Chapter Twenty-Five: News from the County Town

  Yingke Building is the largest and most famous restaurant in Anchang County, where the drunken fish cooked by Chef Wang is a must-try dish that attracts many repeat customers.

  It was almost noon, the busiest time for business. The first floor of the wine building was already packed, and the sixteen elegant rooms on the second floor, separated by screens, were also filled with many people, mostly scholars and officials, occasionally wealthy merchants, all with some elegance, who liked to recite poetry and couplets, making it relatively quiet, in contrast to the bustle of the first floor.

  Fang Ming occupied a private room, ordered several small dishes, especially asked for the recommended "drunken fish", and also had a pot of wine brought up. He gave some extra money to the waiter and sent him away, then slowly savored his food alone.

  Tried the drunken fish, it was indeed fresh and fragrant. The wine wasn't bad either, paired with the small dishes, it had a unique flavor. Fang Ming quietly ate and drank while listening to the commotion from the surrounding private rooms.

  At this time, there was a voice coming over.

  "Wow... This time's competition for the top student, is really crazy. He Yu and He Qin from the He family were the most popular ones, many people had high hopes for them, but unexpectedly, they were surpassed by a poor village kid who was unknown to everyone, it's really shocking..."

  At this time, a delicate voice rang out: "I've heard about this too, it's quite mysterious, but I'm not really sure what's going on. Old Qin, don't you have relatives working in the government? Quickly tell us..."

  Then there was another round of cheers and laughter, and Old Qin's voice came over "Alright, I'll tell you guys then!"

  "This story starts from the death of He Dong, the old historian... A few months ago, He Dong passed away due to illness. His son, He Sanhuai, took over his father's business, but unfortunately, he didn't last long and was dismissed in no time... Haha..."

  This tone is full of schadenfreude.

  "Yes, yes, the family's reputation has been ruined like this. If Old He were still alive, he would have been driven to death again by his son..." Another voice rose up, full of resentment and indignation.

  The historian is the first among officials, with great power. For ordinary civilians, without a noble background, it's impossible to become an official. The historian is the only one that common people can rely on. Unfortunately, this also relies on heredity and family background, which eliminates many opportunities and naturally leads to resentment.

  "Hmm... that's right, but the new emperor must still be chosen from the He family. The meat is already cooked in the pot, and outsiders can't get a bite. Sigh..."

  "Never mind, let's continue. The candidates for the new imperial history include He Qin, He Yu, and He Song. Among them, He Qin and He Yu come from wealthy families and are said to have spent a lot of money and promised many conditions to the He family. They themselves are also doing well, so they can be considered to have great opportunities. These two people are the most popular ones, competing with each other fiercely..."

  Lao Qin saw that the atmosphere was a bit low, and the wine interest had dissipated, so he quickly shifted the topic to the competition for the championship, which indeed sparked everyone's interest.

  "That's He Song, although he's also considered one of the three families of the He family, but usually doesn't move around much, no one pays attention to him, didn't expect him to come this time too, I'm afraid there are many people in the He family who will laugh at him, however, what comes next is going to be exciting..." Old Qin said, leaving a cliffhanger.

  "Old Qin, come on, tell us, what happened next......"

  "Come on, have another bowl, moisten your throat, hurry up and tell us......"

  Lao Qin, seeing that he had piqued everyone's interest, smiled complacently and took another sip of wine before continuing in a leisurely manner: "He Song first went to request an audience with the He family, and this time, he gave a meeting gift of twenty taels of silver, which thoroughly stunned a group of people."

  "Wow... twenty taels of silver, He Yu, the He family only spent a dozen or so taels this time, right? If they spend any more, they'll have to sell their property. How can He Song be so wealthy? Or is the county government not planning on taking bribes?" A disbelieving voice rang out.

  "I happen to know something about this. My family lives next to a pawnshop, and that day I heard the pawnshop assistant say that someone brought in an ancient jade from the Song dynasty, claiming it was a family heirloom and wanting to pawn it. The shopkeeper looked at it and offered ten taels of silver, but unexpectedly the man was knowledgeable about such things and knew the jade was worth one hundred taels. He said he needed money urgently, so he was willing to pawn it. The shopkeeper had no choice but to give him fifty taels in the end. And that person who sold the jade was He Song!" someone interjected.

