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Home/ There’s A Beauty / Chapter 70 (Part 1)

These days, You Shu was really distressed, and he doesn’t know how other Yamen works, he only knows that his Suichang County Yamen is almost empty to the bottom. 

All the money “Zhao Youshu” embezzled was exchanged for supplies. Part of the remaining silver was used to repair and strengthen various dams, part was used to pay his servants, and the remaining silver was saved for emergencies.

Seeing the black clouds above his head rolling around like surging waves, his expression became increasingly solemn day by day, and he felt more and more that the supplies on his hand were not sufficient, so he rolled his eyes and thought about it. As a result, an idea suddenly came to his mind. 

Now he finally knows what it means to be a “county magistrate who broke the house, a county magistrate who destroys the family”. It turns out that it is really easy to confiscate people’s property. If there is no money to use, it can be confiscated, if there is no food to eat, it can be confiscated. In this way, a large amount of wealth can be quickly collected.

He first found the villagers who had been oppressed by Wang Fu and others, handed over the pre-written lawsuit, and asked them to beat the drum. Because Wang Fu was protected by Prefect Wang before, no matter how many evil things he did, everyone could only swallow their anger, not daring to offend him in the slightest. 

Now it is unknown how long Prefect Wang can wear the black gauze hat of the official on his head. On the other end, Wang Fu also broke his waist and was paralyzed in bed, becoming completely useless. So, why should we wait now?

All the villagers gathered together and went to beat the drum with their lawsuits. You Shu had been preparing for a long time and immediately issued an arrest warrant, ordering the government officials to quickly arrest the people. Nine out of ten people on trial this time were the former officials. 

Even Wang Fu, who was paralyzed in bed, was brought to the court for questioning. They commit many evil deeds on a daily basis. Some take advantage of their power to rape women during the arrest, some collect money from vendors on the street, and some release prisoners without permission. There are countless charges.

You Shu forced his mental power into his eyes, and saw that the heads of these people were shrouded in black mist, full of deathly aura. It was evident that they all held human lives in their hands, so he did not wait for verification.  

First, he ordered them to be hit with dozens of boards. After they were beaten half to death, all the other people became frightened. Now, when You Shu turned to interrogate the guilty daughter-in-law of a wealthy family, no one dared to quibble, and they all put their fingerprints on the charges, saving a lot of trouble for everyone.

You Shu imprisoned all the culprits and waited for the court’s decision. Then he led a group of strong men to confiscate their wealth, registering all the stolen property and posting it on the bulletin board outside the county government office. He also bluntly stated that the money would be used to purchase more grain, medicinal materials, cloth, and other items.

The people first called him ‘Master Qingtian’, then affectionately called him County Magistrate Xiao Zhao, and now they gave him a new nickname— The County Magistrate who confiscates the house.  

But this nickname does not carry any fear or sarcasm. Because he confiscated the houses of only extremely heinous people, which can also be considered a way of eliminating harm for the people. The people naturally weren’t afraid of the criticism, and happily went around to tell other people about it.

Of course, there are also some people who expressed doubts about the whereabouts of the property, making various speculations. But You Shu purchased all the supplies through open and aboveboard channels. 

Merchants often drove bullock carts to the county government office to hand over the goods, and the accounting clerks were also not afraid of the people watching. They directly counted the goods at the door, totaled the silver, and then settled the accounts in person. All the dealings were fair, just and transparent.

Gradually, the nearby merchants all liked to deal with County Magistrate Zhao, and whenever they had good things, they would report to him first. Of course, there were also unscrupulous merchants who deeply detested him, only because he would check the goods on the spot during the counting process. 

Once, someone brought hundreds of bags of moldy rice noodles, and You Shu slashed the sack open with a knife, showing it to all the passersby. He then took out a small notebook and recorded the merchant’s name on it, saying that he would never do any business with him again.

The people are very concerned about every move of County Magistrate Xiao Zhao, and are naturally aware who has been on his blacklist recently. Then they all boycotted the shop opened by that merchant, causing the shop to close in a few days.

A month later, one night, a torrential rain suddenly fell on Lishui, accompanied by earth-shattering thunder and howling winds. The majestic thunder and purple light filled the sky, giving people an extremely ominous premonition. You Shu was wearing a thin robe standing on the porch outside the door, looking up at the sky.

The black clouds that were still rolling in mid-air turned into pouring rain, and black dragon shadows rushed into the nearby rivers, lakes, and seas, seemingly wanting to stir up more waves. It was only at this time that the Dayong Kingdom had truly transformed, and it was not known how the new emperor would respond to this catastrophe.

Without any further thought, You Shu immediately put on a raincoat and ran to the village near the river to check whether the dam was fully secured. 

Fortunately, he personally participated in the reconstruction of the dams. When the flood hit, the dams in Suichang were as strong as gold. However, there was a high possibility that the upstream county town would fall, affecting Suichang.

As far as You Shu was aware, the annual repair funds allocated by the imperial court was also a major means for local officials to embezzle wealth. 

Putting aside the fact that “Zhao Youshu” only served as the county magistrate in Suichang for one year, he still neglected to build and strengthen embankments, including granaries, official roads, post stations and other items, totaling an amount of 70,000 to 80,000 taels of silver. Once Suichang suffered a flood, more than ten million people would die. At that time, it would not be as simple as being hit a hundred times with a stick.

Fortunately, You Shu replaced him in a timely manner, preventing an irreversible tragedy. He ordered his servants to wake up the village chiefs and asked them to gather the villagers to seek refuge on high ground. At the same time, they should also take their important belongings with them.

