Qin Fang was taken aback. “The magistrate of Hedong Prefecture?”

The officer replied, “Today, the six magistrates of Ren Province arrived and are staying at the post house. Lord Du has already discussed the imperial grain franchise plan with them. Since Yunxiang County falls under Hedong Prefecture’s jurisdiction, the magistrate wishes to speak with you about the franchise plan. Magistrate Yang suggested that he would host the two of you at his residence. If you’re busy, Magistrate Yang said he could reschedule.”

Qin Fang thought for a moment.

He had spent the entire day at the Beast Mountain temple, so it made sense that Magistrate Yang had sent someone there to wait for him. “No problem, let’s go.”

“Yes, sir.”

Qin Fang turned to his attendant, Tao Shan, and said, “Tao Shan, go back and inform the Lady that I won’t be home for dinner tonight. I’m going to discuss matters with Magistrate Yang.”

Tao Shan replied, “Understood.”

Following the officer, Qin Fang arrived at the county office, where Magistrate Yang and the magistrate of Hedong Prefecture were discussing matters in the main hall.

Not knowing whether Qin Fang would show up today, they waited patiently.

When they were informed that General Qin had arrived, the two men stood up.

The prefectural magistrate of Qiguo held a rank of Fourth Class, and Magistrate Yang, being of lower rank, went out of the hall to greet Qin Fang.

Naturally, the magistrate of Hedong Prefecture did not, as his rank was higher than Qin Fang’s, and it would be improper for him to go out and greet a subordinate.

Magistrate Yang, upon exiting the hall, saw Qin Fang approaching.

He quickly clasped his hands in greeting. “General Qin.”

Qin Fang returned the gesture. “Magistrate Yang, my apologies for arriving late.”

Magistrate Yang smiled and replied, “Not at all, not at all. You are a busy man.”

He knew that Qin Fang spent his days at the Beast Mountain, and since it was just after his shift, it was already quite courteous of him to come straight here. “General Qin, the magistrate of Hedong Prefecture, Lord Liu, is inside. I will introduce you.”

“Thank you, Magistrate Yang,” Qin Fang responded. “I must admit, since my appointment, I haven’t had the opportunity to visit Lord Liu. Unfortunately, the emperor assigned me a secret task, which prevented me from leaving Yunxiang County. I should have apologized to Lord Liu earlier.”

By rights, Qin Fang should have paid a visit to Lord Liu, but with so many things happening at once, he had completely forgotten who the head of Hedong Prefecture even was.

Even Yang Haiyan, usually attentive to details, hadn’t reminded him, or else he would have made time.

As Qin Fang followed Magistrate Yang into the main hall, Lord Liu, the magistrate of Hedong Prefecture, had already risen.

He had overheard Qin Fang’s conversation with Magistrate Yang outside.

Qin Fang had spoken loudly, likely on purpose, to make it clear that his failure to visit was not a deliberate slight.

However, regardless of the reason, Lord Liu still felt uncomfortable.

While he knew that Yunxiang County had a new city defense general, he had never met him, so it hadn’t bothered him much.

But now, seeing Qin Fang in person, his lack of a visit created a subtle sense of dissatisfaction.

However, with Qin Fang’s mentor being the powerful Du Ke, Lord Liu did not dare to cause trouble.

Still, his first impression of Qin Fang was not a favorable one.

Qin Fang, unaware of the magistrate’s feelings, saluted upon meeting him. “Your Excellency, I greet you.”

As a military officer, Qin Fang’s salute was simply a fist-to-hand bow; military officials were not required to kneel unless in special circumstances.

Lord Liu replied, “No need for formalities, General Qin. Please, take a seat.”

“Thank you, Your Excellency,” Qin Fang said as he sat down. “I am new to the government and unfamiliar with some of the etiquette. Coming from a humble background, I’ve had no one to teach me these things. Furthermore, shortly after I took office, the emperor gave me a secret order, preventing me from leaving Yunxiang County. I sincerely apologize for not reporting to you earlier.” Qin Fang’s apology was genuine, as he realized his oversight.

He then honestly explained that the emperor had given him a secret mission to monitor the officials at the Beast Mountain temple who were researching gunpowder, leaving him no time even for a break, let alone remembering the matters of Hedong Prefecture’s magistrate.

What Qin Fang overlooked was that while Du Ke and the emperor might listen to the finer details of his situation, Lord Liu would not.

To Lord Liu, Qin Fang’s words came off as arrogant, as if he was flaunting the emperor’s favor.

Lord Liu’s face darkened briefly, but he quickly masked it with a smile. “General Qin is indeed busy with important matters. Such small formalities needn’t trouble you.”

As a bystander, Magistrate Yang observed the change in Lord Liu’s expression clearly.

Although he had only known Qin Fang for a short time, he had come to understand that Qin was not an arrogant or reckless man.

Moreover, Qin Fang had been busy with military camp matters and the situation at Beast Mountain since his arrival in Yunxiang County.

Nonetheless, regardless of how busy he had been, it was customary to take a day to visit Lord Liu.

In this matter, Qin Fang was indeed at fault, no matter his reasons.

However, Magistrate Yang was in no position to explain this to Lord Liu, as he worked under the magistrate and could not defend Qin Fang directly.

Unlike Qin Fang, who, despite his Fifth-Class rank, was not under Lord Liu’s control due to the traditional separation between civil and military officials.

Civil officials needed to be assessed by the Ministry of Personnel to be promoted, whereas military officials were promoted based on merit in battle.

Thus, the Ministry of Personnel had no jurisdiction over military affairs.

