Chapter 34 (Kneeling in gratitude to my good brother "Chaoyun Hengai" for his two Silver-ranked friends!!!)
"What kind of case are we handling? Naturally, we're handling major cases for the imperial court."
Faced with his junior sister's question, Ouyang Rong chuckled. At that moment, the carriage stopped in front of the county government office, and a soldier helped him lift the curtain.
"Thanks."
Ouyang Rong jumped down from the carriage, and Xie Lingjiang followed, her brows furrowing slightly.
"A major case for the imperial court? Does Longcheng County have one?"
"Who says it has to happen in Dragon City?"
"If it didn't happen in Longcheng, why were troops sent to Longcheng to investigate the case?"
"Sometimes, murders that occur outside the county are more useful than those that occur within the county."
Ouyang Rong squinted at the Longcheng County Government Office, which was surrounded by three hundred elite soldiers. The East Treasury, where accounts and tax records were kept, must have been sealed off by Commandant Qin and his men.
The military service system of the Great Zhou Dynasty was the Fubing system. The basic organizational unit of the Fubing was the Zhechongfu. There were more than 700 Zhechongfu in the ten circuits of the country, and their distribution showed a pattern of "central control over the outside" and "emphasizing the inside over the outside".
The Guannei Circuit, where Luoyang and Chang'an are located, has nearly half of the Zhechong Prefectures; the rest are mostly stationed on the frontier or in important towns throughout the country, while there are relatively few Zhechong Prefectures in the south, with only six in the entire prosperous Jiangnan Circuit.
Jiangzhou, known as Jiujiang in the Qin Dynasty and Xunyang in the Han Dynasty, is the same Xunyang mentioned in the poem "Seeing off guests at night on the Xunyang River". This place is located at the confluence of three rivers and a thoroughfare connecting seven provinces. With its developed water transport, a Zhechong Prefecture was located here, controlling a vital strategic location.
However, even the governor of Jiangzhou could not fully mobilize the troops of Jiangzhou Zhechong Prefecture on ordinary days, as he had to report to higher authorities at each level.
This was also what Xie Lingjiang was currently curious about. She followed Ouyang Rong into the county government office, pondering as they walked:
"The imperial court's murder case outside the county... Senior brother, are you referring to... the major corruption case that occurred at the Jimin Granary in Jiangzhou?"
“Junior sister is clever,” Ouyang Rong said casually.
"But how did the investigation lead to Longcheng County? Could it be that someone in the county is involved in this case?"
"Whether anyone in Longcheng was involved in the rice corruption case, I don't know. But I do know that when investigating a case, you just need to investigate everywhere, and the case will come out. Although it's very likely that what we find isn't the rice case, it's not a big deal if we treat it as such."
The young magistrate chuckled as the two approached the east treasury. From afar, they could see the official residence, enclosed by both inner and outer walls. He turned and finally revealed the cause and effect:
“I wrote a letter and delivered it to Lord Shen, the Jiangnan Circuit Inspector who was handling the case in Xunyang City. Longcheng County is located at the entrance of Yunmengze and the Yangtze River. Ships entering and leaving the Yangtze River from Jiangzhou must pass through Longcheng. The rice stolen from Jimin Granary by the rats is very likely to have flowed quietly through Penglangdu, or even been transshipped and unloaded here.”
Xie Lingjiang suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. This Lord Shen Xisheng is an imperial censor sent by the Empress to provide disaster relief and investigate the case. He does indeed have the authority to mobilize troops? That's why he directly sent three hundred iron cavalry to assist you in your investigation?"
Ouyang Rong nodded slightly, then shook his head:
"If that were all, Inspector Shen could simply send someone to investigate. The main reason he entrusted me with the full responsibility of the three hundred iron cavalry is... because we know each other."
"When I returned to the capital after mourning my mother's death, I was originally going to be promoted to the Censorate and become Shen Jianji's subordinate. However, before I even took office, I risked my life to remonstrate with him... Moreover, that day in the main hall, Shen Jianji also stood up and said a few words for me. Compared to other officials in the Censorate and the Lintai, he was quite fair."
"This also gives a general idea of this official's character. Moreover, I didn't hide anything in my letter. I gave a general overview of the disaster relief situation in Longcheng County. I think Inspector Shen should have understood it."
Ouyang Rong sighed, "But without saying a word, he directly dispatched three hundred elite cavalry. I was quite surprised when Liu Lang reported this."
Xie Lingjiang looked at him with bright eyes and said, "The main reason is that Senior Brother's upright character is renowned throughout the world. Lord Shen has personally witnessed his actions and naturally trusts him. This is because every action is preordained."
Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes, patted his sleeves, and walked towards the heavily guarded east warehouse, saying, "Thank you for your kind words, Junior Sister."
The East Warehouse contains the household registers, conscript registers, customs tax records, and foreign merchant tax records of Longcheng County for the past five years. In the past, it was a neglected place in the county government office, where the clerks who stayed behind were all sitting on the sidelines in the government office and would come here to waste their time.
At this moment, however, the East Warehouse became the most heavily guarded building in the government office and even in Longcheng County, and the focus of great anxiety for the local gentry and powerful families.
