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Home/ There’s A Beauty / Chapter 76 (Part 2)

“Are you Zhao Youshu, the magistrate of Suichang County?” The official in charge of receiving him looked up and down with a scrutinising gaze, a hint of malice flashing through his eyes.

“That’s right, it’s me. I was summoned by the emperor to come to the capital to report on my duties.” You Shu arched his hand.

“Okay, first pay the writing fee, submission fee, queuing up fee, reminder fee… totaling twelve thousand taels of silver.” The official picked up the abacus and fiddled with it while citing fee for the many items.

You Shu was aware that the Six Ministries, like the six rooms in the Yamen, set up various pretexts to accept bribes from people, but he still felt quite indignant when he actually encountered such a thing. He suppressed his anger and asked, “If the emperor fails to see this official’s work report on time, what will happen if he inquires about it?”

“Hah, who do you think you are?” The official narrowed his eyes with a contemptuous expression, “Let me tell you, if you don’t pay these fees, just wait in the capital. Maybe in a hundred years, the emperor will think of you. When King Pingxi came to the capital to report on his work, he didn’t take us seriously because he was a relative of the emperor, and refused to pay any silver. Guess what? No one wrote his work report for him. He waited in the capital for two years before he was summoned by the emperor. You should first look at others, and then weigh yourself. Do you even have the weight of King Pingxi?”

“That was during the reign of the former emperor, right?” You Shu said.

The official’s breathed heavily for a moment, but then quickly returned to normal, sneering, “It’s the same for the new emperor. He moved the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Justice. Let’s see if he dares to touch the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Civil Affairs. These two are the backbone of the country. A slight movement will damage the muscles and bones. Does the emperor dare? He will still have to ask the old ministers in the court whether they agree or not.”

You Shu’s heart felt cold, but he still insisted, “Can’t I write the work report myself?”

The official documents submitted to various ministries for review, especially those submitted to the imperial court, all have specific formats and wordings. Officials who entered through the imperial examination have never been exposed to this knowledge. Once they write it themselves and their superiors caught any mistakes, there will only be one result, which is dismissal and investigation. When the official saw that he was so stingy that he even refused to pay for the report, they allowed him to jump into the pit.

“Okay, you write it yourself. But let me tell you in advance that if you do not pay the submission fee, queuing up fee, and reminder fee, it is unknown when the official document you have written will be seen by the emperor. King Pingxi has to wait for two years, for you, it should be around seventeen or eighteen years. I’ll wait here, and when you figure it out, hand over the money.” He said fearlessly.

You Shu was furious in his heart, but he didn’t show anything on his face. He picked up his pen and wrote a report of tens of thousands of words, introducing his political achievements from various aspects and summarising his shortcomings. 

He can write the best template for similar official documents with just one glance. During his time in Suichang and Lishui, in order to prevent petty officials from monopolising power, he personally handled all official affairs. In terms of professional level, he was at a higher level than any other official in the Six Ministries, so how could he be stumped by a mere work report?

After writing, he checked it carefully twice to make sure there were no errors or omissions before stamping his official seal and submitting it. 

Without even looking at it, the official just threw it into the pile of files with a contemptuous attitude.

“Finally, I would like to advise you to gather the money quickly, otherwise this report will sink into the ground.”

“Thanks for the reminder.” You Shu cupped his hands and strode away.

The corruption of officials in Dayong has far exceeded his imagination. The Ministry of Civil Affairs buys and sells official positions, the Ministry of Justice makes unjust and wrongful convictions, the Ministry of Household Affairs empties the treasury, the Ministry of Rites reverses the rules and regulations, the Ministry of War is cowardly and incompetent, and the Ministry of Works is basically idle and has nothing to do. 

What kind of country is this? Thinking of this, he became even less interested in the identity of the new emperor. Even the Ministries cannot be rectified, this new emperor’s methods are too inferior compared to those of his master’s.

Due to his bad mood, he bought a lot of pastries and took them home. Only when he put down the boxes did he remember that there was one important thing he had not done yet. He quickly ran to the woodshed, picked up a straight wooden board, and carved the words “Lord of the Underworld” on it with a dagger..

“Thank you for your life-saving grace and escort. I bought a lot of delicious things. I hope you like them.” He placed the plaque on the incense table, bowed solemnly, and then neatly stacked the purchased food in bowls and plates as a sacrifice.

In Dayong, he had no master, no parents, and was always invaded by the deep loneliness in the dead of the night. If it weren’t for the companionship, care, and silent protection of Lord Yama, he probably never would have lived to this day. He liked this friend very much, so he dug his heart out and had no reservations about what good things he had, always wanting to share them with the other party.

The candle flame on the incense table suddenly rose up half an inch and then quickly extinguished, leaving only a room full of darkness.

In the Imperial City, at Qianqing Palace, a tall man was sitting at his desk reviewing a memorial, with a pale and feminine looking eunuch standing on his side.

The man put down his imperial pen and asked in a deep voice, “What did You Shu do today?”

“Reporting to Your Majesty, County Magistrate Xiao Zhao first went to the Zhao Mansion, and Zhao Youcai planned to use 10,000 taels of silver to reconcile, but he refused. After that, he rented a haunted courtyard in an alley in the eastern suburbs and took a short rest before he went to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to report. Because he couldn’t pay the fees, the work report is still buried under piles of official documents, and I don’t know when it will be handed over to the Minister above.” 

After saying this, the eunuch hesitated a bit before saying, “How about I personally go to the Ministry of Civil Affairs and ask for the work report?”

“No need, let it go for a while, otherwise, how can I have the chance to get angry?” The man looked out the window, revealing half of his handsome face that was as cold as an ice sculpture.

