Chapter 242: We Have an Official Position in Xinzhou

The town at Shenyi Gu has become lively again.

Ever since Patrol Lieutenant Yang led many Armored Soldiers that day to escort cart after cart of goods back to the valley, the discussions in town have not ceased.

Especially after learning that Patrol Lieutenant Yang had searched out overseas medicinal materials hidden by a certain family in the County Town, there has been no shortage of people speaking sourly.

"That man surnamed Yang, look at how smug he is!"

"He has performed a great service this time. I heard all those medicinal materials were smuggled in by the Su Family back in the day! So many treasures, all searched out by that man surnamed Yang!"

"Pah! That bunch in the County Town are also a pack of useless trash! Guarding the County Town for so long, they must have passed by on horseback countless times, yet it was still searched out by someone else!"

The person speaking sounded even more sour.

"Over in Xinzhou, Patrol Guard Division Vice Commissioner Wen Gu was attacked and severely wounded; it is rumored that he is likely crippled and unable to continue serving as Vice Commissioner.

The position of Vice Commissioner is vacant—that man surnamed Yang is so proactive now, performing one meritorious deed after another; he is definitely eyeing that position!"

"He is a trusted aide of Lao Zhao from Xinzhou; as long as he has merit, it is very possible for him to be promoted."

"That's why, look at the way he rides his horse, his chin is almost poking into the sky!"

The people from the other five clans stationed at Shenyi Gu did not just speak sourly; they took practical action—they practically dug up the entire County Town!

The County Town, the camps of each clan, and those buffer zones—they turned them over inch by inch!

And they really did dig up a few hidden cellars.

Some contained gold, silver, and jewelry hidden by wealthy households.

Those of high status looked down on them, but the lower-ranking military officers and Soldiers were quite happy.

Nowadays, gold and silver are devalued and not as practical as supplies, but to them, these were still good things; hoarding them might come in handy someday.

Some even dug up a few jars of fine wine, which had a much greater appeal than gold or silver!

The fine wine quickly reached the hands of high-ranking military officers and nobles.

The six great clans of Beidi were all making big moves, and their actions in the County Town were very aggressive, so the Medicine Gang dared not confront them head-on. Thus, after the elders deliberated, they summoned the heads of each hall and the local wealthy households to hold an internal talk.

Appealing to their emotions and reasoning with them—

Whoever has good things, speak up quickly; you can trade them for more benefits with the Medicine Gang, keep some for yourself, and everyone will remember your favor.

Do not be like the Su Family; they failed to hide it, the people are gone, and the goods cannot be protected now, all for the benefit of outsiders! In Shenyi Gu, the six great clans of Beidi are all outsiders!!

Whether it was the six great clans of Beidi or the Medicine Gang, those were not things ordinary citizens could participate in.

For ordinary people, those things had nothing to do with them anyway; they treated everything they heard as after-dinner gossip and entertainment.

Life in troubled times is miserable; as long as there is no shortage of food at home, they are willing to chat about the gossip of various families to amuse themselves.

For example, who dug up something else, which person from the Medicine Gang is jumping with rage, whether Zhang Dalang really cuckolded someone—

If one topic is censored, they discuss others; there have been plenty of topics to chat about lately!

The townspeople are as active as badgers in a melon patch.

When the vendors at the small medicine stalls chat with excitement, they don't even bother to solicit customers.

The customers listen, enthralled, forgetting what medicinal slices they came to buy, and quickly join in: "So Zhang Dalang was killed by the Zhao Clan?"

"No! The people from the Zhao Clan investigated clearly, demanded compensation from Anxiang Hall, and then handed Zhang Dalang over to Anxiang Hall. I heard Anxiang Hall has already executed Zhang Dalang!"

"Wait! How did I hear that it was Doctor Ji who took action personally to avenge his Apprentice?"

"Hey, whether it was the medicine hall or Doctor Ji, Zhang Dalang is a dead man; he broke the rules and harmed so many people! He deserved it!"

If Zhang Dalang had been killed by the Zhao Clan, they would have had to mutter a few words in private, but hearing that it was Anxiang Hall or Doctor Ji who took action, then it's fine!

Speaking of which, it was all an internal dispute, so it was handled as it should be.

The public opinion in Shenyi Gu was moving much as Wen Gu and the others had anticipated.

Patrol Lieutenant Yang specifically rode his horse out to run around and provoke hatred.

Every time he finished running, someone would gossip about him: "Hmph, that man surnamed Yang is arrogant and rampant now!"

"Let's see how many days he can be smug!"

In the eyes of others, Patrol Lieutenant Yang: He hasn't even been promoted to Vice Commissioner yet, and he's already floating like this!

In reality, Patrol Lieutenant Yang: Who understands! Actually, my mood right now is more bitter than medicine!

Regardless of Patrol Lieutenant Yang's true mood, things proceeded as planned.

The people from the Zhao Clan stationed at Shenyi Gu were celebrating.

The low-ranking military officers and Soldiers could all share in quite a few benefits this time, and their joy was genuine.

One night.

In the Zhao Clan's camp at Shenyi Gu, a guard noticed an anomaly and went to check, but unexpectedly, the moment he left, a fire broke out in the warehouse area.

It turned chaotic all at once.

In the middle of the night, many people heard the commotion and saw the firelight rising from that direction.

