Chapter 59: This Surely Can't Be Fake Intelligence!

"Bang!"

In a magnificent mansion within Changxing City, the center of the Nanhua Domain, an old man of about sixty, dressed in casual clothes, slammed a memorial onto the table with great force, his face unable to contain his mounting rage.

Standing quietly beside him was a middle-aged man. If Shen Yu were here, he would certainly recognize this middle-aged man standing to the side as the Mr. Chen he had met before.

"Three County Magistrates in one year; one colluded with them, and the other two died under mysterious circumstances. These martial arts practitioners are simply lawless! What do they want? Do they have any regard for the law of the land in their eyes?"

"They never had any regard for the law of the land in their eyes to begin with!" Mr. Chen beside him also looked helpless. Of course, he only muttered these words in his heart. Some things were known to everyone; counting on martial arts practitioners to fear the law was less reliable than hoping they would all turn into true gentlemen.

"Who can take over this position now? Who would still dare to go?" Retracting the anger on his face, the old man appeared to possess a natural authority that did not require rage—a temperament that could only be cultivated by someone in a high position for a long time. It was evident that the old man's status was absolutely extraordinary.

"Mr. Chen, you are my son's trusted aide. Do you have anyone you can recommend who is trustworthy?"

"This..." After a moment of hesitation, Mr. Chen thought for a while before saying, "Old Master, I do know someone who might be suitable, but I don't know if you would agree?"

"Who?" Hearing Mr. Chen say this, the old man suddenly became interested. After all, this strategist of his son's was no ordinary person. As far as he knew, this Mr. Chen did not easily recommend people. But as long as he spoke up, it was bound to be the most suitable choice.

"Baian County Magistrate Shen Yu. When I found the young lady in Baian County, I had a brief encounter with him! After thinking it over, I believe this person is the most suitable!"

"Hmph!" Seeming to have heard something that displeased him, the old man gave a light snort and muttered with a look of dissatisfaction, "My precious granddaughter's marriage—I, her grandfather, haven't even spoken yet, and that rebellious son actually dared to make the decision himself, causing my precious granddaughter to run away from home and suffer quite a bit!"

"He just feels his wings have hardened and dares to act on his own! In my opinion, he just needs a beating! A couple more beatings, and he'll know his place!"

Well! Hearing the Old Master's words, Mr. Chen at the side also looked helpless. The focus of his words was on Shen Yu, while this Old Master clearly placed his attention on the young lady. Moreover, this Old Master's temper was truly as explosive as the rumors suggested.

Besides, the proposal for the marriage alliance actually had a part of him in it too. Fortunately, the Old Master didn't know, so let the master take the blame himself.

Master, it's really not that I won't help, it's just that I'm truly powerless here. Who could have guessed that the young lady didn't head home at all, but came directly to the Old Master and even filed a complaint against the master? It was never heard that the young lady had a hobby of snitching.

Given the Old Master's temper, the master's beating was unavoidable. Since he was going to be beaten anyway, it was better for one person to endure it than for both to be beaten.

"Forget it, let's not talk about that heartless thing!" Waving his hand, the old man changed the subject and said, "As for this Baian County Magistrate, my precious granddaughter did mention him to me!"

"According to my precious granddaughter, to prevent the river embankment from breaching, this person was able to stay on the embankment for several days without sleep or rest, working with the common people to plug the gaps. Previously, river embankments in several prefectures of Tanzhou had breaches of various sizes, and only Baian County was spared. This person's contribution is undeniable; he is indeed a capable official!"

To receive an evaluation of "capable official" from this Old Master was already quite difficult. However, Mr. Chen had a very good impression of Shen Yu. Shen Yu's rambling talk back then had truly left him dizzy, and at this moment, he couldn't help but put in a few more good words for him.