Everyone didn’t didn’t sleep well in the middle of the night, and now they are asked to go to the mountains in the rain? Isn’t this equivalent to inflicting harm on oneself? The villagers were originally full of complaints, but when they heard that County Magistrate Xiao Zhao came to remind everyone in person, they forced themselves to tidy up their belongings.  

You Shu visited seven or eight Linshui villages, transferring all those people who could to a safe place before returning to the county town.

As there were still many disaster prevention policies to be promulgated the next day, he had to make plans that night. Without wasting any time, he hurriedly took a hot bath and jumped out of the wooden barrel. 

But as soon as his feet landed, he saw the carved screen suddenly distorted for a moment, and a tall figure slowly emerged, looking straight at each other.

What the hell is this? Both of them were stunned for a moment, and then froze. Fortunately, You Shu had become accustomed to the other party’s sudden appearance, and immediately pretended to be nonchalant, wanting to go get a bath towel.  

However, this move meant a great challenge for him. By coincidence, the bath towel was placed on the carved screen, and the man’s tall body stood in front of the screen, blocking his way.

This means that You Shu has to pass through the man’s body to get the towel. Although he could go around, but by deliberately going around in a circle when there was nothing in front of him, isn’t that equivalent to telling the man that he could see him? 

You Shu didn’t know why the man often came to the county government office. He might have noticed some abnormality, but as long as the other party doesn’t do anything, You Shu can’t show his timidity first.

With his current strength, he can barely deal with a few fierce ghosts, let alone the King of Hell in the underworld. So he can only endure and not act recklessly.

Adjusting his breathing without a trace, You Shu walked straight towards the man and reached out to retrieve the towel hanging behind his back. 

The man was wearing a mask and his expression couldn’t be clearly seen, but his sharp eyes seemed a bit confused at the moment, even obscure. He reflexively took two steps back, making You Shu overjoyed.

To be honest, You Shu was expecting him to take the initiative to avoid him like last time. Even if this person is just an invisible shadow that cannot be touched, the other party’s eyes can clearly see. If You Shu really bumps into the man, he will always feel a bit uneasy and find it difficult to adapt, as if he has incorporated this person into his own body.

However, he became happy too early. I don’t know what the man thought but he only took two small steps back and stood firm, his eyes quickly transitioning from confusion and obscurity to sharpness like a knife. He stared straight at You Shu who was getting closer, and even tilted his head slightly when his arm reached his ear, making a gesture as if he was sniffing.

The little villain in You Shu’s heart was scared to death, but he didn’t show anything on his face at all. He naturally took off the bath towel and began to wipe his body. 

“Zhao Youshu” suffered a lot when he was young, so he grew very thin and small. Although he became a county magistrate later, he spent all his time thinking about how to collect silver, which led to excessive mental exhaustion and further weakness.

After You Shu took over this body, he ate well every day, diligently ran errands, went to bed and woke up early. 

As a result, it took only a few dozen days to grow a white and tender body. In addition, after just taking a bath, his skin was still covered with water droplets, looking like jade bamboo, tall and lush. 

The man who had intended to avoid it for a moment actually stood firm for some reason, his gaze firmly fixed on him.

You Shu pretended to be calm and turned around, wiping his long hair that kept dripping with water. When the towel was draped down and covering his face for a moment, he made a grinning expression, obviously looking very frightened. He dared not wipe too fast or too slowly, as it would appear too deliberate and arouse the other party’s suspicion, so he had to try his best to maintain his usual state.

The man was very satisfied with his composure, so he walked to the chair next to the screen and sat down, leaning his head and looking at him. 

When You Shu bent down to wipe his legs, his white and round buttocks were raised high, facing him… The man’s eyes darkened, and he immediately crossed his long legs, changing to a less awkward sitting position.

He knew that You Shu was extremely nervous right now. Although he tried hard to hide it, his muscles would tighten unconsciously to prevent the danger from behind. That’s why his fleshy buttocks are now trembling and looking very elastic, making it even more tempting that people couldn’t help but want to touch them.

The man watched with relish, his eyes occasionally shining brightly, and what made him even more happy was that when he appeared, You Shu, who had always been extremely vigilant, turned around and faced him with his back. Although the intention was to cover the body, You Shu’s actions revealed more of his trust in himself.

What kind of existence does he have in You Shu’s heart? Fear yet trust, which sounds very contradictory. Suddenly, the man developed a desire to explore further.

You Shu has no idle and unnecessary thoughts in his heart at all. At first, he felt that a ray of light was shining on his back, with a chill seeping his body. Then he felt as if his body was burning, knowing that it was all caused by the sight behind him. 

He now has a deep understanding of what it means to be in the realm of ice and fire, wishing he could conjure up a set of clothes out of thin air and put them on. When he finally wiped himself off and put on his underwear, his cheeks were already hot and red, as if he was drunk.

He tried not to look at the man who was sitting on the chair, and walked around the screen to the outside room. The man also came out and walked side by side with him, and occasionally, he would suddenly approach and stare at him with his dark and unpredictable eyes. 

Encountering such a strange situation, if it was anyone else, he would have probably been frightened out of his mind long ago. Fortunately, You Shu was well-experienced and gradually got used to it.

He walked straight to the desk, picked up a pen to compile the disaster relief procedures, and without even thinking about anything else, he started writing on the paper with eloquence. 

The man stood very close, with a slight tilt of his head. He could still smell the moisture and fragrance from the other party’s wet hair. At first, he was somewhat distracted, but after a brief glance, he began to read silently, and after a moment, he secretly cheered.

He concealed his figure and touched You Shu’s wet head, his movements were slow but with an indescribable intimacy. 

Then he disappeared into the curtain of rain water in the sky.

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