Chapter 407: Don

Liang Qu scanned up and down.

The Eye-Perception Method detected no malice.

Yet since the River Office must approve, Liu Liu Shiqin, as the local County Magistrate, would inevitably need to submit a petition for authorization.

"Didn't you draft the official document early this morning?"

"Indeed, my lord. Since you're on good terms with Bai Yuan, whether it succeeds or not, I naturally wished to show it to you first—so I held off submitting it without your consent." Liu Liu Shiqin called for a maid, "On the left side of the study desk, the first official document—fetch it for Lord Liang."

"Yes."

In no time, the maid hurried forward and handed over the document.

Liang Qu opened the booklet, running his fingers over the paper.

The ink had dried completely—clearly written but not yet sent.

A full read revealed neat handwriting; the phrasing wasn't elegant, but far superior to Liang Qu's own plain-text draft, with cause and effect laid out clearly.

The gist was this: the serpent demon had plagued the region from the New Year until late spring and early summer, and the people's grievances had long festered.

Under the eyes of all, Bai Yuan slew the wicked serpent, restoring clarity to the world; it left the corpse exposed for days, allowing public emotion to be released, rising from suppression to an extreme peak.

Moreover, Bai Yuan's slaying of the demon was not mere beastly conflict—it was an act carried out under orders. Erecting a statue now is a move in accord with popular sentiment, highly beneficial.

Liang Qu sensed the subtext in the document.

No wonder the old devil was so eager.

Trying to secure a political achievement?

When he arrived, Li Li Shoufu had said Liu Liu Shiqin, County Magistrate of Xiangyi, was due for promotion and feared public unrest, hence he'd sent a letter seeking aid.

If he were in Liang Qu's position, about to be promoted, he'd certainly follow public opinion as closely as possible—especially since it cost him nothing.

Do well, and at departure, he might even earn a "Ten-Thousand-People Umbrella"—a fine talking point.

Combined with the Eye-Perception Method's feedback, the likelihood of him merely seeking fame was high.

Liang Qu's gaze flickered as he closed the document: "Who was previously enshrined in Xiangyi's River God Temple?"

"The Long Wang of Jianghuai."

"Long Wang? What's the legend behind it?"

"Legend… Xiangyi County has venerated the Long Wang for over a hundred years. During the previous dynasty's retreat from north to south, countless documents were burned along the way; local records in Xiangyi are extremely scarce, mostly passed orally.

In my years here, I've heard few tales of the Long Wang manifesting miracles, but elders say there were once Twenty Jiaoren near Xiangyi—if true, the legend likely originated from them, and over time, the locals began worshipping the Long Wang of Jianghuai."

Reasonable and well-founded.

Liang Qu rubbed his teacup.

He had no interest in becoming a stone idol inside the temple, but he was keen on the favor of the Great Marsh.

Does offering sacrifice to Jianghuai yield favor? What about enshrining a Water God temple?

Sacrifices are limited in number each year, but a Water God temple stands daily, year after year.

So far, Liang Qu had received four favor instances: two in Yixing Town, two in Huazhu County; only one drew the attention of a jiaolong, the other three showed no anomaly.

Small, frequent offerings—might the jiaolong fail to notice?

But Liang Qu didn't want to be the tallest tree that gets struck first when the sky falls.

The restless are clouds, lightning, wind, and lamps; the fond of stillness are dead ashes and withered wood; only when stillness resides in motion, and vitality flows like birds in flight and fish leaping, is there true Daoist heart and substance.

Is there a way to have both…

Long silence.

Liang Qu spoke: "Liu Magistrate, how about this: don't be the head, be the general."

"Don't be the head, be the general?"

"What's the layout inside the River God Temple?"

Liu Liu Shiqin cupped his sleeves, lifted his teacup, poured a small pool of tea, then drew a line with his fingertip through the trembling, full droplet—on the brown table, it formed a dragon deity in wide robes, holding a tablet, seated solemnly, surrounded by vertical lines as walls and horizontal lines as a platform.

