49: Section 49

The old official glanced at you, his eyes, however, noticing the transfer order and appointment papers in your hand.

Immediately, he sobered up considerably.

"So it's the newly appointed Lord. Please follow me inside, I'll explain there."

You followed the old official into the County Government. Only after entering did you realize that the various furnishings of the County Government were already covered in cobwebs and in disrepair.

Evidently, no one had conducted official business here for a long time.

The County Prime Minister, Chief Bookkeeper, Patrol Inspector, Head Constable, and all the minor officials were absent.

You were very angry at this sight, as the Empress was coming to inspect in a year, and this concerned your life and safety.

If anything went wrong, Xiao Huang would definitely find an excuse to kill you.

The old official before you was the only person currently in the County Government, so you could only seek his help.

After a brief exchange, you learned that this old official was named Liu Laohei, and then you asked him the most crucial question.

"Where have the other officials gone?"

Upon hearing your words, Liu Laohei quickly closed the main door, and only stopped after carefully observing other areas.

"Old Master, you're new here and don't know, but this County Government hasn't had anyone working in it for a long time. Everyone has gone to the Hanjiang Restaurant. Not only do they eat and sleep there day and night, but even if there's a case, it's tried at the Hanjiang Restaurant."

"Hanjiang Restaurant?"

You had passed by this Hanjiang Restaurant before, but it was clearly a brothel. All the officials of Gulan County were working there; it was completely rotten to the core.

Facing such a situation, you felt a slight difficulty, but your character would not allow you to retreat.

At this moment, what do you choose?

Option 1: Renovate the County Government, bring all officials back to work in the County Government, and establish your authority.

Option 2: Choose to turn a blind eye to everything before you, find the other officials, and express your desire to collude with them.

Option 3: Remain inactive after taking office, conduct a thorough investigation to identify marginalized and ostracized individuals in the County Government, and recruit them as confidants to help you govern Gulan County.

...

Looking at the three options, Su Mo essentially wanted to choose the second one.

But now there was suspected to be a Demon in Gulan County, and without the protection of Haoran Righteousness, he might be finished before the Empress even arrived.

So only the first and third options were available.

The first option was a bit too rigid.

Even Hai Gangfeng wouldn't dare choose that.

Only the third option, taking the middle path, could avoid risks while gradually taking control of Gulan County.

Subsequently, Su Mo chose the third option.

...

You chose to remain inactive and conduct a thorough investigation.

You noticed the envy in Liu Laohei's eyes when he spoke of these officials going to the Hanjiang Restaurant, confirming that he was not qualified to go.

Coupled with him being the only person who came to the County Government, you decided to find a Breakthrough through Liu Laohei first!

Chapter 58: Slander from a Woman's Mouth, Reason Cannot Be Clearly Distinguished

"Liu Laohei, have you ever been to that Hanjiang Restaurant?"

Upon hearing your words, Liu Laohei's old face flushed red with shame.

"Old Master, to be honest, I've never been."

"Usually, being able to go to an alley to find a back door is already pretty good."

Hearing Liu Laohei's words, you have confirmed that Liu Laohei is the type of marginalized person who is ostracized in the yamen.

Such a person is frustrated and unfulfilled; as long as he is given a chance, he will climb frantically.

"Liu Laohei, are there any other officials similar to you here? Of course, I'm not looking down on you, I just want to unite the forces I desire."

Upon hearing your words, Liu Laohei's heart was stirred.

"Sir, I know, I know!"

"There are three others. Some of them were ostracized for disobeying orders, some for being undisciplined, and one for not kneeling in time when he saw the County Prime Minister."

"That last one was very serious. The County Prime Minister ordered the constables to tie him up and expose him to the sun for three days."

You were furious upon hearing that the County Prime Minister did such a thing.

You believed that people should not treat others this way.

Even when you were a Prince, you never treated your servants who were not attentive in such a manner.

But now you are alone, venturing into this Dragon's den of Gulan County, and you can only temporarily endure it and make plans for later.

Then you had Liu Laohei gather the other three, and they had a simple meal at the County Government.

During this time, you constantly inquired, and the network of connections in Gulan County also solidified in your mind.

The County Prime Minister's name is Zheng Boyuan. He has been rooted in Gulan County for a long time. Among the six departments (Personnel, Revenue, Rites, Military, Justice, Public Works) scribes in Gulan County, three are his sons-in-law, and the other three are his nephews or sons.

The Chief Clerk and the Judicial Officer are also his in-laws.

The local protectors in various villages and towns under Gulan County are also his people.

Officials, big and small, are intermarried, controlling all important positions in Gulan County.

It can be said that the entire Gulan County has been managed by Zheng Boyuan to be impenetrable, a solid block.

You have no soldiers, only a transfer order. It will be very difficult to establish yourself in this Gulan County.

You temporarily couldn't think of any ideas regarding this matter.

Then you inquired about the causes of death of the previous County Magistrates, but the four remained silent.

"Is it related to a Demon?"

As the four remained silent, you suddenly asked, carefully observing everyone's expressions.

