Cultivators Are So Weak in This World-Chapter 145 - 136 Continued (Part 2)

He Hanzhi chuckled.

"Across the Great Spirit, there are many unsolved cases that the government cannot fully resolve, but for those of us in office, we should act for the people and righteousness. You can put yourselves in the shoes of the officials to consider how to handle such cases.

After all, there are actually many such cases."

Zhang Rongfang understood in his heart.

The Great Spirit is, after all, an ancient society. Not to mention the various fierce beasts and poisonous insects in the mountains and forests alone can cause a large number of missing person cases.

Moreover, without surveillance systems or network connections, it is understandable that the case resolution rate is far less than in the modern society of the previous life.

And in such situations, how should he handle these cases if he were the official in charge?

That is the homework question given by the teacher this time.

"Alright then, today let’s study some more. Facing a sudden, unfamiliar case, what are the common methods you all have...."

He Hanzhi took the opportunity to start teaching targeted administrative methods for handling cases.

And to Zhang Rongfang’s surprise, the most effective among the series of methods he gave turned out to be fostering suspicion!

In short, it means guiding the public to attribute the case that happens to them to divine and ghostly matters.

Then spend money to build shrines and temples for the gods and ghosts.

In this way, people’s resentment and fear toward the case are successfully transformed into small matters that can be resolved by spending money.

It can be seen that He Hanzhi has extremely rich experience in this regard, explaining his methods clearly.

But Zhang Rongfang completely disagrees with this kind of method.

He has always believed that since one holds the position, one should complete and fulfill the duties of the position while wielding the power and convenience that come with it.

This kind of guidance is undoubtedly perfunctory.

But the fact that He Hanzhi would teach them this method so openly clearly indicates it is the common practice in the officialdom of the Great Spirit.

Soon, an hour passed, and the course ended.

Zhang Rongfang slowly got up, bowed to send the teacher away, then packed up his notes and put them all into the book basket.

"Brother Rongfang, would you like to go to the Joyous Celebration Pavilion for a drink?" someone invited from the side.

It was Dai Yan, who attended the class with him.

This person had a tall stature, clear eyebrows and bright eyes, at the age of seventeen. Among the six students, he, like Zhang Rongfang, had no backing or family support.

His father was a close friend of the prefect, Suda Heqi, and because of being implicated in a murder case, the whole family died a wrongful death, leaving only him alive, later brought back and supported by Suda Heqi.

Zhang Rongfang had only his sister Zhang Rongyu, as the rest of his family had disappeared without a trace and his parents had died early, in addition to his barbarian scholar status.

Even if his brother-in-law fully supports and recommends him in the future, it’s unlikely for him to hold the position of chief official.

So the other people present were too lazy to show any familiarity or courtesy towards the two of them.

After all, in the future, they would fundamentally not be people of the same social hierarchy.

Although now Zhang Rongfang and Dai Yan attended classes in the same yard as them, many years later, when Zhang Rongfang’s sister falls out of favor and Dai Yan’s parent’s friendliness gets exhausted,

what awaited them is the fate of returning to their social level once more.

By then, if the two could keep themselves from starving, that would be considered good.

"Let’s go, have a drink together." Zhang Rongfang did not refuse either.

The two packed up, then left the courtyard, exiting the Commerce Department, and found a table in the nearby hall of the Joyous Celebration Pavilion to sit down.

After ordering food, Dai Yan sighed.

"After listening to the teacher today, I realized that this world... indeed lives too laboriously.

Being an official is hard, being a good official is even harder."

"Who doesn’t say that. Now then, Brother Dai, do you have any clues on that matter from last time?" Zhang Rongfang poured horse milk wine for the two of them.

"Yes, I asked about it, and someone in the Zen Heart Literary Society is willing to take it, but the price is a bit high." Dai Yan replied.

For the first time, after becoming familiar with Zhang Rongfang, he helped handle affairs. Going to find a scholar who understands script.

And naturally, this matter was not free.

Dai Yan, because he was not addressed as a member of the Mu Chi family, although the money he received monthly didn’t leave him wanting for food, but when needing extra for social expenses, he was also unable to outright ask Suda Heqi and the steward.

Hence Dai Yan needed money, while Zhang Rongfang needed someone to help handle affairs. The two hit it off instantly.

In reality, Zhang Rongfang did not excessively leverage the power of the Golden Wing Pavilion in Wushan Prefecture.

Only sometimes using one or two on reporting matters.

The Celestial Maiden Tong Chapter warned him not to involve parts of divine statues and Spirit Court secrets, so he only learned the script to prepare for future needs.

And the Golden Wing Pavilion found that there are very few people who understand the script, the closest being in a literary exchange society called Zen Heart Literary Society.

This literary society mainly comprised young talents who were from poor families but had good scholarly abilities.

Coincidentally, Dai Yan was one such member, so he directly requested Dai Yan to act as an intermediary to hire the individual to teach him.

"How much?" Zhang Rongfang asked. Last time, because of the script in hand, he couldn’t uncover the truth due to illiteracy, losing the opportunity.

Now, he must prepare ahead.

"One hour a day, three silver coins a day!" Dai Yan held up three fingers.

"Alright." Zhang Rongfang didn’t even blink. This amount truly wasn’t expensive.

In the eyes of someone like him, who spends tens to hundreds of silver coins whenever buying medicine, spending this amount to learn the intricate script is worth every penny.

"Okay, I’ll get back to you in the afternoon. However, that person is a woman, so there might be concerns about teaching alone, and you might need a companion. Would you be willing?"

"Sure." Zhang Rongfang nodded, this was a matter of course.

