Chapter 138

【In the previous chapter, a reader raised an objection; I pondered the opinion, felt he had a point, and revised it. If the plot of this chapter doesn't connect, go back and reread the previous chapter.】

A county-level yamen, reduced to the level of Weak From Ninth Rank — to speak frankly, it is truly a bit shameful.

If there were no Tenth Rank, or lower, given Chen Yaozu's current yamen with its hundred-odd people within its scope, they'd be lucky to rate a Fifteenth or Sixteenth Rank! But precisely, the weakest official rank in the Great Ming court was Ninth Rank; even a From Ninth Rank is stronger than his Weak From Ninth Rank!

After reading the talisman's prompt to him, Chen Yaozu felt a stirring; this Pacification Commission yamen should also have a different qi luck display by now! Thus, he walked all the way out — not a group of Dharma Protectors practicing with tigerish vigor — straight to the yamen's big door, and looked back.

【Great Ming North America Pacification Commission Yamen: subordinate civilians fewer than a hundred, but all official structure already complete, can operate normally.

Within the Pacification Commission's jurisdiction, all civilians' qi luck increases somewhat, physical quality also strengthens somewhat, literacy also helped, cultivation, martial arts, medical learning as if divine assistance.】

This general? Can't there be data display? Increase, strengthen, help, divine assistance — what do they mean? Exactly how much increase? How much strengthen? There ought to be a figure!

Hearing his complaint, the talisman in his mind rippled with a barely perceptible fluctuation following his sincerity.

【Great Ming Pacification Commission Yamen (North America) basic official structure complete, can operate normally.

Level:

Civilians fewer than a hundred, yamen regarded as Weak From Ninth Rank, rank extremely low, suggest think of ways to increase commoner numbers.

(Within Great Ming territory, in Yunmian Siam lands various native chieftain officials all exist, many without rank, also many with rank.

But if want rank, must have people.

From Ninth Rank yamen jurisdiction should have a thousand households, five thousand people or more.

Ninth Rank should have three thousand households, fifteen thousand people or more.

From Eighth Rank should have five thousand households, twenty-five thousand people.

Eighth Rank should have eight thousand households, forty thousand people or more.

From Seventh Rank should have ten thousand households, fifty thousand people; in the Zhengtong Era Era era a Great Ming weak county had this many people.

A proper Upper County should have twenty thousand households, one hundred thousand people! Only this meets the Pacification Commission yamen's minimum county-level Seventh Rank standard!

Not to mention overseas Pacification Commission yamens, which are inherently lower rank than inland, governing even more people is the norm!) Jurisdiction's people live in peace and contentment, people's hearts turn toward it, the yamen's qi luck will also become increasingly ample.

Although currently population insufficient, causing the yamen's qi luck to be low, it still counts as From Ninth Rank.

Under a From Ninth Rank yamen's qi luck, civilians also gain benefits:

Physical quality within Pacification Commission yamen jurisdiction universally increases 1%, immunity improved.

Literacy within Pacification Commission yamen jurisdiction all learning comprehension possess 1% qi luck bonus, writing as if divine assistance! Cultivation, martial arts, medical learning emphasize spiritual comprehension, stack with literacy's learning comprehension ability, the more superior, the higher the qi luck environment, the better the comprehension.

Therefore, within Pacification Commission yamen jurisdiction cultivation amplification is large, increase 10% cultivation-direction qi luck bonus.

Martial arts also need comprehension ability.

But more is body coordination and recovery ability, mutually stack with jurisdiction's physical quality increase effect, body coordination and recovery ability also stack, martial arts increase 10% qi luck bonus.

Learning medical skill, likewise needs extremely high comprehension ability.

Superior learning environment, plus court's responsibility-for-livelihood attribute encouragement, within Pacification Commission jurisdiction learning medical skill possesses 11% qi luck bonus.

As soon as possible raise the commoner numbers in yamen jurisdiction lands, raise the people's hearts.

This place will one day become Great Ming scholars, cultivators, martial artists, medical learners' holy land.

Heaven's qi vast, Great Ming prosperous!】

Goddamn Great Ming prosperous, never mind Great Ming, even Great Qing is gone! Chen Yaozu complained inwardly, but was still shocked that a Pacification Commission yamen actually had so many benefits.

The small square outside the yamen's gongtang, which counts as a martial arts training ground, at this moment echoed with unceasing monkey cries and tiger roars.