Finally, as you expected, a trace of panic flashed across the faces of the four, but they quickly hid it.

"Sir, you're joking. In broad daylight, how could there be a Demon causing trouble in Gulan County?"

"Yes, Sir, you must have heard gossip from some busybody. We've never seen any Demons since we were young."

"Rumors, absolutely rumors!"

"Sir, let's drink. The County Prime Minister should be here tomorrow. You must be careful, he's a formidable person."

Listening to everyone chattering, you showed nothing, but nodded and drank with everyone.

During this time, you also learned of another connection of the County Prime Minister Zheng Boyuan: his wife was from the Long family of Hetao.

This Long family is a millennium-old aristocratic family; even a Prince without a title would not necessarily succeed in marrying into it.

It truly surprised you that Zheng Boyuan could marry a daughter of the Long family.

You wondered what hidden interests were involved.

After eating and drinking your fill, you spent the night at the County Government.

The next day, the County Prime Minister Zheng Boyuan, upon learning of your arrival, immediately led officials, both big and small, to the County Government to welcome you.

You also changed into your official robes, accepting their welcome.

But you saw the disdain and contempt in the eyes of these officials, yet you knew that now was not the time to fall out with them, so you feigned composure and began to exchange pleasantries with Zheng Boyuan.

Zheng Boyuan knew your true identity, and being skilled at discerning the Empress's intentions, he immediately understood why Empress Xiao Huang had sent you to Gulan County.

The former retainers of the Su Imperial Clan were numerous, and there might not be no possibility of restoration.

But your death could not be too obvious; you could only die unknowingly.

Afterward, it could only be attributed to the phenomenon of County Magistrates dying easily in Gulan County.

Subsequently, Zheng Boyuan invited you to a banquet to welcome you.

And the place you arrived at was precisely the Hanjiang Restaurant.

After three rounds of drinks, you made a request to Zheng Boyuan.

"County Prime Minister Zheng, I have a request. Could funds be allocated to renovate and tidy up the County Government?"

"It's truly improper for officials to conduct business continuously in brothels."

Upon hearing your words, the faces of all the officials changed, turning as black as coal.

Your suggestion was tantamount to digging into their flesh.

Who knew that Zheng Boyuan readily agreed?

"Easy, easy. In the future, you should also have pomp when you travel. I'll even provide you with four sedan chair bearers. Only then can the County Magistrate's prestige be displayed."

Seeing Zheng Boyuan's abnormal behavior, although you felt something was off, you did not refuse. Since he agreed, you would deal with whatever came your way.

The other officials were also unhappy seeing Zheng Boyuan like this, and their eyes were filled with doubt towards Zheng Boyuan.

Zheng Boyuan, however, chose to ignore them, frequently toasting you during the banquet, seemingly willing to clear obstacles for you.

Although you knew these were all illusions, you couldn't help but fantasize how wonderful it would be if this were real.

The renovation of the County Government began the day after you returned, and it was the first time you felt the prosperity of Gulan County.

The reason was that the craftsmen who came to renovate the County Government in Gulan County carried meat pies made of white flour.

Such a standard of living made you begin to doubt whether this was still Great Zhou.

Or was it just a bewildering array set up by Zheng Boyuan for you?

The renovation lasted for more than three months, during which you stayed indoors, examining all the files.

Finally, as you expected, a comparison of the various files revealed numerous loopholes.

For example, in a drowning case, the deceased was clearly recorded as having died from drowning, but other files stated that there were ligature marks on the neck.

And in a wife-killing case, the deceased was killed by her husband with a stool, but other files stated she was hanged.

There were simply too many such files, almost countless.

Looking at the comparison of various files, you were very surprised.

You felt that these people were simply not even bothering to put on an act.

There were also various errors in the financial ledgers of Gulan County.

At this moment, you felt a huge resistance implicitly pressuring you. But you did not lose heart and continued to collect evidence.

...

One day, as you were leaving in a sedan chair, preparing to inspect the water conservancy and irrigation canals in nearby towns, a woman stopped your sedan chair to cry out for injustice, making you halt.

According to her, while her husband was away, she was raped at home by a traveling merchant, and now that merchant was in Gulan County.

She only begged you, the upright County Magistrate, to do justice for her and arrest the merchant.

You observed that she was dark and plump, realizing that this was very likely a trap set by Zheng Boyuan for you.

If you handled the case improperly, you might be caught with a handle.

However, the Da Zhou Dynasty had a rule: regardless of whether the grievance was true, anyone who stopped a sedan chair in the street had to receive fifty planks before the case could proceed.

Coupled with the saying, "Slander from a woman's mouth, reason cannot be clearly distinguished."

So you ordered her to be given fifty planks and sent constables to arrest the merchant and bring him to the yamen.

At this time, the yamen was crowded with people; almost half of Gulan County had gathered, wanting to see how you would try the case.

However, the merchant was incredibly stubborn; even with torture, he absolutely refused to admit his guilt.

Zheng Boyuan and others were watching the spectacle, wanting to see how you would handle the trial.

Having no other choice, you called for Liu Laohei and the others; they were the only officials you could command.