Kunlun one millet

Chapter 130

Xinglong County Magistrate's official uniform had already been stripped off, and he knelt in the prison cell and kowtowed like garlic: "I know that I have committed a crime, and I am willing to dedicate myself to the Marquis of Zhenming!"

Zhao Mi was silent when he heard the words, while He Dangguan next to him shook his head and sneered: "Magistrate Xinglong, you really look down on people! Zhenming Hou can even give up dozens of hectares of farmland outside Dongsheng Capital, how can he see it?" How about your little gold and silver that came from corruption and perverting the law?"

"Okay." Zhao Mi shouted in a low voice. He never thought that he had a good land and a beautiful house inside and outside Dongsheng Capital. It was something worth showing off.

"In your current situation, you still don't forget to bribe for self-protection, which shows the atmosphere in the official circles of the surrounding counties." Zhao Mi said, "I don't want to take care of these things, as long as you can put more thought into the official business of raising money and food, and ensure that all the people on the front line Needless to say, I guess I will be lenient. But now you are running towards your death with all your heart, and I don't have to stop you."

The county magistrate of Xinglong curled up into a ball, trembling.

"But I can give you a chance." Zhao Mi dragged a stool and sat down: "You claimed earlier that the Qianjin Daxian is the righteous god of worship, and the shrine is still the Chongxuan Hall, which wrote a letter to the Lord of the Kingdom in order to be built. What is going on here? You have to explain the cause and effect in detail."

Xinglong County Magistrate knew that this was his last chance, and said: "I dare not hide it, but the shrine has already been built long before I took office."

As mentioned in the local efficacious records, long before the Xinglong County was established in the Huaxu Kingdom, there was already a saying of a thousand gold immortals in this area of ​​the countryside.

At that time, the situation was chaotic, and the Huaxu Kingdom had just brought the southern counties into its territory. In order to appease the disturbed people as soon as possible, the Huaxu Kingdom allowed shrines of all sizes to spring up like mushrooms after rain.

Therefore, many ghosts and monsters who violated the law of Tianxia climbed onto the altar one after another, pretending to be honorable, and receiving incense, fire, blood and food as offerings.

It is not surprising that these unrestrained ghosts and spirits harass the houses and extort incense. Some even masquerading as generals, colluding with mortals and scum, enter the house, comparable to the tyrants of the separatist party, withholding taxes and property.

However, there were frequent wars at that time, and Mr. Huaxu really had no time to deal with local prostitutes, so he had to post a list to recruit masters of immortal cultivation to help, hoping to ease the situation.

At that time, the monks of Chongxuanguan who were still cultivating in Difei Mountain were recruited to come down the mountain. Several disciples of the immortal family headed by Liang Tao used their swords to eliminate evil spirits and magic tricks, and wiped out evil spirits from all walks of life in the southern counties.

It is said that in order to fight against Liang Tao and others, the southern demons gathered in the Heishan Ghost Cave, discussed countermeasures, and elected the Heishan Ghost Commander as their leader.

As a result, Liang Tao was caught by surprise and directly led someone to kill him in the Heishan Ghost Cave.After several days and nights of fierce fighting, the Heishan Ghost Commander was beaten to pieces, and the ghosts and evil spirits under his command were burned by lightning and fire, and most of them perished.

After this battle, the remaining ghosts and ghosts in the south of Huaxu Kingdom hid in hibernation or fled to distant places, but there were also many who chose to surrender.

Liang Tao was not a national teacher at that time, and the Chongxuan Pavilion did not have the current status, but Liang Tao's methods were superb, and he also had a strategy of appeasement. , and indeed subdued some monsters who wanted to surrender and serve.

However, Liang Tao's move was very high-profile, which may have aroused the suspicion of his fellow cultivators. They released rumors that Liang Tao had crossed the court and arbitrarily sealed ghosts and gods.Mr. Hua Xu found out about this and immediately issued an order to recall Liang Tao and others.

But based on Liang Tao's achievements and cultivation base, Mr. Hua Xu didn't do the same thing, but rewarded Liang Tao and the Chongxuan Pavilion generously.

It is precisely because of this that the reputation and prestige of Chongxuan Pavilion is increasing day by day, and there are more and more disciples in Chongxuan Pavilion.With the change of time, the system of Guanxi has taken shape.

And when the Huaxu Kingdom established the system of halls, the Chongxuan Hall was already regarded as a magnificent sect, so it is no wonder that in the future, other sects of cultivating immortals in Huaxu will be attacked.

But these are all digressions. Liang Tao's sword patrol was not perfect at the time, and there were still many ghosts and ghosts who escaped in the southern counties.Facing the flourishing Chongxuan Pavilion, of course they dared not gather crowds to make trouble, but chose to take the initiative to take effect.

This time, the evil spirit's target is not Liang Tao, who is aloof, but the children of the four surnames Xueyin from the immortal family in the place where he became an official.

Even if the children of the four surnames of the immortal family do not have high cultivation bases, they still know about magic, ghosts and gods. If there are more ghosts and spirits under their command, most of them will not refuse.

