[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-even-a-gentleman-must-be-careful":3,"chapter-even-a-gentleman-must-be-careful-even-a-gentleman-must-be-careful-chapter-24":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Even a Gentleman Must Be Careful",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2268644,4429,"Chapter 24","even-a-gentleman-must-be-careful-chapter-24",24,"\u003Cp>Twenty-Four: The Free-Riding County Magistrate\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Liu family?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Every four years, Longcheng suffers floods. Do you know who builds the floodgates—including Di Gong Dam—each time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t it each new county magistrate?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes and no.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your humble servant must first congratulate you, my lord, on arriving in this fine place called Longcheng.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A fine place? Better than Luoyang’s Lintai?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Naturally not, but it’s better than most and far superior to the worst. Serving as county magistrate here lets you rise in rank and grow rich with ease—surely that’s a fine posting?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A flood every four years, yet you still manage to rise and grow rich with ease? Such luck exists? I must ask for your guidance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh no, I dare not presume to guide you—this is simply the established custom upon every magistrate’s arrival. Everyone tacitly accepts it. Even if I didn’t tell you, someone else would. But seeing your determination to govern diligently, I couldn’t bear to let you take a hard, fruitless path, so I must offer a small warning.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m all ears.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When each previous magistrate of Longcheng faced a flood, they immediately visited local wealthy landowners to raise charitable funds. Once they donated, the common folk and farmers would follow suit…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see. So after the work’s done, the landowners’ money is returned in full, while the commoners’ money is split three to seven?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, my lord, you already knew? Then I’ve overestimated my own insight… But splitting it all outright is too harsh. We must keep some of the commoners’ funds for disaster relief and flood control—so we have legitimate grounds, and no one can fault us. Still, during relief efforts, we can modestly cut corners. And the able-bodied disaster victims? We can use them directly—another saving.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Official Diao, you’re truly… kind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nonsense, it’s all thanks to your wisdom and compassion. Also, your earlier point isn’t quite right: we don’t need to return every single copper to every wealthy landowner. We’re their parents and protectors, not beggars on our knees. When Longcheng suffers, isn’t it natural for them to donate to ease your burden? Still…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So my county magistrate’s seal is worth so much that everyone must show respect?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, you jest. But there’s one crucial point: if you want the wealthy landowners to donate generously and the common folk to follow, you must have one household lead the fundraising!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who? Oh… the Liu family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly! The Liu family of the western bank is Longcheng’s foremost clan. Only when they donate a large sum will the other landowners follow. Otherwise, they’re all cowards who won’t give more than a few taels. But the money the Liu family donates—we must return it in full. They show face, so we must show sincerity. And the rest of the funds raised? We split them with them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So we’re just beggars on our knees? Why didn’t you say so sooner? You’ve been circling around just to beg.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait, my lord, let me finish. The split we give them is for their labor. In return, they’ll send a team of elite craftsmen to rebuild Di Gong Dam. That’s skilled work—the finest artisans in all Longcheng are in their Gu Yue Sword Workshop. You can’t even beg for their services normally. Even if we had relief grain, we couldn’t find so many craftsmen in a hurry…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So we just need to pick a group of able-bodied disaster victims to assist the Liu craftsmen in rebuilding the dam. We take less—no shame in that. Once Di Gong Dam is repaired, we’ve fixed the flood without spending a single copper from the court or province—who else but you will be promoted, my lord?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Official Diao will be promoted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nonsense, it’s all thanks to you, my lord.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thanks to me for kneeling and begging with you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“… ”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Official Diao, do you know why I came here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You accidentally offended the Empress and the Princess?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not accidentally. Intentionally. My bones are too stiff to kneel in court—that’s why I sit here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So my lord truly is a man of integrity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not quite. Begging for disaster relief is acceptable—but kneeling? No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then what does my lord intend? Forgive me, my cultivation is too low—I don’t understand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What if we stand and wait for them to bring us food willingly?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pfft~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You spat that tea with real artistry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You… cough… you’re just freeloadin’!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did you say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I said… my lord, your insight is brilliant.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A Metropolitan Graduate, third-place scholar? A seventh-rank county magistrate? You’re just here to kneel and beg! Pretending to be a man of virtue? Clean your mother’s high morals! Damn it, damn it, damn it…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside a lavish courtyard, a row of dark-skinned Kunlun slaves knelt at the gate, heads bowed. From within the house came the sound of shattering objects and a man’s furious roars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, priceless porcelain, landscape paintings, ancient artifacts, jewels, and incense lay shattered on the floor. A limping figure swung a sword wildly, hacking at sandalwood doors, eight-immortal tables—anything he saw, he smashed in rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if trying to reclaim the face he’d lost on someone else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one in the courtyard dared speak. Everyone knew that if the Liu family’s third son, Liu Zilin, so much as glanced their way, his sword would land on their necks in the next instant—and he wouldn’t blink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Liu Zilin was cruel and tyrannical in Longcheng, with a terrible reputation that mocked his name, he had two universally respected older brothers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eldest, Liu Ziwen, and the second, Liu Zian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outsiders joked that the three brothers were the “Three Tigers of the Liu family”: Liu Ziwen, the “Wise Tiger”; Liu Zian, the “Sick Tiger”; Liu Zilin, the “Mad Tiger.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Zilin had not yet taken over the family business. The Gu Yue Sword Workshop and all family enterprises were managed by his two elder brothers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Ziwen and Liu Zian, one primary and one secondary, upheld the booming power of the “Dragon King Liu” on the western bank of Butterfly Creek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And that little bitch who shot my hawk—do you think your scholarly lineage makes you superior? Do you think the Liu family has no Qi Refiners? Just wait, all of you—damn it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Zilin still swung his sword in fury, when a limping middle-aged servant walked in, passing through the kneeling slaves without pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The limping servant stopped at the door, expression calm:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Third Young Master, Second Young Master sends word: return to your room, confined for ten days. No leaving to cause trouble. And don’t touch that Hu Ji again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Zilin fell instantly silent, though his hands clenched into fists beneath his sleeves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the Mad Tiger’s teeth came a low growl: “So I’m just supposed to let this betrayal go?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The limping servant spoke plainly: “Second Young Master also said: if the county magistrate’s leg had been broken, he and First Young Master would have cleaned up for you. But since it was a worthless fool, you clean your own mess. Fix your own leg. Don’t dirty his hands with such petty matters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Zilin’s mouth twitched violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He fell silent for a moment, then asked: “Did Brother One say anything?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The limping servant, who had been about to turn away, glanced at Liu Zilin and nodded:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“First Young Master was standing beside him. He told Second Young Master: ‘Don’t rush. Let the new magistrate wait a while longer. Let Third Young Master fix his own leg.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Also, First Young Master said that if Third Young Master asked, I should deliver one more message.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Speak.” Liu Zilin dropped his sword and uttered a single word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The limping servant mimicked the young master’s tone, voice cool:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Xie woman cannot be killed—but killing is less effective than breaking the spirit.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1296,"2026-06-19T21:28:25.445Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","56e7ef75f1364c6724f300063263dceed15bf9968ca0a6d1b2f83114f3b400fc","even-a-gentleman-must-be-careful-chapter-25","even-a-gentleman-must-be-careful-chapter-23",864,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Feven-a-gentleman-must-be-careful-cover.jpg"]