County Town Happenings

Yingke Tower was the premier large restaurant in Anchang County. Its drunken fish, expertly prepared by the head chef Old Wang, was particularly renowned, attracting many repeat customers. It was already nearing noon, the busiest time of day. The first floor of the restaurant was packed, and the sixteen private rooms on the second floor, separated by screens, were also quite full. Most of the patrons were scholars and officials, with a few wealthy merchants interspersed. They carried themselves with a certain grace and enjoyed composing poetry, which made the second floor relatively quiet, a stark contrast to the boisterous first floor.

Fang Ming occupied a private room. He ordered several small dishes, specifically the drunken fish that the waiter highly recommended, and asked for a pot of wine. He then gave the waiter some money and sent him away, content to savor his meal alone.

He tried the drunken fish. It was indeed fresh, fragrant, tender, and its lingering aroma was exquisite. The wine was also good, complementing the dishes and adding another layer of flavor. As Fang Ming quietly ate and drank, he listened to the sounds from the surrounding private rooms.

Suddenly, a voice drifted over.

"Oh my, oh my... This competition for the Clerk of Records has been truly bizarre. He Yu and He Qin from the old He family were the frontrunners, and many people bet on them. Who would have thought that a nameless country bumpkin would ultimately snatch the position? It's truly dropped everyone's jaws..."

At this point, a delicate voice chimed in, "I've heard about this too. It's very strange, but I don't really know the specifics. Old Qin, don't you have a relative working in the yamen? Tell us quickly..." Following this was a round of toasting, laughter, and then Old Qin's voice came through, "Alright, then I'll tell you all!"

"This all started when Old Clerk He Dong passed away from illness... A few months ago, Old Clerk He passed away. His son, He Sanhuai, took over his father's business. Unfortunately, he didn't last long. It was an outrage, and he was dismissed... Heh heh..."

The voice was filled with schadenfreude.

"Yes, yes. The Clerk of Records position in their own family, gone just like that. If Old He were still alive, his son would have angered him to death a second time..." Another voice chimed in, filled with indignation.

The Clerk of Records was the head of the officials, wielding considerable power. For ordinary commoners, without the privilege of inherited status, it was impossible to become an official. The Clerk of Records was the most they could hope for. Unfortunately, this position also depended on inheritance and background, denying opportunities to many and naturally breeding resentment.

"Heh heh... Yes, but the new Clerk of Records still had to be chosen from within the He Clan. The meat stays within the pot; outsiders still couldn't get a taste. Alas..."

"Let's not talk about that anymore. I'll continue. The candidates for the new Clerk of Records included He Qin, He Yu, He Song, and others. Among them, He Qin and He Yu came from wealthy families. They reportedly spent a lot of money and promised the He Clan many conditions. They themselves were also decent. Their chances were very high, and these two were the frontrunners, fighting tooth and nail..." Seeing the atmosphere turn somber and the drinks lose their appeal, Old Qin quickly shifted the topic back to the Clerk of Records competition, which indeed piqued everyone's interest.

"As for He Song, although he was within the three branches of the He family, he usually kept to himself. No one expected much from him, yet he showed up this time. Many in the He family probably made fun of him. However, what happened next was truly spectacular..." Old Qin paused here, creating suspense.

"Old Qin, hurry up and tell us, what happened next..." "Come, have another bowl to moisten your throat, and tell us quickly..."

Seeing that he had captured everyone's interest, Old Qin smiled smugly, took another sip of wine, and then spoke unhurriedly, "He Song first went to see the He Clan elders. His first move was to present a twenty tael silver gift as a meeting present, which stunned quite a few people."

"Wow... Twenty taels of silver? He Yu and He Qin only spent about ten to twenty taels in total for their efforts this time, right? Any more and they'd have to sell their property. Is He Song that wealthy? Or is the county yamen not planning to accept bribes?" a voice of disbelief sounded.

