Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 108: A Difficult Official

As soon as the sky brightened, the woman hurried to the gate of Zhao's house, dragging her child with her and holding the thousand paper cranes... She had known Zhao Yifu's residence for a long time, but had never come to disturb him before.

However, when she came again, she only saw a few servants cleaning with the door open, as if they were thoroughly tidying up the house.

She leaned forward and asked, "Excuse me, is Mr. Zhao home?"

The servant was sent by the Zhao family. He said, "You mean the second young master? He's already on his way to take up his new post, and we don't know when he'll be back. Look, we need to clean up this courtyard and seal it off temporarily."

The servants spoke very politely. After all, the Zhao family was at a critical moment of transformation, and the elders in the family had already warned them not to act like tyrants when they were away from home.

The woman felt lost. She had come here to express her gratitude in person, but she didn't know what to thank him for...

……

Zhao Yifu and Wu Zhong went out comfortably in a four-wheeled carriage.

However, they both sat in the driver's seat, Wu Zhong drove the car while Zhao Yifu leaned against the wooden railing and leisurely enjoyed the scenery.

He was not sitting in the car, and there was no luggage in the car.

When you lift the curtain of the car, you can see a group of pregnant cats inside, as well as the big girl Hua who is in charge of the place.

Outside the car, healthy cats are walking around the car, while some of the lazier ones just stay on the roof to bask in the sun.

And there was Dahei, who was happily jumping and running around the carriage. It was obvious that he was suffocated by living in the same yard all the time.

Zhao Yifu is on the road with all his family's animals.

Wu Zhong said with lingering fear, "It's a good thing we left early, otherwise all the wild cats in the city would have followed us... Young Master, how come you are so popular with cat slaves?"

Zhao Yifu took this as a compliment and said, "Only about sixty cats came with us. It's a pity that Xiaohu didn't come."

He felt quite regretful. He recognized Xiaohu's fighting ability. How could it be easy for him to be able to fight on equal terms with Yong Dalang? He was definitely not an ordinary person.
"I wonder if Xiaohu is doing well after returning to his hometown?"

He said worriedly.

The big girl Hua who was dozing off in the carriage at the back curled her lips in disdain, while the man with a mustache who was sunbathing on the roof had a cold expression, as if he didn't care at all.

They were expressing their disdain for the little tiger, thinking that the little tiger was actually thinking about returning to the Huali Kingdom, unlike them who were already determined to follow their new master!
But perhaps it was precisely because Zhao Yifu did not stop them from leaving and welcomed them to come back at any time that this attitude made them feel very relaxed and at ease.

Yiyi lay in Zhao Yifu's arms and yawned.

It looked lazy, but Zhao Yifu felt that it had actually been practicing all the time. There was always a stream of spiritual energy from heaven and earth being absorbed and then injected into Yiyi's body.

He discovered that the cultivation methods of plants and animals were completely different from those of humans.

Plants, animals, or all living things in cultivation, all directly absorb the spiritual energy from heaven and earth to accumulate cultivation, while the human race... at least the cultivators of his branch of the Pure Yang Sect, all cultivate themselves first, cultivate the true qi in their own bodies, and then absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, use the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to strengthen the true qi and then feed back to themselves with the true qi.

This seems to be just an extra step, but it is much more troublesome to operate.

But is this really just a trouble?
No, this extra step is the real practice!
The reason why most of the ordinary spirits who practice cultivation turn into monsters is that their practice only absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth without screening it, so they are easily affected by the vital energy of heaven and earth.

Therefore, when monsters become spirits, their appearance is often closely related to the place where they practice.

A good place for cultivation has clean and rich spiritual energy, so the demon race that becomes spirits will also be relatively clean and can be called "spiritual".

If it is mixed with too much impurities or negative forces, the monster will become strange in appearance and its temperament will be affected.

It’s not that there aren’t any spirits that practice cultivation like humans, they are generally called divine beasts or immortals.

Of course, there are also some people who remain untainted by the mud, like Yong Dalang before, but unfortunately he was killed by Zhao Yifu.

The same is true for the cats around Zhao Yifu. Although they look cute now, after refining the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and becoming cat demons, they might...

Well, maybe it's still cute.

Zhao Yifu seemed to be leisurely traveling along the way, but in fact, the true energy in his body was circulating, and he was always maintaining the "Shou Ren Fa".

