Chapter 1004: Intimidation

The group soon arrived at the Prefectural Yamen, where all the officials from Yunzhong Commandery had already gathered, and even Jian Taiding was waiting for them. Given his Grandmaster cultivation and family influence, which technically surpassed Sang Hong's, his previous act of leaving the city to greet them and his current early arrival showed immense respect to the Imperial Commissioner. Clearly, he hoped Sang Hong would reciprocate later by granting him the title of Duke of Yunzhong Commandery as soon as possible.

Prefect Zuo Su of Yunzhong Commandery and Jian Taiding welcomed Sang Hong's entourage and led them inside. Along the way, they introduced them to the various officials. The greeting outside the city had been too rushed, so only a few individuals had been properly presented.

"This is Supervisor Xu Yu," they announced.

"It's an honor to finally meet you!"

Zu An observed closely. Xu Yu was a middle-aged man with a purplish complexion and a square face, appearing more like an upright official than the pot-bellied Zuo Su.

A Supervisor served as the Prefect's deputy and was also responsible for overseeing the Prefect and other local officials. Due to their high status, they rode in a separate carriage from the Prefect, which is why the position was called "Biejia."

"This is Chief Administrator Yu Xuanqing," they continued.

"Ah, so you are the clan brother of Grand Secretary Yu Xuanzhong? It's an honor to finally meet you!"

The Chief Administrator was roughly the third-highest-ranking official in the commandery, responsible for the selection and appointment of local officials and various other affairs. Although a high-ranking local official, this position alone wouldn't have warranted such deference from Imperial Commissioner Sang Hong.

Sang Hong's politeness stemmed from the fact that the old man before him was a member of the Yu clan. The Yu clan had two main branches: one served in the central government, with its patriarch being Grand Secretary Yu Xuanzhong. The other branch managed the family's primordial stone business from their stronghold in Yunzhong Commandery. This old man also belonged to the 'Xuan' generation, clearly a brother of Yu Xuanzhong. However, compared to Yu Xuanzhong, the Yu Xuanqing before them was far inferior in both cultivation and ability.

The patriarch of this branch in Yunzhong Commandery had died young, and the family was now controlled by his legitimate daughter, Yu Yanluo. However, being a woman and exceptionally beautiful, it was often inconvenient for her to appear in public, so many family matters were handled by several clan uncles, including Yu Xuanqing.

"This is Yu Xuansu, Sima of the Yunzhong Commandery Governor-General's Office," the introduction continued.

"It's an honor to finally meet you!"

Yu Xuansu was also one of Yu Yanluo's clan uncles. Observing the two old men, Zu An fell into deep thought. The Yu clan's influence was truly vast; their members held positions in both the military and political high command of Yunzhong Commandery. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they held absolute power.

Zu An looked around, originally hoping to see Yu Yanluo, but as he scanned the room, he didn't see the beautiful figure he remembered.

At that moment, Sang Hong seemed to have the same thought and found an opportunity to ask, "Oh, why don't I see Madam Yu?" He certainly wasn't coveting her beauty; rather, it was because Yu Yanluo was currently the head of the Yunzhong Yu clan. Furthermore, since the investigation concerned her husband's disappearance, he wanted to take the opportunity to ask her many questions.

At this, the mustached Jian Taiding smiled and replied, "My sister-in-law recently caught a cold and is not fit to receive guests. I hope Lord Sang will forgive her."

Sang Hong smiled and said, "Of course, health comes first." He quickly changed the subject.

Next, Jian Taiding continued to introduce the remaining officials to Sang Hong. Meanwhile, other officials began greeting the rest of the envoy group. The areas around Gao Ying and Pei You were the liveliest. After all, one was backed by the Liu clan and the other by the Pei clan, both top-tier families in the capital. These local officials naturally wanted to curry favor with the scions of such prominent aristocratic families.

As for Zu An, everyone simply exchanged a few polite words before ignoring him. Officials who rose from humble backgrounds were never truly respected by these powerful clans. The biggest weakness for those who rose from humble families was their reliance on the emperor's temporary favor; if the emperor ever fell out of favor with them, their careers would collapse instantly. Aristocratic families were different. They had countless members serving as officials in the imperial court, and their power was deeply entrenched. Even if the emperor disliked them, it was difficult to easily undermine them.

"Quite realistic," Zu An thought. He didn't take any of it to heart. Instead, he used the opportunity to covertly observe others, especially Pei Shao. This fellow seemed to intend to matchmake his daughter with the Crown Prince of Qi. He noticed a young man accompanying Pei Shao, with upward-slanted eyes and a somewhat shifty, weasel-like appearance. Such a person naturally couldn't be introduced to Sang Hong. However, he vaguely heard some lower-ranking officials flattering Pei Shao, and this person seemed to be Pei Shao's son, Pei Xing.

"Big Manman's brother?" Zu An frowned. "Is he truly her biological brother? Big Manman is as beautiful as a flower; how could her brother be born like this?"

Soon, the group entered the main hall. Due to the freezing weather, a roaring bonfire blazed in the center, with various cuts of beef and lamb roasting over it, their golden fat glistening alluringly in the candlelight. The air was filled with the exotic aroma of spices and roasted meat.

