Chapter 53: Pei Shaoqing Works Tirelessly, The Iron Sword Sect's Crisis (Seeking Monthly Votes)

The Hundred-Household Office.

The official office that should have belonged to Zhou Xiangyang had now been brazenly taken over by Pei Shaoqing.

Since Thousand-Household Lu had allowed Sun Youliang to pass on the word that he tacitly approved of Pei Shaoqing sidelining Zhou Xiangyang, he had to be flamboyant and overbearing to boost the morale and cohesion of his subordinates.

Otherwise, if he, the leader of this mutiny, appeared to lack confidence, how could the brothers below him dare to follow him down this path of no return?

Pei Shaoqing was buried in his official duties, his good sister Ye Hanshuang stood behind him clutching her sword, and his intern concubine Zhao Zhilan held a round fan, gently fanning him from the side.

"Young Master has been busy for a long time; would you like to drink some tea and take a rest?" Zhao Zhilan asked in a soft, gentle voice.

Ye Hanshuang felt this woman was truly an eyesore, spinning around her brother all day long with her little schemes written all over her face.

But she, who had always been taciturn, wanted to mock her a few times yet could not open her mouth, and furthermore, she could not beat the other woman, so she could only stew in silent anger; the long sword in her arms pressed downward, her bodice dipped, and her already magnificent, towering peaks became even more prominent, swaying gently twice.

"No need." Pei Shaoqing, with a serious expression, buried his head in writing furiously and said without even raising his head: "Power and responsibility are equal; how can an official fear fatigue? If I, this official, work a little harder, the people below will have it a little easier."

"Young Master is considerate of your subordinates, working tirelessly and handling everything personally; this is truly the good fortune of your subordinates and the good fortune of the common people." Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhilan's eyes sparkled with brilliance.

This bastard isn't always such a bastard after all.

Just then, a burst of footsteps sounded, and Chen Zhongyi strode in, "My Lord, you summoned me."

"Mm." Pei Shaoqing responded, picked up the official document he had just written, blew on it, and said nonchalantly: "Follow this list to collect my dividends from last month. Tell them that from now on, collection will be on this day every month for the previous month. You will be responsible for this matter from now on. After collecting it, send it directly to my residence."

Zhao Zhilan's expression froze instantly; today, Pei Shaoqing had been working diligently at his desk since early morning, and she had truly thought he was annotating official documents or case files.

Fine, this bastard is a bastard at every moment.

"Yes! Please rest assured, My Lord, this subordinate will certainly not let you down!" Chen Zhongyi replied excitedly.

In his view, for Pei Shaoqing to be willing to hand this matter over to him was trust! It proved that he had truly let go of past grievances and had completely accepted his allegiance.

Moreover, this was a lucrative position; in the future, he would be responsible for collecting money from the merchants in the city. In this process, wouldn't those merchants naturally prepare a gift for him as well?

This was not just trusting him!

It was also valuing him!

As Pei Shaoqing's former enemy, at this moment he was truly conquered by the other's broad-mindedness and transcendent bearing, giving rise to the heroic spirit of a scholar willing to die for one who understands him.

Pei Shaoqing tossed the list over casually and said in a flat tone: "I also believe that Flag Chief Chen will not let me down, otherwise why would I have chosen you?"

"Yes!" Chen Zhongyi caught the list with both hands, lowered his head, and retreated respectfully until his heels hit the threshold, then bowed and turned to leave.

Pei Shaoqing watched his back and revealed an imperceptible smile; of course, he could not personally come forward for matters like corruption and bribery—it was both beneath him and risky.

Keeping Chen Zhongyi in the beginning was not only to sideline the Hundred-Household, but also to throw all such dirty work to him in the future; once there was any sign of trouble, he could quickly cut ties and throw him out to take the blame.

A qualified corrupt official.

Must learn to build a firewall for himself.

As for the benefits Chen Zhongyi gained while doing dirty work for him, let them be considered his blood money.

Pei Shaoqing sat down and said: "Tea."

Zhao Zhilan hurriedly put down the round fan to serve him tea.

Pei Shaoqing took the tea, and while skimming the foam, asked: "Are you still writing letters to your senior brother recently?"

"I..." Zhao Zhilan's small face turned pale, and she hurriedly promised in a low voice: "Lan'er will not write anymore."

