The Great Song Dynasty's Soul-Forging in Progress

At this point, Chen Shimei suddenly turned to the onlookers, his voice rising a half-octave, clear and earnest: "Wang Zhonghua, at such a young age, you have managed to create this soup amidst poverty, benefiting your hometown and revitalizing the city. Excellent, excellent." He repeated "excellent" twice, each time accompanied by a nod, each nod precisely sweeping across the crowd in different directions to ensure the best effect of "I see you" and "I have bestowed a favor upon you."

He paused, his gaze returning to Wang Zhonghua, the warmth in his eyes perfectly embodying the standard of "an official encouraging a junior, a minister caring for the people": "I hope you will operate with integrity in the future, treating everyone fairly, young and old, and not disappoint the expectations of the villagers—" He drew out the words, then suddenly handed the ceramic bowl in his hand to Qiu, the clerk behind him. The gesture seemed casual, yet it carried a deeper meaning—as if the soup's mission was complete, and the remaining dregs were unworthy to soil his hands, "and thus not failing my encouragement today."

He spoke the last sentence extremely slowly, each word like a nail, firmly embedding "this official's favor" into the ears of everyone present. His face still wore that gentle, spring-like smile, but out of the corner of his eye, he clearly glanced at the spotless cuffs of his official robe, and after confirming that not a single drop of oil had been splashed on them, his smile deepened.

The onlookers immediately knelt down, praising the "Prefect for his compassion for the people," with several elderly women even moved to tears. Chen Shimei merely flicked his sleeve slightly, the gesture of dusting away implying everything—as if the "gratitude of the people" from his earlier "sharing joy with them" had stained his magnificent robes with dust that needed to be gently brushed away.

As he turned around, the fragrance of ambergris swirled around him, and the curved parasol followed. From beginning to end, he didn't even wrinkle the noodles in the bowl of soup, yet he made all the people of Longsheng Ferry remember the kindness of this "people-friendly prefect." It's likely that for many years to come, "I saw the prefect" will be the proudest topic among these people.

Just then, a faint commotion broke out among the crowd outside the shop.

"Thank you for your kind words, Your Excellency. I will certainly remember your teachings and work hard to manage my affairs," Wang Zhonghua replied, bowing his head in humility.

No sooner had he finished speaking than another uproar erupted at the street corner, accompanied by shouts and screams.

Several burly men rudely pushed aside the queue, and the one leading them was none other than Qiu Laohu, whom they hadn't seen for many days!

His face, bulging with fleshy muscles and scars that writhed like earthworms, gleamed with a fierce light. Leading a few thugs, he strode straight to the shop, grinning maliciously. "Oh ho! What a lively scene! Kid Wang, such a grand opening, and you didn't even bother to greet me? Pay your respects? You don't know the rules of Longsheng Street and Longsheng Ferry, do you? Or are you pretending not to? Hand it over, ten taels of protection money first!"

The crowd in line stirred, their faces showing fear, and they all retreated, instantly turning the once lively scene into a cold silence.

Wang Zhuacai's face was pale, his eyes were narrowed, and his feet were spread out in an odd stance. Yao Shi and Qin Tiehua also peeked out from the kitchen, their faces full of worry.

Wang Zhonghua glanced at Chen Shimei, about to speak hesitantly. But Chen Shimei's face suddenly darkened, and he stepped forward. His previously gentle demeanor instantly transformed into one of imposing authority, as if even the sweltering heat had suddenly cooled. His years of official arrogance naturally radiated outwards: "How dare you, Qiu Qiu!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling pressure: "I've long heard of your past misdeeds! In broad daylight, under the clear sky, what do you intend to do? Do you perhaps intend to disturb the people's livelihood, provoke the law, and tarnish the reputation of my Chenzhou?"

Qiu Laohu clearly hadn't expected Chen Shimei to be there, much less that this seemingly gentle prefect would directly reprimand him for a soup-selling boy. He glanced furtively at Qiu Banxian, the composed advisor beside the prefect, and his imposing aura faltered instantly. His face twitched, forcing out a smile that looked more like a grimace, and his back involuntarily bent slightly.

"Your Excellency... Your Excellency? What brings you here? I dare not, I would never dare! I merely... I merely heard that the Wang family opened a shop, and I came here specifically to... to offer my congratulations and show my support..."

