The light of the sword is like the moon reflecting on Kyushu

After drinking a few cups of hot tea and exchanging a few pleasantries, Wenchuan County Magistrate Yang Zixiong got straight to the point: "I wonder what you are doing in Wenchuan this time?"

Feng Jiuxiao smiled and said, "I have nothing to do for you. I just have some personal matters to attend to and I am just passing by here."

Yang Zixiong's heart, which had risen to his throat, immediately fell into his stomach.

The powerful Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial City Division suddenly came over, and who wouldn't be nervous?

"Then...is there anything I can do for you? Please tell me, sir!"

"Well, I have something to do right now, so I'll leave it to you!"

Yang Zixiong's eyes lit up immediately: "Please speak, sir!"

Feng Jiuxiao said calmly: "Do you know that there is a Panlong Temple outside the south of this city?"

Yang Zixiong immediately said, "I know! I heard that the Guanyin Bodhisattva enshrined in the temple is very powerful, and many people go up the mountain to worship Buddha and pray for children!"

Feng Jiuxiao said: "The monks there are all fake monks, they are actually lamas!"

"What? Fake monks? Real lamas? Could it be that... they are all Tibetans?"

"Not bad!"

"Your Excellency means... I should send troops to take them..."

"No need! I've already killed them! The bodies are still in the temple, you just need to clean up the mess!"

"Okay! I know what to do! So what would you like to tell me, sir?..."

"Panlong Temple is a secret base planted by the Tubo Dynasty in the Wenchuan area! Those fake monks are actually real spies! They have been entrenched in Wenchuan for many years and must have bribed a lot of spies! What you have to do is to dig them out one by one!"

"Yes!" Yang Zixiong was extremely shocked!

The Panlong Temple was actually the secret base of Tubo? Doesn't that mean that there are a lot of spies operating under my nose? Isn't this just a trick to deceive me? I have to kill these bastards! However... searching the whole city for spies, isn't this like looking for a needle in a haystack?

Feng Jiuxiao glanced at him and asked, "Is it difficult?"

Yang Zixiong said with a stiff face: "It is indeed quite difficult! But please rest assured, sir! I will do my best to dig them all out!" He knew that it was best to tell the truth in front of Feng Jiuxiao! There are difficulties, and if you just say polite words, you will be punished if you fail to complete the task in the end!

Feng Jiuxiao smiled and said, "Of course I know this will be difficult. After all, you have just arrived and your foundation is not stable yet, and people's hearts are unsteady! There are not many people you can trust, and even the soldiers guarding the city gates are from the former Dashu!"

Yang Zixiong was startled, and suddenly felt his eyes moist!

The deputy envoy actually understood his difficulties so well! He immediately felt an impulse of "A scholar should die for his confidant, and I should die for the deputy envoy"!

Feng Jiuxiao smiled and said, "Why are your eyes still wet? Is it windy? How about this, I'll write a letter to the Imperial City Division and ask them to lend you a hand! Have you built the Feixun organization here?"

"Not yet! We have only been in charge for a short time, and it will take another month to complete! If you want to send a letter, you can only rely on the post station to convey it now!"

"That's all we can do for now. Prepare my writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone for me!"

"Okay, make arrangements now!"

When the bailiff had prepared the four treasures of the study, Feng Jiuxiao wrote a letter to Wei Qiansui in a flash!

"My venerable brother Dao Xi: I have learned that Tubo has a spy agency planted in the Wenchuan area. Although I have destroyed it, I have not been able to eradicate it. I hope that you can send all the experts of the Imperial City Division around Wenchuan to Wenchuan as soon as possible to cooperate with County Magistrate Yang to conduct a thorough investigation!"

After Feng Jiuxiao finished writing, he handed the letter to Yang Zixiong, "Wait until the people from the Imperial City Bureau arrive before you take action. Before that, you must remain silent to avoid alerting the enemy!"

"Yes!"

"How's it going lately? Are there any troubles among the people in the city?"

Yang Zixiong smiled and said, "Your Excellency, the people of the world are all the same. As long as they have food to eat, who would cause trouble?"

Feng Jiuxiao smiled and said, "From your tone, it seems that the people here are living well. Do they all have food to eat?"

"Sir, to be honest, the people in Shuchuan don't just have food to eat, they are simply too well fed! They live a much more comfortable life than the people in the Central Plains!"

Feng Jiuxiao smiled and said, "Oh? Isn't it a good thing that the people live and work in peace and contentment? Why, you are fighting for justice on behalf of your hometown? Haha. What about other people? For example, those aristocratic families, landlords and gentry? How are they, and what is their attitude towards you?"

