Chapter 1108

Guo Bule never expected a child would dare point at his nose and curse him; he knew they had some abilities, but he was no coward, and in an instant his blood boiled, reason burned away, and he struck without thinking.

Pan Yun reached out and seized his wrist as it shot forward, pressing her thumb against his Hukou; the qi Guo Bule had gathered instantly dissipated, leaving him utterly motionless.

He froze in shock, yanking backward—but found he could not budge an inch.

Guo Bule's face turned ashen.

"Brother, though my student spoke harshly, what he said is true."

"Daoist Priest, since you know he spoke impolitely, you ought to teach him a lesson," Guo Bule said, though his arm was numb—still he held his ground: "Otherwise, if you don't discipline him when young, he may never live to grow up."

"Not so—if your family is strong enough, he can still live to adulthood; if lucky, even to see his children born, and then his own family will bear the misfortune of his poor upbringing—like you."

"You!" Guo Bule was so enraged he could not speak, only tugging desperately at his hand—but his wrist was locked in Pan Yun's grip, his struggles as futile as an ant trapped in her palm.

Guo Bule knew the gap between them was too great; if he refused to yield, he might not even live to return home.

If he were alone, he would rather die than bow—but…

Guo Bule glanced at his daughter, her face alight with excitement, utterly unaware of danger, and forced down his rage to bow to Pan Yun: "I erred just now—I beg the Daoist Priest to release me. But my daughter's matter is private; I have no intention of paying to avert misfortune."

Pan Yun glanced at the girl, released Guo Bule's wrist, and smiled softly: "I am registered at Qingfeng Guan. If you change your mind, come find me there—or visit the local Dao Lu Si."

Pan Yun smiled warmly: "I am Pan Sanzhu."

Only those in the Central Plains and Jiangnan knew the State Preceptor's alias was Pan Sanzhu; in the north, especially this newly developed land, no one even knew the State Preceptor's surname.

For they had their own beliefs; though the Provincial Administration Commissioner's office had been established here, and the Dao Lu Si opened its doors, there were very few temples under their jurisdiction.

The Qingfeng Guan Pan Yun mentioned was a small temple built two years ago by a wandering Daoist who bought a patch of wasteland.

Because he built the temple, the Dao Lu Si turned a blind eye and issued him a Daoist license.

The Daoist had failed his certification exam for twenty years, yet ended up gaining official status simply by founding a wild temple.

The news spread among Daoists, and over the past two years, many have flocked to the Nuerkan Regional Military Commissioner's territory to open temples.

But such things only work the first time—those who followed blindly, the Dao Lu Si pretended not to see.

The Daoists who came here were furious, feeling utterly deceived.

Not long ago, the Daoists who had struggled for two years without gaining official status finally lost their temper; each day, they took turns gathering outside the Dao Lu Si to curse—first the Dao Lu Si, then Provincial Administration Commissioner Xue Shao, and finally, through innuendo, the entire imperial court, the Emperor, and the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion.

So far, apart from the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi and the State Preceptor, they have cursed everyone they could—yet their cursing was not illegal.

Oh, this brings up the old rules set by Zhu.

If commoners curse officials, as long as they do not curse their ancestors eighteen generations deep or implicate their parents, it is not illegal.

Moreover, whenever commoners curse officials, the Censorate must investigate whether the official has harmed the people or broken laws and regulations…

Thus, the Censors of Great Ming wield considerable power—though the Zhu emperors were not like those of Great Song.

The Song emperors would endure even the harshest criticism from censors, often merely exiling them—so long as they were out of sight.