Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

"Squeak!"

The door opened, and several figures filed out of the house.

Zhao Cheng and Zhao Ji dragged Huang Liang, who was like a walking corpse. His face was ashen and his eyes were lifeless, like an empty shell without a soul.

"Huang Wen, you have embezzled the people's relief funds and helped Huang Liang hire a murderer. You will be temporarily detained in the Hedong Pavilion until the patrolman Liu arrives, at which point you will be taken back to the county and handed over to the county magistrate for questioning!"

Chen Yuancheng glanced at Huang Wen, who was slumped on the ground, and said with a rather indifferent expression.

"Lord Zuo, temporarily detain Huang Wen and Huang Liang in the pavilion, and immediately dispatch a thief to the county to report the crime!"

Chen Yuancheng then looked at Zuo Yuan, the head of the Hedong Pavilion behind him, and gave instructions again.

"I will obey Lord Chen's command!"

Upon hearing this, Zuo Yuan immediately responded respectfully.

Although the positions of pavilion chief and village clerk were both among the officials responsible for food distribution, their powers and responsibilities were worlds apart.

Moreover, Zuo Yuan was merely from a wealthy family in the countryside, while Chen Yuancheng came from a powerful clan in the county and had a bright future; they were not comparable at all.

"Bozhang, you will stay at Hedong Pavilion for the next few days to help Lord Zuo take care of Huang Wen and Huang Liang."

With his gaze fixed on Zhao Xian, Chen Yuancheng spoke meaningfully.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian immediately bowed and accepted the order, clearly understanding the implication of Chen Yuancheng's words.

However, he was worried that Zuo Yuan would not be able to withstand the pressure from the Yan family, which would lead to the deaths of Huang Wen and Huang Liang inside the pavilion.

After giving some instructions, Chen Yuancheng looked out of the courtyard again and saw that the Taoist priests were peeling skins and cooking meat with great joy on their faces, but they were completely indifferent to the affairs inside the courtyard. He couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

"You two brothers are of the same clan as the Daoist people outside the courtyard. Now you are both imprisoned, but your clansmen don't care at all."

"This clearly shows that you two have committed many evil deeds in Beihuangli in the past, causing the clansmen to become disloyal and alienated!"

Upon hearing Chen Yuancheng's words, both Huang brothers' faces darkened.

"Bozhang, you will have to make a trip these next few days to visit the remaining households of Daoist people who are receiving subsidies from the county. If there are any officials who have embezzled the county's subsidies, bring them all back to their hometowns."

"Bo Zhang respectfully obeys Lord Chen's command!"

Zhao Xian bowed again to accept the order.

After giving Zhao Xian some more instructions, Chen Yuancheng led Zhao Cheng and the others away.

Seeing Chen Yuancheng leave, Zuo Yuan and the others from Hedongting also left with the two Huang brothers.

In the blink of an eye, only Zhao Xian and his group, along with the brother and sister, remained in the courtyard.

Zhao Xian looked around the courtyard, his gaze falling on the two corpses. After a moment's thought, he stepped out of the courtyard.

He bowed respectfully to the busy villagers and asked with a smile, "Where is that brave man who went to deliver the message to the village?"

"My lord, is there something you need from me?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Taoist priest strode over, carrying a skinning knife in his hand, looking quite puzzled.

"Brave man, I would like to trouble you to find a few men to drag the corpses from the courtyard to the mountains and bury them!"

After saying that, Zhao Xian took out a string of talisman coins from his sleeve and handed them over with a smile.

Upon hearing this, the man exclaimed "Oh dear!" and slapped his forehead, laughing, "I was so busy skinning and butchering the meat that I almost forgot about it!"

After saying that, the Taoist priest turned around and beckoned to his men, without taking the talisman money.

Zhao Xian didn't mind. After calling over three or five people, he stepped forward and stuffed the talisman into the hand of one of the Taoists.

"This is just a small token of my appreciation; please share it with everyone!"

After saying this, Zhao Xian returned to the courtyard, while the Taoist priests behind him thanked him repeatedly.

Before long, the courtyard was cleaned up, and several Taoist priests even shoveled away the blood-stained mud on the ground.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Without your help, my brother and I would have been wiped out today!"

At this moment, the blond-haired boy and the girl also stepped forward, knelt down before Zhao Xian, and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Please rise quickly!" Zhao Xian hurriedly helped the two up, sighing, "Your brother died hunting a tiger, and you two have been humiliated. How can I stand idly by!"

"Now that Huang Wen and his brother have been arrested, you two can live in peace from now on!"

"Ah Hong, fetch two thousand talismans." Zhao Xianfu then looked at Zhao Hong beside him and instructed him.

Zhao Hong responded and immediately walked towards the package, counting out two thousand talisman coins from it. Then he came over carrying a pile of golden talisman coins.

"This is a small token of my appreciation; please accept it!"

Zhao Xian did not look down on the two siblings because they were young, and he spoke to them with great respect.

"My lord, though I am but a humble countryman, I know that a drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring of gratitude. How could I possibly accept any more of your wealth!"

Upon hearing this, the blond-haired youth immediately bowed respectfully and said...

The thin girl beside her also bowed in greeting.

Zhao Xian had been here for almost half a day and had not looked at the girl carefully until now. After a closer look, he saw that although her face was pale, she had delicate features and was already a beauty at such a young age.

"No wonder Huang Liang wanted this girl as his slave!"

With a sigh in his heart, Zhao Xian looked around the courtyard and saw that the family was destitute. He couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. "It's a pity that although they have been exempted from three years of land tax, the two siblings will probably have a difficult time making a living in the future."

Seeing that the blond-haired boy was very stubborn and refused to accept the talisman money, Zhao Hong had no choice but to look to Zhao Xian for help.

"Very well, since you don't want to accept this talisman money, you can come to my house to find me if you encounter any difficulties in the future!"

After a moment's thought, Zhao Xian solemnly replied.

The blond-haired boy then responded.

Afterwards, Zhao Xian chatted with the brother and sister for a while and learned that their parents had passed away more than ten years ago, and the two siblings had been raised by their elder brother, Huang Jia.

Therefore, Huang Jia has never married and remains single.

As they were talking, a Daoist entered the courtyard, looked at Zhao Xian very respectfully, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, we have finished cutting up the horse meat. Please distribute it as you see fit!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian immediately stood up and led Zhao Hong and his entourage out of the courtyard. Outside, the Daoist people had already set up an iron pot and cooked hot soup.

Zhao Xian glanced at the pieces casually, then pointed to one of them and said, "This piece is for Huang Fa'er. You all cook the rest and divide them up!"

"My lord, what about the horse hide?"

Another Taoist pointed to the large, blood-soaked piece of horsehide hanging on the tree and asked respectfully.

Such a large horsehide would fetch several hundred coins in the local market, so it's understandable that it would attract the attention of the local people.

"The horsehide was given to the brave man who went to the village to deliver the news!"

Zhao Xian said something indifferently, then turned and walked into the courtyard.

Zhao Hong didn't care about the oil and blood stains, and went forward to carry the fattest piece of horse meat into the yard.

As noon approached, Zhao Xian and his entourage did not leave immediately.

After the horse meat was cooked and lunch was served, Zhao Xian ordered the Daoist priests to clean up the bloodstains outside the courtyard before letting the Daoist priests of Beihuangli disperse.

After tidying up briefly, Zhao Xian prepared to return to the pavilion with Zhao Hong and his group, but unexpectedly, the blond-haired boy suddenly knelt down, his forehead touching the ground.

"My lord, I wish to serve by your side!"