National Division

Chapter 116 The Hebei Circuit Commissioner's Appointment and Demotion!

Qianyuan Hall

Shen Xian didn't know what to say, as this matter had little to do with him.

After thinking for a moment, the Empress instructed, "When Scholar Shen returns to Anzhou, if you have the time, please also investigate this case, as it happened in Anzhou."

Shen Xian's heart stirred slightly, and he asked, "Your Majesty, are there many cases of demons causing trouble in Hebei?"

Because he was previously in Guhe County, his vision was limited, and he did not have much information about the world.

"In the past two years, the evil spirits and demons have become increasingly rampant throughout the land." The Empress said solemnly, "Hebei Province is the hardest hit area, because it is a place where Taoist officials are entrenched, and most of them are just empty-handed people. The late emperor once wanted to replace them, but they are deeply entrenched and support each other, and the Vermilion Bird Envoy has limited manpower."

“Then the Demon Slaying and Suppression Divisions should be established as soon as possible.” Shen Xian thought for a moment and said, “Hebei is the ancient land of Yan and Zhao, and has always been home to many heroes.”

The Empress nodded and said, "The purpose of establishing the martial arts examination this time is to select martial arts talents from the martial arts world and the common people to strengthen the country's military preparedness. This is also what is recorded in your 'Memorial on Public Security'."

Shen Xian said, "As demons and evil spirits are causing trouble in Hebei and other places, local officials are often perfunctory and irresponsible. I would like to take this opportunity to investigate and punish them in order to eliminate the influence of the Cui and Lu clans."

No matter what you do, there will always be interpersonal struggles.

Upon hearing this, the Empress's eyes lit up, and she asked seriously, "What do you mean, sir?"

Shen Xian said, “Since we are going to establish the Demon Slaying and Evil-Pacifying Offices, the structure in the capital is easy to organize, but in the local areas, due to the presence of Taoist officials, they will definitely obstruct us. We need to explore and build it, so let’s start from Hebei. Besides… the Cui family of Boling, the Cui family of Qinghe, and the Lu family of Fanyang are all in Hebei!”

Upon hearing this, the Empress sat up straight, her eyes filled with anticipation: "Sir, I would like to hear more details."

Shen Xian said, “Now that the Cui and Lu clans have suffered damage to their reputation due to the dismissal of prime ministers and the competition, they must want to regain their reputation in the capital. While they are preoccupied with the capital, Your Majesty can take the opportunity to eliminate their protégés and former officials in the local areas. As far as I know, the Cui clan of Boling and other prominent families in Shandong have considerable influence in Hebei and other places. For example, there are eight branches in Boling. They have colluded with local officials in Hebei and other places and have committed countless illegal acts. If these can be investigated and exposed to the world, it will surely win back the hearts of the people.”

Hebei Province is considered the base of power for the elite families, and Shen Xian's actions are also aimed at destroying the Cui family's reputation in Hebei Province and other places by overwhelming public opinion.

The Empress pondered for a moment, as if weighing something, and said, "Then I appoint you as the Hebei Circuit Inspector, to search for talent in Hebei Circuit, to establish a branch office for exorcising demons and pacifying evil spirits, to investigate illegal activities, to punish the wicked and promote the good, and to reward and punish officials. I grant you the Vermilion Bird Imperial Token, which gives you the power to make decisions on the spot, and you may act as you see fit!"

This was a temporary assignment, a high-ranking official, and an imperial envoy tasked with inspecting officials with a sharp sword.

Anzhou is located at the intersection of Hebei Circuit and Henan Circuit, and the ancestral home of the Cui family of Boling is also in Anping County, Hebei Province.

The Empress thought for a moment, then, still somewhat uneasy, said, "The Prince of Yan is stationed in Youzhou with a large army. If there is an emergency, you can ask him for help."

Clearly, Hebei Province is the stronghold of the powerful Cui and Lu clans, and they might gather their retainers to cause trouble.

Shen Xian stood up, cupped his hands in acknowledgment, and then said, "Your Majesty, I would like to ask for another favor."

The person behind the sky looked surprised and asked, "Sir, what kind of favor is this?"

Could it be that he is seeking an imperial title for his mother or fiancée?

“Jiang Rui, the former Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, was an upright and incorruptible official. However, he refused to collude with Suo Yuanli and others to frame his colleagues, and was therefore falsely accused and imprisoned in the Court of Judicial Review. He is a man of great talent, and we beg Your Majesty to pardon him,” Shen Xian said.

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager's heart stirred, as if she remembered this person: "I have heard of this person. He was originally a legal officer in Yanzhou. He was well-versed in the laws and regulations and was good at solving unusual cases. Later, he was appreciated by Yan Jingben, the Henan Circuit Commissioner, and recommended to serve as an official in the Dali Temple. His political reputation was outstanding. I originally intended to pardon him."

