Da Xuan Martial Saint

Chapter 194 – 165: Going Out

Da Xuan Calendar year 1428, January 24th.

Inspectorate.

Chen Mu sat upright in the fifth floor of the Chamber Building of the Hall Office, continuously reviewing one case after another.

Half a month had passed since the He Family’s extermination. The He Family was a colossus with branches so intertwined and complex that merely eradicating part of it in the Inner City wasn’t the end. There were other numerous affiliates that needed handling.

These matters weren’t something he could entrust to others, and certainly not suitable for the Yu Family, so he, the Metropolitan Commander of the Inspectorate, had to personally review and approve each case before passing orders down.

However.

These days were almost coming to an end.

On one hand, over the half month, most of the governance issues that needed addressing had been taken care of almost completely. Those clearly identified with the He Family’s line, whether officials or troops, had mostly been dismissed or investigated, and those with heinous crimes were executed on the spot.

For some who were not clearly aligned but tended to favor the He Family, it was left to the various Yamen to consider and handle. Any violations of law and discipline were to be dealt with sternly; those without breaches of legal disciplines were temporarily retained, awaiting further steps once other matters were resolved.

On the other hand, Yan Jingqing was returning.

After a month and a half, the battle in the Purple Mist Mountains had basically concluded. The Main Altar of the Heavenly Corpse Sect had been thoroughly upturned by the four sects, and various resources had been allocated.

Chen Mu took a sip of tea and picked up another document.

“Fu Linjiang, forfeited his office and fled. He was identified upon exiting the city, attempted to resist, and was executed on site…”

Hmm.

He vaguely remembered this man, who had been a Prefecture Chief beside He Mingxuan a long time ago, but to him, he was never worth much attention, and so he had never bothered with him.

Although Fu Linjiang was part of He Family’s forces, if he had committed no crimes, Chen Mu would likely have been too lazy to bother with such a minor Prefecture Chief. However, thinking about it, it was not likely since he had worked with He Mingxuan. Now with him executed on site, it was considered closed.

“Metropolitan Commander, Inspector has returned!”

Suddenly, a Bureau Official from the Inspectorate came to report.

Chen Mu marked ’read’ on the paper, then stood up, followed the official downstairs, and soon saw Yan Jingqing approaching from a distance, still clad in white, accompanied by two Metropolitan Commanders.

“Greetings, Inspector.”

Many officials from the Inspectorate bowed down in succession.

Yan Jingqing, not one for formalities, quickly walked over and ascended the stairs with Chen Mu. After reaching the sixth floor, they began discussing summaries of various affairs in Yu City.

After listening for a while, Yan Jingqing nodded slightly and said, “Hmm, I am clear on most matters. The He Family deserved their fate. Though you acted hastily, given the circumstances, a swift resolution was a suitable strategy. The subsequent handling has been performed well by you; indeed, you have developed your own understanding of the way of governance.”

For Yan Jingqing.

Dealing with the He Family wasn’t difficult, and wiping them out could be done in an instant, but the key was how to swiftly stabilize the chaos within both Inner and Outer Cities after their fall—that was the crux of the problem.

After annihilating the He Family, Chen Mu did not foolishly fill all the vacancies with people from the Yu Family.

Instead, he divided clearly: first issuing an order for senior officials of the same Yamen to temporarily take over the key positions to maintain overall stability, followed by methodical allocation from arrest to trial, sentencing, and official appointments and dismissals, proceeding smoothly.

Then came addressing the vacant positions, choosing suitable personnel bottom-up based on intelligence from the various departments, either through promotion or transfer, dealing with most problems within just half a month.

“I only did what I could, but without the Inspectorate’s extensive intelligence on Yu City’s various departments, it would mostly have been entangled amidst chaos, clueless on where to start.”

Chen Mu responded without taking credit.

It wasn’t really about his capabilities, but rather the extent of corruption in civil administration had reached such a level that merely scrubbing the roster occasionally might yield better conditions than previously. He merely acted by sticking to realistic principles.

But in an era where everyone looked only after their own interests, hoping to place every relative and distant acquaintance in clear positions, his pragmatic approach made him stand out like a lotus unstained by mud.

Yan Jingqing smiled and said, “No need to be overly modest. The credit that is due to you, is yours… Meng Danyun told me, entering the Seven Profound Sect suits your path, but I think keeping you from official duties would also bury your talents. Of course, cultivating at the Seven Profound Sect would benefit you greatly; I too once studied under the Seven Profound Sect as an external official.

Hmm, when Meng Danyun returns to the Seven Profound, if you are interested, going with her would be fine too.”

Hearing Yan Jingqing’s words, Chen Mu felt relieved.

Indeed, had he explicitly expressed his desire to join the Seven Profound Sect, Yan Jingqing certainly wouldn’t have obstructed him, but it was naturally better not having to say much more. However, from what Yan Jingqing said, it seemed Meng Danyun was still within Yu County.

Chen Mu thought for a moment, then said to Yan Jingqing, “Thank you for your esteem, sir. Now that the situation has calmed down, I need to leave Yu City for some personal errands. Additionally, in pursuing the remnants of the Heavenly Corpse Sect, I can also contribute my effort.”