Lu Yuan held the imperial edict, wondering how on earth that old man, the Emperor, had found out about what was happening here.

Lu Yuan’s head throbbed. ’This Grand Ancestor Emperor has too many tricks up his sleeve. It’s impossible to guard against him.’

The Grand Ancestor Emperor knew everything that happened in Dongchang City like the back of his hand.

The only explanation Lu Yuan could come up with was that the old Emperor had planted far too many spies in Dongchang City.

The officials, who were kneeling all over the floor, listened to the edict. Those who had committed crimes collapsed to the ground, wailing in despair. Some were so frightened they fainted on the spot.

All the officials, whether guilty or not, would have to submit a report confessing their actions.

Leniency for those who confess, severity for those who resist.

Any offenders who dared to conceal their crimes would just have to wait for the Grand Ancestor Emperor to deliver their punishment.

Of course, some officials were destined to be purged by the Court, their assets seized and homes ransacked.

This had nothing to do with Lu Yuan. It was the Court’s business.

Over the next few months, Lu Yuan would need to manage the selection of officials to fill the vacancies.

Dismissing those who needed to be dismissed, promoting those who deserved to be promoted.

Lu Yuan planned to delegate this work to a few officials, with his own role being to oversee the final decisions.

After seeing the old eunuch off, Lu Yuan and the others turned to look at the complete mess on the floor.

Lu Yuan instructed a trusted subordinate, "Go tally the damages with the Shopkeeper and compensate him for the full amount. I only have this one pouch of silver taels on me. If it’s not enough, you all can pool your money first. I’ll reimburse you when we get back to Taiping City."

After he finished speaking, Lu Yuan tossed the pouch of silver taels from his robes to his trusted subordinate.

"General Song, let’s go," Lu Yuan said, looking at Song Chi. "We can get together at the Prefecture Yamen."

It had been a long time since Lu Yuan had seen Song Chi, so he invited him to the Prefecture Yamen, planning to take the opportunity to have a few drinks.

After Song Chi agreed, Lu Yuan took Xiaoqian by the hand and left without a backward glance.

He left a crowd of officials standing there dumbfounded. This new Prefect never failed to surprise them.

Song Chi ordered his men to make camp five li outside the city, with strict instructions not to enter and disturb the citizens without a direct command.

Once he had given the order, Song Chi jogged to catch up with Lu Yuan.

Catching up to Lu Yuan, Song Chi nudged him with an elbow and whispered, "Brother-in-law, you’ve really made it. Promoted to Prefect of Dongchang."

Song Chi pointed to the imperial edict in Lu Yuan’s hand. "And you even hold the power of life and death. The authority to execute first and report later isn’t something they just hand out to anyone."

Lu Yuan couldn’t care less about the authority to execute first and report later. ’What’s so great about it?’

’When the old Emperor is happy, he lets you run wild for a while. But if he’s not happy,’ Lu Yuan thought, ’then that whole "execute first and report later" business is worth about as much as a fart in the wind.’

Lu Yuan asked Song Chi in return, "Ever heard of an Immunity Iron Certificate?"

"Sure, I’ve heard of them," Song Chi replied. "Never seen one myself, though. I just heard they’re for the likes of Dukes, Marquises, and Counts. But I’ve also heard plenty of officials have willingly returned their Immunity Iron Certificates. Tsk tsk, now that’s what I call true loyalty!"

Lu Yuan sighed and patted Song Chi on the shoulder, saying no more. ’I just hope the kid can figure it out on his own,’ he thought.

Xiaoqian, walking beside them, couldn’t understand their conversation and simply followed along with her head lowered.

Song Chi glanced at Xiaoqian. "Brother-in-law, is this a new concubine of yours? She’s even a bit prettier than my sister."

Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes, shooting Song Chi a sidelong glance. "Don’t spout nonsense. This is Xiaoqian. We just met. She’s a friend."

For a moment, Lu Yuan wasn’t sure how to describe his relationship with Xiaoqian, so after a brief pause, he just said she was a friend.

The ever-blunt Song Chi looked at Xiaoqian and said, "Miss Xiaoqian, I’m a bit of a crude fellow. Please don’t mind me."

Standing with the two men, Xiaoqian said softly, "It’s alright. I don’t mind."

「Back at the Prefecture Yamen, a table full of food was set out in the courtyard.」

Lu Yuan raised his chopsticks. "You just arrived in Dongchang City, so I bet you haven’t even had a hot meal. Try this. My wife heard you were coming and personally whipped up a couple of dishes for you."

Song Chi’s mouth was stuffed full. He nodded, mumbling something that could just barely be made out as, "Delicious, delicious."

Su Liyan’s cooking was, of course, impeccable.

Su Liyan poured Song Chi a cup of wine.

Lu Yuan, Su Liyan, and Xiaoqian had already eaten a short while ago, so the three of them simply watched Song Chi wolf down his food.

Having heard on the road that his brother-in-law was in danger, Song Chi hadn’t even stopped for a sip of water.

Song Chi chewed on a piece of meat, took a large gulp of wine, chewed a few more times, and swallowed. "Brother-in-law, you all should eat too! Don’t just watch me."

Lu Yuan picked up a fried peanut with his chopsticks and popped it into his mouth. "I have you to thank for showing up when you did today," he said. "Otherwise, I would have really had to fight those guys."

"It was nothing, Brother-in-law. A trivial matter," Song Chi said. "Without the guns and cannons you gave me, I wouldn’t have become a General."

"By the way, how’s my sister doing?" Song Chi asked, pausing with his chopsticks in hand to look at Lu Yuan.

"Aunt Song is doing great," Lu Yuan replied. "Stay here for a few days, and we can all head back to Taiping City together. You’ll be able to see your sister then." Lu Yuan knew Song Chi was always worried about his sister.

Su Liyan said, "We haven’t called home yet today. We should take this chance to make a call."

"Oh, right! Look at me, I totally forgot." Lu Yuan slapped his forehead and stood up. "You all wait here a moment. I’ll go get the phone from my room."

Song Chi had never seen a telephone before and had no idea what Lu Yuan and Su Liyan were talking about.

Just as Lu Yuan returned with the phone and sat down,

Aunt Song’s voice came from the other end of the line. "Younger brother? Are you there listening?"