Chapter 63: Chapter 61: The New Residence
“Since there’s no trouble, let everyone who’s not involved disperse.”
Chen Mu’s gaze swept around, and when he saw that no one spoke, he calmly spoke, followed by a stroll back to the City Defense Division.
The group of Head Constables and subordinates glanced left and right, hurrying to follow Chen Mu, leaving only the several hundred people from the Zheng family and the Liusha gang still gathered in the streets, momentarily unsure what to do, each looking to their respective leader for direction.
The Gang Leader of the Liusha gang squinted his eyes slightly and stared at the City Defense Division for a moment before turning to Zheng Hong, giving a respectful hand gesture, and said, “Master Zheng, I still have urgent matters to attend to, so I will take my leave first. Another day, I shall invite Master Zheng for a drink.”
Having said that,
he turned and left.
As soon as he departed, the several hundred people on the street immediately scattered, most of whom were members of the Liusha gang, and soon only a few dozen Protectors and house servants brought by Zheng Hong remained.
He had been invited by Zheng Hong to watch an exciting event and to support the Zheng family, to prevent any conflict between the City Defense Division and the Zheng family members. But the thrilling event hadn’t materialized, and instead, he saw that the newly appointed young Prefecture Chief was not a simple character, so he lost interest in staying any longer.
Zheng Hong stared at the City Defense Division with a fluctuating expression, then flung his sleeve.
“Let’s go.”
The group of Protectors also followed Zheng Hong and left.
However, just at this moment, among the scattered bystanders who had been watching the excitement from the outer perimeter, some of the thieves’ gang members hefted their smoking pipes and chuckled, “Master Zheng ought to be careful.”
The thieves’ gang and the Zheng family were not allies, and their presence today was not to provide support but purely out of curiosity, having received the news and wanting to see what kind of person the newly appointed Prefecture Chief was.
“Hmph!”
Zheng Hong cast a glance at the members of the thieves’ gang and coldly snorted before flouncing off.
Today’s attempt to trouble Chen Mu had not yielded any results, and there was no doubt that it was a direct challenge to the new Prefecture Chief. However, he was unafraid of anything. If it had been Xu Hongyu, he might have had some fear, but the Prefecture Chief of Wutong Grove District? With at most a few hundred subordinates, how could he pose any threat to him?
…
In the Hall Office,
following the ruckus, there was a noticeable shift in the atmosphere.
Apart from Shang Qinglai, who had left with the prisoners, the other six Head Constables were clearly preoccupied with varying thoughts. Some believed that Chen Mu’s first day in office bringing trouble from the Zheng family and the Liusha gang meant that there would likely be endless problems to come, leading to a troublesome period and worry about threats from the Zheng family and the Liusha gang.
There were also those who believed Chen Mu was composed and unruffled, young yet truly possessing the authority of a District Prefecture Chief, showing that he could govern his territory, and that faithfully serving under Chen Mu would probably not be the wrong choice.
The subsequent report was made much simpler.
Chen Mu did not ask the Head Constables to do anything further, and after listening to some reports, he dismissed everyone, leaving the Hall Office with only himself and the trusted followers he brought from the Ninth District.
“The Zheng family and the Liusha gang are becoming too brazen.”
Li Tie spoke softly.
Liu Song was pouring tea for Chen Mu and upon hearing Li Tie’s words, immediately glared at him, signaling him not to speak out of turn.
Chen Mu had risen from Head Constable to Prefecture Chief in just a year, and though it was only a short period, his authority had steadily increased, leaving Liu Song no longer daring to speak casually in front of Chen Mu as he used to.
Chen Mu picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, “It’s not that these two families are too brazen, but that someone wishes to use them to test the waters with me, the new Prefecture Chief.”
The Zheng family and the Liusha gang may seem to be influential in Wutong Grove District, but in reality, they aren’t significant at all.
And they have never been considered a threat by him.
“…”
Upon hearing Chen Mu’s words, Liu Song and Li Tie exchanged glances, neither daring to speak.
As Chen Mu’s trusted followers now, they could raise a voice against the Zheng family and the Quicksand gang, but when it came to matters above them, like the power struggles within the Inner City, that was not something they dared to intervene in.
