I become a god in another world
Chapter 415 On the Eve of Entering the County
Chapter 415 On the Eve of Entering the County
Chapter 415
"The county?"
Such an answer was somewhat beyond Zhao Fusheng's expectations, but upon closer thought, it seemed to be within her expectations.
She sighed: "Something really happened in the county."
Uncle He was a little at a loss and couldn't help but look at Qian Fa.
Zhao Fusheng sighed and asked again: "How do you know it's raining in the county too?"
Qian Fa supported his knees with both hands. Uncle He didn't get any clues from his actions, so he could only say uneasily:
"Because more than two months ago, people from the county came to collect taxes, saying that they wanted to take advantage of the end of the year to advance some of the taxes for the beginning of next spring—"
Uncle He's legs were shaking:
"The person who collected taxes here used to be a local. I don't know his last name, but his face was a little dark. He was called the third person in the list, so everyone called him the Black Third Master. He was the same person every year, but this year he was replaced. He said he was a man from the county and mentioned the situation in the county."
Zhao Fusheng asked:
"This official from the county mentioned that it was raining in the county?"
Uncle He nodded:
"It is said that there has been a lot of rain in the county this year, and we are afraid that it will be a year of famine. Many people's fields and land have been damaged, and we are worried that there will not be enough food, so we want to collect some advance payments from the villages and towns in the county."
Hearing this, Zhao Fusheng's heart sank.
"But to be honest with you, sir, where is there any extra money in our village?" Uncle He smiled bitterly, took a pipe from his waist, pinched a handful of tobacco and stuffed it into the pipe, pressed it again and again, and then held the tobacco to the campfire and lit it:
"My belt is about to break, and I can't squeeze out a penny."
He shook his head: "I'm just worried about next year's taxes. It's not even due yet and they're asking for it again."
The bonfire crackled and in the heat, Uncle He's face was filled with worry:
"At that time, we asked the master for leniency, but he said that they were also following orders, otherwise no one would be able to escape if they were blamed. He also ordered us to pay the tax within half a month, otherwise we would be responsible if any disaster occurred."
After the tax collectors left, the people of Hejia Village were so worried that they couldn't sleep for several nights.
Later, half a month passed quickly and everyone was worried that they would encounter the officers from the county who would arrest the villagers.
"In the end, nothing happened." Uncle He said in surprise:
"We thought the county magistrates were sympathetic to our lack of money, so they just postponed the tax collection." The villagers were secretly rejoicing in their hearts, "but we didn't expect that it would start to rain a few days later."
The weather in Shangyang County is changeable in summer and autumn, and it sometimes rains. The villagers didn't take it seriously at first, but this time the rain would continue.
About five days after it rained, a young man named He An in the village suddenly died.
"This kid is from the village, still very young, not even 20 years old, very smart, he is an apprentice, learning to swim."
When Uncle He mentioned this, a look of fear appeared on his face:
"We are not as close to the river as the people in Huangma Town. Not everyone in the village can swim, but some people have learned from masters how to make a living on the water."
He An had a godfather since he was young and learned to swim from him. He lived by the Bailing River in the county all year round and took home a lot of money every month.
"Then two months ago, news suddenly came that he had drowned in the river."
This matter is too suspicious.
He has been learning to swim since he was young and is very good at it. The villagers even jokingly call him "Little White Dragon of the River".
"During the Dragon Boat Festival in previous years, if there were any activities in the county, he would be hired to participate. He went into the water just like he was going home. How could he suddenly fall into the water and drown?"
He An's parents cried and screamed, suspecting that his master or the people on the boat disliked him and killed him.
The people on the boat couldn't tell what happened, and said there was no sign of the accident.
His roommate discovered that he was not in bed in the middle of the night and thought he had just gotten up to go to the bathroom. It was not until the next morning that they saw his body floating in the river and realized that something had happened to him.
Afterwards, the body was salvaged and someone was sent back to the village to report it. The people on the boat also sent someone to send his body back to Hejia Village.
Along with the money, he also sent several hundred dollars so that his family could bury their son in peace.
But the He family was not willing to give up. A fight almost broke out on the spot. They were even prepared to sell their fields and land and were determined to sue his master.
"The day before, the villagers were discussing how to sell his family's land to raise money to go to the city to find a lawyer, and that night there was a ghost."
He An's body was left in the house. The villagers had not yet announced the funeral. They all gathered at He's house to discuss the matter. However, when they turned around, they found that He An's body was missing.
"..."
When Uncle He said this, the muscles on his cheeks twitched several times with fear.
Who would come to steal corpses at this time of year?
