Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 101 No Good Death
"Liu County Magistrate!"

Liu Taozi had just walked to the gate of the County Magistrate's Mansion when the door opened wide and a man walked out laughing.

Everyone got off their horses, and the man grabbed Liu Taozi's hand and looked him up and down. "Mr. Liu is much younger than I thought. It's true that young people are to be feared!"

The man had a handsome appearance and a frank manner. Li Jun followed him, bowed to Liu Taozi, and introduced him, "Mr. Liu, this is the prefect of Zhao. All matters in this prefecture are handled by Mr. Zhao."

Liu Taozi was about to bow to greet him, but Zhao Juncheng grabbed him and said, "No need to be polite! Come with me!"

He enthusiastically took Liu Taozi into the yard. He had a separate house in the county, but his house was not luxurious. It looked ordinary. It just occupied a large area, but the interior was very ordinary.

"Mr. Liu, my house is rather simple, please don't despise it, please don't despise it!"

"Ah Hong! Go and tell the kitchen staff to stop being stingy and prepare more food. I think Mr. Liu is big and strong, and he's a real strong man who can eat!"

He shouted all the way and brought Taozi to the reception hall.

Mayor Zhao sat in the upper seat, Taozi sat beside him, and as for the other minor officials, they could only stand outside the door and were not qualified to come in.

After the two sat down, Zhao Juncheng looked at Taozi again.

"Mr. Liu is really young. At such a young age, he can be promoted directly by the imperial court. It seems that Mr. Liu is also from a high-ranking family?"

"He is not from a high-class family, but a hunter."

"Hmm, I see. Mr. Liu is a few years younger than me, so I will call him my younger brother. How about that?"

Without waiting for Liu Taozi to respond, Zhao Juncheng said, "Brother Liu, you came at the right time."

He slapped his forehead and said, "Don't you know that although I am in the county, I have to worry about all the counties, and Liyang Ling, you should have met him, right?"

"I've seen it."

"Logically speaking, I shouldn't speak ill of your superior in front of you, but this County Magistrate Shi is really absurd!"

"He doesn't care about the affairs of the county government at all. Perhaps he feels dissatisfied that the government has only made him a middle county magistrate. Among the three counties in the county, Liyang is the worst!"

Zhao Juncheng took a sip of the bitter wine, his eyes filled with grief and indignation.

"Liyang is a large grain-producing county. Since the early years of the Tianbao period, there has never been a shortage of tribute grain! It has been like this for two years since County Magistrate Shi took office!"

"The granary is empty. If it weren't for the relief from the county government, even the county soldiers would have starved to death."

Mayor Zhao complained a lot like this. During this time, the food was already ready. There wasn't much, but it was rich. It was all beef and mutton, emitting steaming hot food.

Zhao Juncheng ate a mouthful of meat and his tone became a little more relaxed. "Now that my dear brother is here, I am no longer worried."

"The county has already reported the evidence of Magistrate Shi's crime to the imperial court."

"I'm afraid he will have to leave Liyang within three months. You still have to worry about this, brother."

Mayor Zhao looked outside the door and someone walked in with a package in his hand. He placed the package in front of Liu Taozi.

Zhao Juncheng said with a smile: "My dear brother, you have come from afar. I am an honest man, so I have nothing to give you. This is the house deed. I have prepared three large mansions for you in the south of the city, and some land deeds. You are a ninth-rank official, so according to the rules, you should be granted 100 acres of official land. I have privately given you 400 acres more."

"Also, I have arranged for you all the servants and maids in this mansion."

As he spoke, he quickly stared at Taozi's face, trying to see some expression on his face.

However, Taozi still had the same expression, her eyes were as calm as water, without joy or anger. Zhao Juncheng was silent for a long time, and then added: "It's just that I think my brother is kind, so I did this just now."

The atmosphere was still a bit depressing. Mayor Zhao kept talking, but Taozi hardly responded.

Although Zhao Juncheng has been in the officialdom for many years, this is the first time he has met such a person.

This made him even more fearful. Could this guy be someone important?

Just as Zhao Juncheng was daydreaming, Taozi finally spoke up, "The south of the city is all monks' territory?"

