Promotion

Two Great Merit!

Liang Qu's heart was pounding.

Seven days outside, two Great Merit in return – what a bargain! This makes the selection on the Great Merit Exchange Ledger so much wider.

Having connections in high places is a good thing.

How could an ordinary leader possibly separate the investigation and the suppression into two separate tasks?

"Thank you so much, Big Brother Xu!"

"Why should I thank you for what you did? I don't have the ability to force you to do something Great Merit. I myself would be in trouble if I found out."

Xu Yuelong looked down and caught a glimpse of the large bow leaning against the side.

"I've never seen you use this bow before?"

"I paid it in." Liang Qu clasped his hands in a fist salute. "It originally belonged to Liu Jie. I was quite interested, so I gave it a try."

"Want to?"

Liang Qu scratched his head, said nothing, and just smiled.

"Haha, kid, let me teach you something."

Xu Yuelong slapped the booklet onto Liang Qu, tapping the hard cover with his index finger, making a thumping sound.

Does your booklet mention that Liu Jie used a bow?

Liang Qu shook his head. "No."

Xu Yuelong then pointed to the briefing on the table next to him. "Is it on the briefing?"

"No, not at all."

A booklet is a type of encapsulation with a hard cover on the top and bottom. The paper inside is folded like a folding fan, and the whole thing is long and narrow, easy to hold in one hand, making it convenient for carrying and taking notes.

When an official receives an important assignment, he will receive a booklet.

The details of the task and the process of handling it were all recorded in the booklet in great detail.

Many officials serve their entire lives in office, and their homes accumulate thick stacks of pages, serving as a unique form of record of their lives.

It's not in the booklet, and it's certainly not in the briefing.

This means...

Liang Qu's brow twitched slightly.

"Since neither of them are there, then this bow was clearly brought by you to deal with Liu Jie, but you just didn't use it, right?"

Xu Yuelong pointed to the ledger beside him and said in a low voice, "Let's not talk about how the bow came about. Even if Liu Jie really ordered someone to make it, would he really record this expense in the ledger?"

Liang Qu nodded silently.

He thought he would need to submit it first and then apply for it before the bow would belong to him; he never expected it to be so simple.

only...

"Won't doing this leave a handle against us...?"

Of the two supervisors of the River Conservancy Office, Liang Qu still vividly remembers the other one's arrogant attitude.

The two factions have had a bad relationship since their grandfathers' generation, and their fathers' generation is even more hostile. How can they do this without giving others a handle to use against them?

"Don't be so timid. The higher-ups actually know all about it. Otherwise, why would confiscating property be such a lucrative task? But you're right, this is indeed a handle against us."

"That..."

Liang Qu was even more puzzled. Wouldn't it be the same if he handed it over first and then took it back?

There's no rush.

"So the second thing I'll teach you is not to try to be a perfect person. It's good to leave yourself some insignificant weaknesses."

Do not leave yourself any insignificant weaknesses.

Liang Qu's eyes gleamed, and he pulled out several Silver Note from his pocket.

"This is..."

"The Silver Note that the Whale Gang me with were said to have no record and that they were not sure if they were real or fake. There were originally three thousand taels, but I was worried that carrying them would disturb my mind. When I looked for them again later, most of them had been destroyed by Liu Jie's Blade Aura."

There are only 1,200 taels left, including two 300-tael Silver Note that are badly damaged. I don't know if they're still usable.

Although the entire battle seemed relatively risk-free afterward, even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit.

Even ordinary people know to remove valuables before fighting, so Liang Qu couldn't possibly be unaware of this.

The more you care about something, the less you should take it; otherwise, a moment of distraction could result in your body being torn apart.

As a result, several Silver Note were soaked in water. However, the paper used for the Silver Note was very special, consisting of "Mulberry Paper" mixed with "Discarded Official Documents Paper".

It not only achieved the purpose of destroying official documents and archives, but also changed the color of the banknotes, turning them into a special bluish-yellowish-gray color. They were very thick, and even after being soaked in water and dried promptly, they did not deform much.

Xu Yuelong said, "Keep it. A thousand taels of silver isn't much. If it were an ordinary superior, you would have to give away 70%. I don't need it, so you can keep it for yourself."