Dozens of people performing the Five Animals Guiding Technique in a Heaven-Man Unity state, entering epiphany, every raise of hand and stamp of foot brimming with power, even occasionally someone punching the air until it exploded with a bang.

Using fists and feet… to punch the air until it exploded…

This even stunned Tian Erdai!

These damn things are all ordinary people?

Tian clan sighed and explained to him: "Husband, you missed a heaven-great opportunity!

In the dark, deep in my heart a voice told me.

This opportunity for us ordinary ghost-people, never mind a hundred years, this is clearly a once-in-ten-thousand-years cultivation opportunity.

Like the critical passages they comprehend in a single day now, can even equal ten-odd years of cultivation.

For cultivation people, this is even more a chance encountered but not sought! After all, it is Heaven-Man Unity!"

Tian Erdai's heart sighed, turned back to glance at his peach-blossom-faced wife, suddenly asked: "Then you?

Didn't have this epiphany opportunity?"

Tian Fangfei answered: "Yes, today all colleagues who joined the yamen have this opportunity.

After receiving appointment, then had the idea.

I now have official body, can try using official qi to cultivate ghost body, thus achieve ghost god.

Therefore, this concubine is very grateful to Celestial Master for giving this opportunity.

Also because of this opportunity, can see Seal Mastery Celestial Master truly has great divine powers! No wonder Father-in-law and them sought that kind of… for you…"

That kind of post, yet you refused it…

The rest Tian clan didn't say, but Tian Erdai knew the meaning; he drew a deep breath, softly told his wife: "You go do what you should, don't waste this once-in-a-thousand-years rare opportunity.

I'm fine! What's mine is mine, what's not mine forcing it is useless! I'll go talk to that Celestial Master!"

Saying no regret is fake, but he's naturally somewhat carefree; moreover, regretting now is too late; since it's late, no more entangling, but openly and aboveboard find Chen Yaozu.

"Mister Chen, you harmed me bitterly!"

As soon as he found the man, Tian Erdai cupped fists, completed the salute, then shamelessly poured out grievances: "Why didn't you say in advance? This was agreed to give me this opportunity.

This also blames me, momentarily not knowing truth raised undue wariness!

Missed this opportunity!"

Not entangling is not entangling, but if can strive, he still wants to strive a bit.

Thick face eats enough; he an Official Second Generation who mingles daily in the married women circle, if his face weren't thick, he couldn't mingle!

Seeing off the slightly aggrieved Audrey as she got into the car, Chen Yaozu, watching her leave, was now also slowly practicing the Five Animals Guiding Technique.

However, his current realm differed from the many Dharma Protector Disciples inside; there were no excessive deer cries, ape howls, or tiger roars, and even his movements were not swift — merely seemingly lazy and languid, each motion and stillness unhurried.

He looked exactly like the tiger, deer, bear, ape, and bird after eating their fill, strolling lazily and leisurely, yet everything was extremely natural.

He did not use up this opportunity of unity between heaven and man, planning to wait until the time of seated meditation and settling his Qi to try using this opportunity, to see what he might gain an epiphany about.

At this moment Tian Erdai came and disturbed his boxing practice mood, so he stopped, turned his head and said with a smile.

"So-called: medicine does not knock on doors uninvited, the Go To is not lightly transmitted!

The opportunity was given to you, but you did not cherish it; I cannot force it upon you! Journey to the West says, the Buddha also said: 'Sutras must not be lightly transmitted, nor can they be taken for nothing.' Even an ordinary Bhikkhu chanting sutras for someone only received three dou three sheng of rice grains and gold, and he still thought this price was collected too low.

The karmic opportunity I give you is likewise!"

As soon as these words came out, Tian Erdai's eyes brightened: "Your meaning is, as long as the price I give is reasonable, there is still a chance!"

Chen Yaozu smiled and nodded: "You can understand it that way too! However, the price you give cannot be money, because I still have some money, and money is not hard to earn.

But what you give must be something I need!

So, whether there is still a chance to enter the Yamen and work with us depends on yourself!"

Finished speaking, Chen Yaozu turned and walked back inside. A price that cannot be money...

Tian Erdai felt this was a bit difficult for him, making him rack his brains all morning, until noon when a portion of people one after another woke from the unity of heaven and man state, only then did he get a clue.

