Walking the Path of a Workaholic in Cliché Novels (QT) Chapter 93

That night, the people (ghosts) he sent found the account books at both the Zhao’s and the county magistrate’s house. He made a copy of the account book and sent it to the capital at full speed along with the memorial. As for himself, he never went to “Xiaoyao Pavilion” again, but buried himself in writing at the inn.

The people in the prefecture were impatiently waiting for him, and he had no intention of rushing to Jiahu to take up his post. Thanks to the special personnel assigned to him by Empress Qi, memorials would reach the desk within a few days.

In his memorial, An Yinong denounced the magistrate’s inaction, saying that as the head of a county, he accepted bribes, colluded with unscrupulous businessmen and officials, and brought disaster to the local area, almost turning Zhanghua County into their personal gambling den and brothel.

In addition, there were important officials in the court who were accomplices and poisoned the people. The harm caused by such officials was no less than that of ten armies of bandits. Therefore, he requested that the magistrate of Zhanghua County be removed immediately and a capable person be sent instead.

Empress Qidi secretly responded to this matter: the magistrate of Zhanghua County was dismissed and investigated, but since no one could be found to replace him in a short time, it would be better for the prefect to work harder and take on two duties at the same time, temporarily serving as the magistrate of Zhanghua County.

Just in case, Empress Qi also gave the local magistrate an imperial edict to investigate and prosecute him, a golden medal that read “as if I were present in person,” with the greatest authority.

An Yinong was stunned when he received the reply: “Is the appointment so casual?” How could the founding emperor be so willful?

But no matter what, if his superior gave this authority, things would be much easier. An Yinong already had the power to dispatch some of the stationed soldiers, and now with this imperial edict and gold medal, he would not be afraid even if ten people from the Zhao family came, let alone one.

“The local garrison soldiers are all gambling and whoring, and have lost their energy. I won’t call them. Take my evidence to the Jiahu Garrison to mobilize troops. According to the old rules, half of the gold and silver will be used as military pay (I have already reported it).”

On the second floor of the Good Luck Inn, An Yinong looked towards the gambling house and gently placed his hand on the railing: “Surround the government office and destroy the Zhao family.”

With the bait of military pay, the garrison arrived soon. The leading young general took the imperial edict and the golden medal that said “As if the Empress was here in person”. The first thing he did was to close the city gates. The next step was to imprison the county magistrate and his family. At the same time, he raided the defenseless “Zhao family”. Even the children of the Zhao family who went out to have fun were immediately corralled.

“What do you call this? This is called catching a turtle in a jar!” The young general laughed as he looked at the gold and silver he had found. “Look, this silver will be our food, armor, and fodder in the future!”

The soldiers’ eyes lit up and they all agreed.

Seeing them getting ready to make a move, the young general could not help but remind them: “Don’t harass the common people, don’t damage their property, and don’t let your eyes light up when you see a girl. The new governor is not someone you can easily mess with. He is a ruthless character who will lose a hundred heads as soon as he takes office.”

“Don’t worry, General. We know the rules.”

This matter was not over yet, there were still a lot of casinos and brothels waiting to be closed. The first one to be closed was Xiaoyao Pavilion, the largest entertainment city in Zhanghua County. The young general led his men to search Xiaoyao Pavilion and found more gold and silver than all the other brothels combined. They also found many young women imprisoned in the backyard.

“The prefect said that there are bodies buried in the woods behind Xiaoyao Pavilion. Dig the ground.” The young general held the hilt of his sword and directed the soldiers to dig.

The Zhao family’s private treasury and Xiaoyao Pavilion had hundreds of thousands of taels of gold and silver, half of which will become their military pay. He was happy when he thought of this and wished he could ask the prefect to give more orders.

“After all, he is the governor, so he should be open and aboveboard in his work.”

An Yinong washed his hands, burned incense, then painted a beautiful cover for the storybook that would be published next month to the sound of the guqin. Under the window of his inn, groups of soldiers with murderous looks on their faces ran by, followed by ordinary people who came to watch the fun.

“Sir, what do you think of this picture?” An Yinong asked Gu Zhengzhong.

Gu Zhengzhong naturally said it was good, and the art was indeed good. The painting was of an attic suspended in the desert, named “Xiaoyao Pavilion”.