  "Hiss......" A sharp intake of cold air, accompanied by occasional angry curses.

  Lao Qin also cursed: "Damn it, he's really rich. If I had known earlier, I would have robbed him." The crowd echoed in agreement: "Indeed, he should be robbed!"

  Old Qin sighed and said, "This is also a powerful and good thing passed down from ancestors. He sold it just like that and spent all the money. According to my relatives, I don't know what he discussed with Mr. He, but in the end, Mr. He reported his name along with He Qin and He Yu."

  "Next, He Song went to bribe the county government, spending a full thirty taels. Moreover, those gatekeepers in the yamen all had their palms greased, from top to bottom, and just the right amount, not too much or too little. This move didn't seem like that of a newcomer, but rather that of an old hand who was familiar with the ways of the yamen."

  Everyone nodded, this is a matter of experience, each has their own way of doing things, some need to be given more, some can be given less, if you don't take a loss and hit the wall, it's something that can't be learned, how did He Song do it, was it heaven-sent?

  At this time, Old Qin said again: "Later, He Song arrived at the official department, and Cao Si and He Dong He Lao Dianshi had a good relationship, so they asked him out. Although He Lao Dianshi didn't get along with He Song on the surface, he actually appreciated his talent in private and taught him many things. The official also asked some secrets, and He Song answered them all correctly, which made him believe."

  "In the end, it was just a formality, but Wei County Magistrate was also present and said that he would be strict. However, He Song turned out to be quite talented and was said to have impressed Wei County Magistrate greatly. In the end, He Song excelled in all aspects and received his appointment on the spot..."

  "Hmm... fifty taels of silver for a post as a historian, if it were me..." He couldn't finish his sentence. Fifty taels of silver and the position of historian were both good things, but one was right in front of him, while the other was far away, and this person was somewhat hesitant.

  Old Qin snorted and scolded with a smile: "You good-for-nothing, go ask those rural gentry and wealthy merchants, don't mention 50 taels, 100 taels can buy a county historian, someone will be willing! Once you become a county historian, various forms of respect, oil and water are all available, no need to wait a few years to recover the cost, at that time it's pure profit, and can be passed on to future generations, with an official title to rely on... Old Qin said this, also envying: "Never mind, come on, let's drink again..."

  Fang Ming heard this and couldn't help but smile slightly. He considered it good news for He Song, who was about to take the imperial examination, and his mood became more relaxed, so he drank a few more cups.

  Fang Ming was able to sit here, thanks to the new divine power. This time, he was promoted to the eighth rank of divine position and obtained the great divine power of "divided spirit attachment", which allowed him to divide his spiritual thoughts and attach them to ordinary people's bodies for activities.

  Fang Ming experimented and found that a thread of divine thought was required, needing twenty threads of red divine power. Attaching it to a mortal's body also depended on the softness or hardness of their willpower, consuming anywhere from one to twenty threads of divine power. Finally, the attachment time was limited, with a maximum of twelve double hours, each double hour consuming five threads of red divine power. After twelve double hours, the divine thought would automatically dissipate.

  Fang Ming first had a dream for Li Dazhuang, telling him not to resist, and finally used five strands of divine power to successfully possess his body, coming to the county town to investigate.

  Anchang County has about 2,000 households and a population of around 10,000 people. Although it is a small county, the city wall is also built very high and large, and there are soldiers patrolling at the city gate.

  In Fang Ming's view of the divine aura, the entire county was enveloped in a white and red aura, protecting it. Under Fang Ming's control, not even one person could enter the county, Fang Ming himself could forcibly break through, but would also trigger a counterattack, at that time, he would have to engage in a fierce battle with the aura of tens of thousands of people, and the outcome might not be too good.

  At this time, however, it was a flesh-and-blood body that had paid a fee of one cent and easily entered the city, saving a lot of trouble.