Qin Heng, the resolute captain, and Yan Liulang, the constable of Longcheng, were waiting in front of the east warehouse. When Ouyang Rong arrived with Xie Lingjiang, they bowed and reported the situation.
Ouyang Rong said thank you for your hard work.
At this moment, County Magistrate Diao arrived in a hurry with a group of clerks.
The former was practically bald from pulling out his beard. "Your Excellency, Your Excellency, what's going on? What's going on? Why did you bring troops here all of a sudden?"
Ouyang Rong nodded and said, "Settle the accounts."
"Why are you settling accounts all of this out of the blue?"
"Does Lord Diao consider this to be perfectly fine?"
"What does Your Excellency mean by this?"
"Outside the city are people who can't afford to eat, while along the banks of Butterfly Creek inside the city are wealthy gentry who are richer than the county government officials. Does Lord Diao think this is a good thing?"
"Well... it's been accumulated over generations by their ancestors. What can we do? We can't just rob them, can we?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "Rob? I wouldn't do that."
County Magistrate Diao breathed a sigh of relief, but the next sentence he heard made his heart tremble with fear.
Ouyang Rong nodded: "But if they aren't theirs, it's not unreasonable for the official to take them back after settling accounts, is it?"
He then peeked out a long, slender, fair hand from his sleeve, revealing his white teeth with a smile, and said:
"Besides, let's leave aside our ancestors for generations; we don't have that much free time. Let me investigate back five years. That's not much, is it? They've been rich for so many years; their hands should be clean by now, right?"
"What...what if it's not clean?"
"If it's not clean, then go and clean it up for them."
"..."
County Magistrate Diao hesitated, looked around, and said helplessly, "If it's about settling accounts, why did you kick out all the clerks in charge of the East Warehouse? They're the ones who know best how to do these kinds of accounts."
"I don't need people like you. I have my own people. The clerks who have been helping me with the accounting and coordination at the disaster relief camp in the suburbs these days have been doing a good job. Let them do the accounting."
Ouyang Rong turned around and gave a few detailed instructions. Yan Liulang then went to find people and soon brought over the group of clerks that Ouyang Rong recognized.
Once everyone was present, Ouyang Rong calmly addressed the guards at the warehouse gate: "Open the warehouse."
Then he pointed to the slowly opening door:
"I want to see if this place is like the Jimin Granary, teeming with giant rats."
"The Dragon King and the Liu family must be held accountable first. What a fine character 'Liu' it is, born by water, thriving when the water overflows!"
The young magistrate stood tall on the top step, then turned and addressed the crowd below in a loud voice:
"Don't accuse me of bullying the people. Today, I will conduct this investigation openly and honestly, and follow all the procedures. As I said before, I've only come to Longcheng to do one thing. So, let's lay out every single account for everyone to see, and let me see for myself how the Liu family manages to become rich year after year despite the constant floods!"
...
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(PS: When I woke up on New Year's Eve, I was surprised to see that "Gentleman and Sword Maiden" was on the site's broadcast. Was I still dreaming?)
Upon closer inspection, holy crap, it was actually real!
I recognized him instantly – this "Chaoyun Hengai" guy is a true brother I'd risk my life for!
Sword Maiden, a Silver-ranked cutie.
Another silver-tier cutie for the gentleman.
That's too much; it filled it up completely.
The dog author, who had been thoroughly beaten, finally got a taste of what it's like to have 'life like a wish-fulfillment novel' QAQ
Thank you to my good brother "Chaoyun Hengai"! Upon closer inspection, I realized he's an old reader who came from the Sword Maiden series. I'm truly moved to tears!
What moved Xiao Rong more than money was the sense of accomplishment and happiness she felt from being recognized by others.
If you tell your family and friends that there are people in the world who like your books, they will be skeptical and think you are just patting yourself on the back.
But if you tell them that a fellow reader has rewarded you, a complete stranger, with two Silver Coins, and explain the value of Silver Coins, they will immediately understand that what you are writing is at least not a pile of garbage that no one cares about, and that you are not wasting your time holed up in your room all day doing nothing.
We don't need others' approval, yet we so desperately crave it.
Thank you, Brother "Chaoyun Hengai", for giving me a crown that allows me to always hold my head high and face my family who don't understand my writing.
I also want to thank all the readers who have spent time reading Junzi and Jianniang. The subscription fee is nothing compared to the time you have spent.
And the thought that readers, including "Chaoyun Hengai," have spent their precious time and energy reading my humble stories... is the greatest honor a writer could have.
Finally, regarding the much-anticipated extra chapters: *Ahem*, Brother "Chaoyun Heng'ai," I will indeed add ten chapters! However, these extra chapters will likely be released after the book is officially published QAQ
As for the sword maiden, Xiao Rong was thinking, why don't we make a fan service side story featuring your favorite heroine? You Rong, Qing Jun, Xiao Xiao, etc. are all fine. Wait, it can't be that we're going to have them all together, right? It shouldn't be, right? No way... Damn it.
You're not allowed to attend the silver party.jpg
(End of this chapter)
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