The splendor of the Red Chamber, the power that reigns supreme.

Chapter 12 Super Cheat
"The garrison has issued an urgent order to requisition military supplies! Perhaps they've been conscripted!"

"What a coincidence." Ximen Qing stroked the warm, coiled dragon pattern on the jade belt hook at his waist and smiled. "The garrison commander was still at my shop at Chenshi this morning, getting 'Lung-Clearing Powder' because he was coughing so badly. I wonder when his camp received such an urgent supply of medicine?"

Zhang, the wealthy man, laughed awkwardly and said, "Perhaps I misheard the information!"

"Your information is poor, but mine is excellent!" Master Ximen said calmly.

“Zhang Shouchu!! I won’t beat around the bush with you. We’re both people who make a living in Qinghe County. There’s no need to make things too awkward.”

"By noon tomorrow, the medicinal herbs will be delivered intact to my herbal medicine shop's warehouse. I will cover double the transportation costs for any delays, as a token of my appreciation for the gentleman's good wine and to help him calm his nerves."

Zhang the wealthy man slowly wiped the smile off his face and said coldly, "Is my lord threatening me?"

"When tigers and wolves pounce on rabbits, each relies on their own abilities!"

"I neither stole nor robbed; I was simply taking the money to buy the medicine legally."

"I bought this with real money! It's all in black and white, a deed stamped with the county government's red seal, and a tax receipt from the prefectural government! Even if the Heavenly King himself came, he couldn't find a mistake!"

Master Ximen slowly put down his teacup: "So, Master Zhang is unwilling to settle things amicably?"

“Master Ximen, Qinghe County is not a place where you can control everything. If you have the guts, let’s settle this in court! Let’s see who’s overstepping their bounds!” Zhang the landlord stood up, put his hands behind his back, and sneered.

Looking at his appearance, Ximen Qing let out a low chuckle.

He said nothing more, his deerskin boots crunching over the scattered sunflower seed shells and broken porcelain shards on the ground, before turning and walking away.

That last glance before leaving filled Zhang the landlord with dread!

But at this moment.

A series of rustling sounds came from behind the screen, and a woman dressed in a sandalwood-colored silk jacket and wearing a gold-inlaid jade hairpin hurriedly came out.

She was none other than Madam Yu, the principal wife of Zhang the wealthy man.

Without even glancing at her dazed husband, she stared intently at Ximen Qing's retreating figure as he disappeared behind the screen wall, stamping her feet in a mixture of anxiety and anger.

He yelled at Zhang the landlord in a shrill voice, "You damned old bastard! Are you blind?!"

"Of all people to mess with, why did you have to mess with Ximen Qing? Of all people to steal from, why did you have to reach into Ximen's den to steal from him!"

"Everyone knows that Ximen Qing has connections everywhere in Qinghe County, from top to bottom."

"You can go directly in and out of government offices without even having to report!"

Are you trying to get yourself killed?

"And you, you dare to cut off his manhood! Do you think you're too old for this world, or do you think the Zhang family's ancestral graves have too much feng shui?!"

Startled by his wife's scolding, Zhang the wealthy man snapped back to reality, panting and roaring, "Woman! What do you know! You're all talk and no action! With this epidemic, medicinal herbs are like gold nuggets! Tenfold profits are the least you can expect!"

"I have the official deeds to 1,800 mu of top-quality paddy fields at the bottom of my chest, and I've been personally appointed a 'major grain payer' by the county magistrate. My ancestors for three generations have been clean and honest! Why would I be afraid of a merchant who started out selling medicine?!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke: "Do you think I've been drinking at brothels for free all this time?"

"The county magistrate's brother-in-law was all smiles yesterday as he accepted a fine porcelain vase! Do you think all the money I've given them over the years, all the good stuff from the fields, was just given away for free? Those land deeds and contracts are the foundation of our power! Are they just for show?!"

“My family has over a hundred peasants in the fields! The Zhang family's ancestral graves have been buried in this land of Qinghe County for over three hundred years! They are deeply rooted! Ximen Qing may have a few more shops than me, but that's all just wealth! Wealth! Do you understand?”

"In terms of foundation and the intricate connections in Qinghe County, I am ten times more solid than him!!"

Yu was furious upon hearing this.

He grabbed the teacup next to him and poured the hot tea all over Zhang the landlord.

The hot water made Zhang, the wealthy man, scream in a shrill voice.

Yu stepped forward and grabbed his ear: "Zhang the Old Dog! Do you really think I'm a clay idol?"

