How did I, a mere son-in-law lying down, become a "Fenglang Juxu" (a legendary martial art

On his trip to Jinhua County, Liu Shan only brought a small number of people with him.

Attendants included Tian Fugui, the groom Ye Ping'an, the guards Han Chengjia, and Xiao Pang.

Liu Shan ultimately failed to outmaneuver Li Polu, and Lao Pang remained in Li's residence as the head guard.

Originally, Li Wanqing wanted to come along because she felt that although the two were only husband and wife in name, living apart would lead to gossip, and she didn't want to be talked about behind her back.

However, Liu Shan dispelled Li Wanqing's idea of ​​following him with just one sentence.

"Jinhua County has no poetry societies, no hunting grounds, no martial arts arenas, no theaters, no teahouses, no bookstores, no restaurants, and not even any close female friends to chat with. You... still want to go?"

Li Wanqing remained silent for a moment, then backed down.

She is a lively person who can accept boring and tedious things, but she absolutely cannot accept a life that is nothing but boring and tedious.

Although Jinhua County is small, it has a tranquility that is not covered by the hustle and bustle of the city.

If the blacksmith shop incident hadn't happened, this would have been a great place for Liu Shan to retire.

However, the blacksmith shop incident stained this peaceful place with bloodshed and cast a shadow over Liu Shan's heart.

Outside the Jinhua County government office, many officials and constables were already standing.

They remained silent, their eyes revealing tension.

They both admired and feared the soon-to-be-appointed county magistrate.

They admired the county magistrate for bringing down Liu Xinian, who had been abusing his power for many years, and feared him so much that they dismissed all the officials in the county.

Although they were beneficiaries of the system, they were also afraid that the county magistrate would punish them again.

As Liu Shan's carriage slowly approached, the officials straightened their backs, eager to make a good impression on the newly appointed county magistrate.

Liu Shan leaned out of the carriage, his gaze sweeping over the officials who had been waiting for him. He smiled slightly but did not utter a word.

Even if a newly appointed official doesn't need to do anything significant to demonstrate his talent and courage, he knows he can't be rude to the officials, or they will look down on him.

Liu Shan understood this principle well, so he maintained a stern expression and walked steadily toward the county government gate, keeping the airs of a county magistrate.

The officials held their breath, secretly speculating about the young county magistrate's thoughts and wondering if he would continue to reorganize the county government.

Liu Shan stepped into the county government office, entered the main hall, and after taking his seat, said in a deep voice to the officials below, "This county is temporarily without a magistrate, so this assistant magistrate will act in his place."

After saying this, he ordered Tian Fugui to display the appointment book to everyone.

Tian Fugui waved the letter of appointment in front of the officials and officers, and put it away without waiting for them to see it clearly.

Liu Shan's expression was stern: "From this day forward, you must all be dutiful and diligent in your duties. Any negligence will not be tolerated. Although Jinhua County is small, murders are frequent, and public resentment is boiling. I, the county magistrate, will investigate thoroughly and restore peace to the people. If any of you dare to engage in favoritism or corruption, don't blame me for showing no mercy. That's all I have to say. Disperse and take care of yourselves."

The officials looked at each other, feeling a chill in their hearts, and bowed their heads in agreement before retreating in turn.

Liu Shan thought to himself: to govern Jinhua County, we must start by rectifying official corruption in order to achieve a clean government and a peaceful and prosperous society.

Half a month later, the public security in Jinhua County had improved significantly, but that was all; many long-standing problems remained deeply rooted.

In particular, the clan power in Jinhua County is deeply entrenched and difficult to shake in the short term.

The clan power in Jinhua County was different from that of the powerful families in Cangzhou City. Although the latter were powerful, they were still subject to the laws of the court and dared not act openly.

In contrast, the clans in Jinhua County are more like local bullies who run rampant in the countryside. These clans are poor and mostly illiterate. The vast majority of clan elders are not only illiterate, but also bully others and disregard the law.

The Liu family, in particular, had an elder who was not only arrogant and domineering, but also dared to order government officials around at will.

Fortunately, Liu Xinian, the head of the Liu family, was only a minor county magistrate at his peak. If Liu Xinian had held a higher official position, the entire Jinhua County would probably have become the private property of the Liu family.

Strangely enough, the Empress Dowager has pardoned Liu Xinian for some time now, so why hasn't the old man returned to Jinhua County yet?

However, this is also good. The Liu family has temporarily lost its core due to the absence of Liu Xinian, which is a good opportunity to weaken its influence.

Moreover, once the Liu family, the largest clan, is taken over, the other smaller clans will naturally not dare to act recklessly anymore.

Liu Shan's desire to target the Liu family was not without reason.

After learning about the clan power in Jinhua County, he suspected that the Liu family was behind the blacksmith shop murder case.

It's a pity he lacked evidence; otherwise, he would have already called in troops to besiege the Liu family.

If there's no evidence, then create... cough cough, then collect evidence.

Liu Shan decided to send Han Chengjia to collect (steal) the Liu family's account books and letters in order to find clues to the murder case.

Several days later, Han Chengjia returned empty-handed.

Liu Shan frowned and asked incredulously, "You failed?"

Han Chengjia shook his head, "Reporting to you, sir, it wasn't a mistake, in fact, we didn't find it at all."

did not find?

Liu Shan was stunned. The letters might have been destroyed, but how could the account books have vanished without a trace? They must have been hidden very well.

Thinking of this, a hint of excitement flashed in Liu Shan's eyes. If there was no problem, why hide the ledger?

What kind of good family would be so careful to conceal this? Liu Shan pondered for a moment, then had a plan in mind: "Continue to monitor the Liu family and be sure to find some clues."

Han Chengjia accepted the order and left, while Liu Shan sat alone in his study, carefully devising a plan to take down the Liu family.

……

Three days later, Liu Shan sat in the dull county government office, his brows furrowed.

He felt he must have lost his mind to sit here every day from 8 am to 5 pm dealing with tedious official business.

He originally only wanted to find out the mastermind behind the murder case at the blacksmith shop in Jinhua County, but he didn't expect to be entangled in official duties and become a beast of burden once again.

Although this ox or horse has already reached the eighth rank, an ox or horse is still an ox or horse, and ultimately cannot escape the toil of paperwork.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door. Liu Shan sighed, rubbed his sore temples, and looked up to see the yamen runners rushing in with anxious expressions.

Sigh, judging from this situation, it's probably not some trivial matter; it's highly likely that some clan has caused trouble again.

However, what the constable said surprised Liu Shan greatly: "Sir, Li Jichang hanged himself!"

"Who? Who died?" Liu Shan wondered if he had misheard. Li Jichang's identity was not ordinary. How could he have hanged himself at this critical moment?

The constable repeated, "Li Jichang, Li Jichang hanged himself at home!"

Liu Shan was shocked; this was a huge problem!

How was Li Jichang's cause of death determined? Why was it suicide rather than homicide?

While asking questions, Liu Shan quickly stood up, ordered the yamen runners to seal off the scene, and went to the Li family's house to investigate personally.

The constable replied, "There were no signs of a struggle at the scene, and there was a suicide note stating that he committed suicide out of fear of punishment."