The Great Power

Chengtian Prefecture, Xuanma Journey.

Suhe handed over the reins.

The horse's body had been brushed and its mane was smooth. Apart from some wear on its hooves, it was impossible to tell that it had run all the way through Beiyang Prefecture.

The waiter circled the horse twice, lifted its hooves and stroked its back, and finally called out to the counter.

"Shopkeeper, you're not injured, you've just been running around a lot."

The shopkeeper fiddled with the abacus, making a clattering sound, then looked up and said, "Sir, we originally agreed to pay before the autumn harvest, but now it's been half a month longer. We won't charge the late fee, but the horse feed and care are costs."

Suhe stood in front of the counter, reached into her sleeve, and touched the nearly empty money pouch.

He knew it would be expensive, but when he heard the bill, he remained silent for a moment.

"Could you make it less?"

"Sir, this is a black horse, not a donkey from the street corner. If you had returned two days earlier, I could have turned a blind eye, but it's been half a month. I also have to give my account to my employer."

"understood."

Suhe did not argue.

He poured out the silver coins and copper coins one by one, until only one string of copper coins remained, which he tied up again and stuffed into his sleeve.

Seeing his unpleasant expression, the shopkeeper softened his tone:

"Sir, have you run into trouble?"

"Yes, we ran into them."

"It's good that he's back."

Su He nodded, turned around and left Xuanma Storehouse.

Chengtian Prefecture is just outside.

The streets were bustling with activity. Steamed buns were billowing with white vapor, and sugar figurines were being sold through the crowd.

Su He walked among the crowd, not going home, her steps naturally leading towards Xun Jinsi.

He did everything he could to help with the affairs of Changluo County.

Half of the county government office was destroyed. He led a few junior officials who were still willing to work to dig out the tattered books from the ashes, cleaned them one by one, and pieced together what could be pieced together and sealed what could be sealed.

The situation at the Liu residence is even more chaotic.

Many people wanted to steal things; some wanted to steal account books, and some wanted to steal land deeds. Suhe and his men guarded the area all night, but they had no soldiers. They could only bring out the sign of Xun Jin Si to scare people, but fortunately, everyone was afraid at that time.

They feared the man in gray might return, and they also feared the Beiyang Prefecture would hold them accountable.

Taking advantage of this fear, Suhe sealed off the areas that needed to be sealed off first.

He ordered Liu Asi to make three copies of the account books detailing the Liu family's collusion with the county government, and also sent people to nearby villages to find the victims and have them write their statements.

At first, no one dared to put their fingerprints on the door. Later, an old woman sat on the doorstep and cursed, "Old dog Liu is dead, what are we afraid of?" Only then did people slowly come out.

On the afternoon of the fifth day, after all this work, people from Beiyang Prefecture finally arrived.

The official who arrived was a seventh-rank official, accompanied by his soldiers and clerks. His clothes were clean, and even the soles of his boots were not covered in mud.

The man took the file, flipped through only the first few pages, and then had it taken away.

Su He hesitated for a moment, then finally asked, "My lord, the first urgent report has already reached the prefectural city. It described the gray-clad man as a heretical cultivator from another continent. Has this been corrected?"

The seventh-rank official glanced at him, his gaze making him uncomfortable.

"The Beiyang Prefecture will handle this matter itself."

"But that person may not be a murderer. The incident in Changluo County originated from the Liu family and the county government. If we still characterize him as a murderer who killed an official, it will cause a lot of trouble later."

"Secretary Su."

The other person closed the file and lowered their voice, "You are a field clerk of the Xun Jin Division, responsible for investigating strange tales and recording unusual events. This is your job. Local government affairs in Changluo County should not be your concern."

Suhe wanted to speak again.

The man had already handed him a document.

"The handover is complete. You shall leave Changluo County immediately and return to Chengtian Prefecture to report back."

The document bears the seal of Beiyang Prefecture.

Suhe looked at it for a long time before finally accepting it.

His unease began around that time.

That unease I felt then followed me all the way back to Chengtian Prefecture.

The Xun Jin Si Mansion is located at the back of Zhu Que Street. Two guardian beasts stand with their heads bowed and their teeth exposed in front of the gate.

Suhe stood at the bottom of the steps, looking up at the plaque, black with gold lacquer, which seemed rather cold.

When he entered, the doorman's eyes visibly paused for a moment.

"Lord Su is back?"

"Um."

"Lord Zhou is in the main hall."

That was said too quickly.

Suhe paused for a moment, then continued walking inside.

Just after passing through the corridor, Wu Huaiyi strode over from the side, grabbed Su He's arm, and pulled him to the corner.

"You're finally back."

Wu Huaiyi lowered his voice, glancing towards the office. "Why are you half a month late this time? The fieldwork permit clearly states that you must return to the office before the end of the month. Do you think Lord Zhou is illiterate?"

"Something happened in Changluo County, I can't leave."

"But you can't get yourself involved. You're just a ninth-rank clerk. Which of these cases—the local murder of an official or the Liu family's heinous crime—is something you can decide?"

