How can you rule the world if I'm just a substitute for you?

Liu Huai'an was the first to loudly bow, saying, "Your subject Liu Huai'an greets Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

The officials behind him bowed and kowtowed in unison: "We pay our respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Lin Xuan casually raised his hand: "Get up, all of you."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Liu Huai'an stood up, bowed, and respectfully led Lin Xuan into the main hall of the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Lin Xuan stepped into the main seat and sat down, with Shen Hu standing guard beside him, and Zhou Yi standing at his sides below the hall, waiting for orders.

His gaze slowly swept over the officials below the hall.

At the very back of the crowd, one figure stood out conspicuously.

The man was Xu Nian, dressed in a faded, worn-out blue official robe. He was thin and inconspicuous in the corner of the crowd.

He is now just a minor official in the Jingzhao Prefecture, only responsible for sorting out files and doing the lowest-level menial tasks.

Although his clothes were shabby and shabby, his back was straight, his eyes were clear and sharp, neither humble nor arrogant, and his eyes held an unyielding brilliance.

Lin Xuan noticed this person at first glance; he was exactly the same person Zhou Yi had reported earlier.

Standing at the forefront of the officials, Liu Huai'an remained expressionless with a gloomy face.

He was originally a confidant of Zhao Kui, the former Prefect of Jingzhao. After Zhao Kui committed suicide by hitting a pillar in the Golden Palace, he thought he was in a secure position as the next Prefect of Jingzhao.

Unexpectedly, Lin Xuan interfered, cutting off his path to promotion.

In the past two days, he had already received instructions from the Duke of Zhenguo and the Third Prince to sideline the Crown Prince, making him a nominal Prefect of the Capital.

The highest-ranking official in the Jingzhao Prefecture was the Prefect, followed by the Prefectural Assistant Liu Huai'an, who was in charge of all daily affairs within the prefecture. Under the Prefectural Assistant were two departments and one battalion.

The Department of Criminal Justice is in charge of arrests, interrogations, and the government prison throughout the city.

The Household Affairs Bureau was in charge of the people's livelihood in the urban and suburban areas, land registration, and farmers' taxes.

However, the patrol battalion was separated from the Jingzhao Prefecture system by Emperor Qian and placed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War.

The two chief officials of the prefecture have already spoken with Liu Huai'an and are on the same side as him, working together to sideline the crown prince.

Liu Huai'an sneered inwardly, quietly waiting for Lin Xuan to make his move.

He held the power of the entire Jingzhao Prefecture in his hands, and was certain that as long as he did not give in, the Crown Prince would not be able to push through any of his decrees.

Lin Xuan slowly rose from his seat, surveyed the assembled officials, and spoke in a calm tone:

"Today is my first time assuming the post of Governor of Jingzhao. As I am new to local administration, I am still unfamiliar with many rules and regulations. In the future, I ask all my colleagues to lend their help in all matters, big and small, and work together to manage the territory of Jingzhao."

Liu Huai'an immediately stepped forward, cupped his hands in response, and said in a respectful tone without a single fault: "Your Highness is too kind. We will certainly do our best to assist Your Highness and fulfill our duties."

He made up his mind not to argue, not to give anyone leverage, to outwardly obey orders but inwardly refuse to carry them out.

The soft resistance effectively sidelined the Crown Prince, making it impossible for Lin Xuanzheng to carry out his orders.

With Liu Huai'an taking the lead, all the officials in the hall echoed in unison: "We will certainly assist Your Highness and obey your orders."

The room was full of polite words, but there was no sincerity whatsoever.

Lin Xuan took in everyone's expressions and understood everything perfectly.

All the officials followed Liu Huai'an's lead, and the two officials in charge were his confidants. The entire Jingzhao Prefecture had united as one to oppose him.

To gain complete control of the Jingzhao Prefecture and eliminate internal resistance, Liu Huai'an must be eliminated.

Once this leader is removed, the officials below will be leaderless, and it will be easy to take control of the entire Jingzhao Prefecture.

Lin Xuan sat back in the main seat and looked up at Liu Huai'an below the steps: "Prefect Liu, bring me all the records of people's livelihood and the backlog of criminal files from the Jingzhao Prefecture over the past three years. I will go through the case files today."