"Supporting you? Offering congratulations?" Chen Shimei sneered, flicking his sleeves. His gaze, sharp as an ice pick, pierced Qiu Laohu. "Judging from your aggressive demeanor and unfriendly words, you clearly seem to be here to cause trouble! You street thugs, who bully the good people, I have tolerated you time and again! Today you dare to be so insolent before me! Take your men and leave immediately! If I find out again that you have harassed or extorted merchants here, or anywhere else at Longsheng Ferry, I will arrest you and bring you to the yamen for severe punishment. I will not let you off lightly!"

"Yes, yes, yes... I know I was wrong! I'll leave right now, I'll get out of here..." Qiu Laohu was so frightened by these harsh words that he broke out in a cold sweat. He glared at Wang Zhonghua fiercely, but dared not do so too obviously. He then led his men and tried to squeeze out of the crowd like stray dogs.

"Brother Qiu, wait a moment," Wang Zhonghua said with a smile. "Since you've come to show your support, how much of a gift have you brought?"

Qiu Laohu was even more embarrassed. He secretly glanced at Chen Shimei and saw that he remained calm. He quickly gathered a few taels of silver and handed it to Wang Zhonghua. Amid the laughter of the crowd, he slunk away in a sorry state.

Chen Shimei then turned to the still-shaken crowd, his face once again displaying that warm and welcoming smile: "My fellow villagers, there's no need to panic. Just enjoy your meal. I am here, and I will not tolerate such petty scoundrels disrupting the order of Longsheng Ferry and spoiling your enjoyment." His actions immediately earned him a chorus of heartfelt gratitude and praise.

"The Prefect is so kind!"

"Thank you so much, Your Excellency, for upholding justice!"

"With Your Excellency here, we common folk can do business with peace of mind!"

Chen Shimei listened to the discussions with satisfaction, nodded encouragingly to Wang Zhonghua, ordered the bill to be settled, and then left gracefully amidst the grateful gazes of the constables and the people.

Even after the Prefect's procession had gone far away, the crowd did not disperse immediately, and began to discuss among themselves:

"This Prefect Chen, the Prince Consort Chen, is truly a good official! He's approachable and willing to stand up for us common folk!"

"Yes, look at his demeanor and his speech. No wonder he's a top scholar; he's so sensible!"

"That Wang family brat is really lucky! On his first day of business, the Prefect himself came to show his support and even chased away that bully Qiu Laohu. That's quite an achievement!"

"With the Prefect's words now in hand, let's see who dares to cause trouble at the Wang family's shop!"

However, a few older, more experienced neighbors gathered in a corner, exchanging glances and whispering among themselves.

"Hey, a good official? You guys are too young..." An old man with a goatee shook his head and lowered his voice, "This Prefect Chen has been an official for many years and has been in Chenzhou for five years. When have you ever seen him truly deal with a local tyrant like Qiu Laohu? He just puts on a show when he encounters one."

"Brother Zhang is right," a cloth merchant chimed in. "If he truly intended to rectify the situation, why wait until today? I think he's using the Wang family's influence to put on a show of 'being kind to the people and punishing evil' for us and for the higher-ups. He gains fame, subtly teaches Qiu a lesson, and even gets the Wang family indebted to him... killing three birds with one stone, very clever indeed!"

"And..." the goatee-bearded old man glanced meaningfully towards the kitchen, "Didn't you notice the way he looked at that girl from the Qin family? Tsk tsk, it didn't seem like he was just looking..."

These whispers, barely audible and drowned out by the renewed bustle of the city, carried a chilling clarity.

Wang Zhonghua felt neither sorrow nor joy, as if nothing had happened. But what people didn't know was that his heart was churning with emotion, a few lines of lyrics swirling within him:

Specifically targeting that top-ranking scholar, son-in-law, and purple-robed gentleman.

A treacherous official in the imperial palace!

You say he is the emperor's disciple and son-in-law?

Do you remember the half bowl of chaff in the cold cave?

The black gauze hat weighed down the hair knot.

The palace flowers, red with color, have stained away old feelings.

The record of success in the imperial examinations is erased from the account of life and death.

But the hook cannot be erased—the dragon pattern on the head is made of three feet of iron, and on the road to the underworld, there is a scale to measure it!