"I know a little about this. My home is next to a pawnshop. That day, I heard a pawnshop employee say that someone brought in an ancient jade from a previous dynasty, claiming it was a family heirloom and wanted to pawn it. The shopkeeper offered ten taels. Unexpectedly, the person was knowledgeable and knew the jade was worth a hundred taels. Since they were in urgent need of money, they were willing to pawn it for a low price. The shopkeeper had no choice and finally gave fifty taels. The one who sold the jade was He Song!" someone interjected.

"Hiss..." A collective intake of breath, interspersed with envious curses.

Old Qin also cursed, "Damn it, he's really rich. If I had known, I would have robbed him." The crowd agreed, "Indeed, he should have been robbed!"

Then Old Qin sighed, "He was also a man of resolve, selling off a treasured family heirloom just like that, and spending it all. According to my relative, no one knows what he said to the He Clan, but the He Clan eventually submitted his name along with He Qin and He Yu."

"Next, He Song went to bribe the county yamen, spending a full thirty taels. Moreover, he seemed to know all the ins and outs of the yamen, bribing everyone from top to bottom, neither too much nor too little, just the right amount. This skill doesn't seem like a newcomer's; it's more like an old hand who's spent years in the yamen."

The crowd nodded. Bribing also required discernment: how much to give to each department, where to give more, where to give less. Without suffering losses or facing setbacks, one couldn't learn. He Song's actions, could it be heaven-sent?

At this point, Old Qin continued, "Later, He Song managed to bribe the Personnel Office. The Office Director had always been on good terms with Old Clerk He Dong. He found out that although Old Clerk He Dong outwardly didn't associate with He Song, he secretly thought highly of his talent and had taught him many things. The Personnel Office official then asked some sensitive questions, and He Song answered them all correctly. Only then did they believe him."

"Finally, there was an assessment. This was actually just a formality, but Magistrate Wei was present and said he would be strict. This He Song truly possessed some talent. It's said that Magistrate Wei was quite pleased. In the end, He Song received an excellent evaluation in all aspects and was appointed on the spot..."

"Tsk tsk... Fifty taels of silver to buy a Clerk of Records position. If it were me..." The person couldn't finish their sentence. Fifty taels of silver and the position of Clerk of Records were both valuable. However, one was immediate, and the other was long-term. The person was unsure.

Old Qin spat and said with a laugh, "Useless fellow. Go ask those gentry and wealthy landowners. Don't even mention fifty taels; some would willingly pay a hundred taels for the position of Clerk of Records! Once you become Clerk of Records, there are all sorts of gifts and under-the-table money. You can recoup your investment in just a few years, and then it's pure profit. You can even pass it down to your descendants, with a veneer of officialdom, tsk tsk..." Old Qin was filled with envy as he spoke. "Enough said, come, let's have another drink..."

Hearing this, Fang Ming smiled slightly. He Song becoming Clerk of Records was good news for him, and his mood brightened. He drank a few more cups.

The reason Fang Ming could sit here was due to his new Spiritual Power. His promotion to the divine position of Rank 8, officially the eighth rank, had granted him the great divine ability of "Split Spirit Possession." This allowed him to split off a trace of his divine consciousness and attach it to a mortal body to act.

Fang Ming experimented and found that splitting off a trace of his divine consciousness required twenty strands of red divine power. Attaching to a mortal body depended on the resistance of their will, costing anywhere from one to twenty strands of divine power. Finally, there was a time limit for possession, a maximum of twelve hours. Each hour consumed five strands of red divine power. After twelve hours, the divine consciousness would dissipate on its own.

Fang Ming had previously sent a dream to Li Dazhuang, telling him not to resist. It ultimately cost him five strands of divine power to successfully possess him and come to the county town to investigate.

Anchang County had a population of two thousand households, around ten thousand people, making it a small county. However, the city walls were built tall and imposing, and soldiers patrolled the city gates.

In Fang Ming's Qi Observation Spiritual Power, the entire county town was enveloped in a protective aura of white tinged with red fortune. He suspected that none of his subordinates could enter the county town. Fang Ming's true form could force its way through, but it would provoke a counterattack, forcing him to contend with the fortune of tens of thousands of people, which would likely not end well.

However, in his physical body, he paid the one-wen fee and easily entered the city, saving himself a lot of trouble.

