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

Lu Yan pretended to be hurt and covered his chest:

"Miss Chen, your words are really hurtful! I, Lu Yan, am a good official with a conscience!

This time I came to Qingzhou, I did bring food to help the people."

Chen Qingwan snorted coldly:

"How much food did you bring? Is it enough to fill your stomach?"

"Qingzhou is so big, and there are so many people affected by the disaster. What good can your little bit of food do?"

Lu Yan smiled mysteriously:

"Miss Chen, you don't know this."

"Although the food I brought this time is not much, my plan is not just to simply distribute porridge and food."

"My goal is to attract some of the disaster victims to my newly established sub-county."

"Divide into counties?" Chen Qingwan was even more confused.

"What's a sub-county? Why haven't I heard of it?"

Lu Yan raised his chin proudly:

"A few days ago, I led the warriors of Shannan County and completely defeated those barbarians."

"We conquered their territory and established a sub-county of Shannan County there."

"The land there is fertile and the products are abundant, which is enough to accommodate some of the disaster victims."

Chen Qingwan was stunned. She had previously thought that Lu Yan was just bragging.

But I didn't expect that he actually did it!

The land of the barbarians is extremely dangerous, and many soldiers have returned in defeat.

Lu Yan, a small county magistrate, actually conquered the barbarians.

Were sub-counties also established?

"You...you really built a branch county in the barbarian land?"

There was a hint of disbelief in Chen Qingwan's voice.

Lu Yan smiled slightly, took out a sheepskin map from his arms, and slowly unfolded it:

"Miss Chen, please look. This is the location of my newly built sub-county, as well as the surrounding topography."

"The land here is fertile and there is plenty of water, making it very suitable for farming and living."

Chen Qingwan took the map and looked at it carefully.

The map clearly marks the locations of mountains, rivers, cities, villages, and counties.

The more she looked at it, the more frightened she became. The map was drawn very precisely.

It is obvious that it has been verified through on-site investigation and is not fabricated out of thin air.

"Is this... this map real?"

Chen Qingwan raised her head and stared at Lu Yan with burning eyes.

Lu Yan shrugged:

"Of course it's true. Can I still lie to you?"

"If Miss Chen doesn't believe it, you can send someone to conduct an on-site investigation."

Chen Qingwan remained silent, although she still had doubts in her heart.

But Lu Yan's expression and tone, and the detailed map.

All of this forced her to start believing in this seemingly unreliable county magistrate.

Maybe a miracle really happened.

She looked Lu Yan up and down, her eyes filled with complicated emotions.

Lu Yan felt a little uncomfortable when Chen Qingwan looked at him, and he coughed dryly:

"Miss Chen, why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"

Chen Qingwan came back to her senses and coughed lightly to cover up:

"Nothing, just a little surprised. I didn't expect you to be capable of this."

Lu Yan grinned:

"Of course! I, Lu Yan, don't get my reputation for nothing!"

Qiao'er also exclaimed:

"Oh my God, he actually did it! Those barbarians are so ferocious and vicious that even the army of the Datong Dynasty can't do anything to them. Lu Yan actually..."

Li Dazhuang couldn't help but interrupt:

"That's right. I once followed the general to suppress the barbarians."

"Those guys were incredibly ferocious, like wild beasts. Countless of our brothers were killed or wounded, and we didn't gain any advantage."

"Master Lu was able to subdue them, how amazing!"

Chen Qingwan glared at the two of them and said, "Stop talking about our Datong here!"

Humph! This Lu Yan is quite capable, but there's no need to belittle my Datong army, right?

Qiao'er and Li Dazhuang quickly shut up and dared not say anything more.

Lu Yan waved his hand:

"It's okay, Miss Qingwan, they are just curious."

"The barbarian land is indeed extremely dangerous. I was lucky to succeed this time."

"Thanks to the brave warriors of Shannan County, we were able to defeat the barbarians."

Chen Qingwan nodded:

"Lord Lu, your achievements this time will go down in history. The court will surely reward you handsomely."

Lu Yan smiled modestly:

"I don't care about rewards or anything like that. I just hope that more people can live a stable life."

Chen Qingwan's heart was filled with undercurrents.

On the surface, she admired Lu Yan, but deep down in her heart, she felt a little wary.

This Lu Yan has such skills at such a young age.

Not only did he pacify the barbarians, he also secretly established branch counties and expanded his territory.

Such ambition is truly shocking.

Could it be that... he really has the intention of rebellion?

We must make preparations early when we return to the capital and kill this corrupt official.

"Lord Lu, your words are a bit too high-sounding."

"I used to live in the capital, and I've heard a lot about the 'great achievements' of corrupt officials."

"Which of them isn't using the banner of pleading for the people to enrich themselves and exploit the people?"

"Are you expanding your territory in order to gain benefits from the imperial court?"

When Lu Yan heard this, instead of getting angry, he smiled and showed his big white teeth:

"Miss Chen, you are really wronging me. Who am I, Lu Yan?"

"He is well-known for his integrity and honesty!"

"I'm expanding my territory not for myself, but for the people of Shannan County and for the prosperity of the Datong Dynasty!"

Qiao'er rolled her eyes and muttered quietly:

"You're the only one who's clean-handed? I wonder who built this chain of inns in Shannan County."

Chen Qingwan looked at Lu Yan with a smile, a hint of inquiry in her eyes:

"Oh? Since Lord Lu is so noble and upright, then tell me, what benefit do you want?"

Lu Yan pretended to be silent for a moment, then slapped his thigh, as if he had suddenly realized something:

"Oh, look at my memory!"

"The territory of Shannan County has expanded so much now, fighting against the barbarians and establishing branch counties."

"Isn't the word 'county' a bit inappropriate?"

"So I have submitted a petition to the court, requesting Her Majesty the Empress to grant me the title of prefect."

Chen Qingwan's eyelids twitched, and she almost couldn't hold back the expression on her face.

This Lu Yan is really asking for too much!

A small county magistrate actually wants to be a prefect?

He is not afraid of his tongue being blown away by the strong wind!

"Prefect?" Chen Qingwan suppressed her smile and repeated the word.

"Lord Lu, your appetite is too big, isn't it? What do you think a prefect is? Can you become one just because you want to?"

Lu Yan spread his hands with an innocent expression:

"I can't help it. Who made me so capable?"

"Under my administration, Shannan County is thriving, the people are living and working in peace and contentment, and business is booming."

"With such great achievements, it would be unreasonable not to be promoted to prefect, right?"

"you……"

Chen Qingwan was speechless for a moment and couldn't find any reason to refute.

Although Lu Yan's words sounded shameless.

But if you think about it carefully, it is not completely unreasonable.