National Division

Chapter 60 Envy, Bowing and Bowing Again. (Please continue reading, please vote with monthly tickets!)

Taichu Palace

On the screen, people from Guhe County were talking. Shen Bin and a group of constables escorted Xu Lin, who was bound hand and foot, into the yamen.

Afterwards, Magistrate Liu tried every possible excuse, while Magistrate Lu defended him.

"A county magistrate, a dignified eighth-rank official of the imperial court, actually associates with gangs and evil spirits, plotting against his colleagues. What else is this but murdering an official and rebelling?" The Empress's face was as cold as frost as she said in a cold voice, "This county magistrate is eloquent but evasive, and he is extremely hateful!"

At this moment, Shen Bin was at a loss for words after being refuted by Magistrate Lu.

The diva was secretly angry, already projecting her feelings onto Shen Bin, wondering why he was so clumsy with words.
Gu Nanzhu said softly, "Your Majesty, this county lieutenant is, after all, a military officer, and is no match for Magistrate Lu in terms of eloquence."

Just then, a tall, handsome young man with an elegant and refined demeanor stepped out from behind the screen.

"What a corrupt and deceitful magistrate!"

This curse undoubtedly struck a nerve with the diva.

When Magistrate Lu said that as a local official, he had his subordinates in the county to do their own jobs, Empress Dowager was even more furious.

This is almost identical to the advice given by the old ministers a few years ago, who told her to rule by doing nothing!
The ensuing verbal sparring made Shen Xian seem like a stand-in for a pop diva.

"...Since you are eating the king's food, why are you not loyal to the king?"

Magistrate Lu's voice rang out: "Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish... how can one be in two places at once?"

"I can spare time for singing and dancing, for discussing metaphysics, for seeking immortality and refining elixirs, but I cannot spare time for loyalty to the emperor and love for the people, for eliminating evil spirits?"

At this moment, the Empress Dowager was already sitting upright, her slender phoenix eyes filled with excitement, and her tone could not hide her joy: "Nanzhu, remember these words! Order the Secretariat to issue an edict, and have the official gazette circulate copies to the Six Ministries, all departments, and all prefectures and counties, to admonish the regional governors throughout the land."

Upon hearing this, Gu Nanzhu quickly sat down to the side, picked up a brush, and wrote Shen Xianzhi's words on the paper in a few strokes.

The graceful and beautiful woman is skilled in poetry and calligraphy; her regular script is elegant and delicate, almost like the dance of a blue phoenix.

At this moment, seeing that he could not win the argument, Magistrate Lu began to use his power to intimidate people, mentioning that the young man was just a commoner and had no right to speak on politics.

The diva frowned inwardly. This was the way of powerful families; when they couldn't win an argument, they'd resort to bringing up their social standing and family background.

"Those who know where the roof leaks are those under the eaves; those who know where the government fails are those in the fields..."

The Empress nodded secretly, refuting the arguments of the sages of the previous dynasty by citing classical texts.

"Since you are so focused on seeking the Dao, longevity, and carefree life, you might as well resign from your official post and leave, thus avoiding being scorned by the people and achieving nothing in the path of immortality!"

The young man's voice was melodious and forceful: "May I ask Magistrate Lu, what realm of immortality are you at? Have you reached the Danxia stage yet?"

"If one reaches middle age, has wasted years, and achieved nothing in officialdom, what is the point?"

At that moment, both the Empress and Gu Nanzhu simultaneously uttered four words.

Murder and kill!
Just as the group was shocked by the boy's sharp and incisive words,

But then they saw that Magistrate Lu had already coughed up blood, his face as pale as paper.

Murong Yue said, "This shows that his Dao heart has wavered. He is indecisive and his achievements in the Dao are limited."

If one clings to their own convictions and faces doubts with indifference, they might still be able to break through to the third realm of immortality, the Danxia realm. But if they already doubt themselves in their hearts, then there is no hope.

The Empress snorted coldly and said, "Shameless scoundrels, their hearts are filled with only personal honor and disgrace, gains and losses, and they have no loyalty to their country or family!"

This is because his vomiting of blood was due to the setbacks he experienced in his official career and his pursuit of immortality, which caused his beliefs to waver, rather than because he was worried about the country and its people.

