I was forced to cultivate immortality when I just wanted to lie down

Chapter 276 The County Magistrate's Recruitment and the Young Master of the Gu Family

A distinguished guest has arrived at the coroner's shop today.

When the other party arrived, Xu Qing was lying on a grand chair, fiddling with a walnut in his hand, pondering the matter of the Yinhe Ancient Road.

The battle against the Eight Banners Marshal will be tough. If the opera he performs in a few days fails to suppress the arrogance of the Cangyi Gang, Xu Qing is not entirely confident that he can eliminate the influence of the Yinhe Ancient Road on the mortal realm.

"The fate of a nation will be completely exhausted regardless of the victory or defeat of the Eight Banners Marshal. But he cannot afford to lose. If he does, those barbarians from Nancuo will seize power with the help of the Yin Shi Fa Wang, and then most of the world will likely suffer devastation."

Although Xu Qing liked corpses, he didn't want to have much contact with the corpses of those who died unjustly, violently, or who shouldn't have died.

This is related to his principles in the funeral business, just like the couplet at the entrance of the clinic that reads, "I wish that no one in the world is sick, rather than let the medicine on the shelves gather dust."

If a truly good person dies a violent death, and countless families are torn apart, even if he has a corpse to pray for in the afterlife, his mind will not be at peace.

Too much of a good thing can be bad. In a sense, the establishment of the Cat Fairy Hall and the Baosheng Temple was a panacea to prevent Xu Qing from going to extremes.

"We cannot lose this battle. Where do the dead come from? They come from the living! Only by strengthening the construction of the Baosheng Temple and ensuring that the population of the Sixteen Prefectures does not change drastically can the business of the coroner's shop continue to develop."

"If everyone is gone, what's the point of the sutras for saving souls? If the human realm isn't empty, won't I become a demon?"

"That definitely won't work!"

By combining the relationship between the Duren Sutra and the Baosheng Temple, Xu Qing vaguely grasped something beyond his own realm.

However, as he continued to delve deeper into his understanding, a figure appeared at the entrance of the coroner's shop.

"Master Xu seems to have plenty of free time."

Xu Qing glanced at the newcomer and saw that he was wearing a round-necked robe and a blue turban. He stood calmly and solemnly, with an air of authority about him.

"So it is the county magistrate who has come to visit. I have failed to greet you properly."

Xu Qing stood up, gave a slight bow, and asked, "Sir, have you come to our humble shop for any purpose?"

"."

Chen Guangrui glanced around; the room was filled with paper figures and horses, as well as wreaths and coffins. None of them seemed right for him.

However, Chen Guangrui was, after all, a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). He paid no attention to Xu Qing's words, glanced at him briefly, and then pointed to the armchair by the door, saying:
"I've come to ask how much this chair costs!"

"."

Xu Qing raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "This chair was a gift from a friend of mine surnamed Shang. Since you like it, I'll take this opportunity to present it to you, Your Excellency."

"."

Chen Guangrui looked Xu Qing up and down, then suddenly laughed and said, "I do like this chair, but how can I take what belongs to someone else? Since it was a gift from your friend, I'll leave it here!"

Xu Qing figured out Chen Guangrui's meaning: he wanted to be friends with him.

"Today I am traveling incognito, without any official documents, so Brother Xu, please feel free to do as you please."

Without official rank?

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing became wary: "Brother Chen, are you really alright?"

“You and I are both students of the Dayong Academy, and can be considered half fellow students. Why would I come to see you, my worthy brother, with some other purpose?” Chen Guangrui pretended to be uneasy, but the more he acted this way, the more Xu Qing felt that something was amiss.

Xu Qing remained calm and poured Chen Guangrui a cup of tea. The two chatted over tea, and after the atmosphere eased, Chen Guangrui suddenly said, "The country is currently unstable, with treacherous officials in power. Those Cangyi Gang and Red-Clothed Cult members are causing trouble everywhere, inciting the people and making them uneasy."

“I have often worried about this. After all, killing is easy, but winning back the hearts of the people is extremely difficult. During this time, I am very grateful for my wise brother’s suggestion to invite a theatrical troupe to perform under the pretext of commemorating the Eight Banners Marshal. It is foreseeable that as long as the play about the Eight Banners Marshal killing the Yin Shi Dharma King continues to be sung, the heretical myths that the Cangyi Group has previously supported will surely be shattered!”

"The people of Dayong will also be greatly encouraged by this; this plan is truly ingenious."

After listening, Xu Qing remained silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "The Yin Shi Fa Wang of the Cangyi Group is a castle in the air, a dream, a bubble that will burst at the slightest touch. Why do you think that the Eight Banners Marshal can be replaced indefinitely and won't collapse in people's hearts?"

