Chapter 120: The Rules Have Changed

"Lord Zhuo!"

Zhuo Yutang had stayed in Songnan Prefecture for nearly ten years, and when he was about to leave, there were still people in the Prefecture Office who came to see him off. This scene also fell into Shen Yu's eyes, and it was clear that these few people were quite reluctant to part with Zhuo Yutang.

After learning that Zhuo Yutang had been dismissed, the common people of the entire Songnan Prefecture were cheering, with only these few people being the exception.

Logically speaking, Zhuo Yutang was penniless and destitute; following him brought no benefits, not to mention having to endure plenty of frustration. Even so, could there still be people reluctant to see him go?

When Shen Yu suddenly appeared, these few people lowered their heads; no one knew what the attitude of this newly appointed Prefect was. If he held a grudge, they would be finished.

"Are you here to see Lord Zhuo off?"

"Yes!" The few people did not hide it, but nodded directly to admit it, and one of them, after a moment of hesitation, blurted out, "My Lord, actually, Lord Zhuo is a good official!"

"A good official?" Big brother, do you have a misunderstanding of this term? If people like this are good officials, then there are no useless gluttons in this world.

"There are some things you don't know, My Lord, and those commoners don't know either. Actually, Lord Zhuo has been living on simple meals all these years, and even his clothes are tattered. All his salary has been used to provide relief to those commoners who were persecuted."

"Serving as an official for decades, yet not having a single tael of surplus wealth—this is the true Lord Zhuo!"

"Is that so!" Such an answer did not actually shock Shen Yu too much; he had been secretly observing the entire process of Zhuo Yutang's departure, and this Lord Zhuo was indeed as the secret report described: neither greedy nor corrupt, content with poverty.

All his luggage added up to nothing more than some old clothes, along with some calligraphy, paintings, and books; there was not a single piece of gold, silver, or jewelry.

It is truly hard to imagine that such an official could be a mediocre person, yet his departure even made the commoners of Songnan Prefecture celebrate. To serve as an official to this extent is undoubtedly a great failure.

Regardless, he is the former Prefect after all; it is only right to see him off for a stretch!

"I am very surprised that Lord Shen could come to see me off!" When he saw Shen Yu walking over, perhaps having let go of the entanglements in his heart, Zhuo Yutang at this moment had no annoyance, only composure.

"Lord Zhuo has served as the Prefect of Songnan Prefecture for so many years, so it is only right for this official to see you off. However, I still stand by my words: Lord Zhuo, you are not a good official. But I must admit, you are an honest official!"

"I must thank Lord Shen for the compliment, but there are some things you do not know; the waters in Songnan Prefecture are deeper than you imagine!"

Seeing this Lord Shen, Zhuo Yutang seemed to see his former self. Passionate, overflowing with a sense of justice, and single-mindedly wanting to plead for the people, but thoughts are ultimately just thoughts; reality would shatter all such ideas into pieces.

If this were a low-martial World where individual martial prowess was not so strong, as a Prefect, he could still rely on the authority of the imperial court to realize his ambitions. But unfortunately, this is a high-martial World, and there are countless experts who can take on a hundred alone.

These people in Songnan Prefecture not only possess the status of the powerful and noble, but they also have absolute martial force. Combined, their terror is far beyond what an ordinary person can resist.

As a weak scholar, he was like a three-year-old child in front of them, only able to be manipulated. His former sharpness had also been completely ground down to smoothness through repeated blows. By now, he had become someone he didn't even recognize.

Oh well, what is the point of serving as an official like this? Being liberated now is actually a good thing for himself.

"Lord Zhuo, that you could uphold your integrity surprises me, but since you did not collude with them, why did you still bow your head to those people? Do you know that when they heard you were being replaced, the commoners of the entire Songnan Prefecture were cheering!"

"I know, I know all of this!" With a light sigh, Zhuo Yutang raised his head slightly and looked at the bustling street not far away, the expression in his eyes complex and inexplicable.

"But how could I have wanted it to be this way? Are these people in Songnan Prefecture someone I, a person without power or influence, can afford to provoke? I also once wanted to plead for the people and be their champion. I also once wanted to have a backbone and not fear the powerful, but reality did not allow it."

Provoked by Shen Yu, Zhuo Yutang finally poured out his heart. For these years, some words had been bottled up in his heart for too long, so long that he didn't know who to tell or what to say.

"Lord Shen, do you know? All these years, in order to keep myself from colluding with them, I have already tried my best. Do you know how many temptations are placed before me every day? Gold, silver, jewelry, famous calligraphy and paintings, stunning beauties—which one is not enough to make one drool with greed!"

"Facing these temptations, what else could I do? I could only immerse myself in writing and painting every day to barely keep myself sober, to keep myself from being completely corrupted."

"As for pleading for the people? Heh!" With a sneer, Zhuo Yutang's face was full of sarcasm, as if mocking his own spineless self over the years.

"At the very beginning, I was just like Lord Shen. But do you know how arrogant they were? The cases I judged in the morning, they could get the people out by the evening, and all the accusers were completely wiped out!"

"And those who were released would change their appearance in a couple of days, change their names, and wander the streets to continue bullying the commoners and acting with impunity. These people even told me that they were just twin brothers, not the same person. Do they think everyone is a fool!"

"But all my memorials were like stones sinking into the sea, and what I got in return were repeated reprimands. As time went on, I knew one thing: I simply could not move these people. Do you know, Lord Shen, we simply cannot move them!"

Speaking of this, Zhuo Yutang's face was full of bitterness, and he sighed despondently, "Only until this moment did I realize they are not fools; I am!"

"So during this time, I could only desperately hide myself, avoid the sharpness of those powerful and noble, and rely on the little bit of Prefect authority I had left to protect other commoners."

"That's quite a slick move!" Zhuo Yutang's words also allowed Shen Yu to see the arrogance of these people in Songnan Prefecture; it was not hidden in the slightest.

Moreover, it is estimated that the entire Prefecture Office was filled with their people. A weak scholar like Zhuo Yutang was isolated and helpless, and since this Lord Zhuo actually had average political maneuvering skills and did not understand those twists and turns, it was only natural that he was bullied.

How spineless Zhuo Yutang's tenure as an official was!

"Lord Shen, to tell you the truth, I have actually thought about transferring away over the years, but my applications were rejected time and time again. As time went on, I gave up and could only endure here slowly!"

"Nonsense!" Hearing this, Shen Yu felt a bit of heartache for him. Where else could one find someone like this who could obediently listen and not want a single cent? Most importantly, he was easy to manipulate and lacked the slipperiness of those old foxes; this was naturally what they needed.

Having finally encountered such a pushover, and now that he wanted to leave after coming here, you might as well just stay here obediently.

"Lord Shen!" Speaking to this point, Zhuo Yutang sighed deeply, "Take my advice: whether it is the powerful and noble or the great clans, none of them are people that poor scholars like you and me can afford to provoke. Only by first protecting yourself can you save more people in the cracks!"

"Lord Zhuo, there are some things that cannot be solved just by us bowing our heads. Trading survival for compromise only leads to them inching forward step by step!"

"And what this official wants to tell them is that from today on, the rules of Songnan Prefecture have changed!"