Chapter 62: First Arrival in Ziyang County
Just after the imperial court session concluded, Zhao Zhao blocked Zhao Zhao at the palace gates with a darkened expression.
"You brat, halt right there!"
Zhao Zhao kept his hands tucked into his sleeves and turned around with a nonchalant slouch. "Father, what is it again? I haven't scolded anyone today."
"Was that not scolding someone? You've practically punched a hole right through the sky!" Zhao Zhao puffed out his beard in fury. "Building roads, farming crops! An imperial commissioner! You actually dared to accept this!"
He stepped closer, lowering his voice, his face etched with unconcealed worry.
"I've heard tales of that place called Ziyang County. The local populace is fierce and unyielding, and powerful clans are entrenched everywhere. If you go there alone, it's a veritable dragon's pool and tiger's den! Just in case..."
"Relax, relax." Zhao Zhao patted his father's shoulder. "Your son here is blessed with great fortune; even the King of Hell wouldn't dare claim my life."
He knew the score inside out.
After bidding farewell to his father, Zhao Zhao did not return home. Instead, he made a direct detour to the back courtyard of the Exiled Immortal Tower.
Tian Yi had been waiting there for quite some time.
"My lord."
"Go investigate," Zhao Zhao said, getting straight to the point. "The magistrate of Ziyang County and all the deeply intertwined local networks of influence—I want every bit of it."
He paused for a moment before adding:
"Remember, I do not want hearsay. I want ironclad evidence that will leave them with no place to be buried."
"This subordinate obeys." Tian Yi's figure vanished instantly into the shadows.
Early the next morning, a thick dossier was placed upon Zhao Zhao's desk.
The efficiency was astonishing.
The contents of the dossier were recorded in crystal-clear detail.
Liu Yang, the magistrate of Ziyang County, was corrupt and preyed upon the local peasantry; the offenses supported by concrete evidence alone were enough to warrant executing him ten times over.
As for that local gentry figure, Zhao Wuji, he was an even more ruthless character.
Trampling on human lives and forcibly seizing common women, the bones buried on the back mountain of his estate were almost piled high enough to form a small hill.
After finishing it, Zhao Zhao tossed the dossier onto the table and let out a cold laugh.
Splendid.
A corrupt official and a vicious bully; the two of them paired together were truly an extraordinary match.
That evening, during the Zhao family's dinner gathering, Zhao Zhao mentioned his impending trip to Ziyang County.
His mother, Lady Liu, instantly turned red around the eyes.
"My son, that place is so far away. Why must you set off on a long journey yet again?"
"Mother, I am going to serve as an official, to handle matters of great importance," Zhao Zhao comforted her.
"Elder brother! I want to go too!"
Zhao Changge, who had been burying his head in his rice bowl, suddenly raised his head, his face beaming with excitement.
Zhao Zhao cast a sidelong glance at him. "What would you go for? To hold me back?"
With your scrawny arms and legs, you call yourself skilled in martial arts? You'll be doing well if a gust of wind doesn't blow you away.
"My martial arts are exceptional!" Zhao Changge puffed out his chest defiantly. "I can protect you!"
"Pfft!"
The two brothers Li Jin and Li Silver, who were gnawing on chicken drumsticks nearby, nearly choked to death upon hearing this.
Zhao Zhao was amused. "Very well, didn't you claim your martial arts are exceptional?"
He pointed at the two fellows.
"Li Jin, Li Silver, the two of you spar a few rounds with my precious little brother."
"Understood, Young General!"
Li Jin and Li Silver tossed aside their chicken drumsticks, rubbed their hands together, and stepped into the courtyard with mocking grins plastered across their faces.
Zhao Changge showed no hesitation. He picked up a practice spear from the corner of the wall and assumed an opening stance.
"Come on."
Li Jin and Li Silver exchanged a glance, chuckled, and lunged forward simultaneously from left and right!
Zhao Zhao crossed his arms, preparing to watch his younger brother make a fool of himself.
Yet, the very next second.
The smile on his face froze.
He watched as Zhao Changge flicked his wrist, bringing that wooden spear to life in his hands!
The spear thrust forth like a dragon!
A sweeping strike forced Li Jin back!
Immediately following that, the shaft of the spear dipped heavily before executing a fierce upward thrust!
"Clang!"
The short blade in Li Silver's hand was sent flying directly into mid-air!