The elders of the Medicine Gang, disregarding the cold night wind, quickly gathered together with grave expressions.

"This matter should not have been done by our people! Our people haven't even had a chance to act yet!"

They did indeed have designs on those overseas medicinal materials that Patrol Lieutenant Yang had found, and they had sent people to investigate secretly, but they only intended to first look through the warehouse over there to see what medicinal materials were actually inside.

If there were any they had their eyes on, they would then create some disturbance and quietly steal a little in the chaos; they would not go and burn the medicinal materials directly!

"Is it really the warehouse where the medicinal materials are stored that caught fire?"

"Judging by the location, it is indeed that side."

Before long, the person sent to gather information returned.

"This one took advantage of the chaos to go and look; it is indeed the place where the medicinal materials are kept! I have seen the boxes that the people from the Zhao Clan dragged over with several horse carts a few days ago; those are the ones! They were placed right there!"

An elder asked: "What about the smell?"

That person said: "The smell is too mixed; there is a heavy burnt odor, but there is also the smell of medicine."

The elders felt a pang of heartache.

"What a waste! Such a waste!"

"To burn perfectly good medicinal herbs just like that!"

"Who on earth did this?"

"There are only a few possibilities."

Among the Six Great Clans of Beidi, besides the Zhao Clan, there are five others!

The person gathering intelligence continued: "That Patrol Lieutenant Yang is furious; his cursing could be heard from far away."

1

It wasn't until dawn that the commotion caused by the warehouse fire gradually subsided.

Many people thought: That man surnamed Yang is finished; he must be absolutely livid right now.

Contrary to the livid scene they imagined, Patrol Lieutenant Yang handled the warehouse fire matter, returned to his room, and downed several cups of water.

His mouth had gone dry from all the cursing outside.

After catching his breath, he asked his personal attendant nearby: "Is everything done?"

The attendant replied: "Yes, it has been carried out according to the plan!"

The cargo he dragged back in the carriage that day was not all medicinal herbs; naturally, what burned in the warehouse today was not that high-quality stock. The people present could smell the medicinal scent because all those spoiled herbs had been thrown in to burn.

The matter at the warehouse could be considered finished; over the next few days, he could use this incident to stir up some more trouble, and then no one would pay attention to the Tang Sect.

During this time, he could also transport the equipment Deputy Envoy Wen needed up the mountain.

At the thought of Deputy Envoy Wen wanting to observe the dissection of a Plague Ghost at close range, Patrol Lieutenant Yang felt a wave of exhaustion.

On the other side, on the mountain.

Doctor Tang heard the news about the medicinal herb warehouse fire at the Patrol Guard Division and hurriedly went to find his cheap Apprentice to confirm the truth of the news.

Wen Gu reassured him: "There was indeed a fire there, and there were losses! However, the medicinal herbs promised to you, Master, had already been separated and stored; they were not in that warehouse."

Doctor Tang was immediately relieved.

He didn't care how much the Patrol Guard Division lost; he only needed to confirm that the "final payment" from the Patrol Guard Division could be settled on time.

Having confirmed the final payment was secure, Doctor Tang continued preparing for the dissection of the Plague Ghost.

On the day before the appointed time, Doctor Ji arrived at the Tang Sect.

Four people came: one master and three apprentices.

There was quite a lot of preparation required to dissect a Plague Ghost; naturally, he had to bring helpers.

Doctor Tang also had You Dashixiong and others assisting with the various chores during the preparation period. When dissecting the Plague Ghost, assistants would also be needed on-site.

Wen Gu could understand; they were forensic assistants, after all—people who could work and get things done!

Observing the master and apprentices of the Ji Sect without leaving a trace, Wen Gu was satisfied in his heart.

They all looked like honest people!

Having just arrived, Doctor Ji and his apprentices needed to rest for the night to recharge their energy.

Doctor Tang and Doctor Ji sat to one side, discussing the arrangements for tomorrow.

Over here, the young apprentices sat together.

Doctor Ji's apprentices had a very favorable impression of Wen Gu; after all, "Rong Huan had interceded during the medicinal glue incident."

Plus, they had indeed changed their view of the Zhao Fa Xunweis, so when the young apprentices sat together chatting, they did not show any aloofness toward Wen Gu.

Wen Gu soon struck up a conversation with them.

Hearing Wen Gu talk about Xinzhou, the people from the Ji Sect were quite curious.

If it weren't for these chaotic times, they wouldn't even know what kind of place Xinzhou was.

Even if they had heard of it, their impression was only of a place of border wars, a remote and poor area.

A young man from the Ji Sect looked at Wen Gu: "I have heard people talk about many things regarding Xinzhou before, but in truth, my understanding is very limited."

He asked curiously: "Young Master Rong, tell us, what does Xinzhou have?"

Wen Gu skillfully struck a pose: "In our Xinzhou, we have official tenure!"

Regardless of whether they were the young apprentices or the two masters nearby, they all looked over in unison.

Wen Gu continued naturally: "Tenure is like how the government used to register people in the past; every month you can receive a salary, and from time to time there are subsidies issued. For example, in our Xinzhou, even coroners have tenure."

He paused, then added: "And those who fire kilns—"

"Wait! Put the kiln firing aside for a moment!" A young man from the Ji Sect licked his dry lips, staring at Wen Gu with bright eyes.

"Keep talking, in your Xinzhou, coroners actually have tenure?!"