Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

Chapter 161 Liu Yuan Arrives, Everything Settles (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

After a private conversation, the group leisurely returned to the Wu family home.

Meanwhile, some Daoist practitioners had already emerged from the inner room. Upon seeing Zhao Xian and his group, who were fully armed and exuded an extraordinary aura, they were naturally quite alarmed and hurriedly hid.

Zhao Xian had no intention of explaining to these Taoist followers; in any case, they would all know in a few days.

Upon returning to the Wu family residence, Zhao Xian went to the hall to await the arrival of the county officials, while Zhao Zheng returned to the camp to maintain order.

Meanwhile, Zhao Ji, Zhao Cheng, and Zhao Zong had already begun to sized up the Wu family women, servants, and maids outside the hall.

"This is good~"

"No, no! It's too dry; this is much better, more voluptuous!"

The three of them stood by, pointing and gesturing, as if they were appraising goods they were about to acquire.

The women and children of the Wu family below the hall were also terrified at the sight, but fearing to anger the people in front of them, they could only sob quietly.

Chen Yuancheng and the others, who were busy running around, seemed to have expected the three of them to be picking and choosing, and their faces showed no unusual reaction.

Around noon, the sound of rapid hoofbeats finally came from outside the Wu family residence.

Upon hearing the sound of horses' hooves, Zhao Xian's expression turned solemn. He stood up and walked towards the outside of the hall, preparing to come out of the house to greet them!

"Your humble servant Zhao Xian pays his respects to Lord Liu and Lord Chen!"

Upon seeing the person who had arrived, Zhao Xian's face lit up with joy, and he immediately bowed deeply!

"Ha ha!"

"Bo Zhang, there's no need for such formalities, please rise!"

Upon seeing Zhao Xian's respectful attitude, Liu Yuan, the clerk, immediately laughed loudly and stepped forward to help Zhao Xian up.

"The Wu family was wiped out overnight!"

"Bo Zhang's actions are indeed swift as lightning!"

Zhao Xian stood up, and Chen Sheng, who was standing next to him, also praised him.

"We pay our respects to Lord Liu and Lord Chen!"

At this moment, Chen Yuancheng, Liu Chen (the village head of Xixiang), Xu Dekun and others rushed to the courtyard and bowed in unison.

"Please rise, gentlemen!"

Liu Yuan didn't presume to help, and immediately raised his hand to offer support.

"Without your help, Bozhang would not have been able to succeed so smoothly!"

Immediately, Liu Yuan looked at Chen Yuancheng and the others and smiled.

"Bozhang, Mr. Chen, let's go in and take a look!"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Liu Yuan looked at Zhao Xian and Chen Sheng and said with a smile.

The group then followed Liu Yuan into the Wu family residence.

During this brief respite, Zhao Xian also nodded slightly to Song Ming and Zhao Hong, who were following behind Liu Yuan, Chen Sheng, and others.

Upon entering the front yard, Liu Yuan saw the corpses laid out there. Instead of showing any fear, he and Chen Sheng lifted their robes and squatted down to examine them carefully.

"Liu Jun is indeed a bandit who has been hiding in Yunling for many years!"

Pointing to the clothing and attire of the Mangshan bandits, Chen Sheng nodded to Liu Yuan.

The extermination of an entire clan is a serious matter, so Liu Yuan naturally had to be cautious!

Before leaving, Liu Yuan was naturally skeptical of Zhao Xian's words, so he invited Chen Sheng, who was preparing to return home for seclusion, to come and verify them together.

Seeing that Zhao Xian had not fabricated any evidence, Liu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mr. Liu, Mr. Chen, this is the list of the Wu family's confiscated assets!"

Zhao Xian immediately took out two pieces of silk from his sleeve and respectfully presented them.

The two men didn't stand on ceremony and took the silk fabric to examine it carefully.

After a moment, the two looked at each other and smiled.

"Bo Zhang, you are thoughtful and fair in your dealings, so we are very reassured!"

Liu Yuan immediately handed the silk to the clerk beside him, and then praised it with a smile.

"Where is that scoundrel Wu De?"

He then looked at Zhao Xian and asked with a smile.

"Please invite Mr. Wu up here!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian looked at Zhao Ji and the others behind him, who then accepted the order and left.

