Zhang San, please behave yourself!
Chapter 93: Death Notice

Chapter 93: Chapter 93: Death Notice

"What!? Principal Officer Bai Yucheng from Chuan-Yu Road is dead?"

At this moment, in the Council Hall of the Town Martial Office, the five deacons looked at the message brought back by Qiongqi, each with faces filled with shock.

Early in the history of the Town Martial Office, it was not uncommon for a Principal Officer managing a road to die.

But in recent years, with the Town Martial Office’s crackdown on all martial path sects across the realm, no one dared to cross them.

However, today, news of a Principal Officer’s death had been conveyed.

The message stated that before his death, Bai Yucheng was embezzling the Town Martial Office’s funds and cultivation resources, even killing his colleagues to silence them.

The only witnesses to Bai Yucheng’s death were Hidden Martial Third Miss Gan and Apprentice Warrior Zhang San.

"Apprentice Warrior Zhang San, perhaps being weak, was lucky enough to escape and survive. But this Third Miss Gan, I have no information about her at all. Whose Hidden Martial is she, and can she be trusted?"

A deacon with a sharp face spoke somewhat angrily.

After all, Bai Yucheng was someone he had personally promoted, and now to state that Bai Yucheng’s crimes were too numerous to record was an embarrassment for him!

A neighboring deacon with a square face nodded repeatedly.

"Only two people survived, naturally what they say goes. Especially this Third Miss Gan, just by the name, you can tell she’s not proper. I believe this matter requires further investigation before reporting to the Chief."

Just then, a voice came from outside the Council Hall door.

"What matter needs to be reported to me?"

The five deacons inside immediately stood up and bowed respectfully to the man with long hair flowing over his shoulders who walked in.

"Chief, we just received the intelligence that Chuan-Yu Road..."

"I know, Principal Officer Bai Yucheng was corrupt and killed his colleagues, and was executed on the spot by Third Miss Gan."

The square-faced deacon immediately opened his mouth, "Principal Officer Sun thinks there’s something fishy about this Third Miss Gan. I also think this person might have issues. Even we five deacons present don’t know who sent her out as a Hidden Martial!"

"Oh. She was dispatched by me."

The Chief sat on a soft couch, glanced at the table filled with beef and mutton, too greasy, he had no appetite.

"Right, what were you saying just now, Principal Officer Yue, about Third Miss Gan?"

Principal Officer Yue bowed respectfully, a face filled with solemnity and righteousness, "Third Miss Gan, on Chuan-Yu Road, discovered a menace like Bai Yucheng, truly a meritous officer of our Town Martial Office. I propose we personally visit Chuan-Yu Road to commend her. And let her replace Bai Yucheng, become the Principal Officer of Chuan-Yu Road to rectify the spirit of our Town Martial Office!"

The other four deacons besides Principal Officer Sun, who lowered his head in silence, looked disdainfully at Principal Officer Yue.

Was this what you said before the Chief entered?

So much for face!

"It has been many years since a Principal Officer has died in our Town Martial Office, this matter is indeed no small issue. We need to dispatch one overt and one covert deacon to investigate. Principal Officer Sun, since you have had quite a bit of contact with Bai Yucheng, how about you..."

"I, Sun, cannot shirk my duty!"

"You discuss well with Principal Officer Yue, and then let Principal Officer Yue take people to investigate Chuan-Yu Road."

After speaking, the Chief didn’t care how unpleasant Principal Officer Sun looked, turned his head to another deacon and said, "Principal Officer Ximen, I’ve heard you just returned from Longwang Road, must have been quite tough. That Heavenly Pond Step Radiance Lapis Lazuli Pill, I will personally oversee its production, this trip to Chuan-Yu Road, it’s hard on you to make another run."

Principal Officer Ximen nodded his head.

Afterwards, the Chief disdainfully glanced at the beef and mutton on the table and left the Council Hall.

Principal Officer Ximen walked out to bid Li Moxian goodbye.

Outside the door, Principal Officer Ximen asked in a low voice, "Chief, about the request I made previously..."

Li Moxian turned his head to look at the burly man next to him, clearly taller than himself, but now bending over in a bow.

"Don’t worry. If it’s not available now, I will secure it for you as soon as it is. I still hold some sway before the Emperor."

Saying so, Li Moxian tried to mimic the fraternal gestures typical among the warriors in the Town Martial Office by patting Principal Officer Ximen on the shoulder, but upon lifting his hand and noticing the old bloodstains still on Ximen’s shoulder, he withdrew his hand.

"My millet porridge should be ready soon, I’m heading back."

...

Meanwhile, in a subterranean palace somewhere in Jiangnan, the hall was filled with singing and dancing, slave girls half-exposed, and the table laden with delicacies, softness in hand.

The man clad only in a long robe slowly poured wine from his cup down the neck of a pale-skinned attendant next to him, creating a small spring at a sharp turn before lowering his head to drink up the spring.