After thinking for a moment, he instructed Gu Nanzhu, who was standing beside him, "Later, send an edict to Zhou Liang of the Dali Temple to release him from prison and transfer him to the Qilin Pavilion for service."

Upon hearing this, Shen Xian said, "Your Majesty, this is..."

The Empress smiled and said, "Since Mr. Shen appreciates his talent, why not take him to Anzhou to make contributions? He knows a great deal about the affairs of Hebei and Henan."

Shen Xian said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness."

Taking Jiang Rui to Anzhou temporarily is not a bad idea. He is well-versed in laws and regulations and understands local affairs, making him a rare helper.

The Empress Dowager looked at him with eagerness and instructed him, "Mr. Shen, the establishment of the two offices in Hebei Province and the inspection of important cases will not be accomplished overnight. The capital city cannot do without you. On the day of the martial arts examination, you must return to the capital city to take charge."

The young man before me is resourceful and decisive, a true close advisor to the strategist.

Imperial Advisor Murong Yue replied, "It can transmit sound through the jade tablet, allowing for constant communication with the palace."

Shen Xian nodded, looked at the beautiful female Taoist priest, and said, "Senior Sister Murong is indeed very thoughtful."

This is a crucial period and honeymoon phase for him and the Empress to build trust. He will not leave the central government for too long, and will mostly travel between Anzhou and Shendu.

When Murong Yue heard the young man address her as "Senior Sister" in front of others, a strange feeling welled up in her heart.

The Empress turned to Xue Zhihua, who was standing to the side, and said, "Zhihua, you take the Thousand Bull Guards and accompany him to protect Mr. Shen."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Xue Zhihua rose to obey, looking expectantly at Murong Yue, and hesitated, "I'm afraid there are still demons causing trouble in the area, some of whom are very powerful. Zhihua's cultivation is too low to withstand them."

The Imperial Preceptor, Murong Yue, said in a clear and cold voice: "Your Uncle-Master Lin has already gone to Anzhou to investigate the case of Wang Shence's disappearance. Once we meet up, someone will be able to resolve the crisis in the immortal path."

"The sect has sent out a peak master. Has the situation become so serious?" Shen Xian asked.

What kind of being has Wang Shence provoked?
Beneath Murong Yue's willow-leaf eyebrows, a layer of serene light appeared in her eyes: "According to the speculation of the Imperial Observatory, this matter is suspected to involve the shadow of demonic cultivators."

Upon hearing this, Shen Xian's tone betrayed his surprise: "A demonic cultivator?"

Xue Zhihua explained: "Demonic cultivators are those who do not have the right to cultivate magic, are not subject to the talismans of the three religions, and are not registered in the imperial court's Taoist register. They refine corpse puppets, practice the practice of absorbing yin to replenish yang, extract souls to refine banners, and commit all kinds of evil deeds that harm heaven and reason."

Shen Xian suddenly realized, "I see."

He said that the three religions monopolized the right to cultivate, but how could they monopolize it from top to bottom? There must be some other immortal forces.

Unexpectedly, he was a demonic cultivator.

This world is truly becoming more and more interesting.

I need to go back and gather information about demonic cultivators. I'm afraid they're not in the Qilin Pavilion, but in the Vermilion Bird Division.

The Empress said gently, "It's getting late. Mr. Shen has just finished a competition, so please have lunch first."

Shen Xian cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Then, the Empress Dowager began to serve the meal, and palace maids and eunuchs began to carry various dishes into the hall.

At that moment, a palace maid announced, "Your Highness, the Princess has arrived."

"She's everywhere." The Empress's jade-like face showed slight surprise, and her tone held a hint of maternal reproach as she said, "Summon her."

Before long, the beautiful woman in her gorgeous dress stepped into the hall and bowed to the Empress: "Your subject greets Your Majesty."

"You've arrived? Please have a seat," the beautiful woman said softly, instructing the eunuch to offer the princess a seat.

The Empress said gently, "Qingluan, you've worked hard in today's competition."

The eldest princess chuckled and said, "Serving the court, what's so hard about it?"

As she spoke, she smiled sweetly at Shen Xian beside her, her voice gentle and charming like that of a mature woman: "Scholar Shen, you have truly worked hard, fighting two people in a row and returning with a great victory."

"Your Highness flatters me," Shen Xian said softly, looking at the beautiful woman with a radiant face.

The Empress said, "Alright, everyone, let's eat."

Everyone sat down and began to eat.

After finishing his meal, Shen Xian received the Vermilion Bird Imperial Token, bowed to the Empress Dowager to take his leave, and then rose with Xue Zhihua to leave the palace.

After the two left the palace, Xue Zhihua remained silent for a moment before asking, "Where to next?"

