The best county magistrate

After leaving Nan Ya.

Yang Xuanchen and Zhao Yanli sat in an inconspicuous carriage, shuttling among the bustling crowd, feeling the prosperity and vitality of the city.

As the capital of Dayan, Shangjing City has a large population and is the political, economic and cultural center of the country.

The market life here is rich and colorful, with all kinds of shops, restaurants, teahouses and theaters standing side by side.

The streets are lined with all kinds of stalls, with hawking sounds coming one after another, full of the breath of life.

"Yan Li, do you know why Shangjing City is so prosperous?"

Zhao Yanli pondered for a moment, then replied: "My father is benevolent, loves the people like his own children, and does not impose heavy taxes..."

His words were interrupted by Yang Xuanchen, who continued, "In the final analysis, the prosperity of Shangjing City is still due to the four words safety and rules."

Looking at Zhao Yanli's suspicious eyes, Yang Xuanchen smiled slightly and continued to explain.

“The population of a city determines its prosperity to the greatest extent.”

“What kind of city will attract more people to live in?”

Zhao Yanli's eyes lit up, and he answered loudly: "A safe city, a city far away from war, a city that makes people feel at ease!"

Yang Xuanchen patted his shoulder, his face showing a very satisfied expression.

"That's right!"

"Therefore, safety is the foundation of a city's prosperity, and only with precise policies can the superiors make it even better."

"Yanli, say the word rules again!"

After being praised for a few words, Zhao Yanli felt a little proud, and said without thinking: "Rules are the laws of Dayan, and the laws are strict..."

"No, no, no, this is not the rule." Yang Xuanchen interrupted him again.

Then, he pointed at the people outside, and then at the sun in the sky, "In the daytime in the capital, the rules of the court are followed, while at night, the rules of the aristocratic families are followed."

"Teacher, why do you say that?" Zhao Yanli was a little confused, and then asked the question in his mind, "Why would the rules of the aristocratic family affect the night in Shangjing City?"

Yang Xuanchen did not answer, but looked at him with a mysterious smile on his face.

"Since ancient times, there has been a saying that aristocratic families are permanent, but emperors are transient."

"This is the status quo of this era. No emperor can change it, because the emperor cannot do without the support of the aristocratic families."

"If any emperor wants to seize their interests or harm their survival, then his death is not far away."

These outrageous words made Zhao Yanli's eyes flash, and he naturally thought of the situation in the south.

"Teacher, is this the reason why the emperor has been slow to act against those traitors and has instead asked you to be the executioner?"

Yang Xuanchen didn't expect that his few words would make him understand the key, and he felt even happier.

"The cases not long ago involved a lot of people. From the Situ to the Zhubu and Zhushi, anyone who had any connection with the Song brothers was arrested."

"And I became a lone minister in the court."

At this point, Yang Xuanchen laughed out loud, "Since I am a lone minister, this road will be very difficult to walk."

"I will have no friends and no political party in the court."

"Everything I do will be watched by countless eyes. If there is any mistake, it will be magnified and impeached by countless people."

"You can ask His Majesty how many impeachment memorials he has received in the past few months."

Zhao Yanli showed an indignant look on his face when he heard this. He slapped the cushion beside him with his palm, with a hint of annoyance in his eyes.

"Teacher, you have done so much for Da Yan and the court. Why do they impeach you?"

"Who the hell are they!"

Yang Xuanchen shook his head and said disdainfully: "It's just a different standpoint. There is one less old party in the court now, but there are still several remaining political parties."

"They are all worried that one day I will chop them off with my butcher knife, so what they want most is to not have Yang Xuanchen in the court."

"Wouldn't it be better to just arrest all these people and chop them up?" Zhao Yanli said.

Yang Xuanchen raised a finger and shook it in front of his eyes, saying unhappily, "Catch them all, chop them all off. Without officials in the court, what will happen to the people?"

"The six ministries and nine temples can no longer withstand a second purge. Moreover, the war in the south is tense. If there are any more changes in the court at this time, the consequences will be disastrous."

"Neither this nor that will work. Are we going to let these people continue to form cliques and corrupt the government?" Zhao Yanli asked.

"Haha, of course not!" Yang Xuanchen laughed, and then said: "This brings us back to the first question, the prosperity of Shangjing City."

"Behind the prosperity lies an unknown story, and even more dangers hidden in the dark."

"In the next two months, the teacher hopes that you can become the master of this city's night!"

"Only in this way can I go to Huajing City with peace of mind."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yanli widened his eyes and looked at Yang Xuanchen, the ruler of the night in Shangjing City?

Do I have the ability to replace these aristocratic families and become the rule of this city at night?

Although this kind of thing sounds very exciting and fun, Zhao Yanli still knows his own strengths and weaknesses. He is too young to fight with that group of people.

"What are you thinking about?"

Yang Xuanchen tapped Zhao Yanli's head and said, "Don't feel any pressure. From today until the beginning of June, I will teach you how to do it, and then let you do it on your own."

"I believe you are capable, please don't let me down."

"If you do a good job, when I come back from Bei Liao, I will bring Sister Gu Li back to you..."

The two words "Gu Li" were like a shot of adrenaline, which directly stimulated Zhao Yanli's fighting spirit.

He jumped up with a wow and put his hands firmly on Yang Xuanchen's shoulders. "Teacher, I will definitely work hard. Shall we start tonight?"

“I’m all ready!”

Yang Xuanchen looked at him and felt amused. If he had known that the two words "Gu Li" were so effective, he would not have explained so much to him just now.

Just go directly to Gu Li, it’s simple, crude and effective.

"Okay! Let's start from this moment!"

As he spoke, Yang Xuanchen clapped his hands, and the carriage stopped.

"Huh? Why did you stop the car? Didn't you just say you were going to have a meal first?"

"get off!"

"I'll take you to meet some people."

Zhao Yanli followed Yang Xuanchen's steps into a gambling house. Perhaps because it was dinner time, there were not many people in the gambling house, and the two of them soon arrived at a dark room.

"Time is money!" The big man guarding the gate whispered a secret code.

"Time is money, my friend."

As Yang Xuanchen responded to the conversation, the big man bowed and saluted, "Master Yang, please!"

Entering the darkroom, Zhao Yanli saw three beautiful women in the dim light.

One was a little older, about the same age as his mother, and the other two looked to be in their twenties.

What shocked him the most was that the most beautiful one among the three stood behind Yang Xuanchen, first kissed the side of his cheek, and then gently massaged his shoulders.

The other two were not surprised at all. The older beauty poured him tea.

The youngest one stretched out his hand and said, "Give me some money, we've run out of soap at home..."

Zhao Yanli rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he saw.

Didn’t you say that you want to train yourself to become the master of the night in Shangjing City?

Why didn't he recruit soldiers right at the beginning, but instead flirted with three beauties? Does it mean that to be a master one must first conquer women?

Seeing Zhao Yanli’s confused and shocked face, Yang Xuanchen smiled slightly and said to Hua Qianxue.

"Big sister, this is Zhao Yun, my little brother, Hao Zilong. You three should pay more attention to him these days!"

As he said this, he turned his head away and waved to Zhao Yanli.

"Zilong, come and meet the head of the Hundred Flowers Society, Hua Qianxue."

"This is the second in command, Hua Qianying."

"The one asking for money is the third in command, Hua Qianxue."

"From today on, you are the fourth leader of the Baihua Society, Zhao Zilong!"