The Daily Life of a Rich Peasant's Boy in the Imperial Examination

Chapter 1555 Head Constable Yang, the Most Beautiful Official in the Yamen

In the City God Temple, a young Taoist priest ran in, shouting urgently, "Master, something terrible has happened! The disaster victims are fighting!"

Master Zhang, rubbing his forehead, asked, "What caused the fight?"

They showed absolutely no intention of mediating the dispute.

So what if we fight? As long as we don't get hit, it doesn't matter.

The young Taoist priest said anxiously, "Master, they started arguing over who should fetch water first, and then they started fighting. Hey, Master, when are they going to move away?"

"Staying in the City God Temple all day isn't enough. We Taoists are supposed to be pure and tranquil, but since the disaster victims moved in, we haven't had a single day of peace. I simply can't properly cultivate myself."

Even without the disaster victims, the young Taoist priest wouldn't have practiced his cultivation properly.

He was a distant relative of Master Zhang, working at the City God Temple just to make a living. He had no other connections; otherwise, he would have left long ago.

Master Zhang also longed to know when these disaster victims would move out. They argued and argued every day over trivial matters. Whether he cultivated or not was another matter; his cultivation level was already quite high.

The main problem is that there are many different kinds of people around, and you have to keep a good eye on things.

It was widely rumored that Master Zhang was unfathomable, possessed profound skills, and cultivated himself day and night, using all his power to protect the people of Yuanlu. His reputation in Yuanlu County was not only high but also excellent.

Now that the disaster victims have moved in, Zhang the Taoist priest has to be careful about his image; he would never dare to do anything cunning or deceitful.

Master Zhang sighed and said in a low, resentful tone, "Someone in the government told me that the disaster victims won't be able to leave for a while, so I have to be careful and cautious in my words and actions. I must not let the people see through our character, otherwise it will be harder to cheat them in the future. No, I mean, to accept donations."

The young Taoist priest said with distress, "Master, I have already done my job properly, but the disaster victims often come to me to seek justice. I get scolded whether I do a good job or a bad job, and it's even worse if I try to smooth things over. I get scolded by both sides. Master, I'm afraid that if this goes on for too long, my true nature will be exposed, which will damage the image of the City God Temple."

Master Zhang glanced furtively at the large donation box in front of him.

Not long ago, a group of wealthy women invested a considerable amount of money in the project.

I was planning to open it before the Lunar New Year and enjoy myself to the fullest.

But with the disaster victims right in front of him, how could he dare to be so mercenary? He could only endure it, endure it, endure it.

Master Zhang received a message from his contacts at the government office that the disaster victims would be able to stay until the Lunar New Year, which was considered an optimistic scenario.

If, after the Lunar New Year, the disaster victims are unable to rebuild their homes, they may have to live in the City God Temple for the rest of their lives.

Master Zhang asked his informant, "Lord Sun, are you just going to let the disaster victims live in the City God Temple for the rest of their lives? This is the City God Temple, an extremely sacred place. How can you let the disaster victims live here indefinitely?"

The clerk in the yamen shrugged and said indifferently, "If the disaster victims are staying at the City God Temple, they can stay at the City God Temple. Anyway, they're not staying at the yamen or with Lord Sun, so why would we care so much?"

Master Zhang: ......

It was like being struck by lightning, charred inside and out, blackened, and my whole heart was shattered.

Don't ask if Lord Sun will really do that. Master Zhang saw through Lord Sun long ago.

Even if one is unwilling to accept it in their heart, one will still answer with certainty: Yes, Lord Sun is capable of doing it, because he is such a treacherous and selfish person who would sacrifice others for his own benefit.

Whether the City God Temple is sacred or not, as long as we don't bother Lord Sun, it's fine.

Since Lord Sun arrived in Yuanlu County, the City God Temple has become the official designated "disaster relief area".

No matter what disaster the people encountered, they all rushed to the City God Temple.