"You've been doing so well these days, have you forgotten how you were down on your luck, when no one did your laundry and farmed?"

"Now look what you've done, daring to yell at your old mother?"

"I'm warning you, Zhang the Old Dog!! If you dare to bare your teeth at me again, I'll chop you into eight pieces while you're fast asleep tonight, marinate you like meat, and hang you on this main beam."

Zhang, the wealthy man, had his ears almost pulled off, and cried out with a mournful face, "I was wrong, I was wrong! My wife, please forgive me!"

As soon as Ximen Qing left the Wutou Gate of Zhang's residence, his green horse headed straight for the county government office.

The gatekeeper, Zhou Zhong, bowed and said, "Greetings, sir! Clerk Wang is waiting in the signing room."

Wang, the clerk, was working at his desk when he stood up to greet Ximen Qing with a smile, saying, "Why are you here so early for tea, sir?" Ximen Qing replied, "Wang, to be honest, Zhang Shouchu intercepted three thousand catties of honeysuckle from Hebei. These three thousand catties of medicinal herbs are crucial for the Qingming Festival medicine distribution, and the yamen must uphold justice."

Wang Chao paused in pouring tea: "Is that so? My lord, this is not a good matter!"

Ximen Qing sneered: "What? His silver is silver, but my silver isn't?"

"Please calm down, sir!" Wang Chao rubbed his hands together and smiled obsequiously. "Look, Master Zhang just donated a thousand taels to repair the county school gate, and the county magistrate praised his benevolence..."

"His paddy fields yielded a bountiful harvest, and he paid all his taxes and rent. The county magistrate even awarded him a plaque."

"If we arrest him immediately, wouldn't that be a slap in the face to the county magistrate?"

Ximen Qing sneered: "What kind of benevolence is it to intercept life-saving medicine? If the county magistrate doesn't care, I'll go to the garrison commander's office myself to demand an explanation!"

"Absolutely not!" Wang Chao took out a package from the side: "My lord, to tell you the truth, Master Zhang asked me to give you one hundred taels as compensation for the theft of your medicinal herbs this time."

"The county magistrate spoke this morning, saying that the merchants' disputes should be settled among themselves." He lowered his voice.

"The fairest approach is to remain neutral; filing a case would only damage the harmony."

Suddenly, Wu, the clerk, shouted from inside the hall: "Wang, the grain payment verification form is ready to be signed!"

Wang Chao felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He grabbed the merit book and left, saying before he left, "Sir, please keep this hundred taels safe. You two are both major taxpayers in Qinghe County. The county magistrate said that Qinghe County will have to rely on you two."

"In my opinion, you two should just make up. He has already apologized to you, so why bother?"

Ximen Da Guanren looked at the hundred taels wrapped in his hand.

He kept sneering.

This has always been the case with government offices.

This official wants to amass wealth.

He can't do it on his own; he spends all his time in government offices, so where would he get the connections and influence?

When people come to offer bribes, you can't find out anything about them.

At this time, officials need someone with a wide network of connections and who can also act as a proxy for others.

They could present all the bribes, big and small, from Qinghe County to the officials.

Ximen Daguan was acting as this proxy at this time.

In Qinghe County, no matter what the matter is, if you want to go to the yamen (government office) and see the county magistrate, you can get it settled.

They all had to go to Master Ximen.

But now a proxy has arrived who has a good relationship with the county magistrate and may even replace him.

That would be a bit troublesome.

On the surface, it's a battle over silver, but in reality, it's a battle over agents!
Qinghe County can only have one representative from the yamen!

Ximen Da Guanren waved his fan.

That can only be me, Ximen Qing!

Since the government office is unreliable, we can only proceed according to our own plan.

When Ximen Da Guanren left the county government office, he did not return to his residence to wait for Ying Bojue.

Instead, they went to Yongfu Temple first.

I remember in the days that followed.

This place has a miracle drug that's no less potent than the large bottle of ibuprofen I brought.

It can be considered a super cheat.

After riding for a while, we arrived at a dilapidated temple.

The abbot of the temple saw that it was Ximen Qing, a wicked and ruthless local ruffian.

Startled, he stopped reciting Buddhist scriptures and rushed out to offer tea, clasping his hands in greeting.

When Ximen Qing saw that the elder's beard and eyebrows were all white, he asked him his age and Buddhist name. The elder replied, "This humble monk is seventy-five years old, and my Buddhist name is Daojian."

(End of this chapter)