And these ghosts and spirits have insight into human affairs, and in order to gain a long-term foothold, they often take the initiative to offer various natural materials, earth treasures, and elixir herbs to help their cultivation.Sometimes these ghosts and spirits can also collect secular wealth for the children of the family.

After going back and forth like this, this gang of prostitutes and ghosts became the vassals and bureaucrats of Chongxuan Pavilion.Later, the Huaxu Kingdom reorganized the national sacrificial ceremonies, and the children of the four surnames who were sent out to serve as officials in various places elected these obscene ghosts and gods by the way.

Lao Sanqian was actually a fish that slipped through the net when Liang Tao was patrolling the territory with his sword. Later, he took refuge in a descendant of the Yian Chu family in Chongxuanguan. He looked everywhere for a woman with good bones as a pot for mending.

Therefore, Lao Sanqian was supported by the Chu family, and wrote a letter to recommend such a "great fairy who attracts wealth and wealth".

At that time, Chongxuanguan’s influence inside and outside the court was no longer comparable to that of the past. Even the revision of national ceremonies was basically presided over by Chongxuanguan. Things such as the promotion of local gods and the establishment of shrines only needed to be slightly operated in Chongxuanguan. You can.

Therefore, compared to Zhenjun Xuri, Lao Sanqian's more well-known identity should be the Qianjin Daxian.

"It turns out that this is the way to worship the righteous gods and build them by the imperial court." Zhao Mi smiled and shook his head, thinking about it, wasn't it just a matter of a word from Chongxuan Hall in Xingluo County to confer the title of Hengbi as the City God?
"I heard that you also claimed that your father-in-law is a big shot in Chongxuan Hall?" Zhao Mi asked, "Could it be that your father-in-law is the Chu family's child whom Lao Sanqian has come to work for? I don't know who it is?"

The magistrate of Xinglong replied tremblingly: "Yes, it is Chu Shizhong."

"Oh? Chu Fenggui?" Zhao Mi was not too surprised. He also knew this person, but he had no contact with him when he was in Dongshengdu.

In terms of seniority, Chu Fenggui should be regarded as Liang Tao's contemporary, but this person is not famous for his magical powers, but the first batch of children of the four surnames who served in the Huaxu Kingdom. It is the minister of the court.

The position of servant in Huaxu Kingdom is similar to that of Da Sima. He has no significant real power, but belongs to the Qing Dynasty, and considering the seniority of this person, it is more of a gift title.What's more, the only one who can truly represent Chongxuan Pavilion is the national teacher Liang Tao.

"You can be the son-in-law of Chu Shizhong, why are you just a county magistrate?" Zhao Mi asked.

"The Marquis of Zhenming doesn't know something." Xinglong County Magistrate replied: "There are many heirs among the servants of Chu, and it is a great fortune for me to marry a concubine of the Chu family."

"What's more, you can keep an eye on the Qianjin Daxian for the Chu family, so that he can continuously gather gold and silver, and you can also get a share. So even if you can be promoted elsewhere, you won't leave, right?" Zhao Mi laughed.

The county magistrate did not answer, but kowtowed repeatedly.

"You bribed me with a thousand taels of silver before, but it was all money from the treasury official." Zhao Mi asked again: "I really don't understand, have you guys been so unscrupulous? You don't even cover up? "

"The lower official was obsessed with ghosts, and mistakenly thought that the Marquis of Zhenming came to ask for bribes." The county magistrate had no choice but to confess obediently: "The lower official has a business, and after a few months, he will be able to make up for the government treasury, so he was lucky."

At this time, a soldier came to report: "Zhao Changshi, the wealthy households in the city have been invited."

"Okay." Zhao Mi got up to answer, and then glanced at Xinglong County Magistrate: "Since you don't want to raise money and food, then I have to do it myself. Send someone to guard the county magistrate, and don't let him commit suicide. , I think Qingyan County Sheriff will come soon after hearing the news."

Leaving the prison, Zhao Mi came to the main hall of the government office. At this time, there were six rich local households sitting on both sides, and each of them was followed by servants and servants.

"This must be the famous Marquis Zhenming. I've been waiting for him for a long time." The six wealthy households stood up and bowed.

Zhao Mi was serious, looked around, commanded the soldiers and said, "Remove all the chairs!"

The Wukui soldiers rushed into the main hall without any hesitation, and removed all the chairs of the wealthy households. There were also two rows of soldiers standing behind the wealthy households, pressing their hands on the handles of their knives, as if they were ready for battle.

"Marquis Zhenming, you are..." The wealthy householders felt uneasy, but they did not dare to contradict rashly.

"The local county magistrate has informed you about raising money and food." Zhao Mi looked around coldly: "I wonder how you are preparing?"

"Didn't we raise some money and food before?" asked the wealthy households.

