Be a small county magistrate in ancient times

Chapter 658 Absurd Customs

After Meng Changqing sat down, Zheng Jie's gaze fell on Luo Mao again.

Luo Mao immediately straightened his back.

“Magistrate Luo, when I was looking through the local chronicles, I came across a custom that is related to your Bishan County.”

Luo Mao stood up, looking troubled. "Is the Prefect referring to the human sacrifice at Xunxian Town?"

"Since you know about this, why do you still allow this custom to exist?" Zheng Jie's expression was serious, and his tone left no room for doubt. "What kind of mountain sacrifice is this? It is clearly a cruel killing. We, as officials of the court, are well-versed in the classics. How can we stand by and watch such a tragedy happen and still regard it as a custom? It is utterly absurd!"

Luo Mao apologized, but then spoke of his difficulties, "It's not that I haven't thought of a solution, but that place is self-contained, and it's not easy for outsiders to get in. I've tried reasoning with them and even mobilized the government troops, but..."

The terrain there is complex, the mountains and forests are fraught with danger, and miasma permeates the air, making forced entry virtually impossible.

"According to you, that place doesn't even qualify as part of the Great Liang territory?" Zheng Jie asked earnestly.

According to Zheng Jie's understanding, places that the soldiers and officers of Daliang could not enter naturally could not be considered part of Daliang.

“They never need the government to urge them to pay grain and taxes every year,” Luo Mao said. “This shows that they still highly identify with their identity as citizens of Daliang.”

Zheng Jie sneered, "Has the county government ever calculated the number of households in Xunxian Town, as well as the number of people and the amount of land per household?"

Luo Mao wiped the sweat from his brow, not daring to answer the question directly.

“It seems impossible to calculate.” Zheng Jie didn’t give Luo Mao any face. “You said it yourself, it’s not easy for outsiders to get in, so how can we know how much tax they should pay?”

They don't see themselves as citizens of Daliang, but as bandits paying protection money to the government! Luo Mao may not have been unaware of these questions, but he couldn't outmaneuver the people of Xunxian Town, so he could only pretend not to know.

Zheng Jie then asked Luo Mao, "Outsiders have difficulty entering Xunxian Town, but do the people inside ever come out?"

“Yes,” Luo Mao said. “They have regular staff who come out every now and then to exchange some necessities for something else.”

“There are still women in Xunxian Town who could be murdered. What if one day he can’t find such people? Will he kidnap women from outside the town?” Zheng Jie asked in succession: “If a woman is kidnapped into Xunxian Town and her parents come to you for help, what will you do? Reason with the people of Xunxian Town? If reasoning fails, use the government troops. If the government troops can’t beat them, then that’s it?”

"Can that even be considered a crime!" Zheng Jie slammed his hand on the table, his voice trembling with emotion. "As long as he's within the territory of my Great Liang, he must abide by the laws of my Great Liang!"

"Perhaps you should think that the death of one or two women a year is not a big deal for your entire Bishan County. But what if one day someone with malicious intentions hides in Xunxian Town? Would you arrest them or not?"

Even if you wanted to, could you catch it?

"Your Excellency is absolutely right; it was my oversight that led me astray." Luo Mao raised his head slightly and said to the person seated above him, "I have listened to your..."

"Xunxian Town must be breached!" Zheng Jie knew from his expression that he was about to flatter him, so he immediately interrupted, "And we must eradicate the practice of human sacrifice to the mountain in the shortest possible time. Starting today, we will not allow them to kill anyone again!"
If you have any difficulties, feel free to speak to this government office.

Since we can't get in from the outside, let's try to find a way in from the inside.

Luo Mao thought to himself, "Of course I've thought about it and tried it, but alas! It's not that simple!"

As Luo Mao stepped out of the government office, he was dejected and about to let out a long sigh when his stomach growled first.

Meng Changqing happened to be nearby and overheard this, and joked, "Lord Luo's ventriloquism is quite unique."