Chapter 1546 Extra: Correct Question, Correct Answer (Part 1)
The seventh year of Yanhuang, summer.
He led his officials on an inspection tour of the Northwest.
The Northwest Continent was, after all, where Shen Tang started his business, and it was also the base to which he had devoted the most resources and effort. Although in recent years his energy had been shifted to the Northeast, Central and Southwest, the Northwest Continent remained the most populous and the most stable place.
The local officials also know best how terrifying Shen Tang is.
Before the unification of the mainland, Kangxi had occupied the northwest for more than ten years.
Every year, the royal court inspects the area, screening it again and again.
Admittedly, human minds are very clever when it comes to corruption and bribery, with a hundred ways to make money in various ways. But Shen Tang also has a thousand ways to know whether their hands are clean or not. Corrupt officials can't be eradicated, but neither can her knife. Those fools who didn't believe in the law and naively thought that the devil was always one step ahead of the saint have already been reincarnated, and their descendants for three generations are also barred from holding official positions.
Due to a combination of factors, the officialdom in the Northwest naturally appeared to be untainted compared to the regions inspected by the imperial court in previous visits.
The accompanying officials also breathed a sigh of relief.
They don't want to end up with a bunch of brains every time they go on a business trip.
While it's certainly satisfying to behead corrupt officials and confiscate their assets for the national treasury, the mess they leave behind is also troublesome. The emperor then holds them accountable at each level, often implicating innocent bystanders. A few years ago, the royal inspections were chaotic, but this year it's been quiet.
Officials from six ministries can still find time for publicly funded travel.
You can also visit relatives' or friends' hometowns along the way to catch up.
“I really miss it. I remember that in the third year of the Yuanhuang era, I accompanied the emperor on an inspection tour here. I drank wine and composed poems with several colleagues here, and carved the words ‘I was here’ on a stone tablet…” The official who was then the Director of the Examination and Evaluation Department of the Ministry of Personnel followed his memory and found the traces of the carving.
"Look, it's right here!"
As the crowd gathered, they discovered that dozens of different inscriptions had appeared next to the "I was here" inscription carved by the Director of the Examination and Merit Bureau. The inscriptions were mostly "So-and-so visited this place in such-and-such month of such-and-such year," or "What was the weather like in such-and-such month of such-and-such year?" or "So-and-so and So-and-so pray for eternal love." Some people were seeking fame and fortune for themselves, while others were praying for the safety of their relatives. Of course, some people also complained that this was too unrefined.
Everyone tacitly ignored this content.
Each of them added new content.
The summer heat was still intense, and everyone heard that there were new entertainment options nearby.
For a small fee, tourists can float downstream and experience a thrill no less exciting than the adventures of Tang Sanzang and his disciples crossing the Tongtian River. An official immediately frowned: "This is utterly absurd. Are these waterways their private property? Who exactly enclosed these waterways and built this thing?"
I've only ever heard that you have to pay to take the ferry.
I've never heard of having to pay to jump into a river and float downstream.
They saw this as a windfall, a local power grab delivered right to their doorstep. Initially uninterested, they were now determined to conduct a covert investigation and gather evidence. A group of about ten people formed a rafting trip, only to discover that things weren't as they had imagined.
First of all, this project followed the official channels.
Secondly, the person who contracted the project was the head of a martial arts school.
Then, the curator was a Right Vice Minister of the Eleventh Rank.
Finally, their superior stood beside the eleventh-rank right junior official and said something, causing everyone to shrink back.
"Why is Lord Luan here too?"
They could see the scholar in the bamboo pavilion from a great distance.
You don't even need to see his face to know that it's their department head, Luan Xin.
"Didn't Lord Luan say he went to visit a friend?"
The group whispered amongst themselves, hesitating whether to step forward.
Before they could even back down, their superior, Luan Xin, had already spotted them. He turned and looked in their direction, his expression indifferent. The group was startled by his gaze, and they shoved each other, taking small, hesitant steps forward to bow.
"This humble official greets Lord Luan."
Luan Xin: "We don't use that form of address in private."
The martial artist's gaze swept over them: "Sir, who are these gentlemen?"
Luan Xin: "They are all officials from the Ministry of Personnel."
"So you are your subordinates, sir. Are you all here for sightseeing?"
The official in charge of performance evaluation was pushed forward to answer: "Yes, yes, we heard from tourists that there is a good place to cool off and escape the summer heat here. We came because it sounded interesting, and we also wanted to see if there was anything we could learn from it."
The martial artist said, "In that case, I'll give you all a discount."
Everyone secretly thought to themselves that he was quite stingy.
This fellow was clearly acquainted with Lord Luan, and since they were all officials from the Ministry of Personnel, instead of offering free tickets and proper hospitality, they were only given a discount. However, these complaints couldn't be voiced openly; military men were commoners, but Lord Luan was their superior.
