Chapter Thirty-two Adjustment (Additional Request for Recommendation)

  Ancestral temple, within the law domain.

  Fang Ming sat in the main seat, with a majestic and awe-inspiring demeanor. Red and white glows flickered on his body, occasionally revealing an aura of pressure that made his subordinates secretly tremble. At this time, all his subordinates were present, including four individuals who were extraordinary in their own right. They all bowed down: "We have seen the master!"

  Fang Ming nodded and said, "No need for formalities, everyone!"

  "These four are the ancestral spirits of the county's four major families: Zhou Si, Wu Hongyu, Zheng Jing, and Wang Deng. They have now joined me, and you can all get closer to them from now on!" Fang Ming introduced his subordinates again.

  As soon as this statement came out, the subordinates were shocked. The four big families of Anchang have been passed down for hundreds of years, with strong and complex relationships, and can be called the local emperor in Anchang County.

  These four ancestral spirits, all of whom were renowned for their spiritual efficacy, had also been taken in by the master as his subordinates. Xie Jin and the others gained a deeper understanding of the master's power and authority, and they congratulated him, saying: "Congratulations, Master! Congratulations to you, Master!"

  Then they exchanged greetings with each other, four people in total.

  Fang Ming looked at these four people, and couldn't help but feel very satisfied. These four ancestral spirits, since they were able to serve as the masters of large households in the county, had been famous during their lifetime, and received sacrifices after death, were naturally all outstanding talents of their time. Their original names were all pure red, and could be used at will.

  After subjugating Zhou Si, he went to the other three families and naturally followed the same procedure, offering them the same conditions as the Zhou family, and they surrendered. After all, these four families are closely related, and it's likely that they had secretly discussed it beforehand, so it wasn't a strange thing at all.

  Fang Ming waited until everyone had finished paying their respects, then spoke again: "Zhou Si, Wu Hongyu, and Wang Deng are all talented and eloquent. They will be appointed as historians to follow me and learn the ropes."

  "Zheng Jing once held a military position and is now appointed as Huo Chang, establishing two Huo, with subordinate soldiers who can be recruited on their own, first to return and thank Jin for management."

  Zhou Si, Wu Hongyu, and Wang Deng were all men of letters and ancestors of the aristocracy, with great influence. Fang Ming could only offer them official historian positions at first. In fact, this was not enough, and later on, more would have to be added. However, for now, they had just become subordinates and had no other choice, so they were able to stabilize the situation.

  Zheng Jing was born into a military family and had military achievements, which made him a good fit for the Imperial Guard. He could hold a seventh-rank military position, with a bright future ahead of him, making him a suitable deputy to Xie Jin.

  Looking at the appointment, all subordinates are convinced and obedient. Fang Ming sighed in his heart, this is the rule of this world. If these four people didn't have this status, even if they were talented, they could be promoted to a higher position than the old man, but the subordinates would still have doubts in their hearts and would inevitably cause trouble.

  Now he is the well-known big family ancestor of this county, and everyone is convinced at once. After all, even if the county magistrate recruits his subordinates, he must mainly select from the four major families. If he recruits the head of the clan, he must start with an official position, and the ninth product is the lowest.

  Fang Ming couldn't help but do the same, everything was due to their strength. These four people represented the four major families, which could directly or indirectly influence nearly 4,000 people, twice as many as Fang Ming's current followers, and were also the largest landowners in Anchang County, with a large amount of land in the countryside and having the right to speak. Whether it was Fang Ming or the county magistrate, they had to take this into consideration.

  Just as Fang Ming was about to say something, a figure suddenly appeared, knelt down, and kowtowed, knocking his head on the ground. Although he was a ghostly spirit, he still managed to knock out blood, saying: "Your subordinate knows his crime! ... Previously unintentionally leaked the master's message, afterwards regretted it, hoping the master will severely punish your subordinate!"

  This man was He Dong, looking at his sincere and guilty appearance, Fang Ming secretly sneered, previously able to release the news, now seeing the leak, coming out to apologize humbly, heh...

  But there's no need to show it now.

  "The Lord is in charge of one side, governing yin and yang, and cannot help but reward and punish clearly to warn the evil. He Dong! Since you have violated my laws, don't blame the law for being severe." Fang Ming's voice was cold and clear, yet it made the hearts of the people below skip a beat.

