National Division

Chapter 8 When a nation is about to perish, monsters will inevitably emerge.
沈宅
Shen Bin picked up the teacup beside him, gulped it down, and stared blankly into space, as if weighing his options.

Shen Xian had no choice but to advise, "Father, I am already fifteen years old this year, and I am about to get married. Shouldn't there be some things that you shouldn't keep from me, so that I can be on guard?"

Shen Bin put down his teacup and said, "These kinds of things have been happening more often lately, and I didn't really want to tell you about them."

Shen Xian gripped his father's arm tightly and said, "So, there are ghosts and monsters in the world?"

He said that if he had even encountered something like time travel, then there must be strange tales in this world.

Shen Bin shook his head and said, "There have always been such legends, but the imperial court's official power suppresses them, and all evils avoid them. Occasionally, some strange things happen, and someone will deal with them. However, they fall into the mouths of ordinary people and become strange tales. But in the last ten years or so, I don't know why, such things have become more and more common."

He was powerless to deal with these matters.

Shen Xian frowned and murmured, "Could it be that when a country is about to perish, a monster will inevitably emerge?"

After all, the Great Jing Dynasty has been established for hundreds of years, and the dynastic cycle law also applies to other worlds.

Shen Bin, with his sharp ears, overheard Shen Xian's whispered words and his expression changed drastically: "You can't say such things! If someone hears us, my son and I will be in grave danger."

Shen Xian was not afraid but rather pleased: "I'm afraid the public opinion and rumors will be even worse."

If the Empress Dowager were to rule as regent, she would likely be accused of interfering in politics, of harem incest, and that the country would be in peril, leading to chaos and turmoil.

Shen Bin lowered his voice and said, "Don't talk nonsense. But I have heard some of the letters from your uncle in Shen Du. The world is in chaos now. Today's aristocratic families and noble families may become prisoners tomorrow."

Shen Xian had a plan in mind and thought to himself that he would have to ask his Uncle Lin about the situation in the capital later.

Shen Bin said a few words and then instructed, "Study the Daoist scriptures carefully. If you are truly a seed of cultivation, even if you don't become the Vermilion Bird Envoy, I will be content if you can govern a region and become a Marquis of a Hundred Miles."

Upon hearing this, Shen Xian nodded with a serious expression.

The Vermilion Bird made him unsure what it was; perhaps it was something like a centrally selected graduate?

It's like a thousand troops crossing a single-plank bridge; it's bound to be difficult to pass.

But according to my father, the imperial examination was a path to officialdom, and studying hard could change one's social class.

Even a declining noble family like the Shen family of Lanxi (small and medium-sized landowners) still needed to pass the imperial examinations to achieve further upward social mobility.

Upon hearing this, the bloodline of the test-taking geniuses from the small town in their past lives began to awaken.

I never imagined that even after being reborn, I still couldn't escape the path of taking exams and solving problems.

He originally wanted to become a Brahmin in the county town.

Just then, a servant rushed in from the outer room, entered the flower hall, bowed to Shen Bin, and said, "Master, someone from the yamen has come and said that the magistrate has important business to discuss with you."

Upon hearing this, Shen Bin looked at Shen Xian, who was standing to the side in a daze, and said, "Take care of things at home for now. I'm going to the yamen."

Without waiting for Shen Xian to greet him, he got up and left the Shen residence.

Shen Xian was stunned for a moment, and was about to ask further about the specific details of the so-called strange tales, but when he looked up, he saw his father leaving in a hurry.

He must have gone on a business trip.

My father was the county magistrate of Guhe County, a rank of the ninth grade. He was mainly in charge of the three departments of military strategy and civil administration, and had a lot of duties. I rarely saw him.

Shen Xian pondered for a moment, then stopped being curious and decided to go to the backyard to check on the arrangements for Yu Qingchan and her nephew Lin Jing.

Meanwhile, Shen Bin rushed to the front gate in a flurry. Two constables from the yamen, along with five or six constables, quickly stepped forward. One was a constable surnamed Li, and the other was a constable surnamed Zhao. They went up to him and said, "Brother, something has happened."

Although Shen Bin was a county constable, his rank was not high, but he was still considered to have entered the ranks.

The official system of the Great Jing Dynasty was quite complex. The officials within the system were not divided into nine ranks and eighteen levels, but into nine ranks and thirty levels (the first three ranks were divided into principal and subordinate ranks, and the last six ranks were further subdivided into upper and lower ranks). Outside the system, there were also assistants, which were clerks and were not included in the official ranks.

Shen Bin was, after all, from a prominent family. He served as the county magistrate of Guhe County, in charge of three of the six ministries.

Shen Bin mounted his horse, his face grave, and said, "Let's talk as we go."

"Brother, in Dongliu Township outside the city, several strong men have been drained dry, causing widespread panic," said Constable Zhao, still shaken.

Shen Bin's expression was grave as he said, "When did all this happen?"