He wandered around casually and noticed that Yingke Tower was not far from the county yamen. It was a place with a lot of foot traffic and information exchange, so he rented a private room there to gather intelligence and also to get a high vantage point to observe the county yamen's fortune.

Fang Ming specifically requested a private room by the window, which offered a clear view of the county yamen. He had arrived early, which was why he got it.

In his eyes, above the county yamen not far away, crimson energy surged, and red light shone brightly. Only at the bottom were there faint wisps of white. His heart skipped a beat, and he sighed, "As expected of the central hub of the human way, its fortune is truly extraordinary."

The county yamen's staff was not comparable to that of a village. The County Magistrate held supreme authority, with the Assistant County Magistrate, County Lieutenant, six departments, and numerous officials, stable hands, yamen runners, jailers, and so on. It was fully staffed and had a complete system.

As long as everyone was promoted a few levels, it could immediately function as a prefectural yamen. Regardless of whether the capabilities were sufficient, it could at least operate. This was no small feat. Further up, to the provincial court, it would only involve adding a few more departments and more personnel; in essence, it would be the same.

Therefore, the Great Han Dynasty was supported by these thousands of county-level units, forming the lowest foundation of the system, with its own laws and regulations.

In Fang Ming's eyes, this fortune did not appear as mist but had forms, like a large net centered on the county yamen, enveloping the entire county town and even extending outwards to the villages.

Of course, the center of the county yamen had the strongest laws, and its fortune was almost pure red. Towards the edges of the county town, it became a mix of red and white. In the villages, it was likely only white, mixed with the protection of altars and ancestral spirits, which Fang Ming hadn't sensed before.

Suddenly, two rows of yamen runners appeared, lining up on both sides of the county yamen. Fang Ming's heart stirred, and he stared intently.

Several people emerged from the county yamen. Among them was a middle-aged man wearing the official attire of a Rank 7 official. This was Magistrate Wei Zhun. Above his head was a pure red natal aura, complementing the dense crimson energy around him, vaguely forming the shape of a flying bird. Suddenly, as if sensing Fang Ming, he let out a long cry, and the red light flashed intensely. Fang Ming's eyes hurt, and he felt tears welling up. His heart pounded, and he dared not look further, shifting his gaze away.

To the left of the Magistrate was an elderly man with an extraordinary bearing. His head was adorned with condensed red and white energy, similar to Fang Ming's, but it hadn't formed a shape. Fang Ming guessed he must be the Assistant County Magistrate.

To the right was a burly man, also surrounded by a cloud of red and white energy. However, there were wisps of black energy around him. This was not ominous energy but Military Qi and Sha Qi. It appeared to be the County Lieutenant. According to regulations, the County Lieutenant could command up to a thousand garrison soldiers. Of course, they wouldn't be at full strength normally, but with five hundred soldiers, it was enough to maintain order in the county town. This County Lieutenant only had red and white natal energy, two ranks below Xie Jin. Yet, his fortune was something the current Xie Jin couldn't even dream of catching up to.

Fang Ming sighed inwardly. Officials within the system truly gathered fortune and possessed great destiny. At Fang Ming's current rank, he was far inferior to the Magistrate. It was likely that any of his divine abilities would be ineffective against him. He couldn't even get close to him unless the Magistrate was ill, dismissed, old, or dreaming.

As for the Assistant County Magistrate and the County Lieutenant, he could influence them slightly, but it would require considerable divine power, at least thirty percent of his divine power and fortune. The effectiveness was still uncertain. At this thought, Fang Ming felt a bit dejected.

But then he pondered. The fortune of the human way was fleeting and intense, like firewood meeting fire. Although it was strong for a time, it would dissipate within a hundred years after a person's death, let alone the fortune brought by an official position, which did not belong to oneself. If Wei Zhun were dismissed, how much fortune would remain? The fortune of the divine way, however, was valued for its longevity and enduring nature, with power returning to oneself, which no one could take away. Both had their merits and could not be directly compared.

ps: Thank you to "My Arrogance, How Could You Understand" for the reward. Also, book friends who like this book, please help recommend it more. I, Wen Chao, thank you!