Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 541: Is Kaifeng Prefecture Also So Negligent?

Chapter 541: Chapter 541: Is Kaifeng Prefecture Also So Negligent?

"Some matters are more pressing than others, and not everything requires our lord’s attention. If it’s a trivial issue of no significance, our lord won’t bother with it," said the guard.

"Yes, my matter is not trivial, not at all. It involves thousands of people in our town; it’s extremely important," replied Tian Peng.

The guard chose to be selectively deaf, only latching onto one detail, "You’re not from around here?"

"Yes, I come from the lower county, which also falls under the jurisdiction of Bianzhou," explained Tian Peng.

"That won’t do," the guard said, puffing out his chest.

"Why won’t it do?" Tian Peng was puzzled. "Is it that you must consider one’s origins even when reporting to the officials?"

"That’s not what I mean. Don’t you have your own county government office? Why would you come to us to report an issue? If people from everywhere come here to report issues, will our lord ever get a moment of rest?" the guard responded.

"The commoners can’t rest, so why should your lord need to rest?"

Tian Peng asked, "Isn’t the very purpose of an official’s existence to oversee the lives of the commoners? Only when the people rest can the officials rest well," he added.

"What on earth are you talking about? You lowly commoners dare to compare yourselves with our lord? You’ve got some nerve! Now scram, and don’t make me hit you!" the guard said angrily.

As he spoke, the guard tried to push Tian Peng away from the entrance, but Tian Peng stood firm and was strong. Tian Peng stared down the guard with anger in his eyes.

The guard couldn’t budge him, and a chuckle from another guard made him flush with embarrassment. He tried harder, but Tian Peng remained as immovable as a mountain.

"You stubborn commoner, get out of here!" the guard said, while pushing Tian Peng. "If our lord comes by and you collide with him, it won’t be good for you."

"Really? Then I’ll just wait right at the doorstep," Tian Peng said, hearing that the lord might come out. He stepped aside and prepared to sit at the entrance.

The guard lost his balance and tumbled down the steps.

Now he knew how formidable Tian Peng was; even using all his strength, the man had no reaction. He figured that probably two men together couldn’t beat Tian Peng.

With no choice, the guard had to say, "Fine, I’ll go in and announce you, but just so it’s clear, I can’t guarantee our lord will see you. If he won’t, you’d better leave early."

Tian Peng nodded, "I believe that if your lord is a judicious official, he will surely see me."

Without even having met him, Tian Peng had already pinned a label on the magistrate inside. The guard had to go in and announce him.

Outside, Tian Peng waited. Seeing Tian Peng’s impressive physique, another guard asked with some envy, "Young man, what did you eat to grow so strong? Do you have any secrets to pass on?"

"No," Tian Peng replied dismissively, not wanting to engage in conversation with the fickle guard. "It’s natural."

That shut the guard up.

After a while, the guard returned, reluctantly saying, "Come on, our lord calls for you."

"Alright," Tian Peng got up and followed the guard inside.

Kaifeng Prefecture had been passed down from generation to generation, and one couldn’t judge its masters by its interior decorations. Tian Peng didn’t notice such things; he simply followed the guard all the way to the main hall.

The magistrate of Kaifeng Prefecture sat before the court, looking at Tian Peng. "You’ve come to lodge a complaint?" he inquired.

"Yes, that’s why I’ve come," Tian Peng replied.

"Now that you’ve seen the magistrate, why do you not kneel?" the clerk demanded sternly.

Even though Tian Peng had now become a mortal, he had been an immortal for so long that he considered himself different from mortals. To ask him to kneel before them now seemed somewhat improper.

When the registrar saw that Tian Peng didn’t move, he asked again, his voice even louder than before.

Tian Peng took a deep breath; he still wasn’t mentally prepared. Now, hearing the registrar’s impatient voice, his own patience wore even thinner, and he glanced at the registrar.

The registrar was startled by Tian Peng’s look, and the words that had reached his lips choked back down.

It was unbelievable that such an ordinary commoner could possess such a fierce expression. Why was that?

After a struggle within his heart, Tian Peng thought of the many common folk behind him and finally bore it, kneeling on one knee, "I am a resident of Huang’an Town, located in the Yellow River basin."

The magistrate of Kaifeng Prefecture nodded, "What injustice has brought you all the way from Huang’an Town to report to the officials here?"

"The County Magistrate of our town is derelict in his duties. The flooding disasters of the previous years have barely passed, and now we face droughts. The cries of suffering from the people fill the skies, and all the crops in the fields have died of thirst."

"The County Government Office’s inaction is one thing, but all the silver taels provided for disaster relief went straight into his pocket. As if that weren’t enough, he still demands a hefty tax each year. If we don’t pay, he beats us. Several people he took away never returned."

This declaration stunned everyone present, and the magistrate of Kaifeng Prefecture was incredulous, "Under the full light of day, how could such things happen?"

"If it weren’t for such matters, I wouldn’t have traveled the long distance to report to the authorites," Tian Peng said.

"However, this is only your word. Without evidence, it cannot be compelling."

The registrar added, "Perhaps you were mistreated by the County Government Office and, in your anger, came here to falsely report. It could even be just to get your own County Government Office punished."

This was a reasonable speculation, but Tian Peng didn’t get angry with him. Instead, he simply pulled a white cloth from his pocket, faintly marked with ink and red fingerprints.

"What is this?" the magistrate of Kaifeng Prefecture inquired.

"This is the affidavit of our entire town. The fingerprints are from the villagers, one by one. What I’ve said is absolutely true; there is no lie or omission."

The registrar signaled an officer to take the affidavit from Tian Peng’s hand. As the officer examined it, his expression grew more grave, then he passed the affidavit to the magistrate of Kaifeng Prefecture.

"Is this truly the affidavit you wrote yourselves?"

The magistrate of Kaifeng Prefecture looked seriously at the affidavit in his hands; if it was all true, then the County Magistrate of Huang’an Town had indeed lost all humanity.

"Everything I have said is the truth," Tian Peng stated firmly, "If it weren’t for the sake of the people of Huang’an Town, I would not have come here alone. The people in our town are either dying of starvation or being beaten to death by the County Magistrate; there is no suffering worse than this."

"How is your town surviving now?"

The magistrate of Kaifeng Prefecture examined Tian Peng’s face closely. This man didn’t seem to bear the look of one who had suffered famine. Not his face, nor the state of his body, which was so healthy that he appeared even more robust than the people of Kaifeng Prefecture.

"My parents passed away due to illness. My family has a somewhat better standing in our town," Tian Peng explained.

Tian Peng was aware that he didn’t look like someone who had suffered famine. Everyone had been sizing him up, and he figured his appearance must have raised their suspicions.

The registrar was suspicious by nature, especially after having been glared at by Tian Peng. He felt that such a gaze simply wasn’t one a person from a remote and impoverished area should have.

"If your family is so well-off, why don’t you help the other villagers instead of keeping yourself in such good condition?"

Tian Peng thought to himself that he had awakened only a few years ago, and that he had acclimated quite well in a short time. To be able to do what he had done was rare in the human realm.