Yang Zixiong pondered for a moment, and said in a serious tone: "On the surface, they are naturally flattering me! But you should also know that this place has been bordering Tubo since the Tang Dynasty. Any border area must be full of people! Various forces are intertwined! This place is even worse! All forces have their own interests and their own little calculations! Since I took over Wenchuan, almost every day someone wants to invite me to a banquet and give me gifts, just to drag me down!"

"There are so many people asking you for favors, and their requests must be different. Which one is the most difficult?"

"The intentions expressed by several local big families are the most difficult to deal with! Their goal is to eliminate dissidents and dominate the country alone!"

Feng Jiuxiao suddenly said with a half-smile: "The prefect who wiped out the whole family, the county magistrate who ruined the family! In Wenchuan, you are the local emperor!"

He smiled casually, but in Yang Zixiong's eyes it seemed weird and sinister!

Yang Zixiong's face turned pale, and he knelt on the ground, his face full of fear, begging: "Please spare my life, sir! I have always been loyal and have never been arrogant or domineering. Please understand!"

If he didn't kneel, Feng Jiuxiao would know that he was upright and honest, but his kneeling would completely expose the fact that he was definitely guilty! Nine out of ten officials are corrupt! He dared to emphasize to himself that he was not arrogant and domineering, but it was nothing more than a diversion to make himself sure that he was not a bully and a good official, while ignoring his corrupt side!

Haha, childish!

Feng Jiuxiao looked at Zeng Yong with clear and innocent eyes and a helpless expression, which clearly meant: Look, I just made a joke, but I actually tricked a corrupt official. It's really inexplicable!

But Zeng Yong told him in secret: You feel confused because you don't know how much pressure you put on them! Only people with selfless hearts dare to be confident in front of you! People like him who have something to hide are always on edge, and maybe one of your words will make them completely collapse!

Feng Jiuxiao whispered: Oh, that's how it is. I've dealt with many of those top martial arts masters, and I always feel that everyone has a strong aura. As long as I don't do it deliberately, no one can make a fool of themselves in front of me! I forgot that this county magistrate doesn't know martial arts at all! A small official like him will definitely not last more than three rounds in front of me! Just two sentences will scare him to death!

Zeng Yong immediately covered his nose and whispered: It’s okay to brag, but don’t be so heavy-handed, okay?

Feng Jiuxiao looked at Yang Zixiong and thought: Now is not the time to track down corrupt officials. A small character like this who confessed when threatened can be arrested at any time! In this troubled time, let him stabilize the situation in Wenchuan first, so as not to affect the overall layout of the Song Dynasty!

He immediately helped Yang Zixiong up, with a smile on his face: "County Magistrate Yang, what are you doing? Please stand up quickly! I was just joking! Come, sit down!"

Although Yang Zixiong is timid, he is not a fool!

He immediately understood that the deputy envoy had no intention of punishing him now, so he was safe for the time being!

He was not stupid enough to think that Deputy Envoy Feng was really joking!

Even if the deputy envoy was really joking just now, his kneeling made the fake thing come true! With the deputy envoy's intelligence, he would not understand why he knelt if he had nothing to hide.

By the way, the strange smile of the deputy envoy just now clearly showed that he had already obtained evidence of his corruption! If anyone dares to say that Lord Feng has not obtained evidence of me, I will eat him alive! Who doesn't know that Lord Feng's influence is all over the world? Even Princess Shengnan and Empress Xiao of the Liao Kingdom have a close relationship with him. In the martial arts world, the deputy envoy is the leader of the mountain alliance. He can gather people to respond with a single call. What news can't he find out? If he wants to know some of my secrets, isn't it easy to catch him?

If I don't kneel down on the spot to express my true feelings, Lord Feng will probably not speak to me so calmly next time!

Why did the deputy envoy want to scare me? Wasn't it just to warn me? Wasn't it just to make me perform well?

In this case, I have to think about it carefully! See what the deputy envoy wants! If he wants money, how much should I give? If I give him all, I will lose a lot! If I give him less, he might get angry and take the opportunity to accuse me of bribing my superiors!

This is how to do?

When Feng Jiuxiao saw Yang Zixiong standing there in a daze in a daze, he immediately knew that this guy had become a frightened bird, and was scared to death and didn't know what to do!

Feng Jiuxiao said calmly: "County Magistrate Yang?"

Yang Zixiong was immediately shocked, as if struck by lightning: "I'm here!" "At noon today, hey! I say, what are you thinking about at noon today? Pay attention! Oh, right, look at me! I say, at noon today, someone wanted to treat me to a meal..."

Yang Zixiong felt better: "Sir, let me cook this for lunch today, okay?" He looked at Feng Jiuxiao eagerly! How could he let such a good opportunity to perform slip away from him?