"What Longyou Road mare milk wine, what could be better than this milk wine personally brewed by me, King Jin? Hahahaha..."

At that moment, a subordinate hurried over and whispered a few words into King Jin’s ear.

King Jin flicked his wrist, and all the maids and dancers retreated, leaving only King Jin and the subordinate who came to report the news in the hall.

"Is Bai Yucheng really dead?"

The subordinate nodded and said, "We just received the news, probably not more than a two-hour period later than in the Capital. We are currently contacting the Town Martial Office spies over there to confirm."

"The matters between us and Bai Yucheng, did he reveal any of them before his death?"

The subordinate showed a troubled expression.

"Bai Yucheng died in the Ghost Domain, which is forbidden to the living; I heard that among the forces of the Town Martial Office and the other five Martial Path Sects, only two survived and remained sane. The rest all perished within the Ghost Domain."

"Moreover, we have always used Bai Yucheng to pull in people from the Crown Prince’s side. If something goes wrong, the first accusation will point toward the Crown Prince."

"If they find any trace linked to us, it would seem as if the Crown Prince were trying to set up the Prince."

King Jin laughed.

"Good. The Dragon Serpent Gang has made us quite a bit of money over the years. We should... no... not intervene, just pretend nothing ever happened. The Crown Prince’s people will handle it. Once they do, whether the Dragon Serpent Gang belongs to him or not, it still does. Hahaha..."

As King Jin spoke, he patted his subordinate on the shoulder.

"Let our people on the Chuan-Yu Road do nothing; let things take their course. Hahaha... The position of the Crown Prince will be mine sooner or later! Hahaha..."

...

In a carpenter’s workshop, Kaihuang sat in a partly finished carved dragon chair, wearing plain clothes, and heaved a sigh of relief.

"Sitting in this dragon chair, all worries vanish. Mo, you’ve done well; next time, I’ll treat you to fish."

Mo, dressed in patched-up clothes, glanced at Kaihuang.

"That dragon chair is still being adjusted; don’t break it by sitting."

"What’s the harm in sitting down a couple of times on my own things?"

"Before it’s finished, it’s still the property of the Mohism; stop throwing around your royal ’We’!"

Just then, another old man stepped into the carpenter’s shop and bowed to Kaihuang.

"Kaihuang, this man shows no respect for the Emperor, commits one of the Ten Abominations by plotting great treason, and ought to be executed!"

Mo didn’t even glance at the old man who came in, but with a smirk, sarcastically asked, "I hear the Ministry of Punishment has caught several big fishes from Legalism recently; Pharaoh, when are you planning to put yourself in the death cell for a few days?"

"That will have to wait until Elder Mo agrees to complete the Ten Thousand Dharma Heavenly Net. Speaking of which, that Ten Thousand Dharma Heavenly Net has been under construction for ten years now, Elder Mo better not just take his salary and do nothing!"[Note40]

Seeing the two old men about to quarrel again, Kaihuang quickly coughed and stood up, pulling Pharaoh out of the carpenter’s workshop.

"Your Majesty has summoned me here, what is the matter?"

Pharaoh had long stopped dealing with the affairs of Legalism and the Ministry of Punishment, so being summoned by Kaihuang surely meant something significant.

"Bai Yucheng. Do you remember this person?"

"The root of filth, deeply mistaken. I remember this person; for over a decade at the Capital, I felt there was something wrong with him. I heard he is now the Officer in the Town Martial Office on Chuan-Yu Road. What is Your Majesty implying?"

"He’s dead. When he originally came to the Capital, he faced rejection everywhere and later joined the Town Martial Office, but he hasn’t accomplished much over the years."

Kaihuang spoke, his gaze becoming severe.

"This doesn’t match his talents. If he had been willing to make an effort, even with some problems, attaining the position of a Principal Officer wouldn’t have been an issue. Yet, why did he conscientiously serve on the Chuan-Yu Road all these years? If he wasn’t serving someone else’s purpose, would you believe it?"

Pharaoh had a sudden realization.

A man with great aspirations and a biased temperament could never willingly confine himself to one place for over a decade.

Moreover, the fact that Kaihuang had summoned him meant the person behind this was no ordinary individual.

"I shall personally visit the Chuan-Yu Road myself."

Pharaoh knew, such a task definitely required his personal involvement.

========

[Note40]Reference Note

The Ten Thousand Dharma Heavenly Net is the name of a Magical Treasure. The reference is from "Laozi," "The way of heaven, without contending well conquers, without speaking well responds, without summoning comes by itself, simply scheming well. The heavenly net is vast, sparse but does not miss."

It is definitely not the phrase from "Golden Lotus" which says, "Good is repaid with good, and evil with evil; the net of heaven is vast, sparse yet never lets through."

It definitely is not!