Chapter 28: Guanyue Ancient Temple

  Head.

  "Big Brother Cao, you've arrived."

  "Look, He Duan's eyes are dark circles, I wonder which girl in Cuizhu Building was favored by him last night."

  "One is not enough, at least two or three"

  Hahaha...

  Several colleagues who were on good terms with Cao Hu joked around, each teasing him, but Cao Hu didn't get angry. He smiled and said: "You guys, three days without a fight, removing tiles from the roof, that's enough! If you want to go to Cuigui Building, just say so, I'll foot the bill."

  "It's great, they say the head is the biggest square, right?"

  "Just follow your head and you won't have to worry about food and drink."

  "Right, right, just like that, head, tired, I'll get you a cup of tea."

  A crowd of subordinates were delighted to toast Cao Hu, and every time they did, Cao Hu's mood was excellent. Firstly, it could win people's hearts and increase his prestige; secondly, it could also demonstrate his status. Moreover, as the captain, the entire Jiangyou County's security was under his control. Even when treating guests, many links were free, so although there were many guests, the actual expenses were not large. Sometimes they could even get things for free. Besides, recently there had been a lot of extra income, and Cao Hu didn't mind spending this amount.

  Born from a humble background, Cao Hu deeply understood that with talent comes power. Although the three classes of rapid clerks held a low position, they were more useful to the county officials than the current administrators. In all aspects, they had to execute tasks, so it can be said that their power was extremely great. The loyalty of those under him was very important. Cao Hu often bestowed small favors on his subordinates, building his own power into a solid block. After all, he was also emulating Chen Gui, except that Chen Gui's target was the entire county government.

  "Huh? Where are Zhang Chunian and Li Dong? Are these two kids daring to play truant?" Cao Hu's eyes were sharp, he spotted the absence of his two reliable assistants in the crowd at a glance, and hastily asked.

  As soon as Cao Hu saw that they were coming, these two guys were the most enthusiastic, so when the two of them were not there, Cao Hu immediately noticed.

  "Heads up, they've both gone out on business." a thin bailiff whispered.

  "What's going on? How come I don't know about it?" According to the rules, as the captain, he should be informed of everything and then assign tasks, so how could he not have heard a single word before going out to work? Cao Hu's face was already showing some displeasure.

  There is no square without rules, in ancient times, there were things that were also reported step by step. If you skip levels, even if you are reasonable, you will not be treated with courtesy and will be regarded as an ungrateful and unfilial person, a reckless and arrogant person. After all, in the eyes of many people, this is considered to be reporting small things. This behavior, whether it is reporting to superiors or not, gives superiors the impression that they are incompetent and neglectful of their duties, which is especially taboo in official circles.

  Although the two are also considered Cao Hu's trusted followers, they have broken the rules and Cao Hu is not happy about it either.

  The quick-witted Cai Kou Niu hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice: "This is the county magistrate who let them go. It's said to be for discussing the celebration of the Lantern Festival. Tsk tsk, they've picked up a fat errand."

  "Yes, but recently the county magistrate seems to have taken a liking to those two and has been assigning them many tasks. Oh, I heard that he even arranged for their relatives to work at the Welcome Pavilion, and this time he gave them the lucrative task of managing the Lantern Festival. They're really lucky." The yamen runner nicknamed "Fat East" said with some envy.

  "Didn't we usually leave this kind of thing to Tou to handle in previous years?" said Yang Jiu, who had recently become a constable.

  Cao Hu smiled and said, "It's okay, County Magistrate knows I've been busy lately, so he didn't make any arrangements. Besides, before the New Year, we went on patrol with County Commander, and made a small profit. We have to let our brothers benefit too. Alright, go back to work now. After your shift ends, don't rush home. Change into casual clothes and we'll head to Cui Yi Building to have some fun. I'm warning you, if you miss this chance, there won't be another one."

  "The boss is treating, we have to go no matter what."

  "Even if you're busy, make time."

  "Even if I break my leg, I'll still have to crawl there."

  "Uncle invited me to dinner, I declined, after all, an uncle is not as close as a father."

  Everyone dispersed with a smile while responding, and as soon as everyone was gone, Cao Hu's face immediately sank, and his fists were clenched.

  The Lantern Festival is a traditional holiday of the Chinese nation, on the night of the first full moon after the Spring Festival, when the earth awakens from its winter slumber. The sky is filled with bright moonlight, and the ground is adorned with colorful lanterns. People gather to watch the lanterns, guess riddles, eat glutinous rice balls, and reunite with their families, creating a lively and joyful atmosphere. To show solidarity with the people, government officials would organize large-scale lantern festivals, where citizens could admire and guess riddles. Young men and women would also take this opportunity to find their soulmates. Although the festival may not be as prosperous as it was during the Tang and Song dynasties, especially in times of disaster when its scale has shrunk, it is still highly valued in remote areas. For example, in Jiangyou County, after the Lunar New Year, the county government would gather officials from various towns to discuss and select exquisite lanterns to participate in a competition at the county government office. The winners would receive prizes, adding to the festive atmosphere.

  During the Chinese New Year, there was an official errand, and naturally, it couldn't be delayed. The legwork money couldn't be less, especially since the Lantern Festival hadn't passed yet, and it wasn't considered that the year had already passed. The red envelope had to be thicker. This was a lucrative errand, and in previous years, it had always been handed over to Cao Hu. Unexpectedly, this year, without anyone knowing, it was handed over to his own subordinate, bypassing himself. Cao Hu's heart was extremely depressed.

