Chapter 108: Consulting an Elderly Immortal
According to the information he had received, Ningxi Commandery—the commandery Xu Zhijie had governed—boasted the biggest land out of the four commanderies of the Shattered Realm, but also possessed the smallest population. Its people had suffered terribly, and discontent had boiled over everywhere.
Xu Zhijie also had a large army that was considered the strongest out of all the commanderies. However, it could never score a victory when it went up against the Shamans. Each time, the main branch of the Xu Clan had to step in and rally the surrounding sects and their grotto-heaven to form a coalition army before they succeeded in repelling the Shamans. Even then, years of warfare had left the people in great suffering and struggling to survive.
During the decade Xu Zhijie had served as the commandery administrator, Ningxi Commandery had conceded two hundred li of territory and lost eight hundred thousand of its population. Countless people were secretly cursing Xu Zhijie to an early grave using the Shamans’ secret arts. This continued until the Xu Clan finally arrested him and uncovered various heinous crimes including but not limited to embezzling military provisions, pocketing the salaries for non-existent soldiers, and even colluding with foreign races. In the end, the man was beheaded, and his kins were exiled to serve in the military.
When Xu Zhijie died, countless Ningxi households lit fireworks in celebration. However, not even half a year after his death, the Shamans’ armies overran all four commanderies and conquered the region. A couple more intense battles followed, and the region transformed into the Shattered Realm.
Xu Zhijie’s crimes were so numerous that he earned himself a spot in a chronograph. A full two hundred and twenty words had been devoted to chronicling his wicked deeds and condemning him before all future generations.
All information issued by the Palace of Absolute Beginning were verified before they were published and could not be falsified. As far as the records were concerned, Xu Zhijie was a classic example of an official who had brought ruin to an entire commandery. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he deserved to die ten times over for his crimes. Ningxi Commandery originally had a population of over two million, yet only one and a half million remained after his ten-year tenure.
Xu Wan’er told a different story, however.
Xu Zhijie was a direct descendant of the Xu Clan, but he rejected the arranged marriage his family had set up for him and instead married a commoner. This caused the young lady from the Lü Clan—the one who would have been his wife—to harbor deep resentment toward him. At the same time, he had a few male patrilineal cousins who had always been jealous of his talents. Thus, they cooperated with each other to undermine and sabotage Xu Zhijie.
Despite facing suppression, Xu Zhijie proved remarkably capable. Through his achievements, he steadily rose through the ranks until he was finally appointed as the commandery administrator of Ningxi Commandery and tasked with defending the frontier. However, not only was Ningxi Commandery caught in a web of competing factions, the shadows cast by the various branches of the Xu Clan lurked in every corner. Every staff general in the army was backed by a powerful backer, and not even a general-in-chief could command them, much less Xu Zhijie. The empty payrolls and embezzlement of military provisions were all the work of these factions. Forget intervening, he could not even access the military supply ledgers.