Daily Intelligence System: Don't Kill Me, Honey!

Chapter 898: Chapter 233: Chu Tian: Chen 94, How Could You Possibly See Through My Plan?

The night was dark and windy!

Two figures streaked across the sky above the Magistrate Government. At this moment, the entire government was draped in white, and a mourning hall was set up inside.

All the concubines bought by the Magistrate were dressed in mourning clothes, crying miserably.

In a small pavilion not far away, Zhong Guang stood guard, preventing anyone from approaching the coffin, claiming he was guarding his elder brother’s spirit. Seeing this scene.

Chen Jie paused slightly on the wall, smiled at Golden Swallow behind him, and said: ”Look at Master Zhong’s figure, does it resemble either of the two people you encountered?”

Golden Swallow squinted and said: ”Hmm, can’t be sure, but the one I fought with was definitely not him.”

”What was that person’s stature like?”

”Tall and thin.”

Golden Swallow said to Chen Jie. Upon hearing this, Chen Jie was slightly stunned. Tall and thin, this doesn’t quite add up.

Could it be that I was wrong?

Thinking this way, Chen Jie looked at Golden Swallow and said, ”Let’s go. Never mind this place, let’s head to the Archives at the back.”

Both the Assistant Magistrate Mansion and the Magistrate Government had an Archives. The Assistant Magistrate Mansion’s Archives contained various case documents, while the Magistrate Government’s Archives stored records of official appointments, evaluations, the prefecture’s rations, local administration, and records of the mansion.

Chen Jie and Golden Swallow arrived at the place and saw two listless government troops guarding the entrance.

But they didn’t seem very attentive, after all, there’s nothing in this Archives worth coveting by thieves, unlike the Assistant Magistrate Mansion, which had case files that could be altered.

Nothing here had any reason to be tampered with.

Official evaluations needed to be verified by the Ministry of Personnel, so there’s no way to alter them even if you wanted to.

Thus, there was hardly anyone here throughout the year, allowing the two to effortlessly sneak into the Archives.

Golden Swallow asked Chen Jie: ”What’s so important here?”

Chen Jie said: ”Haha, you’ll see. By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you, is that batch of grain yours? Why did you admit it so readily; aren’t you afraid I’ll report it to the Commandery Princess?”

Golden Swallow said: ”Do you think I’m stupid? You’ve already raided my mansion, no one would believe just my side of the story, and what we’ve done can’t withstand an investigation. Denying it serves no purpose.”

Chen Jie said: ”That’s true.”

”So after finding your husband, what do you plan to do?”

Golden Swallow said: ”Leave Huangzhou Prefecture. The world is vast; we can go anywhere.”

Chen Jie looked at Golden Swallow and said: ”Actually, your husband is already an Assistant Magistrate, one more step and he could become a fifth-rank official. Why take the risk of dealing with the Zoroastrian Sect?”

”If this comes to light, what good will it be?”

Chen Jie said, to which Golden Swallow replied with a bitter smile: ”The bureaucracy is corrupt. You followed the Commandery Princess and skyrocketed, but you don’t know how difficult it is for officials like us without connections to get promoted.”

”Let me tell you, even if you truly have talent and the court issues a decree to promote you, those with connections, like you, can directly assume the position on the basis of the Commandery Princess’s influence.”

”But without connections, like my husband, it took 50,000 taels to get promoted from a county magistrate to County Daru Hua Chi.”

”From County Daru Hua Chi to Sixth-rank Mansion Military Advisor, it cost 100,000 taels.”

”Then from a Military Advisor to Garrison Commander, another 200,000 taels. From Garrison Commander to Assistant Magistrate, 300,000 taels, and that’s just the silver. Besides silver, sometimes you also need special items, like Tai Sui Pill, or advanced medicines, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.”

”If you don’t give these gifts, even with a transfer order, you can’t assume the office.”

”Once you become an official, you have to desperately amass wealth to keep climbing, then earn more money to climb higher.”

”No one can stop, and Huangzhou Prefecture might seem prosperous, but as an Assistant Magistrate, without tax rights, it’s hard to feed off the people, and without military power, you can’t eat empty rations, so you’re forced to focus on false accusations.”

”But you know, people have wised up these days, they say ’I’d rather die than sue’ so finding a lucrative case is difficult, hence, we’ve no choice but to engage in business to fill this hole.”

”So I founded Jinyan Pavilion to sell some rouge.”

”And my husband can only try alternative paths, like trafficking grain.”

After hearing this, Chen Jie said: ”Isn’t your husband a Mulan man? Are Mulan people also hindered in promotions this corruptly?”

Golden Swallow laughed and said: ”Mulan people, Han people, once in the bureaucracy, there’s no distinction. Mulan people or not, without spending money, you can’t climb up, not possible.”

Chen Jie nodded lightly: ”I see, I get it.”

Yes, in the eyes of the high-ranking Mulan, as long as they’re below him, they’re food. Who cares what you are? Mulan people are food, Han people are food. In this regard, these high-ranking officials are quite impartial.

Chen Jie shook his head. Such corruption is fearsome, even among one’s own kind, the lifeblood can be sucked.

Thinking so, Chen Jie began rummaging through the shelves in the Archives. Watching Chen Jie searching, Golden Swallow asked: ”What exactly are you looking for?”

Chen Jie said: ”The list of official appointments from the past three years.”

Golden Swallow said: ”That should be on another row; this shelf should have the rations.”

With that, Golden Swallow went to another row and started searching.

Soon, he found a booklet on officials and began reading it, questioning Golden Swallow as he went along. Soon, Chen Jie got the answer he wanted.

”So that’s how it is.”

Golden Swallow watched Chen Jie with an enlightened look and asked: ”What did you figure out?”