National Division

Chapter 33 Given time, he will surely soar to great heights!
Shen Residence
Main hall, side rooms

Shen Xian's expression shifted slightly as he pondered how to deal with Magistrate Lu and Assistant Magistrate Liu's faction.

What can make power yield is not justice, but greater power.

It can be said that after a series of events, including the Qingyang Temple incident, Shen Xian gained a comprehensive and profound understanding of Guhe County and even Dajing.

In Qi Ting's words, heroes are powerless in the face of power; heroes are merely tools in the face of power.

My father worked diligently for over ten years, risking his life and using his lifeblood to exorcise demons, and all he got was a lowly ninth-rank county lieutenant.
We managed to escape the demons' attack this time, but who knows what will happen next time.

Shen Bin looked at Shen Xian, whose expression was changing, and asked, "Do you have a solution?"

Perhaps it was Shen Xian's behavior these past few days that made Shen Bin begin to value his son's opinion.

Shen Xian said in a deep voice, "Gather evidence of illegal activities, report to higher authorities, and bring down Magistrate Liu and his ilk. Father, have you had no one to support you in the prefecture all these years?"

Who doesn't have powerful connections behind them? The Shen family of Lanxi couldn't possibly be without any connections.

Even without connections, he can use benefits to build them!

Shen Bin pondered for a moment and said, "I have known Liang Sima and Jiang Canjun of Anzhou for many years and we get along quite well. However, County Magistrate Liu has the support of County Magistrate Lu, and County Magistrate Lu has the trust of Governor Cui. The two are both from prominent families and are closely related, so they can support each other from afar."

Over the years, Shen Bin has not focused on intrigue and power struggles, but he has not been completely oblivious to interpersonal relationships either; however, he has never been able to find a way to get started.

Unfortunately, he was just a martial artist, and the resources of the Shen family of Lanxi were not directed towards him.

Shen Xian said, "Father, my Lanxi Shen family should have connections in the capital, so why don't we make any moves?"

As far as he knew, his uncle was a low-ranking officer in the Southern Palace Imperial Guard.

Shen Bin said, "We are a branch of a commoner, and we can only borrow a little power from the clan. Besides, I am just a martial artist. The aristocratic families in the capital consider us martial artists to be crude and uncouth. That's why I ask you to read Taoist scriptures more often."

Perhaps because of Shen Xian's previous behavior, Shen Bin was much calmer towards his son at this moment.

Shen Xian said, "Father, please collect more evidence of Liu County Magistrate's illegal activities. It will be useful. As for the Shen family, I will go to the capital in a while to see if I can ask Second Uncle to put in some effort."

If the Great Jing Dynasty followed the Tang system, then dismissing a county magistrate would require someone in the prefecture to exert influence, go through the supervisory channels to report to the censor, and ultimately reach the Ministry of Personnel.

Alternatively, the governor could report to the Ministry of Personnel, but since the governor of Anzhou and the magistrate of Lu County were in cahoots, this route wouldn't work.

But no matter what, someone in the capital needs to respond.

Shen Bin nodded and said, "Your uncle will probably retire this year. After some time, take my letter and visit him. Your cousin just took up his post in the Censorate this spring and hasn't been congratulated yet."

"Imperial Censor?" Shen Xian asked.

Shen Bin said, "He is a genuine scholar who passed the imperial examinations. He worked his way up in local areas for many years, and after more than ten years, he has finally made it."

Zhao Lang whispered from the side, "Brother, could we try the Censorate route?"

Although the Shen family of Lanxi was a fallen noble family, they still had some influence.

Shen Bin sighed and said, "It's not easy. The capital is even more complicated and difficult to intervene in."

Shen Xian's eyes flickered, and he thought to himself that his uncle's position as censor was probably not so easy to obtain.

Before retiring, they would arrange for their children to advance to the next level; this was often the case.

The Shen family of Lanxi has limited resources, so they will definitely prioritize taking care of the direct descendants. They can't even take care of his own uncle Shen Qian in the capital, let alone his father who is far away in Guhe County.

Shen Xian felt that the Lanxi Shen family could try to leverage their influence, but they still couldn't place too much hope in them.

Shen Bin said, "Let's gather some evidence of illegality first, just in case."

Li Yan said, "Don't worry, brother, I'll take care of this."

Shen Bin nodded, then turned to Shen Xian and instructed, "By the way, Lord Xue has just arrived in Guhe, so you should keep him company these next few days."

Shen Xian said, "Father, don't worry. Father, we should buy some tonics these few days to help you recover."

The essence and blood of a primordial martial artist are extremely precious. I lost several drops at once, so I need to replenish them properly in the next few days.

“Your third uncle mentioned the pills you needed, and I’ve already had them prepared,” Shen Bin said.

Upon hearing this, Shen Xian felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

With his father's support, he'll surely make rapid progress in his martial arts training.

