“Mr. Jin, on behalf of the sacrificed brothers, I thank you for your great benevolence and righteousness!”
Deputy Xiao solemnly bowed to Jin Feng.
“As a citizen of Guangyuan, this is what I should do.”
Jin Feng quickly helped Deputy Xiao up.
“By the way, Mr. Jin, the Prefecture Governor has also been waiting for you at the city gate these past two days. He just left not long ago. Before leaving, he instructed me that once you return, please go to the Prefecture Governor’s office immediately. He has important matters to discuss with you.”
Unknowingly, Deputy Xiao’s form of address for Jin Feng had changed.
“The Prefecture Governor is looking for me?” Jin Feng asked: “Did he say what it is about?”
“No, but I estimate it is related to this city gate conflict.”
Deputy Xiao said in a low voice.
“Alright, I understand. I will go right away.”
Jin Feng nodded and left with Tang Xiaobei, Qing Mu Lan, and the others.
“Sir, what about the Zhou family?”
Qing Mu Lan spurred her horse a few steps faster to catch up with Jin Feng.
Although the Zhou family had not acted to kidnap Tang Xiaobei this time, Zhou Changlin’s wife had already formulated a revenge plan, but it had not been carried out yet, as Zhou Wen Yuan had preempted it.
According to the previous discussion between Qing Mu Lan and Jin Feng, once Zhang Liang brought the main force from Xihe Bay, they would act against the Zhou family.
“This matter does not need to be rushed. I will first see what the Prefecture Governor wants with me. We will discuss it when I return.”
Jin Feng glanced at Zhang Liang following behind and said: “Liang Ge, keep your men in check. Until I return, everyone stays obediently in the courtyard. Do not go out first.”
Although Jin Feng had requisitioned several of Zhang Liang’s warhorses for Qing Mu Lan, A Mei, and others, Zhang Liang, as the leader of the veterans, certainly would not have his horse taken. Now, those still marching on foot in the mountains were basically the ordinary veterans and female soldiers.
Zhang Liang called it training them in long-distance weighted cross-country.
Squad leaders like Tie Niu and Da Zhuang had ridden back with Jin Feng.
After all, the main force from Xihe Bay was still in Guangyuan, and they needed to return to lead the troops.
However, Zhang Liang was very dissatisfied with Da Liu’s performance in Guangyuan and left him in the marching group as well, with an additional twenty jin of weight as punishment.
“Understood.”
Zhang Liang nodded in agreement.
At the intersection, Jin Feng had Qing Mu Lan take Tang Xiaobei back to the inn first. He brought two skilled veterans with him and headed to the Prefecture Governor’s office.
As soon as he entered the gate, he saw Physician Wei storming out of the Prefecture Governor’s office with an angry face.
Upon seeing Jin Feng, he snorted coldly and walked away with his small medicine box on his back.
Not far away, the old Prefecture Governor shook his head with a bitter smile.
Jin Feng turned back with a dark face to look at the old physician’s retreating figure.
Was it not just that last time he asked for five hundred taels and Jin Feng only gave thirty taels? Was there any need to snort coldly and glare every time they met again?
“Mr. Jin, do not misunderstand. Physician Wei is throwing a tantrum at me.”
Seeing Jin Feng’s dark face, the old Prefecture Governor immediately explained on behalf of the physician: “Malaria has appeared in the north of Guangyuan and has already spread to three villages. Physician Wei came to me for money to buy medicine to save people, asking for one thousand taels at once. Where am I supposed to get that much money for him?
He is just stubborn like that. Since I have no money to give him, he gets angry. Sir, do not take it to heart.”
“Like hell I believe you, who have been Prefecture Governor for so many years, have no money.”
Jin Feng grumbled inwardly.
As the saying goes, officials travel a thousand li solely for wealth. Great Kang officials were each more skilled at making money than the last. County magistrates alone raked in unknown amounts of grain and silver each year through the bandits they cultivated. Would a Prefecture Governor have no money?