Haha, if the disaster victims have nowhere to live, Lord Sun really will let them stay permanently.

At this point, the informant from the yamen said, "Lord Sun said that the disaster victims will not be allowed to leave the City God Temple unless they all have houses to live in. As for how the disaster victims will have houses to live in?"

"Hehe, Lord Sun is currently soliciting donations from the wealthy. Oh dear, Master Zhang, if you want the disaster victims to leave the City God Temple quickly, I think you'll have to make some contribution."

Master Zhang was completely bewildered.

When I got back to the temple and saw the donation box, I suddenly realized what had happened.

He slapped his thigh and yelled: "Oh no!"

Lord Sun's greedy hand is reaching out to him, clearly wanting him to donate money!

Master Zhang was on the verge of tears!

The young Taoist priest saw that Master Zhang's body was twitching from time to time, and his thin, old face was twisted 180 degrees, which was really eerie and terrifying.

He asked tremblingly, "Taoist Master, what's wrong with you?"

Luckily it was broad daylight, otherwise I would have thought I had encountered some kind of ghost in the deep mountains.

Master Zhang was stunned for a moment, then woke up, waved his hand weakly, and said, "Go out. I want to meditate!"

The young Taoist priest grew anxious: "Master, don't meditate yet! What if the disaster victims start fighting?"

What can Master Zhang do?

The donation box in front of us is about to end up in Lord Sun's pocket. Fellow Daoists, who can understand that kind of pain?

Let's just give up.

He was completely drained of energy, and with a weak wave of his hand, he said, "Fight if you want, but stop when you've had enough. Ignore him and lock the inner courtyard."

Poor Master Zhang was forced to confine himself to the inner courtyard, as the outer courtyard had long been occupied by disaster victims.

Seeing that Master Zhang wasn't going to do anything, the young Taoist priest also gave up, hanging his head and going back to his room to sleep. In the dead of winter, nothing beats lying in bed.

The disaster victims in the outer courtyard continued to fight fiercely until the officials came to patrol and stopped.

Yang the constable became even more ruthless, especially after three families of disaster victims secretly ran back to the south of the city, causing deaths and injuries.

Lord Sun talks about political achievements, while Constable Yang talks about performance.

Lord Sun ranked the staff of the yamen according to their performance. The higher the rank, the greater the reward.

Since the bumper harvest and the resulting increase in grain tax, the government has been evaluating performance and awarding bonuses every quarter based on the results.

Because Yang, the head constable, was on the front lines at the grassroots level, he received more rewards than his wages and was once known as "the most beautiful official in the government office," receiving widespread praise.

Now, because three households have secretly run home, it's due to inadequate supervision.

I'm definitely not going to be nominated for "Employee of the Year". I'm about to get angry but I can't find a place to vent.

I witnessed a fight among disaster victims today.

They wouldn't listen to any explanations, arrested both sides, and severely punished them.

Yang, the head constable, transformed into a vengeful ghost from the underworld and shouted viciously, "Lord Sun is a refined man who only knows how to curse but not how to hit. Humph, I, Yang, am the exact opposite. I only hit people and never curse them."

He was surrounded by black energy and shouted viciously, "Arrest them all and give them a good beating, one after another!"

Instantly, the entire City God Temple was filled with wails.

The disaster victims huddled together, shivering, and looked at Officer Yang.

I really want to say: Officer Yang, you not only hit people, but you also curse them.

Don't try to portray yourself as so virtuous; you're the most cruel person in the entire government office.

A few days ago, Sun Shan cursed at people, his piercing, triangular eyes like those of a venomous snake, which terrified the disaster victims.

Today, Constable Yang committed atrocities.

Without comparison, you won't know which is better.

Compared to him, the disaster victims felt that Lord Sun was indeed a scholar who spoke reason.

For a time, Sun Shan's reputation among the people improved by one percentage point, which could be considered an improvement.