Chapter 159 - 94: A Storm is Brewing, Undercurrents Surging

Chapter 159: Chapter 94: A Storm is Brewing, Undercurrents Surging

"Third Master Zheng! I was blind and failed to discipline my clansmen! They actually dared to offend you and obstruct your policies!"

Tears rained down Shen Yunyi’s face, which bore a deep red slap mark. He pleaded guilty to Zheng Jun, "This is my younger cousin Shen Yunhan. He came to see me just now to complain, wanting to secretly contact a few Outer Gang Martial Artists to assassinate you, Third Master Zheng. Upon learning this, I slashed his head off and brought it here. It is my strict lack of discipline! I beg Third Master Zheng to punish me!"

With that, Shen Yunyi held the severed head high. Blood seeped through the cloth wrapping and dripped onto his face. He didn’t make a sound, simply letting the blood fall. Then, utilizing his True Qi, he kowtowed heavily, smashing his head against the ground with a resounding thud. The impact was agonizing, splitting his forehead open and sending blood streaming down his face. Yet, not daring to push his luck, Shen Yunyi kept his head bowed in silence.

Seeing this, Zheng Jun fell silent.

"What the hell is he doing?" he wondered.

Standing to the side, Cai Xun didn’t dare to speak. Since this matter concerned Zheng Jun, he figured it was best not to get involved.

"Please rise, Chief Clerk Shen," Zheng Jun said breezily. "You and I both serve the Court as Eighth Grade Officials. Why refer to yourself so humbly as ’this lower official’?"

"Third Master Zheng has a boundless future ahead, naturally not something a lower official like me can compare to," Shen Yunyi continued. "Please rest assured, Third Master Zheng. Upon my return, I will definitely purge my clan and make sure everyone wholeheartedly implements your grand land equalization plan. If anyone dares to disobey, this lower official will slash their heads off and offer them to you!

"In the future, if Third Master Zheng has any orders, just give the word. This lower official will go through fire and water for you without hesitation!"

"I see." Zheng Jun nodded. He tapped his finger lightly on the table and said casually, "Then Chief Clerk Shen, you may go down and rest first."

Hearing Zheng Jun’s words, Shen Yunyi finally felt a heavy burden lift from his shoulders and respectfully took his leave.

Watching Shen Yunyi depart, Cai Xun laughed. "Sanlang, your recent slashing of True Man Yuan Yi has brought you immense prestige! People with ulterior motives like him will naturally be terrified.

"I reckon he was the one who actually orchestrated the whole assassination plot, and his younger cousin was just a scapegoat. He probably only came to plead guilty because he got scared after seeing how easily you killed Old Thief Yuan Yi."

Zheng Jun nodded at Cai Xun’s words. "There are still quite a few hidden dangers within Black Mountain County. Although this Shen Yunyi is rather average and could be killed with a single slash, he is an Official after all. Too many Officials have died in our county recently, making it inconvenient to make a move... Let’s let him go for now."

Hearing Zheng Jun’s words, Cai Xun shot him a surprised look. Faintly, a realization dawned on him. When Xu Heng died, the blade marks on his body were also from a Ceremonial Saber. However, it was ruled at the time that an Imperial Saber was used. The whole county knew that the famous Third Master Zheng’s weapon was a Beirong Saber with a highly distinctive blade, so no one suspected him.

But now, hearing Zheng Jun’s indifferent tone, Cai Xun suspected that the Historian Xu Heng’s death might have actually been Zheng Jun’s doing. If that was the case, then the County Magistrate, the County Magistrate, and the Historian had all seemingly died at Zheng Jun’s hands. That meant Chief Clerk Shen Yunyi was the only ranked Official left in the County Government Office. And now that Shen Yunyi was actively courting death...

Cai Xun pondered silently, figuring he should report back to his family to arrange for a new Chief Clerk to be sent over.

Zheng Jun decided not to stay at the Military Department any longer, planning to return home to take his medicine. He had done enough for the day. Having fought a fierce battle with True Man Yuan Yi, he was naturally physically and mentally exhausted and needed some time to recover. Thus, after informing Cai Xun, he immediately raised his hands in a farewell salute and took his leave. Cai Xun naturally didn’t stop him and even walked him out for a distance.

Upon exiting the military tent, the soldiers on both sides looked at Zheng Jun with awe. Wherever he passed, they respectfully addressed him as "Captain Zheng."

Zheng Jun nodded slightly. Then, suddenly remembering something, he turned to the respectful Du Ding beside him. "When we recruit soldiers the day after tomorrow, fill all the vacancies in the Black Mountain Guard. I don’t want to see my army falling short of its quota."

After a brief pause, Zheng Jun added, "Also, recruit some extra men tomorrow to swap out the brothers from our Personal Soldier Squad and replace them with fifty newcomers. As for our original Personal Soldier Squad, don’t disband them. Incorporate them directly into the Tongzhou Association and treat them as the association’s temporary roster. I’ll take care of their weapons and equipment."

"Orders received!" Du Ding complied with a sonorous and forceful voice.

With Du Ding taking the order, Zheng Jun finally felt at ease to leave and headed toward the Zheng Mansion.

Slashing True Man Yuan Yi had indeed deterred the various hidden rats lurking in Black Mountain County. There was certainly no shortage of people who wanted him dead, especially those whose interests had been previously damaged by him. The remaining Gentry and landlords were prime examples. Shen Yunyi was likely one of their ringleaders.

"I need to think of a way to cleanly kill off everyone who opposes me, otherwise they’ll just keep causing trouble," Zheng Jun mused inwardly. "I also need to pay attention to the other counties... Although I adopted a gentler approach later on and didn’t exterminate them to the last man, many of the five or six families who died earlier have relatives holding key positions in other counties. Moreover, with me doing this in Black Mountain County, it’s inevitable that the other counties in the Commandery will fear they might be next."

His enemies weren’t just from within Black Mountain County, but from the outside as well. Take the Yan Family, for example. Although he had already executed their entire household, they still had relatives elsewhere. The eldest son, Yan Rufeng, had studied at the Vast Sea Sect and was a Qi Storage Martial Artist. Of course, that was useless now, as Zheng Jun had already killed him. However, Yan Rufeng’s fiancée was the grandniece of Zhiyuan County’s County Captain, and that County Captain was an Outer Gang Martial Artist.