Weird Cultivation, I have a five-organ temple

Chapter 482: Human calamity and life!
"It's the Gongcao Yamen."

Although Tu Bin was anxious, he knew that they were on the street at the moment, so he tried his best to lower his voice and said something that surprised Shang Lu and he had never expected it.

"It was the Gongcao Yamen who detained Mr. Zhu."

Du Feng also lowered his voice and said, "The specific reason for the detention is still unclear. I guess it is related to the application for pensions and the request for rewards."

"Oh?"

Shang Lu's eyes darkened and he motioned Du Feng to continue, but his steps towards the thieves' office did not stop for a moment.

Du Feng followed closely and quickly told Shang Lu the whole story:
"After hearing your report, Lord Zhu submitted all the materials to the Gongcao Yamen on the same day. However, they delayed the process for several days. Lord Zhu urged them to do so every day. Finally, after paying a lot of money, they said that the materials were incomplete.

Lord Zhu had no choice but to reorganize the materials and send them over. As a result, the Gongcao Yamen only approved the pension for Chen Zecao, and the pension silver issued was half less than the stipulated amount, saying it was due to loss.

As for the other brothers' applications for compensation, as well as our application for reward, they were all rejected this morning, saying that they were questionable and awaiting further review."

"What does doubt mean?" Shang Lu asked, his tone already revealing a hint of coldness.

"I don't know."

Du Feng shook his head and said, "Lord Zhu was also confused, so he went to the Gongcao Yamen to inquire, but for some reason he had an argument with the people there and even got into a fight, and then he was arrested. The two thieves who went with him to the Gongcao Yamen saw that something was not right, so they rushed back to report the situation."

Shang Lu thought this was quite strange. After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Did the two thieves tell me why Zhu Quan and the people from Gongcao Yamen had a dispute or even a fight?"

Du Feng was indeed more careful in doing things. Before coming to look for Shang Lu, he went to the two thieves to learn about the situation in detail and was not asked any questions.

He told Shang Lu: "When Lord Zhu was discussing matters with the thieves, the two were just waiting outside the government office, so they didn't know what Lord Zhu said to Gongcaoli, or why they were arguing. But before they took action, they heard Lord Zhu scolding the other party for talking nonsense and having ulterior motives..."

After waiting for Du Feng to finish explaining the situation, Tu Pi said impatiently, "You thief, what should we do now? Should we mobilize our troops, destroy the Gongcao Yamen, and take back Lord Zhu?"

Tu Bin, who came from the frontier army, had not changed his style of doing things even though he had been in the local area for several years.

"There's no rush yet."

Shang Lu asked Tu Pi to calm down and thought: "Zhu Quan is an official, and the Gongcao Yamen would not dare to do anything even if they detained him. Let's first find out why Zhu Quan was fighting with the Gongcao officials, and why the Gongcao Yamen made it difficult for us to apply for pensions and report our merits and rewards."

Chen Li and others died at the hands of the He thieves, which led to a major He thief case. It would have been fine if they were not recognized as heroes, but their applications for pensions were blocked by the Gongcao Yamen. This was obviously not right.

And every one of their reports of merit and requests for rewards were well-founded and well-founded. They had heads when they were asked for, and there was no claiming of merit, let alone boasting about their merits. Yet the Gongcao Yamen actually said it had doubts.

I'm afraid it's not doubt, but someone wants to find fault?

But why are you looking for trouble?

Was he heading for the thief Cao's office? Or was he targeting Shang Lu directly?
Shang Lu recalled carefully that he had not offended anyone since he came to the county town, let alone the people from the Gongcao Yamen.

It can't be related to the matter of the great wizard Zhongli, right?

If this is true, that person should be cautious now and try hard to distance himself from the matter.

Even if you want revenge, it shouldn't be done at this time and in this matter.

Shang Lu reached into his bosom and pulled out a box engraved with witch patterns.

