Welcoming the Saint

Liang Qu asked Li LiBo to run an errand and carry the box home.

After hanging up her Waist Token, Dragon Spirit Silk transformed into an official insignia and headed towards the Prefectural Office.

It's only a few miles.

Everywhere, laborers were using large wooden mallets to tamp down the soil and level the roads, creating a dusty mess where you couldn't see your feet.

Upon reaching the square in front of the gate, I saw another group of low-ranking yamen runners sweeping, sprinkling water, and mopping the ground with brooms.

The small harbor where boats were moored in front of the government office was particularly lively, filled with soldiers using bamboo poles to measure the water depth and check the extent of silt accumulation.

If something was wrong, they would call in a small boat to dredge the river mud and increase the water depth.

The boat used for dredging river mud is called a "Claw Bucket," a small, Wide Belly Boat. When dredging river mud, one person rows while another uses the "Claw Bucket" to scoop the mud into the boat.

There's no need to find a special place to bury it; once the small boat is full, it just docks at the shore, and the villagers who have been waiting for a long time will rush forward to grab it.

River silt is a good thing.

When dried and mixed with soil, it becomes excellent fertilizer, whether in farmland or mulberry groves.

It feels so heavy.

A thorough cleaning.

Liang Qu harbored resentment.

Fortunately, he was Subordinate Sixth Rank official, so he didn't need to do cleaning work.

Crossing the threshold of the Prefectural Office.

The Record Keeper, who was sometimes seen and sometimes not, was extremely busy.

The neatly arranged books, documents, and notices behind the desk, the abacus beads used for inventorying the warehouse, and the rustling of book pages all contributed to the scene.

Previously, the notice board, which looked like a patchwork of old, unsightly posters, was now neat, tidy, and easy to read.

"Sharp..."

"A Shui!"

Xiang Fangsu leaned against the railing on the third floor and waved.

Without taking the stairs, with a light leap, one can flip up to the top of the stairs.

Xu Yuelong's study was crowded with people, including Lu Kaiyun, Bai Yinbin, Ran Ying.

After exchanging greetings, Liang Qu asked knowingly, "What's the matter? Is someone coming to Patrol Inspector?"

"Hey, let me show you what's what today!" Xiang Fangsu grabbed Liang Qu's shoulder. "The Marquis Weining, who became Martial Saint last year Grand Feast for the World, will be passing through our territory in a few days!"

"The Martial Saint is coming; there's no need for such a grand mobilization."

Liang Qu pointed to the bailiffs running back and forth in the main hall.

"Hey, you don't understand." Xiang Fangsu leaned against the railing, tilted her head back, and stretched her back. "They said they were just passing by, but could Pingyang Prefecture just stand by and watch? Wouldn't they invite the Martial Saint to come Shang An and rest?"

When County Magistrate takes office, the post stations along the way should prepare supplies and horse feed, and the local county magistrate will invite him to visit and give him some travel expenses.

Now that such a great Martial Saint is passing through our Pingyang Prefecture, it's only natural that we, the officials of the Prefectural Office, would invite him Shang An —it's the same logic! Perhaps it will be our River Conservancy Office that goes to greet the Martial Saint."

Liang Qu raised an eyebrow.

"If we invite him, will the Martial Saint come Shang An?"

"A thousand people, a thousand latrines." Bai Yinbin walked out of the study. "The Marquis Weining issued a call for talent in April, and the fleet must have carried a large number of people."

Those servants, attendants, and officials, with their families, numbered quite a few, all of whom needed to eat, drink, and relieve themselves.

However, south of Pingyang Prefecture is Chizhou, and further south of Chizhou is Ning Jiang Prefecture. Although Chizhou is a directly governed prefecture, it is actually only the size of two or three counties.

The large fleet won't find much good supplies there; this is the last major stop for Marquis Weining before he reaches his fiefdom.

"Not only that." Ran Zhongshi grabbed the handrail and walked up the stairs. "The Marquis Weining is going to his fiefdom to take up his post. His fleet will not only include the Martial Saint masters recruited along the way, but also a group of old officials from the Imperial Capital."

They will be responsible for all matters, etiquette, and handover after the Marquis Weining takes office, and it will be a year and a half, or even longer, before they return to the Imperial Capital.

