Yinshan Record

Chapter 29 Tiqi Jingye
Cizhou Prefecture governs six counties and is also the seat of the Cizhou Censorate.

According to the official system of the Great Liang Dynasty, there is a registrar from the Jingye Division and a chief clerk from the Tiqi Division stationed here.

The county constables usually only manage public order; when it comes to slaying demons and capturing ghosts, you have to rely on the Jingye Division and the Imperial Guards.

There are cultivators within the Jingye Division who have pledged allegiance to the imperial court.

The Imperial Guards are elite demon-hunting warriors trained within the imperial court.

The two are adversaries, but at the same time they cooperate quite a lot.

Today, Shi Chibao, the Chief of the Cizhou Judicial Office, sent his men to invite Liu, the Military Advisor of the Jingye Division, to discuss matters together.

The office of the Chief Justice's Office was not large; most of it was underground, with seven floors in total, used to suppress all sorts of evil spirits and demons. The offices above ground were low and didn't look very imposing.

Shi Chibao is a sixth-rank cultivator in the Confucian school. He once studied under the Yuelu Mountain sect and possesses a pure and refined Imperial Decree Technique. Within the Tiji system, he is considered the most promising newcomer with the best chance of reaching the fifth rank.

He was not tall, had a long beard, and usually wore simple blue clothes, looking like a middle-aged scholar, completely unlike a cruel official who held the power of life and death in a region.

Behind the main hall of the Thousand Household Office is a painting of the sun rising over the sea, with a plaque made of ebony bearing the four characters "Day Patrol and Night Tour".

The hall was filled with bookshelves, and in the very center, a small area was set up where several imperial guards dressed in qilin robes were reviewing files and writing case records.

On the heavy rosewood desk lay a stack of documents. Beside Shi Chibao was a freshly poured cup of Longjing tea. He took a sip of the sweet-tasting tea and asked the centurion next to him who was signing documents.

"Were the water monster we captured a few days ago tortured?"

"The water monster of Chenjiazhuang, with a cultivation level of the seventh rank, impersonated a deity and demanded young boys and girls. We have already dispatched personnel to capture it. It is a carp spirit who cultivated Buddhist methods. It had a fragmented divine talisman in its body, which had pierced through its bones and locked its soul. The day before yesterday, we received a dispatch from Jiankang to execute it on the spot. The execution has already been carried out, and the fragmented divine talisman has dissipated and returned to heaven and earth. We obtained one demon core, and several other fragments, all of which have been put into storage."

Shi Chibao nodded.

"Commander Li, select a few capable officers from your ranks and send them to Yongning County. There are sorcerers abducting children and crafting magical artifacts; it seems to be a witchcraft practice. Be extra careful on this trip, and report any changes to me immediately."

The centurion surnamed Li stood up, clasped his hands in a salute to Shi Chibao, and left to receive his orders.

The Imperial Guard was established in the early years of the Liang Dynasty. Emperor Taizu, who founded the dynasty, had an extremely capable bodyguard.

In view of the decline of humanity and the turbulent times, they were united and transformed into a team dedicated to investigating all kinds of demons and monsters, and also responsible for intelligence gathering and information collection.

Over the years, Jiankang City has two offices, one in the north and one in the south, and each prefecture has a Thousand-Household Office for Criminal Investigation, which privately inspects all matters in each prefecture and county.

They were considered the most capable and loyal force under Emperor Liang.

Shi Chibao's ancestors had served in the Imperial Guard for generations. He worked diligently in his post as the Chief of the Judicial Office in Cizhou, and in general, he did not cause any major changes in the area under his jurisdiction.

However, something was on Shi Chibao's mind today, preventing him from feeling at ease.

The problem still lies in Guobei County and Shanyin County.

Early this morning, he received two official documents. The first was from the county magistrate of Shanyin County, and the other was from the county magistrate of Guobei County.