"You don't give enough." Zhao Mi said bluntly: "The counties and counties around Jianjiaguan have already issued quotas for how much food they raised. In the end, you only paid less than [-]% and you used dross instead of food. Could it be that you are going against the imperial court's will? ?”

The wealthy households apologized and said, "The Marquis of Zhenming is new here, so he is not familiar with the local people. You must know that in our Xinglong County, and even the entire Qingyan County, there are Chiyun rebellious parties rampant in the countryside, resulting in the ruin of the fields and the depression of all businesses. I can’t afford that much money and food.”

Zhao Mi looked at their rich appearances, and felt that there was no need to entangle them any longer. He took out a stack of papers from his arms and said, "This is the amount of money and food you have to pay. Everyone, let your servants go back and spread the word - don't raise enough money." Qian Liang, don’t go home.”

"Marquis Zhenming! You are also an official of the imperial court and a master of cultivating immortals. How can you do such an act of extortion by robbers?!" Rogue.

"Outside the Chen Bing Pass of Jiuli Kingdom, a great war is about to break out, rich or poor will have to share with the country." Zhao Mi said with his hands behind his back, "You are just contributing some money and food, and the war will be decided in the future. With your family business, you will be able to earn it back. "

"Marquis Zhenming, no official in the imperial court has ever acted like you!" The rich scolded angrily, "You destroyed the shrine by what you did, and we all praise you for eliminating harm for the people, but detaining the local county magistrate is a big mistake." Damn! Now you want to openly blackmail the people? If everyone is like Marquis Zhenming, the country will be ruined!"

Zhao Mi pursed his lips, looked around, and found that only the county magistrate chair was left, so he walked quickly, picked up the heavy armchair, and then rushed to the rich man who was talking nonsense, picked up the chair and smashed it past.

"Ah! Killing! Killing—"

How could the rich man have ever been bullied like this? He screamed on the spot. His servants wanted to save someone, but they were immediately caught by the soldiers behind him.

The chairs were knocked down several times, and the rich man who fell on the ground quickly stopped screaming. The other rich men turned pale with fright, broke out in cold sweat, and their legs trembled.

Zhao Mi smashed it a few times, put the chair away casually, then sat down and said, "Don't worry, I tried my best and didn't beat him to death. I still want to be a decent person, but you also have to be decent. If you are not decent, I just have to help you out."

How dare the wealthy households respond to what Zhao Mi has done?In their eyes, the word "cruel official" is not enough to describe Zhao Mi at this moment, he is simply a ferocious beast that cannibalizes people without spitting out bones.

"Everyone's family and servants, take the list back and show it to your family members, and raise money and food according to the above amount." Zhao Mi shook the paper: "It's the same sentence, release people when they receive enough money and food. The government office doesn't care about food, you As soon as possible."

As a result, those wealthy households had no choice but to let the servants and servants take the money and food list like a reminder, and go back to their respective homes.

"Also, go to each household with twenty soldiers." Zhao Mi waved his hands and said, "There is so much money and food, we have to count it before we can carry it."

As the sky was getting dark, Zhao Mi was in a delicate state of mind when he saw those wealthy households sitting on the ground in a state of embarrassment.

He used to always feel that he was more or less kind to others.But after experiencing Dong Shengdu, he seems to have become mean, and he doesn't even shy away from using such cruel and ruthless methods.

Just thinking of the county magistrate of Xinglong who has no scruples in taking bribes from the official bank, the magnificent and luxurious shrine of the Qianjin Daxian, and the difficult days of Qiaozhang Village facing barbarian looting, extortion by evil spirits, and government expropriation at the same time, Zhao Mizhen I can't think of much kindness.

Zhao Mi even admired Chiyundu in the Cangwu Ridge area. Unlike Xingluo County, their subordinates lived a hard life, but they could still maintain their rationality and not take the initiative to enter the county to plunder. Yang Liujun in Xingluo County is much stronger.

If it was Zhao Mi, he might have directly colluded with evil spirits like Lao Sanqian to wreak havoc in Huaxu Guoming, exhausting the monks and the imperial army.

Thinking of this, Zhao Shu couldn't help but think of Liang Tao. Now, the master of the country, he also had the feat of killing evil in blood and patrolling the country with a sword.Why do you become cold-eyed and view the world after years of practice?
There are also the children of those aristocratic families in Chongxuan Pavilion, who should have produced heroes in large numbers back then, but after these years, most of them have become indulgent and pleasure-seeking, amassing money, and greedy for power.Zheng Yulou is like this, and Chu Fenggui who is in the position of attendant is roughly the same. Is it possible that as long as he is in a high position of power, he will become like this sooner or later?
From Zhao Mi's point of view, Liang Tao still wants to change the status quo to some extent.Perhaps the Chongxuan Hall manipulated the revision of the national sacrificial codes and interfered with the edict to enshrine ghosts and gods in various places. This move may be paving the way for Liang Tao's idea of ​​a Taoist kingdom on earth.

But thinking that he had just killed a national ritual god with three lightning strikes, Zhao Mi felt that this world was really weird.

(End of this chapter)