He opened a crack slightly, chanted a mantra and injected essence and energy, then he saw several copper ants crawling out from inside, burrowing into the ground at a very fast speed and disappearing. Under Shang Lu's command, they used the earth escape method to go to the Gongcao Yamen.

He was not only keeping an eye on Zhu Quan's situation, but also secretly monitoring the Gongcao Yamen to see if he could overhear some clues.

After obtaining the copper ants, Shang Lu would conduct various tests on the copper ants after completing his daily training.

It was during repeated tests that Shang Lu discovered that these copper ants were very capable of evading detection.

Although there were witchcraft formations and sorcery set up in the Gongcao Yamen, they were unable to detect the infiltration of the bronze ants.

After all, these copper ants are the magical weapons developed by Senior Sister Gongshu. They are incomparable to ordinary magical insects. Even in the Witch Academy, they can come and go freely and are difficult to be discovered.

After releasing the bronze ant, Shang Lu asked Du Feng and Tu Bin again.

"Do you know anyone in the Gongcao Yamen?"

"No." Tu Pi shook his head.

After he arrived in the county town, he made some new friends, but they were all junior officers of the county soldiers.

The people in the Gongcao Yamen looked down on him because of his humble background as a frontier soldier, and he could not get along with them.

"Although I don't know him, I can still find out some information."

Du Feng told Shang Lu that although he didn't know anyone in the Gongcao Yamen, he had been doing unpaid labor in the county government in previous years and was best at dealing with the ruffians and idlers in the city.

After arriving in Chengfeng County, he did not lose this ability. Although he had not been here for long, he had already met many ruffians and idlers, and even earned a nickname "Timely Rain", and was called "Brother".

There were a lot of ruffians and idlers, but some of them had connections with the officials in various government offices. Du Feng told Shang Lu that he could use this relationship to find out what was going on in the Gongcao government office.

Shang Lu immediately made arrangements: "Tu Pi, go change into casual clothes and go to the county governor's mansion to find Liang Jihu and ask him to help make some inquiries. Du Feng, go contact your group of 'friends' and ask them to help as well."

After giving the order, Shang Lu took out two silver cakes from his sleeve pocket and gave them to Tu Bin and Du Feng respectively: "Take them first, and if there is not enough, come back to the government office to ask for them."

To get ruffians and idlers to help get information, money is essential. The more money you give them, the harder they work, and the more useful information they get.

As for Liang Jihu, it would definitely cost money to get information.

Shang Lu is not stingy when it comes to these things.

"Yes!"

Du Feng and Tu Bin took the silver cakes, crossed their hands and accepted the order, then said goodbye to Shang Lu and went to do their respective tasks.

Shang Lu went straight to the thief Cao's office.

As soon as he entered the yamen, he saw two thief clerks, Shentu and He Ying, coming towards him.

Anger and anxiety were evident on both of their faces, and they obviously knew that Zhu Quan was detained by the Gongcao Yamen.

"Thief..."

Just as Shentu and He Ying were about to speak, Shang Lu waved his hand to interrupt them.

"I have already heard about this from Du Feng and Tu Xiong."

Without waiting for Shentu and Heying to ask what to do, Shang Lu strode towards the government hall, which surprised Shentu and Heying.

"What are you doing? Follow me."

Shang Lu walked a few steps and saw that Shen Tu and He Ying did not follow him, so he turned around and greeted them.

Shentu and He Ying hurriedly caught up and arrived at the government office with Shang Lu.

After sending away the clerks and thieves, Shang Lu gave the following instructions:

"Old He, you have been an official in the county for many years and have many acquaintances. Ask someone to find out why the Gongcao Yamen detained Old Zhu and why they made it difficult for us to apply for pensions and report merits and rewards."

He Ying crossed his hands and replied, "I have already asked someone to inquire about it, and I will go find some more people to help."

Shang Lu nodded, as a sign of affirmation for He Ying's actions.

Then, he instructed Shen Tu: "Go to Gongcao Yamen and ask them for the person." After a pause, he carefully instructed: "Most of them will not let go. Don't be impulsive, and don't be provoked by them. You must try your best to find out their attitude and intentions."