"Lord Sang, please take the main seat!" It was quickly time for seating, and as Imperial Commissioner, Sang Hong naturally took the place of honor. Sang Hong's gaze swept around. He saw that Pei You and Gao Ying were seated next to him, while Zu An was placed further down the table. Having been in official circles for a long time, he naturally understood the intricacies. Each seat was not chosen randomly but was a tacit understanding formed by centuries of struggle and compromise among the various powerful families. Although Gao Ying's and Pei You's official ranks were temporarily lower than Zu An's, their family influence far surpassed that of someone from a humble background like Zu An. With the resources of their families, it wouldn't be many years before Gao Ying and Pei You attained high positions. Therefore, giving them more prominent seats was considered reasonable.

While reasonable, Sang Hong was displeased. On one hand, he himself came from a humble background and had experienced such indignities in the past. On the other hand, his current relationship with Zu An was even closer than that of allies, and he naturally didn't want him to suffer injustice. So he calmly said, "Ah Zu, come sit beside me."

Zu An naturally didn't hesitate and boldly took the seat beside him. The officials in Yunzhong Commandery felt a jolt in their hearts, realizing they had seemingly underestimated Zu An's importance.

At this moment, Prefect Zuo Su felt a bit worried. He had only arranged two seats next to Sang Hong, one each for Gao Ying and Pei You. Now that Zu An had taken one, what would happen to the other two? He knew well that these aristocratic scions valued their reputation above all else, and none of them would be willing to yield. If they started to contend for the seat, what was he to do? No matter how he allocated the seats, he was bound to offend one of the families. However, he soon felt relieved. Since Zu An had taken the seat, even if they harbored resentment, they would most likely resent Zu An. If they encountered someone with a quick temper, they might even openly clash with Zu An on the spot. For aristocratic families, family reputation was more important than anything else; even the Imperial Commissioner's words might not be effective.

Many officials present had similar thoughts, each waiting to see internal conflict arise. After all, everyone knew perfectly well that the Imperial Commissioner was there to investigate them, and thus, each of them was eager for the Commissioner's team to fall into internal strife first. To their surprise, Gao Ying and Pei You showed no intention of contending with Zu An. The two of them very naturally squeezed in at another table, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to them. Noticing this, Jian Taiding narrowed his eyes and re-examined Zu An.

Once the Imperial Commissioner's party was seated, everyone else took their seats. At this moment, a commotion broke out not far away. A burly, bearded man pointed at an empty seat in the front row and demanded, "Who is this seat reserved for?"

In the hall's seating arrangement, Sang Hong naturally occupied the central, most prominent seat. To his left and right were two rows of seats, led by Jian Taiding on one side and Zuo Su on the other, an arrangement that matched their respective statuses. There weren't many seats in these two rows, and each was for a high-ranking official of Yunzhong Commandery. Beyond them, there were several outer rows for officials of clearly lower rank. Therefore, being able to sit in these two rows was also a symbol of honor and status.

According to the earlier introductions, this burly, bearded man seemed to be a Staff Officer from the Governor-General's Office. Although not as high-ranking as the Governor-General's Chief Clerk or Sima, he was still considered a high-ranking member of the office and theoretically just barely qualified to sit in these two rows. At this moment, he was glaring angrily at Supervisor Xu Yu, pointing at an empty seat next to him and demanding an answer. Clearly, he had discovered he was seated in the back, and being quite displeased, he immediately provoked trouble.

Sang Hong and Zu An exchanged glances. The conflict between the Governor-General's Office and the Prefect's Yamen in Yunzhong Commandery seemed even greater than anticipated.

Xu Yu calmly said, "An old friend of mine is visiting these days; this seat is prepared for him."

"May I ask what official rank or position that person holds?" the burly, bearded man replied in a booming voice.

Xu Yu frowned but eventually answered, "No official rank or position."

The burly, bearded man burst out laughing. "Since he has no official rank or position, what right does he have to sit here? I'll take this seat!" After speaking, he swaggered over and sat down, immediately picking up a wine cup from the table and drinking from it.

Xu Yu's face darkened. He looked directly at Jian Taiding on the other side and said, "Lord Jian, this seat belongs to our Prefectural Yamen. Do we need the approval of your Governor-General's Office to arrange who sits here?"

Jian Taiding smiled faintly. "Lord Xu, your words are mistaken. We are all imperial officials; why distinguish between 'yours' and 'mine'? The people of Yunzhong Commandery are fierce, and our soldiers value honor above life itself. Staff Officer Dian is known for his straightforward and rough nature; even I can't restrain him. If he has caused any offense, I hope Lord Xu will be magnanimous, considering his numerous military achievements."

Zu An curiously transmitted his thoughts to Sang Hong via vital energy: "Uncle, even if they have grievances, why would they make such a scene in this setting? Before the Imperial Commissioner, how is this proper decorum?"

Sang Hong replied, "They are deliberately trying to intimidate me. Xu Yu is an official dispatched by the central court, and like me, he represents the imperial authority. Jian Taiding's merciless attitude is clearly a warning shot. He showed a friendly side to me earlier, but now he's baring his fangs. The subtext is that if we are sensible and cooperate, he will be sufficiently friendly towards us. If we are not sensible, then Xu Yu's predicament is likely what we will face in the future."

"It seems Xu Yu is destined to lose all face today," Zu An mused. He felt a degree of sympathy, as he subconsciously disliked Jian Taiding ever since the incident in Brightmoon City's outskirts.

Sang Hong smiled and said, "Not necessarily."