7:00 PM.

Chen Mo stretched and walked out of the room, feeling refreshed after resting for a few hours.

As soon as he arrived at the Government Office Main Hall, Zhang River, Gao Yuming, Lu Yuan, Su Wen, Wang Ping, and others who had been waiting for a long time, all gathered around him.

"Brother Mo, the maidservants you wanted have all been found."

"Immortal Master Chen, the statistics work on the people's side has been completed."

"Immortal Master Chen, all the prisoners have been brought to the village, supervised by the reserve team."

"Immortal Master Chen..."

Although Chen Mo had only rested for just over two hours, too many affairs had piled up in the county, needing Chen Mo's attention.

They spoke one after another, and Chen Mo found it a bit overwhelming.

"Alright, alright, everyone stop for now, speak one by one, Shui, you go first," Chen Mo said, rubbing his brow.

"Brother Mo, the maidservants Han Wu found for you have all been secured. They are all pure women among the refugees, all with beautiful faces, and a total of six, all adults. Their families sold them to us. Han Wu said it was absolutely not forced buying and selling. He has switched duties to rest and asked me to tell you," said Zhang River.

"Just in time, have them tidy up the back courtyard of the government office, assign two to work as cooks in the kitchen, and the rest to serve the sisters. Also, give them some money, and if the sisters have any requests, let them directly instruct these maidservants."

Saying this, Chen Mo looked at the crowd and said, "I don't care if you know the sisters' identity, but from this moment on, keep it to yourselves, got it?"

"Understood," everyone replied in agreement.

"Don't worry, Brother Mo, I got it," Zhang River responded with a meaningful smile to Chen Mo.

Chen Mo directly kicked Zhang River and said, "Hurry up and do your tasks. Oh, and get the maidservants to prepare hot water; I want to take a bath later."

"Yes," Zhang River said, rubbing his backside as he retreated.

Next was Su Wen, who stepped forward to report, "Among the county's people, 568 are dead, 73 seriously injured, and about 300 lightly injured. Furthermore, a portion of the population took advantage of the chaos before the city was sealed and escaped, currently untraceable. Thirty-six houses were destroyed or damaged, and numerous shops were looted. Additionally, the shops in the west, south, and north markets were all plundered.

Recovered funds amount to 132,100 coins, which still aren't enough to compensate for the people's losses. We have also used 20,000 coins collected from the government office, leaving 297,000 coins remaining."

Su Wen and the clerks in the government office had thoroughly accounted without any omissions.

Chen Mo nodded and said, "Coordinate the remaining funds with Wang Ping to distribute pensions and bonuses to the Divine Brave Guard. The remaining funds will be confiscated. Henceforth, let Wang Ping manage the clerks in the government office."

Military and political matters must remain separate and never be mixed.

"Understood," Su Wen replied.

Wang Ping took the opportunity to step forward and mentioned that the patriarchs of the Wang and Yi families had prepared a banquet at Wanhe Building and invited Chen Mo to attend in the evening. He withdrew afterward to coordinate with Su Wen.

Then it was Lu Yuan's turn, who reported on the situation with the prisoners and mentioned that General Sun Meng and that sister's Seventh-Grade Guard, Liu Ze, had both awakened. He asked Chen Mo what to do.

Chen Mo rubbed his temple, not answering immediately. He turned to Gao Yuming and asked if there was anything to report.

Gao Yuming replied, "Immortal Master Chen, the books, guzheng, and other musical instruments you asked me to bring back from White Jade Street have all been transported to the government office. Additionally, in the estate's stable, we found a few good horses, including a Snow Dragon Steed worth tens of thousands of gold, capable of traveling a thousand miles in a day, an exceptional warhorse."

Upon mentioning the Snow Dragon Steed, Gao Yuming's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. Having once been a cavalryman, he held a deep love for warhorses.

The Snow Dragon Steed is recorded in books. It hails from the northernmost Ye You Kingdom, not only resistant to cold but also adept in aquatic environments, highly spirited. Due to its limited production, it can't be easily bought, even with money.

It should belong to Xia Zhining.

"Leave the Snow Dragon Steed to me. Give the remaining horses as a reward to you and those four Qingzhou Army brothers," Chen Mo said, after contemplating for a moment.

"Thank you, Immortal Master Chen," Gao Yuming replied with a touch of excitement. Although the remaining horses were not as good as the Snow Dragon Steed, they were rare and superior to the warhorses they had ridden before.

"Don't rush to thank me; I have a task for you to accomplish."

"Please instruct me, Immortal Master Chen."

"First, train the prisoners in the village as soon as possible to become our own people. Second, find a way to attract the remaining Qingzhou Army remnants. Any required funds, talk to Wang Ping," Chen Mo instructed.

If those Defense Army prisoners are well-trained, it won't take long for them to become a regular army, rapidly strengthening the military force.

"Understood," Gao Yuming also withdrew.

Only then did Chen Mo respond to Lu Yuan, "How are they recovering?"

"Sun Meng is alright, but the guard named Liu Ze is badly injured and won't be able to leave bed for another ten days or so," Lu Yuan replied.

Chen Mo pondered for a while and then said, "Tell Sun Meng that his family is in my hands. If he submits... never mind, wait a bit longer and let him stew over it tonight. Just tell him his family is with us."

"Understood."

