Why are so many people asking about houses in Liuzhou these days?
Gu Beiquan sensed something was wrong. One idiot was one thing, but why were they appearing one after another?
With a vague sense of unease, he hurriedly went to visit the next person, and half an hour later, he received the same reply. Only then did he realize that someone was deliberately playing tricks on him!
He hurriedly urged the steward to return to the county government, preparing to lead the constables to give chase.
Just as the troops were being mustered, Instructor Liu Yiqi stepped forward and asked, "Where are you headed, Magistrate?"
"Go stop them!" Gu Beiquan had no liking for Liu Yiqi, who loved to act like an old man, especially since Chen Qing had forced him here.
Upon hearing this, Liu Yiqi frowned. The steward quickly explained, Liu Yiqi immediately understood the situation. "It seems that Chen Qing is behind this, trying to coax those teachers back."
"Hmph, do you need to tell me?" Gu Beiquan snorted coldly.
Liu Yiqi suppressed his anger and rationally analyzed, "Sir, although Minister Chen Qing's method was somewhat underhanded, what pretext do you use to directly lead the yamen runners to stop people?"
"Huh?" This question startled Gu Beiquan.
Yes, what grounds did you use to stop people?
Those teachers were all going back to Liuzhou to pack their things; what right did they have to stop them?
Even if one is a local official, one cannot act recklessly towards these renowned scholars.
Thinking of this, Gu Beiquan became even more furious. "Are we just going to let him trick them into going back like this?"
"My lord, please calm down..." Liu Yiqi smiled wryly, "My lord, you can't force him to come back, and Chen Qing can't force him to stay here either. You know the situation in Liuzhou right now, what's the use of playing those little tricks?"
"I know..." Gu Beiquan said irritably, "But I just feel something's not right. Chen Qing isn't stupid. Why would he go through all this trouble? Doesn't he have a backup plan?"
"You overestimate him, sir," Liu Yiqi sneered. "What tricks can a sycophant with no background and no ability possibly come up with to resolve the Liuzhou issue? If the Liuzhou issue isn't resolved, no matter how eloquently he speaks, those scholars won't stay."
"That's true..." Gu Beiquan's mood improved slightly upon hearing this.
"If we prepare a feast and treat those scholars well when they return disappointed, we're sure to retain many of them. Even if a great scholar like Master Feng can't stay, surely we can retain scholars like Master An and Master Liu, who are merely graduates of the imperial examinations?"
"Hmm..." Gu Beiquan finally nodded, thinking to himself: Although Liu Yiqi usually likes to act like an elder, what he said this time makes sense. I did overreact a bit.
With that in mind, he said, "Then I'll trouble Instructor Liu to arrange the banquet."
"It's just my duty, there's no need to trouble you," Liu Yiqi said with a smile, bowing respectfully. "I will certainly not disappoint you, sir."
He sneered inwardly: This guy is finally willing to let me do something. If it weren't for the fact that the fate of these teachers is related to his political achievements as an instructor, he wouldn't bother with this guy at all.
Once the matter of keeping the tutor settled, I'll focus on education and distance myself from the magistrate. With his reckless nature, he'll cause trouble sooner or later; I don't want him to drag me down with him...
--
On the other side, thanks to the actions of Gu Bei and others, more than a dozen teachers from Spirit Deer County who had previously taught at the Liuzhou Prefectural School were lured over. Spirit Deer County was not far from Liuzhou, and the teachers who arrived early reached the south gate of Liuzhou before dusk.
Seeing the scene at the entrance, everyone became curious.
"Oh, Master Feng, you've come too?"
When Master Feng got out of the carriage, he was also taken aback to see a group of his colleagues. His wife was still nagging behind him, complaining about why her husband had come back to this creepy place. But when he got out of the carriage, he was also completely bewildered.
"What's going on here?" Master Feng felt like he'd been tricked.
Then the group recounted their experience with wry smiles. Upon hearing this, Master Feng also smiled wryly, "It seems this new prefect used some underhanded tricks. It's a pity for us old bones."
"Who says otherwise?" said a scholar nearby. "But what's interesting is that Liuzhou is more lively than I expected these days."
