97: Chapter 92: The Heart of Seizing Territory!

97: Chapter 92: The Heart of Seizing Territory!

“Chen Qing, Lord Chen, your arrival is truly timely!”

Lyu Yiqi below was crying so hard that his tears and snot had merged into one mess.

As a dignified official, his appearance at this moment was indeed unsightly, but this time his words were heartfelt…

No matter how he had previously looked down on Chen Qing, even going so far as to publicly humiliate him behind his back, after experiencing those terrifying events of yesterday and freezing in the cold, dark well all night, he was on the verge of breaking down.

Seeing Chen Qing’s face appear at the mouth of the well seemed incredibly dazzling to him, and at that moment, he was even willing to call him “father.”

Not just him, even the usually high-and-mighty Gu Dazhuangyuan was now a mess of tears and snot: “Lord Chen, you’ve finally come!!”

Chen Qing looked at the group of pathetic individuals and shook his head with amusement, paying them no more attention, and instead spoke to a woman in the well cradling a child: “Madam, are you related to the brave man at the top of the well?”

The woman squeezed her way out from among the men, shouting excitedly, “My lord, yes, that man at the top of the well is my husband, how is he doing?

Is he alright?”

It was clear that the woman’s eyes were red and swollen, and her clothing was disheveled, which made her appear extremely distressed.

Chen Qing, of course, would not suspect that a group of people would do anything under the well at this time, but his expression was still grim.

The woman’s disheveled clothing was because she had removed most of her own clothes to wrap around her child, while this group of men wrapped themselves in their own robes, each looking out for themselves.

Chen Qing could understand human selfishness; he was, after all, a self-serving person himself.

But the situation before him was different.

It was clear that this woman’s husband had sacrificed himself, staying behind to cover their escape, only to be bitten to death.

In such a situation, this group of grown men might be unable to do much, but the least they could do was to look a bit more like men and piece together a couple of articles of clothing for them.

What had these men been studying in their books…

“Madam, take the child and get into the bucket, we will pull you up.”

The woman nodded quickly at his words, but before she could make her move, Gu Beiquan stepped forward and grabbed hold of the rope to the bucket!

“What are you trying to do, Prefectural Governor Gu?” asked Chen Qing with a frown.

“Lord Chen…” Gu Beiquan hurriedly said, “I am so cold, may I come up first?”

Chen Qing burst into laughter at these words, “Are you suggesting, Prefectural Governor Gu, that you should precede these women and children?

Is that the kind of principle you learned from your books all these days?”

A rare blush of shame appeared on Gu Beiquan’s frozen face, yet he still clutched the rope firmly, “Chen Qing, pull me up first.”

“What if I refuse?” Chen Qing’s voice was icy.

“I knew it, you’re trying to take revenge on me!” Gu Beiquan shivered as he spoke, “Pull me up first, otherwise…

these women and children won’t be able to get up either.”

“Ha…” Chen Qing couldn’t help but chuckle and said, “It seems Prefectural Governor Gu is indeed chilled to the bone, even your mind has been frozen.

Firstly…

I have no grudge against you, there’s no talk of taking any opportunity for revenge.

If I wanted to get back at you, why would I need an opportunity?

When can’t I deal with you?”

Gu Beiquan: “…..”

“And furthermore…” Chen Qing’s voice cooled, “If you think I intend to harm you, do you think it makes any difference whether you go first or last?

What power do you have to resist?”

“I….”

“Let go!” Chen Qing’s voice reached an ultimate degree of coldness, “I’ll only say it once!”

Gu Beiquan gritted his teeth and, despite the pressure, he reluctantly let go of the rope as the woman beside him quickly hugged her child and climbed into the bucket.

Chen Qing made a slight gesture, and his subordinates hurriedly came forward, pulling the bucket up.

“Thank you, my lord!” As she came out of the well, the woman trembled violently but still knelt down with her child to express her gratitude.

“There’s no need for such formalities.

It is I who has arrived late, causing you to suffer,” said Chen Qing as he took off his coat and draped it over the woman: “Go and see your husband quickly.”

Hearing this, the woman hurriedly carried her child to where the robust man was lying.

Upon seeing her husband in such a terrible state, she immediately threw herself onto him, “Husband, husband, don’t you leave me and our child behind!”

The robust man barely managed to open his eyes, glanced at his wife and their pale-faced child, squeezed a smile on his face, and with effort, looked toward Chen Qing, his eyes conveying gratitude.

Chen Qing nodded slightly and reassured, “Rest assured, madam.

Your husband is a brave man, and I will do my utmost to save him!”

“Thank you, my lord, thank you!” The woman burst into tears of gratitude, continuing to kowtow with her child.

Chen Qing turned his head and instructed Chen Ying, “Take some people and start a fire to cook some meat porridge.

Remember…

do not use river water.

Use the well water we brought to cook the porridge for that child and the woman.”

