"Lord Thousand-household, did you rest well yesterday? Would you like to try something different tonight?" Lin Lang asked deliberately.
After all, entertaining Thousand-household Liu at the Jade Green Pavilion did not cost him a penny.
The Jade Green Pavilion's biggest backer had previously been Hundred-household Li. Now that he was dead and Lin Lang had become the Hundred-household of Bailing County's Hundred-household Office, how could Sister Li dare ask him for money?
She even had to hand Lin Lang a regular payment every month, or she could forget about keeping her business open.
Thousand-household Liu hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no. I still have official business to attend to and must return today. Before I leave, there are a few things I need to explain to you properly."
Yesterday had wrung him dry. Even as an early-stage Martial Arts Master, he had felt close to being unable to recover.
The subordinates he had brought were all listless too, but whenever their eyes happened to meet, they shared smiles that said they still wanted more.
Thousand-household Liu had come to talk with Lin Lang again. He had been very satisfied yesterday, but after making this trip, surely Lin Lang would prepare some "local specialties" for him to take home?
"Hundred-household Lin, our greatest task in the Jinyiwei right now is to monitor the martial sects and maintain peace in our jurisdictions."
"But that's easier said than done. Plenty of martial-world figures like Tian Boguang are on the wanted lists, but how many have we caught?"
"The Heavenly Prison holds quite a few martial-world experts, but they were all captured by men sent from the Dragon Guard Manor. Governor Cao is very unhappy about that."
"If Governor Cao also learns that Tian Boguang killed one of our Jinyiwei Hundred-households, his impression of us will be even worse."
Lin Lang immediately said, "Lord Thousand-household, making Governor Cao happy actually isn't that difficult."
Thousand-household Liu looked at Lin Lang in surprise. "You have a way?"
Lin Lang nodded. "Lord Thousand-household, why are we in the Jinyiwei, and even the Eastern Depot, less effective than the Dragon Guard Manor at dealing with martial sects?"
"Because we have too few experts. Almost all of ours are trained in-house, while the Dragon Guard Manor recruits experts from the martial world."
"If we recruit martial-world experts too and use martial-world people to deal with their own kind, many things will become much easier."
Thousand-household Liu frowned slightly. "We're the Jinyiwei. We represent the dignity of the imperial court. How can we let martial-world people join us?"
The Dragon Guard Manor was different because it also had the Number One Manor under its authority. All the martial-world experts it recruited were retainers of the Number One Manor and nominally did not belong to the imperial court.
"Have them wash their hands in a golden basin!"
Washing one's hands in a golden basin meant retiring from the martial world, turning from a martial-world figure into an ordinary civilian.
Just as gang members could leave their gangs and take up legitimate work.
"Recruiting a few civilians who know martial arts into the Jinyiwei won't damage the imperial court's dignity, will it?"
Thousand-household Liu pondered for a while. "You seem to have a point, but no one has ever done this before."
If I'd arrived earlier, I'd have done it long ago, Lin Lang thought. Would I have let the Dragon Guard Manor ride on our necks?
"Lord Thousand-household, precisely because no one has done it before, doing it ourselves will bring us to Governor Cao's attention."
"If we do it well, you're certain to soar straight into high office. At the very least, you could become a Pacification Commissioner."
Anyone who wanted quick promotions needed a strong ability to manage up. Dangling grand promises was one of the most common and effective management methods.
At the mention of becoming a Pacification Commissioner, Thousand-household Liu's weary eyes lit up.
If Governor Cao valued him, wouldn't promotion be as easy as lifting a finger?
Then he would gain better martial arts, more money, and greater power.
"Hundred-household Lin, why are you standing? Sit down and tell me more."
He was no longer thinking about squeezing a little money out of Lin Lang. Now he wanted to earn great merit, win a lofty promotion, and make a fortune.
Lin Lang sat down. As Thousand-household Liu leaned his head closer, he said quietly, "There are prestigious major martial sects within our Pingyang Prefecture Thousand-household Office's jurisdiction, aren't there?"
"We should recruit elders from those prestigious major sects. They're powerful fighters and familiar with the martial sects. They're absolutely the best blades for dealing with martial-world people."
Thousand-household Liu's face filled with shock. "Recruit elders directly? How could that possibly succeed?"
Would anyone give up being a powerful, influential elder of a major sect, free to do as they pleased, to join the Jinyiwei?
Besides, elders of prestigious major sects had to be at least Martial Arts Masters. If they recruited people like that, what positions could they offer them?
He himself was only a middle-stage Martial Arts Master and might not be able to keep those major-sect elders in line.
Recruiting martial-world people was meant to get him people who would work for him, not saddle him with trouble.
Lin Lang continued, "What good would recruiting ordinary disciples do? Could they earn great merit? They might have decent prospects, but while I can wait eight or ten years, can you, Lord Thousand-household?"
Thousand-household Liu looked torn. "But what elder of a prestigious major sect would be willing to join the Jinyiwei?"
Lin Lang looked utterly confident. "My lord, those elders are actually easier to deal with than ordinary disciples. They're all getting on in years. They have families and property, which means they have weaknesses."
Understanding dawned on Thousand-household Liu. "You mean we can use their families to threaten them into washing their hands in a golden basin and joining the Jinyiwei?"
Lin Lang added, "Not necessarily their families. There's also their property and so on. They themselves may even have violated the Great Ming Code."
"Would they be willing to oppose the authorities and abandon everything to wander to the ends of the earth?"
Those wanted martial-world figures were all lone wanderers, which was why they were difficult to catch. Elders of prestigious major sects were different. Every one of them was a wealthy local notable.
Thousand-household Liu asked, "What if they refuse?"
Lin Lang made a chopping gesture. "If we have evidence and they still won't compromise, we deal with them. I believe Governor Cao would be willing to send men to support us too. After all, those elders of prestigious major sects are all wealthy."
"If they flee, we can seize the opportunity to confiscate their estates. We'll also have weakened those martial sects, which still counts as earning merit."
Thousand-household Liu thought it over carefully. It really did seem to be just as Lin Lang had said: they would not lose either way.
They would either earn great merit or make money while earning merit.
What if those elders haven't broken the law? Whether they've broken the law is for us in the Jinyiwei to decide!
This really did seem worth trying.
At that moment, Thousand-household Liu found Lin Lang even more pleasing to the eye than the ten beauties from last night.
He clapped Lin Lang firmly on the shoulder. "Hundred-household Lin, no wonder even Governor Cao praised you. You really are a talented man."
"Then follow this plan and recruit an elder from a prestigious major sect. Once you have results, I'll have something to report to the higher-ups."
"If I become a Pacification Commissioner, I guarantee you a Deputy Thousand-household position."
If the higher-ups disliked the method, or if it failed, he could simply throw Lin Lang out to take the blame. He would lose nothing either way.
Lin Lang put on an excited expression. "Thank you, Lord Thousand-household."
I'm helping you become a Pacification Commissioner because I want you to vacate the Thousand-household position for me.
You only promise me Deputy Thousand-household? You don't even know how to make the dream you dangle a little bigger.
He already had his first recruitment target in mind.
Before you continue