Water elemental became a god, ultimately becoming the master of heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers

Chapter 184 Doing Important Things for the Holy Dynasty
In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

The women were terrified, and the servants were filled with anxiety.

Sukhachi watched helplessly as his family's mansion, the wealth he had accumulated over half a lifetime, was turned into cartloads of valuables and loaded onto carriages.

Amidst the swirling dust, the once magnificent mansion is now nothing but an empty courtyard and scattered debris.

The direction those valuables were heading was towards the county government office.

The county government office was like a mythical creature that only accepted things without ever letting them out, welcoming all who came with a smile.

Sukhachi's knuckles turned white, and he spun around unsteadily, muttering repeatedly, "It's over, it's all over," as lost and bewildered as a stray dog.

"That's all? Sukhachi, do you have any secret rooms or cellars in your homes? If I discover them, the situation will be very different."

Chen Shunan squinted, roughly estimated the value of the valuables on the carriage, and turned back to look at Sukehachi with indifference.

Sukhachi, his neck stiff and veins throbbing on his forehead, shouted loudly.

"It's all here! What more do you want?!"

"He's lying!"

Suddenly, a clear, crisp female voice rang out.

Everyone followed the sound.

The young maid who had been clinging to Sukehachi just moments before, calling him "Master" and "This servant only cares about you, Master," stepped forward, her head bowed, but her eyes revealing a hint of eagerness to claim credit.

"Behind the chamber pot in the east wing's washroom, there's a hidden compartment containing a privately made musket and two hundred rounds of ammunition! That's what Sukhachi told me himself after I had my fun with him!"

Upon hearing this, Sukehachi's face turned deathly pale.

Meanwhile, the other personal maids who had been huddled to the side saw someone taking the lead and also emerged from the crowd, as if they had grasped a lifeline, and hurriedly abandoned their evil ways and severed ties with Sukehachi.

"Not only that, but there's a gleaming helmet beneath the niche in the central hall, which I've heard is part of some kind of armor!"

"Underneath the third row of floor tiles closest to the bookshelf in the study lie many land deeds, mountain deeds, and even salt permits!"

A shotgun?

Helmet?

Are there salt permits?

When Chen Shunan heard this, even he was startled.

This Sukehaci truly lives up to his reputation as a member of the imperial clan; he certainly knows how to play big.

Any one of these three things is enough to punish an ordinary person, exterminating their entire family and reducing them to ashes.

You've got it all covered!

Especially the private possession of salt permits.

At this time, the Holy Dynasty implemented a state monopoly system for salt. Salt certificates were uniformly cast and stamped by the Ministry of Revenue, which were equivalent to operating licenses. Each salt certificate allowed for the exchange of a different amount of salt.

Because Wuqing County relies on water transport, each Wuqing water diversion can typically be used to mix nearly a thousand kilograms of salt.

The profits were substantial.

In recent years, the infamous Lianghuai Salt Certificate Case was a case in which successive Lianghuai salt administration officials colluded with salt merchants to embezzle tens of millions of taels of tax money over a period of thirty years through a series of means such as pre-collecting salt certificates and falsely reporting expenses.

This enraged the Emperor, who ordered a massacre.

That's my money!
So things like forging salt certificates, hoarding salt certificates, or having salt certificates separated... if they don't get caught, that's fine, but if they really get caught...

His Majesty said he would be very angry.

The reason why Chen Shunan knew so much was because...

Because there was another major corruption case that was no less serious than the Lianghuai Salt Monopoly Case, the "Longnan Relief Misappropriation Case," in which he was a witness.

The two cases were separated by only two or three decades.

Chen Shunan glanced at the group of maids with a secret sense of unease.

Reflect on yourself promptly.

Sure enough, be careful of what your pillow talk says; one wrong word and you're doomed.

Mr. Chen must not say the wrong thing or make a similar mistake.

Now Sukehaci is deserted by his followers and has been betrayed.

Sukhachi's eyes widened suddenly as he stared intently at the group of maids, his eyes bloodshot, as if he wanted to devour them.