A group of common people came running over here, saying as they ran: “We dug up a lot of bones. It is said that they were all people killed by the Zhao family and buried there.”

This news attracted a large number of people.

Wei Menfang led people to find An Yinong and said, “Sir, everyone is under control. Are you going to preside over it now?”

An Yinong put down his paintbrush: “Okay.”

In the woods behind Xiaoyao Pavilion, people who were watching the fun surrounded the area in three layers. Led by the guards and a soldier, An Yinong walked until he reached the soldier blockade line.

A soldier tried to stop him, but the young general saw him and shouted angrily, “How dare you! This is our prefect.”

The soldier was startled, and An Yinong comforted him, “This is his duty, take it as a reward.”

The common people gathered behind him pointed at An Yinong, who was dressed in cloth, and said in astonishment: “Isn’t he a scholar? How did he become the prefect?”

There were few educated people in Zhanghua County. An Yinong was handsome, had a southern appearance, and spoke Mandarin, which made him very conspicuous here, so many people recognized him. Hearing the discussions behind him, An Yinong turned around and bowed.

Everyone saw this “scholar” who had been speaking Mandarin talk in an authentic Xizhou dialect: “I am the newly appointed prefect, formerly the magistrate of Dingsha. I heard that Zhanghua was prosperous, so I took a detour to take a look. I haven’t told you my true identity these days, please don’t blame me, fellow villagers.”

“No, I dare not. You are too kind.” The people of Zhanghua County had never seen a senior official apologize to them before, and they were all at a loss.

“It’s the magistrate of Dingsha!” Some people realized it later.

“He is the magistrate of Dingsha?” The common people were even more excited than seeing corpses all over the ground.

“I thought so. He just brought the garrison here, closed the county government first, and then suppressed the Zhao family. He even closed the Xiaoyao Pavilion, which was said to have a strong backing. It turned out that he was the magistrate of Dingsha County. No wonder he was so decisive.”

“If the magistrate of Dingsha County becomes the magistrate of our state, will good days be coming for us?”

Everyone whispered and were very optimistic, as if the four words “Dingsha County Magistrate” could bring them endless confidence and energy.

There were only two people in the crowd who looked strange.

“Uncle……”

The guard just spoke, and Chen Shan raised his hand to stop him from continuing. He looked at ‘Tian Zhizhou’ in front of him who was still wearing a green cloth shirt. There was no arrogance in this young fourth-grade official, but no one dared to underestimate him.

He brought Dingsha County, the poorest county, back to life in just three years. He was decisive in his actions and versatile in both civil and military affairs. Who dared to look down on such a person?

Don’t look at people in Zhanghua County sourly talking about Dingsha County. If they really had the chance, they will grab it with hoes and want to take Dingsha County away.

“Don’t worry,” Chen Shan said, “He is not a person who doesn’t distinguish between public and private matters. If he really has grudges against the Shen family because of this, we would be part of the ransack.”

Thinking of his younger brother who was currently in confinement at home and still missed the ‘little scholar’, Chen Shan had a complicated expression: “Our second master has a vicious eye. He has chosen the best one at a glance and the one who should not be messed with.”

An Yinong had already entered the woods under the leadership of the young general, and saw the rows of bones and corpses that had not completely decomposed. Basically, one or two bodies could be dug out from every tree.

“I collected the boxes and asked for name, age, and place of origin. They have ledgers in Xiaoyao Pavilion.” An Yinong told where he put the ledgers and what agencies were involved, as if he had witnessed it with his own eyes.

The young general thought to himself, this prefect was really magical. He had only been in Zhanghua for a few days, how come he knew everything?

“Gather the brothel girls together first. Don’t let anyone disturb them, especially the men.” An Yinong said nonchalantly, “Last time in Dingsha County, I killed a few ignorant people. Don’t let it happen again.”

The young general waved his hand and said, “Don’t worry, my Lord, if there are people who violate military rules and discipline, I will kill them first.”

An Yinong nodded: “How is the Zhao family?”

“Except for two people who went out to do business, not a single mouse escaped.” The young general touched his chin. It was the right decision to close the city gate as soon as he arrived.

