Chapter 37: Recruited Two Sanhe Gods?

The sun had already begun its descent westward; the orange-red sunset shone through the county yamen windows, casting light upon the faces of Jiang Jiang Mingyu and Lord Murong Murong Yunhai.

Inside the county yamen, Jiang Jiang Mingyu, Lord Murong Murong Yunhai, and Tu Tu Kesiluo were discussing the current situation in Shangmu County.

After discussing for a while, Jiang Jiang Mingyu proposed some suggestions, which Lord Murong Murong Yunhai agreed with. However, the severity of the situation caused Lord Murong Murong Yunhai's expression to gradually grow heavy.

"Brother Jiang Xingqiu, your ideas are excellent. But now, in Shangmu County, everything lies in ruins, foreign tribes eye us hungrily, and the common people are in panic. Where should we begin?" he asked with a bitter smile.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu sighed: "First, recruit some Yamen Runners. We currently have no own foundation to rely on; with only us few, we can achieve little."

Lord Murong Murong Yunhai smiled bitterly: "The county's people fear death; how can we recruit them?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu said: "Yamen Runners can be hired with silver; estimate beforehand how much silver is available to use."

Lord Murong Murong Yunhai showed a look of difficulty; he said nothing for a long moment before extending one hand.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu said: "Five hundred thousand taels would suffice for now."

Lord Murong Murong Yunhai's smile was awkward. "Brother Jiang Xingqiu, we have only five thousand taels of silver."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu was stunned, then sighed regretfully: "The county yamen has fallen to such a state; no wonder the people are panicked."

Lord Murong Murong Yunhai said: "Foreign tribes have plundered, and the previous official squandered; that five thousand taels remain is already a stroke of luck."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu pondered for a moment, then spoke slowly: "As for the silver problem, I will find a way."

Lord Murong Murong Yunhai asked in confusion: "Brother Jiang Xingqiu, do you have a good strategy?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu took an object from his traveling bag and said: "I have a tea bowl named Yao Bian Tian Mu, a gift from a wealthy merchant in the capital, worth a great deal. Tomorrow, I will first pawn it; it should exchange for quite a bit of silver to handle the emergency. Recruiting Yamen Runners must be handled quickly; with people under command, there will always be a way to earn money. Calming the people's hearts is the foundation."

After hearing Jiang Jiang Mingyu's words, a look of appreciation flashed in Lord Murong Murong Yunhai's eyes.

"Brother Jiang Xingqiu, you are willing to sell such a precious treasure; your heart holds the safety of the people. I truly admire you."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled slightly: "Enough, stop praising me. Handle it first thing tomorrow morning."

But Lord Murong Murong Yunhai clearly could not wait; speaking, he moved toward the door: "Forget tomorrow. Since the silver problem is solved, I will go recruit people right now."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu glanced at the sky outside the window: "So urgent? Finish dinner first."

Lord Murong Murong Yunhai's steps did not stop at all: "Time waits for no one. You and Lord Tu eat first."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu watched Lord Murong Murong Yunhai walk farther away, a look of helplessness and amusement on his face. He shook his head and sighed softly: "Truly as impatient as an Aries."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu adjusted his mood slightly, turned back, sat at the table, and took a sip of tea.

The sky outside the window gradually darkened; scattered points of light gradually lit up, illuminating the hall inside the county yamen.

Tu Tu Kesiluo gazed at Jiang Jiang Mingyu and spoke in a gentle tone: "Lord Jiang, Lord Murong Murong Yunhai does not know how rare this tea bowl is, but I do. You pawn it so casually; are you not afraid it will end up like a meat bun thrown at a dog, never to return?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded with a smile: "No matter how precious the tea bowl is, it is still an external possession, insignificant compared to the stability of Shangmu County. Now that Shangmu County has fallen into difficulty and hearts are scattered, how can I sit idly by?"

Tu Tu Kesiluo nodded: "You are right. Solving the silver problem is only the first step; recruiting Yamen Runners must also be done quickly. By the way, have you considered requesting aid from the Emperor? Or going up the mountain to seek help from True Person Qi Hai Li?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu frowned in thought: "This matter cannot be rash. Our situation is rather awkward; we must handle it steadily. We have already offended Prince Qi; if we blindly seek aid, we might instead fall under someone else's control."

Tu Tu Kesiluo nodded in agreement: "You are right; acting steadily is the best strategy."

Under a solitary lamp, Jiang Jiang Mingyu sat upright at the table, surrounded by various dusty books. His gaze focused intently as he studied the crooked written records on them. These seemingly scattered and chaotic records revealed a wealth of information.

For a moment, Jiang Jiang Mingyu frowned slightly; he found some content rather puzzling, as if hiding some clue. Then he fell into deep thought, propping his face with both hands, as if pondering something.