The rafting activity involves giving everyone a bamboo raft, and a scholar collecting tickets at the entrance chanting a spell to envelop them in an inflatable aura that helps them float. This wasn't unfamiliar to the group; similar things had happened in previous naval battles in the southwest.
It's very friendly to some people who can't swim, and they are less likely to drown if they fall into the water.
The Director of the Examination and Evaluation Department: "And then?"
Then everyone was divided into three bamboo rafts.
Each raft has one person poling it.
The crowd remained expressionless: "What's so fun about this?"
However, they had to give face to Luan Gong's friend, and even though they felt bored, they still had to go through the game, so they all patiently endured it.
Watching the three bamboo rafts sail away, Luan Xin's lips twitched slightly.
He had just spoken with an old friend and learned that his friend and his martial arts school disciples had some cooperation with the government. Most of the military resources of the Royal Court's General Headquarters had been diverted to the other three regions, which resulted in a severe shortage of capable and courageous martial artists for various construction projects in the Northwest.
Driven by the need for political achievements and also to avoid the looming threat of a royal inspection, officials were forced to seek cooperation from the common people. It was at this time that my old friend's martial arts school connected with the government. Of course, there had been some prior contact, but all through the local military governor's office.
An old friend undertook the project and built this artificial canal.
The local government intended to alleviate water shortages, but an old friend, seeing the newly built canal connecting to a tributary of the Miao River, had other ideas.
Why not take advantage of the elevation difference and find a way to make money?
Times have changed. Martial arts school disciples can no longer make a living by joining the army and fighting. They all have huge appetites, and one old friend alone cannot support them all. But we can't just let these people go out and become wandering knights. The government has been strictly controlling wandering knights in recent years.
He also didn't want to go to the government dungeon to bail out his disciples.
After several sleepless nights, the idea of starting a tourism business came to mind.
Let ordinary people who have spare money and feel that life is boring experience some excitement. After going through it, they will definitely love life and cherish life.
It was put into trial operation two years ago and received a very good response.
So they persevered, and it became a major source of income during the summer.
At first, Luan Xin didn't think it was fun, but after being dragged along by an old friend to try it once, he changed his mind. Playing this was just putting in the hard work without any real effort. If the officials in the Examination and Appointment Department were a little more observant, they would have noticed that Luan Xin's clothes had been changed. _(:з」∠)_
Luan Xin: "Some of them can't swim."
My old friend laughed and said, "I guarantee you'll survive."
They're guaranteed to be caught the moment they fall into the water and thrown onto the bamboo raft to continue drifting; even if they open their mouths wide, they won't be able to drink a few mouthfuls of river water.
Luan Xin couldn't help but smile.
The old friend looked at the young man beside him.
The latter seems to have remained largely unchanged from more than twenty years ago.
"Sigh, I never imagined things would turn out like this..."
Luan Xin agreed, "That's really unexpected."
If human ambition is the root of conflict in chaotic times, then the valiant warriors are the sharpest knives in their hands. Before this, these knives had never considered how they would survive if the world were no longer at war; the valiant warriors were born for war.
Without war, warriors lose their reason for living, and they may not even be able to survive, because a stable situation means they cannot plunder essential resources for survival at will.
To everyone's surprise, they survived.
They're even doing quite well.
My old friend was also deeply moved by this.
With his talent, reaching the eighth-rank Gongcheng in cultivation would have been about right. If he was lucky, he would have survived and accumulated more military merits; if he was unlucky, he would have died on the battlefield. But now he has steadily risen to the eleventh-rank Right Chancellor. More than ten years of progress seems slow, but don't forget that he didn't face any survival pressure or risk of death throughout the entire process.
When old friends meet, they should normally have a lot to say, but the martial arts school master hesitated several times before speaking. Although he tried his best to hide his unusual expression, how could Luan Xin not notice? Luan Xin sighed, "You wrote to me, just to sit here in silence?"
The martial arts school master slapped his thigh and clutched the hem of his clothes.
His square face was full of embarrassment.
“There’s something…” Luan Xin almost thought he was in trouble, but the other party just stammered that he had to take him to see someone, and rambled on for a while on the way, “Half a year ago, one of my disciples took pity on a girl and saved her. Her family suffered a great calamity, and if the county magistrate does nothing, she will appeal to the prefecture. If that still doesn’t work, she will go barefoot to the imperial court to seek justice!”
Heading straight to the capital, straight to the royal court.
Luan Xin exclaimed in surprise, "Such an injustice? And the local officials are doing nothing?"
If he were to truly appeal to the emperor, the Censorate, the Ministry of Justice, and the Court of Judicial Review might all become involved. Hearing this, Luan Xin thought he had guessed his old friend's intentions. Perhaps he knew the royal court was inspecting the area and was protecting him to prevent him from being harmed? Was the invitation also a way to secretly get some information? This guess seemed plausible, but it didn't quite grasp the real situation. The martial arts school master hurriedly explained.