Before long, a burly man, dressed neatly with slightly disheveled hair, was brought before Liu Yuan by several men.

"Mr. Wu, it's been months since we last met. How could you have committed such a grave mistake?"

Liu Yuan looked at Wu De, pointed to the pile of Mangshan bandits' corpses, and asked in a solemn voice.

"Lord Liu, this was done by Wu De alone. We beg you, Lord Liu, to plead with the county magistrate on behalf of the Wu family!"

At this moment, Wu De was no longer as frantic as he had been when he saw Zhao Xian. He immediately knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly!

"Mr. Wu, we both know the origins of the Mangshan bandits!"

"For the sake of our past collaboration, I will do my best!"

Liu Yuan didn't rule out the possibility of a definitive answer; instead, he sighed with considerable pity.

"Thank you very much, Master Liu!"

Upon hearing this, Wu De kowtowed again and shouted.

"Please, Mr. Wu, go and rest for now!"

Liu Yuan looked at Zhao Xian and nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Zhao Xian then looked at Zhao Ji and the others, and the group took Wu De away.

"Liu Chen, the Wu family committed such a serious crime, yet you, as the village head, were completely unaware of it. You have failed in your duty!"

After Wu De left, Liu Yuan looked at Liu Chen, the village head of Xixiang, behind Zhao Xian, with a hint of regret on his face, and then said in a low voice.

"I, Liu Chen, have failed your high expectations and am willing to accept punishment!"

Liu Chen stopped arguing and knelt down, kowtowing in response.

"The Wu family is terrorizing the village, preying on the people. You're just an outsider; how can you possibly gain the upper hand against such local tyrants!"

"I'll speak to the county magistrate about it when I get back!"

Seeing Liu Chen's attitude, Liu Yuan's expression softened somewhat, and he sighed.

"Many thanks to Mr. Liu for his help!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Chen was immediately moved to tears and said...

"Mr. Zhao, this matter concerns you; please draft an official document as well!"

"Zhao Xian understands!"

Zhao Xian, standing to the side, readily agreed.

Afterwards, Chen Yuancheng and others presented various charges against the Wu family, which Liu Yuan then ordered the accompanying county officials to take over one by one.

It was already noon, and Zhao Xian ordered Zhao Ji and others to prepare some food for Liu Yuan and the others to eat.

This group of people traveled quickly from the county to the western countryside, and were covered in dust and very tired along the way.

With the help of Chen Yuancheng, Liu Chen and others, the county officials who came here made it extremely convenient to register and record the Wu family's assets.

When it came time to take stock of the Wu family's land, Zhao Xian subtly tugged at Liu Yuan's robe.

Upon seeing this, Liu Yuan instructed the minor official to simply count the Wu family's land holdings on the fish-scale register.

When it came time to take stock of the Wu family's men, Zhao Xian had already ordered Zhao Ji and others to handle the matter properly, using the pretext that the Wu family had resisted, and that most of them had already been killed.

With spirit stones paving the way, the minor officials were too lazy to investigate further. After all, they hadn't noticed that several high-ranking officials didn't seem to have any suspicions about it.

After a thorough investigation, the Wu family's residence was naturally sealed off, and Zhao Xian's desire to keep it for his own use was no longer possible.

Of course, this house will eventually fall into the hands of someone else.

After Zhao Xian, Chen Yuancheng, and others ate the meat, the others always wanted to have a sip of soup as well.

"The bandits of Mangshan are wanted by the Yunlan Sect. These heads need to be brought back to the county and handed over to the county magistrate. As for the remaining corpses, bury them on the spot!"

Liu Yuan looked at Zhao Xian, pointed to the corpses in the courtyard, and said with a smile.

"And what about their families~"

Zhao Xian then pointed to the elderly and weak below the hall and asked in a low voice.

"We must return to the county immediately. These people, by causing delays, will inevitably be demoted to government slaves according to the law. Let them all remain in Xixiang!"

After pondering for a few moments, Liu Yuan looked at Zhao Xian and said meaningfully.

Zhao Xian naturally understood the meaning behind Liu Yuan's words and immediately nodded.