As for the immortal path, he should consult with that Miss Xue more often when he has time.

……

……

Lin Jing then returned to the back room with the newspaper. Green Pearl greeted him and said, "Uncle, the young lady is waiting in the backyard."

Lin Jing smiled and said, "I'll go over there now."

As he spoke, he turned and went back to the inner hall.

"Uncle, I heard that Young Master Shen has returned?" Yu Qingchan asked.

Lin Jing said cheerfully, "I'm back. I went out of the city to slay the demon, and everything is safe." Yu Qingchan felt a little relieved, but then said in a low voice, "I heard that you brought back a woman."

Lin Jing paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's from the Xue family of the Duke of the Capital. They happened to be there when the demons appeared and helped a lot."

This Uncle Lin did not believe that the daughter of Duke Xue could have any romantic feelings for Shen Xian.

These noble ladies, whose marriages are not of their own choosing, would never choose to marry a county official's son.
Lin Jing added, "Young Master Shen is knowledgeable in literary matters. He's planning to launch a newspaper soon, and I'll be busy with those matters during this period."

Yu Qingchan asked in surprise, "A newspaper?"

Lin Jing recounted the events in general and laughed, "Making money from newspapers is secondary; the key is to gain fame."

If it's about making money, he's been in business for half his life, so he must have his own ways of making money.

Yu Qingchan nodded, pursed her pink lips, and asked, "I wonder what the novel is about that deserves such praise from you, Uncle?"

Although Yu Qingchan was blind, she still read books diligently every day, always with a book in her hand, only having her maid help her read.

"I brought it to you." Lin Jing said, handing it to the maid Lüzhu beside him, and smiled, "Qingchan, this young master Shen seems to be a man of great talent. Just wait and see, given time, he will surely soar to great heights."

Lin Jing had been a merchant in the capital and had seen many people. Based on his previous interactions with Shen Xian, he felt that Shen Xian was no ordinary person.

Yu Qingchan hummed in agreement, a faint blush rising on her fair cheeks, and a surge of joy welled up in her heart.

What woman wouldn't want her husband to be both scholarly and martial?
……

……

Meanwhile, Shen Xian suppressed her worries and returned to her courtyard to begin preparing to make perfume.

Zhiyun and Xiuyue assisted from the side.

Zhiyun asked, "Young master, is this perfume truly more potent than spices?"

Shen Xian smiled and said, "Perfume is made by extracting the essence of perfume, so it is naturally far superior to fragrance."

The bright moon hung high outside the window, its silvery light spilling onto the peach tree in the courtyard, while the orange lamp on the west window burned until late into the night before finally going out.

The next day, golden morning light shone through the window and fell upon the young man.

Shen Xian looked at the two sleeping maids beside her, then at the small bottle of perfume in her hand, and let out a deep breath.

Finally it was done.

Let Xue Zhi try it out first.

This noblewoman from a prominent family in the capital introduced perfume to the city and sold it to wealthy women, bringing in a steady stream of revenue.

And all of this will become his martial arts resources.

He also needs to go to Kyoto to discuss things with the head of the Shen family.

Shen Xian calmed herself down, put down the perfume in her hand, and stretched.

As a martial artist, even after staying up all night, one's mind doesn't feel much tired.

Just then, the two maids on the bed let out a soft moan. Zhiyun was a light sleeper and was clearly awakened by Shen Xian's movements.

"Young master, it's dawn." Zhiyun wiped away non-existent drool from her mouth, her apple-shaped face full of coquettishness and romance.

Shen Xian smiled and looked at Zhiyun, saying, "Prepare some hot water, I'll go wash up first."

Zhiyun hummed in agreement, then got up and began to get busy.

Xiu Yue, who had been sleeping soundly, woke up and asked, "Young Master, what time is it?"

"The sun's already high in the sky, go to the kitchen and prepare breakfast." Under the sunlight, Shen Xian's smile was clean and sunny.

Xiuyue snorted and said, "You've been busy all night, and you don't even let me rest."

Shen Xian laughed and said, "I'll give you a big red envelope after we sell it."

"Is it settled, young master?" Xiuyue said with a smile.

“Go ahead,” Shen Xian said.

Shen Xian pushed open the door, changed into a colorful Shu brocade robe, stood under the eaves, and looked at the peach tree in the courtyard, lost in thought for a moment.

It was the third month of spring, and the peach blossoms were in full bloom, filling the courtyard with fragrance.

After Zhiyun brought over hot water, Shen Xian washed up first, and then took a shower.

"Young Master, Master wants you to come over." Xiu Yue quickly entered the room and said to Shen Xian.

Shen Xian said, "I'll go over there now."

After thinking for a moment, she took the perfume she had made the night before, got up, and headed towards the front yard.

(End of this chapter)