"I understand. I know what to do." Shentu replied with his hands crossed.

Shang Lu asked him to go because he valued his quick mind and smooth handling of things. However, Zhu Quan's inexplicable impulse also reminded Shang Lu, so he specifically instructed him: "Before you go to the Gongcao Yamen, go to the armor warehouse and get a few pieces of spirit-protecting magic weapons to take with you."

Shen Tu and He Ying's faces changed at the same time: "You thief, do you think the Gongcao Yamen will set a trap for us?"

Shang Lu didn't say yes, but he didn't deny it either. He just said, "Better safe than sorry!"

"Yes, I understand." Shentu responded, his eyes showing even more anger.

The two thief officials received the order and went to execute it without wasting any time.

After thinking for a moment, Shang Lu took out the Witch Academy Jade Card and sent a message to Lu Yang.

Lu Yang took on the job of a postal inspector in the county magistrate's office. Shang Lu asked him for help to see if he could find out some information.

Originally, Shang Lu wanted to send a message to Feng Boyuan, but he withdrew the message halfway through.

Feng Boyuan recommended him to apply for the Witch Academy, and also recommended him to take the position of Thief Cao Yuan, which can be said to be the utmost kindness.

If he troubles Feng Boyuan when he encounters a little problem, wouldn't it seem that he is incompetent?

What's more, he hasn't helped Feng Boyuan to achieve success recently, so he feels embarrassed to ask Feng Boyuan for help again.

"Let's wait and see what the Gongcao Yamen has up its sleeves."

Shang Lu put away the witch academy jade token, then made the witch seal with his hands and chanted a spell.

Soon the scene in front of his eyes changed. He saw a row of small windows appear in the upper right corner of his field of vision, each with a different picture in it.

As Shang Lu focused his mind on one of the small windows, the window immediately became larger, filling Shang Lu's field of vision, allowing him to see Zhu Quan who was locked in a small dark room.

It is connected to the copper ant's field of vision.

Shang Lu originally thought that since Zhu Quan was an official, the Gongcao Yamen would not do anything to him even if they detained him.

However, what he saw through the Bronze Ant was far beyond his expectations - Zhu Quan was covered in wounds, which were obviously not caused by a fight, but were clearly the result of torture.

And it was torture!

Shang Lu's eyes suddenly became fierce, and murderous aura emanated from him, making the temperature inside and outside the yamen instantly become freezing cold.

The fact that Gongcao Yamen detained Zhu Quan was already surprising, but now they even dared to torture him, which was even more bizarre and strange.

What exactly does the Gongcao Yamen want to do?
Fortunately, although Zhu Quan was covered in wounds, his life was temporarily safe, which made Shang Lu feel a little relieved and he did not take extreme actions.

Although there was only the tied-up Zhu Quan in the small dark room, Shang Lu was not in a hurry to contact him through the Bronze Ant, so as not to be exposed and alert the enemy.

Shang Lu simply let the copper ants quietly crawl into Zhu Quan's clothes and hide there to prevent any accidents.

Then it switched to the view of the copper ant somewhere else.

However, after some checking, Shang Lu did not find any useful information.

He was not in a hurry, but just let the copper ant continue to hide in the dark and monitor.

It was also at this time that He Ying received some news and rushed to the yamen to report to Shang Lu.

"Zheicao, I asked someone for some information. It is said that there have been some rumors in the streets these days, saying that the deaths of Chen Zeicao, Lao Shi and others were not due to their duties, but there is a big story behind it. In addition... In addition..."

He Ying looked at Shang Lu, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.

Shang Lu urged, "What else? Don't be shy, just tell me everything."

He Ying did not dare to hesitate any longer, and replied "yes", gritting his teeth and saying:

"There's a rumor going around in the Gongcao Yamen that since you took office, our Zeicao Office has investigated many major cases. There have been mountain ghosts doing evil, mountain bandits causing trouble, and recently we've also investigated a major case of rice thieves, not to mention all the smaller cases. In just a few months, we've handled more and bigger cases than we did in the past few years.