"Yuancheng and Dekun, you two have rendered great service in suppressing the Mangshan bandits. The county magistrate will certainly reward you handsomely!"

Liu Yuan glanced at Chen Yuancheng and Xu Dekun beside him, and immediately smiled slightly, "The day when you two wear official seals of office is not far off!"

"Thank you very much, Master Liu!"

Upon hearing Liu Yuan's words, Chen Yuancheng and Xu Dekun immediately bowed and said respectfully.

"Ha ha!"

"The fact that three high-ranking officials of the hundred-stone rank emerged from Wohu Township is quite a remarkable story!"

Seeing this, Chen Sheng naturally smiled and echoed his sentiment.

His visit to Xixiang this time was partly at Liu Yuan's invitation, and partly to support Chen Yuancheng!

Although the Chen family has more than just him as a high-ranking official, it would be best if the position of the bandit chief, which he had worked so hard for, could fall into the hands of a member of the Chen family after he stepped down!

"This is all thanks to the county magistrate, Lord Liu, and Lord Chen's discerning eye for talent and their ability to recognize and utilize capable individuals!"

Zhao Xian then spoke up with a smile.

"Ha ha!"

"After two years as an official, Bozhang has become quite glib!"

Upon hearing Zhao Xian's words, Liu Yuan immediately pointed at Zhao Xian and jokingly said.

Then he looked at Liu Sheng, Zhao Xian's cousin, behind him.

Upon seeing this, Liu Sheng quickly stepped forward and respectfully bowed, saying, "This humble official Liu Sheng greets Lord Liu!"

"Ah Sheng, it's been several months since you started serving under Lord Zhao. How are you feeling?"

"Lord Zhao treated me very kindly, and I learned a great deal from him!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Sheng immediately responded respectfully.

"And serve well under Lord Zhao, lest you tarnish the Liu family's good name!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuan stroked his beard and smiled, offering a word of advice.

"Nephew understands!"

Liu Sheng bowed again and respectfully withdrew.

It wasn't until the afternoon that Liu Yuan, Chen Sheng, and the others hurriedly returned to the county town with several boxes of gifts prepared by Wu De and Zhao Xian.

Zhao Xian also ordered Song Ming to write an official document to be submitted to the county magistrate, which was then handed over to Liu Yuan to present to the magistrate.

After Liu Yuan and the others left, Chen Yuancheng and Xu Dekun could not stay away from their village for too long, so they naturally prepared to return to Wohu Township.

The next morning, after seeing off Chen Yuancheng and Xu Dekun's group, Zhao Xian asked Liu Chen for a few local officials and then prepared to begin his plan.

Zhao Zheng, acting on Zhao Xian's instructions, had already informed the members of the demon-hunting team of Zhao Xian's plan.

After Zhao Xian led Zhao Hong and others to the demon-hunting team's camp, the villagers were extremely excited to see Zhao Xian arrive. Before the team leader Zhao Zheng could speak, they lined up in a neat and orderly queue.

"Gentlemen, has Captain Zhao already spoken to you?"

"We are willing to acknowledge Lord Zhao as our head!"

Upon hearing this, all the Daoist people knelt on one knee and solemnly shouted!

"Good! Good! Good!"

Zhao Xian repeated this several times, his face solemn, and solemnly declared to the people before him, "From this day forward, the land belongs to Zhao Xian, but in reality, it belongs to all of you!"

"You all follow Zhao Xian, and I hereby make a vow with you that will last for a thousand generations!"

"We pay our respects to the patriarch!"

Upon hearing this, all the people knelt down and kowtowed in unison!

"Zhao Cheng, Zhao Ji, Zhao Zong, Xu Hua, Xu Fu, Zhang Gong, and Mu Chun will each be granted 100 mu of land, one ox for plowing, and two households as dependents!"

"The rest will each be given fifty mu of land, one ox, and one strong servant!"

Zhao Xian didn't waste any time and immediately announced the land allocation plan.

"We thank the patriarch!"

The people shouted in unison once again.

"Now, come forward and sign the contract in order!"

At this moment, Zhao Zheng also spoke up and shouted loudly, and Zhao Hong and the others immediately began to lay out straw mats and set up tables.