Suddenly, he sharply slapped his own thigh, as if having a sudden realization.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu knew that to properly deal with the foreign invasion, he must first fully understand the entire situation of Shangmu County. And as a transmigrator, he possessed other unknown knowledge and could use this point to earn wealth here.

At the first watch, hurried footsteps came from outside the door, then Lord Murong Murong Yunhai's figure appeared at the entrance.

"Brother Jiang Xingqiu, I am back."

Seeing him with his head hanging low, Jiang Jiang Mingyu put down the book in hand: "Didn't recruit anyone?"

Lord Murong Murong Yunhai sighed, leaned closer, and whispered: "I wore my lips out talking; I only managed to coax and deceive two people."

He obviously felt some self-blame for his performance.

"They are outside the door; shall we meet them?"

Two people?

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled bitterly and shook his head: "That's quite a lot. With our county yamen's strength, that instantly doubles it."

"Let them in; this county magistrate must get to know them."

With those words, Lord Murong Murong Yunhai brought two people inside.

The first to catch the eye was a rough-looking man in his forties, with thick beard, bushy black eyebrows, and a cunning look in his eyes.

He was tall, wearing a broken hat, with messy hair, as if he had not combed or washed for many days.

Though unkempt, his body was strong, as if he had practiced martial arts for many years.

This man's name was Li Goudan!

Standing beside him was a very young man, probably only in his early twenties, named Wu Xiaoer, who was gaunt, with deeply sunken cheeks, a vacant gaze, and standing unsteadily on one foot.

His clothes were tattered, the cuffs worn out, and his hair was extremely messy.

He looked like someone who had endured a hard life and hardships, with a timid face, as if he had never done heavy work.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu helplessly sighed inwardly: "These two guys are nothing but the Sanhe Gods of my past life; fortunately, we don't need daily wages!"

He stood up, took two taels of silver from his robe, handed them to Li Goudan and Wu Xiaoer, and smiled: "Welcome to join our county yamen. Now is the time when we need people; follow me and work hard, and I will certainly not treat you two poorly. Take this silver to eat a good meal and then buy some new gear."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu deeply understood the art of drawing pies for employees; the big pies that should be drawn must still be drawn.

Li Goudan squinted his eyes, took the silver, and showed a slight smile: "My lord, rest assured. As long as there is a meal to eat, I will obey your orders."

Wu Xiaoer took the silver, nodded shyly, and said softly: "I will do my best."

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the bearded Li Goudan and the gaunt Wu Xiaoer officially became members of the county yamen.

Under the lamplight, Jiang Jiang Mingyu yawned and said: "You two go back and rest early; tomorrow, follow this official into the city for a stroll."

At the second watch, in the room, Jiang Jiang Mingyu tossed and turned, unable to sleep due to various trivial matters.

Just then, a low knocking sound came from outside the room, followed by Lord Murong Murong Yunhai's voice: "Brother Jiang Xingqiu, are you asleep?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu sighed: "Brother Murong Yunhai, what urgent matter requires disturbing me at midnight? Come in and speak."

Pushing open the door, Lord Murong Murong Yunhai appeared with an eerie allure: "Brother Jiang Xingqiu, the night is long; shall I keep you company for some amusement?"

His charming little eyes held countless things Jiang Jiang Mingyu truly did not wish to understand.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu shivered at once: "Brother Murong Yunhai, do not tease me!"

Lord Murong Murong Yunhai pressed his lips and smiled lightly: "When His Majesty was still the Crown Prince, I was the one who served him during his studies."

"His Majesty remains so attached to me; would you like to try?"

"Would it not be beautiful if we embraced to keep each other warm?"

Recalling past scenes, Jiang Jiang Mingyu suddenly understood; thinking of the Emperor's various actions and Lord Murong Murong Yunhai's words, a disgusting image immediately formed in his mind.

"No, this Imperial Envoy has a cleanliness obsession; you should go back and rest."

With wary eyes, Jiang Jiang Mingyu tucked the quilt around himself tightly, fearing Lord Murong Murong Yunhai would simply pin him down.

Seeing his embarrassed look, Lord Murong Murong Yunhai laughed again: "Brother Jiang Xingqiu, I was just joking with you. Look how frightened you are; I was afraid you'd catch a chill, so I brought you a quilt. That's why..."

Only then did Jiang Jiang Mingyu, lying in bed, realize he was still holding a thick quilt in his hands.

Placing the quilt on the bed, Lord Murong Murong Yunhai said with a devilish charm: "Brother Jiang Xingqiu, do you truly not need my company?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu rolled his eyes: "Get out."

Lord Murong Murong Yunhai chuckled, set down the quilt, and left. Jiang Jiang Mingyu slowly closed his eyes; he did not know when he fell asleep, but when he opened them, the sky was already bright.