Chapter Thirty-One: Misunderstanding

In these times, whenever a city is built, a geomancer is always consulted to select the site, choosing a location shaped by the contours of mountains and rivers, so that the city may benefit from the nourishing energies of wind and water. The process of city construction is even more particular; the entire city often forms a grand geomantic array, suppressing and stabilizing the surrounding region.

Within this array, the village pavilions, government offices, and temples serve as the pivotal points, drawing sustenance from the local earth’s energy, even as they restrain it. This is precisely why the imperial court can rule over the populace and command the mountains and rivers. Even the City God of a town can only partake in a mere fraction of the leftover energies of the earth veins.

Hence, the authorities are able to keep the spirits in check and command them at will, ensuring that the divine way never becomes too powerful or overshadows officialdom. This is why Wang Zhenling could live as merrily as the sole mouse in a granary, stealing grain as he pleased.

Yet, the City God, being of the divine, is highly sensitive to the ebb and flow of spiritual energies. After Wang Zhenling had siphoned off the government’s fortune a few times for his own cultivation, the City God detected something amiss and dispatched ghostly officers to investigate the village pavilion.

The patrol ghosts, however, showed no deference, barking coldly, “This is a restricted area. No ghosts or spirits may approach. Trespassers will be executed without mercy! Take one more step, and we’ll act!”

Though the City God’s ghost officers were both shocked and enraged, they dared not force their way in. The patrol ghosts were right—no spirit may set foot within the village pavilion. This is an iron law of the empire, enacted precisely to prevent the divine from interfering with or overpowering the officials.

“We’re only investigating—”

“Be gone, at once!” the patrol ghost barked coldly.

Though all five hundred county soldiers were under the City God’s jurisdiction, the ghosts directly appointed by the government heeded only official orders. Moreover, these ghosts were assigned directly to the village pavilion, with a special chamber designated for them within. This was yet another safeguard to ensure the government’s independence, free from the meddling of the divine.

Though the government claimed dominion over ghosts and spirits, the latter were, after all, powerful and long-lived; it was only natural for the court to take every precaution. Wang Zhenling had never thought much of it before, but on reflection, he realized there was little harmony between the court and the divine, only constant wariness.

He sneered inwardly, but nonetheless withdrew his power and strode out of the house.

“Greetings, Inspector!”

At once, the village pavilion’s ghosts bowed before Wang Zhenling. He, in turn, fixed the City God’s ghost officers with a frosty gaze and said, “You are bold indeed, barging in here at night! Are you planning a rebellion?”

The chief ghost officer blanched in shock, protesting, “Don’t accuse us! We merely detected someone stealing the government’s fortune by night and came on the City God’s orders to investigate. In fact, Inspector, such things never happened before you arrived!”

“Insolence!” Wang Zhenling, exposed though he was, showed no fear, barking coldly, “When did the affairs of the village pavilion become your concern? Leave at once, or I will not be so polite!” As he spoke, his hand moved to the Inspector’s seal.

The ghost officer knew they had acted rashly. Seeing Wang Zhenling’s manner, he seethed with resentment but dared not push further. Judging by appearances, it was almost certainly Wang Zhenling who had stolen the official fortune. Now that he had emerged, with no evidence left, what good would it do to storm the county office?

With a cold laugh, the ghost officer said, “We’ll go! The mountain is high and the road long; we will meet again. Inspector, see that you obey the law and do not steal from your own house…” With that, he departed with his ghostly retinue.

A flicker of murderous intent flashed in Wang Zhenling’s eyes, but he held himself in check. This was troublesome indeed. Though the granary was unguarded, there was always the old cat keeping watch at the door…

Truth be told, there had been some recent friction between Chen Bushi and the City God. The county’s five hundred ghost soldiers were under multiple authorities. The magistrate, as the chief official, could intervene in anything. Yet in practice, the ghost soldiers were mainly governed by the county constable and the City God. Day-to-day, they answered to the City God’s office, and could only be mobilized by the constable issuing a formal request to the City God’s office.

If the magistrate was particularly assertive, the constable would have to report to him, and only then would the magistrate issue the order to the City God’s office to deploy the ghost soldiers.

Yet, as with all things, it was not the rules but the strength of the players that mattered most. Though Chen Bushi did not vie with the magistrate for power, he maintained a tense standoff with the City God over control of the five hundred ghost soldiers.

Wang Zhenling was a trusted follower of Chen Bushi, and it was likely for this very reason that the City God sought to catch him out. Otherwise, Wang Zhenling’s pilfering of a little local fortune was hardly a great matter—why would the City God insist on pursuing it so relentlessly?

By the next day, news of the incident had already reached the magistrate. As lord of the county, how could he not know what had occurred in his own offices at night? Yet he remained silent, neither inquiring nor intervening.

Later, in the inner chambers, the magistrate’s wife asked, “Husband, the City God’s ghost officers came to the door. It is almost certain that someone stole the county’s fortune, and it was likely the constable’s doing. Why do you not discipline this Inspector Guangyang?”

“Discipline? And how, pray tell? Hmph. Is this the first time someone has stolen official fortune? Do you think those wandering cultivators are capable of such theft? It’s always insiders—officials, noble families. Who else has the means?

“This Inspector hails from the Wang clan of Danling, a mere local family. He surely lacks the skill for such feats! If I am not mistaken, his methods were taught by the constable himself. What would you have me do? Turn on Constable Chen outright?”

At this, the magistrate’s wife blanched. The law is like a web, and officials are its spiders. Yet such a web can only catch the smallest of flies; when birds come, they tear through the net, and may even devour the spider itself. No matter how strict the law, it binds only the petty and the powerless. Those who lead in breaking it are always the high officials and great families.

The magistrate’s wife came from a strong family herself and understood this well.

“That Constable Chen is a scion of the Chen clan of the Riverlands. Instead of serving in the Three Rivers, he has come to this backwater county. He must have great ambitions. Hmph, if I were to hinder his plans, do you think the Chen clan would be unable to touch me?” Magistrate Zhou Lai sneered.

His wife fell silent. The Chen clan of the Riverlands had held high office for generations and wielded great power. It would be nothing for them to remove a mere county magistrate—and even a prefect or governor would not be beyond their reach.

“But didn’t the constable recently earn a promotion? Shouldn’t he be leaving soon? Why do you say his ambitions here are so great?” she asked in confusion.