Chapter 144: Hosting Guests, Beheading, and Taking a Dog Under My Wing

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation     Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Walking along the street, Lu Xuan spoke to Cheng Lingzhu.

The man who was killed was a servant of the Gu family.

Under the laws of the Great Kang Dynasty, killing a servant required only compensation with some silver and proper burial.

Although Lu Xuan also believed the man deserved death, Gu Feng’s actions and words were clearly meant as a threat to him, the new county magistrate. Anyone who didn’t show face to the Qingxian Society could expect a similar fate.

“The Gu, Bo, and He families are the three major families of Qingxian City.

These three families are united and jointly control the Qingxian Society.

Ostensibly, they worship a deity, but in reality, they seek their own interests.”

Cheng Lingzhu relayed the information she had gathered from the tea stall owner to Lu Xuan.

“United? That closely?” Lu Xuan inquired.

“At least on the surface.’

Cheng Lingzhu replied, “The core members of the Qingxian Society are from these three families. The heads of the families take turns acting as the chairman, holding the power of speech.”

“However… ”

Cheng Lingzhu pondered for a while and added, “Five years ago, the previous head of the Bo family and his son were assassinated outside the city. His grandson was too young to take on the responsibility. Consequently, the head of the Gu family took over as the chairman of the Qingxian Society. Now, the new head of the Bo family has come of age… But the Gu family shows no sign of relinquishing control.”

The chairmanship of the Qingxian Society changes every ten years, and it was nearing the time for a change. According to the rotation order, after the Gu family, it should be someone from the Bo family.

In this way, the Bo family would end up holding the chairmanship for fifteen years.

Lu Xuan nodded slightly upon hearing this. After pondering for a moment, he said:

“Let’s go to the county office first.”

Contrary to Lu Xuan’s expectations, the county office of Qingxian City was not as dilapidated as he had thought, considering the control of the three major families and the weak governmental power. To his surprise, the county office was quite imposing.

The main gate of the county office was stern and dignified, carved from superior stone, with no stone lions but instead, two serpent god statues standing at the entrance.

Lu Xuan understood that the previous magistrates must have cooperated closely with the Qingxian Society, jointly exploiting the common people.

Naturally, the magistrate’s office, essentially an extension of the Qingxian Society, wouldn’t be in poor condition.

However, the entrance to the county office was unguarded, and there was no customary complaint drum – It was spotlessly clean.

“Let’s go in and take a look.”

Lu Xuan pushed open the main gate and entered.

After a short while inside.

“In broad daylight, you all hide in the storeroom gambling instead of working?”

Inside the main hall, Magistrate Wu stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the yamenO runners and constables gathered below. The yamen runners hung their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.

“Ma-Ma-Magistrate.”

A short, plump man in a long robe raised his head, trying to explain, “No-no-no… We weren’t avoiding work, we were all… Waiting for the magistrate.”

“Stuttering like this and you’re a chief constable?”

Lu Xuan tapped the table, “Don’t they interview people when hiring for the county office?”

“No-no-no, it’s like this.”

The chief constable, Lu Ping, flushed red as he answered, “I usually don’t st-st-stutter, it’s just that seeing the magistrate has made me nervous…”

“Alright, enough, shut up.”

Lu Xuan waved his hand dismissively.

“Stop bootlicking, you’d have sent the horse running miles away by now… Let someone who can speak clearly explain.”

Generally speaking, a chief constable was also a kind of advisor.

As an aide to the magistrate and a “clerk” rather than an “official,” his main duties were running errands, transcribing documents, and assisting the leader with various affairs.

Due to the heavy workload, a proper county office usually employs several advisors.

Originally, Qingxian City’s county office also had a chief registrar, but the previous magistrate took him away when he was promoted.

Now, the position of the chief registrar was vacant, leaving only Lu Ping, the chief constable, to act in that capacity.

Lu Xuan wasn’t sure if this arrangement was regular or not.

But given the current state of the Great Kang Dynasty, beset by turmoil and uprisings, the mere functioning of the county office was a miracle.

There was already an advisor in the office, and with Lu Xuan bringing another one, there was no conflict.

After the yamen runners explained, the new Magistrate Wu learned the reasons behind their behavior.

The reason the yamen runners were idling and gambling was because… They genuinely had nothing to do.

The Qingxian Society had taken over all significant affairs of Qingxian City, including tax collection and public security.

A century ago, the complaint drum at the county office gate had been removed and thrown into the storeroom.

Successive magistrates neglected their duties, and the common people had to resolve disputes themselves or turn to the Qingxian Society —

The Qingxian Society didn’t know how to handle cases, but they could “take care” of those who raised issues.

The entire office did not keep attendance records; the yamen runners spent their days drinking tea and gambling, and once the time was up, they would simply go home, close the main gate, and generally lead a leisurely life.

In fact, those willing to come to the office to gamble were considered the more diligent ones.

When Lu Xuan first arrived, many people were still at home, not even bothering to come to work.

It took him half the time of burning an incense stick to gather all the yamen runners in the county office.

“We were planning to go out to welcome you…”

Lu Ping, the chief constable, struggled to articulate, but to little avail.

“But the Qingxian Society wouldn’t let us. They said it wasn’t our turn… Didn’t you attend the banquet, sir?”

Today was the magistrate’s inauguration, and everyone thought Lu Xuan would accept the invitation from the three major families to eat, drink, and receive gifts, but he came directly to the county office instead.

“Your past actions, with no one to oversee you, can be overlooked by this county,” Lu Xuan declared from the steps. “But from today onwards, you must behave properly. Anyone absent without cause will be dealt with according to the laws of the Great Kang Dynasty!”

The crowd shivered at the thought. The dynasty’s laws were strict regarding officials’ conduct.

Lu Ping hurriedly fetched the account books, while the other yamen runners hesitated, as if they wanted to say something but stopped themselves.

Lu Xuan frowned and slapped the gavel:

“If I ask you to fetch something, just do it! Why the dawdling?!”

“You, you, and you,” he pointed out a few people, “stay here, I have questions for vou. The rest of you, get moving.”

“Yes, sir!” the yamen runners hurried off to work, those called out by Lu Xuan remaining for questioning.

At that moment, inside the Qingxian Society’s headquarters. “The new magistrate refused to come?”

The lean Gu family head sipped his wine, narrowing his eyes.

“That’s what he meant, family head,” Gu Feng replied with his head bowed.

“Hmph, another one who overestimates himself,” sneered the corpulent He family head. “Inviting him to the banquet was a courtesy because of his office… He really doesn’t know how to appreciate it.”

“Let’s see what he does in the next few days. In Qingxian City, he has to follow our rules,” said the Bo family head. He was young, in his twenties, but with an air of maturity.

“Let’s find an opportunity to teach him a lesson. If he’s sensible, it’s all well and good; if he’s a fool…” the He family head snorted, making a throat-slitting gesture.

“Uncle Gu, with the Qingxian Festival half a month away, what about the chairmanship transition?” the Bo family head asked.

“Let’s deal with the magistrate first. We can talk about the transition later,” said the Gu family head impassively.