Zhao Juncheng was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Ah, not entirely. Chongguang Temple is a large temple in the county, and there are many famous monks in it, all of whom are admired. My dear brother, you don't know that our prefect is the most devout Buddhist."

"He was devoted to Buddhism, encouraged people to do good, was fond of Buddhist affairs, and was very close to many eminent monks in the temple."

"Do you believe in Buddhism?"

Zhao Juncheng asked, and suddenly slapped his forehead, "I almost forgot your name, brother. I believe it."

"It doesn't matter if you don't believe it, but don't offend it. This Chongguang Temple is really powerful. It has been doing this for many years. Anyway, you will know it in the future, my dear brother."

"Come on, don't just chat, eat more, don't waste it."

Liu Taozi also buried his head and began to eat. He ate more and more, swallowing piece of meat after piece, and gnawing the bones cleanly. Zhao Juncheng sat in the upper seat, holding a tea in his hand, watching Liu Taozi eat in astonishment, without moving a muscle.

It was not until Taozi had eaten all the food on the table, wiped the corners of her mouth, and looked at Zhao Juncheng that Zhao Juncheng woke up.

There was still a hint of fear in his eyes, "Good appetite, my dear brother! You are a real warrior!"

Liu Taozi picked up the package, saluted to the county magistrate, and then left. County magistrate Zhao accompanied him all the way to the door. He stood there until Liu Taozi's figure disappeared, and he was still amazed.

Li Jun appeared from nowhere and stood beside Zhao Juncheng. "Lord Zhao, is the deal done?"

"do not know."

"Ok??"

"You are right. This person is quite strange. I have never seen such a person before. He said nothing and just asked about the monks. Also, he ate all the food I prepared, three servings of meat. This is a big bug."

Li Jun smiled flatteringly, "In Liyang County, even if it was a real big insect, it would have to lie down and beg for mercy when it saw you, let alone a fake big insect?"

Mayor Zhao ignored him and just stared blankly in the direction Liu Taozi left.

"I hope this person knows right from wrong and doesn't become our enemy"

When Liu Taozi returned to the county government office, it was already very late.

Everyone gathered at Liu Taozi's residence again, except Kou Liu, and no one asked any questions.

Everyone gained a lot from going out today.

Everyone is a little anxious at the moment.

Tian Zili was the first to speak: "Brother, I understand now. This county government doesn't care about anything at all. The officials in the county know nothing about the situation of the county government. From the gatekeepers to the street patrollers, they are all from the county government. This Liyang County is basically managed by the county government and has nothing to do with the county government!"

"And these officials were not good people. During the conversation, I tried to test them a little and asked for bribes. Unexpectedly, they were overjoyed and quickly took me to the banquet."

"Their mansions are all in the south of the city. From the outside, they look like ordinary houses, nothing special. But once you go inside, it's completely different. A few petty officials dared to prepare a grand feast for me with more than ten beauties as companions!!"

Yao Xiong's eyes widened. "So you disappeared for a day to go to the south of the city to play?"

"In addition, there is one more thing. The Chongguang Temple in the south of the city, those officials are very familiar with this temple."

Liu Taozi listened carefully to what Tian Zili said, then looked at Yao Xiong standing beside her.

Yao Xiong cleared his throat. "I went to the parade ground. There were not many soldiers here. There were no Xianbei people. They were all Han people. There were not enough soldiers. The officers were not at the parade ground at all. They said they often went home. In short, it was completely different from Cheng'an. Those soldiers were gambling in the camp and didn't know anything about the situation in the city. I couldn't get any information from them."

Chu Jiande watched the two men finish their words and grinned, "I found that the people here are very respectful of Buddha. Reciting a sutra can earn 300 coins, which is more than what I can earn from seeing patients for a few days. If I had known this earlier, I would not have learned any medical skills from Ma Gong and would have become a monk here."

Combining the information from everyone, Liu Taozi also told everyone what she had experienced.

For a moment, the house was silent.

This inconspicuous little county town does not seem as simple as it appears.

Tian Zili couldn't help but frowned, "This situation seems a bit complicated"

Chu Jiande looked at everyone, but couldn't help shaking his head, "You guys, is this your first time out of Cheng'an?"