Wu Huaiyi's face darkened further: "Lord Zhou Fu is very displeased. Be careful what you say later. If you can admit it, then admit it. Don't argue, understand?"

"Okay, thank you, Brother Wu." Su He forced a smile.

"Let's get past this hurdle first." Wu Huaiyi patted him on the shoulder.

It was very quiet outside the hall.

Su He knocked on the door three times, and Zhou Fu's voice came from inside.

"Enter."

Su He pushed open the door and went in.

Zhou Fu sat behind his desk, on which lay several scrolls of official documents. He read the last line before closing the document.

"You're back?"

"Your humble servant Su He has returned from his field duties and is here to report back."

"You don't need to report your itinerary."

Zhou Fu looked up at him and said, "I know everything you did in Changluo County."

Suhe hung his hands at his sides, not speaking immediately.

Zhou Fu picked up a document and threw it on the table: "You overstepped your authority by interfering in local affairs, arbitrarily altered urgent reports, withheld county government documents, and ordered local officials to rewrite the case details. You've got some nerve."

Suhe explained truthfully:

"At that time, the magistrate of Changluo County had died, the Liu residence had been burned down, and there was no one in charge of the county. The first urgent report was also sent to the wrong address. If it was not corrected, things would get worse."

"Who told you the first emergency report was wrong?"

"I have compiled all the evidence, which proves that the root of the chaos in Changluo County lies with the Liu family and the county government. Although the man in gray killed an official, he cannot be simply written as a murderer."

"cannot?"

Zhou Fu smiled, but it wasn't a very genuine smile. "Su He, how do you handle cases in Jiaofu City?"

"This humble official dares not."

"I bet you dare!"

Zhou Fu pointed at the documents on the table. "Killing an official is killing an official, destroying an official seal is destroying an official seal. The county government office was overturned, and over a hundred able-bodied men from the Liu family were killed or injured. These are all facts! On what grounds do you write 'involved in a case pending investigation' for him?"

Suhe's throat moved.

He wanted to say that the deaths and injuries were not among the able-bodied men, but rather bandits raised by the Liu family.

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but only one sentence remained: "This humble official simply wanted to write down the whole story."

"Writing the whole thing doesn't mean you can define it," Zhou Fu shook his head.

The hall fell silent.

When Zhou Fu spoke again, his voice was even colder than before.

"The Bureau of Seeking Embers investigates wars, strange tales, demons, and evil cultivators, not to have you overturn cases of local officials being murdered. Do you understand?"

"clear."

"Whether the man in gray is a murderer or not is none of your business, understand?"

"..."

Su He didn't answer this time. He clenched his fist tightly, then loosened it. He retorted, "What if he isn't? What if..."

Zhou Fu pulled out a document from the side and pushed it onto the table.

"Suhe's failure to return from his field duties on time, his overstepping of authority, and his disruption of the reporting process by the prefecture and county authorities will be recorded in his year-end performance evaluation. He will be suspended from duty for three months and his salary will be withheld for one year."

Suhe looked at the paper.

The handwriting on it was neat, and the seal was affixed.

In other words, the decision had already been made before he even entered the room.

"This humble official accepts the punishment." He bowed and took it.

"Leave your official robes and get out."

Zhou Fu had already opened another book.

Suhe stood for a while, then took off his waist tag, removed his Xun Jin Si field officer uniform, folded it neatly, and placed it on the table.

The garment wasn't expensive, and it didn't look particularly impressive when worn, but when you actually put it down, it felt lighter on your shoulders.

Suhe left Xunjinsi.

Wu Huaiyi stood at the end of the corridor, watching him from afar. His lips moved, but he ultimately didn't come over.

Su Hechong nodded, as if to say goodbye.

The streets of Chengtianfu were still bustling.

Suhe walked around a firewood cart, reached the bridge, and prepared to return to the rented courtyard.

Right at the bridgehead, several people gathered around the notice board to watch the commotion.

"Another arrest warrant?"

"I heard he's a ruthless man from Beiyang Prefecture who killed the county magistrate and destroyed the Liu family."

"The Liu family? Which Liu family?"

"Who cares which one it is? Anyway, it says above: Gray-clad thug, heretical cultivator from another continent. Anyone who sees him, report it immediately."

Suhe stopped and squeezed into the crowd.

A new sheet of paper was pasted at the top of the bulletin board; the paste was not yet dry, and the large characters were glaringly obvious.

[Wanted criminal.]

Suhe stared at the wanted poster for a long time.

In the second supplementary report he personally issued, he wrote about the Liu family's heinous case, the buying of women, the village protection fees, the county magistrate's bribery, and the gray-clad man's involvement in the case pending investigation.

But there wasn't a single word on this piece of paper.

There is no Chen Ayue.

Xu Yanqing is not included.

There were no accomplices from the 26 villages of Changluo County, nor was there Master Liu.

The wind blew across the bridge, and the corners of the paper rustled.

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Please read it again tomorrow, Tuesday, because I want to compete with the first round of recommendations. Thank you so much!