He was trembling with anger, his lips quivering, and after a long while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence.
"You lowly servants, you lowly servants!"

Before he could finish speaking, he felt a churning pain in his chest, a sweet taste in his throat, and then a mouthful of blood spurted out with a "pfft".

Immediately, his eyes rolled back, and his body fell straight backward, completely losing consciousness.

"Hahaha……"

Seeing this, Chen Shunan laughed heartily a few times.

"Go back in and search! Take everything to the county office, and hand over Sukehachi and his family to Lord Qiu Chen as well."

Chen Shunan waved his hand without hesitation.

The people of Baishan bully the weak and fear the strong; the only way to deal with them is to be more savage and aggressive.

In this way, they will be more polite and even offer a large sum of money as compensation.

"As for these young girls who have turned away from darkness to light, they should not be neglected. They should be served the best wine and food. Trust the government, they will not harm the innocent!"

"Thank you, sir!"

"Thank you very much, Lord Chen!"

Several young maids quickly curtsied, their faces still bearing traces of tears, their eyes brimming with tears, revealing a sense of relief at surviving a calamity.

They also boarded the carriage.

However, seeing the truckloads of valuables winding their way forward, they simply handed them over to others.

Chen Shunan felt somewhat regretful.

Given his current status as merely the manager of Shuiwozi, seizing Baishanren's property after sealing off his property is a red line that cannot be crossed.

But what if he also donned a robe of an official from the Holy Dynasty?

Could they also infiltrate the enemy camp?

"The five rivers are managed by the agricultural department, nurturing aquatic plants and larks... Hmm, that seems like a good idea. A river official is an official, after all..."

Once the thought popped into his head, it grew wildly in his heart like a vine, making him unable to resist the urge to act.

They raided houses one after another tonight.

As dawn broke, with the first hint of light, the group of fierce-looking Water San'er scattered in a flurry.

The place was spotless, with not even a broken brick or tile left behind.

It seems that everything that happened last night was just an illusion.

Chen Shunan was quite sensible. He robbed and ransacked houses at night, and made money by delivering water by cart during the day.

Only in this way can we avoid disturbing the people and bring them peace.

Chen Shunan's actions were for the benefit of Zhao Dongjia, for the good of the people of Wuqing, and for the great cause of the Holy Dynasty!

……

Looking at Liu Daoba, who was walking unsteadily in the distance, probably with silver notes tucked into his backside, Chen Shunan kicked him in the buttocks with a laugh and curse.
"Be mindful of your limits; don't take what you shouldn't, and definitely don't take more than you should!"

Liu the Scarface rubbed his buttocks, showing no anger whatsoever, but instead grinned and said...

"Don't worry, Lao Chen, the brothers know exactly what's going on. I've given them all detailed instructions, and they won't cause you any trouble!"

A group of Shui San'er from the vicinity also gathered around, their faces flushed and their expressions excited, their eyes filled with a mixture of flattery and awe as they looked at Chen Shun'an.

Chen Shunan nodded and said no more.

Then, Liu Daoba looked at Lin Shouzhuo and Jiu Chanhui.

He rubbed his hands together, shifted his feet, lowered his voice, and asked with a hint of curiosity, "Gentlemen, how much did you take?"

Jiu Chanhui put his hands together, recited a Buddhist chant, and said, "I did not take a single penny."

Lin Shouzhou shook his head and said, "Me too."

"what?"

Liu Daoba looked at Chen Shunan with a puzzled expression.

Chen Shunan: "I didn't take it either."

"what?!"

Liu Daoba's eyes widened in surprise, somewhat confused.

Why not seize such an opportunity to line your own pockets?

That was pure white, sparkling gold and silver!

But Liu the Scarface was unaware of this.

Soldiers who charge into battle can then plunder and loot after their triumphant return.

However, the generals who command troops must strictly adhere to military discipline.

We cannot be greedy, and we dare not be greedy.

Those above are keeping an eye on things.

As for rewards, they will naturally be given according to merit afterward.

This is the real issue.