The document from Guobei County was quite simple; it was a report from the county magistrate praising his achievements. He said that under his rule, the number of ghosts and spirits in the county had greatly decreased, and he estimated that they had all moved outside.

The county is currently in a state of peace and tranquility, with no other problems for the time being except for a few long-time villains who are still putting up a stubborn resistance.

However, the county's capabilities are limited, so they requested the help of the Imperial Guards to come to the county and conduct an on-site investigation to see if there had been any other changes.

Shi Chibao dismissed the document from Guobei County as utter nonsense.

The sixth rank of Confucian scholars possesses the art of observing the emperor's qi (vital energy). In close proximity, they can observe changes in qi to find ways to defeat the enemy; in distant distance, they can observe changes in mountains, rivers, vegetation, clouds, and rainbows to predict future events.

The air in Guobei County was filled with malevolent energy, its color dark and mysterious, a sign that yin energy was condensing and the ghostly path was flourishing.

It is estimated that a few old men from Guobei County went out to visit relatives and friends, so the magistrate of Guobei County took credit for it.

The entire document failed to mention which evil spirits were executed or which old ghosts were driven away; it was clearly a charade. Shi Chibao, having honed his skills through years of official correspondence, immediately spotted the problem.

The other letter came from Shanyin County.

This letter was one that Shi Chibao had to take seriously.

First of all, the magistrate of Shanyin County was not in the county. The letter was jointly signed by the county magistrate, the registrar, and the county lieutenant.

This means that the matter has reached the point where the three of them have no choice but to submit a joint report, which must be a major issue.

Secondly, there was the special status of the county magistrate of Shanyin.

The county magistrate of Shanyin was surnamed Su and came from the Su clan of Duling.

The Imperial Guards have always been under the management of the inner court. The newly appointed Director of the Imperial Horse Administration is surnamed Su. Shi Chibao has already heard the news. It is estimated that this person will serve for a few years and then be promoted to the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Horse Administration, concurrently serving as the Director of the Imperial Guards.

This County Magistrate Su was one of their own, someone they couldn't afford to offend.

If his identity was merely a prerequisite for him to pay attention, then the newly released content was even more of a concern for him.

The treasury was robbed by a great demon, and treasonous words suddenly appeared in the ancient temple in the county. A group of ghosts joined forces with the demon to plot a rebellion.

Shi Chibao's first reaction was disbelief.

One of these things is absurd enough, and it's absolutely impossible for three things to happen at the same time.

But he couldn't help but believe it.

Because each and every one of these matters is a major issue that he cannot ignore.

Therefore, he repeatedly observed the situation in Shanyin County today, and concluded that Shanyin County is still the same Shanyin County as before.

Either the secrets of heaven have been obscured by a master, or someone in Shanyin County is up to no good.

Shi Chibao now strongly suspects that the one behind this is the newly arrived County Magistrate Su.

The problem is that County Magistrate Su is someone he can't afford to offend.

Therefore, Shi Chibao ordered his men to summon Liu Yu, the commander of the Jingye Division in Jiangzhou, to discuss the matter at hand.

We should discuss and handle things together.

Otherwise, the Imperial Guards would treat it as a top priority, while the Night Watch would treat it as nothing more than a spoiled brat from Shanyin County letting out a loud fart.

It made us a laughing stock for no reason.

Shi Chibao felt that the two sides should discuss it and come up with the same attitude.

"Reporting to Commander Qianhu, Commander Liu Yuliu of the Jingye Division has arrived."

One of his subordinates announced the news from outside, and Shi Chibao straightened his clothes and went out to greet him.

The Chief of the Imperial Guard and the Vice Commander of the Night Watch were enemies, but they were of equal rank. There was no reason for him to sit in his office and have Liu Yu come to pay his respects.

As soon as he stepped out of the yamen, Shi Chibao saw Liu Yu, the registrar of the Jingye Division, who looked unwell.

Heavy rain is falling in many places today, please be careful.

Thank you to friends 05055 and Chu Guotianwen for the monthly tickets.

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(End of this chapter)