National Division

Chapter 48 Magistrate Lu: Your humble servant will obey the imperial edict!

In fact, Xue Zhihua did not know that the poem also caused the Daoist Crane Guardian, who was already at the fourth level of the Daoist realm, the [Dao Embryo] realm, to have his Daoist heart ripple and slightly lose his focus.

This is Shen Xian laying the groundwork for the first poem's serene and carefree Daoist atmosphere, and then using the grand themes of the world and immortality to launch a rapid and powerful attack on Crane Guardian Daoist through strong contrast.

However, Shen Xian's attacks were all based on the target audience's level, and were designed to be precise.

Trying to explain the dialectical relationship between the common people and immortality to Magistrate Lu is futile, as Magistrate Lu's cultivation in the Dao is still very shallow, only at the peak of the second realm, the Heavenly Gate realm. He cannot comprehend the concepts of the world and the nine provinces, nor will he have any personal experience with them.

But Crane Guardian is different. His cultivation in the immortal path has reached the fourth realm, the Dao Embryo. He has a broad vision and has already touched upon the two Daoist propositions of the world and longevity.

Shen Bin, Li Yan, and Zhao Lang all looked at Shen Xian with shocked expressions.

This was like scolding a grandson; it made the county magistrate vomit blood.
Liu, the county magistrate who had been pinned down by the constables, blinked his small eyes, and the cry of injustice that was about to come out of his mouth was blocked back down.

Magistrate Lu picked up a silk handkerchief and wiped his mouth. His face was pale and weak. He said, "It's nothing. I just need to rest for a bit."

Suppressing the slight upturn of his lips, Registrar Pei frowned and advised, "Your Excellency, Shen Xian is young and his words are sharp. Please don't take it personally."

It really makes people happy.

"What a fine young man from the Shen family of Lanxi! What a wise man who knows where the roof leaks and who knows where the government fails!" Magistrate Lu stared intently at the bright-eyed, defiant young man.

A fallen noble family member is still a noble family member.

He had almost forgotten that an old fellow from the Shen family of Lanxi was serving as the Junior Supervisor of the Secretariat in the capital.

It truly reflects a family tradition of learning.

Even now, Magistrate Lu only regarded the sharp-tongued Shen Xian as someone from a prestigious family, hence his sharp words.

This is the sense of superiority that comes with being a scion of a powerful and influential family.

Shen Xian looked at Magistrate Lu but did not reply.

Magistrate Lu said, "Let's leave today's matter at that. I will personally investigate the matter of the Golden Scale Gang's collusion with Magistrate Liu."

As long as the case falls into his hands, there will always be a way to turn things around. County Magistrate Liu may have colluded with the Golden Scale Gang, but he is unlikely to have colluded with evil spirits to secretly harm an official of the imperial court.

He probably doesn't have the guts.

At this moment, County Magistrate Liu also breathed a sigh of relief. If it were the Prefect who was questioning him, he might not have no chance of survival.

"No need."

Just then, a clear, cold sound, like ice and jade colliding, rang out.

Xue Zhihua emerged from the crowd, dressed in the official robes of the Vermilion Bird Division. Although she did not have the Vermilion Bird Sword hanging at her waist, she held it with both hands, which added to her cold and arrogant demeanor.

"This..." When Magistrate Lu saw the newcomer, his pupils contracted slightly as he noticed the patterns on the guard's uniform, and he exclaimed in surprise, "The Vermilion Bird Division?"

“Magistrate Lu has good judgment; in this respect, he hasn’t disgraced the Lu family of Fanyang,” Xue Zhihua sneered, her words laced with sarcasm.

As he spoke, he took a token and said in a deep voice, "I am Xue Zhihua, the commander of the Vermilion Bird Division. I have been ordered by the Emperor to supervise the illegal activities of all the provinces and to eliminate evil spirits throughout the land."

Upon seeing this, Magistrate Lu was stunned for a moment. When he felt a chill in his heart, he immediately stood up, turned around from behind the table, bowed, and said, "This humble official...this humble official greets Lord Xue."

Pei Renjing and the others also left their seats and bowed to Xue Zhihua.

"You, a mere seventh-rank county magistrate, are protecting your subordinates who collude with evil spirits and plot against their colleagues. Aren't you afraid of being punished by the imperial court?" Xue Zhihua demanded.

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Lu felt cold sweat trickling down his back. He explained, "Your Excellency has something to report. I truly know nothing of the evil spirits in the county, nor have I protected Magistrate Liu. I have already ordered men to arrest him and prepare for questioning."

Xue Zhihua said, "As the magistrate of a county and also a Taoist priest, how could you be unaware of the evil spirits and demons in the county?"

Magistrate Lu's forehead was covered in sweat, and a sense of worry welled up in his heart.