After Lu Yuan withdrew, only Su Qi was left in the main hall.

"Is there anything else?"

Chen Mo felt a bit overwhelmed, finally understanding why the Ming Dynasty abolished the Prime Minister but still set up a Cabinet.

Strengthening imperial power is one reason, but another is that the Emperor has to handle an overwhelming number of memorials and governmental affairs daily. Even a diligent emperor like Zhu Yuanzhang faced endless reports every day.

With the Cabinet established, much could be streamlined.

Currently, managing just one county, there are so many affairs. When the territory expands, it will truly be unmanageable.

It's necessary to look out or find management talent.

"Immortal Master Chen, there are still quite a few refugees who helped us attack the city last night. They're all in the city now, but none of them have a place to stay. If they all stay piled up in the city, sooner or later there will be trouble. How should we handle this?" Su Qi asked.

Hearing this, Chen Mo paced back and forth in the main hall twice, then said, "First, let's settle them in the barracks of the former Defense Army in the city. Serve porridge twice a day, and the grown men can join the Divine Brave Guard."

"Understood."

After handling the matters at hand, he returned to the backyard, and the hot water was almost ready. A maid came to notify him and happened to bump into Chen Mo.

"County... Chief." The maid recognized Chen Mo and quickly pleaded for forgiveness, her lips trembling.

This maid looked about sixteen or seventeen. Before coming to the Government Office, she appeared to have dressed up deliberately, wearing a light yellow waist-length dress and having her hair styled in double buns. Just as Zhang River said, she indeed had a pleasant appearance.

But in Chen Mo's eyes, she could only be considered average, given the likes of Han Anniang and the Xia Sisters, who were truly stunning.

Still, the maid was someone he saw almost every day, and being good-looking was pleasing to the eye.

"Don't be afraid, I don't eat people. As long as you do your duties well in the future, there won't be any problems," Chen Mo gently patted her shoulder in reassurance.

The maid's delicate body trembled slightly, nervously wanting to retreat but not daring to. Her face flushed and she was already prepared to sacrifice herself.

"What's your name?" Chen Mo asked.

"This... this humble servant is Chunhong."

"Chunhong." Chen Mo nodded and then said, "It's you then, come over to assist me with my bathing."

"... Yes... Understood."

...

Meanwhile, at the Yi Family.

The sky was not yet dark, but the Yi Family house was already brightly lit.

In the backyard.

"Hah, hah."

Yi Shiyin was wearing a fitted, sleeveless short skirt. The outfit was simple on top with a loose skirt that didn't restrict movement.

She was practicing her martial arts.

She was not yet a Martial Artist, and most of her time each day was not spent on cultivation.

Because cultivation was too arduous, no matter what Cultivation Technique it was, the early stage tempering of muscles and bones was indispensable. It's not that Yi Shiyin couldn't endure the hardship, but Yi Qianchi protected her too well and couldn't bear to let her suffer like that.

In Yi Qianchi's view, unless someone was extremely talented or had a high-level Cultivation Technique, becoming a Martial Artist without resources would take at least several years, or even more than a decade.

And after becoming a Martial Artist, advancing to the Eighth Grade would require many more years of effort.

Even in a Noble Clan like the Yi Family, at most they could cultivate a Seventh-Grade Martial Artist.

Therefore, rather than letting his daughter suffer, possibly accumulating illness in old age and barely being a Lower-Grade Martial Artist, it was better to let her live happily and worry-free for life.

Thus, Yi Shiyin's training was more for strengthening her body, so she could beat one or two ordinary people.

Maids stood by with tea, waiting. Seeing the young lady stop to rest, they immediately went forward to wipe sweat and serve tea.

"Xiaoling, how was my Yi Family Spear move just now?" Yi Shiyin took the tea handed to her by a maid and passed her wooden spear to a nearby servant, asking her personal maid Xiaoling.

Yi Shiyin had a pair of lively eyes and exuded a gentle, refreshing air. Seeing her would naturally invoke goodwill.

While wiping the sweat from the young lady's forehead, Xiaoling smiled and said, "It was splendid, not a bit inferior to the master."

"You have such a sweet mouth," Yi Shiyin pinched Xiaoling's slightly chubby cheek with a mischievous smile, "But I like hearing it, hehe."

"Master."

"Master."

"..."

At this moment, Yi Qianchi walked over, and the maids in the courtyard quickly bowed in salute upon seeing him.

"Father." Yi Shiyin ran to him, hugging Yi Qianchi's arm and gently shaking it.

Yi Qianchi stroked his daughter's head, his glance lingering, "Xiaolu, go take a bath and dress up. Tonight, father will take you to a banquet to meet a Noble."

"Who is it?" Yi Shiyin's eyes sparkled.

"It's the Chen Mo I told you about before."

"The leader of the rebels who attacked the city last night?"

Yi Shiyin, being extremely clever, reacted immediately, exclaiming in surprise.

"Be cautious with your words."

Yi Qianchi softly admonished.

The girl quickly covered her mouth, blinking her big eyes adorably. After a moment's thought, she lightly bit her lip and said, "Father, are you looking for a husband for Xiaolu?"

Yi Qianchi hesitated slightly, looking at his intelligent daughter, softly saying, "Xiaolu, first go meet him. If you don't like him, father won't force you to marry."

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