Liu Daoba, after all, lacked the strength and understanding to comprehend these principles.

Liu Daoba and the others left one by one, each returning to their shifts at the well.

Chen Shunan and his two companions soon arrived at Zhao Guangxi's residence.

Before they even crossed the courtyard, Chen Shunan and the others could clearly hear a loud argument coming from the direction of the study.

It sounded just like the howls of hungry wolves fighting for prey, and could be heard clearly even through several courtyards.

"The copper mines outside the county must be returned to the government!" The voice was firm and left no room for argument.

Immediately afterward, another voice, though calm, rang out, unwilling to be outdone.

“I want those fishing villages and hundreds of acres of paddy fields.”

“In that case, the Xiaoqing River Wharf and the dozen or so water shops shall belong to me, Zhao.”

"Zhao Guangxi, the Guanghui Money Shop has already been given to you. Don't push your luck and try to get money from your grave! These shops and docks naturally belong to my Liangjiang Military Academy!"

A furious shout suddenly rose in volume.

Chen Shunan was busy confiscating Guanghui Money Shop and Sukehachi's residence.

Meanwhile, Liu Qingyi, Lu Jing, Zhao Guangxi, and Qiu Chen were also busy dividing up the profits.

In fact, they have already taken the lead in copying and approving it.

For example, Zhao Guanghui's mansion was seized by Liu Qingyi and confiscated.

Meanwhile, the large houses and mansions that Zhao Guanghui had acquired outside were divided up by Lu Jing and Qiu Chen.

Zhao Guangxi's strength is slightly inferior to the other four.

It runs the slowest.

Fortunately, Chen Shunan was favored by the emperor and had made preparations in advance.

Liu the Scarface had already surrounded the Guanghui Money Shop, whose profits were second only to Zhao Guanghui's mansion.

Seeing this, Liu Qingyi and the others could only sigh that Zhao Guangxi was truly prescient, having made preparations and arranged manpower in advance. They did not want to cause any more trouble and instead went to seize the remaining interests.

In the study.

Liu Qingyi, Lu Jing, Zhao Guangxi, and Qiu Chen argued fiercely, their faces red and necks thick with spittle flying everywhere.

The so-called authority of a true master, the self-esteem of a captain or leader, are all fake.

Real, tangible benefits are what truly matter.

In the end, only Zhao Guangxi and Lu Jing remained in a stalemate.

Both men had bloodshot eyes, their anger almost bursting out of them. Their chests heaved violently, and their blood surged. They seemed ready to draw their swords at the slightest provocation.

Zhao Guangxi and Lu Jing were originally like brothers, but they broke up over the quota for the year-end celebration and became like strangers.

The previous alliance was only because they had a common enemy.

Now that the enemy is gone, and with the added incentive of mutual benefit, it's natural that both sides will grow to dislike each other and be unhappy.

Seeing the two so tense, Liu Qingyi and Qiu Chen occasionally tried to mediate and break up the fight.

But in their eyes, there was a sense of ease and satisfaction in watching the dogs fight.

Zhao Guangxi has now been promoted to head of the water well and is in charge of the "Peaceful Well Sword," making him a formidable fighter capable of slaying five traitors.

Under his command are four true masters: Zhou Qing, Lin Shouzhuo, Jiu Chanhui, and Feng Lao.

We also need to add Chen Shunan, who possesses the Three Refinements Martial Body.

Fortunately, He Qiqiang, who was the most promising candidate to break through to the True Meaning Realm, failed to do so, causing Zhao Guangxi to lose a key general.

Even so, this force is quite formidable in the entire Wuqing County.

If no one keeps an eye on things, what will happen?
The government officials couldn't sleep, as they were guarding the capital, and the Wuguan Camp stationed in Wuqing County also couldn't sleep.

And who else could be more trustworthy than Lu Jing, Zhao Guanghui's former brother and friend, to restrain and control him?
The sounds of slamming the desk, cursing, and the clash of blood emanating from the study could be heard from time to time, causing the leaves outside the window to rustle.

(End of this chapter)