Seeing Chen Guangrui frown, Xu Qing chuckled and said, "These are all just stopgap measures that don't address the root cause. If this can be considered acceptable, then so be it."

The Great Yong Dynasty is truly beyond saving!
Xu Qing didn't say it explicitly, but Chen Guangrui understood. "Brother, I see you have extraordinary insight and seem to possess great talent. Why not enter the court as an official, save the crumbling walls, and rescue the people from suffering?"

Xu Qing looked at Chen Guangrui with a deep gaze.

If he were to help the Great Yong Dynasty, which is in such a rotten state, wouldn't that be pushing the people into a fire pit?

If Chen Guangrui knew that his promotion of the Eight Banners Marshals was merely to resist the invasion of barbarians and to repay the old favors of the Eight Banners Marshals, I wonder what he would think.

Feeling Xu Qing's gaze, Chen Guangrui felt inexplicably uneasy: "Brother, is there something wrong with what you said?"

“That’s true, but I’m just an ordinary scholar from the Xu-Ji year. I heard that Brother Chen passed the imperial examination at a young age and ranked among the top three, while you are now nearing forty and are still only a county magistrate.”

Xu Qing tore away the veil of pretense and said bluntly, "Even someone as talented as you, brother, feels powerless. How could I, a mere scholar, possibly spread my wings and soar?"

"Besides, I don't have that ability."

Chen Guangrui opened his mouth, but was speechless.

Finally, he sighed deeply and said with a bitter smile, "How can we, with our ambitions to uphold Heaven, be abandoned by it like dust? To let pearls and jade be covered in dust, to let talented people be discarded—this is a sign of the collapse of the court and the impending doom of the world!"

How could he say such a thing? Xu Qing's eyelids twitched as he listened, thinking that the wine in the teacup wasn't fake, so why was he spouting nonsense?

“Brother Chen, there is no need to be so pessimistic. As long as you are dedicated to helping the world, no matter how the weather changes, you will surely be able to benefit all people.”

When Chen Guangrui heard Xu Qing's pointed remark, his eyes widened instantly. Was this something he could say?

The two of them tactically drank tea almost simultaneously.

Seeing that he couldn't persuade Xu Qing and was almost swayed himself, Chen Guangrui stopped mentioning the matter of 'bestowing amnesty'.

"Brother Chen, do you have any news about Shang Shaoyang?"

To solve the Nancuo problem, it is definitely not enough for the Eight Banners Marshals to defeat the Yinshi Dharma King alone. Xu Qing kept thinking about Shang Shaoyang's words before he left: to persuade the family to unite with the Daoist soldiers and the Gu family to clean up the southern war and completely eliminate the Cangyi Army.

If the other side can truly achieve this, the chaotic situation in the south will surely be quelled in a timely manner.

Chen Guangrui rubbed his temples. He felt a headache whenever he heard Shang Shaoyang's name, mainly because the kid was too troublesome.

"Shaoyang's father recently sent me a letter, hoping I could persuade him to change his mind."

When Xu Qing first heard this, he thought that this spoiled brat had gotten himself into trouble again, but after hearing Chen Guangrui's words, he fell completely silent.

"This kid wants to use the family's power to persuade the merchants to resist the Cangyi Army, otherwise he will remove his name from the family tree, marry into the Gu family, and persuade the Gu family to quell the chaos in the south together."

"There is no benefit to be gained by the powerful families and clans. The barbarians can be pacified by the army of Dayong. Why would they be willing to contribute?"

"The merchants naturally refused. Shao Yang wanted to leave the family and marry into the Gu family. The clan elders told him, 'Your studies, martial arts, food, drink, and daily necessities all depend on the family for your achievements today. And your current success is also due to the family's nurturing.'"

Others can criticize the business, but you're not allowed to!

"Shaoyang cursed his clansmen as bloodthirsty parasites who greedily devoured the people's wealth, and his clansmen retorted, saying that he was also a merchant, and that his cursing was also cursing himself!"

"Do you know what Shaoyang said?" Chen Guangrui paused for a moment, his gaze deep, and said, "Shaoyang said that it was not the merchants who raised him, but his birth parents and the people who were exploited by his family. Those people's hard-earned money were what nourished him to grow up."

"."

Xu Qing hadn't expected Shang Shaoyang to be so decisive; this young master genuinely wanted to do his part for the people persecuted by the Nancuo barbarians.

"According to the letter, he has most likely already gone to Zongwu Mansion, intending to stand with the Gu family."

Xu Qing asked, "Has the Gu family agreed to petition the imperial court to send troops?"

Chen Guangrui gave an irrelevant answer: "His name is Gu Shaoyang now."

Xu Qing was completely speechless. He never expected that he would actually manage to do it!
(End of this chapter)