Yinshan Record

Chapter 334 Unafraid of the Incense Offerings and Illegal Money
Tian, ​​the registrar, wanted to become the county magistrate and also wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to make a fortune.

But he's not a fool.

Tian, ​​the registrar, could clearly feel the ever-boiling flames that seemed ready to burst forth, outside the government office, in the streets and alleys, in the fields, in the silenced words, and in the hearts of the people.

So reason led him to say one more thing at the end.

This statement was not intended to persuade the magistrate, but rather to persuade himself.

"But now the countryside is full of sorcerers. If public resentment boils over and they go too far with their threats, I'm afraid..."

"do not be afraid."

Magistrate Wen Ning smiled slightly: "A few sorcerers, are they a match for my county's City God?"

Wenning County has a City God, and it is a City God appointed by imperial decree.

This person might be dissatisfied with their practice of profiting from the extinction of their family line, but if any evil people cause trouble, they will naturally stand up to support the country and protect the Great Liang.

Otherwise, what right does he have to be the god of the state?

This is a shackle hanging over the heads of people in the Shinto path.

"Moreover, besides the county god, our dynasty also has the Imperial Guards and the Night Watch. How can a few demons be more rampant than the Xuanshan Old Monster?" Magistrate Wen Ning said confidently. "Not to mention that Judge Shi has been stationed in Cizhou for many years and is such a remarkable person, just take the newly arrived Judge Su. He comes from the Su family of Duling. His family is the pillar of our Great Liang, the pillar that supports the sea and the white jade that holds up the sky."

“Brother, your information may not be up-to-date yet,” Magistrate Wen Ning said, looking at Registrar Tian. “I’ve heard that that young Su Lixing has already reached the fifth rank, and even Lady Xue of Canglang River is no match for him. If some evil spirits are really up to no good, we just need to wait for young Su Lixing to lead his troops to kill them. Hmph, wouldn’t that be another great achievement?”

The county magistrate exhaled a breath of turbid air: "If the sky falls, there will be tall people to hold it up. Brother, don't be afraid of anything happening. Even if some people have joined the evil man, today is the perfect opportunity to lure them out of their hole and kill them all. In the end, their land and children will all fall into your hands, brother."

"If the sky falls, the imperial court will hold it up; if the earth collapses, it won't stop you from making a fortune, brother."

The county magistrate chuckled as he spoke: "You should really think about the key to this, my brother. Take the Wang and Xie families, for example. Through the changing dynasties, they held high office and rode fine horses for generations. Not only did they not collapse with the previous dynasty, but they rose even higher. As the head of the family, you should carefully study their wisdom in managing a household."

The magistrate's words of comfort put most of the pressure on Clerk Tian.

That's right. If the common people don't rebel, we win a small victory; if they do rebel, we win a big one. Anyway, if the sky falls, the imperial court will hold it up, so why should we worry?

Surely no demon could conquer Wenning County and sweep through the entire Cizhou?

The registrar apologized to the magistrate for his ignorance before leaving the back office to find the beautiful and delicate Taoist nun.

No sooner had the registrar Tian left than the magistrate of Wenning County stood up, straightened his clothes, and respectfully addressed the plum blossom, chrysanthemum, bamboo, and orchid screen beside him.

"What does the Alliance Leader think of my response?"

"It is truly wonderful."

Yu Chen stepped out from behind the screen and looked at the magistrate of Wenning County, saying, "In this way, these demons who are impersonating my Great River Alliance will surely be exposed one by one, but it will be a hardship for the people of Wenning County."

The leader of the Great River Alliance, however, wore a genuine expression of compassion and empathy.

He had approached Magistrate Wenning County well in advance. With such a powerful figure as the leader of the Great River Alliance making a request, Magistrate Wenning County naturally had no choice but to comply.

Yu Chen claimed to have discovered that heretical sorcerers were impersonating his Great River Alliance disciples and causing trouble among the people. He asked Magistrate Wen Ning to help lure them out. Once the person behind them was revealed, in addition to the Great River Alliance eliminating them as a reward for the magistrate, Yu Chen would also help him solve some minor troubles.

"The hearts of the people are like water, easily stirred and difficult to calm. When a major disaster strikes, public sentiment is already turbulent, so a little more fire won't make a difference."

The magistrate of Wenning County looked at Yu Chen respectfully and said, "I was unaware of my son's matter..."

"You need not worry about recommending your son to study at Bailudong. I have already written a letter and had it sent to Bailudong. I have personal connections with many teachers at Bailudong, and your son will surely achieve great things there."

Upon hearing Yu Chen's words, Magistrate Wenning felt a great weight lifted from his heart. At his age, any talk of official career was meaningless; his mind was entirely focused on the well-being of his descendants.

Upon hearing that Yu Chen had already arranged a good birth for his child, Magistrate Wen Ning felt that even if the entire county rebelled, it would all be worth it.

He wasted so many years in the position of county magistrate simply because he didn't have a good family background.

Now that his son has gone to Bailudong Academy, he will have a proper social standing after completing his studies, which is much better than my own position as a student in the Imperial Academy, which I had to pay to get in.

After generations of hard work, we finally see a glimmer of hope for the future today.

“Oh dear, Your Excellency’s kindness and virtue will never be forgotten. I will certainly enshrine Your Excellency’s image in the family temple so that future generations will always remember such profound kindness.”

Yu Chen smiled and shook his head, saying, "It's just helping each other out; your county doesn't need to go to such lengths. Without your assistance here, it would be extremely difficult to expose those wicked villains who forged our Great River Alliance's waist tokens."

"But what if the authorities go too far and inadvertently incite a popular uprising..."

"Don't worry, I'm here."

Yu Chen looked at Magistrate Wen Ning and thought, "Now that I'm here, I'm bound to stir up some trouble."

He couldn't help but feel happy thinking about this.

It wasn't just Wenning County; there were thirty-nine counties under the jurisdiction of Cizhou in Daliang, and more than half of them had already been prepared with backup plans, all waiting for Wenning to be the spark that ignited the raging fire.

After ten years of painstaking planning, today is the time to reap the rewards. How could Yu Chen not be overjoyed?

Zhang San and Lao Niu were imprisoned in the Wenning County jail, unaware of what fate awaited them.

Xue Baizhi was slowly stroking her longsword in the clean room, calculating what kind of punishment she would receive when she returned to her sect.

The crime of wantonly killing an official of the imperial court seems to warrant a ten-year confinement for reflection.

That's good, now I can focus on my cultivation.

That's how different people's lives can be.

Lu Bai and Zhu Yi rode their sturdy horses together and hurriedly returned to the Su residence.

"Reporting to the young master, Old Zhu has brought back extremely important intelligence."

Both of the centurions promoted by Su Che looked travel-worn, especially Zhu Yi, whose face was pale and seemed to be injured.

"Old Zhu is injured?"

Su Che looked at him; he seemed to be in good spirits and energy, so it was probably just a superficial injury.

“Sikong Tu has sent people to dig pits outside Wenning County to raise Yin Corpses. I think he will start causing trouble in the next day or two.”

As Zhu Yi spoke, he took out a coin from his pocket and gently placed it on the table.

"I also discovered that he was collecting this item; please take a look, young master."

Su Che picked up the iron coin and weighed it gently in his hand.

It's quite heavy, so this kind of junk shouldn't be a privately made product; it must be a genuine item issued by the Liang Dynasty.

"Money earned from incense offerings?"

(End of this chapter)