"Go to Qilin Pavilion and make some final arrangements for the newspapers," Shen Xian said softly. Suddenly remembering something, she turned to Xue Zhihua and asked, "How's the perfume thing going on your end?"

"I was just about to tell you. Your Uncle Lin said he'll be shipping some over from Anzhou in the next couple of days, and we'll be selling them in our shop." Xue Zhihua's eyes sparkled, and a faint smile appeared on her beautiful face.

Shen Xian nodded and said, "In that case, it shouldn't be too far from becoming popular in the world."

Although he could borrow the royal family's blessed land for his martial arts supplies, he couldn't embezzle or break the law; it would be more convenient for him to use his own money.

Perfume, for example, might be able to be made by a master of immortality who could condense various spices, but it could not be mass-produced.

Moreover, even in later generations, when Industrial Cthulhu imitates many things, it still has room to survive.

As the two were talking, they arrived at the Qilin Pavilion.

It was already dusk, and the sky was dark, but the Qilin Pavilion was brightly lit, with clerks coming and going, looking quite busy.

After Han Yi finished dealing with the affairs of Qilin Pavilion, he heard a clerk at the gate report and hurriedly came to greet him: "Scholar Shen." As Shen Xian entered the pavilion, he casually asked, "Han, how is the preparation for this issue of the newspaper going?"

The details of this martial arts competition with the Cui and Lu clans, as well as the background information of the Cui and Lu families, can all be used as material for extensive coverage in the Qilin Newspaper.

It is conceivable that such follow-up and focused reporting will further damage the reputation of the Cui and Lu clans among the people of the capital.

Han Yi, with a respectful expression, cupped his hands and said, "I was just about to present it to the scholar for his review."

As he spoke, he instructed the few scribes behind him to quickly fetch the newspaper proofs.

Amid Han Yi's nervous anticipation, Shen Xian flipped through the newspaper proofs, looked up at Han Yi, and praised, "This issue of the newspaper is well done."

The newspaper headlines and content were already quite presentable. Although not quite picture-rich, they were beginning to resemble newspapers from the previous life, at least readable.

As Shen Xian spoke, accompanied by Xue Zhihua, Zheng Guanying, and two cabinet ministers, he went to the fourth-floor official hall and took his seat.

Zheng Guanying said, "Scholar Shen, this is the list from the Qilin Pavilion."

Shen Xian took all the lists, glanced at them for a moment, and asked, "What are the difficulties in ranking the third-tier lists?"

"This matter is the responsibility of the Twelve Judges, but the Twelve Judges are not members of the Immortal Path." Zheng Guanying said with a smile, "Scholar Shen, it is not easy to find out the combat strength of these people. We can only judge them based on a few words and there are many errors and omissions."

Shen Xian thought for a moment and said, "Then we should set up twelve more martial arts judges, and at the same time hire people from the immortal path as Qilin interviewers to judge the ranking of martial artists' combat strength."

This list doesn't need to be particularly accurate, but at least it shouldn't be like the previous Qilin List, which had too many dubious entries.

The Qilin Pavilion can have scholars who handle general affairs, and it should also have warriors who are well-versed in government policies.

Zheng Guanying said, "The twelve martial arts judges will probably need to recruit martial arts practitioners."

“The Qilin Pavilion is the official office of the Demon-Slaying and Spirit-Pacifying Divisions, so it naturally needs to recruit martial arts masters to serve there,” Shen Xian said.

His biggest problem now is also a lack of talent.

Zheng Guanying worriedly said, "These martial arts masters are unlikely to be employed by the Qilin Pavilion unless they receive high-ranking official positions and generous salaries from the imperial court."

Shen Xian said, "I'll figure out a way to handle this. You spread the word that the Qilin Pavilion is recruiting twelve martial arts judges, requiring them to have a cultivation level of at least Martial God. The pavilion will also provide them with pills, divine weapons, and even Heaven-rank martial arts techniques. They can discuss martial arts with the pavilion master and receive guidance on martial arts techniques."

His martial arts cultivation cannot stop; it will continue to improve until he reaches the pinnacle of martial arts, becoming a human immortal!
By deriving martial arts techniques and studying martial skills through merit points, one might even one day be able to deduce the realm beyond the Human Immortal realm, thus opening up new paths in martial arts.

If successful, he will inevitably be revered as the Martial Ancestor.

After becoming the Martial Ancestor, he would naturally be able to recruit martial artists from all over the world to serve him.

Thinking of this, Shen Xian focused his divine sense on the millstone to check his merit points.

Sure enough, things have changed.

However, after the consumption in the Everlasting Tower, his Human Merit Points, which were just over 500,000, were raised again to exactly 540,000.