At that time, the villagers suspected that it was the people on the boat who did this and wanted to destroy the body. When they were filled with righteous indignation, a strange thing happened.
He An is back.
Someone who went out to urinate said that he met He An and spoke a few words to him.
This person was not in a clear mind at the time and didn't feel anything was wrong. After he came back and was awakened by everyone, he was so scared that he foamed at the mouth and fainted on the spot.
When everyone heard that this person was haunted, they felt a little scared. The He family didn't dare to stay any longer and wanted to go home.
The unconscious person was carried back home by his family, and it was said that he had not woken up the next day.
But on the next day, the man who had seen He An the day before also died.
……
"This rain has continued until now, and many villagers have died one after another."
The villagers had no money and no one dared to report the case, so they could only save money and pray, hoping that God would open his eyes and make this disaster go away quickly.
"It's been two months now, and the adults are finally here."
After Uncle He finished speaking, everyone was silent for a moment.
The villagers looked sad and looked at Zhao Fusheng and others silently.
Zhao Fusheng said:
"Hejia Village does have some problems, but the ghost disaster should be temporarily calmed down after tonight."
Her words slightly relaxed Uncle He's frown, but he still looked worried and forced a smile:
"That's good--"
"As for taxes—"
Seeing the expressions of the crowd, Zhao Fusheng changed the subject.
The villagers' expressions changed and they looked nervous - obviously compared to the ghost case, next year's taxes were the biggest burden on their minds.
"The village has encountered a ghost disaster, so the taxes for early spring next year will be temporarily exempted." As soon as Zhao Fusheng finished speaking, the pipe in Uncle He's hand fell into the fire with a "click".
He subconsciously reached out to dig out the red-hot charcoal and tried to pick out the pipe, but the next moment he was burned and grimaced:
"Is what your Excellency said true?"
"real."
Zhao Fusheng nodded.
"That's great!" Uncle He said in surprise.
"It's really a happy ending after all the hard work." After hearing this, the villagers took a long time to react to what had happened. Everyone's face was filled with surprise, as if the dark cloud that had shrouded everyone's heart had dissipated at once.
……
Qian Fa's lips trembled, and he wanted to speak, but he dared not. The people of Hejia Village were so happy to get such great news that they wanted to take out the food from their homes to entertain the Demon Suppression Division and others.
After a long time, Qian Fa finally couldn't help it and stammered:
"Sir, then our Huangma Town——"
"Huangma Town is more seriously affected by the ghost disaster, so the spring tax will be reduced next year."
Zhao Fusheng's words made Qian Fa feel relieved. He was extremely grateful and now he was busy working with the people from Hejia Village, leaving the empty room for the people from the Demon Suppression Division to discuss matters.
After the villagers left, Ding Datong's gaze lingered on the others for a while.
The people of Wan'an County had long been accustomed to Zhao Fusheng's code of conduct and did not take her previous words of tax exemption seriously.
But Ding Datong knew that the tax system was a big problem, and it was the imperial court that granted the local Demon Suppression Bureau the power.
"Sir, this is Shangyang County after all—" Ding Datong said cautiously:
"The court has rules and regulations that allow local demon suppression departments to formulate tax laws. After all, we are just passing through—"
Although Zhao Fusheng is powerful, such tax exemption may seem like overstepping one's authority. It will not only anger the generals of Shangyang County, but once the news spreads, it may also cause dissatisfaction among the people of the Demon Suppression Division in other places.
"So what?" Zhao Fusheng chuckled.
Ding Datong said:
"My Lord, this general of Shangyang County is called Zhu Guangling. He was sent here to serve a year and a half ago." He was afraid that Zhao Fusheng didn't know the details, so he explained to her softly:
"Before he was appointed, it was rumored that he already possessed the strength of a gold general, and was very feared in the Imperial Capital."
Meng Po stretched out her hands to roast them over the bonfire. When she heard this, she turned her head to look at Ding Datong and said with a smile:
"Master Ding is worried that Master has angered Zhu Guangling by exempting Hejia Village and Huangma Town from taxation?"
Ding Datong hesitated and nodded slightly:
"Not only that, this tax means that the power held by the Demon Suppression Bureau -"
Zhao Fusheng's interference in local affairs on other people's territory is likely to cause dissatisfaction among others, which is what Ding Datong is worried about.
"What are you afraid of?" Meng Po said with a smile:
"If they refuse to accept this, I will treat them to Meng Po soup."
"Yes."
Wu Shaochun narrowed his eyes:
"Anyway, just speak with strength."
"Hehe." Kuai Manzhou opened his eyes wide with curiosity and said nothing, but the child's cheerful laughter rang out in the house.