"Old Master, not only that, but after the Tanzhou floods, refugees were everywhere, and countless people were starving. As far as I know, this Magistrate Shen immediately chose to open the granaries to distribute grain, and he also used the method of 'work-for-relief,' organizing refugees to repair the embankments and cultivate fertile fields. This not only allowed the people to have food to eat but also gave them work to do, so they wouldn't cause trouble out of idleness!"

"Nowadays, the number of refugees accepted by Baian County alone reaches several thousand every day, and this number is still constantly increasing. Yet, with so many refugees gathered together, Baian County has not had a single error, nor has there been any unrest!"

"Oh? Since you put it that way, this person does have some ability. However, providing disaster relief, repairing embankments, and so on all require money and grain. Where did he get these funds? It wouldn't be through extortion and heavy taxation, would it?"

The old man pondered for a moment and hit the nail on the head, pointing directly to the crux of the matter. This was also what he cared about most. If this was a person who would stop at nothing for the sake of political achievements, that would be the most despicable thing.

"Old Master, you may not know, but as soon as this person took office, he discovered a deficit in the county treasury and subsequently took down the primary culprit, County Assistant Cai Zhong. Afterward, he also took down the County Lieutenant who was entangled with gangs. Both of these families were corrupt, with family assets worth tens of thousands!"

"Moreover, he later discovered that the richest man in Baian County was colluding with the wanted Prefect of Changling Jun. He used this to launch an attack, ordering him to donate all his family assets to provide disaster relief. I can guarantee that throughout the entire process, he did not commit any corruption, and he even took out quite a bit from his own pocket to make up for the financial shortfall!"

"Oh? In that case, he is indeed an able official!" Although "able official" and "capable official" were only a word apart, they were two evaluations with a huge difference. This meant that Shen Yu had made a mark in this Old Master's heart.

"You know him so well; you must have been keeping an eye on him all along, and you surely have his dossier on hand, right?"

"The Master is wise; I indeed do!" Soon, Mr. Chen handed over the information he had collected, and the old man began to read it carefully.

"Not bad, courageous and resourceful, neither servile nor overbearing, not pedantic and knows how to adapt. He is indeed an excellent candidate, but..." To be honest, seeing this dossier, the old man immediately felt a desire to cherish talent. Precisely because of this, he had his reservations.

"Old Master, what are you worried about?"

"I am worried about whether he can hold on!" Sighing deeply, the old man's gaze was profound, his eyes seeming to have seen through all the vicissitudes of the world. "I have seen countless talents. When they first enter officialdom, they are also hot-blooded and fearless, dedicated to the country and the people, but how many can ultimately maintain their original intentions?"

"The human heart is sinister. They face endless schemes and countless traps. Often, before they even realize it, they sink into depravity, and by the time they notice, it is too late to turn back!"

"Old Master!" Seeing the old man sigh with such emotion, Mr. Chen straightened his posture and then said, "But they must pass this hurdle eventually; are these not also a kind of test? As the great waves wash away the sand, what remains in the end is the refined gold, just like you, Old Master!"

"Enough, I am truly old; I like to ramble a bit when I have nothing to do. Since that is the case, then it is him. Whether he can withstand it and how far he can go in the end depends on himself!"

"Report, Master, urgent report!" Just at this moment, a light shout suddenly rang out from outside the door. The voice sounded somewhat urgent and carried a hint of excitement.

"Bring it up!"

"Yes!"

Casually taking the urgent report, the old man suddenly slammed the table after reading just two lines, then burst into loud laughter. "Good, a very good Shen Hengzhi, well done! Mr. Chen, you take a look too!"

"This..." Just a moment ago he was blowing his beard and staring with a look that could eat people, and now he was laughing heartily. This face changed too quickly.

But when he took the urgent report, Mr. Chen's pupils also shrank. The vast majority of the killers from the Golden Rain Tower in Tanzhou had actually been wiped out in Baian County. The killer was the Baian County Magistrate, Shen Yu!

How could this be? This surely couldn't be fake intelligence!