The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror
Chapter 336 - 153: The Deputy Imperial Censor of the Right and Jinhua Assistant General (Subscribe Please)_2

Chapter 336: Chapter 153: The Deputy Imperial Censor of the Right and Jinhua Assistant General (Subscribe Please)_2

And what’s rare about the Cao Wei oppression of the lower classes is that it was unparalleled through the ages.

Since the Legalist governance Post-Qin, it wasn’t truly rule of law, but more like slavery, emphasizing "exhausting and weakening the people."

So-called because when the common folk have nothing to do, they become arrogant; when they are put to work, they are easy to command.

All those in power have tacitly agreed with this.

Some without saying, some with saying, but their methods are the same.

Even Xu Qing himself.

Would command members of the Recovery Society to construct academies.

"Everyone is equal above me; below me, hierarchy is clear. The base nature of others, I too possess." Xu Qing reflected on himself, yet found change difficult.

Scholarship could be free, but if organizational structure was loose, Xu Qing had no clue what to do.

He could only plagiarize.

After all, even Li Shimin in governing the nation, had honestly made use of this approach.

To avoid the heavy labor during the Zhenguan era, there were people who even chose to amputate their own limbs.

It could be said that Zhenguan’s harsh governance was fiercer than a tiger.

However, Xu Qing had an advantage, he had high demands for those beneath him, but he was also willing to share the profits. Xu Qing personally didn’t care about enjoying luxury and wealth.

Those who followed him were destined to have meat, and even the ordinary people could sip the broth.

Much better than many other Old Masters, who made their subordinates toil while only offering empty promises.

With other lords, the benefits that could only be obtained through corruption and oppressing the good, following Xu Jieyuan, one directly only needed to be willing to work hard and do solid work.

This was also within Xu Qing’s powers to achieve.

But human governance ultimately can’t avoid the demise following the death of its leader.

If human governance was absent, well, a living hell was definitely not a joke.

Governing a prefecture’s land is ultimately far easier than governing the entire world; Jiangning Prefecture under Xu Qing’s eyes, he could manage many details.

If expanded, he could only rely on more like-minded talents.

At the very least, ones who could execute his approach.

That was also the meaning of the Recovery Society.

Even if it might eventually warp, it was still better than none at all.

Just not every member of the Recovery Society could understand him, nor accept his philosophy.

Some members who left the Recovery Society were recently meeting up quite often with the clerks who had been replaced during the land surveying.

These members, mostly hailing from aristocratic families, had frequent dealings with these clerks on regular days.

Exiting the Recovery Society, they were berated by the elderly in their families, much like these replaced clerks, harboring much resentment towards Xu Qing.

"County Magistrate Zheng’s utterly compliant attitude towards Xu Gongming is largely because Xu Gongming’s mentor for the county exam is now the Magistrate of Jinyang Prefecture, and now the imperial report has come down, Mr. Wu has been promoted to Right Deputy Imperial Censor, and can no longer influence County Magistrate Zheng’s hometown." A former clerk revealed the news.

"Now County Magistrate Zheng is like a puppet, and that time in the Government Office, everyone was a witness to the great humiliation he suffered. Moreover, Xu Gongming doesn’t completely dominate South Zhili. County Magistrate Zheng, after all, is a governor, and can’t always be treated as a puppet by Xu Gongming. It might be worth a try for you gentlemen to probe County Magistrate Zheng and see if you can get your positions back."

"County Magistrate Zheng is Duke Wei’s man, and now that the Duke Mansion has been shamed by Xu Gongming several times, if Xu Gongming pushes further, right and wrong will become clear to everyone."

"Let’s go, let’s first give it a try. And as for the principles of the Recovery Society, we all know them; at worst, we can go to Yingtian Prefecture and start a new Recovery Society. Perhaps we could even gain the favor of Lord Duke, and let those elders in our families who look down on us see..."

These former members, having been cut off financially by their families, along with these resentful clerks, hit it off right away.

Seizing the influence of liquor, they went in groups of twos and threes to the Government Office to find County Magistrate Zheng.

County Magistrate Zheng recognized some of them, and patiently listened to them speak. Hearing these old clerks actually wanting to be reinstated, his first thought was whether Xu Qing was deliberately testing him, and he quickly warned, "What nonsense are you all talking about."

The clerks and members, however, continued to speak with shameless boldness, analyzing the pros and cons for him, mentioning Mr. Wu’s affair, and told County Magistrate Zheng not to panic anymore.

County Magistrate Zheng then realized, "They’re just a bunch of drunkards."

He immediately ordered the Government Officials to seize them, charge them with the crime of roaring in the court, administer fifty heavy beatings to each of them, then throw them into jail to wait for their families to ransom them.

Really taking him for a fool.

But their arrival was timely.

County Magistrate Zheng was just worrying about how to curry favor with Xu Jieyuan and the Great Right Deputy Imperial Censor.

He finally understood, Mr. Wu had clung to Old Master Xu’s thighs, and within less than two years, he went from a Seventh Rank official to acquire the Dharma Eye of a Prime Minister, attaining the position of Right Deputy Imperial Censor.

Why can’t I do it too!

Although Mr. Wu, being a Third Class Scholar, had a natural allure and origins far above a mere Scholar like himself, but he doesn’t aspire to the quasi-high official position of Right Deputy Imperial Censor, even a common fifth-rank magistrate position would not be disdained.

If Old Master Xu could really help him get promoted, then Old Master Xu would be like his own grandfather!

After dealing with it, County Magistrate Zheng hurriedly took Guo Zhuang, who was Old Master Xu’s lackey, to the Xu Residence to report his merits.

Xu Qing, upon hearing the purpose of County Magistrate Zheng’s visit, couldn’t help but feel like laughing inside.

Actually, it’s better to use someone familiar; he was also considering the candidate to replace the County Magistrate of Jiangning after Magistrate He’s departure.

County Magistrate Zheng’s character truly wasn’t that great, but being wise to the times was indeed a strength.

Moreover, as a transitional figure, he seemed not too bad.

Yet such an obvious official position was too conspicuous.

Waiting for Master Wu to arrive, they would discuss, maybe give him a co-magistrate role, then ask the Ministry of Personnel to find a reason to temporarily leave the position of Jiangning Prefecture Magistrate vacant.

That would make things easier.

As for the reason for the promotion, that was easy to find.

The land survey was a major concern of the state currently, and County Magistrate Zheng had been mixed up in it, naturally, he had significant contributions, being presented to the Ministry of Personnel, naturally, there was a case to be made.