Chapter 91

This day, in general, was calm and peaceful.

The sun was bright, and the temperature had risen a bit. Although there was still a slight chill, for Changping, which was in a tumultuous period, this was undoubtedly a very peaceful day, so peaceful that everyone felt anxious.

Nothing unusual happened at the county office; everything was running as usual.

In the eight wards of Changping, the ruffians who usually roamed the streets seemed to have vanished.

Even the stray dogs on the streets were fewer than usual, creating an eerie atmosphere in Changping.

Yang Shouwen was unusually idle, not leaving the house.

He first told stories to Youniang and Qingnu, and in the afternoon, he returned to his study to write and draw, though no one knew what he was doing.

As for Abusijida, he seemed like a non-existent ghost.

Except for the morning when he practiced with Yang Shouwen, he spent the whole day in his room.

In the entire Yang residence, perhaps only Youniang would go and talk to him. Most of the time, he listened expressionlessly to Youniang's stories, including the tales from "Journey to the West." Apart from that, he ignored everyone else.

The day passed quietly.

After nightfall, while Yang Shouwen was helping Lady Yang tidy up, he suddenly heard a loud noise from outside.

He quickly ran over and saw Yang Chenglie, his face ashen, coming in from outside and walking straight into the living room.

"Father, why are you back so early today?"

Lady Song stepped forward and took the Broken Dragon saber from Yang Chenglie.

Yang Chenglie sat down on the mat without a word.

Yang Shouwen walked in, took the food tray from Lady Yang, and placed it gently on the table next to Yang Chenglie.

He gave Lady Song a look, and she immediately understood, quietly leaving and closing the door.

"Father, what's wrong?"

Yang Shouwen asked with a smile, "You look so angry. Did someone trick you again?"

Yang Chenglie's face darkened, and he glared at Yang Shouwen, "You unfilial son, are you happy that I've been tricked?"

"More or less."

"You..." Yang Chenglie pointed at Yang Shouwen but couldn't muster the anger.

After a long while, he waved his hand, as if talking to himself, "Forget it, you always see through my weaknesses."

His expression softened a bit, and after eating a mouthful of porridge, he suddenly said, "By the way, you said through Old Hu that there's another person at home? Can we trust him? I don't want another Guan Hu to make me look foolish."

"He's from Gailao's army, skilled and useful."

"From Gailao's army... Now we're all in the same boat. I don't think he would try to trick me now. By the way, is the Huang Qi matter settled?"

"It's settled, done by Abusijida."

"Abusijida... a Tujue from the Turgish? Do you know him?"

Yang Chenglie shook his head, "I don't know him, but I know the Abusi are a major clan of the Western Tujue. They are divided into two branches: one nomadic in the Hexi region, and the other under Ashina Helu in the Duluos River. After Ashina Helu was defeated, the Abusi people disappeared. If he's from the Hexi Abusi, he wouldn't be here. Hmm, so he must be from the Duluos River Abusi. After Helu was killed, his followers scattered. I didn't expect one to appear here."

Yang Shouwen didn't understand what Yang Chenglie was talking about, not knowing anything about the Duluos River or Ashina Helu.

So, he didn't bother to ask and changed the subject, "Father, how were you tricked?"

Yang Chenglie glanced at him and snorted.

He ate a piece of cured mutton and said after a moment, "Lu Yongcheng somehow convinced the old man Li. That old sick man has been out of the loop for years, but today he suddenly appeared at the county office, wanting to take charge of the administration."

"So..."

Yang Chenglie gritted his teeth, "That old man said the refugees outside the city are increasing and need to be managed. He even ordered me to start tomorrow, to guard the refugee camp and thoroughly investigate for any spies from the Jingnan Army. Tell me, isn't that old man just trying to make trouble for me? If he didn't get something from Lu Yongcheng, why would he step in?"

Yang Shouwen was confused and asked, "Father, which old man are you talking about?"

"Of course, it's that old man Li Shi."

Li Shi was the deputy county magistrate of Changping.

To be precise, Li Shi arrived in Changping almost at the same time as Wang He.

In terms of seniority, Li Shi was much more experienced than Wang He; in terms of experience, he had been in the government for many years. Unfortunately, he didn't have the halo of the Wang family of Taiyuan, so when the fake Wang He arrived in Changping, Li Shi had to step back.

Compared to Wang He, Li Shi didn't dare to oppose him.

Compared to Lu Yongcheng and Yang Chenglie, who had been operating in Changping for years, it was like an iron bucket, leaving no room for Li Shi to intervene.

Thus, Li Shi's position became very awkward.

Nominal second-in-command of Changping, but in reality? His orders didn't even leave the office. The entire Changping County wouldn't allow him to extend his reach. Three years had passed, and Li Shi was approaching retirement age. Every day, he sat at home, seemingly carefree, but in reality, his desire for power had reached its peak.

In the last two years, he wanted to gain some benefits.

People say that geese leave a sound, and people leave a name. After a lifetime in office, how could he willingly leave the stage?

Now, Lu Yongcheng was willing to give him a chance.

The twists and turns in this situation didn't require much thought to guess.

Before, the fake Wang He could balance Lu Yongcheng, so Yang Chenglie wasn't afraid. But now, Wang He was confirmed to be an impostor and was missing. The power in Changping County was almost entirely in Lu Yongcheng's hands. Well, Lu Yongcheng was only half a rank above Yang Chenglie. Honestly, even if Lu Yongcheng took charge, Yang Chenglie wouldn't be afraid.

But now, Li Shi stepped in...

He was the legitimate second-in-command and Yang Chenglie's superior.

Yang Chenglie could oppose Lu Yongcheng, but if he also resisted Li Shi, the state government would surely be suspicious.

After Yang Shouwen figured out the twists and turns, he felt relieved.

"Father, it seems Lu Yongcheng is eager to control Changping, even pulling out Deputy County Magistrate Li."

"Yes!"

Yang Chenglie gently rubbed his temples, looking worried.

"What does Lu Yongcheng want? He's just a minor official, the chief clerk of Changping, and there's no way he can control Changping. This guy is smart and should know that. But now he's pushing hard, acting as if he wants to take full control of Changping.

Xizi, I'm increasingly convinced that something is strange... Your mind is sharp, can you help me figure out the mystery?"