Let you play a corrupt official, are you saying you want to make progress?

Chapter 40: Exemplary Conduct of the Ministry of Punishments

The entire live chat was buzzing with excitement, not just the broadcast room.

[“Wow, Qin Xuan discovered this person? That’s incredible!”].

[Exactly, turning an embarrassing situation into something positive!].

[Incredible, even if it was the Ministry of Revenue causing trouble, they can now spin it as a rescue, a good deed!].

“How did he come up with that? If it were me, I’d think it was over!”

Viewers were exclaiming in amazement. This program was genuinely thrilling, making people believe in the extraordinary.

Qin Xuan’s mind was working rapidly. The Ministry of Punishments would have been in significant trouble without his intervention.

After Liu Sui returned, he expressed his gratitude to Qin Xuan. He wasn’t foolish. He couldn’t believe he had just arrived and someone had accidentally fallen into the water.

Qin Xuan must have orchestrated it. There were no such coincidences in the world.

“Qin Xuan, I’ll never forget your kindness in saving me!” At the Ministry of Punishments, Liu Sui expressed his gratitude to Qin Xuan.

Without Qin Xuan’s help, he would have been in a dire situation. Qin Xuan had indeed given him a second chance.

“Rise, Liu Sui. This was just a small disaster averted. There’s still a greater stroke of fortune to come!” Qin Xuan smiled.

This is just the beginning, and there’s still a lot of room for maneuvering!

“Oh? Qin Xuan, please enlighten me!” Liu Sui became intrigued, wondering what other tricks Qin Xuan had. After all, minimizing the impact of this situation was the best outcome they could hope for.

“Zheng Cong, go find someone to spread this matter further. Turn Liu Sui’s act of rescue into a ballad and let children sing it. Second, hire a storyteller to turn this incident into a story to be passed down among the people.”

“Third, spread the news in the vicinity among the commoners, letting them know that when someone fell into the water, the Ministry of Punishments was the first to respond.”

“Fourth, we should celebrate Liu Sui’s actions within the Ministry of Punishments. Go quickly!” Qin Xuan commanded.

His nephew listened to the instructions and scratched his head, finding it difficult to understand.

“Qin Xuan, isn’t it better to keep this matter low-key? Is it necessary to publicize it this way? It’s just a minor incident, right?” His nephew couldn’t quite grasp the reasoning behind the extensive publicity.

“Nonsense, do you think promoting the Ministry of Punishments is a minor matter?” Qin Xuan retorted.

With just one look and a single sentence, the viewers were in awe.

[Amazing! All I can say is amazing!].

[Incredible! I don’t know what to say. Qin Xuan is amazing. This is a significant achievement!].

[This is so powerful. I never expected that Qin Xuan could handle it this way. I thought it was over, but this is just the beginning.].

[Now I understand why Qin Xuan said this was a good thing. The outcome proves it’s a good thing!].

[This idea, not even modern people could come up with it. This is the earliest form of staged events!].

Sometimes, the nature of an event itself is not as important as the marketing strategy used to handle it. Many of these stories are staged like modern media outlets often present news that challenges conventional beliefs. Qin Xuan’s approach was similar, but it didn’t matter. Once it was promoted, people believed it.

Indeed, following extensive promotion, the Ministry of Punishments’ reputation had significantly improved among the common people. Qin Xuan sought out Wang Zhi.

“Mentor, I sincerely thank you for the generous gift!” Qin Xuan expressed his gratitude promptly.

Wang Zhi nodded, giving Qin Xuan a curious look, and asked, “Qin Xuan, what’s the cause for the celebration?”

“Mentor, this time, Liu Sui is immensely grateful to me. Isn’t this a gift from Mentor to your student?” Qin Xuan responded straightforwardly.

Wang Zhi nodded and said, “Qin Xuan, it seems you already possess the qualities of a leader. But how did you figure it out?”

The internet chat exploded:

[I can’t believe it was Wang Zhi, what was his motive?].

