Chapter 474

As Ye Xiaotian rode his horse on the road, he recalled the time when he was alone with Yu Junting in a room and still felt a lingering fear.

At that time, he forced her to dress up as a slave girl and forcibly took over her body. At that time, the two of them were still enemies. If it wasn't for the fact that Yu Junting had already developed feelings for him, she wouldn't have been forced to submit. Just one slap …

Thinking of this, Ye Xiaotian couldn't help but turn his head and said to Li Qiuchi with emotion: "Mr Li, no wonder there's an old saying: Those who survive a great disaster are bound to have good fortune later on. If a person didn't die when he should have died, then he must have the blessing of the gods. How can there not be great karmic karma? "

Li Qiuchi didn't understand why Ye Xiaotian would suddenly have such an epiphany. He thought for a moment and agreed: "Daren is right. Back then, this student ran to Gourd County at night, panicking like a stray dog. When I was intercepted by Daren, I was really scared out of my wits and knew that I would die for sure!"

Li Qiuchi sadly thought of the past and couldn't help but sigh: "But this student didn't die when he should have died. From then on, my fate changed greatly. From a litigation master to an official career, I can follow Daren around. My glory is not something that can be compared to when I was a litigation master."

Ye Xiaotian: "…"

The roads in Guizhou were either mountains or rivers. Therefore, other than a few areas with developed water systems such as Shiqian where boats could be used, most areas were only suitable for traveling by horse. It was not impossible to ride a carriage, but the roads would be much more difficult and the speed would not be fast.

Therefore, when Ye Xiaotian went to Guiyang this time, all of his entourage were riding on horses. Ye Xiaotian was riding a tall horse forward when he suddenly saw a man in a green robe riding on the back of a donkey by the roadside. The man was holding a book in his hand and was engrossed in reading it. In front of him was a child leading the donkey, looking carefree.

Ye Xiaotian was envious and pointed at the man with his horsewhip. He said to Li Qiuchi: "Now I am running around and am exhausted. All I want is to be free and unfettered in the future. But look at this person, his status is not as good as mine but he is already free and unfettered. "

Wen Ao caught up and laughed: "No, no! Your Excellency, what you seek is great freedom, what you want is great freedom, which is very different from what these passers-by want. "

Ye Xiaotian thought for a moment, and couldn't help but laugh. He nodded and said, "What Mr. Wen said is correct. My request is different from his. It is only right that I work harder than him. But … looking at his carefree attitude, I can't help but feel envious … "

At this moment, the man in the green robe on the donkey sensed a large group of people passing by him. He could not help but raise his head. Ye Xiaotian's eyes met his, and he was momentarily stunned. He continued his previous topic and said, "Hmm … I'm not envious of this man's freedom!"

The man who was leisurely reading a book while riding a donkey was Li Xiangrong, the Great Teacher of Tongren Prefecture. With the green cloud covering his head, he could not take revenge. He was the second seed after Hua Qingfeng. Why would Ye Xiaotian want to learn from him?

Li Fengjie was also surprised to see Ye Xiaotian. He hurriedly rolled off the donkey's back, bowed deeply to Ye Xiaotian, and said loudly, "So it's Chief Ye. May I know where Chief Ye is heading to?"

He quickly turned over and rolled down the donkey's back. He bowed deeply to Ye Xiaotian and said in a loud voice: "So it is Daren Ye. Where are you going?"

Li Xiangrong said: "I don't dare. Daren, you can call me Daren Li. Daren can call me Li Xiangrong. I … I have been transferred to the Guiyang Imperial Patrol Yamen to serve as a scribe for the newly appointed Imperial Patrol Daren. Now I am going to take up my post. "

Ye Xiaotian was no longer a Prefectural Magistrate. He didn't know that Li Xiangrong had been transferred to Guiyang. Ye Xiaotian then said, "Haha, the power of a scribe of the Imperial Inspector's Yamen is incomparable to other yamens. Brother Li has been promoted. Congratulations, congratulations!"