  Strolled around casually, saw that the guest house was not far from the county government office, and people came and went, with news circulating. Came here to open a elegant pavilion, to gather information, and also to climb high and look far, to observe the fortune of the county government.

  Fang Ming specially asked for a room with a window, which just happened to be able to see the county government office. This was because he had arrived early and there were still rooms available.

  In his eyes, not far away from the county government above, the red air was boiling and the red light was shining, only at the bottom, there were still white threads, suddenly a chill in his heart, secretly sighing that it was indeed the hub of human affairs, and the gas operation was indeed extraordinary.

  The county government is not comparable to the village. The county magistrate has overall control, under which there are county lieutenants, county captains, six departments, and many officials, grooms, bailiffs, and prison guards, etc., it can be said that the personnel are complete and the system is sound.

  As long as everyone is promoted a few levels, they can immediately become usable as prefectural officials. First, don't worry about whether their abilities are sufficient or not, at least they can get the work done, which is no small feat. Further promotion to the provincial and imperial courts only adds a few more departments and personnel, but in essence, it's still the same.

  So, the imperial court of Daqian is supported by these thousands of county-level units, which are the most basic foundation of the system and have laws.

  In Fang Ming's eyes, these auras did not form fog-like shapes but had forms like a large net with the county government as its center, wrapping the entire city within it and even extending outwards to reach rural areas.

  Of course, the county government is the strongest in law and order, with almost pure red energy. As you move to the edge of the county town, it becomes half red and white, and by the time you reach the countryside, there's probably only a bit of white left, which can be confused with the ancestral altar and ancestral protection. Before Fang Ming, no one felt it.

  At this moment, two rows of yamen runners suddenly came out and stood on both sides of the county government office. Fang Ming's heart moved and he stared intently.

  Several people came out of the county government office, among them a middle-aged man wearing a seventh-grade official uniform, who was County Magistrate Wei Zhun. On his forehead was a pure red lifeline that stood out against the dense red aura around him, forming a faint bird-like shape. Suddenly, as if he had discovered Fang Ming, he let out a long cry and the red light flashed, causing Fang Ming's eyes to ache as if they were about to tear up. His heart was filled with fear, and he dared not look again, shifting his gaze away.

  To the left of the county magistrate, there was an old man with an extraordinary air. A red and white aura condensed on his head, similar to Fang Ming's, but it had not taken shape yet. Fang Ming guessed that he must be the county lieutenant without a doubt.

  On the right side is a large Han, with red and white energies gathering together. However, around it, there are also faint black energies. This is not a disaster energy, but rather a military energy and a killing energy. It seems to be a county lieutenant. According to the rules, a county lieutenant can command at most 1,000 soldiers. Of course, it's impossible to have a full quota in peacetime, but having 500 soldiers should be enough to suppress the county city. This county lieutenant only has red and white original energies, which is two levels lower than Xie Jin. However, this energy fortune is something that even Xie Jin can't match now.

  Fang Ming sighed in his heart, this system official, indeed gathered the aura of numbers, with great luck. With Fang Ming's current rank, compared to County Magistrate, it was far from enough, and even any divine power would be ineffective against him. Until the county magistrate fell ill, resigned, declined or had a nightmare, he couldn't even get close to his side.

  It's the county lieutenant and county captain who can exert some influence, but they also have to expend a lot of spiritual energy, at least three-tenths of their spiritual energy, and it's hard to say what the effect will be. As soon as this thought occurred to him, Fang Ming felt a little depressed in his heart.

  But then I thought, the luck of human affairs is short-lived and intense, like firewood meeting fire. Although it's strong for a while, in just over a hundred years, people will die and their luck will disappear. Not to mention the luck brought by official positions, which doesn't belong to oneself. If Wei Zhong is dismissed from his position, how much of that luck can remain? On the other hand, the luck of divine affairs is valuable for its longevity, with a long source and far-reaching flow, great power returns to oneself, and no one can take it away. The two are each unique and cannot be directly compared.

  PS: Thank you for the rewards from my proud readers, and also, if you like this book, please help recommend it to others, thank you!