Feng Jiuxiao pretended to be in deep thought and said, "It's not that I don't have to go to his place, but if I don't go, people will easily say that I'm a snob. I'm afraid it's not good to leave him aside when I hear that the county magistrate is inviting me to dinner, right?"

"Sir, could you please tell me who wants to invite you?"

"Master Li from Hexi!"

"Hexi? Is that Mr. Li An?"

Feng Jiuxiao said calmly: "How many Master Li are there over there?"

Yang Zixiong immediately said awkwardly: "Only one! There are many people with the surname Li, but the only one who dares to call himself Master Li of Hexi is Li An! I wonder how you know him?"

"Haha, can I not tell you?"

Yang Zixiong was embarrassed. "This... I don't mean anything else. I'm just curious. Although Wenchuan City is not big, there are many famous people. Why would you accept his invitation?"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "It's very simple! I just owed him a favor! He wanted to see me." If someone else said this, it would be full of loopholes! It stands to reason that whoever owes a favor should host! What kind of logic is it to owe someone a favor and ask them to treat you? But he said it with full domineering attitude! No problem! You helped me, that's my face for you! You helped me, and you have to invite me to the banquet! No problem! I'm going to the banquet to give you the greatest face!

That's it!

Yang Zixiong's mind raced, and he immediately said, "If that's the case, then it's easy to handle. Sir, do you think this will work?"

Feng Jiuxiao stood with his hands behind his back, looking calm: "What? Tell me!"

Yang Zixiong said boldly: "I will host the lunch, and then I will send someone to Hexi to invite Mr. Li over! This way he can meet you, and I will also host the lunch, and everyone will be happy. What do you think?"

Feng Jiuxiao smiled, "Sure, why don't we do something that will make everyone happy? You can also invite his eldest son and daughter-in-law!"

Yang Zixiong's heart moved, and he thought: The eldest daughter-in-law of the Li family is the eldest daughter of the Liang family in Hedong. Since the master calls her Li Liang, does he have dealings with the Liang family?

Feng Jiuxiao suddenly smiled at him calmly and said, "You think too much. I am not familiar with the Liang family and have no dealings with them."

Yang Zixiong said "oh".

Then his face changed drastically!

He stared at Feng Jiuxiao blankly, as if he had seen a ghost!

Because he realized it late, he realized that the deputy envoy had actually guessed what he was thinking!

This is simply unbelievable, horrifying and incredible!

Feng Jiuxiao smiled, looked at Yang Zixiong and said, "If I told you that you see me like a ghost right now, would you be scared to death?"

Yang Zixiong felt a chill down his spine, and said in a trembling voice: "Sir, I..."

Feng Jiuxiao smiled and said, "Okay! I won't scare you anymore! Don't worry, as long as you complete the tasks I assign to you, everything will be fine!"

Yang Zixiong immediately recovered after hearing this, and felt warm again. He said excitedly, "Please give me your orders, sir. I will do it even if it means my death!"

Zeng Yong couldn't bear to watch it anymore, so he simply closed his eyes. Out of sight, out of mind! He was afraid that he would vomit and affect everyone's appetite!

Yuan Zishan looked indifferent.

In the past, when she was in General Lian's mansion, she had seen so many imperial officials! First-, second-, and third-rank officials, who wouldn't be as silent as a cicada in front of General Lian? Who wouldn't kowtow?

Compared with this Yang Zixiong, there is no most humble or most shameless, only more humble and more shameless!

There are those who flatter, there are those who fawn on you, but there is no one who won't kneel!

Even if someone does not kneel and has the opportunity to speak while standing, his back will always be bent in front of General Lian!

Everyone knows that he is a head taller than General Lian, but when they stand together, he is a head shorter! Isn't that weird?

Chang Zijin and La Jiao were also relatively calm. After all, they had been accustomed to big scenes since childhood.

But Erni's heart was in turmoil!

Just as Feng Jiuxiao said, the prefect who wiped out the family, the county magistrate who ruined the family! Why can a county magistrate be called the county magistrate? Why is he called the county magistrate at home? That's because in a county, he is the supreme authority! He can make clouds and rain with a flip of his hand! He can let you live or die! If you offend the county magistrate, your family will be destroyed!

When she was a child, she once accompanied her father into the city and happened to see the county magistrate's procession!

It is said that a high-ranking official from the imperial court passed by the county town that day, and the county magistrate specially arranged a ceremonial guard to welcome the official. The entire ceremonial guard was so large that no one knew how many people there were!

But I remember it very clearly! Because that day the streets were full of people, many of them were discussing the guard of honor, and when someone asked, someone who knew the answer would explain, because her memory was the best at that age!

First of all, there were two people holding signs in the guard of honor, one holding a red lacquered wooden sign that read "Keep Out" and the other "Silence", standing three meters apart to clear the way!