"How can you not write?" Pei Shaoqing placed the teacup he had sipped from onto the table and said in a calm tone: "If you suddenly stop writing, what will your senior brother think? Will he be worried? Will he be anxious? Will he run straight to Tongzhou to find you?

So, this letter must continue to be written. Although I, this official, am a petty person, I must still consider things for you. I do not mind you and your senior brother corresponding by letter, and I allow you to pour out your hearts and longing to each other in the letters."

He was just that magnanimous, tolerant, and open-minded.

Letting Zhao Zhilan have an online romance with her senior brother on one hand, while being stuffed into a cream puff by him in a hundred positions on the other.

In this way, all three people could have their own gains.

Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Sharing joy alone is not as good as sharing joy with others.

His thoughtfulness and understanding caught Zhao Zhilan off guard, and at the same time, a sense of gratitude arose in her heart, "Thank you, Young Master, for being so considerate of Lan'er."

"Mm, just keep a sense of proportion. I don't care how romantic you are in the letters, but in reality, you must restrain yourself, otherwise the entire Iron Sword Sect will pay the price for your love." Pei Shaoqing reminded her softly with a smile, smiling in a gentle, harmless manner.

Zhao Zhilan's breath hitched in fear, her heart tightened, and she said obediently: "Please rest assured, Young Master, Lan'er will only be yours, will absolutely observe the virtues of a woman, and will not dare to have any overstepping actions with Senior Brother."

Ye Hanshuang's gaze instantly sharpened, the sword in her arms pressed down a few more inches, and she felt a stuffy, oppressive feeling in her heart, but she only bit her red lips and remained silent.

And Zhao Zhilan's thoughts drifted away.

Senior Brother.

Young Master is allowing me to continue corresponding with you.

She felt extremely complicated inside, and at the same time, she could not help but miss Jiang Yebai, who was thousands of miles away.

Senior Brother, are you doing well in Bazhou?

………………………

Junior Sister, I miss you so much in Bazhou.

Bazhou, behind the Iron Sword Sect, Jiang Yebai sat alone on a cliff, repeatedly reading the newly received letter from his junior sister, his heart filled with uncontrollable longing.

"Senior Brother! Senior Brother!"

A call interrupted his thoughts.

Jiang Yebai hurriedly put away the letter, stood up, and looked back at the person running over, "Seventh Junior Brother, what is it?"

"The Heaven Sword Sect has come to cause trouble, Master..."

Before the Seventh Junior Brother could finish speaking, Jiang Yebai had already tapped his toes on the ground and rushed out, heading toward the mountain gate.

Both the Heaven Sword Sect and the Iron Sword Sect were in Bazhou, and both were sects primarily focused on sword techniques; their strengths were similar, so the competition between the two sides was very fierce.

The disciples often had friction, and the two sides had a large-scale brawl last year, which ended with the Heaven Sword Sect having a slight edge and the Iron Sword Sect suffering a crushing defeat.

That was why Jiang Yebai was so anxious.

But today, it was not just the Heaven Sword Sect that came; several other sects in Bazhou had also come along together.

It is just that the Heaven Sword Sect is the one taking the lead.

At this moment, outside the mountain gate of the Iron Sword Sect, the disciples of various sects and the disciples of the Iron Sword Sect are in a standoff.

"Fellow Sect Leaders, I, Gongsun Yi, have always considered myself to be lenient and kind to others. In all my years in Bazhou, I have only had a grudge with Ye Canghai and have never offended any of you. Why have you come here today with him to cause trouble for my Iron Sword Sect?"

Gongsun Yi stood in front of the disciples, looked around, cupped his hands in a salute, and spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Sect Leader Ye Canghai of the Heaven Sword Sect sneered: "Of course it is because your selfishness has provoked public anger! The Iron Sword Sect keeps raising the benefits for its disciples; what is the meaning of this? Are you trying to cut off the fresh blood of our various sects?"

After Gongsun Yi brought back a large sum of wealth from Pei Shaoqing, he once again increased the benefits for his disciples, which led to an endless stream of people coming to apprentice, allowing him to recruit many good talents who could become pillars of support once cultivated.

But this triggered the dissatisfaction of the Heaven Sword Sect; the few talents they had their eyes on all ran to the Iron Sword Sect, which was completely malicious competition that could absolutely not be left unchecked.

At the same time, they also wanted to take this opportunity to completely destroy the Iron Sword Sect, a powerful competitor, so they used this matter as a pretext to invite several sects to come and hold them accountable.

(End of this chapter)