Swords emerge from the human world

Chapter 43: The County Magistrate Investigates a Case and Invites a Diviner
Maoxian County Government Office.

This is a standardized building with a three-entrance, three-exit main structure. The main entrance faces south with imposing grandeur, and a pair of stone lions are placed on either side.

Above the steps, to the left and right of the main gate, there is a drum on one side and a bell on the other, which is called the "Grievance Drum".

Once the drum sounds, the official will be summoned to court.

However, there were yamen runners guarding the area, and no one was allowed to rush around or ring the bells and drums.

Entering through the main gate, one first enters the front hall, then the main hall, and after going around to the back, one arrives at the rear residence, where the county magistrate and his family reside.

In addition, prisons, guardhouses, and other government buildings are connected together, forming a complex of buildings.

At this moment, in the study, Magistrate Yang was frowning, staring blankly at the cup in his hand. The tea in the cup had already gone cold, and he hadn't taken a sip yet.

To his left stood a middle-aged man in a long robe, around forty years old, with a short beard and refined features; he was Zhang Sen, the advisor.

Zhang Sen was a scholar who passed the county-level imperial examinations multiple times, but failed each time. To make a living, he had no choice but to become a staff member under Lord Yang.

As the saying goes, "A successful candidate in the provincial examination is worth gold, a high-ranking official is worth silver, and a poor scholar is worth nothing."

The path from a scholar to a successful candidate in the imperial examinations is an insurmountable chasm.

In ordinary families, even if someone passed the county-level imperial examination and became a scholar, if they failed the provincial-level examination, they would have to find another way to make a living, such as becoming a tutor, an accountant, or a private tutor. A staff member or advisor was considered a very good job.

There's no other way; I have to make a living.

Some people even think about working and saving money at the same time, so that they can take the exam again when they have the opportunity.

However, when it comes to studying for official titles and passing exams, the difference between those who take time off work and those who don't is enormous, and the gap will only widen over time.

When you're busy with work and dealing with all sorts of trivial matters, you're overwhelmed, irritable, and frustrated. How can you possibly concentrate on reading and writing?

In addition, with the increase of age and the decline of various functions, the chances of passing the imperial examination become increasingly slim, almost unattainable.

Therefore, once scholars left their studies and went out to work, it was essentially a declaration of giving up.

When Chen Yuan spent money to pull strings and get Chen Jin a job in the government, he claimed to be worldly-wise, but in reality, he also had a bit of an intention to give up on him.

However, compared to the provincial examination, the prefectural examination was less expensive, and one could still try to pass it. If one could become a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examination), it would still be a degree of official rank, and one's livelihood would be much better.

Knowing he had no hope of passing the imperial examination, Zhang Sen gained the favor and respect of Lord Yang, thus securing his position. Therefore, he changed his approach and began to accumulate various resources to pave the way for his children and grandchildren.

She was quick-witted and adept at reading people's expressions. Seeing Lord Yang's gloomy face, she dared not utter a word.

Magistrate Yang raised his head and asked, "Master Zhang, what do you think?"

Zhang Sen certainly knew what the adult was asking about.

Maoxian is a large county, and its people have always lived in peace and prosperity, without any major disturbances.

Those who can come to serve as the chief official in such a prosperous county must have a distinguished background.

Magistrate Yang's given name was Yu, and he was a direct descendant of the Yang family of Changzhou, one of the eight most prestigious families in the land. He was a second-class Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), ranking sixty-eighth on the list that year.

Although his ranking was slightly lower, with the support of his family, he started as a seventh-rank county magistrate in a major county.

Such a starting point surpasses countless peers, and one can be said to have a bright future.

He was in the prime of his life and his term was coming to an end, so he wanted to take a further step.

This is not only his wish, but also the expectation of the entire clan.

For a clan to maintain its power and prestige, it needs to expand its branches and produce talented individuals.