The eunuch bowed in response.

After a while, the man asked again, “The officials there deliberately made things difficult for You Shu. Was it Zhao Youcai who intervened in this?”

“That’s right. He wants to force County Magistrate Xiao Zhao to go to Zhao Mansion to ask for silver.”

“What an idiot. With a stubborn temper like You Shu, the more you push him, the tougher he becomes. You have to carefully smooth his hair to deal with him.” The man chuckled softly, with a hint of affection, obviously aware of the temperament of Magistrate Xiao Zhao.

The eunuch didn’t find it strange either and laughed. At this moment, a burst of white light suddenly flashed on the table. After the light dissipated, three plates were placed on the imperial desk filled with files for no reason. One was filled with osmanthus cake, one with walnut cake, and one with bright red candied haws.

“Hey, who is this foolish and bold, daring to worship the Lord of the Underworld? Does this person think he won’t live long?” The eunuch looked surprised.

“What a fool!” The man was slightly stunned and picked up the candied haws to look at it, then he couldn’t help laughing. Except for the foolish and bold glutton like Magistrate Xiao Zhao, who else would enshrine Lord Yama on the incense table? Even if he is not by there, the other party can always think of himself and share whatever good things he has, it’s really thoughtful.

The man bit off a candied haws, chewed it carefully, and praised with satisfaction, “Hmm, it’s very sweet.”

The eunuch caught a glimpse of the stretched brows and the gentle smile in the other party’s eyes, and finally guessed who offered this sacrifice, and couldn’t help but secretly admire Magistrate Xiao Zhao. 

Seeing the King of Hell, Magistrate Xiao Zhao was still able to maintain his composure and stayed with him all the way on the road. It’s truly astonishing. He is worthy of being a descendant of Xia Qi’s National Teacher, with an extraordinary spirit.

After taking only one bite, the man couldn’t bear to touch it anymore and used his magic to seal the sacrifice.

“Just keep an eye on me. I’ll come as soon as I go.” He stood up and disappeared into thin air. But behind the imperial desk, a man was still sitting there with the same height and appearance as him, slowly reviewing the memorials with a pen.

The eunuch bowed to accept the order, raised his hand, and set up another blindfold in the hall. The gazes of the guards and palace attendants guarding the door were already blurry, and now it became even more obscure.

When Lord Yama arrived, You Shu was eating dinner. Since he didn’t have much money left and didn’t know when the work report would be approved, he didn’t dare to spend money casually. He only bought a bag of cabbage and a piece of tofu to boil it with water. The rice was the cheapest brown rice, bought with five copper coins in a big bag, it looked a bit yellow and black in colour, which was somewhat difficult to eat.  

The boxes of pastries he bought earlier were now placed on the incense table. He actually left the best things for others and the rudimentary ones for himself.

Why are you so foolish? It’s so annoying. Lord Yama walked to the table and sat down. He wanted to reward him with two chestnuts with his fingers, but he restrained himself.

For the first time in such a long time, You Shu had a meal alone. In the past, Lord Yama was with her, and although the other party didn’t eat, he would gaze at him with gentle eyes, which made him feel very relieved. 

Now, there was only him alone, feeling as if he didn’t know how to eat. He was absentmindedly digging for food, but when he saw the other person appear, he was truly surprised and delighted. His eyes shone brightly, and he quickly glanced at the other person twice, then picked up the bowl to block his mouth and smiled foolishly.

However, he didn’t know that the two small dimples on the side of his cheeks had betrayed his joyful mood, making Lord Yama also laugh softly. The more he looks, the sillier and cuter the other party becomes. But after being away for a few hours, he really missed You Shu so much. Thinking like this, he sighed in his heart, his eyes as gentle as water.

With someone accompanying him, the yellow-black rice that was still a bit hard to swallow now became fragrant again. You Shu picked up a few pieces of tofu and stuffed them into his mouth along with the rice. 

As he ate, his cheeks were bulging and her eyebrows were flying, making the scene look very pleasant. The man supported his chin on one hand and stared quietly, feeling endless joy in his heart.

At this moment, a burst of ghostly cries and wolf howls came from outside the door. A female ghost shrieked out, “Ancestor, our house has been occupied by a young scholar.”

“Wait for this ancestor to suck all his blood tonight and crush his soul.” A rough voice sounded.

You Shu could hear it clearly, but with his friend around, he didn’t panic at all. Lord Yama also remained unmoved, he only flicked his fingers and a wave of black light burst out.

“Ahhhh! It’s the fire of hell! Everyone, run away, the people inside are either the Lord of the Underworld or the prison master!” The ghost claiming to be the Ancestor howled away, and many fierce ghosts also fled one after another.

Lord Yama didn’t intend to embarrass them at first, but after a second thought, he changed his mind and called out, “Come back to this King!”

How many immortals are there in the world who can release the fire of hell and even claim to be “this king”? The ghosts never expected that the Lord of the Underworld would come here in person. Even though they were so frightened that their souls almost flew away, they still climbed out from the ground tremblingly and stood neatly in two rows, waiting for their judgement.

Lord Yama pointed to the one who claimed to be the ancestor, “From now on, you will be the steward of the Zhao Mansion, helping You Shu with housework. What are your subordinates good at?” Knowing that Magistrate Xiao Zhao could both see and hear him, he still made the arrangements in a grand way, just for sake of the other party’s gratitude and love. One day, he will make Magistrate Xiao Zhao unable to leave him even for a moment.

You Shu pretended not to know, but the small dimples on his cheeks became even more apparent. He thought ‘making such a kind and loyal friend in this lifetime is really worth it’.

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