The first county magistrate in history

"Since you have no objection, then let's admit him to the court..." Xia Mochu pondered for a moment, "What position do you think would be best for him?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the ministers were in an uproar.

This is the most critical moment. Qin Zheng's position in the court concerns the interests of each and every one of them and even every small group.

This is no child's play!

This will affect the stability of their team's position and even their survival.

Because he is already a famous brand, Qin Zheng is the person the empress wants to win over. Once he joins the empress's camp, he will definitely be even more powerful.

Now, everyone in the court, whether civil or military, knew Hongtong County, and the little magistrate Qin Zheng. Even the King of the Northern Territory wouldn't dare challenge this little magistrate. This showed just how powerful he was.

Such an important person, with huge implications, even if one is afraid of the empress, one has to fight for it!

"Your Majesty, I believe that although Qin Zheng has made great contributions in combating the bird plague, he is, after all, a seventh-rank county magistrate. If he is given too generous a reward, he may become arrogant."

"Your Majesty, I also think that we should proceed step by step according to the rules of the court, and not force things."

"Your Majesty, why not appoint him as a special envoy for disaster relief, which would be in line with the actual situation."

For a time, there were many different opinions, and everyone was afraid that the empress would appoint Qin Zheng to a powerful and high position.

Xia Mochu said nothing, thinking to himself, Qin Zheng is so capable, how could he be given just a nominal position as a disaster relief envoy?

He glanced at the Minister of Revenue Chen Pingzhang in a casual manner.

After all, he was a loyal and veteran minister, and Chen Pingzhang understood everything at a glance.

This makes him speak!

He had also heard of Hongtong County, which was said to be extremely rich.

The Empress must have chosen Qin Zheng because of Hongtong County's wealth. After all, disaster relief requires money.

Chen Pingzhang spoke again: "Your Majesty, I believe that this disaster relief is related to the people's livelihood. County Magistrate Qin Zheng has been able to govern Hongtong County so well, so he must be a great talent. Such talents should be promoted and reused without any restrictions."

Xia Mochu smiled and asked, "Master Chen, what position do you think would be appropriate for him?"

Chen Pingzhang thought to himself, how would I know?

I can guess that you asked me to say something good about Qin Zheng, but I can’t guess what you are thinking?

He gritted his teeth and said, "The Liangjin drought is imminent. A special envoy for disaster relief has too little authority to convince the public, and there will be too much resistance. It would be better to appoint him as the Imperial Envoy for Liangjin Disaster Relief, and act accordingly. This will also allow us to see his true abilities. If he is truly capable, once the disaster is over, Your Majesty will reward him. If the disaster relief efforts are unsuccessful, Your Majesty can remove him from the position of Imperial Envoy, and it won't have much impact."

Xia Mochu's smile became even more intense.

Chen Pingzhang saw His Majesty smile and breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he had guessed correctly.

"Imperial envoy?" someone exclaimed.

"Your Majesty, you must not!"

"Your Majesty, according to the civil service system, only officials of the third rank and above are eligible to be personally appointed by Your Majesty to be sent to the local areas, whether to supervise the army, handle criminal cases, handle finances, or provide relief. Qin Zheng is only a seventh-rank county magistrate!"

"His Majesty……"

Many ministers came out to oppose it.

"It's a matter of urgency, so why not?"

"I second Mr. Chen's suggestion."

"Your Majesty, I think it's very good!"

Some people agree.

Xia Mochu was very clear that those who opposed him were not his own people.

He continued, "Since some of you think he's unsuitable, I wonder who is willing to go and provide disaster relief. However, as you can see, the national treasury can't provide disaster relief funds. You will need to provide the relief needs yourselves!"

The opposing ministers were suddenly speechless.

Xia Mochu became serious: "Since you can't do it, what's your reason for objecting? I have seen the situation in Hongtong County with my own eyes, and I have personally verified Qin Zheng's ability."

Speaking of this, Xia Mochu's pretty face turned slightly red. This ability made her think a little wrongly.

Although those ministers were unwilling, none of them wanted to be an imperial envoy, which was thankless and required them to pay the salary themselves.

Shut up.

Upon seeing this, Xia Mochu directly issued an edict: "Propagate my decree, appointing Qin Zheng as the Imperial Envoy for Disaster Relief in Liangjin, and dispatching fifty experts from the Imperial Palace and one thousand Yihui troops to escort him..."

And sent the imperial guards and the Yihui Army to protect him?

All the ministers were shocked!

The Imperial Guards and the Yihui Army are the Empress's absolute confidants, which shows that the Empress is determined to win over Qin Zheng.

Looking at the surprised expressions of the ministers, Xia Mochu snorted in his heart, if I don’t protect my child’s father, my child will be fatherless!

