A few days later, news of the Xue family had spread to other cities and towns.

When the refugees heard that they were hiring people, they rushed to Zhu’an Town. But before they could enter the town gate, they were blocked outside.

Seeing that they were unable to enter the town, one of the refugees knelt to the town guards and begged, "Sir, please have mercy. My family no longer has money to buy food. Working for the Xue family is our only way of surviving."

The town guards quickly pulled her up, and one of them said, "Granny, it’s not that we don’t want to let you enter the town. But it’s an order from the Magistrate, and we can’t defy it."

The refugee heard this and burst out crying. She refused to stand up and continued kowtowing. "Please, Sir. I beg you."

The town guard didn’t dare to use too much force, fearing that he would injure the old lady. So, he could only stand there helplessly.

When he was at his wits’ end, a group of soldiers arrived. In the middle of the procession, a simple horse carriage moved slowly.

Seeing the emblem on the horse carriage, the town guards no longer hesitated and pulled the old woman to the side. The rest of the town guards also moved quickly and pushed the refugees aside, opening a wide path for the procession.

Sitting inside the carriage, Zhao Xian heard the commotion outside. He put down the report he was reading and lifted the curtain blocking the carriage window.

When he saw the refugees begging outside, he frowned and said, "Stop the carriage."

Following his order, the carriage slowed down until it stopped completely. As he walked out of the carriage, Yu Ji had already placed the wooden steps beside it.

Zhao Xian stepped down and asked, "What’s going on here?"

The leader of the patrolling town guards stepped forward and bowed before saying, "Reporting to the County Magistrate, these refugees insist on entering the town, but the Town Magistrate has ordered that without household registers, no one is allowed to enter."

Hearing this, he could guess the situation. He turned to the refugees and said, "Everyone, I’m the Magistrate of Wei County, Zhao Xian. I hope you can stay calm, wait here, and not cause any trouble."

Before he finished speaking, one of the refugees shouted, "Magistrate Zhao, we don’t want to cause any trouble. We only want to enter the town and seek a job."

"Magistrate Zhao, we came here because we heard that the Xue family is hiring workers to build workshops. They provide meals and also pay 15 wen per day. We only want to find a way to survive," another refugee added.

"We don’t ask for much, just give us a way to live!"

"That’s right! We can’t do anything when the imperial court decides to abandon us. Now that we finally have a way to survive, what right does the Town Magistrate have to block us?!"

The more they spoke, the angrier they became.

Noticing that the situation was getting out of control, Zhao Xian raised his hands and said, "Everyone, calm down!"

After his guards forced the refugees to calm down, he continued, "I know what everyone is worried about, and I promise to find out the situation and contact the Xue family personally. I will do my best to give you an explanation. So, please be patient and wait for my news."

The refugees exchanged glances and discussed in low voices for a while before they were finally willing to listen to him.

"Magistrate Zhao, we will listen to you. But we hope you are not giving us false hope," an old man said hoarsely.

"I never break my promise," Zhao Xian nodded.

After calming down the crowd, he boarded his horse carriage and finally entered the town. He went directly to the magistrate’s office and summoned Zhang Mu, the Magistrate of Zhu’an Town.

As he waited in the main hall, a guard quickly went to inform Zhang Mu.

At this moment, Zhang Mu was in the middle of favoring one of his concubines at home. When his steward came over, he was at a critical moment.

"Master, Magistrate Zhao summons you to the office. He is currently waiting for you in the main hall."

As soon as he heard this, Zhang Mu was startled and lost control.

As he released himself, his concubine gave him a disdainful gaze.

He only focused on his own pleasure and never thought about whether she felt good or not. Sleeping with him was boring and disgusting. That young guard performed better than him a thousandfold!

Despite his concubine’s complaints, Zhang Mu quickly pulled away and put on his clothes hurriedly. Without giving the beauty another glance, he rushed out while asking, "Why did he suddenly come again?"

The steward lowered his gaze as he followed him out of the back courtyard. "Master, the guard didn’t tell this servant anything. He only urged this servant to inform you."

Zhang Mu hated Zhao Xian the most. Although he was no longer the Magistrate of Zhu’an Town, he still liked to interfere with his affairs. If not because Zhao Xian’s rank was higher than his, he would have loved to punch him.

But no matter how he had that young man, he still had to obey his order.

Despite his hurry, it still took him more than an hour to change his clothes and rush to the magistrate’s office. When he arrived, he saw the dashing young man sitting in the main seat, reading the reports on the desk.

Zhang Mu straightened his hat before cupping his fists and bowing. "Greetings, Lord Zhao."

Zhao Xian didn’t respond to his greeting and continued reading the report.

Seeing his nonchalant attitude, Zhang Mu cursed him and his 18 generations of ancestors in his heart. But outwardly, he kept his waist bent and his head lowered. He didn’t dare to rise without permission.

Ten minutes later, his clothes were drenched with sweat, and his arms and legs trembled like a newborn fawn.