CHAPTER 763: CHAPTER 87: WEN HE JOINS THE RANKS!_2

"That person claimed he was innocent,"

"In response, the governor said, ’Next time you commit a crime, I’ll pardon you first, then beat you.’ He then beat the man half to death. Later, that very person did indeed break the law again and got caught."

"Claiming he had been pardoned before, the governor said, ’I beat you even before you committed a crime, so now that you have, isn’t it even more fitting for me to do so? A promise? Hahaha, who heard it?’"

"And he beat him half to death again."

This was just a typical incident involving a cruel official. Ling Pingyang said, "It is hateful, then what?" The young page kicked a stone and said, "At that time, a scholar was assigned there to serve as a Historian. Fearing humiliation, he refused to go."

"It seemed the Emperor had decreed that if the Historian were to be whipped more than ten times, it must be reported to the Court for decision. The former governor was very displeased and said that it was the young man playing tricks on him."

"He would find fault with him constantly, ensuring that the whipping never exceeded ten strokes, but made sure it happened daily after meals. At that time, my master and I were traveling there, and the Historian was detained without food or drink."

"The Historian survived by swallowing the cotton padding from his clothes and dirty water."

"He truly had the gritty spirit of a learned man."

"The common people also lived miserably; everyone was considered guilty and directly whipped. Sometimes they were lashed a thousand times until they died from it. My master’s brilliant strategy eventually resolved the issue, and the governor was taken back and put to death. Subsequently, the Historian assumed his post."

This is an excellent tale of chivalry and rooting out corrupt officials.

Ling Pingyang approved, "Under such circumstances, being trapped, the networks of power deeply entrenched, and him being merely a traveling scholar, to be able to overthrow the governor is truly incredible. He indeed possessed great talents."

He must be tied back!

Ling Pingyang, now the head of the Qilin Army’s cavalry, grasped the rope.

The page answered, "But the story isn’t over yet."

"The Historian took over the government."

"And he was worse."

These eight words caused Ling Pingyang to look slightly concerned.

The dark undertone of these chaotic times suddenly tore through the previously ’scholarly, chivalrous’ mild arc of the story, plunging back into the harsh reality, making even the summer cicadas sound laden with the desolation and chill of impending autumn. The young page sighed and said,

"At that time, the master sat for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter."

"People then started bringing him things like brocade and tablets."

"The master said he saved them, yet these people wanted him dead."

"He tore the brocade and smashed the tablets to make porridge out of them."

"Yet, after saving them, they cursed him for many reasons. The master once said, ’In these chaotic times, from common folk to officials, to princes, there are no truly good people. It’s all a mix of complexities.’

"And then he just moved on like that."

Ling Pingyang said:

"Subtle brilliance, divine retraction, it is the way of wise self-preservation."

The master had his reasons, indeed.

He must be tied back!

The page sighed.

Thinking to himself, he had at last fulfilled the master’s task.

The master had secretly told him,

If anyone came looking for him and he hadn’t avoided them, he must tell this story.

What’s the point in telling it?

Didn’t the master dislike this past event?

Meanwhile, in the courtyard, Wen He laughed, "Although Lord recently took over Jiangnan, despite his great impact and legitimacy, there is an ancient saying that the imperial power doesn’t reach into the countryside, and although every country has aristocratic families, Jiangnan is particularly unique."

"This place is inherently a hub of water transport, with entrenched powers, and after more than a decade of chaos, although Sword Madman’s Martial Arts are extraordinary, one deficiency is handling the repressive desires of aristocratic families in the Martial World, and moreover, the Murong Family is few in number."

"Being few in number makes it difficult to occupy a large area such as the Jiangnan Eighteen States."

"In these cities and towns, over these years, it would gradually turn into aristocratic self-governance. The families sometimes intermarried, sometimes fought, ultimately their love and hatred intertwined, creating an extremely complex situation."

"Under such circumstances, though fighting amongst themselves, the families are extremely xenophobic, naturally harboring great hostility toward the mighty approaching Qilin Army."

Wen He said:

"Because they know, their comfortable past decade was due to holding power. Now with the Qilin Army’s large forces and moral high ground, taking back control, it’s impossible for you to be on good terms with the aristocratic families; it’s fundamentally a life-and-death conflict."

"Moreover, Lord, with your bold genius and impressive demeanor, certainly wish to accomplish many practical deeds, things are ready to be revitalized, needing gold and silver, and also to prevent the aristocratic families from scheming and causing trouble amid internal and external worries, dealing with the families is the first priority."

Li Guanyi said, "Scholar, do you have any good strategies?"

Wen He thought for a moment and said, "I don’t know what you think, Lord?"

Li Guanyi shared ideas about popularizing education and selecting talented officials through examinations, which were somewhat in line with what Wen He mentioned. Hearing this, the corners of Wen He’s mouth twitched.

’Such core internal policies have been disclosed, it seems hard to slip away today.’

Wen He had to consider for a moment before answering, "Selecting officials based on talent rather than inspections; also preparing for the popularization of education, Lord, you’ve already grasped the problem with the aristocratic families, but this approach cannot change the specific situation."

The seemingly plain-faced strategist said:

"Lord, you still don’t understand the aristocratic families of today well enough."

"Originally, the aristocratic families were not so exclusionary. In the beginning, common people farmed the land, and at that time, the Mo School and the Farmer School had not developed as they have now. When working alone, it’s easy to scatter and miss farming time, so respected individuals from villages and towns would direct the people."