Liang Qu raised his hand, drew water from the pool as well; in a few swift strokes, he sketched a white ape beside the Long Wang, about two-thirds its height.

Liu Liu Shiqin suddenly understood: "So we don't alter or add?"

"Precisely."

Who says a River God Temple can only enshrine one deity?

Doesn't the River God have subordinates?

Everyone knows the Lord of Rivers, but who knows the names of the Six Friends of Meishan?

Quietly add a small white ape statue beside the Long Wang—just test whether we can gain benefits, while drastically reducing the official legitimacy of its presence.

If any unforeseen trouble arises later, the Long Wang takes the first blow; any downstream impact won't be too severe.

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Absolutely refuse to be the tallest.

"How should the relationship between the large and small statues be explained to the people?"

"You, Liu Magistrate, decide for yourself."

"Decide for myself?" Liu Liu Shiqin stroked his beard, hesitating. "Won't Bai Yuan object?"

"I'll speak for it."

Liang Qu's relationship with Bai Yuan was better than imagined.

Liu Liu Shiqin thought.

After brief consideration, Liu Liu Shiqin said: "Then I'll draft another petition, requesting to appoint Bai Yuan as an official under the Long Wang, enshrining it in the River God Temple. What do you think, Water Lord?"

"Excellent!"

With approval granted, Liu Liu Shiqin immediately summoned someone to bring ink, brush, paper, and inkstone, and began drafting the document on the spot.

Changing deities to add subordinates.

A major riverfront issue instantly became a minor one: public emotion found release, and the River Office's matter grew simpler—even Assistant Commander Ran Zhongchi had authority to decide.

"Is there any other news you'd like to share?"

Liu Liu Shiqin shook his head: "In recent days, only these three major matters."

"I have one thing."

"Lord Liang, please speak freely."

"It's not a big matter—I just want to sell you something."

Liang Qu pulled out a white cloth from his pocket, spread it on the table, then withdrew a transparent gem.

The gem was tiny; under sunlight, it shimmered brilliantly, casting a rippling reflection on the cloth that evoked calm and serenity.

Liu Liu Shiqin didn't understand why Liang Qu wanted to sell him a gem, but he sensed its strangeness.

"May I hold it for a closer look?"

"Of course."

Liu Liu Shiqin picked up the tear-shaped gem, held it to the sunlight, and as he gazed, found it increasingly transparent, like a tear.

Even without being a gemologist, recalling Liang Qu's disappearance for days and the earlier tale of Twenty Jiaoren in Xiangyi…

Liu Liu Shiqin's pupils contracted.

"Is this… Twenty Jiaoren's tear?"

"Correct."

Hiss!

The villagers' oral tales were true?

What incredible power.

He'd served as County Magistrate of Xiangyi for seven years and never heard a whisper of its truth—yet this man arrived only half a month ago.

Gathering his thoughts, Liu Liu Shiqin didn't hesitate: "If you're selling, Lord Liang, what price do you set?"

"Three." Liang Qu pulled out two more gems. "Fifteen thousand taels! No haggling!"

The courtyard fell silent.

The distant maid was secretly astonished—what tiny thing cost five thousand taels per piece?

This price was two thousand taels higher than what Liang Qu had once sold them for at the Tianbo Trading Association!

Excluding Tianbo's profit, the premium was over a thousand taels—any normal person, even if fond of it, wouldn't buy—but Liang Qu was utterly confident.

Liu Liu Shiqin remained silent for a long while.

"Wait a moment."

Afternoon.

Liang Qu confirmed the document was correct, stamped it, tucked fifteen thousand taels in silver notes into his robe, and departed under the escort of the gatekeeper's boy, mounted Chishan, and vanished in a gust of wind.

Free and exhilarated.

Being an official.

Especially a civil official: sufficient achievements, no connections, and ambition for promotion inevitably require bribes up and down.

Liu Liu Shiqin was over forty; Liang Qu didn't believe he had powerful patrons.

If bribes are needed…

A fifty-wen copper coin to the gatekeeper might not work, but a package of smoked pork head worth over thirty wen, plus a finely packed tobacco pipe, likely would.

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