Once this 'Shou Ren Method' is put into practice, one will feel like one cannot stop. The feeling of having the whole body become harmonious is very subtle, as if one has refined oneself into a golden elixir.

It can also absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to a great extent, and the efficiency of refining the spiritual energy is also extremely high.

It can be said that apart from the inability to cast spells, there are countless benefits.

Zhao Yifu often wondered how many good things were hidden in the Danqing Sect's caves.

Anyway, he has gained a lot of benefits from it so far and has not encountered any useless tricks.

The journey is long, but walking along the official road can also bring you some incredible news.

The most important of these was the rebellion in Jingshan Province. Most of the merchants and travelers on this official road took this route to avoid the increasingly fierce rebellion.

"Master, I've inquired about this. This caravan just came out of Jingshan. I heard that except for three major cities that have not been conquered, most of the county towns have been captured by the rebels."

Zhao Yifu asked, "Why so fast?"

"Is there any specific news?"

Wu Zhong replied, "The rebels in Jingshan call themselves the Red Armor Army. 'Red Armor' means: 'Under the imperial court's brutal exploitation, only their blood remains hot.'"

"This idea immediately gained support from all over Jingshan. Countless militias joined in and the movement quickly grew stronger."

Zhao Yifu nodded and asked, "Do you know who the leader is?"

Wu Zhongdao said, "All I know is that he calls himself the 'Red-Cloaked Death God,' claiming to be a celestial official sent down from heaven to judge the evil deeds and evildoers of the world."

Zhao Yifu simply nodded and said, "That's understandable. Rebellions have always been linked to ghosts and gods."

"However, judging by the scale and speed of this expansion, it's probably the powerful people in Jingshan who have made a significant contribution."

"If there were a way out for the lower classes, they wouldn't take this path, and if they had no other way out and took this path, they're unlikely to be 'village militias.'"

In fact, the term "village militia" can already reflect the composition of this rebellion.

Wu Zhongshen agreed and said, "Who says it's not true? The master hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to slowly separate the water bandits from Shenhe Villa."

"To be honest, during the time of the old man, Shenhe Villa was so powerful in Mozhou that it was not impossible for them to cede land to become kings."

Zhao Yifu said helplessly, "So Grandpa died young."

"This kind of thing is too risky. It's not easy to be the first to take action. But my father's decision is right. At least I agree with it."

Wu Zhong sighed, "Back then, Shenhe Mountain Villa was so powerful, and many people felt that it was the master who caused its decline."

"But who knows how many people died during that time, and how much of the village's wealth was consumed?"

"It's not easy for the master."

Zhao Yifu said, "It's good for them to think this way. What's the point of being a gangster? It's better to clean up."

However, Wu Zhong disagreed. He said, "Second Young Master, please don't think I'm being nosy, but I honestly feel that surrendering to the imperial court might not necessarily lead to good results." Zhao Yifu replied, "Surrendering to the imperial court might not necessarily lead to good results, but the Zhao family surrendered to my teacher Zhou Su... You have to remember, there's a fundamental difference."

"From now on, our Zhao clan will stand shoulder to shoulder with our teacher. If he wishes to suppress bandits, we will do so. If he wishes to lead a northern expedition, we will do so. Even if we face certain death in the end, those of our clansmen who have joined the army must die before him."

"If we can do this, then our Zhao family is destined to prosper."

Wu Zhong nodded tactfully and didn't say anything more. After all, he had experienced a lot following Zhao Yifu and knew some taboos.

He changed the subject and asked, "Young Master, do you think that the Red-robed Divine Lord really existed?"

Zhao Yifu laughed and said, "I haven't even seen that person, so how can I know?"

"Don't think about that, let's just keep going."

Wu Zhong fell silent.

Zhao Yifu pondered and asked, "Uncle Wu, with your knowledge, do you know if any of our Great Xu troops have defected to the Northern Dynasty?"

He was obviously still thinking of the couple who were separated by distance and could only use their own yang and spiritual energy to intertwine in his letter seal.

Wu Zhong was a little surprised when he heard this, then he said, "Of course there are, and quite a few."

Zhao Yifu raised his eyebrows and said, "How exactly?"

Wu Zhong said, "That happened about eight or nine years ago. The garrison at Shisai City, on the border downstream of the Yangtze River, could no longer tolerate the exploitation of their military pay, and eventually mutinied."