“Alright…” Chen Ying nodded in response, but then immediately glanced at the well and asked, “My lord, what about…

the people inside?”

Chen Qing gave Chen Ying a profound look and asked, “What would you do if I decided to seal the mouth of the well?”

Startled by the question, Chen Ying hesitated for only two seconds before biting her lip and bowing, “I am now a person of the Chen Family, naturally, I shall obey my husband!”

“Is that so?” Chen Qing nodded slightly, not completely convinced, and then waved his hand, “Get them all up.”

“Yes, my lord!” The soldiers below all let out sighs of relief as well.

Although they would definitely obey the Prefectural Governor, the very thought of being involved in killing an official made them feel uneasy at heart.

Chen Qing did not take it to heart; a few eunuchs were not worth upsetting his subordinates over, and it was a good opportunity to confiscate their official seals.

Half a quarter of an hour later, the other officials were pulled up from the well.

Chen Qing looked at them—there were seven in total, apart from Gu Beiquan, the Magistrate of Luling County, there were two County Magistrates, one Magistrate Assistant, three Principal Clerks, and one Educational Instructor, Lyu Yiqi.

The citizens of Luling County had suffered heavy casualties and deaths, yet these officials, lacking courage, were safe and sound, which was truly ironic.

Chen Qing approached them, holding his nose, “Wow, the honorable officials have been drinking, I see.

It seems that you did not take the warning from me seriously, did you?”

The men instantly turned red-faced with shame.

Lyu Yiqi was quick to offer a forced smile, “We are but fools, and have brought about this disaster, but fortunately, you, my lord, stemmed the tide and turned the situation around.”

“Don’t…

bother with the flattery.” Chen Qing sneered, “I don’t have such powers to turn the situation around for you.

The lot of you received a warning from me but didn’t take it seriously, gathered to drink and make merry when the county was facing a crisis, and now Luling County has turned into a living hell.

Do you recognize your crimes?”

A hint of coldness flashed in Lyu Yiqi’s eyes, but he was the first to kneel down, and seeing this, the others also knelt down, “We recognize our crimes, my lord, please spare our lives!”

Gu Beiquan managed to barely steady his trembling legs, forcing himself to speak firmly, “Chen Qing, we are after all ranked officials appointed by the Imperial Court.

Even if we are guilty, it should be the Judicial Court officials dispatched by the Imperial Court to judge us.

You have no right to convict us, and certainly cannot execute first and report afterward!”

Chen Qing looked amused at his opposition.

Did this guy always think that he was out to kill him?

“I of course cannot substitute for Judicial Court interrogation, but your present actions have already disqualified you from continuing to manage Luling County.

I will be taking your official seals.

Do you have any objections?”

The officials were startled, yet without hesitation, they knelt down and offered up their official seals, which they carried on their persons.

Given the magnitude of the disaster, they were indeed to blame.

Reporting to the Imperial Court meant at the least exile, if not execution, so they had no illusions of keeping their official posts.

Lyu Yiqi sighed in relief upon hearing this.

As long as Chen Qing didn’t act rashly now, once they reached the Capital City, there was still a chance for them to turn the situation around—after all, they were the ones who controlled the narrative, not Chen Qing.

These fools, like Gu Beiquan, needed a reminder to align their stories and not foolishly confess to all charges upon their return.

Chen Qing collected each official seal, looking towards Gu Beiquan, who after a moment’s hesitation, also handed over his own.

The official seals of Great Jin were quite small, almost thumb-sized, and officials typically carried them on their persons.

These were necessary tokens of administrative power, but with Luling County in its current ghastly state, they wouldn’t dare continue their duties even if allowed.

It was better to hand over the seals and head for Lyuzhou to ensure their safety first.

However, for some reason, the very moment Gu Beiquan handed over his seal, he felt as if he had lost something important.

This feeling was quite peculiar and made him want to hold onto the seal, reluctant to part with it…

Watching his hesitation, Chen Qing smiled faintly and took it from him directly.

From his perspective, the aura of officialdom disappeared from these men, severing their official fortunes for good!

At the same time, the imperial endorsement inherent within their official seals became his!

He had to admit, the disaster in Jiangnan had placed him in great danger but also presented him with a tremendous opportunity.

Seizing the official seals was one of the ways for players in the Path of Divinity to quickly gain local jurisdiction.

Normally, this was difficult to achieve with only two possible methods.

The first was for the officials holding the seals to pledge allegiance to you, then the administrative authority of their region and the power within the seals would also fall to you.

The second was like the situation at hand, voluntarily relinquishing the seals.

The second method seemed simple but was not.

It required the other party to feel it was just and willing to give up the seals, not by force, an occurrence that was often difficult to realize.

But now…

Chen Qing looked at the submitted official seals, immediately feeling the substantial combined power of imperial endorsement, and his heart was satisfied.

Perhaps…

this could be a method.

With this method, if he could collect enough official seals, he might be able to use this crisis…

to establish autonomous control over Jiangnan!!