The county government's main hall reflected the "Bright Mirror Suspended High" plaque above the beam.
In the hall, there was only a pear flower wood desk with a few pages of yellowed official documents spread across it.
County Magistrate Lu Zhao sat upright behind the desk, a faint somberness condensed between his brows.
After a moment, he raised his eyes and spoke:
"Summon the advisor."
The attendant responded and left.
Before long, Huang Xu, dressed in a green robe, entered slowly.
Nearly fifty years old, with a touch of frost in his hair, his face was thin, yet his eyes were brightly sharp as he entered the room and bowed:
"Student Huang Xu, greets the master."
"No need for formalities."
Lu Zhao raised his hand, pointing to the documents on the desk, which were urgent reports from the courier station—a neighboring county had suffered a disaster, and refugees would soon flood into this county.