"The commander of Shisai City was beheaded on the spot, and then all of the approximately 3,000 defenders defected to the Northern Dynasty."

"That incident caused a very bad reaction and also allowed the court to see the corruption in the army."

"From then on, at least the border troops will have a much easier time. Not many people will dare to take advantage of them... This can be considered a good thing."

Zhao Yifu nodded silently after hearing this. If that was true, then he roughly understood why the man was wearing the military uniform of the Northern Dynasty.

He changed the topic and started chatting with Wu Zhong about all sorts of things.

After leaving Moyang City, many things that originally had no interest in him began to concern him.

For example, the terrain of the southern provinces and whether the soil is fertile.

Wu Zhong actually knew a lot. Although they were all "old knowledge" that had been around for several years, they were still a supplement for Zhao Yifu.

It is already the end of spring and the beginning of summer, especially in the south, it is already the rainy season.

The sun was shining one moment and the sky was overcast the next.

Not long after, it started to rain heavily.

Zhao Yifu quickly called on the cats around him to get into the carriage to shelter from the rain.

Fortunately, there were only sixty-one cats following this time, otherwise the carriage would not have been able to fit them all.

It's just a pity for Dahei, who can only squeeze pitifully on the driver's seat with Zhao Yifu and Wu Zhong.

It wasn't long before I was soaked all over.

Zhao Yifu felt pity when he saw this. After all, the dog had been bullied by cats since he was a child and had become accustomed to such humiliation.

He spread out his sleeves and put the dog into his sleeves.

Although that was Yiyi's residence, Yiyi actually preferred to snuggle in Zhao Yifu's arms and stick her furry little head out from his collar.

Wu Zhong lifted the curtain a little and looked inside, and saw that the entire bottom of the carriage was filled with balls of fur, which looked very interesting.

Zhao Yifu also smiled and looked back, then said: "Uncle Wu, it seems we need to find time to renovate the space inside the carriage."

"At least more compartments could be added on both sides, so the cats can have more space to move around."

Wu Zhong laughed and said, "Then where are you going to rest, young master?"

Zhao Yifu said, "Me? I can just sit anywhere. I'm a cultivator and can make my home anywhere."

Indeed.

Because even when the rain was getting heavier, he was wearing the Haoran robes which could make the water droplets automatically move away.

The wide sleeves fell to the side, and a dog's head secretly stretched out from it.

The dog-headed man glanced curiously at the outside world, and when he looked at Zhao Yifu, his eyes were full of admiration.

Zhao Yi Fu also rubbed the dog's head with one hand, and comforted Yi Yi on his chest with his other hand. The little thing was jealous again.

They took a short rest in the rain. The early summer rain came and went quickly, and soon they were on the road again, walking on the muddy soil and smelling the fresh air after the rain.

Along this official road in the south, there are actually endless fertile farmlands.

The people were farming in the fields, and although the life did not seem vibrant, it did not feel hopeless either.

The South is rich, especially after a large number of people moved south and reclaimed large tracts of wasteland. Basically, as long as you are willing to farm, you can always make a living here.

Of course, this refers to the situation where 'common people have land'.

What if, as written in his exam question, 'the common people have no land'?

Zhao Yifu shook his head, thinking that he might live a better life.

Because where does the land tax for the imperial court come from?
Basically, it was obtained from these self-cultivating farmers.

And what about the fields of those scholars?
Haha, there are so many tax-free policies that favor scholars!
What's more, what's wrong with the gentry secretly opening up some unregistered fields? How many local officials are willing to offend the gentry and collect taxes from these hidden fields?

Zhao Yifu's task this time was very simple, which was to check all these hidden fields at least in Fenglin County, which he was in charge of.

This was a matter of course, but in the eyes of the local gentry, it touched upon their fundamental interests...

They would think that this is their property, so why should they pay taxes to the court?
On the contrary, the self-cultivating farmers, as a weak group, shouldered the burden of the land tax that maintained the operation of the entire Daxu court with their meager annual income...

Of course, it's not just the Great Xu, the Northern Dynasties are the same as well.

In fact, under this situation, Zhao Yifu was very willing to help the court move the hidden fields in this area.

He was just very curious about how far the local gentry would go for this.

Back in the day, when his family was still powerful, they even went to the county magistrate's house to kill him...

　The fever hasn't subsided yet, chapter one

　　
　
(End of this chapter)