"The situation in Liyang is so common. It's the same everywhere. Greedy officials, overbearing monks, and suffering people. Don't overthink it. In my opinion, this is a good place to make money!"

Liu Taozi ignored this guy and looked at Tian Zili standing aside.

“These are the deeds to the house and the land they gave me.”

Liu Taozi handed the gifts sent by Zhao Juncheng to Tian Zili, and then said, "Keep these for now, maybe they will be useful in the future."

"Zili, I will appoint you as the chief recorder of Liyang."

"Tomorrow, you will bring some food back with you. If there is no food here, go to the neighboring county."

"We don't need too much. Just enough to feed the county clerks for more than ten days."

Tian Zili quickly stood up, "Wei!!"

Liu Taozi looked at Yao Xiong again, "Yao Xiong, I will let you patrol Liyang. You choose your own subordinates. Starting tomorrow, you will patrol Liyang. Everything will be the same as in Cheng'an." Yao Xiong was stunned. He was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses, "Ah, okay, it's Zun. Wei!"

Liu Taozi finally looked at Chu Jiande, who stroked his beard with a particularly creepy smile, "Mr. Liu, could it be that I have a role to play as well? I already hold the position of doctor, and besides, I don't know anything about politics or running a government office."

"Double salary."

"Please give me your orders, Mr. Liu!"

"You will be a clerk, responsible for transferring clerks."

"But I don't know anything about government affairs."

"No problem, your face is enough, mainly for you to intimidate the officials."

"only!"

Yao Xiong looked around and found that Kou Liu was not there. He knew that Kou Liu was often sent out by his brother to do sneaky things, but he didn't know where he was tonight.

South of the city, Chongguang Temple.

The temple covers a large area, with four walls inside and outside, which is in no way inferior to the Murong family in Cheng'an.

The temple was filled with patrolling warrior monks, armed with swords and sticks, in teams of ten, patrolling the various courtyards back and forth.

The pagoda is in the very center, and along the pagoda, in the front is the reception room, in the back is the monastery, and there are different buildings on the left and right, enough to accommodate the temple's slaves, female relatives, tenants, guards, etc.

At this moment, Kou Liu was lying on the courtyard wall, curled up into a ball. He stared at the situation in the courtyard carefully, with a dazed look on his face.

He always felt that this temple looked familiar. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed to be the temple of the Murong family.

From the residences of personnel at all levels to the patrolling guards and the barking dogs.

The only difference is that these people have shorter hair and weirder looks.

In the front hall, huge Buddha statues showed strange smiles and stared at the front. Kou Liu raised his head and looked into the eyes of the Buddha statues, which made Kou Liu sweat profusely and feel creepy.

Kou Liu was a believer in Buddhism. His mother chanted Buddhist scriptures at home all year round. Influenced by her, he could even recite some Buddhist scriptures.

But even so, these Buddha statues could not bring any sacred feeling to Kou Liu. Under the light of the torches, the Buddha statues almost turned blood-red. The more Kou Liu looked at them, the more frightened he became, and he dared not look at them any longer.

Just as he stood up and prepared to go in, he suddenly heard crying from below.

He quickly lowered his body again. In the night, a group of people were walking out of the temple quietly. They were all monks. They were driving carts filled with all kinds of packages, big and small, of various kinds. Some of the packages were even moving. Kou Liu couldn't see clearly what was under the tarpaulin.

The carriages went out of several gates and then drove into the dark alley. Kou Liu found a big one and followed.

Kou Liu jumped back and forth nimbly on the roof and the courtyard wall, constantly approaching the carriage. Suddenly, a strange sound came from the carriage, and Kou Liu lowered his body.

Kou Liu stayed for a moment and looked up again, only to see that the alley was empty.

Kou Liu hurried to chase the rest of the carriages, but found that they had all disappeared.

It's as if they never existed.

A gust of wind blew, and Kou Liu couldn't help but shiver.

"What the hell"

As soon as daybreak came, the Sanliyuan in Liyang became bustling.

The scattered officials here slept directly in the courtyard. Not only that, their feet were tied with ropes, binding them together. If one person moved, the others would be woken up.