Chen Mu looked at his teacup and pondered for a moment.
If it had been in the past, he might have ignored such matters, but now, he was no longer the lowly functionary he’d been on the first day he took office, a day that brought him a surprise. How could he not return the favor?
While the struggles of those above were beyond his control for the time being, the Zheng family and the Quicksand gang were merely two forces in the Wutong Grove District. No matter how powerful the local bullies, they still fell under the jurisdiction of the city’s City Defense Division. Even if acting on orders from above, they should first weigh their own capabilities.
“Liu Song, go investigate the Zheng family; Li Tie, go check on the Quicksand gang… I shouldn’t need to tell you how to conduct the investigations, nor do they need to be too detailed,” Chen Mu instructed as he set down his cup.
He was the Prefecture Chief of Wutong Grove District, officially responsible for the public security of the region. Thus, while the Zheng family had to find ways to create trouble for him, he did not need to reciprocate the gesture.
Even with Chen Mu’s current status, he disdained doing things like killing and looting in the night as he had done initially. As the Chief Officer in charge of a district, he held both power and authority without the need to tread lightly.
“Yes.”
Liu Song and Li Tie felt a chill in their hearts and immediately responded.
Although they suspected the Zheng family and the Quicksand gang had staged this play, and Chen Mu would certainly not let it slide without consequences, they hadn’t expected Chen Mu to set them to work right away, before they had fully acclimated to the operations of the City Defense Division.
The two quickly took their leave from the City Defense Division.
Chen Mu walked out of the Hall Office at a leisurely pace, heading to the ear chamber next to the main hall. It was essentially a more rudimentary version of the “City Guard General’s main building.” The ear chamber also contained two low tables, with the windows open and at the very back, a small couch for resting.
He went to the window and glanced outside. The second-story building was indeed much smaller than the main building of the Chief Officer, as from here he could only take in the scene of the City Defense Division. The streets just beyond were out of sight.
A moment later,
Chen Mu changed into a green casual robe and quietly left the City Defense Division.
It wasn’t to secretly investigate the Zheng family or the Quicksand gang; there was no need and he considered it beneath him. It wasn’t something a Prefecture Chief should bother with. He simply slipped through several streets and alleys to arrive at his new home in Wutong Grove District.
Having been promoted to Prefecture Chief of Wutong Grove District, he naturally couldn’t continue to live in Ninth District. A couple of days before taking office, he had already arranged for a new residence to be purchased in Wutong Grove District.
This time it was a residence with three courtyards and three sets of rooms: front, middle, and back. It had the appearance of a wealthy family’s residence, but in actuality, it was just decent enough for a Prefecture Chief.
As a Prefecture Chief, living in an even larger “four-courtyard” residence, or even a luxurious mansion with gardens, was not at all unusual. However, Chen Mu felt he might not stay in Wutong Grove District for long and there was no need for a larger estate.
Despite being a Prefecture Chief, he had no intentions of establishing his family’s wealth there.
“My lord.”
The old servant who had followed him here bowed even lower than before upon seeing Chen Mu enter the courtyard.
There was a world of difference between being a Head Constable and a Prefecture Chief. In Ninth District, although Chen Mu and Min Baoyi talked as brothers, Chen Mu was not a true Prefecture Chief. The higher one’s position, the more imposing one naturally becomes.
The old servant, one of Chen Mu’s first followers and who had moved from his old home, felt even more reverence towards Chen Mu. His bow was lower when by his side.
There were now more than one servant in the courtyard.
Apart from the old servant, two younger servants had joined, overseen by the old one. One was responsible for cleaning the residence and the other for running errands. In the innermost courtyard, a young maid of nine had been added, entrusted to Wang Ni’s care.
With Chen Mu’s current position, having people to wait on him was all too easy; he didn’t even need to shop himself. Many were willing to offer themselves for service, and others wanted to curry favor by volunteering their services.
The young maid was someone Chen Mu had taken pity on, so he bought her along the way. She was skinny and pale, hardly pretty.
In truth, a family poor enough to sell their daughter could hardly raise someone truly beautiful. If they were, in these times, they would hardly have the fate of a maid; they’d be more likely to be snatched by a rich family or sold to a pleasure district.
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