Murong Yue sighed and said, "This is a disciple of the Jade Purity Sect."

The Yuqing Sect attempted to defy the prevailing trend, and its members frequently engaged in illegal activities.

Then, the scene depicted on the memorial stone is Xue Zhihua's appearance later, cleaning up the mess, and temporarily relieving herself of her duties.

"These heartless scoundrels treat the people like fish and meat. They deserve more than just dismissal from office; they should be chopped into mincemeat to appease my hatred!" The Empress's voice was chilling and cold, as always, filled with a chilling aura of killing intent.

Murong Yue reminded him, "This person is a son of a concubine from the Lu family of Fanyang."

The diva's ruthless and cruel methods easily made her too many enemies.

The Empress Dowager snorted coldly and said indignantly, "The Lu family of Fanyang and the Cui family of Boling have colluded together, pretending to obey orders while secretly disobeying the emperor. They want to use the evil deeds of the world to bolster their own position and blackmail the emperor. I have not tolerated them for long!"

Murong Yue's eyes flickered, and she sighed inwardly, offering no further advice.

After the Qing Prince's rebellion was completely quelled, the Empress's power and prestige increased even further, and the court officials no longer dared to openly oppose her. The Empress was also planning to settle scores with the local prefectures and counties for allowing evil spirits to run rampant while the court was suppressing the rebellion.

It can be said that the events in Guhe County occurred precisely at this critical juncture.

The Empress's lips parted slightly, her voice like the clash of metal and stone: "Issued decree: The magistrate of Guhe County has neglected his duties and violated the law, protecting and condoning his subordinates' collusion with evil spirits to harm the people under his jurisdiction. He shall be dismissed from his post as magistrate, sent to the capital in a cage, and handed over to the Dali Temple for trial and punishment. He shall be promoted from the position of Guhe County Lieutenant to the position of Guhe County Magistrate, and shall act as the prefectural magistrate."

Gu Nanzhu picked up the brush that had ruined the careers of countless people in the court and began to write on a newly replaced memorial.

After the Empress finished speaking, she looked intently at Xue Zhihua and said, "Xue girl, you handled this matter well."

I wronged this girl before, thinking she was merely escorting the remnants of Prince Qing to Anzhou.

It can be said that everything, big or small, in the capital was under the watchful eye of this empress.

Xue Zhihua composed herself and said, "The Vermilion Bird Bureau has the responsibility to monitor all illegal activities in the world. As a subject who receives the emperor's salary, I should be loyal to the emperor."

The Empress nodded, her eyes filled with satisfaction, and was about to ask if Shen Xian was still in Guhe County.

Xue Zhihua took out a memorial from her sleeve and said in a clear voice, "Your Majesty, I have a memorial here that I will pass on to you."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager turned her gaze to the memorial.

The eunuch Gao Yanfu took it and presented it to the Empress.

The Empress picked up the memorial, and saw three words written on the cover: "Policy on Public Security".

Her slender fingers turned the pages, her long, narrow phoenix eyes reflecting on the memorial.

"The chaos caused by demons and monsters in this world is due to the loss of moral order and the inaction of Taoist priests. Evil spirits run rampant, and the people weep in the wilderness. Shen Xian, the son of the county magistrate of Guhe, is deeply concerned about the increasingly severe state of security in the prefectures and counties of the world. He offers his humble opinions and strategies to Your Majesty, hoping to contribute to the central government's decision-making..."

On the way to the capital, Shen Xian learned more about the situation in the immortal realm from Xue Zhihua and rewrote his strategy report, making it more feasible.

"Now, an eerie atmosphere pervades the city, demons roam by day, lurking among the people, harming the common folk. Houses are locked at night, and few travel the official roads at dawn and dusk. Ghosts and monsters steal souls from the marketplace, and mountain spirits tear bones apart in the wilderness. This is an extraordinary time, requiring extraordinary measures. I, a humble citizen, have prepared a brief report below:"

Because the Empress Dowager was in power, the phrase "Heaven and Earth are upside down, Yin and Yang are in disorder" was not used to begin the story.