Local officials are capable of getting things done.
It would be too unfair if Luan Xin misunderstood because of this.
"We've taken care of it, but she's not entirely satisfied with the ruling... Come to think of it..." The martial arts school director hesitated, then stopped.
Luan Xin looked directly into the eyes of the martial arts school director.
The latter took several deep breaths, making sure he was mentally prepared.
"It's all about cause and effect, isn't it?"
"Karma and retribution?"
Martial Arts School Master: "Sir, you'll know once you see the person."
With the situation stabilized and the royal court effectively governed, the practice of randomly finding orphans and abandoned children ceased in various regions. The source of martial arts school disciples changed from the headmaster picking up children to parents bringing their children to learn martial arts. This year alone, they've taken in four students, one of whom is a girl.
This girl is the protagonist who goes to the palace to seek justice.
The martial arts school's training ground was large, and several young disciples were sweating profusely under the care of their senior classmates. Luan Xin immediately spotted a girl among them. The girl was rather frail, and her face was sallow from long-term hunger. She struggled to keep up with the rest of the group. Compared to the others, her steps were slightly unsteady.
The voice of the martial arts school director reached my ears.
The latter sighed, "Some things can't be blamed on Shen Jun. The entire Kang Kingdom is too vast; even she can't be everywhere at once. This child comes from a remote village deep in the mountains. His father is violent, his mother is weak, and even the family couldn't keep the land they were allocated. They were bullied by the local bullies for years. Those landlords can't buy or sell the land they own, but they have plenty of ways to make them indebted..."
Ding Tian can't take it away, but he can't renege on his debts either.
The mountains are high and the emperor is far away; what good is a local official compared to a county magistrate?
None of the family members knew that they should report the incident to the authorities.
The result was that someone died.
The debt collectors came to their door, intending to drag the mother and daughter away to sell them into servitude—no, nowadays Kangguo doesn't allow slavery, but there are always loopholes. They'd sign a contract, making the mother and daughter work to pay off the debt. Once they got rid of them, there were plenty of ways to evade the government.
This trick has proven effective time and again.
As a result, the family was driven to their deaths.
Only one girl, who had repeatedly tried to escape but was caught and beaten half to death, survived by sheer luck. A normal person would become obedient after being beaten seven or eight times, but she dared to run away for the ninth time, rolling down the mountainside and nearly becoming food for jackals, before being rescued by a passing martial arts disciple.
The martial arts school disciples pitied her.
He then told her that she could go and beat the drum to appeal her grievances.
Despite her injuries, she half-walked and half-crawled to the county government.
When county officials saw her covered in blood and her eyelids twitching violently, they immediately took the matter seriously, ordering arrests and executions as appropriate. But she felt this wasn't enough. Why only kill the ringleaders? Why not the accomplices? What about the people who drove her parents to their deaths, the villagers who stood by indifferently, and the thugs who repeatedly arrested and beat her—why weren't they all killed?
The registrar and his men tried to explain to her, but she stubbornly refused, gritting her teeth.
I'll always find a place where I'm willing to kill all these people!
She didn't understand the law, but she was holding a grudge.
These officials have definitely neglected their duties!
However, before going to the capital to plead her case, she had no idea where the capital was, or even that it had been changed from Fengluo to Huangting. The kind-hearted disciple led the girl back: "Regardless, focus on healing your injuries first. The capital is far away; you should at least save some travel expenses, right?"
The girl wholeheartedly agreed with this.
The moment the martial arts school master saw the girl, his eyelids twitched violently, and with mixed feelings, he decided to keep her with him.
Half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.
It just so happened that the royal court was passing by on an inspection tour.
After much hesitation, he finally wrote a letter to Luan Xin.
The martial arts school director regretted writing it as soon as he finished, worried that Luan Xin would harbor resentment. He was fully capable of taking care of the girl, but as a commoner, he couldn't provide her with a good education, fearing it would waste her talent. These two thoughts were intertwined.
Luan Xin did not give him a chance to regret it.
He slowly walked down from the training ground.
The martial arts students stopped practicing when they saw their instructor approaching, awaiting instructions. However, the instructor's entourage walked straight past the crowd to the back of the line and stopped in front of the newcomer. The little girl, her hands on her knees, was sweating profusely from the sun. As a pair of wooden clogs came into view, a shadow fell over her head. She instinctively looked up and met a pair of eyes that were calm and devoid of emotion.
The other person just stared at me without saying a word.
The girl frowned as she was stared at.
Just as she was about to lose her temper, the man suddenly bent down and said, "I have been entrusted by someone to teach you the subtleties of classical texts and the principles of gain and loss. I hope that after a year, you will be able to understand the meaning of the classics and distinguish right from wrong. This will allow me to live up to the trust of my friend and also allow you to live up to your own expectations."
[Silent Nurturing] is expected to be removed from the list of rare items.
|ω`)
(End of this chapter)
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