Hidden in the court

Chapter 166 Huo Gang Scolds Two Officials

Behind Hu Die are probably General Hu and His Majesty, who are simply not to be trifled with. As for this old fellow Huo Gang, it can only be said that when the last governor and chief clerk were in office, he was the Sima of Qingzhou. They don't believe that he has no foundation after working in Qingzhou for many years. Besides, this old fellow has a very high prestige in Qingzhou, so they can't do anything to him.

All matters big or small in Qingzhou have to be handled by this old guy. Fortunately, this old guy is about to retire. As long as he doesn't leave, no matter how many governors come after him, they will be the ones to be bullied.

Looking at the two men nodding and bowing, Mr. Huo became angry.

"Huh! You two are so shameless?"

Seeing that Mr. Huo was about to start scolding in the street, Hu Die immediately said, "It's not convenient to talk outside, let's go in first."

"Yes, yes, this is not the place to talk. I will personally make tea for you two and we can talk slowly."

Wang Xie and Zheng Jiao immediately took up the conversation and cast grateful glances at Hu Die.

If this happened outside, the Qingzhou governor and the chief clerk would have been scolded like this, and they would have no chance of doing their jobs in the future.

"Okay, for Ying'er's sake, let's go."

Wang Xie and Zheng Jiao immediately welcomed the two men respectfully into the provincial government.

As soon as we entered the state capital, the atmosphere subtly changed.

Although Huo Gang was old, his steps were still firm and powerful, and each step was heavy and loud. If you want to know why it was so loud, it must be intentional.

He wished he could break the floor tiles of the state capital with every step he took.

His brows were furrowed, his attitude was superficial, and it was obvious that he was quite angry. Behind him was Hu Die, while Wang Xie and Zheng Jiao followed carefully, exchanging worried glances from time to time.

They walked through the spacious courtyard and came to an elegantly decorated reception room, which was furnished with mahogany furniture and had exquisite landscape paintings on the walls, as if every piece of furniture was silently telling something.

"You two are quite elegant. You actually made the state capital office so luxurious?"

Both of them were sweating at this moment. This old guy was obviously looking for trouble. As the saying goes, when others are unhappy, even your breathing is wrong. What can they say? After all, there is a censor standing here. They can't admit that they are greedy, right?

Sure enough, Butterfly's eyes were already fixed on them.

"Mr. Huo, you are too kind. These were all made by previous officials. We thought it would be a pity to throw them away, so we kept them."

"Humph!"

"Mr. Huo, please take a seat." Wang Xie said cautiously, and signaled the servants to serve tea quickly.

Huo Gang snorted coldly, sat down, and looked at Wang Xie and Zheng Jiao with eagle eyes. He naturally knew that these two people were not good people. Although they were high-ranking officials in Qingzhou and had a higher rank than him, they were still juniors in front of him. He was obviously very dissatisfied with their behavior.

"The case was investigated by the Censorate, and the suspect was arrested by the Censorate. How can you intercept him halfway? It's not fair to steal the credit from a child!"

When the two heard this, they immediately realized that this person was here to cause trouble, and maybe it was Hu Die who called him over.

But what could they say? They could only explain to Huo Gang:

"Mr. Huo, we did not handle yesterday's incident properly, and Censor Hu was wronged. But the governor and I did write to His Majesty to report it, and the credit is indeed all due to the Censor. We have no intention of taking credit for it."

Zheng Jiao apologized, with a barely perceptible tremor in his tone.

Hu Die also spoke at the right time, "Yesterday's incident was when I personally handed the person over to the two adults. Investigating a case is not the responsibility of the Censorate, so I handed the prisoner over to the prefecture willingly. I hope Mr. Huo will not embarrass the two adults."

After hearing this, Wang Xie and Zheng Jiao were a little confused. What did this mean? Was he playing a double game or pretending to be a good person?

Huo Gang snorted again, "Well, since that's what you said, I won't bother with you. You two, you are so old, but you are not as sensible as a younger generation."

"Yes, yes, yes... Mr. Huo is right."

Although I don't understand what's going on, I just keep apologizing.

Huo Gang waved his hand and interrupted him: "I don't want to listen to this useless nonsense. This matter has been resolved. I came to you today because I have something else to do. As the governor and the chief clerk of Qingzhou, can you two just watch the order of Qingzhou being destroyed and do nothing?"

Wang Xie and Zheng Jiao looked at each other. How should they answer? Wasn’t the case already investigated?

Soon they all realized that Huo Gang must be referring to them doing something. After all, he was about to retire. If something bad happened during his retirement, the old man would definitely not be at ease. Now was the time to make his position clear.

"Mr. Huo, we have sent out elite forces from the provincial government to investigate the matter, and have stepped up night patrols. We promise that we will bring the criminals to justice as soon as possible, and we will also nip Qingzhou's public security problems in the bud." Wang Xie explained hurriedly.

Huo Gang sneered: "Promise? I've heard a lot of your promises. Qingzhou's problems cannot be solved overnight. You must have long-term plans and determination."

Zheng Jiao quickly took over the conversation: "Mr. Huo is right. We are already formulating a long-term plan for improving public security, including measures to strengthen city defense, improve the quality of officers and soldiers, and improve people's livelihood. We hope to fundamentally improve the situation in Qingzhou."

As the chief clerk, Zheng Jiao could easily use such clichés, and it must be said that they were very appropriate to use here.

Huo Gang's expression eased a little. "Well, that sounds like a good thing to say. Remember, Qingzhou is not just Qingzhou for the two of you. It concerns the livelihoods of millions of people. Every decision you make must be based on the people."

Once these words were spoken, the two of them confirmed their guess. This old guy really came here to give them a warning because things were not going well recently. How despicable!

But the most urgent task right now is to send him away smoothly.

"Yes, yes, we will definitely keep it in mind." Wang Xie and Zheng Jiao responded in unison.

Afterwards, the three of them discussed some specific public security measures and policies. Huo Gang put forward his own opinions and suggestions from time to time, while Wang Xie and Zheng Jiao echoed and nodded in agreement from time to time.

Seeing this scene, Hu Die didn't know what to say and could only stand aside and wait silently.

Looking at Mr. Huo, I felt a little more admiration in my heart.

As time went by, the originally tense atmosphere gradually became harmonious. Huo Gang's attitude also gradually softened, and he gradually stopped scaring the two.