  "Remove the official seal of Historian at once! Demote him to a mere laborer, no longer in charge of accounts. Take back his divine authority! Drag him away and give him twenty heavy blows!" Fang Ming was truly enraged this time, if not for the fact that he had helped to pacify the four major families, which counted as some merit, he would have liked to beat him to death on the spot. Even so, he couldn't be let off lightly!

  This was Fang Ming's first severe punishment of his subordinates, and the rest of the people were shocked. Fang Ming didn't care, he waved his hand, and He Dong went to change into plain clothes. A divine talisman was also extracted from his body, making He Dong's face turn pale. He knew that he had been removed from his position, which wasn't a big deal, but being unable to manage the accounts meant being kicked out of the core group, and his future fortunes were uncertain. But for now, he could only endure.

  At once, the yin soldiers appeared and dragged He Dong out of the main hall, positioning him properly. The water and fire clubs came down together. The "slapping" sound made the people in the hall feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar. The four great ancestral spirits were even more trembling with fear, their faces...

  He Dong's teeth were clenched tightly, and it was not easy to get through the twenty sticks. His body was already in disarray. At this time, he still couldn't retreat, struggling to crawl under the hall, kneeling on the ground to thank: "Thank you, sir, for your kindness!" This is a must after being punished, if not, it's considered having resentment, and can be beaten to death directly.

  Fang Ming nodded and waved his hand to let He Dong retreat, looking at the four great ancestors below who were all bowing their heads and half-kneeling, extremely respectful. Knowing that this was also a warning, he comforted them by saying: "You four families, although you must change your faith, but the ancestral beliefs cannot be abandoned. We will convert the central main hall of the ancestral temple into a land temple, and the remaining two sides will continue to worship our ancestors as before, with incense burning continuously!"

  The four great ancestral spirits thank you for your kindness.

  This ancestral belief is the way of filial piety, and it cannot be abolished. Moreover, this is also the foundation of feudal rule, governing the country with filial piety, promoting the way of filial piety can greatly reduce administrative personnel, the vast territory of the feudal empire, in rural areas, has already reached the point where it is difficult to govern, can only promote the way of filial piety, forming a semi-autonomous form.

  Since one must be filial to their elders, then the superior officials and even the Emperor are the elders of elders, so one should obey them with humility, work hard and endure hardships, this is the governing meaning of feudal filial piety.

  Fang Ming didn't want to modify it either, so he just used it as is. After all, if someone could abandon their ancestors to serve him, then if Fang Ming ever fell into danger, abandoning him wouldn't require much consideration.

  "Guo Sheng, you have been diligent and hardworking in your duties, with a skilled pen. I hereby relieve you of your position as a clerk in the land department and appoint you as a recording clerk, in charge of accounts. I hope you will be faithful to your duties and not bring trouble upon yourself!"

  Fang Ming threw out his hand, and the Earth Escape Divine Ability that he had retrieved from He Dong flew into Guo Sheng's body, exchanging it for the Fertile Land Divine Ability. Guo Sheng bowed down to thank him, this was the key to managing the accounts, although he hadn't leveled up, that was because the time was still short, Guo Sheng understood that it was his master's nurturing, and he was grateful to tears.

  "Wang Liulang, you're going to have to work a bit harder and take over Guo Sheng's duties too!" With another point, the original Fatty Land Divine Ability that belonged to Guo Sheng flew into Wang Liulang's body. This way, Wang Liulang now possessed both the Fatty Land and Child Delivery Divine Abilities.

  "Thank you, sir!" Wang Liu bowed down, despite being confused. Fang Ming smiled, this was exactly what he had planned - to let Wang Liu become more familiar with the land and its spirits, so that later on, he could be promoted to govern a region of his own, while also compensating for assigning Zheng Jing to Xie Jin's jurisdiction.

  This accountant is Fang Ming's chief steward, a very important relationship. Although He Dong is familiar with the accounts, after the arrival of the four great ancestors, he will inevitably be reused. He Dong also has an old relationship with them, and when the time comes, they will join forces to deceive even Fang Ming, so we must be on guard.

  Even if He Dong didn't commit this crime, Fang Ming wouldn't let him manage the accounts again. Guo Sheng had talent and had followed for so long, studying hard, he could naturally take care of the accounts well, he had a pure red fate, after that he could follow Fang Ming's promotion and rise to office, keeping up with Fang Ming's pace.

