Chapter 9: County Lieutenant Chen Gui

  Lu Haoshan had made up his mind, and Liu Jinchu did not object. Anyway, the two were already fugitives, and they were not afraid of death, so what else was there to fear? Under Lu Haoshan's indication, Liu Jinchu searched again carefully and found a diary-like book in the luggage. Lu Haoshan flipped through it a few times, put it in his pocket, and then asked Liu Jinchu to call the shopkeeper and the young apprentice.

  "Look at the good deed you've done!" Lu Haoshan pointed to Lu Wenhua's corpse with a face full of indignation and said: "I, the young master, didn't owe you any money or food, but you arranged for a sickly person to sleep in the same room as me. Before we even fell asleep, I heard some noise from across the way. We went over to take a look, and the person was already dead! To have encountered such an unlucky event, after reporting it to the authorities, you must testify on my behalf and compensate me for my losses."

  That chubby shopkeeper saw that something was wrong, his chubby face was covered in sweat, and he couldn't help but slap the young shop assistant and scold him: "It's all because of you, you dog, I said we should throw this guy out earlier, but you said to wait a bit longer until his family sends the silver. Now look what's happened, no silver has arrived, and on top of that, we've encountered bad luck."

  The young shop assistant thought to himself, "This is still not worth the rent I'm willing to pay, how can they blame me?" But he didn't dare argue with his boss, and instead said with a gloomy face: "Boss, this isn't my fault. If you hadn't nodded in agreement, I wouldn't have dared to take charge. He looked young, so I thought he could hold on for a few more days. I didn't expect him to die so quickly. Now we're in trouble."

  "Shopkeeper, the government won't say we're plotting to rob and murder, will they? My young master and I still have to go see the Yangzhou thin horses." Liu Jinzhu shouted loudly on the side.

  As soon as the government office was mentioned, the fat shopkeeper's face turned pale. In these times, the yamen opens to the south, and if you have a reason but no money, don't come in. Those minor officials usually come to extort some money even when there's nothing going on, and this time they've found an excuse, wouldn't that just drain him dry? He saw his small eyes turn around a few times, and soon he had an idea:

  "This young master, you don't know that the world is in chaos now. Those who hold office are even more troublesome. Once they get involved in a lawsuit, it's hard to get out of it even if you're in the right. If this matter isn't handled properly, delaying the old man's business would be a small thing, but if it delays your journey, that wouldn't be good. What I fear most is that we'll be used as an excuse and end up getting sued, thrown into prison. Last time, there was a rascal named Li San who stole tens of coins from someone else and got thrown into the big prison. That black-hearted captain took all the cases from the past two months and forced him to take the blame for all of them in order to achieve his political goals. Young master, you must think thrice!"

  Businessmen only want to make a fortune, Liu Jinyi said that the shopkeeper immediately became anxious, not to mention that there was a dead person spreading bad luck and affecting business, but also feared that the government would not let go of the opportunity to extort money, and hastily advised.

  Lu Haoshan said with difficulty: "Human life is at stake, what should we do now?"

  "This is easy to handle, in these times many people have starved to death. This person has been lying here for so long, with no relatives or friends visiting him, he's just a poor scholar who died in a foreign land, it's normal. Now that night has fallen and no one knows, we can use a grass mat to roll him up, dig a hole and bury him, without anyone knowing, he can rest in peace, and we can avoid trouble, two birds with one stone, what does the young master think?"

  "Is this okay?" Lu Haoshan had guessed that the store would do this early on, but still pretended to be puzzled and asked.

  Boss Pang's face lit up with a smile as soon as he heard that Lu Haishan had given up on reporting to the authorities. He hastily said, "What's wrong with that? You've come from afar, and you don't want to cause any trouble either. This way, it's beneficial for both of us. How about this: if you just turn a blind eye, all your expenses in our store will be waived. What do you think?"

  Lu Haoshan hesitated for a moment, then nodded solemnly and said: "Since the boss has said so, in these times, it's better to have one less thing to worry about. I hope the boss will take good care of this brother's funeral."

  "Alright, alright." Seeing Lu Haoshan nodding, the fat shopkeeper's heart immediately dropped a big stone. As long as you agree, everything will be easy to handle. Now, in the middle of the night, we have to secretly bury someone again. Where can we give them a proper burial? Besides, this would also cost money. Who would do such a thing for someone who is not family? The fat shopkeeper had thought it through early on and decided to just dig a hole in the wilderness and hastily bury him. Burning a few more bundles of paper money was already an act of kindness.

  The two men had their own secrets, and they quickly came to an agreement. Soon, Lu Haoshan and Liu Jinzhu moved into the room vacated by Zhanggui. As for what happened next, naturally, it was not something that the two of them needed to worry about or take action on.

  After seeing Lu Haoshan lying on the bed, Liu Jinzhu touched the official document and the heavy official seal, as if he was still dreaming. Just a moment ago, the two were fugitives fleeing for their lives, but in an instant, they had become county magistrates on their way to take office. The change was so great that Liu Jinzhu's mood had not yet subsided.

  "Shan Ge, we... are we really going to become officials?" Liu Jinzhu asked somewhat stutteringly.

  "Yesterday I said that if I were an official, I could stay in the post station. Now there is such a good opportunity, and naturally it cannot be missed. What's wrong, are you afraid?"

  "No, no" Liu Jinzhu hastily waved his hand and said: "If I was afraid, I wouldn't have come out with Shan Ge to take risks. It's just that being an official is not easy, Shan Ge, think about it, the imperial court has so many governors, and we have to deal with those social relationships, we don't understand anything, when the time comes, we'll be exposed, I'm afraid, I'm afraid..."

  Thinking is one thing, but doing is another. Many people have the intention but not the courage to act. Liu Jinzhu was boastful before he took action, but once he did, he became hesitant and worried.