  Especially Fei Dong's words, shocked Cao Hu, thinking about it carefully, this matter is not accidental either. Since he followed County Magistrate to take a trip, his relationship with County Lieutenant Chen Gui has become somewhat estranged, although on the surface they are still very harmonious. However, there seems to be some intentional or unintentional alienation between them. Many important matters, Cao Hu felt that he was slowly being kicked out of Chen Gui's inner circle, and Chen Gui no longer trusted him alone, but instead favored Zhang Chunyan and Li Dong. Suddenly, Cao Hu had an epiphany: Could it be that Chen Gui is going to choose one of the two to replace himself?

  Considering the recent performance, Cao Hu thought more and more like that, and then remembered the letter Li Yunniang wrote to him, saying how she was wronged in the Chen family. Cao Hu clenched his fists tightly, a fierce glint appearing in his eyes.

  But thinking of Li Yunniang, Cao Hu couldn't help but touch the letter hidden in his arms, which was written by Li Yunniang to him. A warm feeling rose in his heart, and he called out: Yunniang, you must come at that time.

  Cao Hu pretended nothing was wrong, didn't go to confront Chen Gui, and instead obeyed him in every way. Meanwhile, Chen Gui either restrained himself or had no time to deal with Cao Hu, so for the time being, the two men got along peacefully without incident.

  Unconsciously, the three-day deadline had arrived. Cao Hu, who was eager to go, casually found an excuse for a patrol, took off his official uniform, changed into casual clothes, specially groomed himself, and had his hair combed by a servant girl. He also put on a brand new set of clothes, mounted his horse, and hurriedly rushed to the Guanyue Temple mentioned in Yunniang's letter.

  Guanyue Temple is about five miles outside Jiangyou City, which is just a small county town with a small population but many temples and Taoist monasteries. There are over ten well-known ones, making it seem like there are too many monks and not enough food to go around. Guanyue Temple doesn't occupy a famous mountain, nor does it have a high-ranking monk in charge or any official support. This temple, which is neither big nor small, used to have seven monks during its heyday but now only has one old monk named Huiqing taking care of it. Even with just one person, the incense offerings are barely enough to keep things going.

  On the sixth day of the first month, Huì Qīng felt that he had good fortune because on this day he met a noble person. When Cáo Hǔ arrived, Huì Qīng thought these greedy officials wouldn't even spare the Buddhist temple and would demand bribes from him. Unexpectedly, this Cáo Hǔ casually donated five taels of silver as incense money, making Huì Qīng so happy that he couldn't stop smiling and repeatedly exclaimed "Good fortune!" He also said a lot of words about the Bodhisattva's blessings. When Cáo Hǔ asked for a clean room in the backyard to rest, Huì Qīng readily agreed.

  "Master, an old friend will come to meet soon, please do me a favor at that time." Cao Hu said with a distant tone, and then said somewhat domineeringly: "I think, Master will help with this matter, right?"

  The head catcher is equivalent to the director of the public security bureau in later generations, with great power. Cao Hu's words are half request and half threat. The old monk Huiqing has lived for decades, seen many storms, and heard the words, saying: "Cao Catcher, rest assured, it's convenient for others to be convenient for oneself. Out-of-home people don't speak wildly or meddle in right and wrong. Since Catcher Cao has important business to discuss, I will not disturb him. This place is located in a remote area, and the whole temple only has an old monk taking care of it, with no outsiders, and no one will go to the backyard to make trouble, please rest assured."

  As soon as Cao Hu opened his mouth, Hui Qing guessed that this Cao might have invited a good family to meet here in secret. If it were a decent woman, she could come openly and honestly, but only those who are not decent would want to avoid the crowd. As for why they came to a secluded temple, that can also be explained. Nowadays, there are more and more people with money who have all sorts of hobbies, such as playing with Yangzhou thin horses, raising rabbit grandfathers, or having sex in the wilderness, which is not news at all. Some people even like to have secret meetings in Buddhist temples because they think it's more exciting and easier to arouse desire. This kind of thing happens a lot, although it conflicts with the Buddhist rules of purity. However, Guan Yue Temple doesn't have enough incense offerings, and Hui Qing's life is very poor, wearing old monk clothes that haven't been changed in two years, really can't resist the temptation of silver.

  To say that Cao Hu was the head of a county's capture, and he himself was an unrefined monk. Others could collect him with just a flick of their finger. So, Hui Qing wisely agreed, not only agreeing but also volunteering to keep his mouth shut and not let outsiders disturb him.

  Cao Hu nodded in satisfaction and said: "Thank you, Master. If there are any lawless people causing trouble at your temple in the future, just come to the county government office to find me."

  Huī Qīng hastily thanked him and then brewed another pot of good tea that he had been reluctant to brew for the holiday, and only then said: "Captain Cao, please wait a moment. The backyard is a bit messy, I'll go clean it up first. It will be ready soon. Here's a pot of coarse tea. Although the tea leaves are rough, they were brewed with excellent spring water, so it's still barely drinkable. Please, sir, take your time."

  Money can make a ghost grind, Cao Hu was very satisfied with Hui Qing's performance and said: "Thank you, Master."

  About two quarters of an hour later, the clean house in the backyard was ready, but Cao Hu did not rush to move in. Instead, he leaned against the mountain gate and stared at the mountain road below, hoping that the shadow that had appeared thousands of times in his dreams would appear. This wait lasted for nearly two hours, until noon, when Cao Hu was getting anxious and about to get angry, suddenly his eyes lit up: a lovely figure was slowly walking from the foot of the mountain towards Guan Yue Temple on the halfway up the mountain.

  That figure was so familiar, so lovely, and so charming that Cao Hu saw it and became excited, his little heart beating like a drum, pounding non-stop.