Once the two agreed, Zhang Rongfang gave a prepared envelope to be sent over.

Inside was a ten silver coin introduction fee, which was Zhang Rongfang’s reward to Dai Yan.

Dai Yan took it, and after finishing the meal, got up to bid farewell and hurried to the Zen Heart Literary Society to reply.

Zhang Rongfang, on the other hand, sat alone at the table, sipping slowly.

In the restaurant, the lobby was bustling, and more than half of the dining tables were full.

The servers bustling back and forth, the waiters announcing dish names like they were singing, voice rising and falling.

A group of literati at the center table kept offering toasts, reciting poetry, eyes brimming with tears, reluctant to part, seemingly at a farewell feast.

In the corner, a few bodyguards, their faces weather-beaten, hands on the hilt, silently eating egg buns and clear water.

Zhang Rongfang paid the bill and intended to leave.

Suddenly, his gaze drifted past the tavern entrance, landing on a person, and his expression paused.

Immediately, he quickly walked out of the tavern, gently twisting into a nearby alley entrance.

Soon, someone followed him inside.

"Why are you here?"

Zhang Rongfang looked surprised at the gray-robed woman in front of him.

The woman wore a gray cloak shielding her from dust, her boots were muddy, her hair ash-stained, unclear how long since she last washed it.

Coming closer, he could smell a strong odor of sweat....

"Sir!" The woman looked at Zhang Rongfang, her face unable to suppress her emotions.

"Sir, I received your message, knowing it was a reassignment to come here, so.... I immediately arranged family matters and rushed over.

But halfway through, the caravan I belonged to encountered bandits.... I also nearly..."

Her face bore a complex expression.

"Moreover, in the rush, my money pouch fell off at some point....."

Zhang Rongfang was speechless; the woman before him was none other than Tan Yang’s old subordinate, Qingsu.

But he never expected that the master of Golden Roc Secret Record like Qingsu would end up in such dire straits because of bandits.

"What kind of bandits could push you to such a state?" he asked in a deep voice.

"It’s the Wandering Mountain Tiger." Qingsu quickly replied.

The Wandering Mountain Tiger was quite renowned bandits around Wushan Prefecture.

They weren’t many, but each was incredibly strong, and because they had no fixed location, the authorities had trouble hunting them down.

"Since you’re here, first settle down." Zhang Rongfang thought there wasn’t anyone reliable in Wushan Prefecture.

Qingsu arrived just in time; her strength might be a bit lacking, only fourth rank, but her body technique comparable to a regular sixth-rank master’s good skills.

Such body technique wouldn’t be a drag in most scenarios.

"Yes!" Qingsu’s eyes lit up instantly, straightening her posture at once.

Taking Qingsu back to his courtyard, Zhang Rongfang gave her some silver coins to handle her own affairs.

Then, using the Little Red Bird, he informed the Wushan Prefecture’s subordinates.

Having been here for so long, he roughly understood what needed to be known.

Wushan Prefecture didn’t have major Dao or Buddhist forces; the main forces were entirely occupied by the three families and various affiliates.

Yue, Huang, Shangguan.

All other factions and organizations were subordinate to the forces controlled by these three families.

Now, it’s about time to meet the leader of the Wushan Prefecture’s enforcers.

Zhang Rongfang was unclear why Celestial Maiden Tong Chapter gave him two hundred dead soldiers; could it be the Wushan Prefecture had entities and forces even Golden Wing Pavilion’s masters couldn’t handle?

But since they were given, it’s best to accept them; perhaps they’d be useful in the future.

The Little Red Bird quickly flew off with a bamboo tube, disappearing into the distant sky.

Before long, Qingsu returned to the courtyard, having changed into snug-fitting black leather attire, cloaked in a gray mantle, looking much more sprightly.

"Stand behind me." Zhang Rongfang glanced at her and calmly said.

"Yes." Qingsu clasped her fists, quickly standing behind Zhang Rongfang.

"How did you come up with coming over?" Zhang Rongfang casually asked.

Since waiting for people needed time to be passed anyway, he casually chatted.

"Actually.... Actually, when you first left, sir, I was also rather afraid and worried...."

"Worried?" Zhang Rongfang looked at her face.

Without the mask, Qingsu was more appealing than imagined, not exactly beautiful, but refreshingly valiant.

"Tan Yang appointed a new Bai Ying, not me." Qingsu answered, "Moreover, with your abilities, sir, since I have the chance, I shouldn’t let it go easily!"

Zhang Rongfang stared at her and after a moment, slowly nodded.

"Traveling thousands of miles to join me, good."

Bang bang bang.

At this moment, the courtyard door was knocked.

"Come in." Zhang Rongfang called out, "The door isn’t locked."

The courtyard door quieted for a moment before it was slammed open with a boom.

A towering man over two meters tall bowed slightly, entering from outside the door.

The visitor was dressed in black, wearing leather armor, with arms wrapped in two thick chains, and disheveled hair that seemed unwashed for days.

Upon entering, he closed the door reverse-handed, eyes fixed on Zhang Rongfang in the courtyard.

"I am Duan Valley, received the order, where’s the Commander’s Seal?"

Zhang Rongfang took out a half of a dark Feather Talisman with a fierce pattern from his waist.

The Feather Talisman was only half; he tossed it over, the other party caught it, and took out a piece from his own possession, also half.

The two pieces combined perfectly.

Duan Valley threw the Commander’s Seal back, raising his head to look over Zhang Rongfang.

"The Commander’s Seal itself isn’t enough. Sir, this Wushan Prefecture is not a good place; those above sent you over here likely expecting you to subdue this place."

"Subdue? How so?" Zhang Rongfang was slightly surprised.