Chapter 389: The Governor
Governor’s Residence.
The Governor sat in his seat with a stack of documents in front of him.
He opened one of the documents and shook his head.
Then, he went on and opened another document from the stack.
The Governor gave out a long sigh and shook his head again when he saw what was written in it.
"All these corrupted souls only know how to ask for money..." The Governor grumbled and opened another one of the documents.
When he saw what was written in it, he cursed and flung the document aside.
No wonder the peasants’ life was hell.
The imperial officials under him only knew how to ask for a budget while having their hands deep in the various vices like gambling dens in the city.
None of them did much work and the peasants had to pay bribes to get them moving an inch.
If he had his way, he would execute them as he would have if the rebellion had succeeded.
But he knew that he couldn’t do so now that he had a stint as the Governor.
The person that replaced the one before might be even more corrupted and evil, which was why the position of Magistrate was still empty.
So many of the Clans and Families had tried to bribe him and put their own candidate into the position of the Magistrate.
The Governor gave out a sigh and shook his head at how naive he was to think that he could try and make a change while he was the Governor.
He felt that he was banging his head on the wall, going against everyone else in Hong Feng City.
Some of the Clans and Families had even put up memorials to the emperor complaining about his work, even though he had tried his very best to help the peasants in Hong Feng City.
It seemed more and more like a lost cause for him.
Maybe the Dark Lord’s plan wasn’t extreme enough, he thought.
The Governor, or Lee Yi Hong, began to be more convinced of his dream, that maybe getting rid of all the cultivators for a reset was the only way out for an equal and just society.
Every issue that he was facing now traced back to the cultivators pulling the strings behind the scenes for their advantage.
"Governor, someone seeks a visit." One of his men came into his study room, bowed at him and said.
"Who’s that?" The Governor wasn’t expecting anyone and he asked, thinking that it might be one of those Clans or Families trying to bribe him again.
But it wasn’t and he was surprised when he heard his man.
"It’s Master Lin Xuan Qi from the Lin Clan."
"Let him in quickly." The Governor waved at the man and glanced over at his servant girl standing by the side, "Get the tea ready."
The servant girl bowed at him and went off to make a new pot of tea.
When she came back with it, Lin Xuan Qi also entered the study room.
"So sorry for the abrupt visit, Governor." Lin Xuan Qi said and cupped his hands at the Governor.
"It’s been a long time since I saw you. How can I help you?" The Governor said and gestured for him to take a seat.
Lin Xuan Qi sat down on the seat by the side of the study room.
The servant girl quickly went over and poured a cup of tea for him.
He gave her a nod and said to the Governor, "I’m here to check on the status of a case."
The Governor frowned and said, "What case?"
Previously, he had to grant Lin Xuan Qi a tax rebate for the autumn tax, and he didn’t have a good feeling about it.
Who knew what Lin Xuan Qi wanted this time?
Lin Xuan Qi cupped his hands at the Governor and said, "I heard that Chen Liang the Registrar for Deeds was apprehended and one of those that he had framed was someone that I knew."
"Chen Liang?" The Governor relaxed and rested on the back of his seat.
He felt better knowing that Lin Xuan Qi wasn’t here to ask something from him.
If it was about the cases that involved Chen Liang, it wasn’t much.
The investigations were on the way even if he hadn’t asked.
"My men are still going through the cases, one by one.
"There are many officials involved and I’m afraid it might take a while for me to uproot their corrupted network from Hong Feng City.
"The only way I can help you is to ask them to prioritize the case that you want to find out about.
"But..." The Governor said and gave out a sigh.
He paused, wanting to see if he could try and get something out of Lin Xuan Qi.
Lin Xuan Qi frowned and said, "Then, I’m afraid you might need to increase your manpower as soon as possible..."
"What do you mean by that?" The Governor didn’t expect it and asked.
Lin Xuan Qi shrugged and said, "Things aren’t going too peacefully right now.
"There were men finding trouble with helpless people like me.
"And I’m afraid it might get out of hand soon."
The Governor went silent and tapped his finger on the table.
He knew who Lin Xuan Qi was working with and the only person daring and powerful enough to try and find trouble with the Sima Family was Ruo Zhi.
Those pesky cultivators again! He thought silently to himself.
After suffering from a rebellion, all they could think of was extending their influence and power over the city, without any regard for the lives and suffering of the peasants.
He wished that he was Lee Yi Hong again and could go on a killing spree killing off all the cultivators.
But he wasn’t and, being the Governor for now, he felt helpless.
There weren’t many cultivators under him and it was especially ironic that the one that was causing trouble was the cultivator that was supposed to protect the city.
He could only buy time for now until he got the signal from the Dark Lord.