Liu Yizhen patted the ghost coffin twice with a smile on his face.
Zhao Fusheng smiled and said:
"We follow the rules, what's there to be dissatisfied about?"
She sat there with her elbows on her knees, looking at everyone:
"The evil ghost of the general in Shangyang County has revived, causing ghost disasters to run rampant in the county. Although I am a passer-by from the Demon Suppression Division, I took the opportunity to deal with the ghost case. Taking advantage of the fact that the county has no leader, I temporarily took over the government affairs and issued decrees. Is this reasonable?"
"Totally reasonable." Zhang Chuanshi clapped his hands.
"Your Excellency is helping the imperial court clean up its mess. No reward from the imperial court is excessive!"
"..." Ding Datong's eyes widened, and then he suddenly realized:
"Your Excellency is right, I am the one who is confused!"
According to Zhao Fusheng, she was planning to deal with Zhu Guangling in Shangyang County before the visitors from the Imperial Capital arrived.
Although the people of Wan'an County are extremely powerful and Zhao Fusheng is also very powerful, intimidating a ghost rider is one thing, and actually killing a powerful ghost rider who is on the verge of reviving is another matter entirely.
Although Ding Datong felt a little uneasy, as things had come to this point, he had no other choice and decided to follow Zhao Fusheng to the end.
Hu Rong and others also reacted and quickly expressed their loyalty:
"Your Excellency saved Shangyang County. Before the imperial court sent someone here, this was your territory."
"Ah! Yes, yes, yes."
Zhong Yao and others echoed, and even Tao Lifang nodded to show his agreement.
After everyone chatted for a while, Zhao Fusheng said seriously:
"But this time the ghost disaster is really different." She put away her joking expression and said seriously:
"I originally thought the problem was in the county, but now it seems that the situation in the county is even worse. Moreover, both Huangma Town and Hejia Village mentioned taxation before the ghost disaster broke out. I suspect that the ghost cases here are also related to tax collection."
After finishing speaking, she continued:
"Everyone, take a good rest tonight, and set off tomorrow morning. We will enter the county the day after tomorrow at the latest. When we enter the Demon Suppression Division, we will know the situation."
Everyone's heart tightened, and then they all nodded and responded.
……
Many people died in Hejia Village because of ghost disasters, but because of Zhao Fusheng's promise of tax exemption for three months, this village that was devastated by ghost disasters had a rare festive and lively feeling.
After Zhao Fusheng and others rested for a night and got up, they found that the villagers had worked together to clean up the mud grave pit outside.
The corpses buried in the mud were collected and the ground was filled with dry wood ash.
Uncle He and others discussed how to invite a troupe of actors to liven up the atmosphere, and also discussed borrowing some food to host a few banquets to entertain the adults.
Zhao Fusheng had important matters to attend to, so it was impossible for her to stay in Hejia Village for the banquet. She politely declined the villagers' invitation, and after everyone finished breakfast, she ordered everyone to harness the oxen to the carts and then rush to Wenxing County.
After the ghost disaster in Hejia Village was over, the next half day was relatively peaceful.
But after the afternoon, the closer we got to the county town, the darker the sky became.
At some point, gray fog began to appear all around, and the woods and mountains ahead were shrouded in fog, becoming a little hazy and unclear.
There was a chill in the air, and Qian Fa began to feel his hands and feet getting cold.
The innate sense of crisis in human beings made him quite uneasy, and the hairs on the back of his neck and arms were already standing on end.
He looked up at the sky anxiously. There were thick cumulus clouds in the sky, but it was not raining.
In Qian Fa's understanding, the ghost disasters in Huangma Town and Hejia Village were related to rain. Seeing that there was no rain here, he felt relieved.
The ox pulling the cart in front walked slowly, pulling the vehicle into the gray fog.
"Ghost Realm."
Zhao Fusheng's heart trembled, he glanced at Meng Po and others, and then said:
"It seems that something has really happened in Wenxing County."
An extremely strong ghost domain has formed here.
When we entered the foggy area and looked back, we could no longer see the road we came from.
Although it didn't rain here, the air was very foggy. With the naked eye, one could see dense fog beads floating in the air, filling this ghostland tightly.
Qian Fa noticed that after entering the ghost realm, he no longer needed to drive the cart. The green ox was already pulling the cart forward at a leisurely pace.
At some point, a layer of fine white mist beads attached to the cow's body, making the cow's body seem to swell instantly.
Qian Fa always felt that something was not right with the cows he had been herding along the way. Sitting behind the cows, he always felt like sitting on pins and needles, but he couldn't tell what was strange.
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