  Fang Ming looked at the appointment and saw that with the four great ancestral spirits receiving their orders, there were four large white clouds floating above the aura, wide, thick and substantial, constantly transforming into thin wisps of white air, filling up the golden seal. He couldn't help but feel great joy, knowing that this was due to the support of the four great families. Once the golden seal was full, he would inevitably be able to advance because of it.

  Deep in an unknown mountain range.

  A mountain peak stands upright, with only a faint white mist visible on the mountain. There are towering peaks and lush greenery, with an atmosphere of infinite variety. In the midst, there is a crane's long cry, a white ape offering fruit, below which hundreds of flowers bloom, filling the air with fragrance.

  It is indeed an immortal family style.

  At the top of the mountain, there is a building with layers and layers, with palaces and bamboo buildings, all arranged in an extremely delicate manner, scattered and emitting a mysterious aura.

  A young man, wearing a Taoist robe, about twenty years old, with red lips and white teeth, walked towards the central main hall with an elegant demeanor. Along the way, he was greeted by many Taoist children who bowed to him, calling out "Brother Yu Heng!" The young man's face wore a warm smile as he responded to each of them, seemingly having good relationships with others.

  Before long, he arrived and said: "Master, Yu Heng requests an audience!"

  "Come in!" The voice was as clear as jade, yet seemed to carry an irresistible force.

  Yu Heng went in and saw that the great hall was extremely empty, with only a futon in the center. On it sat a middle-aged Taoist priest with an ordinary face and ruddy complexion, faintly glowing with a soft light.

  Yu Heng bowed respectfully and found out that although his master looked middle-aged, he was actually over 80 years old, but still had a light body and good health, just like a young man.

  This is because of his profound cultivation, this Taoist priest is one of the only two true men in Baiyun Temple, Qingxu Daozhang.

  "Yu Heng, you are the core disciple of my lineage, having received the true transmission. You can divine good and bad fortune, so why do you think I have passed it on to you?" Qing Xu Dao Ren asked as Yu Heng stood up.

  "But has there been any progress in the Linjiang Prefecture's suppression of bandits?" Yu Heng said, although he could divine good or bad fortune, it was difficult to use on himself, and could only make an educated guess.

  "The matter of Linjiang Prefecture has already been entrusted to Qinghe and Shifu, who have gone ahead. Although the ghosts are cunning and avoid battle, it won't take long to surround and capture them. Just wait patiently for good news. Your divination skills need to be further refined in order to divine your own fate. This step is not easy, you must understand..." Qinghe, another true immortal, had gone to assist Wu Qi in eliminating the bandits and had yet to return to the mountain.

  The middle-aged man immediately brought up a few key points, and Yu Heng felt as if he had been enlightened, suddenly realizing that his previous narrow views had loosened. This was the true transmission of the master's teachings - having a teacher to guide him at every moment, and being able to resolve any doubts.

  After Qingxu waited for Tuer to understand, he continued: "I called you this time, but there is another doubt." He handed a letter of intelligence to Yu Heng, which was the green bird's message from Anchang County.

  Yu Heng took it over and looked at it carefully. He immediately understood and said: "Master, are you asking me to go down the mountain to investigate this matter?"

  "Wu State is within the jurisdiction of my Baiyun Temple, and there are evil and strange things happening here that we need to solve ourselves. As for the matter of the land god, it's highly suspicious. Although I want to go in person, alas..."

  Qingxu said up to here, Yu Heng understood that the master wanted to sit in the town and protect the foundation. The master uncle also divided his body into a weak technique, and could only send out his disciples, so he took orders: "Master, rest assured, such trivial matters, which need not be done by Master's great power, the disciple will definitely investigate this matter until the truth is revealed!"

  "Don't be too careless, previously as a teacher I demonstrated the technique of observing the heavens and discovered that the heavenly mechanism is confused, unknown why. At this time, it's still twenty years before the chaotic era, this phenomenon shouldn't appear. But since it has appeared, now the strange occurrences in Wu state can't help but be paid more attention to, let alone..." Qingxu's face showed a hint of worry.

  "Ah-ha!" Yu Heng suddenly understood. The previous incident with the evil spirit, sending out a real person seemed like an overreaction, but it turned out there was a reason for it.

  PS: Thank you for the rewards from my proud readers, comprehensive war of Warhammer, PK ancient Greek points of praise, and thank you for collecting book friends. Also, the recommendation ticket is so bleak, add more requests for recommendations.