Chapter 98: Dongshan Pacification Commissioner

“Little Tuanzi, are there still any vacant plots of land in town? Or perhaps properties that can be purchased?”

In the courtyard, the two brothers stood silently for a long while, gazing toward the spot where Wei Wuqi had disappeared. Then Li Shun suddenly spoke.

Li Qing was somewhat unaccustomed to his brother's abrupt leaps in thought and failed to react immediately.

After pondering for a moment, he nodded.

“There should be.”

“There are still quite a few old residences in town that nobody lives in. Brother, are you planning to...?”

Li Shun nodded.

“With the Imperial Mausoleum being abolished and heaven and earth undergoing transformation, a massive influx of outsiders is inevitable.”

“The rebirth of Imperial Mausoleum Commandery is the Emperor's decree. Right now, it should be the court's highest priority.”

He raised his head and looked at the endless stream of figures crossing the skies before calmly stating his conclusion.

“Within a few years, the entire Imperial Mausoleum Commandery will undergo earth-shaking changes. Its development will likely exceed most people's imagination. Investing now may yield a hundredfold return in the future.”

Li Qing's understanding of the future remained vague, but he had always trusted Li Shun.

“But we don't have much money left.”

“I've only managed to save a little over a hundred thousand over the years.”

Scratching the back of his head, Li Qing looked somewhat embarrassed.

Li Shun replied indifferently,

“Just go negotiate. As for the money... I'll think of a way.”

On the surface, Li Shun only possessed around a hundred thousand yuan in assets. However, inside Fangcun, he had accumulated a vast collection of rare treasures, along with large amounts of gold and silver.

“It's inconvenient for me to appear personally. Fortunately, there's Fang Xun...”

Dongshan Town Government Office.

The government office, usually rather deserted, was now packed to the brim.

Fortunately, the Mohist craftsmen who had arrived from the Sacred Capital had already begun constructing temporary housing outside Dongshan Town, so the overcrowding within the office was only temporary.

“Lord Sun, are you saying that the court intends to redraw the administrative divisions based on the original Eight Tomb-Guarding Towns, rather than simply restoring the old system?”

Fang Xun respectfully asked the purple-robed official seated across from him.

The official's name was Sun Chengyou, Director of the Imperial Workshops under the Ministry of the Lesser Treasury of Great Qian.

This time, he had come from the Sacred Capital to oversee the reconstruction of the Imperial Mausoleum.

Back when Fang Xun served in the capital, he had met the man once at Dong Chunqiu's residence.

Although Sun Chengyou hailed from the Mohist School, he maintained good relations with the Spring and Autumn Brush lineage.

Sun Chengyou nodded.

“To be honest, this surprised me as well. But the Left and Right Chancellors did not make this decision lightly.”

“Although His Majesty has decreed the abolition of the Imperial Mausoleum, the commandery remained sealed for thousands of years. After all the transformations, the mountains and terrain are no longer what they once were.”

“If we were to restore the old system, it would only create unnecessary waste.”

“It is better to adapt to local conditions and establish a new administrative structure based on the current state of the region.”

“Although the details have yet to be officially finalized, the general framework has already been decided.”

He pointed forward through the air.

A map of the mountains and rivers of Imperial Mausoleum Commandery quietly appeared.

“The commandery will be renamed Ancient Mausoleum Commandery.”

“A Commandery Governor will be appointed to oversee all affairs.”

“The original Eight Tomb-Guarding Towns, Dongshan, Xishan, Nanyan, Beihan, Dongnan, Xibei, Dongbei, and Xinan, will be transformed into eight major districts serving as administrative hubs between the commandery and county levels.”

“They will be known as Pacification Offices.”

As he spoke, Sun Chengyou glanced at Fang Xun before continuing.

“The thirteen subordinate pseudo-commanderies formerly under each town will all be converted into counties.”

“A total of one hundred and four counties.”

“Together with the four county-sized regions occupied by the Immortal Fiefdom, the number reaches exactly one hundred and eight.”

As Sun Chengyou explained, lines of light slowly moved across the map, dividing the vast territory of Imperial Mausoleum Commandery into numerous smaller regions.

“Originally, Imperial Mausoleum Commandery was only a single commandery.”

“But after thousands of years of construction and modification, it gradually became a world unto itself.”

“Natural growth combined with constant Mohist reconstruction has expanded its area several times over compared to its original size.”

“This newly reborn Ancient Mausoleum Commandery may still be called a commandery, but in terms of status, it can already vaguely rival the Four Central Commanderies.”

Fang Xun stared intently at the map and quickly located Dongshan Town's jurisdiction.

After a moment, he spoke somewhat nervously.