  Lu Haoshan patted his shoulder and said, "Don't be afraid, that unlucky guy is also doing it for the first time, if there's a mistake, others won't think it's a big deal either. Anyway, win or lose, it's all just one sword. Come on, I'll ask you, what are you eating tomorrow?"

  "What's for dinner tomorrow? Shan Ge, I want to roast chicken, but I don't know if we can eat it." Just thinking about roasted chicken made Liu Jinzhu's mouth water.

  "That's right, you're living a good life, your pockets aren't lacking in silver, but you don't even dare to guarantee what you'll eat tomorrow, who knows what will happen in the future? When the time comes, we'll just have to face it head-on, after all, the two of us have nothing except our own lives, what's there to fear?"

  Lu Haoshan's words immediately dispelled Liu Jinchu's worries, and he said with a smile: "Brother Shan is right, that's good. From now on, I'll talk less and do more. Anyway, listening to Brother Shan is always correct."

  After finishing speaking, he said with some excitement: "Starting tomorrow, we will be people of status. At that time, when entering Yangzhou City, we can swagger in. Hmm, it's not bad to take a look at the famous Yangzhou thin horses either. Shan Ge, you are now a high-ranking official, and without a woman, it's not like anything. Why don't we buy a Yangzhou thin horse on our way back to enjoy ourselves?"

  With a "slap", Lu Haoshan slapped Liu Jinchu's head and said in a bad tone, "Still thinking about eating, drinking and having fun? Didn't you see the appointment letter?"

  Liu Jinzhu said bluntly: "I've seen it, but Mountain Brother, I'm illiterate."

  "Alright," Lu Haoshan said with a defeated look: "The letter of appointment says to take office in October, if we're late, we'll be punished, and who knows, maybe even the black hat will be removed. That unlucky guy has been ill for so long here, and we only have a little over a month's time left. Who knows what other obstacles there are on the road, it's better to go early than late."

  "Shan Ge, so we're not going into Yangzhou City anymore? Didn't you want to see the Yangzhou thin horses? This...this is such a pity."

  Out of the blue, he got a stroke of good fortune. Lu Haoshan had said that once they arrived in Yangzhou, he would take Liu Jinzhu to experience the city's ***, find a beautiful Jiangnan woman to let him have some fun, and Liu Jinzhu's thoughts had long been flying towards the beautiful women of Yangzhou. They all came to the door, but didn't enter, which was a bit of a pity.

  Lu Haoshan saw through his little thoughts, and smiled after hearing him. He patted his shoulder and said: "There will be plenty of opportunities in the future, with money and power, what's to fear about not having women? The important thing is pressing, don't mention that time is tight, let alone the imperial court regulations, officials can't enter the land of smoke and flowers. This Yangzhou is a mixed bag, there are many spies, we'd better be careful. Don't worry, brother promises you, in the future, those beauties will make your eyes dizzy."

  "Yes, Brother Shan is right, let's focus on the main issue, I'll listen to you, Brother Shan."

  Lu Haoshan smiled and nodded, picking up the large yellow seal on the case table, tossing it casually in his hand, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes.

  The next morning, Lu Haoshan and Liu Jinzhu rode their horses onto the official road, looked far away in the direction of Yangzhou City, then turned around resolutely, and the two riders galloped straight towards Jiangyou County.

  .......

  Jiangyou County is a county under the jurisdiction of Long'an Prefecture, Sichuan Province, with a population of about 50,000. It is an ordinary county located in a remote area with a weak economy. Among the more than 1,400 counties in the Ming Dynasty, it was unremarkable. However, this unremarkable small county is notorious for being a nightmare for magistrates, as several recent magistrates have failed here, either being dismissed and investigated for incompetence or receiving poor evaluations at the end of their terms. As a result, many officials are intimidated when they hear about Jiangyou County.

  In a wine house called Yingbin within Jiangyou City, a group of people were drinking and toasting each other, with big bowls of wine and large pieces of meat being devoured. If the common people of Jiangyou County saw this, they would be shocked. The county magistrate, chief clerk, captain, and officials from the six departments of the county government were all present; it could be said that except for the county head, all the leading figures of Jiangyou County had gathered.

  After three rounds of wine and five dishes, County Magistrate Chen Gui suddenly slammed his cup on the table with a "bang" and let out a soft sigh.

  "County Magistrate Chen, what's wrong?" Just after sighing, a tall and thin man like a teacher asked with a hint of understanding. Everyone at the table stopped eating and drinking, looking at Chen Gui, it was clear that among so many people, County Magistrate Chen Gui was the leader.

  The reason is simple, Chen Gui has the highest status here. During the vacancy of the county magistrate, he temporarily took over as the acting county magistrate and established his prestige early on. Except for having a relative who was a circuit intendant, the Chen family was also a prominent family in Jiangyou County, and the Chen clan had been operating in Jiangyou County for many years, with great influence. The welcoming pavilion where everyone is now located is also one of the Chen family's properties in Jiangyou County. As soon as he put down his wine cup, everyone sighed again, knowing that he had more to say, and they all fell silent.

  Chen Gui looked at the crowd in the scene and shook his head, saying: "Everyone is afraid that our good days are coming to an end."

  "Come on, Brother Chen, what's going on?"

  "Yes, what's wrong with you, saying something like that."

  "What's going on? Is someone suing us?"

  "County Magistrate, what's going on? Don't scare us."

  Everyone started asking in a flurry of questions, each with an anxious look on their face, all because Chen Gui's words were so inexplicable that they made people feel a chill upon hearing them.

  Seeing everyone staring at him with a hint of reverence in their eyebrows, Chen Gui felt secretly pleased, but still said calmly: "The newly appointed county magistrate of the capital is about to arrive."