I become a god in another world

Chapter 734 The former minor official
Chapter 734

The people from the Demon Suppression Division dispersed one by one. Jia Yi originally wanted to leave as well, but seeing that Zhao Fusheng was still sitting in his seat, he hesitated for a moment and remained seated without getting up.

The people next to him glanced at him secretly and then left.

After a while, when most of the people had left, Jia Yi tentatively asked:
"Lord Zhao, is there anything else you'd like to say to me?"

"Have."

Zhao Fusheng, without any pretense, continued:
"Lord Jia, there is something I would like to ask you to do for me."

Jia Yi felt a chill run down her spine.

He had already guessed that Zhao Fusheng had a purpose in keeping him here.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but glance at Zhao Fusheng, pondering her intentions.

This young demon tamer is decisive and efficient in handling matters, possessing both courage and strength, and she intends to reform the current situation of the Demon Suppression Division.

Could it be that she wants my help to deal with a group of stubborn old people?

Jia Yi's lips moved, as if she was about to speak, but then she heard Zhao Fusheng say:
"Lord Jia, I would like to ask you to help me contact the officials in the capital and have them conduct a thorough investigation of the population of the capital during my stay there."

Zhao Fusheng instructed:
"Focusing on the family, establish a household register, including the names, ages, and dates of birth of each family member—"

Jia Yi was taken aback, not expecting her to make such a request.

He frowned:

"Sir, this matter may be difficult to handle." He then spoke frankly:

"I thought that you wanted to fulfill the wish of Fengdu back then, to reform the way the Ghost Masters formed aristocratic clans and occupied fertile land, servants and livestock."

If that were all, it would be difficult, but the rule of the strong prevailing in this world applies even more to those who control ghosts.

If Zhao Fusheng were to force a change at that time, it wouldn't be difficult for her to do so given her current state.

But if we need to investigate household registrations, that would be difficult.

"Lord Zhao, let me remind you, the Later Han Dynasty has had numerous tax categories in the last hundred years." As the saying goes, for every policy from above, there is a countermeasure from below.

Corruption was rampant both inside and outside the imperial court.

Those who control ghosts take the lion's share of the profits, while court officials and imperial relatives take the smaller share, and those below them exploit them layer by layer.

But the people aren't stupid; under such circumstances, they also try every means to evade taxes.

For example, the imperial court had previously implemented a new policy: allowing people to cultivate wasteland, and once cultivated, the land would be registered in the people's names and become their private property.

This was originally a policy intended to benefit the people, but local officials, seeking to boost their political achievements, also inflated the number of these fields they registered.

Thin land was recorded as fertile land, and the quantity of fertile land was falsified.

The following year, the imperial court issued a proclamation requiring the payment of taxes on the above-mentioned land, with taxes reaching as high as 70-80%, causing great suffering to the people.

For example, if a household actually owns five mu of land and pays 80% of the tax annually, but if they falsify the data, the five mu of land will immediately double in value, and poor land will be recorded as good land. In this way, 80% of the tax will be collected based on the falsely doubled amount.

Even if they sold the lives of ordinary people, they still couldn't pay the money.

Many people then sold themselves into servitude, registering their land under the names of those associated with the demon tamer, and receiving their protection.

Or they might fake their death and hide in the deep mountains, waiting for the imperial court to come to the countryside to collect taxes. Many people would leave their homes and hide, becoming unregistered residents.

As a result, the imperial court found it difficult to collect taxes, and in order to meet the quotas, it increased the number of taxes, making life even more difficult for the remaining people.

Public discontent is boiling over in various places.

If it weren't for the rampant evil spirits in the Han Dynasty and the suppression by the Demon Suppression Division, it's uncertain whether the Han Dynasty would still exist.

Even so, there are still many rebellions every year, but most of them don't amount to much.

……

Jia Yi, who had been worried that Zhao Fusheng wouldn't understand the intricacies of the situation and was unsure how to explain it clearly, saw Zhao Fusheng nod in agreement.
"I see."

Intelligent people understand each other immediately when they speak.

Their eyes met, and Jia Yi was surprised to find that Zhao Fusheng truly understood the meaning behind her words.

He was a little surprised.

However, he immediately stopped thinking about it and said directly:
"Since Lord Zhao understands this, he should also understand that it is not an easy task to investigate household registrations under such circumstances."

The general public is out of touch with the information.

Zhao Fusheng's intention in investigating household registrations may have been good, but this policy involves people, and if many people are involved, the policy will be misinterpreted as it is passed down.

Ordinary people may not understand Zhao Fusheng's intentions. They may just curse her for levying taxes in another way. They will not only not cooperate, but will also try to avoid her.

"My lord, this is a thankless task," Jia Yi advised.
"Furthermore, you are asking for my birth date and time to be recorded. People are ignorant and backward, and there may be taboos about this."