The contract was drafted by Song Ming and copied by Liu Ping and Liu Sheng. It was already prepared, and all the Daoist people needed to do was come up and shake their hands to leave their fingerprints!

Before long, all forty-odd people had pressed their handprints.

On the other side, Song Ming, Liu Ping, Liu Sheng, and several other village officials from the western countryside, accompanied by the village head, began to measure the Wu family's fields one by one.

When Zhao Xian arrived with his men, the fields had already been divided into plots and boundary stones had been erected.

Liu Ping was fair and just, so he led the Daoist people of the demon-hunting team to select fields.

Although the Wu family owned more than 4,000 mu of land, not all of it was fertile land; there were different grades of land among them.

Zhao Xian secretly instructed Song Ming to allocate the best fertile land to Zhao Cheng, Zhao Ji, Mu Chun, and others.

Then there are the remaining fields, which are not bad, but not much better either.

However, when the people of Zhudao actually saw the land allocated to them, they were so excited that they didn't care at all whether the land was good or bad!

After the land was divided, the local head also brought all of Wu's family's dependents to the fields.

Looking around, Zhao Xian saw that while it might be an insult to the Wu family to say that these lackeys were poorly clothed, their ragged clothes and emaciated appearance were undeniable.

"Bring it up!"

Zhao Xian looked at Zhao Zheng beside him and said calmly.

Then, a dozen or so baskets of millet were immediately placed in front of the laborers.

"According to the household records, the Wu family colluded with bandits, and the entire family has been brought to justice!"

"From now on, you will all be my servants!"

At this point, Zhao Xian looked at the followers in front of him and saw that none of them had any objections.

"Everyone come up here and receive ten catties of millet!"

Seeing this, Zhao Xian continued calmly.

Upon hearing this, the followers looked at each other in bewilderment, not daring to approach.

"What are you all standing there for!"

"Why aren't you coming forward to claim your reward!"

Upon seeing this, the local official immediately stepped forward and shouted loudly.

Hearing the familiar village chief shout loudly, the thugs timidly and slowly stepped forward.

"You came empty-handed, what are you going to bring to show off?"

Zhao Hong, who was distributing millet, glanced at the thin man in front of him and asked in a stern voice.

"Sir, use this!"

Upon hearing this, the man did not hesitate and immediately took off some tattered robes and put them up.

Zhao Hong shook his head and began scooping rice.

"Next!"

One after another, the disciples came forward to receive millet, and after receiving the millet, the disciples' faces finally showed some signs of life!

"Thank you, sir!"

Before long, more than ten baskets of millet were distributed, and the thugs immediately knelt down and kowtowed to Zhao Xian.

Get up!

After he finished speaking, his followers slowly rose to their feet.

"Fourth brother, second brother, come forward and choose!"

Upon hearing Zhao Xian's words, Zhao Cheng, Zhao Ji, and the others immediately strode into the group of followers and selected their preferred followers.

These people were quite serious about this matter; they had to choose carefully!

These are all my future farm servants; if I choose one that's sick, I'll lose a fortune!

After a few rounds of selection, each of them had chosen two households.

After Zhao Ji and the others finished choosing, it was the turn of the Daoist people to make their selections. At this point, there wasn't much to choose from, so they could only pick what looked good to them.

After everyone had made their selections, the remaining items belonged to Zhao Xian.

Of the Wu family's more than 4,000 mu of land, only 2,000 mu have been divided up so far. Zhao Xian will naturally keep some of the remaining 2,000 mu for his subordinates to cultivate!

We can't just let those fields lie fallow.

After the land and laborers were allocated, Zhao Ji and the others naturally got to know their respective laborers.

They called it being familiar, but it really just meant giving him a beating and then rewarding him with some talisman money!

We can't expect them to shower us with concern; this is much more convenient!

With the land plots settled, Zhao Xian led them back to select the women and maids of the Wu family.

Zhao Ji and his companions already had their eyes on someone, so they naturally took her without hesitation.

Of course, those who stay behind are always better off than country women!

After that, the distribution of oxen and farm tools kept them busy for several more days.

It wasn't until just before New Year's Day that Zhao Xian and his entourage finished their work.

Meanwhile, news of the Wu family's annihilation had spread throughout Rongtai County.

The countryside was buzzing with excitement!