Upon hearing this, Master Feng looked towards the door. He remembered someone saying that after the Liuzhou troops were transferred away, Liuzhou became a ghost town, and the canal caravans all went to the other two docks. How could it have warmed up in just a few days?
There were quite a few caravans piled up at the entrance, dozens by sight, with at least a thousand people. Although it couldn't compare to the prosperity of Liuzhou in the past, it was a world of difference from the desolate ghost town it had been before.
"Do you know why?" Master Feng asked curiously.
"I've inquired, and the new prefect has exempted Liuzhou from commercial taxes!" A scholar stroked his beard and said, "He certainly has some guts. As soon as the news spread, some merchant ships that were piled up on the river chose to come and try their luck, and some managers of large trading companies also came here to buy goods, just to see what would happen. It seems to be going quite smoothly so far."
"Drinking poison to quench thirst..." Master Feng shook his head upon hearing this. "Although this may attract some return in the short term, it won't solve the fundamental problem. Without commercial taxes, the government will have no money. How can we maintain order in Liuzhou? If order is poor, more and more scoundrels will infiltrate, causing trouble again. In that case, we will truly lose both our wife and our army!"
The other teachers nearby nodded in agreement. " Master Feng is right."
Master Feng sighed, a hint of disappointment rising in his heart.
I originally thought there had been some positive development in Liuzhou, but it turns out it was just some petty trick. If that's the case, I definitely won't move back. It seems I still need to urge the Nanming Prefecture.
Just then, a bright light suddenly shot into the sky from the city gate ahead. The scholars, who had never seen anything like this before, retreated in panic.
Most of them knew of the existence of demons and ghosts, but since the founding of the Great Jin Dynasty, they had never seen any demons or ghosts so rampant, daring to show themselves at the city gate in broad daylight?
"What kind of monster dares to invade my Liuzhou?!"
The white wolf phantom was much larger than the one on the first day, reaching a height of four or five zhang. Moreover, its voice was deep and powerful, clearly audible to the teachers more than a hundred meters away. Yet, the voice was not harsh; instead, it carried an inexplicable sense of majesty!
Some familiar faces knelt in worship, while newcomers, though bewildered, were not particularly alarmed. They felt that the enormous white wolf, though imposing and intimidating, actually gave them a sense of security, and instinctively, they felt no fear...
However, there is an exception: the evil spirit that the white wolf is eyeing!
A wealthy man dressed in flashy silk, with a plump body, lay prostrate on the ground, trembling. Foul-smelling yellow fluid began to flow from his ears and nose, and the people around him retreated.
The next second, a shrill scream rang out, and a bloody hole burst open in the rich man's thick head. A strange maggot, half a meter long, crawled out, hissed, and then fled quickly to the rear!
"You committed murder and think you can escape?" White Wolf roared, "Take him down!"
"Yes!"
The two guards at the gate immediately dropped their spears and chased after the maggots.
The maggots were incredibly fast, moving like water snakes, so close to the ground that many people couldn't keep up with them. Moreover, they were fleeing in the direction where the scholars were gathered, causing the group of refined and learned men to stagger backward in fright.
But the panic didn't last long. In just a few breaths, the two guards behind them pounced like tigers and wolves, and before the insect could rush towards the teachers, they captured it first!
The maggot hissed and opened its mouth wide, revealing a dense array of serrated teeth, but before it could make a move, the guard who caught it crushed it into a pulp!
The green liquid burst open, startling the teachers who all scrambled to retreat, but the few experienced teachers remained calm for a moment.
"Is this an insect demon?" Master Feng asked in a low voice, looking at the insect that had been exploded into a pulp.
"Sir, do you know about this?" The guard wiped the juice from his face and asked with a smile.
Suppressing his disgust, Master Feng cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your help, General!"
He knew about these things. In the water towns of Jiangnan, the most common incidents in the port prefectures were water ghost incidents and insect demon incidents. Water ghosts liked to hide in caravans, while insect demons liked to hide inside seafood.
Those who love to eat raw fish are most susceptible to infection. Once parasitized, they appear no different from ordinary people, but their brains are actually emptied, leaving them like walking corpses, completely controlled by the insect demon. Over time, the insect demon lays eggs, which can bring disaster to the whole family!