Under the system of collective responsibility, they naturally dared not take any action.

After they got up, they untied the ropes under the supervision of several county soldiers and began to solve their physiological problems.

The county government provided them with food, but the food was nothing more than plain water, with a few wild vegetables floating in a bowl of water. Someone ate a few bites and suddenly began to vomit violently, suffering from vomiting and diarrhea. He fell to the ground and cried bitterly.

At this moment, someone suddenly broke into the mansion.

"Everyone, get up and head to the lobby! The county magistrate has something important to announce!"

The scattered officials stood up stumblingly and lined up very skillfully. The county soldiers were a little surprised, but when they saw that the newcomers were knights who followed the county magistrate, they did not dare to ask more questions.

When the group arrived at the lobby, they found that except for the four clerks, almost everyone else was there.

Liu Taozi sat in the upper seat, looking at the people in front of her.

"Everyone, if anyone wants to leave, you can leave the county government office now. I can exempt you from official status and allow you to go home."

Hearing this, everyone trembled and looked up at Taozi.

Taozi continued, "In the future, I will replenish the granary, pay salaries on time, and provide two meals a day. I will never deduct anything. If anyone is willing to stay, they can stay."

No one spoke.

Liu Taozi looked at Tian Zili who was standing aside. Tian Zili stood up and said, "My county magistrate never forces anyone to become an official. If you want to go home, tell me now. The county magistrate is a man of his word. If you want to go back, I will let you go. I will never break my promise."

"If you don't say anything, then I'll assume you want to stay."

As soon as he finished speaking, someone stood up, his lips trembling, "Mr. Liu, my wife just got pregnant, and I was arrested and became an official. Now I don't know the situation at home. If you are willing to show mercy, I want to go home to see my family."

Taozi didn't say anything more and just waved her hand.

Tian Zili walked up to him and stuffed a bag of millet into his hands. "Take it, take it home, and you can go."

The man was stunned for a long time. He took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind. He gritted his teeth, turned around, took a step, and then another step. He walked out carefully until he walked out of the county government gate. He did not dare to relax.

The soldiers at the gate of the county government office had been replaced long ago. They watched this man leave without saying a word.

The man's speed became faster and faster, and finally he ran away from here.

Everyone was shocked and some people stood up.

Tian Zili also gave him a bag of rice. Soon, almost all the officials in the county government stood up, and no one was willing to stay.

Liu Taozi was not discouraged at all. Some people kowtowed to Liu Taozi, almost breaking their heads, and some people could hardly hold back their tears.

Finally, there was no one left in the lobby.

Liu Taozi stood up and ordered, "Zili, send someone to issue a notice to let the people in the county take the examination to become civil servants. Also, go to the county school and ask them to set up a law school as soon as possible."

Just as the two were talking, Li Jun and others arrived late. Li Jun walked quickly to Liu Taozi with a look of astonishment on his face.

"Mr. Liu, you let all the scattered officials escape?"

Liu Taozi walked down slowly, stood in front of him, lowered her head, and stared into his eyes.

"What? Do you have any objections?"

Li Jun frowned, "I dare not, but there are not many people studying in the city. If we let them run away, who will do the work in the future?"

"What business? What has this county government done in the past few years?"

Li Jun hesitated and his face turned red.

"Also, starting today, you don't have to come."

After hearing this, they finally couldn't help themselves. Someone stepped forward and asked, "Why?!"

"Why? Because you guys withheld the county government's salary, enriched yourselves, robbed the people, and took away the women."

The man was furious. He pointed at Liu Taozi and said, "Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you have a backer! My fucking last name is Li, the same as Li Gong, the Marquis of Wuyi County!!"

"Pfft~~~"

There was just a flash of the knife, and then the man's head flew up and blood splattered.

The other three were stunned. Li Jun fell to the ground in fear, his whole body weak. "Spare my life!"

"Zili, send people to confiscate the property of these four men to supplement the county treasury. Also, chop off their heads and hang them on the city gates to publicize their crimes so that everyone knows the consequences of doing evil."

"only!!"

"Liu Taozi!! You will die a miserable death!!!"

"Pfft!"

(End of this chapter)