In Qiguo, beneath the emperor, the Six Ministries held the greatest power.

In the previous dynasty, there had been a prime minister, whose presence divided the power of the Six Ministries.

However, when the Taizu Emperor led the uprising to establish Qiguo, he abolished the prime minister’s office to consolidate power, leading to the Six Ministries’ rise to dominance.

Among these ministries, the Ministry of War governed military affairs.

In Qiguo, there is a distinction between military power and command over troops.

For example, Marquis Yonghe holds troop command, meaning he can lead 50,000 Yonghe soldiers.

However, as an Assistant Minister in the Ministry of War, Du Ke, despite not holding command over troops, has military authority.

He has the power to reassign someone like Marquis Yonghe.

In essence, troop command governs soldiers, while military authority oversees the army camps.

During emergencies, the Ministry of War has the authority to issue direct orders to the army camps—that is the essence of military authority.

The Emperor may not have troop command directly, but since the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War is loyal to him, he holds military authority through this.

Qin Fang exchanged a few pleasantries with Lord Liu, and Magistrate Yang had the food served.

Since this was a serious conversation, he didn’t send in attendants.

Magistrate Yang personally prepared a table with wine and dishes, pouring wine for both Lord Liu and General Qin. “Lord Liu, General Qin, today we discuss official matters, and I raise a toast to both of you.”

Qin Fang, not wanting to drink during serious discussions, felt it inappropriate to decline outright due to Lord Liu’s presence.

So he suggested, “Lord Liu, drinking is bad for one’s health. How about we just take it easy?”

Lord Liu, surprised by Qin Fang’s restraint—he thought all military men were heavy drinkers—couldn’t help but find him slightly troublesome.

Nonetheless, he couldn’t say that aloud and replied, “General Qin is right, we should take it easy. Magistrate Yang, General Qin, let’s drink at our leisure.” He then took a small sip.

Qin Fang responded, “Thank you for your understanding.”

After a few sips of wine and bites of food, the conversation turned to the main topic.

Lord Liu asked, “General Qin, during our meeting with Lord Du today, he mentioned that you would be the official partner for Hédòng Prefecture. What are your plans moving forward? Lord Du said there would be agents involved after the partnership phase, with the partners producing potato and sweet potato flour, and the agents handling the sales. Is that correct?”

Qin Fang nodded. “Yes, that’s right. My wife and I have discussed this. We will focus solely on production, while the agents will handle the sales. The Emperor’s grain initiative carries his name, and right now it’s focused on potato and sweet potato flour. But in the future, there might be other grains as well, all with standardized prices across the nation.”

Lord Liu nodded, “I understand. Lord Du did mention that potato and sweet potato flour will sell for seven coins per pound, with the partners providing it to agents at five coins per pound.”

Qin Fang confirmed, “That’s correct.”

Lord Liu then asked, “Hedong Prefecture consists of one main city and four counties. For the trade, wouldn’t General Qin need to find five agents?”

Qin Fang replied, “Yes. We’re planning to have Magistrate Yang’s family serve as the agent for Yúnxiāng County. As for the others, we don’t know much about them yet. Magistrate Yang, what do you think of this arrangement?”

Magistrate Yang was surprised and thrilled by the opportunity.

He quickly responded, “Thank you, General Qin!” His family had been struggling financially for some time.

His salary alone wasn’t enough to support them, and though they had some savings from the past, the expenses of land purchases in this new area had drained much of their funds.

While they weren’t impoverished, life had become tight, especially with elderly and children to care for.

Magistrate Yang had indeed been interested in getting involved in the potato and sweet potato flour business, but he hadn’t brought it up yet, unsure whether the Qin family planned to operate in Yúnxiāng County.

Now that Qin Fang had raised the issue himself, he felt deeply grateful.

Seeing the interaction, the Prefect of Hédòng decided to probe Qin Fang further. “General Qin, what about the remaining agents for the main city and the other counties? Do you have any thoughts on that?”

Qin Fang answered, “It’s all about character, just like choosing the partners. The agents must be families of good conduct.”

He wasn’t foolish and turned the question back to Lord Liu. “Does your family have any interest in becoming an agent, Lord Liu?”

Lord Liu, pleased with Qin Fang’s tact, thought, This General is quite perceptive. However, he maintained a formal tone. “The Emperor’s Grain Partnership is His Majesty’s initiative. As loyal subjects, it’s our duty to serve the Emperor to the best of our abilities.”

Qin Fang wasn’t naïve, but he wasn’t as skilled as Lord Liu in playing the political game. “I’ll discuss it with my teacher when I return. Since Yúnxiāng County is a trial site, we need to be especially careful.”

In reality, Qin Fang knew he’d need to thoroughly investigate Lord Liu’s background.

Lord Liu, unbothered, replied, “That’s as it should be. Lord Du is known for his meticulous work. General Qin is fortunate to have such an excellent teacher.”

Qin Fang replied, “My teacher is strict with himself, and I must live up to his expectations.”

After a bit more flattery of Lord Du, the dinner came to an end.

Qin Fang offered, “Lord Liu, my residence and the post station are in the same direction. Let me accompany you to the post station.”

Lord Liu nodded, “Thank you very much.”

Magistrate Yang added, “I’ve had a large meal, and a walk will help me digest. I’ll accompany Lord Liu as well.”

Qin Fang glanced at Magistrate Yang.

Lord Liu, however, didn’t see anything unusual in Magistrate Yang’s behavior.

After all, as a county magistrate, it was only proper for him to escort a prefect to the post station.