Martial Cultivator

The officials who had entered the inn hall were not actually the ones who truly held authority in Dragon Horn Commandery.

The leading civil official was only a Vice Prefect, the second-in-command of the commandery. In theory, he was not the one who could make final decisions, because above him there was a Commandery Governor who held real authority.

As for the armored man, his rank was even lower. He was merely a commandant, and within the state army he was not considered a particularly important figure either.

These two people were clearly not representative of the commandery’s officialdom.

Lu Qingling looked at that Vice Prefect of Dragon Horn Commandery and frowned. “The reputation of the Divine Capital Lu Family is not that great, but within Great Liang, my Lu Family only follows one principle: we do not violate anything explicitly written in the Great Liang Law.”

The implication of her words was already very clear: if you want to detain our goods, fine, then produce a legal basis. Show where in the Great Liang Law this is supported. If there is no such provision, then it cannot be done.

Hearing this question, the Vice Prefect did not become angry. Instead, he kept a stern face and said, “What situation are we in now? This is a time when the imperial court’s survival is at stake. At a moment like this, still clinging rigidly to the Great Liang Law is nothing but stupidity!”

He then looked at Lu Qingling, his tone softening quite a big, “Miss Lu, we also know the Lu Family’s business spreads across all of Great Liang. This little bit of silver is truly insignificant to you. Why cling so tightly to it? This is the time to share the imperial court’s burden. If we cannot get through this crisis, what use will larger businesses be afterward?”

In truth, this Vice Prefect was quite skilled at official conduct, alternating pressure and persuasion with a seasoned bureaucrat’s ease. If Lu Qingling had been a naive newcomer to the world, she would have likely swallowed this loss by now.