Clerks Against Officials

The gatekeeper's words had barely left his mouth.

Chen Gan's face twitched uncontrollably.

After a long while, he finally forced a word through clenched teeth. "Fine!"

"But one hundred and fifty taels is no small sum. I need time to gather it. I'll take my leave first!"

With that, he turned and left!

Su Mo's expression changed abruptly.

Such terms were practically grinding his face into the dirt—how could he possibly accept them!

A man lived for his face; a tree lived for its bark!

He hurried after Chen Gan, about to speak, when Chen Gan said flatly, "There's no room for maneuver in this matter!"

"Prepare for war!"

Su Mo was instantly dumbfounded.

Just moments ago, his third uncle had said he needed time to raise the money, yet now he was talking about war?

Uncle and nephew were both yamen runners, the kind without official establishment. Strictly speaking, they did not even count as clerks.

The Clerk of the Court, on the other hand, was a genuine imperial official.

Where did his old uncle get the nerve to speak of war?

Chen Gan was no ordinary man. One look at Su Mo's expression, and he knew what he was thinking. "They wouldn't even let us through the door, then offered such terms!"

"They clearly mean to force us onto a road with no escape!"

"If we agree, how will the two of us ever keep our footing in Changping County again?"

As Chen Gan spoke, his expression grew solemn, tinged with a trace of disdain. "Though the Clerk of the Court is an official, his position is awkward."

"The officials do not regard him as one of their own, and the subordinate clerks do not regard him as a clerk. He has no roots in this place."

"If lowly runners like us do not kiss his stinking boots, who the hell does he think he is!"

Su Mo's heart stirred. "Third Uncle wants to borrow the subordinate clerks' strength and fight him?"

The yamen was forged from iron, while county magistrates flowed like water.

Those iron-forged yamen were the subordinate clerks.

Though subordinate clerks were of lowly registered status, they were the ones who truly managed local affairs.

They understood the rules of grassroots officialdom far better than the lofty county magistrate or County Lieutenant.

It was no exaggeration to say that once the subordinate clerks joined hands, they could hollow out even the county magistrate and leave him sitting like a Buddha in a temple!

Even if the county magistrate became ruthless and replaced every subordinate clerk, the result would remain the same.

The replacement clerks would still come from the same batch of local people!

Su Mo thought he had guessed his old uncle's plan, but Chen Gan shook his head. "It would already be a blessing if they simply stood by and watched."

"Don't forget that Leper Zhou is also a runner. At the end of the day, this is an internal dispute among the subordinate clerks. Otherwise, would Big Wart Ma dare make such demands?"

"Though that beast is greedy for money and women, he is not a fool."

Su Mo frowned in confusion. "If that's the case, how are we supposed to fight him?"

Without the support of the subordinate clerks as a group, how could his third uncle have even half a chance of winning by pitting commoners against an official?

Not to mention ancient times—even in the modern world of his previous life, it would not have been easy!

A sinister gleam flickered in Chen Gan's eyes as he said coldly, "Even if we can't win, we still have to fight!"

"We can't just stretch out our necks and wait to be slaughtered!"

He let out a breath. "The key to victory lies tonight!"

"Take Qin Bi'er to my house. Under no circumstances can you let her fall into Big Wart Ma's hands! I'll introduce a few people to you as well."

Su Mo knew that his old uncle had quite a few vicious men and hardened thugs under his command.

But aside from the other two temporary runners, Zhang Si and Scar Meng, he did not know exactly who else there was.

Was his uncle finally laying all his cards on the table?

Fearing that Su Mo was young and did not understand the gravity of the matter, Chen Gan added in a deep voice, "Commoners do not fight clerks, and clerks do not contend with officials!"

"Once this war begins, either that beast leaves Changping County with his tail between his legs, or you and I, uncle and nephew, will see our homes destroyed and our families ruined. We cannot afford even the slightest luck!"

Su Mo nodded. "I'll go to Qin Bi'er's right now!"

Chen Gan waved him away, then called him back after he had taken only two steps. "Wait!"

He eyed Su Mo suspiciously from head to toe. "Did you really smash all of Leper Zhou's shoulder bones?"

He had heard from the people at the Criminal Affairs Office that Su Mo had beaten Zhou Meng and that Zhou Meng had reported it to the authorities. He had assumed Zhou Meng merely wanted to extort some money, but he had not known how badly his nephew had actually beaten him.

Su Mo nodded. "They should all be shattered!"

Chen Gan narrowed his triangular eyes. "How did you shatter them?"