However, since this is your first time on such a big mission, remember to buy something for your Master afterwards.

Liang Qu nodded. He felt that given Xu Yuelong's status and wealth, he should genuinely think that way, and it wasn't just polite talk.

"Thank you so much, Big Brother Xu!"

"I've already said, you don't need to thank me for what you did. If anyone should thank someone, it should be me thanking you. Opportunities to embarrass Wei Lin are rare!"

As they were talking, Xu Yuelong had already stepped over Liang Qu by a body length, sat down in his seat, and personally picked up a brush to write a briefing.

This is a golden opportunity.

He needed to send a message back immediately, ordering people to investigate the situation in the surrounding counties to see if they, like Feng Bu County, had organizations similar to the Whale Gang.

The commotion was so great that it was unlikely to completely hide it from Wei Lin, but with the advantage of striking first, they could at least take more than 70% of the credit.

Wei Lin was arrogant and violent, a true martial arts fanatic who fought without regard for his life, and few of his peers dared to spar with him.

In terms of pure strength, it's not that he's necessarily no match for him, but Xu Yuelong is a little intimidated by his crazy energy.

The first two generations of the Xu Family were able to easily outmaneuver the Wei Family, but in his generation, they became hesitant...

Whether it's merit or not doesn't matter; the main thing is to see Wei Lin suffer a setback.

Seeing that Xu Yuelong was busy, Liang Qu looked around to make sure that the Whale Gang members were not dawdling.

Chests of gold and silver were carried out of the house one after another, while the women huddled in a corner, trembling with fear.

The Whale Gang's wealth was far greater than imagined; when they bribed people on the Painted Boat, saying that three thousand taels was all they had was just rhetoric.

At least several thousand taels of gold and silver were brought out.

The Liu Jie brothers weren't that stupid. They knew the other party was there to ask for money, yet they exposed themselves, waiting to be squeezed dry.

Suddenly pulling out three thousand taels of silver is a loss, but it's not enough to cause serious injury.

Outside the headquarters building, orderly footsteps mingled with the sound of Rain Water.

A group of officials dressed in black robes filed in.

Before long, they filed out again. The usually imposing clerks and officials stood guard outside in the rain, and had no chance to intervene at all.

After Xu Yuelong finished writing the briefing, he rolled up the paper and stuffed it into a wooden tube. He disappeared in a few flashes and reappeared a moment later.

Liang Qu didn't know what method Xu Yuelong used to send the message, but surprisingly, Ran Zhongshi arrived with several people before midnight.

It took him more than a day to get from Ping Yang County to Feng Bu County, and only a few hours have passed.

Xu Yuelong strode forward.

"How is the situation?"

Ran Zhongshi took off his raincoat and said, slightly out of breath, "There are thirteen counties in the entire Huaiyin Prefecture. We don't have enough manpower. We will focus on the six counties along the river. They have the largest fishing population and are most likely to raise silver carpenters. I have already sent people there, and I believe we will have results soon."

"Have the Three Laws Department departments been notified? I need them to clean up the mess and detain the gang members. I don't trust the people in the County Government Office."

"I've already notified them. I sent an urgent message, and I expect their people will arrive by noon tomorrow."

"Alright!" Xu Yuelong raised his hand in a bow. "Thank you all for your hard work tonight and tomorrow and the day after!"

"I dare not accept such praise!"

Everyone saluted in response and then dispersed, leaving only a Martial Master whom Liang Qu did not recognize to oversee the members of the Whale Gang.

Xu Yuelong looked at Liang Qu.

"You've worked hard today. Go and rest. When we get back, we'll report your achievements. You'll definitely get two Great Merit, and you might even get promoted to the Principal Eighth Rank."

As they spoke, the Martial Master standing nearby looked on with envy.

He had already learned the whole story when he arrived, and he never expected that something Little Spirit Monster could lead to two Great Merit, or even a promotion.

What kind of luck is this? "I'll be going now."

Liang Qu got up. He was indeed very tired. After a great battle, he rushed to the Whale Gang without stopping, and hadn't rested from morning till midnight.

Besides, he had wanted to leave several hours earlier.

During the half-day they spent searching for the Whale Gang's headquarters, Fat Catfish and his companions swam freely in the waters of Feng Bu County and found something quite peculiar.