The Vermilion Bird Bureau not only oversees the suppression of evil spirits but also monitors local officials for any transgressions or illegal activities. They are directly under the emperor's command and can submit confidential memorials to impeach local officials. Although he was a direct descendant of the Lu family of Fanyang, offending someone in the Vermilion Bird Bureau would still require considerable effort.

Even though he was only a minor sixth-rank commander.

Magistrate Lu pondered for a moment and then defended himself, saying, "I am a Taoist official appointed by the imperial court. In addition to managing the affairs of the county government, I also have Taoist affairs such as cultivation. I did not expect to be deceived by the county magistrate, which is a dereliction of duty. I have already sent people to arrest him and wait to clarify the truth."

"As a Taoist official, you have the responsibility to slay demons and evil spirits. I have been in Guhe County for several days and have seen the county filled with demonic energy. Demons and evil spirits are brazenly attacking and killing government officials. Have you not noticed anything?" Xue Zhihua asked sternly.

"I was negligent for a moment, and I will confess my guilt to Magistrate Cui. I beg Lord Xue for forgiveness," Magistrate Lu said hastily, steeling his resolve.

Xue Zhihua said coldly, "Save those words for the censors in the capital."

Magistrate Lu felt a chill run down his spine, thinking to himself, "Oh no, judging from this situation, Commander Xue has already taken the initiative to side with the Shen father and son."

How can this be good?

Xue Zhihua said, "Since you are in a position but not responsible for the affairs of the county, the civil affairs will be temporarily handled by Registrar Pei, while the security matters will be handled by County Commandant Shen."

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Lu became extremely anxious and looked up to argue, "Lord Xue is an official of the Vermilion Bird Bureau. What authority does he have to dismiss me?"

Xue Zhihua sneered and said, "In the thirty-fourth year of Hongxi, the Empress Dowager issued an edict that the Vermilion Bird Division, when traveling in the local area, could remove local officials from their posts according to their rank and transfer them to subordinate officials to act in their place. Afterwards, the matter should be reported to the relevant authorities. I am a sixth-rank official, and you are a seventh-rank official. Tell me, what authority do you have to remove me from my post?"

The so-called "local officials breaking the law" has room for interpretation, and the restrictions based on rank prevent the Vermilion Bird Bureau from excessively interfering in the civil affairs of local prefectures and counties.

Of course, a record must be kept afterward to explain the situation and prevent the abuse of such power.

Xue Zhihua looked down at Magistrate Lu, frowning, and said, "Haven't you read the Empress's edict in a long time?"

Magistrate Lu was startled, realizing that Xue Zhihua's prediction had unfortunately come true.

When the Empress Dowager was in power, Yuqing, one of the three religions, was particularly dissatisfied and even contemptuously called her a demon empress. How could she possibly remember all of her edicts?

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Lu's face turned ashen. He concealed the resentment in his eyes, bowed, and said, "This humble official will obey the imperial edict."

However, he was only temporarily relieved of his post, so he simply ignored such mundane matters. If he informed the Lu clan head in the capital, these would all be minor issues.

At this moment, Magistrate Lu did not recognize that the person in front of him was the daughter of Duke Xue, a person who had direct access to the emperor, and who even the old patriarch of the Lu clan of Fanyang had to treat with respect.

She was simply treated as a female official in the Vermilion Bird Bureau, because after the Empress Dowager came to power, she frequently made good use of female officials.

Once things were settled, Xue Zhihua looked at Shen Bin and said, "County Commandant Shen, the security of Guhe County is now in your hands. If any evil spirits cause trouble, I will take action. However, the affairs of the county are your responsibility and you must not neglect them."

"Your humble servant obeys," Shen Bin said, cupping his hands in greeting.

After Xue Zhihua finished speaking, she looked at Registrar Pei, her clear eyes flashing, and asked, "Are you a member of the Pei family of Hedong?"

"This gentleman is a second-generation member of the nineteenth branch of the Pei family," Pei Renjing said, his expression composed as he cupped his hands in greeting.

However, when revealing his background, there was still an inexplicable confidence in his tone.

Even if it was just a distant branch of the Pei family of Hedong, this reflects the importance that this era placed on family background and social standing.

Xue Zhihua pondered for a moment and said, "Elder Pei is a famous minister whose portrait is preserved in the Qilin Pavilion. He was once respected by my father. I hope you will not disgrace the reputation of the Pei family ancestors of Hedong."

Pei Renjing's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly cupped his hands and said, "Yes."

Although I had a suspicion, it wasn't until now that I was certain that she was a noble lady from the capital, though I didn't know which family she came from.

Xue Zhihua said, "Everyone, disperse. I will definitely report today's events to the Empress Dowager truthfully."

Pei Renjing's heart skipped a beat; it seemed that Magistrate Lu was about to be relocated.

As for imprisoning Magistrate Lu, it is far from enough to simply punish him for dereliction of duty and negligence, and to put an official from a prominent family in jail.

(End of this chapter)