It was because they came so hastily and quickly that the Zhao family didn’t get the news and were caught red-handed.

“The Empress asked me to take over the post of county magistrate temporarily, but I don’t have anyone to handle many things. I’d like to trouble the young general to stay for a few days and help out.” An Yinong adjusted his sleeves. He needed to use force to deter others.

“You are too polite, sir.” The young general, who received a large sum of military pay, was very easy to talk to.

An Yinong turned around and went to the county government office. The magistrate of Zhanghua County and his family had been detained. He went to the cell to see the former magistrate and asked, “Do you know why you have fallen to this point?”

The magistrate’s hair was disheveled, and he cried, “I, your humble servant, did nothing!”

“I believe it.” An Yinong took out an account book and smashed it on the ground. His eyes were as sharp as a knife. “Your fault is that you did nothing.”

The magistrate was startled: “Sir…”

“As a county official, it is your duty to ensure that the people live and work in peace and contentment, and not to displace them. However, you…” An Yinong narrowed his eyes and spoke word by word, “You did nothing.”

“Not doing anything is the biggest mistake! And you actually colluded with the Zhao family. You deserve to die!”

“Your humble servant, your humble servant knows that they were wrong. Your Excellency, your humble servant can atone for your sins and make amends for their mistakes!”

“No need.” An Yinong turned around, “It’s too late.”

Leaving the distraught former magistrate behind, An Yinong went to Zhao’s house again.

The first time he came to the Zhao family, he thought the Shen family was luxurious enough, but he didn’t know that he had seen too little of the market. There were red sandalwood carvings, a full set of golden nanmu furniture, and three palaces and four courtyards, with wives and concubines comparable to the emperor’s harem.

“Most of these girls were abducted. We can compensate them with some money and then let them go.” An Yinong looked at the booklet and shook his head.

If the law was followed completely, these people, as the families of criminals, will be exiled to the most dangerous places, or simply sold on the streets and enter brothels. Fortunately, the regulations were rigid, so as long as it was confirmed that they were forced in, they still had a chance to leave as victims.

“Ah, the ones that gave birth…”

“Same treatment. In addition, for the female relatives who are not involved in family affairs, if they can produce a divorce letter, let them go back with their dowries.” An Yinong glanced at the county magistrate, “Notify their families.”

There was no custom of chastity in the northwest, and remarriage was common. If they do not remarry, they could live independently or do business. These women could still lead a normal life after they leave home.

The county magistrate carefully took note of it.

The young general beside him had a dark look on his face. He thought: “Scholars are really cruel. He actually encouraged the women of the Zhao family to remarry and give them dowries. It’s killing people and destroying their hearts. Killing people and destroying their hearts! If I were a member of the Zhao family, I would rather die of anger.”

Afterwards, An Yinong arranged a place for the servants to go – to open up wasteland, as he happened to be planning to build a market and needed a group of laborers.

As for the slaves at home, they should have been sold on the street to get some money. An Yinong thought about it and bought them in the name of the government. When the market opened in the future, it would be good to make them waiters, or workers. He could keep half of the salary and deduct the other half, and they could redeem themselves in about ten years.

An Yinong looked at the servants and the women with a filter of the times, and couldn’t bear to resell them. How many servants have good luck? If he were to resell them again, he don’t know where they would be sold to, and whether they would live a life worse than death. However, he would still use the rules to protect these people, and the Zhao family members will have to follow the rules, killing those who should be killed and exiling those who should be exiled.

“Does your Excellency want to meet someone from the Zhao family?”

“Zhao Chengbei?” An Yinong thought for a moment, “Let’s meet him. I’ve been here for so long, but I haven’t seen the famous Zhao Bancheng yet.”

The county magistrate laughed dryly and thought that he had only been here for a few days and a big tree in Zhanghua County had been uprooted. If he stayed for a few more days, the land in Zhanghua County would have to be plowed again.

An Yinong went to the cell where the Zhao family was imprisoned, but before he saw Zhao Chengbei, he saw Zhao Wu in prison clothes first.

“Is it you?” Zhao Wu suddenly stood up and rushed to the door of the cell, holding the bars with both hands, staring at An Yinong, “Why are you here?”