Li Xiangrong forced a smile; he returned the salute and said, "The former Inspector-General was transferred to another place, he took a lot of familiar officials and subordinates with him. The new Inspector-General Ye came from the faraway Liaodong, he did not have that many attendants to take with him. The Inspector-General Yamen has quite a few vacancies, so Zaixia decided to move around a bit, to fill the vacancies, that's all. I am not the new Provincial Governor's confidant nor a veteran of the Provincial Governor's office. I can't be put in an important position. What's there to be happy about? "

Ye Xiaotian smiled: "Once Provincial Governor Ye arrives in Guiyang, he will definitely train his subordinates. You are not a veteran of the Provincial Governor's office. You are someone whom Provincial Governor Ye wants to train. Based on Brother Li's talent, you will be put in an important position."

Ye Xiaotian said and understood why Li Xiangrong was transferred to Guiyang. Li Xiangrong's wife was slept with by Dai Tongzhi. But Dai Tongzhi's power was far greater than Li Xiangrong's. Li Xiangrong couldn't do anything to him. Later on, Li Xiangrong tried to think of a way. For example, he wanted to become a disciple of the Ye family.

But after a short period of hostility between the Yu and Ye families, they quickly became close comrades again. And Dai Tongzhi is Yu Junting's right-hand man. Ye Xiaotian couldn't possibly lay his hands on Dai Chonghua for Li Xiangrong. Li Xiangrong and Dai Tongzhi have become enemies. He can't stay any longer. What else can he do but leave?

Ye Xiaotian felt guilty and comforted him: "I see that Brother Li has a big mouth. You are destined to eat all the riches in the world! Your legs are steady and you have an agile personality. That's the fate of the land of four horses. It's good for you to move around. Who knows, maybe you will rise to the top. Congratulations in advance. "

Li Xiangrong smiled bitterly: "That's right! I have a big mouth. But I don't know if I can eat all the riches in the world. It's true that I like to attract trouble. Even if I stay at home, trouble can still fall from the sky. "

Ye Xiaotian said seriously: "Brother Big Mouth, why do you say that? Ah, no, why do you say that? I may be an official in Crouching Bull and can't manage the affairs of Guiyang, but if you need my help in the future, feel free to ask! "

Li Big Mouth … Li Xiangrong hurriedly thanked him. Since the two of them were going the same way to Guiyang, they became companions. Ye Xiaotian thought that Li Xiangrong's donkey was too slow, so he asked someone to free up one of the luggage horses for Li Xiangrong. They hurried to Guiyang together.

… …

In Huguang, on the wide official road outside the Jingzhou prefecture, a neat procession was moving slowly like a forest. Although there weren't many people in the procession, it was very organized and mighty. The infantry formation carried countless flags. They wore red and black battle robes and held gleaming swords and spears. It was a spectacular sight as they moved slowly.

In the middle of the procession was a large oil carriage pulled by four date red horses. The curtains hung low, and it looked simple. Although the decorations were very simple, people who knew their stuff could tell that this carriage must have been meticulously built by a skilled craftsman. This was because a lot of thought had been put into the details. Although it looked ordinary, there was an awe-inspiring might within it.

There were over a hundred cavalrymen in battle robes. They sat on tall horses. Their armor was bright, and their saddles were neat. They wore sabers and shields and held spears in their hands. The blades were as sharp as snow, and they looked very mighty. As long as passersby saw them, they would automatically avoid them without the need for a gong to open the way.

This procession was the new inspector-general Ye Mengxiong's men who had gone to Guiyang to take up his post. In the early Ming dynasty, the inspector-general was only a temporary post. Due to special reasons, he would temporarily appoint a high-ranking official to control the civil, economic, military, and judicial affairs of a province or even several provinces. He would act at his own discretion and take back his power when the matter was over. He was a little like an imperial envoy.

Later on, the inspector-general gradually became a permanent official. The inspector-general was in charge of tax and grain, the river channel, the refugees, the border customs, the military, the criminal law, and the control of the three departments (the Minister for Announcing Affairs, the Minister for Raising Punishments, and the Commander for Commanding Affairs). He became the most important military and political official in the area.

An inspector-general could control life and death. He was equivalent to the local tyrant in the area under his jurisdiction. Other than a limited number of civil and military officials, everyone had to look up to him! With such great authority, even in Guiyang, where the streets were filled with chieftains and local officials were as many as dogs, he was not to be underestimated. Otherwise, why would so many influential officials of Guiyang gather in Guiyang to respectfully wait for his arrival?