Otherwise, as times change and the world transforms, not to mention prominent families, even royal families will fall and turn into dust of history.

Above the county magistrate, naturally, lies the prefectural city.

Yang Yu's ideal goal was to be promoted to prefect.

Of course, ideals are ideals, and the difficulties involved are self-evident. At present, we can only say that we have made some progress.

But right at this critical juncture, a momentous event occurred:
Zhao Zhubu has disappeared! The word "disappeared" usually means "dead".

Zhao Zhubu was born into the Zhao family of Xinzhou. Although he was from a collateral branch, he had the opportunity to be promoted from clerk to county magistrate. If nothing unexpected happened, he would be promoted from a collateral branch to the main branch in less than two years.

Unexpectedly, something went wrong; the group vanished without a trace.

To date, no one knows where or when this happened.

The reason for this was that after waiting for two or three days without receiving the agreed-upon news, Zhao Zhubu's family felt something was wrong and immediately dispatched a fast horse to Yi County. Upon arriving at the yamen, they learned that Zhao Zhubu and his entourage had not actually taken up their posts.

Suddenly, the sky fell.

Hurry up and go to Maoxian County to report the case to Yang Yu.

It has been a full five days since Zhao Zhubu took office.

After receiving the report, the local governments of Maoxian and Yixian dispatched a large number of constables and yamen runners to search for the suspects. In addition, the Zhao family members were divided into five or six teams to investigate along the way.

So far, nothing has been discovered.

The entire search process is estimated to last for half a month.

That's a story for later.

Magistrate Yang is now furious.

It wasn't that I was worried about the safety of Zhao Zhubu and the others. Although they were officials in the same government office, the Yang family and the Zhao family had never had any real relationship or interaction. Strictly speaking, they belonged to different factions. But it wasn't exactly a direct confrontation either; it was more of a feigned acquaintance.

In the Maoxian County government office, Zhao Zhubu was not very popular. He was too greedy and his actions were blatantly obvious.

To put it bluntly, it's just that their behavior is unseemly.

This incident has undoubtedly caused many colleagues to secretly gloat.

But things weren't so good for Magistrate Yang.

The reason why Zhao Zhubu got into trouble at this time is that it will seriously affect his performance evaluation and cause all his previous efforts to go to waste.

Absolutely abominable!
Despite his anger, Magistrate Yang calmed himself down and considered how to deal with the situation. After all, the deed had already been done and needed to be done.

Therefore, we need to consult with our advisors and strategists for their advice and opinions.

In fact, when he heard the news, Zhang Sen, the advisor, started thinking about it all night.

Offering advice and helping the employer solve problems is the foundation of this profession; one must be extremely careful to understand the superior's intentions. A single misstep can lead to being fired.

Now, following Magistrate Yang, who has a promising future, is a secure job, so you must hold on to it and never lose it.

But then he frowned, pondered for a long time, and suddenly slapped his thigh: "My lord, I've got it!"

Yang Yu perked up: "Speak quickly."

"My lord, this matter arose because of the promotion of Zhao, the magistrate. They left the city in the morning, and after accounting for the time spent on farewell banquets and social engagements, they could have left Maoxian and entered Yixian in less than a day. In other words, the location of this case could not possibly be in our Maoxian, so it is not under the jurisdiction of our yamen."

Master Zhang recounted the story in detail.

Upon hearing this, Yang Yu's worries vanished, and he laughed heartily: "The advisor is right, that's exactly it."

Master Zhang continued, "Sir, I will immediately send someone to inform Constable Song and the others, instructing them to investigate thoroughly and confirm that the crime scene did not occur in our Mao County."

Yang Yu stroked his beard and said with a smile, "That's only right."

With his problem solved, he was overjoyed: "Master, I've heard there's a master fortune teller in the city named Master Qingsong. Go and invite him here; I have something to ask him."

"As ordered."

Zhang Sen obeyed the order and went to find Master Qingsong.

(End of this chapter)