“Lord Sun, with the Imperial Mausoleum undergoing such drastic changes and the Eight Towns no longer existing as before... what about my position as Dongshan Garrison Commander?”

Sun Chengyou examined him with a faint smile.

“His Majesty is magnanimous and does not concern himself with the fate of the mausoleum.”

“However, the fact remains that intruders successfully entered the Imperial Tombs. Someone must bear responsibility.”

“His Majesty may choose not to pursue the matter, but we ministers cannot simply ignore it.”

“As a result, more than half of the Eight Tomb Garrison Commander have already been arrested and imprisoned.”

Cold sweat immediately formed on Fang Xun's forehead.

“However...”

“Considering that you had only recently assumed office, and the intruders did not enter through Dongshan Town, we will not pursue your responsibility.”

“If nothing unexpected happens, you should retain your current position.”

“Though technically speaking, it should now be called Dongshan Pacification Commissioner.”

Fang Xun was overjoyed.

“Thank you for your support, Lord Sun!”

Sun Chengyou chuckled.

“You don't need to thank me.”

“The one you should thank is your Martial Uncle Duanmu.”

Only then did Fang Xun understand.

Although he would still appear to be serving in Dongshan, the transformation of the entire commandery meant his authority would be vastly different from before.

The thirteen pseudo-commanderies under his jurisdiction had previously been little more than miniature landscapes with almost no population.

Now, however, thirteen genuine county seats would be established.

It should be remembered that the entirety of Great Qian possessed only three thousand six hundred counties.

To govern thirteen counties was equivalent to controlling nearly one-third of a commandery.

Just as Fang Xun was secretly rejoicing, Sun Chengyou reminded him:

“Do you have any idea how many people covet the position of Dongshan Pacification Commissioner?”

“If your Martial Uncle Duanmu hadn't personally stepped forward and guaranteed you with the prestige of his newly attained Creation Realm cultivation, you would never have kept this office.”

“But that is as far as he can help you.”

“Whether you can hold onto this position from now on depends entirely on your own abilities.”

Fang Xun immediately straightened his posture.

“I shall devote every ounce of my strength and never disappoint the expectations of my seniors!”

“Oh, right.”

Sun Chengyou suddenly asked,

“I heard that you paid six visits to a disciple's door here in Dongshan Town?”

Fang Xun could not help but feel embarrassed.

“That did happen. I've made myself a laughingstock.”

“Imperial bloodline, hm? Interesting.”

Sun Chengyou's eyes flashed.

“Come. Take me to meet this royal descendant.”

Fang Xun immediately rose to lead the way.

Lengshan Commandery.

Yin Fengshuo's expression shifted repeatedly as he muttered the contents of the imperial decree over and over.

“Abolish the Imperial Mausoleum Commandery's administrative structure... restore all territories to their original commanderies and counties... permit the Hundred Schools to travel freely... allow the people to resume their livelihoods...”

“I never imagined that even after being exiled to the Imperial Mausoleum, Fang Xun would still encounter such fortune!”

Yin Fengshuo gritted his teeth.

Beside him, Lengshan County Magistrate Shen Chongguang quickly said, “Your Excellency need not worry. The matter of Fang Xun's six visits has already spread everywhere. He's become a complete joke.”

Lengshan County had not yet finished reconstruction, so Shen Chongguang still accompanied the Commandery Governor.

To his surprise, Yin Fengshuo immediately interrupted him with an angry rebuke.

“What do you know?!”

“If nobody had been pushing things behind the scenes, how could an incident that happened inside the Imperial Mausoleum have spread so quickly?”

“Six visits to a disciple's door... six visits...”

“How did Fang Xun become this sort of person?”

Shen Chongguang was stunned.

From the governor's tone, the widespread circulation of the story was not a humiliation at all. On the contrary, it seemed to benefit Fang Xun greatly.

As he struggled to understand, Yin Fengshuo continued muttering to himself.

“First, Zhou Xunzhen of Jixia Academy attained enlightenment within his territory.”

“Then Duanmu Qiuche broke through successfully with his assistance.”

“In such a short period of time, Fang Xun's name has already spread throughout the court and the realm...”

A trace of fear unexpectedly appeared in Yin Fengshuo's eyes.

“No.”

“I need to write to Master immediately!” he said through clenched teeth.

...

[TL Note: I have opted to retain the original pinyin names for these locations/titles. However, their literal meanings may become relevant in future chapters, so both the pinyin and translated forms are provided here for reference:

东山 (Dongshan) — East Mountain

西山 (Xishan) — West Mountain

南炎 (Nanyan) — Southern Flame

北寒 (Beihan) — Northern Cold

东南 (Dongnan) — Southeast

西北 (Xibei) — Northwest

东北 (Dongbei) — Northeast

西南 (Xinan) — Southwest]