[This old fox is truly devious. I can’t believe he could do something like this.].

[I didn’t expect it to be Wang Zhi. I thought it was the Ministry of Revenue!].

[Exactly, I thought it was the Ministry of Revenue. I never expected it was Wang Zhi.].

[I had a feeling there was something fishy about this. Now it turns out my hunch was right!].

[Wang Zhi, that old fox, is so cunning. If I had a leader like that, I’d be plotting my revenge.].

[This is an unbelievable revelation. He even targeted his subordinates.].

What shocked the viewers even more was that Qin Xuan had directly deduced that Wang Zhi was the mastermind behind this event.

“It’s quite simple,” Qin Xuan explained, “Because someone falling into the water can be either a big or a minor issue. If Liu Sui couldn’t swim, this incident would be considered an attempted murder of an officer.”

“That’s not a small matter. If the Ministry of Revenue were behind it, they might even face the removal of the Ministry of Revenue’s chief position. So, I first needed to know whether Liu Sui could swim!”

“Though that may be the case, this matter can be investigated. The Ministry of Revenue can investigate these events without a problem,” Wang Zhi replied, still not entirely satisfied with the answer.

Qin Xuan continued, “The second point is that if the Ministry of Revenue wanted to disgrace the Ministry of Punishments, this incident would have spread far and wide within an extremely short time. But so far, only a few people have seen it. Even I only know about it because Zheng Cong told me.”

Wang Zhi’s expression softened. Qin Xuan had now essentially explained the reasons.

“What else?” Wang Zhi inquired.

“The third point, and the most crucial one, is that Liu Sui had seen you, and when you told him to wait for me, it meant that you were aware of this situation.”

“Your relationship with the Ministry of Revenue is like water and fire. If the Ministry of Revenue weren’t behind it, you would immediately cause them trouble.”

“When it comes to matters involving the Ministry of Revenue, you have never procrastinated, which means you are well aware of who did this,” Qin Xuan stated, his eyes intense and his words deliberate.

These three points led him to conclude that the mastermind behind this was none other than Wang Zhi.

“Of course, there are three advantages to your actions. The first advantage is to give Liu Sui, new to the Ministry of Punishments, a little push, increasing his hatred towards the Ministry of Revenue. The second point is for my sake. You want Liu Sui to owe me a favor.”

“Regarding the third point, the Transportation Department still doesn’t have a head. You want Liu Sui to achieve something so he can enter the Transportation Department. After all, Liu Sui’s qualifications to enter the Transportation Department are quite easy,” Qin Xuan revealed his speculation.

These speculations left the internet users feeling a bit bewildered:

[“What the heck! I’ve never thought of this before!”].

[This city is full of complex schemes; I want to return to the countryside!].

[This is some next-level scheme; if I were Qin Xuan’s subordinate, I wouldn’t know how I’d die.].

[Incredible, all I can say is that Qin Xuan is my idol.].

[I don’t know how to evaluate this; Qin Xuan is my teacher!].

The users were utterly amazed and couldn’t fathom how Qin Xuan had such a brilliant mind. In this moment, Wang Zhi also appeared satisfied.

“Qin Xuan, you didn’t disappoint me. Your performance was excellent. You are already a very successful leader,” Wang Zhi praised Qin Xuan.

Qin Xuan’s performance far exceeded Wang Zhi’s expectations. He had believed Qin Xuan could crack the case, but he had never imagined that Qin Xuan would do it so quickly and with such thorough analysis. He had consistently underestimated Qin Xuan.

“Qin Xuan, you spoke very well. This was my purpose, and I have always believed that only you could unravel this situation,” Wang Zhi said, patting Qin Xuan on the shoulder and speaking with great sincerity.

This was the equivalent of grooming Qin Xuan as his successor.

“However, Qin Xuan, there is a troublesome matter here that I need your help with,” Wang Zhi added, hesitating for a moment.