"Firstly, we will establish a martial arts examination system and set up offices for pacifying evil spirits and slaying demons. We will recruit outstanding martial artists from all over the country, including those from various provinces, prefectures, and counties. In addition to granting them the office of pacifying evil spirits and slaying demons, we will also reward them with titles, elixirs, talismans, and divine weapons to win their hearts."

At this time, the Empress Dowager had obviously not yet started the martial arts examination.

"Secondly, the law on demons shall be promulgated. Just as humans are good and evil, demons are righteous and wicked. All demons that take human form and enter the world shall be recorded in the demon register. If they benefit human affairs and make contributions to the court, they may be granted a demon certificate. Based on their merits, they shall be appointed as mountain gods or local deities and shall be worshipped with incense."

"Thirdly, set up early warning beacon towers to detect the changes in the energy of demons and evil spirits in all directions by using treasures such as demon talismans, mirrors, and swords. Bury talisman stakes underground to observe the fluctuations of demonic energy in the prefectures and counties. Whenever there is a demonic alarm, the department responsible for pacifying evil spirits and slaying demons will be dispatched to eliminate the demons and evil spirits."

It can be said that as Shen Xian gains a better understanding of the immortal path in this world, all of these things become possible.

However, the Taoist's organization was not tight enough, he did not know how to focus on the big picture and let go of the small details, and the allocation of resources was not maximized or rationally utilized.

"Fourth, reform military equipment, and distribute arrows drawn with talismans to soldiers. The military spirit is combined with Taoist magic to defeat demons and eliminate evil, so as to alleviate the shortage of Taoists."

"Fifth, a curfew was imposed, and Taoist priests led soldiers to patrol the night. After sunset, safe areas were divided into five zones according to the five elements, allowing scholars and commoners to pass through, trade and agriculture to be facilitated, so as not to hinder the livelihood of the people."

"Sixth, establish a list of demon-slaying officials, and reward merits and punishments accordingly. Depending on the severity of the harm caused by demons, rewards such as silver, elixirs, armor, and divine weapons will be distributed. If a demon performs meritorious service, its previous crimes may be pardoned and it will be included in the supplementary register of the Department of Slaying Demons."

"Seventh, organize the Baojia system. The rural and mountain people, when gathered together, are as strong as stones, and when scattered, they are as weak as sand. Organize them into men, and if there is any evil activity, report it to the government immediately, and join forces with the local prefectural and county troops and the local militia to suppress it."

"Eighthly, print newspapers to promote chivalry in the central and local areas, report the reasons for eliminating demons and evil spirits, publicize the names of those who slay demons, inspire the loyalty and patriotism of martial artists, and encourage Taoists to do good deeds and accumulate virtue."

"Ninth, open markets and allow good demons to make a living. Fox spirits and tree spirits all have their own strengths, such as spinning yarn, weaving cloth, and cultivating spiritual plants. Use righteousness to eliminate their evil thoughts and use livelihood to bind their bodies."

"Tenth, build city defenses, and use talismans and treasures of the immortal path to guard the four gates, block out demonic energy, and make up for the deficiencies of the official magic net."

……

……

There are many strategies, totaling ten.

"This strategy does not rely on force, but integrates the four methods of suppression, appeasement, utilization, and guidance. It appeals to emotions, moves people with reason, and entices them with benefits. However, these are all superficial measures. If we want to find a way to address the root cause, I believe that with the Empress Dowager in power, her authority extends throughout the land, and her virtuous aura suppresses all evil forces. Therefore, evil spirits should flee from the world. I only wish that the Empress Dowager would streamline personnel affairs from the central government, strictly regulate officialdom, clarify laws and regulations, and when officials are clean, the people will be upright. When the people are upright, evil spirits will disappear. I, a humble citizen, envy those who can sail on the valley river and fish in the countryside. I bow my head and congratulate the Empress Dowager."

“Xian bows his head and pays his respects again. The twelfth day of the third month of the second year of the Tiansheng era of the Great Jing Dynasty, Bingchen day.”

After reading it, the Empress Dowager felt that the few thin sheets of paper in her hand were as heavy as a thousand pounds, as heavy as mountains and rivers.

His policy proposals were incisive and addressed the current problems, and the concluding blessings were sincere and earnest, revealing his pure and devoted heart.

(End of this chapter)