Although the fist and foot skills of those who woke up might not have advanced too terrifyingly in a short time — after all, physical conditions need slow, subtle transformation through training to strengthen in an orderly manner.

But their understanding of the Five Animals Guiding Technique is not limited to physical conditions, so their gains might be deeper than what they usually ponder for five or ten years.

But the consequence was... utter exhaustion, each stomach growling with hunger! For this, Chen Yaozu had long been prepared! He had long since had Fuzhou's men prepare lunch for 200 people and send it over; these fifty or sixty people practiced all morning, skills were gained, but now they were probably hungry enough to eat a whole cow.

Yesterday's leftovers were obviously not enough!

And what let Tian Erdai catch a flash of inspiration was that pickup truck driven by Fuzhou's younger brother, loaded full of lunches, whooshed past on the highway outside, then turned back and circled a few times in confusion, simply unable to find the place.

Finally he called someone inside who had woken from the unity of heaven and man state; that person found Chen Yaozu, and only then did the delivery younger brother find this piece of land.

Hiss... right before the eyes, yet invisible without a phone call?

Only then did Tian Erdai recall, it seemed someone mentioned yesterday that those few Mexicans came to steal several hundred thousand dollars worth of rebar and cement and the few sets of machinery he procured for Mr. Chen, resulting in three vehicles circling the construction site all night without being able to find their way out...

The legendary standard configuration of a mythical world — a Barrier? Peach Blossom Spring?

His eyes brightened, suddenly feeling he had found a blind spot.

Additionally, he thought of another matter.

He previously thought Chen Yaozu opening a feed factory providing 200 job positions was to invest and get a Green Card.

But now he knew it wasn't for any Green Card, but for cultivation.

He wanted to provide work for his believers who would go bankrupt in the natural disaster.

Believers, work...

Perhaps this is his own breakthrough point! This might be something that even if others knew this breakthrough point, they might not necessarily be able to produce a satisfactory method.

But he, Tian Hao, can!

Behind him is his old man, behind his old man is a high mountain, a mountain even higher than Mount Everest.

So he picked up his phone again and woke his sleeping father and mother; after all, it was noon here, but evening domestically.

Knowing the time difference, and that it was his own son, his father had no morning temper.

However, when Tian Erdai recounted everything he had seen and heard, without omitting any detail, his father fell silent.

In the end he could only squeeze out a sentence: "Don't rush, wait for me to find people to study this! The bigger the matter the more caution needed; you've already lost one chance, the second time absolutely cannot be botched!

Since we chose you to make contact, we must give you enough help! Even if only as an Advisor! Right now your task is just to observe more, speak less, wait for our research results!

Right, any intelligence promptly supplement to us, lest the research results miss the mark!"

What sleep at this time, he directly climbed out of bed, not caring about the dead of night, directly calling people; since it concerned his son's future, then nobody sleep.

Tian Erdai finished eating, his wife Tian-shi also woke from the unity of heaven and man realization, coming to his side with a face full of joy.

"Husband, the epiphany under unity of heaven and man is truly useful! This concubine has now completely integrated the Official Qi on her body into the ghost body; in the future, encountering any demons and monsters, as long as their strength does not exceed mine by several times, I can suppress them and win in battle!"

Immediately she carefully looked left and right, then quietly leaned to Tian Erdai's ear, very playfully saying: "Leaning on the Official Gate is good for cultivation, husband, when our Yamen governs enough commoners to a certain scale, perhaps in the future what you sleep with is a Ghost Immortal!!!"

This innate seductive charm made Tian Erdai go weak on one side; fortunately this was his wife, not someone here to harm him, otherwise he felt he couldn't restrain himself now.

But amid the tingling numbness in his heart, he suddenly caught a bright spot! "You mean, the number of commoners governed by the Pacification Commission Yamen — that is, the populace — affects your cultivation strength or result, is that so?"

Tian-shi obediently nodded: "This concubine's realized Ghost Immortal path cultivates precisely thus! The more people governed within the Yamen's jurisdiction, the stronger their sense of belonging in their hearts, the more beneficial to my cultivation.

If the people governed here were a hundred or a thousand times more, this concubine's Ghost Immortal cultivation path would likely achieve results before long."

Tian Erdai seized the inspiration, hurriedly asking: "Wife, is everyone else like this too? For example, Seal Mastery Celestial Master Mr. Chen, does he also need population to cultivate?"

