Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Official and the Thief

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The paternal elder uncle of Prefect Cui was one of the current chancellors of the Great Zhou Dynasty. In another world, such a relationship might have grown distant, but in the era of Great Zhou’s grand family clans, it remained quite close—they were still one family.

By leveraging this connection, he, as Inspector of the Western Jiangnan Circuit, had no trouble requesting reinforcements from Linzhou. However, once such a move was made, it inevitably drew the court’s attention. After all, mobilizing troops meant that the prefects of other prefectures had to report to the court, especially to Chancellor Cui, plainly informing him. “I’ve helped your nephew, so you owe me a favor.”

For Prefect Cui, this matter was somewhat embarrassing. After all, his family had him come to Xuanzhou without expecting much—just to organize supplies and provisions for the front in Yuezhou. Zheng Shi, Inspector of the Eastern Jiangnan Circuit and a disciple of Chancellor Cui, handled this matter well, relieving the difficulties at his end. When the court was later informed of the victory, Cui Shao would share in the credit.

Coincidentally, in the latter half of the following year, an assistant director of the Ministry of Personnel was set to leave office. Chancellor Cui had already made arrangements, so with this achievement, Cui Shao might secure that coveted position.

Everything had been planned by the family. As long as he followed the steps, he could inherit that highly prestigious post, further glorifying the Cui family name. After all, the Ministry of Personnel was one of the six most important ministries!

But now, even such a simple matter was met with obstacles for Cui Shao in Xuanzhou. If word of this reached his uncle, the chancellor might doubt Cui Shao’s competence.

Therefore, it was best not to borrow troops from Linzhou if it could be avoided. It would be preferable to resolve Xuanzhou’s affairs internally.

Yet upon hearing Yang Heng’s words, Cui Shao was momentarily stunned.

Though a minor official in the capital, as a scion of the chancellor’s family, he had access to memorials sent up from the provinces. His paternal uncle had even procured many documents from Xuanzhou at year’s end for him to review carefully.

Though Cui Shao had not studied them thoroughly, he had skimmed through most.

Among these, since the latter half of last year, Prefect Tian Jing of Xuanzhou had repeatedly submitted reports boasting of his achievements in suppressing bandits.

Such claims could hardly be fabricated. Ever since a certain minister proposed sending prisoners, especially bandits, from provincial prisons to the front lines, Xuanzhou had dispatched many mountain bandits to the battlefield.

Those bandits could hardly have been counterfeit.

Thus, after arriving in Xuanzhou, Cui Shao had given little thought to the bandit situation, only to discover…

The suppression was indeed happening in Xuanzhou, but only in Qingyang County, not throughout the entire prefecture!

Rubbing his throbbing temples, Prefect Cui slowly said, “You may go now. Within three days, tally the number of available personnel in Xuanzhou and submit the list to me.”

“Also, bring the annual payroll accounts.”

Yang Heng, about to leave, paused at these words and looked up at Cui Shao with a deep gaze.

He, too, was implicated in the issue of ghost payrolls.

“Prefect, the accounts were burned by Supervisor Cao.”

“I do not manage the accounts; I have no way to present them to you.”

Cui Shao clenched back his anger. “Then just submit the roster!”

Yang Heng exhaled in relief and bowed his head. “As you command.”

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With that, he respectfully withdrew.

After Yang Heng left, Cui Shao sat alone, pondering deeply for quite some time. He finally rubbed his forehead and murmured, “Before coming here, my second uncle told me the local situation was complex. Even as the chief official, one must be patient and meticulous, unraveling the threads carefully…”

“I didn’t take it seriously before.”

Cui Shao took a deep breath, lowered his head, and slowly sipped his tea. “Shuisheng.”

A man about his age approached him, head bowed. “Young master, any orders?”

“How many people did we bring from home?”

Shuisheng thought for a moment. “About a dozen.”

“Send a few to Qingyang to investigate the bandit suppression there and report back in detail.”

Shuisheng wiped the tea from the table and shook his head. “Young master, that won’t work.”

“Xuanzhou is far from the capital. No one truly knows what the locals are thinking. They must stay with you to ensure your safety.”

Cui Shao frowned. “Can we at least send two?”

Shuisheng considered and nodded. “Very well, two it is.”

He refilled Cui Shao’s tea and softly said, “Young master, don’t rush. Handle things bit by bit.”

Cui Shao responded with a hum, glanced around, and frowned again. “I still can’t get used to living in the Xuanzhou government office.”

Shuisheng thought for a moment and said, “Tomorrow I’ll find a few ladies for you to entertain you.”

Prefect Cui sighed and nodded. “Find some women.”

He lowered his head to drink tea and added, “There probably aren’t any good young boys here.”

Shuisheng smiled and nodded. “Understood.”

...

Over twenty carts of grain were smoothly transported and handed over to Zhou Liang, who had come from Lingyang Mountain to receive them.

Watching Zhou Liang haul the grain away, Liu Bo felt as if in a dream.

After a long moment of daze, he turned to Li Yun and murmured, “Second brother, we’ve actually managed to get the business in front of the government…”

“This was unthinkable in the past.”

Li Yun patted his shoulder with a quiet smile. “Look at you now.”

“The Qiudian from Shan County has already been defeated three times by the official troops. They are now charging straight towards the Yuezhou city.”

Liu Bo was stunned, then looked up at Li Yun and whispered, “Second brother, with things escalating like this, don’t you think… don’t you think they might be aiming to overthrow the dynasty?”

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“Why don’t we join this Qiudian? Maybe it’ll give us a good start.”

Li Yun glanced at him and replied dryly, “Changing dynasties isn’t that easy.”

“The court’s regular army hasn’t even moved yet. Though there are rebellions everywhere, the capital… should still be stable.”

Li Yun stroked his chin and said, “This old regime has lasted for centuries. Though it looks shaky, not just anyone can kick it down. Chances are, before anyone even tries, those inside will tear them to pieces.”

“Even if someone actually kicked the old regime down and brought ruin upon it,” Li Yun chuckled, “the one who builds the new one might not be that person.”

Liu Bo scratched his head, confused.

“Second brother, what do you mean by new and old regimes? Are you going to build a new one?”

“What new regime?”

Li Yun laughed and gave him a kick, mockingly scolding, “When you have time, read more books. It’ll do you good. Don’t be like a skinny monkey…”

He paused suddenly, then slowly said, “We will build a new regime…”

After shaking his head to dispel the chaotic thoughts, Li Yun asked, “How many men did the third uncle leave us?”

Liu Bo glanced back. “Fifty or sixty.”

Li Yun nodded and smiled. “That’s enough.”

“The Xuanzhou troops are such a joke. With our men, they won’t be able to send out a single grain shipment.”

“Let’s see what plans that noble young master from the capital comes up with.”

Liu Bo thought for a moment and said, “Second brother, if they transport grain out in batches, our forces might not be enough.”

“There will always be some grain that slips through.”

“You don’t understand,” said Chief Li, stretching lazily and smiling. “As long as we ambush some grain shipments, the rest will vanish without a trace. The blame will always fall on us bandit leaders.”

“To the officials, sometimes we thieves serve a useful purpose.”

Liu Bo blinked. “What purpose?”

Chief Li looked toward Xuanzhou city and smiled. “To balance the books.”

(The End of This Chapter)