At this point, he kept shaking his head:
"In my opinion, it's better to give up. It's a thankless task."

Zhao Fusheng stared at him intently:
"There are obstacles, but some things are done knowingly because they are impossible."

As she spoke, she suddenly realized why Fengdu hadn't made any major preparations earlier.

Aside from the fact that the Demon Suppression Division lacks suitable laws, perhaps this matter is not beneficial to the demon tamer and may even ultimately lead to an awkward situation.

The person who issued the order may have had good intentions, but the people in charge of carrying it out do not think it is a good thing. The people below do not trust the imperial court and the Demon Suppression Bureau and may not cooperate. This could very well turn into a big drama, which may cost a huge amount of money and ultimately come to nothing.

Realizing this, Zhao Fusheng immediately understood the implication behind Jia Yi's words: even if he did indeed do as she wished and instruct someone to do this, the final result would most likely be a farce, deceiving both superiors and subordinates.

Zhao Fusheng thought of Huang Youzhao, whom he had met in Lizhou Prefecture. At that time, he had asked Huang to compile a list of household registrations, and Huang had readily agreed. Now, he wondered if this matter could be confirmed.

Seeing that she seemed to be deep in thought, Jia Yi knew that she had taken his words to heart.

"Lord Jia, the Soul Fate Book you wield has the ability to restrain those who control ghosts, and at the same time, this Soul Fate Book can also protect the life of those who control ghosts at critical moments, right?" Zhao Fusheng changed the subject and brought up this matter.

Jia Yi's mind raced, and she understood the meaning behind her words. She immediately replied:
"I understand what you mean. Since you are willing, I will certainly do it, but—"

Zhao Fusheng smiled faintly:
"Do your best and obey destiny."

After saying that, he added:
"But the people are unaware of the situation and are indeed prone to hiding and telling lies. This household registration matter may not be something that can be completed in a short time. We should do as much as we can and try to ensure the truthfulness of the information."

In other words, it doesn't matter if it's fake.

If someone falsifies their age, name, or other identity information, the gods and spirits will verify it. What does it have to do with her then? Anyway, she's not the one who's too busy to even have time to rest.

Moreover, the world is inherently dangerous, and with local temples established to protect peace, the probability of ghost cases occurring would naturally decrease.

In such circumstances, it is already considered fortunate that most people's hometowns are recorded in the ghost register. Even if some people escape outside, it is not a problem if they are protected by ghosts and gods.

If there are truly ordinary people who neither worship ghosts and gods nor believe in the imperial court or the Demon Suppression Bureau, and who do not register their identities and places of origin to receive the protection of ghosts and gods, then it is simply bad luck for such a person, and Zhao Fusheng has a clear conscience.

"I don't like to overthink things. I just do what I can, and as long as I can protect the majority of people, that's enough," Zhao Fusheng said.

Jia Yi glanced at her unexpectedly, seemingly surprised by her decisiveness. After a moment, he nodded.
"I understand."

After saying that, he stood up:

"I'll take care of this right away and try my best to give you a plan before you return to Wan'an County."

Zhao Fusheng responded.

……

Feng Du's death caused a huge uproar within the Demon Suppression Division, but thanks to Zhao Fusheng's subsequent powerful arrival, the division was not left leaderless, and thus no further trouble ensued.

The royal family was initially worried that Feng Du's death would affect the situation of the Han Dynasty. They were also not familiar with Zhao Fusheng and were concerned that she wanted to seize power, which would be detrimental to the royal family.

The emperor wanted to meet with her several times, but Zhao Fusheng refused, citing time constraints.

She still has many tasks ahead of her. The matter of summoning the gods and exorcising the ghost seal in the five cities is a small matter, but if she wants to expand this matter, make it deeply rooted in people's hearts, and make it have an impact on the people, then that is no small matter.

Before each printing, officials from the imperial court would go into the streets and alleys in advance to notify the people of the day and time of the event in the five cities by beating gongs and drums.

Subsequently, it was unavoidable to hire opera troupes to set up stages and send people to spread rumors on the streets and alleys.

Therefore, whenever Zhao Fusheng invited the gods to reside in the temple, the place would be packed with people. When she invited the gods back to their places, the crowd, unaware of the reason, thought that a deity had descended from heaven and cheered.

After half a month, the names of the gods such as the Earth God, Earth Goddess, and Erlang Shen have become deeply ingrained in people's minds.

Zhao Fusheng's original plan to stay for half a month was not enough.

Besides praying for the gods in the capital, Zhao Fusheng knew that the impact of the Wuqing Ghost Tree case in the capital would eventually pass, and life would continue once things calmed down.