Not to mention anything else, just the annual courtesan contest hosted by the old man in front of him had made him quite a bit.
In fact, Jin Feng also understood why the Prefecture Governor was unwilling to give the money.
In Great Kang, where medical conditions were backward, malaria was basically a terminal illness. Once infected, one could only wait for death.
In Jin Feng’s previous life world, humanity had fought malaria for over a millennium. Pharmacologist Madam Tu won the Nobel Prize and the highest national honor medal for discovering artemisinin to treat malaria.
Perhaps in the Prefecture Governor’s view, since those with malaria were going to die anyway, why waste money treating them?
“Indeed, one cannot judge by appearances.”
Jin Feng looked back again at the figure with the small medicine box on his back and sighed.
At that time during the courtesan contest, when Jin Feng first met Physician Wei, he was refusing the madam from issuing a false diagnosis for Tang Xiaobei, and Jin Feng had a good impression of him.
A few days ago, he had asked Jin Feng for a reward for a piece of news, which made Jin Feng’s impression of him worse.
Now he realized that Physician Wei was raising money to buy medicine to save people.
Just as he was about to ask about the malaria situation, the Prefecture Governor spoke again: “Sir, what was the result of your pursuit of the thugs who forced their way through the city gate?”
“We caught the main culprit, but that young master escaped.”
Jin Feng answered.
Hearing Jin Feng’s response, the wrinkles on the Prefecture Governor’s face visibly relaxed a bit.
In the eyes of ordinary people, he was the lofty Prefecture Governor, but in the eyes of the Dukes and powerful ministers in the capital, he was nothing.
Ever since he learned that the people who forced their way through the city gate were from the capital’s Zhou family, and from the main branch at that, the Prefecture Governor had been worried.
Worried that Jin Feng would catch up to Zhou Wen Yuan and kill him.
He could not afford to offend the Qing family behind Jin Feng, nor could he afford to offend the Zhou family in the capital.
That was why he had waited at the city gate these past two days, wanting to know the result of Jin Feng’s pursuit as soon as possible, so he could take countermeasures quickly.
Fortunately, Jin Feng had not caught Zhou Wen Yuan.
So he still had room to maneuver with the Zhou family.
Recently, the Prefecture Governor had encountered too many frustrating matters. This time, he finally heard some good news that made him happy.
But before he could be happy for long, he heard Jin Feng say: “Prefecture Governor, forcing entry through the city gate and killing garrison troops is an utterly heinous crime. Please issue a sea capture warrant and pursue this thief with full force!”
“Sea… sea capture warrant?”
The Prefecture Governor was so choked by Jin Feng’s words that he coughed.
A sea capture warrant was equivalent to a wanted order from his previous life. Once issued, even if Zhou Wen Yuan escaped, he would be branded a fugitive for life.
The Prefecture Governor would certainly not do something to offend the Zhou family like that.
“This… sir, it is inconvenient to talk here. Let us go to the study to discuss.”
The Prefecture Governor glanced around and led Jin Feng into the study he usually used for official work.
By now, dusk had fallen. The Prefecture Governor had his household slaves light candles and then dismissed everyone.
Jin Feng knew the Prefecture Governor wanted to speak privately with him, so he also had the accompanying veterans leave.
The Prefecture Governor composed himself and said: “Sir, thank you for your hard work this time. On behalf of the people and the sacrificed garrison soldiers, I thank you.”
“I am also a member of Guangyuan. It is what I should do.”
Jin Feng responded perfunctorily as a matter of routine.
“No wonder sir obtained a title. You truly understand righteousness. If the scholars of Guangyuan had even one-tenth of sir’s wisdom, my position as Prefecture Governor would not be so difficult…”
“Prefecture Governor, there are no outsiders here. Just say what you want to say directly. I have been running for two days and am somewhat tired.”
Jin Feng thought the Prefecture Governor would get to the point after a couple of polite words, but seeing his manner, it seemed he would pad it out for a long time, so he directly interrupted the Prefecture Governor.