"It just came in, saying it should have been three days ago," said the constable surnamed Li.

Shen Bin frowned and said, "I'm afraid this wasn't committed by a human, but by some kind of evil spirit or demon." Recently, there have been more and more cases like this involving murder.

If it were a human committing the crime, Shen Bin would still have a way to deal with it.

"What about Magistrate Ming? Has he not come out to handle affairs yet?" Shen Bin asked.

“County Magistrate Liu said that the County Magistrate is still in seclusion. He asked my elder brother to take some men to investigate the situation first. If he cannot handle it, he can report it to the prefecture, and the prefecture will send someone down to deal with it,” said Constable Zhao, who was standing to the side.

Anzhou was a superior prefecture, located at the northernmost gateway of the Great Jingjing region, and Guhe County served as a crucial point for the Grand Canal transport.

Shen Bin frowned even more deeply and said, "If I report this to the state government and they investigate, whose responsibility will it be?"

After being tricked by Magistrate Liu several times, Shen Bin learned his lesson.

As the county commandant, he was in charge of military affairs and public order, while County Assistant Liu was in charge of the three departments of merit, granary, and household registration.

“Unless Your Excellency cannot resolve this matter, but Your Excellency is not concerned with worldly affairs, we must devise a plan,” said Constable Zhao.

The magistrate of Guhe County was surnamed Lu. He came from a prominent family and was a Taoist official. He spent his days either studying Taoist scriptures behind closed doors or visiting Taoist friends to discuss metaphysics and Taoism, and he paid no attention to worldly affairs.

Shen Bin knew that Magistrate Lu was a leisurely person, and even if he went to ask for advice, he would most likely be ridiculed.

So he decided to handle it himself, saying, "If it's a demon causing trouble, then the two hundred soldiers in the county should be able to suppress it, but the key is to find the demon's location."

Officer Li said, "The casualties are too great. It would be better to report it to the city and give the Vermilion Bird Division a headache."

“The Vermilion Bird Division has limited manpower. If we report this to higher authorities, they will most likely be unable to spare any personnel and will still blame our Guhe County,” Shen Bin said.

The Vermilion Bird Bureau was an institution directly under the imperial power established by the previous emperors Zhenyuan and Hongxi. It gathered extraordinary people and talents from all over the world, but it was only established at the prefecture level.

Emperor Zhenyuan replaced the Nine-Rank System with the imperial examination system, widely recruiting scholars from humble backgrounds, gathering talents from all over the country, selecting potential cultivators, and governing the fifteen provinces.

However, compared to the vast territory, the few Vermilion Bird Envoys and Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) accumulated over the past century are still powerless to shake the Taoist official and aristocratic system of the three religions.

County government office, around dusk

The county government office had three courtyards, and in front of the gate stood squads of yamen runners, dressed in yamen runner uniforms, holding waist knives, and looking vigilant.

In the flower hall, next to a small table are two chairs with backrests. There is a middle-aged official with a fat figure, a short beard under his chin, wearing a dark blue official robe and an iron leather belt around his waist.

The person in question was none other than Liu Jian, Liu Yu's father and the county magistrate.

Seated across the tea table was a middle-aged man with a thin face, refined demeanor, a beard, and wearing a light blue official robe. He was Pei, the registrar of Guhe County, in charge of checking documents and official documents in the county. He held the rank of lower ninth grade.

Magistrate Lu did not manage affairs of state, so he entrusted the daily affairs of the county to Assistant Magistrate Liu, Registrar Pei, County Commandant Shen, and the Six Assistants who lived nearby.

Guhe County has only one county magistrate, whose official rank is the lower eighth grade.

"Such a big case has occurred, yet Prefect Shen is not in the government office?" Magistrate Liu complained with displeasure.

Registrar Pei put down his teacup and said, "Prefect Zan, please be patient. The yamen has already sent someone to summon him."

County Magistrate Liu put down his teacup, his plump, greasy face twitching slightly as he feigned righteous indignation: "These kinds of murders are happening frequently in the county these days. As the county constable, Shen Bin is responsible for apprehending thieves and robbers, and he cannot shirk his responsibility!"

Registrar Pei did not respond, but his gaze toward County Magistrate Liu was full of meaning.

However, the registrar sitting below him said, "What the governor says is true. The people in the county are in a state of panic. If the registrar of the prefecture finds out, it will affect the performance evaluation of our county."

The other officials and clerks also chimed in, each contributing their own thoughts, making the atmosphere in the government office exceptionally lively.

County Magistrate Liu nodded and said, "Therefore, this case must be solved by Guhe County as soon as possible."

Registrar Pei remained noncommittal, saying, "Prefect Zan, Young Prefect Shen has arrived."

As they were speaking, a tall and imposing figure, with the stride of a dragon and the gait of a tiger, Shen Bin, entered the flower hall from outside.

……

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(End of this chapter)