On the large oil carriage, there was a bedroom, a toilet, a study, and a guest room. It was like a moving house. Inside the study, Ye Mengxiong was wearing a casual robe and sitting upright behind the desk. Although the appearance of the oil carriage was not amazing, from the stability of the carriage, one could see that this carriage was precious. The road was not very good, but the inside of the carriage did not feel very bumpy.

Ye Mengxiong was around fifty years old. His hair and beard were black, and his appearance was handsome. When he was young, he must have been a handsome man. He had been in the officialdom for a long time and held a high position for a long time. Through the years and the environment, he had honed his dignified temperament.

Opposite the desk, sitting on a brocade stool with his hands on his knees, was Ye Xiaotian's old acquaintance and superior, Hua Qingfeng, the Great Master Hua. Hua Qingfeng had finally decided to come out of retirement. However, he was originally a seventh-ranked official and retired as a sixth-ranked official. Now that he had come out of retirement, it was not easy to make arrangements.

After the imperial court received the application, they first had to examine him. After all, his' illness' was not an ordinary illness. No one dared to say that he had definitely recovered. After a detailed examination of him and a visit to the local gentry, after confirming that Hua Qingfeng had recovered, he could be considered to have officially come out of retirement.

However, after coming out of retirement, he was still a candidate official. Because every carrot has its own hole, even if he was not the official seal official, there would not be a vacancy in a short period of time. He could only wait for someone to retire, someone to suddenly die or be arrested. After there was a vacancy, he could then compete with countless candidates.

However, when luck came, even the city walls could not stop it. The new Guiyang Inspector-General Ye Mengxiong came from Liaodong and happened to pass by the city he was in. The local officials who had retired and those who were still in office all attended the Inspector-General Ye's welcoming banquet.

At the banquet, the local senior official who admired Hua Qingfeng heard that the Inspector-General Ye did not have many aides, so he personally recommended Hua Qingfeng to him. The next day, Ye Mengxiong received Hua Qingfeng. After a series of correct answers, Ye Mengxiong was very satisfied with him. A dignified former rank seven county magistrate was willing to be his aide. Therefore, Hua Qingfeng officially became Lord Futai's aide.

According to the power of the Inspector-General, it was equivalent to the current Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Governor, Secretary of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, Commander of the Provincial Military Region, Head of the Provincial Public Security Department, and Head of the Provincial Court. However, although the position had become a permanent official position, there was no corresponding official team.

For example, the Administrative Commissioner's Yamen, Magistrate's Yamen, or County Magistrate's Yamen all had a whole set of subordinate bureaucrats. However, the Inspector-General's Yamen did not have a single one. This yamen only had one official, and that was the Inspector-General. The staff under him were collectively known as scribes. Dozens of scribes each had their own responsibilities and duties. They correspondingly managed the various yamens of politics, economy, and military. They had great power, but they did not have an official position.

Hua Qingfeng liked this arrangement very much. He had already had enough of the days where he had a position but no power. He would rather have power but no position. Moreover, working under the Inspector-General would not treat him badly. If he served as the Inspector-General's aide and secretary for a few years, he would be assigned to the yamen later. The imperial court would also acknowledge his achievements and qualifications as an aide.

Hua Qingfeng was currently telling Ye Mengxiong about the complicated relationships in Guizhou's officialdom. He had spent a few years in Hulu county. Although he had nothing to do, he still knew what he needed to know, so he spoke in an orderly manner. He had already told him about the first and second tier nobles. Today, he was talking about the third tier officials.

Ye Xiaotian, who had already been honored as the Chief Magistrate of Crouching Bull, was obviously included in his story. After listening to him, Inspector Ye furrowed his brows slightly. He said in thought, "This brother of mine seems to be a little … hmm …"

When he heard about Ye Xiaotian's actions, he did not know how to properly describe it. When Hua Qingfeng saw this, he added, "Sir Futai, this Ye Xiaotian is basically a shit-stirrer who only wishes to see the world in chaos!"

Imperial Inspector Ye chuckled, "Yes! That's rather vulgar, but it's quite fitting. A shit-stirrer who only wishes to see the world in chaos? Haha, good, good! Isn't he exactly the kind of person that I need right now!? "

Ye Mengxiong's deep eyes flickered with a smile of wisdom.