Clearly, the great victory over the young members of the Cui and Lu clans damaged their reputation, and was judged by the millstone to be a good deed and a contribution to humanity.

Just as Shen Xian was discussing official business with the officials of Qilin Pavilion, someone outside reported, "Scholar, a young man outside the pavilion who claims to be a former official of the Court of Judicial Review says he has been ordered by the palace to come to Qilin Pavilion to serve."

Upon hearing this, Shen Xian was slightly pleased and said, "Go and greet them quickly."

Another scholar he favored arrived.

In his vision, the Qilin Pavilion, as the holy land of martial arts in the Great Jing, should have more than ten scholars, dozens of direct scholars, dozens of pavilion assistants, and hundreds of judges.

Of course, the corresponding position of the Qilin Pavilion should also be that of a second-rank or third-rank government office comparable to the Three Departments and the Censorate, completely separate from the Zhaowen Pavilion.

Jiang Rui had just gone home to change out of his prison uniform and into a new outfit when he rushed to the Qilin Pavilion to report for duty.

The eunuch who delivered the imperial decree did not explain the reason, but simply told him to report to the Qilin Pavilion.

"It seems that Scholar Shen spoke up for the Empress Dowager, which is why he was spared imprisonment."

Jiang Rui, dressed in a blue robe and wearing a scholar's square cap, stood tall and straight. His gaze was reflected in the two lanterns on the brightly lit Qilin Pavilion, as he pondered in his heart.

He was a man of great wisdom and cunning, and he deduced the truth from the slightest clues.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have stayed in the Dali Temple prison for so long without getting out.

Besides Shen Xian, whom he had met not long ago, who else could have rescued him?
Just then, a young man emerged from the Qilin Pavilion and asked, "Is this Lord Jiang in person?"

Jiang Rui had previously served as the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, holding the rank of Fifth Grade. Of course, this was not as prestigious and important as Shen Xian's official position, let alone his status in the Empress's heart.

“It is indeed me, Jiang,” Jiang Rui replied.

"Scholar Shen invites you in," Han Yi said.

Jiang Rui nodded and followed Han Yi into the pavilion, all the way to the fourth floor.

……

……

Leaving aside Jiang Rui's visit to Shen Xian, let's talk about the Shen residence—

Shen Lin led the Shen clan members back to their residence and sat down in the hall inscribed with "Tangdi Tongxin" (meaning "fragrant and harmonious family"). The atmosphere in the Shen family was joyful at that moment.

After this incident, the Shen family of Lanxi became famous and renowned throughout the capital.

Shen Lin sat down, stroking his beard, and said, "Boyan, prepare the east courtyard for Muzhi to live in after he returns from the palace."

Shen Zheng nodded in agreement.

Shen Zhai has also returned to the Shen residence and is sitting down at the lower end of the table. His fair face shows no change in expression.

Shen Lin suddenly called out, "Ji Ping."

"Father." Shen Zhai quickly stood up and bowed in acknowledgment.

"Could you help with the arrangement of the courtyard?" Shen Lin said gently after a moment of silence, "When Mu Zhi returns, you two can have a good chat."

Clearly, this was intended to resolve some of the previous misunderstandings between Shen Zhai and Shen Xian.

Shen Zhai's face stiffened, and he bowed in agreement.

Shen Qian said, "My nephew Xian stayed in the palace for a meal; I wonder when he will return."

At that moment, a woman from the inner quarters entered the hall and announced, "Master, the old lady has arrived."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lin stood up and looked in the direction of the voice.

Accompanied by her daughters-in-law Zhou, Du, and Guo, Old Madam Shen quickly entered the hall.

"How did the competition go?" Old Madam Shen asked impatiently.

It can be said that the competition between the Shen and Cui/Lu families has become the most important event for the Shen family during this period.

Shen Lin's voice was filled with undisguised joy: "Mu Zhi won a great victory in the competition. The Empress Dowager personally bestowed upon him a four-star divine weapon and has already gone to the palace to host a banquet."

Madam Shen nodded and smiled, "That's good, that's good."

Watching from the side, Du Shi frowned slightly. When she caught sight of the worry on her husband's face, her heart skipped a beat.

It seems the husband has been scolded by his mother again.

"Zhongcheng." Shen Lin, with his aged gaze, turned to Shen Qian and called out.

Shen Qian clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Uncle."

“It has been more than half a month since Mu Zhi arrived in the capital. You should send people to the palace and Qilin Pavilion to wait for him, saying that it will be a little later and that a family banquet has been prepared to welcome Mu Zhi back,” Shen Lin said.

Upon hearing this, Shen Qian felt that Shen Xian might not come because of Shen Zhai and their previous disagreement, but he still didn't want to spoil the mood, so he cupped his hands and replied, "Yes."

(End of this chapter)