With a million soldiers, the empress begged me not to rebel

"Shannan County Magistrate Lu Yan has been in office for three years. He has committed atrocities, incurring public outrage and condemnation, and has repeatedly withheld tax revenue from the imperial court."

"His intention to rebel is already obvious."

"Shannan County, a former imperial scholar and gentry, Liu Changsheng, leads the entire county in submitting a petition to the imperial court, requesting Your Majesty's wise consideration!"

In the bumpy carriage, the female official read the words from the Book of All Peoples.

Empress Chen Qingwan of Daning sat on the jade couch, her brows furrowed and her beautiful eyes open.

Lu Yan, the magistrate of Shannan County, entered the officialdom as a commoner and donated money to become a replacement.

This is because Shannan is a poor place with bad mountains and rivers and the people are tough. In the past ten years, anyone who has been appointed to Shannan has had a bad death. This is why Lu Yan got a real official position.

During these three years, Lu Yan lived well, but there was a constant stream of impeachment memorials against him, from Shannan County to the imperial court in Kyoto.

This time, the locals, led by local gentry, submitted a petition to all people, requesting that Lu Yan be brought to justice.

This also made Empress Chen Qingwan curious about this county magistrate whom she had never met before, so she chose to go on a private visit in disguise, wanting to see with her own eyes how this man surnamed Lu had aroused the hatred of both humans and gods.

"This County Magistrate, Lu, once wrote a letter to defend himself. He said he withheld the tax revenue because Shannan was remote and the roads were infested with bandits. Escorting the official silver would have been too much of a target, and the cost would have outweighed the benefits. So, he left the silver there to be used for village development."

"If this is true, then it is understandable. Keeping the tax money in the local area to benefit the people is also a good policy."

Chen Qingwan spoke.

During Lu Yan's administration in Shannan, Shannan enjoyed a rare period of peace for two or three years, with no riots or barbarian invasions. This was truly not easy.

If possible, Chen Qingwan is still willing to give Lu Yan a chance.

The female official listened to her words and turned to a new page.

"The Wanmin Book says that Lu Yan withheld tax revenue and didn't use it to benefit the people. Instead, he used it to build a large county government office. He even announced that the Shannan County government office would be even more luxurious than the governor's office in the provincial capital!"

After these words were spoken, Chen Qingwan's face became even gloomier.

Withholding tax revenue can be said to be a measure of adapting to local conditions, but building a large county government office is an act of corruption no matter where you are.

"Since I ascended the throne, I have repeatedly issued orders that government offices at all levels must not waste money, and officials at all levels must govern with benevolence and love the people, not indulge in pleasure. This Lu Yan is indeed going too far."

"However, there have been no large-scale riots in Shannan County over the past three years, which shows that he has also paid some attention to people's livelihood..."

Chen Qingwan still tried to find a basis for her judgment.

"His Majesty!"

The female official's hand turned to the last page.

"The Wanmin Book also states that Lu Yan confiscated the land of the people of Shannan County, preventing them from farming! He also built numerous taverns and singing halls, forcing the people to work in taverns and brothels and serve dignitaries."

The female official was a little shocked.

"What did you say?"

Chen Qingwan could no longer sit still. With an angry look on her face, she snatched the Book of All Peoples.

A glance over it showed the evidence in black and white.

In Daning, agriculture is emphasized and commerce is suppressed, with farming and studying as the foundation. Taverns and brothels are considered the lowest of the lowest classes.

This Lu Yan is so deceiving and abusing the people, putting the cart before the horse. What do he think the laws of the country are, what the way of the saints is, and what the principles of heaven and morality are?

It's really hateful!

"Qiao'er, how far is Shannan County?"

Chen Qingwan closed the Book of All Peoples, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

"There are still about ten miles."

The female official Qiao'er replied.

"I want to see with my own eyes how this Lu Yan behaves! If what is written in this book is true, I will kill him!"

Chen Qingwan said angrily.

The master and servant were sulking.

I just felt that the carriage under me was moving much faster.

Qiao'er lifted the car curtain and looked out the window.

"Your Majesty, the roads here are very strange."

Road, strange?

All under heaven belongs to the king, and all the roads in the world were built according to the standards of the founding emperor. How can you blame him for anything?

Chen Qingwan looked through the car window.

Just one glance and his face was filled with shock.

The road covered by the wheels was neat and flat, smoother than the marble bricks in the imperial palace.

Looking up, I saw a yellow line drawn in the middle of the dark blue road. Carriages traveling east and west were divided on both sides of the yellow line according to their directions. Yellow, blue and green iron signs were erected on the side of the road.

On the yellow iron plate, it was written, "All vehicles coming and going must keep to the right. Violators will be fined and their driver's license will be revoked."

On the blue iron plate was a picture of two carriages colliding, with a large red cross on top and two lines of large characters below: "Of the thousands of roads, safety comes first."

The green iron plate was the tallest and largest, with a white arrow in the shape of a cross painted on it and the words "Ten miles from Shannan County" next to it.

Chen Qingwan and Qiao'er were stunned by the scene outside the window, as if they were seeing a Western scene in a dream.

Where did this come from?

Is this still Daning’s territory?

Qiao'er reacted, lifted the carriage curtain, and asked the coachman: "Old man, are you sure you are going in the right direction? We are going to Shannan County!"

When the old driver heard this, he immediately understood what was going on. After driving for so many years, he was already accustomed to such questions.

"We're going to Shannan County. Aren't there signs along the road that say it? It's ten miles from Shannan County."

"You two girls are from other places, right? You may not know that everything you see was built by Lu Qingtian from our county."

"It's said that in order to build the road, Lu Qingtian withheld the imperial court's tax revenue and nearly lost his head!"

The old driver smiled, and wrinkles appeared on his dark face.

Lu Qingtian!

When the master and servant in the car heard this word, they were stunned.

Isn’t Lu Yan hated by the people and the gods in Shannan County?

Why do some people still call him Qingtian?

What exactly is going on?

"Lu Qingtian is a really good man! He built the county government office bright and splendid, and attracted merchants from all over to come here to do business. People in neighboring counties no longer say that we are poor and unruly people because of the bad mountains and rivers. We Shannan people are proud!"

"Plus, building this road makes it easier for us country folk to go into the city to work. This is much better than tending to a few acres of land at home and relying on the weather for our livelihood!"

As soon as the old driver mentioned County Magistrate Lu, he began to talk incessantly and praised him to the utmost.

Qiao'er thanked him and lowered the curtain.

"Qiao'er, why do the old driver and Wanminshu say completely different things? Who is telling the truth?"

Chen Qingwan was a little confused.

"Your Majesty, I still think that Liu Changsheng, as a former imperial scholar, is a scholar who has learned the ways of the sages and adhered to the teachings of the gentleman. His words should be more credible."

"As for this old driver, perhaps he was bribed by that Lu guy, using sweet words to flatter him!"

Qiao'er analyzed.

After all, there has never been a weirdo like Lu Yan in the Daning Kingdom or even in the entire Middle-earth throughout the dynasties, nor has there been such a weirdo as Lu Yan, nor such a weird thing as what happened in Shannan County.

According to the words in the sage's book, this is a complete perverse act, going against the will of heaven, how could it be supported by the people!

Chen Qingwan hesitated. As an empress, she naturally knew that the so-called saints and gentlemen were actually just that, and sometimes, what they said was not as honest as what the old farmers said in the fields.

As she was thinking, the carriage stopped.

"Girls, we've arrived at the toll booth. There's another traffic jam today. Let's get off the bus and rest for a while!"

The old driver's voice sounded.