They said that under the governance of the county governor and county lieutenant, Baiyi County was a harmonious place with good government and good people. How could there be so many bandits and evil people? So they suspected that it was our thief Cao's office who forced good people to become bandits and killed them for credit!
They also said that you, Cao, were born as a low-level official, and you have acquired the bad habits of an evil official. You will do anything to climb up the ladder, and you are simply lawless!"

The more Shang Lu listened, the more his brows furrowed.

From the information He Ying had heard, it seemed that the Gongcao Yamen was making things difficult for Zecao Shu because of him, Shang Lu.

But he didn't even know anyone from the Gongcao Yamen, so how could he offend them?
But the people from Gongcao Yamen came with such a fierce momentum that they wanted to knock him down and discredit him...

Is it because of human robbery?
But the disaster came so suddenly, without any regard for cause and effect?
After a while, Du Feng and Tu Pi returned to the thieves' office one after another, and brought back the news they had gathered.

The information Du Feng found out was similar to what He Ying said.

However, he asked someone to find out from a clerk in the Gongcao Yamen how Zhu Quan was detained:

"Lord Zhu came to argue, but the Gongcao official he found directly said that our merits were suspected of forcing innocent people to become thieves and killing innocent people to take credit for our achievements.

They also said that someone reported to them that Chen Cao and Lord Shi were murdered by you, Cao, because you wanted to eliminate dissidents and monopolize power.

After hearing this, Lord Zhu was furious and argued with them. But after a few words, he got angry again and started fighting with the Gongcao official. Then, the Gongcao Yamen rushed over and subdued him..."

As an official in the Bandits' Office, Zhu Quan had the cultivation level of Xisui beginner. Even before Shang Lu came to take office in the Bandits' Office, he had taken the examination for the Witch Academy, but failed.

With Zhu Quan's accomplishments, it would be almost impossible for anyone in the Gongcao Yamen, except the Gongcao clerks, to catch him without prior preparation.

Based on Shang Lu's understanding of Zhu Quan, he is a man who handles things properly and will not act impulsively easily. It is even more impossible for him to beat someone up in a place like Gongcao Yamen because of a momentary impulse dispute.

Therefore, when Zhu Quan beat someone, it was most likely because he had fallen into a trap and suffered a setback.

It was that Gongcao official who deliberately induced him to do this!

In addition to the news brought back by Du Feng, Tu Pi also got a key clue from Liang Jihu:
"Thief Cao, Liang Jihu said that when Zheng Quan was still alive, he had many connections in the Gongcao Yamen. Every time he came to the county city, he would send gifts to the Gongcao Yamen.

Because Liang Jihu's aunt worked as a witch in Luoshui County, Zheng Quan also hosted a banquet for Liang Jihu when he came to the county town. It was during the banquet that he heard Zheng Quan mention this matter.

Later, Zheng Quan was captured by Feng Wuguan and others, and several people in the Gongcao Yamen were also implicated.

Those people committed suicide out of fear of punishment before the witch officials came to arrest and question them.

Not only did he die, but his soul also dissipated. As a result, when the witch officers from the Discipline Department arrived, they had no way to continue investigating...

You say, could it be that the Gongcao Yamen is making things difficult for us this time because of Zheng Quan?"

"Zheng Quan?"

Shang Lu did remember that Zheng Quan was able to monopolize power and cover up everything in Luoshui County, and even suppress the county magistrate, precisely because he had connections in the county government and could even influence the assessment and promotion of officials.

Now it seems that Zheng Quan’s backer is in the Gongcao Yamen, and he holds an important position!

As for those officials who committed suicide out of fear of punishment, they were merely scapegoats who were pushed forward to take the blame!

So, this time the Gongcao Yamen targeted the Zeicao Office and Shang Lu, was it really to avenge Zheng Quan?

(End of this chapter)