Su Mo said, "One punch, and they shattered."

After a pause, he added, "That bastard couldn't take a hit."

Chen Gan no longer wanted to speak to this nephew of his!

How could he not know Leper Zhou's capabilities?

The man's character was rotten, but he had trained at a martial arts school for several years and could be considered fairly skilled.

If they truly fought, even two Su Mos might not be his match!

Chen Gan snorted. "Tell your third uncle honestly. Have you... practiced martial arts?"

Su Mo hesitated for a moment, then finally shook his head. "No!"

Chen Gan's brows twitched, but he did not press further. "Go back!"

"Move quickly!"

His claim to the gatekeeper that he needed time to gather the silver was nothing more than a way to buy this one night!

As he watched Su Mo's departing back.

Worry surfaced on Chen Gan's aged face.

How easy could it be for commoners to fight officials!

Yet between the Su and Chen families, Su Mo was the only surviving branch!

This battle had nothing to do with right or wrong. There were only sides!

Su Mo had beaten Leper Zhou, which meant he had slapped Big Wart Ma across the face.

Big Wart Ma had only just arrived in Changping County to serve as Clerk of the Court, and his prestige was lacking. If he did not reclaim his face now, where would he put his dignity?

Who would listen to him as the Fourth Master afterward?

As for the Su and Chen families, they naturally could not sit still and await death. They could only fight to the death!

After letting out a long breath, the worry on his face vanished in an instant.

In its place was a face full of ruthless ferocity!

If Big Wart Ma wanted to use this local snake to establish his authority.

Then he would have to see.

Whether the Clerk of the Court had sharper teeth, or whether Chen Gan was the harder stone!

Su Mo also knew that tonight was crucial.

Once his old uncle made his move tomorrow morning, Big Wart Ma would naturally realize that their side intended to fight to the bitter end.

As he hurried back toward Ping'an Ward, he pondered the matter.

He did not know how many methods his old uncle had.

However, Su Mo had plans of his own.

Could a mere unranked Clerk of the Court, a petty auxiliary official who did not even enter the streams, really turn the heavens upside down?

The keepsake left behind by the deceased mother of a Principal Sixth Rank Female Captain was still in his money pouch!

Could an Imperial Guard Centurion, who could execute even the county magistrate without reporting it first, not deal with one corrupt Clerk of the Court more easily than brewing a pot of tea?

"Should I go directly to the Imperial Guard Office and find Lin Moyin?"

"I can say I picked up the Golden Lock by accident, but how would I explain that it belonged to Lin Moyin?"

One lie required ten more lies to cover it up.

The other side was Great Wu's strongest intelligence organization. They had ghostly methods like summoning flying swords; perhaps they even knew something like the Soul Search Art.

If they truly investigated, they could uncover the past three generations of his ancestors with crystal clarity.

When he had first transmigrated, he had not adapted to the local conditions and had exposed quite a few flaws, making plenty of blunders.

What if Lin Moyin decided he was some demon or evil spirit that had possessed the original owner's body and simply killed him?

Su Mo could not help but feel a headache coming on.

Forget it.

He would assess the situation first.

If they could not defeat Big Wart Ma, then he could only go find Lin Moyin.

If they won, he could seek out the Female Captain afterward. Perhaps he could even raise her favorability a little more.

Upon returning to Ping'an Ward, Su Mo went straight to knock on the little widow's door.

Qin Bi'er's house was much better than the Su Residence.

Her late husband had been a scholar.

Studying was a luxury. Those from poorer families did not even dare consider it.

But after the scholar's death, with no son to inherit the family estate, his clansmen had swallowed the inheritance whole, dividing up every field and shop until only this house remained for the widow and child.

Su Mo knocked hard on the door.

Only after a long while did the little widow's wary voice come from inside. "Who is it?"

Su Mo said in a deep voice, "It's me!"

"Open the door!"

After another moment.

The door opened a crack.

Half the little widow's face appeared, her willow-leaf brows slightly furrowed as she hesitated. "It is so late. What does my lord need from this servant?"

"How about... my lord comes again tomorrow morning?"

Even as she spoke, faint disappointment rose in her heart.

She thought that now that she had just agreed to Chen Gan's terms, Su Mo could no longer restrain himself and had come seeking a night of fish-and-water pleasure with her!

Had she entrusted herself to the wrong man?

Should she agree, or should she not?

She definitely could not agree!

But what if Su Mo forced himself on her?

At that moment, the little widow was tangled in unbearable conflict!