Just as the decree was pronounced, a young eunuch hurried in from outside the palace and knelt to report, "Your Majesty, the four border kings have left the imperial capital and returned to the border. They have conveyed to Your Majesty that since Your Majesty has returned safely, their duties are fulfilled. However, the border cannot be left without a master for a single day, so they will no longer be seeing Your Majesty."

The ministers were shocked. Was the King of the Four Realms scared away?

Xia Mochu laughed and said, "Little guys, I have five sky thunder cannons, I can't scare you to death."

In fact, she was also very panicked.

She hadn't been sure if her actions would anger the Four Realms King. The key point was that the five Sky Thunder Cannons were just wooden stakes, not real ones.

Fortunately, the ending is good.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please spare my life..."

Suddenly, a scream was heard from outside the hall...

Two guards carried an official with bloody legs and appeared at the entrance of the court.

Many people know Du Guangcai, the Chief Inspector of the Imperial Capital’s Water Conservancy Bureau.

At this moment, Du Guangcai was sweating profusely, his legs dangling, obviously broken...

Xia Mochu frowned and waved his hand: "Drag him out and parade him through the streets. Afterwards, he will be executed by slow slicing at the Meridian Gate, and his property will be confiscated and his family will be exterminated!"

"Yes!" The guard carried Du Guangcai and turned to leave.

"Your Majesty, I acknowledge my guilt..."

"Your Majesty, spare my life..."

The howling faded away.

In the court, the ministers trembled again.

The Empress is so cruel!

How many people were killed on this day?

But those loyal ministers secretly gave thumbs up, saying that Your Majesty did the right thing. If he did not make an example of someone and rectify the government, the Daqian Dynasty would be over.

"Sir Chen, let's discuss matters in the imperial study. Let's adjourn the court!" Xia Mochu stood up and left.

The ministers were trembling and discussing how the empress could trust Qin Zheng so much and how she dared to turn against the King of the Four Realms...

Royal study room.

The empress gave tea to Chen Pingzhang.

He asked, "Is the Prime Minister's illness still not healed?"

For nearly a year, Xia Bitu, the prime minister of the Daqian Dynasty, has been absent from court due to illness.

Xia Bitu is Xia Mochu's distant uncle.

This person used to be a staunch supporter of his father, but for some reason recently, he seemed to have developed a grudge against her as the empress.

Xia Mochu also couldn't figure out what was going on with this uncle.

When mentioning Prime Minister Xia Bitu, Chen Pingzhang showed a look of fear.

Xia Bitu is a man of both literary and martial prowess, not only full of cunning schemes but also a formidable fighter. Everyone in the Daqian Dynasty knew that An Dehai was the world's best martial artist, but few knew that Xia Bitu was his equal!

Chen Pingzhang replied, "I and all the officials went to visit him, but the Prime Minister avoided us."

Suddenly, he hesitated and said, "The four realm kings also went to the Prime Minister's Mansion."

Xia Mochu's heart was shocked: "He, saw it?"

Chen Pingzhang nodded and said nothing more.

it goes without saying!

Xia Mochu was silent for a long time before he said, "Master Chen, since we don't have the money for disaster relief, let Qin Zheng find a way. However, from what I understand, Qin Zheng is unwilling to serve as an official in the court. If we don't allocate money, I'm afraid he will disobey the order."

Chen Pingzhang was shocked: "He dares to disobey the order?"

Xia Mochu smiled bitterly: "Master Chen, when you have time, you should go on a private visit to understand the people's sentiments."

"Yes!" Chen Pingzhang's face changed. Your Majesty, are you blaming me for being ignorant?

Xia Mochu suddenly smiled and said, "Master Chen, I have a plan and I need your cooperation..."

After hearing the empress's plan, Chen Pingzhang's eyes widened and he looked at her in disbelief: "Your Majesty, is this, this, okay?"

Xia Mochu chuckled and said, "How about you conjure up more than 10 million taels of silver for me for disaster relief?"

Chen Pingzhang: “…”

Suddenly speechless!

The king and his ministers discussed for a long time, and then Chen Pingzhang left.

At this moment, Chen Pingzhang was still in shock. Is this still the Majesty who abides by the old rules?

After a trip to Hongtong County, how did you learn to cheat people?

In the imperial study, Xia Mochu laughed heartily, dancing with joy, very satisfied with his own wisdom, bravery and resourcefulness.

She already had a picture in her mind: Qin Zheng's bitter face after receiving the imperial edict...

"Hahaha……"

Li Qiuhan was stunned. It was over. His Majesty seemed to be mentally ill. Should he summon the imperial physician?