Chapter 1215: Chapter 1214: There Are So Many Rules in the Officialdom

It was evident that under Man Gu’s governance, Quyi County was harmonious and well-run; within moments, he had helped two people find their long-lost mother, a very touching scene.

As Man Gu decisively handled the case and returned to the back hall to rest, a voice called out to him.

"Junior Brother Man."

Man Gu turned around and saw two immaculate, peerless experts standing in the back hall, overjoyed, "Brother Lu! Brother Meng!"

Although both had disguised their appearances, their unchanged voices made it easy for Man Gu to recognize them.

County Magistrate Man personally attended to the two distinguished guests, serving tea and water and a platter of fruits and snacks.

"Both elder brothers have ascended to the Transcendance Tribulation Stage, and I have been so busy with government affairs that I could only write letters to congratulate you, let me take this opportunity to congratulate you here now."

After sending a letter to Meng Jingzhou asking for help, Man Gu saw on the newspaper that Meng Jingzhou had advanced to the Transcendance Tribulation Stage and then sent a second letter to Lu Yang.

Lu Yang was taken aback to find that in the few years since they’d last met, Man Gu’s way of speaking had become pedantic, a complete change from before.

"It seems like Junior Brother Man is doing quite well as the County Magistrate?"

"That goes without saying—one moment, no, that’s not how I should say it. How should it go again? Just a second."

Saying this, Man Gu pulled out a small notebook from his bosom, its edges curled, showing signs of long-term use.

He flipped to the end and read earnestly from the contents of the notebook, "Thanks to the concern of both my elder brothers, ever since I’ve become the County Magistrate, I have been working hard and contemplated intensely about the direction of our county’s development..."

"Hold on, what are you reading there?" Lu Yang couldn’t help but ask.

Lu Yang also noticed that the notebook contained the congratulatory words verbatim, identical without a single letter changed.

Were you reading out scripted lines?

"You see, previously my manner of speaking didn’t quite fit that of a Confucian Cultivator. Confucian Cultivators always like to quote the words of the sages, which essentially is reciting lines. So, I thought of this method—plan the dialogue scenarios in advance, decide what to say, then jot it down and memorize it."

"My secretary even advises me to do this, and he often writes my speeches for me."

Both Lu Yang and Meng felt that Man Gu had some misunderstandings about Confucian Cultivators, but upon reflection, it seemed he might be on the right track.

Meng Jingzhou sighed, "Just say what you want to say, don’t memorize it."

"Well, being a County Magistrate is actually quite tough—the rules are too many."

"What do you mean?"

"When I first became the County Magistrate, I went to the county office for a meeting. It was almost over when the County Magistrate said we could openly express any thoughts about Zhongshan County or suggestions for him, and I was planning to speak after my colleagues, but after waiting for a long while, none of them spoke, so I stood up and mentioned a few points."

"The County Magistrate was quite pleased with me and asked if I wanted to become the County Magistrate right away. I kindly reminded him that I had just become the County Magistrate and couldn’t be promoted to County Magistrate immediately, as it wouldn’t be in line with the regulations."

"After returning, I mentioned this to the secretary, and he wrote some guidelines on my notebook, telling me I can’t do this."

Man Gu showed Lu Yang the notebook, flipping to the first few pages, which were densely packed with all sorts of prohibitions such as, "Don’t speak when your superior says you can speak freely," "Don’t report your colleagues for drinking after work," "When your superior invites you to stay for a meal, don’t actually eat it, and even if you do, don’t say you’re not full," and so on.

"Why are there so many guidelines?" Both Lu Yang were surprised; the secretary seemed to be a real talent, capable of noticing so many details.

"Oh, it’s because every time I break one, he writes one down for me."

"..."

"That’s why I say the officialdom has too many rules; it’s not as comfortable as being in a Sect."

"Actually, I’ve been having quite a good time in officialdom," Lu Yang said.

"Ah?" Man Gu was surprised, since when did Elder Brother Lu Yang join the officialdom?

"You wouldn’t guess, but my current identity is that of a High-Ranking Minister."

"High-Ranking Minister? Does our Great Xia even have such an official position?"

"Well, Emperor Xia recognizes it."

"Brother Lu is really amazing."

No wonder Elder Brother Lu Yang is incredible; even being a minor county magistrate is so difficult for me, yet he has become a High-Ranking Minister without anyone knowing. This is the difference between people.

I clearly have much more to learn.

"Enough of that, what’s this about a haunting?" Meng Jingzhou asked. Now that solar energy lamps have completely replaced candles, every household has solar energy lamps, and with the seal of the Sun fully lifted, the Power of the Supreme Yang has exploded in growth. How could ghosts still pose a threat?

"It was one night three months ago."

"At the time, I was cultivating, when suddenly a constable patrolling the streets reported to me, saying that there were several ghosts wandering the main street, and that they had tried various methods to no avail; the ghosts were completely unaffected."

"When I went to have a look, it was indeed the case. Several ghosts were shone on by solar energy lamps, stabbed with Peach Wood Swords, all to no effect. The Peach Wood Swords even passed straight through them as if they felt nothing. They did not respond to our attacks, nor did they seem to intend to attack us."

"When I arrived, the ghosts had already begun to vanish."

"Later, ghosts appeared again, but at that time my cultivation realm was fluctuating to a very low degree, so I couldn’t take action and had to ask for cultivators from the county to come, but to no effect."

"There was no other way, so I thought of asking the two Senior Brothers for help."

"It does sound a bit strange. How many times have the ghosts appeared?"

"Three times. The timing of their appearances isn’t fixed, but it’s always at night."

Meng Jingzhou stroked his chin. "The timing isn’t fixed, that’s troublesome. Has anything like this happened in nearby counties?"

Man Gu shook his head. "I asked around, no."

"It seems we’ll just have to stay here for a while. Oh, and Junior Brother Man, the matter of our arrival must be kept secret," Lu Yang said.

If the ghosts found out that Old Meng and I, renowned for upholding justice and righteousness, were here, they’d probably be too scared to show up.

"Of course," Man Gu nodded. Both Senior Brothers have always kept a low profile, not seeking the limelight.

"Shall I arrange accommodation for the two Senior Brothers?"

"Do you need people at the government office? Wherever you’re short-staffed, we can fill in temporarily."

"It so happens that two constables were dismissed for taking bribes, leaving two positions vacant. But, the two Senior Brothers are here to help as my guests..."

Meng Jingzhou hooked an arm around Man Gu’s neck. "No problem, it’s not good to be idle all the time. It’ll be fine to find something to do."

Man Gu was deeply moved. The two Senior Brothers had come a long way to catch ghosts and were even proactively helping him solve problems. What noble and righteous deeds.

Soon, Man Gu found constable uniforms for the two men. Once dressed, with their proud smiles, they suddenly looked like the typical bullying evil constables.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Man Gu led the two to meet people in the government office, starting with the chief secretary.

Upon seeing the County Magistrate bringing in two unfamiliar constables, the secretary was astonished.

Normally, recruiting constables would require a series of trials; how had the County Magistrate found two so quickly?

"My lord, who are these two constables?"

Man Gu remembered Lu Yang’s reminder to keep their identities secret, so he couldn’t introduce the two as his Senior Brothers. A brief introduction would suffice.

"These two got in through the back door."