Those who know the inside story never follow the example of nouveau riche who chase after so-called seafood and raw fish.
However, this kind of thing, though rampant, is the most difficult to deal with because it is hard to detect.
"You're too kind, sir!" the soldier quickly returned the salute. "I'm just a lowly gatekeeper; how could I possibly be called a general?"
Master Feng was puzzled upon hearing this. In fact, he had wanted to ask earlier: how could someone with such skill be just a lowly gate guard?
Even the personal guards of some powerful families might not be this formidable.
"Gentlemen, are you heading into the city?" Another soldier stepped forward and saluted. "Judging from your attire, you must be scholars. The Prefect has ordered that scholars may enter the city first. Gentlemen, please..."
The Great Jin had strict rules regarding clothing. While merchants were allowed to wear silk to boost consumption, they were not permitted to wear blue or white robes. These two types of clothing were only allowed to be worn by scholars and medical practitioners. Any merchant who wore them without permission would be committing a serious crime.
When the guards saw this group of elderly men in white, they knew that Gu Bei and his gang must have finished their task.
"Very good!" Master Feng nodded with a smile. It seemed that he had underestimated this new prefect. It turned out that he had a backup plan.
As the group reached the door, the soldier presented the convulsing corpse of the insect demon, bowed, and said, "The demon has been slain; please return to your position, Lord Door God!"
"Please return to your positions, Lord Door Gods!" the other soldiers shouted in unison.
"Wait a moment!" This time, White Wolf did not return immediately, but instead looked at the seafood and shrimp that the rich man's servants had pushed in.
"Still dare to hide? Show yourself!!"
With a sharp shout, the frozen fish and shrimp began to jump around. The next second, hundreds of thumb-sized maggots crawled out, emitting a strong fishy smell that made everyone around cover their noses and back away!
These maggots were clearly not as strong as the large maggots that had sucked human flesh before. They writhed and died on the ground in just a few breaths under the sunlight, and were trampled into mincemeat by a group of soldiers!
The next moment, the white wolf looked at the group of people at the door. "You all have worm eggs in your bodies and need to expel them in time, or your lives will be in danger."
Those who had witnessed the scene turned deathly pale upon hearing this. Remembering their friend's horrific state, their legs buckled and they collapsed to their knees. Some, quicker to react, immediately kowtowed, pleading, "Please, Door God, save us!"
"I am powerless to help; only the spring water of the Mountain God of South Mountain can save him. You may seek an introduction from the government to meet the Mountain God, and there may be a glimmer of hope!"
Before the person kneeling and begging at the door could react, he vanished into thin air.
Upon seeing this, a group of people knelt down and kowtowed. Wisps of white light gathered on the city wall, and the guards felt even stronger.
Master Feng and the others stood there dumbfounded.
These scenes were so shocking that even these learned scholars were somewhat taken aback.
"Sir!" The merchant who had just been called out for having insect eggs hurriedly stepped forward and pleaded, "Was what the gatekeeper said true?"
"What the door god says is of course true!" The guard, driven by his faith, couldn't bear to hear any questioning of the door god, and frowned, saying, "Do you think the door god is lying to you?"
"No, no..." The merchants shook their heads repeatedly. "Where is the Mountain God that the door god mentioned? Could you please lead us to pay our respects?"
"This needs to be approved by the government." The officer looked at the Human Dao and said, "You few carry insect eggs, which is very dangerous. After entering the city, you must stay close to the officers and not wander off. Otherwise, if you are caught, you will be forcibly expelled from Liuzhou. Do you understand?"
"Understood, understood!" The group nodded in unison.
"Alright, Qi Da, take them there."
Then he looked at the scholars and said, "Gentlemen, please come into the city."
Master Feng nodded, then looked again at the spot where the so-called door gods had disappeared. He had many doubts in his heart, but seeing how busy the city guards were, yet they didn't delay anyone, he decided to simply go into the city to take a look.
" Master Feng, what do you think?" The other masters looked at Master Feng and asked, clearly as curious as he was.
"Let's go!" Master Feng took the lead, following behind the group of merchants with insect eggs on their bodies. "Let's go and see!"
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