Then there were two flag bearers, one holding a green flag with "Shepherds by Imperial Order" embroidered on it, and the other holding a blue umbrella! She remembered very clearly that someone specifically emphasized that the pattern on the umbrella was a plain cloud pattern!

Next came the gong bearer, who struck the gong seven times each time! Because the county magistrate was a seventh-rank official!

Next came the six close bodyguards, including two swordsmen with swords on their waists, standing on both sides of the sedan chair; two horsemen in black clothes holding water and fire sticks, observing the streets for abnormalities; and two personal attendants, carrying seal boxes and briefcases, trotting along with the sedan chair!

Then four bearers were responsible for carrying the sedan chair! Erni remembered that someone had specifically asked why it was not a sedan chair carried by eight people. Someone who knew the situation said that it was because the county magistrate was only a seventh-rank official! His rank was not high enough!

In addition, there is a groom leading a spare horse; a clerk holding a notebook to record the people's sentiments along the way; and two handymen carrying a bench and a rain gear box respectively!

In addition, there were six musicians playing suona and cloud gongs. I forgot the name of the tune they played; three people set up an incense table in the dragon pavilion and prepared clean water for sprinkling on the street; there were two ceremonial attendants, wearing robes and holding a card that read "Respectfully invite the Emperor to stay safe."

At that time, Erni thought that these were the only people in the county government. Someone else asked the same question, but the wise man said, "This is just the beginning!" There are still many people who have not shown up! For example, at night, at least ten people are needed to patrol the city! Although these people are not official staff of the county government, they are under the control of the county government and receive salaries from the county government, so they are also considered people of the county government!

There are also usually three lantern soldiers, each holding a lantern with the word "Zhengtang" on it; one bangzi player, who beats the drum and reports "all is well"; and two crossbowmen, who hold their crossbows and string them, on guard!

If the case is tried in the countryside, there will be at least four people from the torture team, carrying two red lacquer boxes filled with shackles, finger torture, whips, etc.!

There was a coroner with autopsy tools, silver needles and soap beans.

Eight archers, armed with bows and crossbows to guard against bandits!

So she knew at that time that the county government was not just what the old lady next door said, that there was only one county magistrate and four or five other clerks! There were a lot of people in the county government! They were all as fierce as wolves and tigers! Anyone who dared to touch the county magistrate's tiger whiskers would be courting death!

Since she was a child, she has had a natural fear of the county magistrate!

In fact, it is the fear of power!

This is exactly why she has been trying to remind Zeng Yong to grasp the delicate relationship between him and Feng Jiuxiao! She just wants to remind Zeng Yong not to commit a taboo without knowing it!

At this moment, the county magistrate in her eyes completely overturned the image of the county magistrate in her mind when she was a child!

From the lofty, unattainable peak, he fell directly into the dust, into the bottomless valley! From the powerful and influential master, he became a humble ant!

A man of seven feet tall, facing a teenager, was so confused that he knelt down when he was told to do so! He even expressed his loyalty in a disgusting way, saying that he would sacrifice his life for the sake of the country and go through fire and water. Is this what an official who is the father of the people would say?

Even if he could say it, he couldn't just tell anyone!

As an official appointed by the court, you receive a salary from the court, so naturally you should be loyal to the court!

Even if he didn't show his loyalty to the people, it doesn't matter, but at the very least he should show his loyalty to the emperor, right?

After all, the people are the most important, the country is second, and the king is the least important!

Putting aside the fact that he was despicable for being servile and fawning, the mere crime of being a "dang" was enough to sentence the magistrate to death!

Erni still remembers an anecdote that she had just heard Yuan Zishan and Chang Zijin talk about in a casual chat not long ago. During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, some people attached themselves to Liu An, King of Huainan, and as a result, all of them were beheaded!

According to the laws of the Han Dynasty, "if an accomplice joins the cause, the penalty shall be beheading"!

There was also the Niu-Li dispute in the Tang Dynasty, in which countless dependent officials were killed, which violated the "Tang Law Commentary"!

The murderous aura between the lines of that sentence was particularly compelling.

"Those who are in a clique and disrupt the government will be hanged!"

Erni was certainly not stupid. She knew that County Magistrate Yang was willing to take the risk of being beheaded in order to lick Feng Jiuxiao's lip service. It was very likely that Feng Jiuxiao had some evidence against him!

The first time he knelt, he must have been frightened by Feng Jiuxiao's "official power"! This kneeling was not a big deal, it just exposed his guilty conscience!

Erni's awe of the "County Magistrate" suddenly underwent a complete and subversive change!

In the past it was three parts respect and seven parts fear!

Now there is no respect and no fear at all!

County Magistrate, nothing more than that! (End of this chapter)