These old scholars were most skilled at inventorying government treasuries and auditing accounts. Every time a prince was appointed to a post, they would essentially conduct a 'check-and-see' inspection of the major prefectures along the way. They wouldn't examine the details too closely, but if they did it too carelessly, it would easily lead to a memorial being submitted against them.

No wonder.

Liang Qu thought of the Record Keeper downstairs who was adjusting the abacus beads.

Thinking that with the arrival of the Martial Saint, it would be fine to just put on a show, but why did he also have to work on the substance?

He was originally a part-time inspector.

Bai Yinbin gave a thumbs up.

"Wow, Zhong Shi really knows his stuff when it comes to logistics."

Ran Zhongshi was too lazy to argue, and reminded him, "Marquis Weining is an old title, and everyone is used to calling him that. It doesn't matter if you call him that in private. Now that you have become Martial Saint and been granted the title of Ning Jiang Prefecture, you should be called the King of Yue in public! Don't remember it wrong!"

Everyone nodded.

Worried that Liang Qu might not understand, Xiang Fangsu added in a low voice.

"Ning Jiang Prefecture was historically part of the Yue region, hence the title 'King of Yue.' Actually, you could call him 'King of Ningjiang' if you wanted. It's an old custom from ancient times, and people still feel that a single word is prestigious. In reality, it's long been blurred; it's just a habit."

Liang Qu simply treated it as an amusing anecdote.

He'll definitely follow the crowd.

At any time, acting independently without gaining any benefit is foolish.

"Huh, everyone's here?" Ke Wenbin jumped up to the third floor and vaulted over the railing. "I'm not late, am I?"

"We're missing one, but it's not too late."

Everyone has arrived.

Xu Yuelong put down the documents in his hand, invited everyone into the study, closed the door, and said a few words.

The topic is old news.

It's just that Marquis Weining is coming, so don't wander around these next few days. If you can stay at your "workstation," try to stay there.

Patrols in the nearby waters should be increased to prevent any monsters from eating people in the coming days.

Ke Wenbin poked Liang Qu.

"You're going to meet the Martial Saint in a few days, are you nervous?"

"It's alright."

Liang Qu thought for a moment and said that he had known about the Marquis Weining's arrival from Su Guishan several days in advance, and had been mentally preparing himself for several days. Besides, he had seen the Toad before.

"True and false?"

Ke Wenbin had his doubts.

The Martial Saint, a god-like figure who can live for eight hundred years! Wouldn't you be excited or nervous to see him in person?

Liang Qu shrugged.

"Ke Wenbin! Liang Qu! You two, stop whispering and listen carefully!"

Ke Wenbin: "..."

After a long silence, he finished speaking.

Everyone left.

Xu Yuelong stopped Liang Qu and told him to close the door.

"I didn't have time to ask you yesterday, but what happened to that dead Purple Snake? Did you order the White Ape to kill it?"

"I guess so."

"What do you mean by 'considered'? What about the four Snake Demon that were supposed to present you with a gift on June 6th? I've seen them all. They haven't left these past few days. What are they planning to do in the Shallow Water Area?"

After some thought, Liang Qu succinctly stated his thoughts.

"The White Ape and the Snake Demon have a blood feud, the kind that involves the green Flood Dragon. So the Snake Demon wanted to bribe me to split me and the White Ape, and kill the White Ape to gain merit. So the White Ape and I decided to play along and trick them. That's roughly how it went."

Xu Yuelong: "?"

no.

What? Wait, how did the Snake Demon know this wasn't a trap you set?

"So it only paid the deposit." Liang Qu said smugly. "But after killing the Purple Snake yesterday, I've already swindled all the remaining money. In short, it's quite complicated to explain."

Xu Yuelong hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

He couldn't understand why, after killing the Purple Snake, he would still be able to swindle the remaining money.

But there's a huge loophole in the whole process! "After deceiving the Snake Demon, you have to deal with the four Snake Demon, right? You can't keep deceiving them forever. What if they get desperate and act recklessly? Who will clean up your mess then?"

"It's all settled, cough." Liang Qu coughed. "Uncle, oops, Lord Su gave me the perfect plan! Everything's going according to plan!"

Uncle?

Xu Yuelong's eyes showed suspicion.

"Yesterday, the White Ape gave me half of the snake gallbladder. I made two jars of it, Big Brother Xu..."

"Drink!"