In the fourth year of the Sheng Yuan Dynasty, it was the first day of the first lunar month.
The fourth year of Emperor Pei's accession to the throne.
The carriage followed the team entering the city and slowly moved towards the gate of Xiangcheng.
Looking at the red lanterns hanging on the city wall from a distance, as well as the city gate guards who rarely showed smiling faces and even asked for a few cents less for the benefits, it is true that the atmosphere of the New Year is everywhere.
Soon, it was Lin Ji's turn for the carriage to enter the city.
He said auspicious words to the guard, handed over some broken silver, and the carriage entered Xiangcheng smoothly.
"Why are there so many people gathered over there?" Lu Zhaoer sat next to Lin Ji and pointed to the notice board on the other side of the city gate.
Lin Ji turned his eyes, looked at it twice, and said with a smile: "It's a notice from the imperial court. It probably said that the third year of Shengyuan was good and the country was peaceful and the people were safe. It's not worth mentioning."
Hearing this, Lu Zhaoer also lost interest.
"The real dragon is heading north. Let's talk about Xiangzhou, Liangzhou, Xuzhou, and even Jingzhou. It has been pouring rain for several months. I don't know how many crops have been drowned... Good weather?" Lu Zhaoer said with a bit of ridicule.
"It's better to report good news than bad news."
Lin Ji didn't care: "The incident at the Demon Suppressing Tower has left a lasting legacy. In the first few years when I was on duty in the Supervisory Division, I couldn't do many evil errands throughout the year. But what about now? It seems that everything is stable, but don't forget
Of the tens of thousands of demons that escaped from the Demon Suppression Tower, those that have been captured or killed are probably only a fraction... Where do you think the rest went?"
"Hey." Lu Zhaoer sighed softly, not knowing how to answer.
Lin Jize smiled and said: "In this world, when the people below are on errands, they are still ordered to capture the evil spirits alive if they can, and send them to the capital to suppress them and put them in the tower! The Demon Suppression Tower is an important tool to control the country, don't worry about it.
If there is any lesson learned from the past, this rule cannot be broken.”
"Is there such a thing?" Lu Zhaoer was a little surprised.
"You have a special status, and you have always been a wandering star, running around. Naturally, you don't know these trivial matters." Lin Ji nodded, "The demon hunters and head catchers below all do their jobs in this way, just like before."
While he was talking, the carriage moved forward slowly and arrived at the Xiangcheng government office.
As soon as the carriage stopped, the yamen servant at the gate of the government office hurriedly walked up.
"Driver! Why don't you have any sharp eyesight? Stop at the entrance of the Supervisor's Office? Go, go, go... I've seen the Commander-in-Chief!"
The yamen servant rambled on for a long time, and then was quickly stopped by Lu Zhaoer's token.
"Come in and let me know. We are here to visit Mr. Ouyang." Lin Ji said with a smile.
The yamen servants did not dare to neglect, so one person quickly entered the yamen to report the matter, while the other led Lin Ji and Lu Zhaoer into the yamen and went to the reception room.
After waiting for a while in the living room, Ouyang Ke, the official of Xiangzhou Town, appeared soon.
He saw Lu Zhaoer at a glance, raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "So it's Miss Lu who is here. Why, is there another big eucalyptus in Xiangzhou that needs to be checked?"
In his early years, Lu Zhaoer used the identity of You Xingguan to travel around Kyushu, and he was quite famous.
Then, Ouyang Ke's eyes fell on Lin Ji.
"It turns out Brother Lin is here too." Ouyang Ke didn't dare to neglect now and quickly bowed his hands.
Lin Ji stood up and returned the courtesy, and said with a smile: "I am going to Yangzhou on this trip. When I passed by Xiangzhou, I thought of Mr. Ouyang. I always want to visit Xiangcheng."
"Hahaha, it's rare that Brother Lin is worried about me. But, Brother Lin is the official of Weizhou Town. Aren't you afraid of being made difficult by the superiors for leaving his post without permission?" Ouyang Ke said hesitantly, "I think I know that the superiors have changed now.
God, it’s really unlucky for an eunuch to be in power!”
"It doesn't matter. My state of Victoria is remote and the mountains are high and the roads are far away. News from Jingzhou cannot be conveyed."
"Can't pass it through? Oh, that's it!" Ouyang Ke understood what Lin Ji meant as soon as he thought about it, and laughed out loud.
After laughing, he shook his head helplessly and said: "It's a pity that my Xiangzhou is not very remote, but there is a Taiyi Sect and a Sansheng Cave in Xiangzhou. These two families really like to have trouble with Jiantiansi. They are from Beijing.
Most of the news was blocked by them, hey..."
"This is really tricky. These two sects are too strong, so it makes sense that Lord Ouyang can do nothing." Lin Ji said with a smile.
"Hey, who says it's not the case!" Ouyang Ke nodded matter-of-factly.
After chatting for a while, Lin Ji mentioned the horse bandits on the way here.
The horse bandit who died in his hands was naturally not worth mentioning, but the banditry in Xiangzhou made him unable to bear it after all.
"Master Ouyang, on the way here, I encountered horse bandits again." Lin Ji suddenly said with a half-smile.
Ouyang Ke originally had a smile on his face, but after hearing Lin Ji's words, the smile on his face suddenly froze.
"Meet them again? Oh, yes, when you came to Xiangzhou two years ago, you dealt with a group of horse bandits on the road, and also kidnapped a head catcher."
"Li Fei." Lin Ji smiled and said the name of the head catcher he dealt with.
Hearing this, Ouyang Ke had a wry smile on his face.
"Master Lin remembers it clearly."
"Although it's just a small thing, it was Lin's own job after all. It's hard to forget about it after three or two years."
He said that, but before speaking, Lin Ji really thought about it for a while before he remembered the trivial matters of that year.
Ouyang Ke was silent for a moment, and finally sighed softly, without avoiding the question.
"What I said earlier, that the news from the capital could not come down because of Taiyi Gate and Sansheng Cave, is actually not a prevarication."
"I would like to hear the details." Lin Ji raised his eyebrows slightly.
Ouyang Ke raised his head and met Lin Ji's eyes.
"I think Mr. Lin had already made some guesses at the beginning, so he didn't dare to delve into this matter, right?"
Lin Ji was not angry after being told what was on his mind. Instead, he nodded lightly.
"Lin also knows how to act within one's ability."
"Li family."
"Li family?"
"The Li family is in Xiangcheng, and it is also the most powerful family in Xiangcheng." Ouyang Ke said, "Even I, the officer, can't do anything to them."
Lin Ji was a little surprised.
"Even Mr. Ouyang is helpless? Who is this Li family? If Lin remembers correctly, there is also a Zhong family in Xiangcheng."
"The power of the Zhong family can't be explained clearly in Xiangcheng." Ouyang Ke laughed dumbly. "Although the Zhong family is known as a noble family, there are still too many monks attached to it. Even if you look at Jiuzhou, the Zhong family is first-rate.
So powerful."
After a pause, Ouyang Ke continued: "Although the Zhong family is in Xiangcheng, they have never interfered in Xiangcheng affairs, so no one regards them as a force in Xiangcheng. They are capable of fighting against Taiyi Sect and Sansheng Cave.
Those who are fighting for territory have no intention of playing house in this small Xiangcheng city."
Lin Ji laughed dumbly.
"I see. Let's talk about the Li family. What is the background of the Li family?"