Liu Huai'an bowed respectfully, his face plastered with a submissive smile: "Your Highness, please forgive me. These days, the documents in the manor are piled up in disarray, and due to their age, they are difficult to find in a hurry. I really cannot produce any neatly arranged volumes. I hope Your Highness will grant me a few more days."

He secretly gloated as he held his hand in his sleeve, plotting in his mind: I won't leave any solid evidence like Zhao Kui did, and I won't directly confront the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince won't be able to find any fault with me. Let's see what he can do to me.

The group of former officials below watched coldly, each eager to see how this former纨绔 (spoiled brat) crown prince would respond.

Zhou Yi, standing beside him, had a thin layer of sweat on his palms, and he was extremely anxious.

Nowadays, most of the officials in the Jingzhao Prefecture are Liu Huai'an's confidants, and the other party is clearly trying to use the method of outwardly complying but inwardly resisting to sideline the Crown Prince.

If a new official fails to establish his authority over Liu Huai'an, it will be extremely difficult to win over his subordinates in the future.

But Liu Huai'an was very smooth. He had no real crime and did not confront Lin Xuan directly. He only said flattering words. Zhou Yi thought about it and couldn't figure out a way to break the deadlock. He could only secretly worry for Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan took in the expressions of the crowd below, slowly raised his eyes, and fixed his gaze on the figure in the tattered blue robe at the end of the crowd: "Xu Nian, you usually handle the filing of documents. Is what Prefect Liu said true?"

Upon hearing the sound, Xu Nian took two steps forward. Liu Huai'an quickly glanced at her, his eyes revealing an undisguised threat.

Xu Nian stood ramrod straight, unafraid of the oppressive gaze, and replied loudly, "Your Highness, what Prefect Liu said is somewhat biased. While sorting through the old files from the past three years is indeed laborious, the files from the past year have already been locked and stored in the warehouse, ready to be presented for inspection at any time."

Lin Xuan chuckled inwardly. Xu Nian was indeed upright and incorruptible, a rare and remarkable person. He had clearly seen the threatening look in Liu Huai'an's eyes just now, yet Xu Nian did not back down at all.

He turned to look at Liu Huai'an, whose face was frozen, and said in a flat tone, "Prefect Liu, Xu Nian's story differs quite a bit from yours."

Liu Huai'an immediately knelt down: "Your Highness, please forgive me. It was my fault for not having a clear understanding of the warehouse's situation, which almost caused you to miss your mission. I beg Your Highness to punish me."

Lin Xuan watched his act and sneered inwardly: You're trying to play the retreat-to-advance trick on me? Too bad I won't fall for it.

He raised his hand in a gesture of support: "Prefect Liu, please rise. I have no intention of punishing you."

After he finished speaking, Lin Xuan slowly continued, "I have always known that Prefect Liu is exceptionally capable. In the future, I will need your help in managing the many miscellaneous affairs of the Jingzhao Prefecture. Everyone should learn from Prefect Liu."

Liu Huai'an got up from the ground, unaware of the Crown Prince's public praise of his actions, but assumed that his soft resistance had begun to show results.

The officials below also speculated in the same way, and they all felt that the Crown Prince had already lost the first round of confrontation.

Lin Xuan's smile remained unchanged, but her tone suddenly changed: "Since Prefect Liu is so capable, I will give you another task. It is only natural that the capable should be given more work."

Liu Huai'an, completely unprepared, patted his chest and replied, "Your Highness, please give your orders. It is my honor to share Your Highness's burdens."

"There are many villages scattered around the capital, and the population and land are now all unclear. I have sent you to the countryside to investigate and clarify the population and land of each village."

The smile on Liu Huai'an's face froze instantly, and he stood there stunned.

He never expected Lin Xuan to pull such a move.

He hurriedly retorted, "Your Highness, this is inappropriate. If I wish to be transferred, I need the Ministry of Personnel to issue a document and Your Majesty's permission."

Lin Xuan waved her hand and said calmly, "No, no, no, Prefect Liu has misunderstood. I am not adjusting your official position. You are still the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture. You are just going to the countryside to observe people's livelihood and check the boundaries. Once you finish your duties and return to the capital, you will sit in your position as Prefect as before."

Officials are meant to serve the people; what difference does it make where they work for the people?