Tian-shi smiled and shook her head:

"This concubine only says her own realized Ghost Immortal path cultivates thus; as for whether others are the same, that is unknown! Husband, what is it, did you think of something?"

Words just asked, before her Tian Erdai suddenly stunned like a wooden chicken, abruptly stood up, picked her up and spun in circles: "A virtuous wife at home, a virtuous wife at home!

Wife, thank you!"

He committed this to memory, but did not go harass the old man at home; sleeping soundly in the middle of the night, being repeatedly woken by him — what kind of matter is that?

He specially went to find paper and pen, wrote down the questions he thought of, and tucked them away very preciously.

In the afternoon, after everyone woke from epiphany, all ate and drank their fill, only then formally convened court, bringing those few Mexicans up to the Gongtang.

Chen Yaozu decided to skip the step of criminals kneeling, letting them stand was fine.

And Wenzhou Yu, as Blackjack Shi, he was responsible for prosecuting these six Mexicans before him.

"Report to the Pacification Commissioner:

There are six Mexicans, Ris Harland, Moff Garcia, Hun Perez... etc., holding firearms and grenades, driving one sedan, one truck, one truck equipped with a loading crane, illegally breaking into our warehouse, stealing machinery and rebar and cement worth one million dollars.

Below are the firearms and grenades confiscated from the six suspects, and three vehicles, and the machinery already loaded onto vehicles worth nearly one million, and other evidence.

Now I, the Prosecutor, prosecute the six suspects for having already violated criminal law heavy crimes, respectively: illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, illegal possession of explosives, theft of others' property in huge amount — three charges."

Illegal possession of firearms is stipulated in Article 128 of the Criminal Law: illegal possession of firearms carries a sentence of fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention, or public surveillance; if the circumstances are serious, a sentence of fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than seven years. Illegal possession of explosives is stipulated in Article 125 of the Criminal Law: a sentence of fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than ten years; if the circumstances are serious, a sentence of fixed-term imprisonment of not less than ten years, life imprisonment, or the death penalty.

Theft of another's property involving a huge amount falls under Article 264 of the Criminal Law: theft of public or private property, involving a huge amount or other serious circumstances, carries a sentence of fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than ten years, and a fine.

According to relevant judicial interpretations, theft of public or private property valued at thirty thousand RMB to one hundred thousand RMB or above shall be determined as involving a huge amount.

Combined punishment for three crimes, and the circumstances are serious.

Now our side initiates public prosecution against the six suspects, requesting that the six be sentenced to life imprisonment!

Life imprisonment?

The several old Mo were stunned!

They are veterans; in America where would there be such heavy punishment? No one was injured, the theft didn't succeed, how could illegal possession of firearms draw such a heavy sentence? Tian Erdai also couldn't help shaking his head: unprofessional, too unprofessional! This is clearly the work of a makeshift crew!

How can there be such a public prosecution? Indeed!

For Wenzhou Yu, making a knife hand do this prosecutor's work — what difference is there from forcing Zhang Fei to embroider? "I don't accept it. In California, purchasing a handgun without a safety certificate is a light offense, punishable by up to six months imprisonment, a maximum fine of 1000 dollars, or both.

Even if I had a rifle and hand grenades, it still couldn't be life imprisonment! No matter how serious, it couldn't exceed ten years, possibly not even five years! I want a defense, I want a lawyer, I want to apply for legal defense..."

The oldest of the old Mo suddenly raised his shackled hands and shouted loudly.

Legal defense?

Lawyer?

To tell the truth, going by how TV dramas play it, if Great Ming has a suspect making such a fuss, shouldn't they be racked up and given twenty big boards first before anything else?

To speak honestly, this is also Chen Yaozu's first time trying a case; he's finding it quite fresh! And, it seems by convention, in court, if the defendant side has no defense lawyer, a free legal aid lawyer must be provided to the other side.

He looked left and right, and suddenly his gaze fell on Tian Erdai, who had just snorted with laughter.

"Tian Hao, I now announce: you are the first lawyer within the jurisdiction of the Great Ming Pacification Office.

Now, this court appoints you to defend the six suspects before you!"

Ah! Tian Erdai never imagined he would have anything to do with a defense lawyer.

Is it this much child's play?

I'm not a legal major at all! The Tian clan member suddenly poked him and whispered: "Why don't you hurry up and accept? You've missed once already; do you want to miss a second time?"

(Chapter End)