Before Li Silver could even react, the cold tip of the spear was already resting against his throat.
The entire process was as fluid as flowing clouds and water, as swift as lightning!
Ten moves!
Merely ten moves!
The two fellows Li Jin and Li Silver—one clutching his numb wrist, the other with a spear leveled at his throat—did not even dare to draw a full breath!
Zhao Zhao's jaw practically dropped to the ground.
What the hell!
I always thought you were all show and no substance! It turns out you're a goddamn hidden boss?!
"Ahem."
An aged voice came from the head seat.
Grandpa Zhao Xiao had set down his chopsticks at some point and was leisurely wiping his mouth.
"Changge is a child blessed with extraordinary natural talent. He has buried himself in books and practiced martial arts with utmost diligence since he was young."
He glanced sideways at Zhao Zhao.
"Had you, as the elder brother, not been such a hopeless good-for-nothing back then, your father and mother would never have steeled their hearts to train a backup heir like Changge."
Zhao Zhao's face darkened instantly.
With you putting it that way, I find myself completely speechless.
"However..." Grandpa Zhao Xiao shifted his tone, a trace of approval flashing within his murky, aged eyes.
"You're doing all right now as well. Though you've got a bit too much malice sloshing around in your head and you're rather dark-hearted."
"Still, a dark qilin is a qilin nonetheless."
"Let Changge accompany you. Getting toughened up and seeing some bloodshed will do him good."
What more could Zhao Zhao say? He could only nod in agreement.
...
Zhao Zhao rode on horseback with his younger brother Zhao Changge beside him, followed by Li Jin and Li Silver, over a dozen elite shadow guards brought by Tian Yi, along with Supervisor Zhang and several craftsmen dispatched by the Ministry of Works.
The grand procession, carrying the imperial edict, headed straight for Ziyang County.
Upon arriving at the city gates, they spotted a middle-aged man as fat as a hog, surrounded by a large contingent of county yamun officials, standing by the roadside bowing and scraping.
It was none other than the magistrate of Ziyang County, Liu Yang.
"This humble official Liu Yang, leading all the officials of the county, respectfully welcomes the Imperial Commissioner! Your arrival with the imperial grace, Lord Zhao, truly brings immense splendor to our impoverished backwater!"
Liu Yang's official robes were stretched taut over his rounded belly, making his belt nearly invisible. He squeezed out a flattering smile, his chubby face shining with grease.
Zhao Zhao lazily lifted his eyelids, a cold sneer forming in his heart.
You've come just in time; it saves me the trouble of hunting you down one by one.
He vaulted down from his horse with fluid grace, yet maintained the arrogant expression of a profligate young lord. He stepped forward and clapped a hand onto Liu Yang's shoulder, rattling the rolls of fat on the man's body.
"Magistrate Liu, you've put in the effort!"
Liu Yang was flattered beyond measure, bending his waist even lower as he rubbed his hands together. "Lord Zhao, you must be exhausted from your long journey. This humble official has already prepared a modest banquet at the county office to express my heartfelt sentiments. Furthermore, the local elder of high virtue and prestige, Master Zhao Wuji, upon hearing of your impending arrival, was so thrilled that he has personally arranged a feast at the finest restaurant in the city, insisting on hosting a welcoming banquet for you himself!"
Hearing this, Zhao Zhao burst into loud laughter—a laugh as uninhibited and swaggering as could be.
"Splendid! Excellent! This official simply adores dealing with straightforward people!"
He turned his head and shouted to the bewildered Zhao Changge, Li Jin, and Li Silver trailing behind him: "Did you hear that? There's a grand feast tonight! And Master Zhao is footing the bill!"
Li Jin and Li Silver immediately caught on, raising their voices in a shout: "Thank you, My Lord! Thank you, Magistrate Liu! Thank you, Master Zhao!"
Observing this boorish and direct reaction from the group, a flicker of contempt crossed the depths of Liu Yang's eyes, and the heavy stone in his heart finally settled.
It seemed this imperial commissioner sent from the capital was nothing more than an inexperienced wet-behind-the-ears kid who had never seen the world.
"Magistrate Liu, what are you standing around in a daze for?" Zhao Zhao threw an arm around his neck like a long-lost close brother. "Lead the way ahead!"
"This official wants to see whether the wine in your Ziyang County is potent enough! Let's see if it can knock me flat on my back!"