As the capital city is under the emperor's nose, the people's lives are relatively better. When she last came here, some people would follow the trend and enjoy tea and opera in their spare time.

The likes and dislikes of emperors and officials become role models that ordinary people strive to emulate.

Therefore, she stamped the door gods and ghost seals on the four city gates of Zhongdu, and at the invitation of some people in the capital, she also stamped seals for some high-ranking officials and nobles, and thus received a lot of offerings.

……

About a month later, more than ten days later than originally planned, Zhao Fusheng finally embarked on his journey back to Wan'an County.

It was already late October, and the weather was gradually getting colder.

This time, because Zhao Fusheng only took Kuai Manzhou with him, the journey back to his hometown was naturally faster than when he entered the capital.

The two first traveled by horse-drawn carriage to Jin County, and upon arrival, local officials arranged for a boat to take them back to Wan'an County.

When we returned to Wan'an County, it was only the beginning of December.

It has been about a year since Zhao Fusheng left Wan'an County. During this year, Magistrate Pang has obviously not been idle and has done a lot of things in the county.

The dock that everyone had discussed building to welcome merchant ships has already been completed, and it is better and larger than expected.

There were quite a few people standing on the dock. As soon as Zhao Fusheng's boat arrived, many people rushed aboard and waved to her.

But then several men dressed in military armor stepped forward and gave them a stern rebuke:
"Don't fight over it, or you'll fall into the water."

This scene was completely different from when Zhao Fusheng left; the dock had become more lively because of the increased number of people.

As the ship drew near, the soldiers with swords stepped forward, about to ask questions, when one of them suddenly recognized Zhao Fusheng's face and shouted:
"It's the master! The master has returned."

Just as his words were puzzling everyone, he turned to the people around him and said:

"Quickly inform Magistrate Pang, Lord Zheng, and all the other dignitaries from the capital that Lord Zhao has returned."

He was agitated and his words were incoherent.

The others were stunned, and before they could ask further questions, the man impatiently shouted:
"Go!"

"Yes Yes."

The group exchanged glances, then split up and quickly ran away, each clutching their knives.

The man's face was full of anticipation, his hands rubbing together incessantly. Once the boat docked, he dismissed the surrounding crowd, and with a beaming smile, personally stepped forward:
"grown ups--"

Zhao Fusheng glanced at him and saw that he was about forty years old, with a square face, thick eyebrows and lips, and a slightly rough and dark complexion. He looked somewhat familiar.

This person recognized her, so he must have seen her before.

She had a good memory, and after a brief recollection, she actually remembered this person:

"Zhang San Kui, the magistrate of Bao County."

As soon as she called out the man's name, Zhang Sankui's eyes lit up:

"It is my honor that you still remember me, sir."

When she went to Magistrate Bao County again because of the opera troupe case, this constable drove her carriage, and they chatted for a few minutes.

When Zhang Sankui heard that Zheng He had been transferred to Wan'an County, he mentioned that he also wanted to move his whole family to Wan'an County. Unexpectedly, within a year, he actually moved here and even found a job.

"I was fortunate enough to drive for you that day, and I deeply feel that you are a blessing to the people. After discussing it with my family, we moved to Wan'an County around the middle of the year," he said with a smile.

"When Lord Gu learned that I had once driven a carriage for you, he took great care of my family, providing us with a house and a job. Now I manage the laborers at the dock, and my life is so much better than before."

He was deeply grateful:
"It was my great fortune to meet you, sir. I never expected to have the opportunity to see you again."

After saying these words, he added nervously:

"I...I didn't receive any news before your return, sir. I suppose the old magistrate and the others didn't know either, otherwise they would have sent someone to welcome you."

"fine."

Zhao Fusheng waved his hand:
"I came back unexpectedly, and the messenger might be a step behind me."

After talking for a while, the sound of galloping hooves could be heard in the distance. A cavalry team was seen rushing from the street, and people along the way had to dodge.

The person in charge was Xie Jingsheng.

"Fusheng, you're finally back—"

Xie Jingsheng hadn't even reached the dock yet when his body was already airborne. His body split rapidly in mid-air, turning into black mist, and took a step forward before finally reassembling and standing in front of Zhao Fusheng.

"you--"

As he spoke, he glanced behind Zhao Fusheng, and his smile froze.

When Zhao Fusheng returned by boat, there were some daily necessities, her and Kuai Manzhou's personal belongings, and more than a dozen large boxes that were sealed tightly on the boat.

Zhao Fusheng was accompanied only by Kuai Manzhou; the others were nowhere to be seen.

Thinking of this, Xie Jingsheng's heart sank.

The two parted ways in the capital more than nine months ago. At that time, Zhao Fusheng was entrusted by Feng Du to go to Wuqing County to investigate the ghost case. Could it be that something big happened in Wuqing County?
(End of this chapter)