursuit of power.
Thus, the ensuing evolution would likely be might makes right, where the fist dictated authority.
It was merely progressing slowly, as only a single Descent Mission had taken place, and both the extent of the Spiritual Energy Revival and the number of World Proxies were still limited.
Wei Yuefu rubbed his temples and asked, "Old Yuan, where has the new county magistrate reached?"
"Replying to Master, he should be entering the city in about half an hour," Yuan Jingting replied immediately, then asked, "Master, he is merely a petty seventh-rank sesame official. Why must you personally go out to greet him?"
Hearing this, Wei Yuefu retorted in exasperation, "Your master is only sixth-rank himself.
"Don't look down on a bean bun like it isn't real food—a county magistrate is hailed as a 'lord of a hundred li.'"
"Yet Master, you are a true titled nobleman." Yuan Jingting felt this was giving the man far too much face. Normally, the other party should be coming to pay respects to him.
Wei Yuefu simply waved his hand. "Do as I commanded."
The last man who had failed to go out and greet the county magistrate was named Huang Silang. Li Chongzhao certainly wasn't Zhang Muzhi, but Wei Yuefu didn't necessarily measure up to Huang Silang either.
So when it was time to play the smiling tiger, one had to play it.
As for face? How many copper coins was that worth?
Seeing this, Yuan Jingting had no choice but to follow Wei Yuefu's orders.
Wei Yuefu, meanwhile, was pondering what political achievements he could use to send Li Chongzhao packing if roping him in failed.
Political accomplishments were something that money could handle most of the time.
Coincidentally, Wei Yuefu was exceedingly wealthy, and he had vast connections in Wenchi County.
With a bit more pulling of strings, he should be able to have the man transferred away within a year.
That was already fast enough; the man was a county magistrate, not an elementary school class study committee member.
Time ticked by, and Wei Yuefu set out in good time to wait at the county town gates.
To be honest, he actually rather hoped to see Li Chongzhao refuse him face.
The hard ones to deal with weren't honest officials, but honest officials who were craftier than corrupt ones.
Tsk. Thinking of this, Wei Yuefu also felt his own self-positioning was a bit off... Why on earth had he cast himself as the antagonist?
Just as he was thinking, Yuan Jingting came up to report, "Master, Lord Li has arrived."
Upon hearing this, Wei Yuefu stepped out of his sedan chair at once, wearing a beaming smile as his eyes fell upon Li Chongzhao.
Li Chongzhao was in his middle years, with extremely dignified features that exuded an aura of authority at first glance.
As for how he recognized him, it was simple.
The man was accompanied by his family, servants, carriages, horses, and luggage—clearly no ordinary traveler.
"Lord Li! Forgive me for not welcoming you from afar, forgive me!" Wei Yuefu approached warmly, leading his entourage forward.
Li Chongzhao looked him up and down, quickly deducing Wei Yuefu's identity.
He immediately led his family in bowing. "This humble official, Li Chongzhao, pays respects to Lord Baron Wei."
"Please rise, please rise," Wei Yuefu hurried to help him up, saying, "There is no need for such formalities, Lord Li. You are the parent official of our Wenchi County.
"Why stand on such ceremony?"
"I would not dare," Li Chongzhao replied, turning back with strict official propriety. "These are the rites and statutes of the law; they cannot be neglected."
"Yes, yes, quite so—my mistake," Wei Yuefu said, not minding the retort in the least. He simply called out, "Men, quickly assist Lord Li with..."
"No need, Lord Baron Wei," Li Chongzhao cut in before Wei Yuefu could finish. "These are this humble official's private belongings. There is no need to trouble your servants and retainers to lay hands on them."
His words were plain enough: he was deliberately drawing a clear line between himself and Wei Yuefu.
Yet the smile on Wei Yuefu's face did not waver in the slightest. If such a minor slight made him lose his composure, wouldn't he be falling right into the man's trap?
"True, true. Lord Li's books and documents are precious," Wei Yuefu said with a laugh. "The servants in my household are clumsy, and it would hardly do if something were damaged.
"I have prepared a banquet at my manor and must ask that Lord Li grace us with your presence tonight.
"Consider it my way of welcoming you and washing away the dust of the road."
Yet Li Chongzhao refused once more, saying merely, "This humble official appreciates Lord Baron Wei's kind intentions, but the banquet will not be necessary.
"The Great Xuan Code states—"
"Since Lord Li is unwilling, then so be it," Wei Yuefu interrupted. He couldn't let the man quote the Great Xuan Code; that would put him at a disadvantage. "Once Lord Li has settled in over the coming days, I shall invite you out for an excursion to tour our Wenchi County."
With that, Wei Yuefu led his entourage away.
Yuan Jingting's face was dark. This Li Chongzhao truly refused face when it was offered.
"Master, should I have someone teach this ungrateful..." Yuan Jingting began.
Before he could finish, Wei Yuefu cut him off. "He merely refused to humor me. Is there any need to kill someone over that?
"Dying the moment he takes office—do you think the imperial court is blind?"
Having said that, Wei Yuefu's expression softened slightly, and he added, "Plenty of people saw what happened just now. Spread word of it.
"Remember to embellish it generously and take things out of context.
"Before dark, make sure his reputation is thoroughly ruined."
Since the man was determined to pit himself against him, Wei Yuefu wasn't about to play nice.
Did he really think Wei Yuefu was giving him a pleasant face out of meek subservience? Swallowing a few sharp words and losing a bit of face to put himself in the position of the aggrieved underdog—that was an enormous advantage.
First, he would unleash a public opinion campaign to see how the other man responded.
And what if he actually handled it? Wei Yuefu had follow-up measures prepared as well.
Chapter 23