Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)

The Great Xia Imperial Palace...

“The Wilderness Province is making an exception to promote Man Gu to commandery governor?” Xia Emperor wore a peculiar expression upon seeing the court document. His first thought was that it was someone with the same name.

But on second thought, that couldn’t be right. The surname “Man” was unique to the Barbarian Tribe, and in the past thousand years, only Man Gu had entered officialdom.

Checking the detailed personal profile appended to the back, he confirmed that it was indeed Man Gu—the Great Xia’s zhuangyuan.

For the previous three commandery governors, all they had to do was submit the nominee’s name to the imperial court, and the Minister of Personnel would approve it as a mere formality. However, Man Gu lacked the tenure and seniority, so his promotion to commandery governor required the Xia Emperor’s consent.

“Is Man Gu performing so well that the Wilderness Province is making an exception to promote him?”

As the Xia Emperor read the section on Man Gu’s credentials and experience, his expression grew even more peculiar.

“In just half a month, Man Gu arrested the Zhongshan Commandery Governor three times in a row?

“The original commandery governor was arrested, the one promoted from below was arrested, and the one sent down for training was arrested.”

This isn’t about Man Gu performing too well. It’s clearly because no one else dares to take the commandery governor position.

“That said, it’s really strange. Man Gu had been doing fine as county magistrate. Why have there been so many incidents recently?”

Then the Xia Emperor repeatedly saw the names “Constable Lu” and “Constable Meng” in the detailed arrest accounts. He fell silent for a long time.

The mystery is finally solved.

The Xia Emperor wrote “Approved” at the bottom of the court document.

~~~

“His Majesty approved it so quickly?” Provincial Governor Lü was quite surprised. His Majesty usually doesn’t decide on promotions like this so quickly.

Looks like Man Gu carries significant weight in His Majesty’s heart.

News of Man Gu’s promotion soon reached the county magistrates of Zhongshan Commandery through their own channels before the official notice arrived.

“Man Gu has become the commandery governor?”

“His seniority is insufficient, isn’t it? How did he get the post?”

“Thinking about it, it does make sense. Not only is Man Gu upright and impartial, but he’s also a zhuangyuan appointed by His Majesty and a disciple of the Dao-Seeking Sect. He should have been the commandery governor long ago.”

“It’s not so simple. I have a few connections at the top. Apparently, Man Gu was already on the shortlist the last two times they selected a commandery governor, but several officials objected to his appointment.

“Later, those officials were implicated in the Conduct Records of All Officials incident. It’s still up in the air as to whether they can keep their posts.”

“Hiss. Was this also part of Man Gu’s scheme? How terrifying.”

~~~

“Lord Man’s foresight is astounding! Your subordinate is full of admiration!” the registrar praised repeatedly. He had been Man Gu’s deputy ever since the latter became county magistrate, making him the person who had worked with Man Gu the longest.

Having interacted with Man Gu for so long, he had assumed that he was an honest and simple individual. To be frank, such people didn’t go far in officialdom. He could only try to help cover up for Man Gu and prevent his relationships with colleagues from becoming too strained.

Therefore, when he learned that Man Gu had arrested the ex-ex-ex-commandery governor, he was extremely anxious. It was a major taboo in officialdom.

Who would have expected Man Gu’s subsequent actions to defy all expectations? He took down every commandery governor who followed. If this was coincidence, he refused to believe it. How could there be so many coincidences in the world?

This must be Man Gu’s plan! His usual demeanor must have been a facade to confuse his opponents and lower their guard.

Such scheming, such restraint, such calculation—truly befitting a disciple of the Dao-Seeking Sect!

I’ve served six county magistrates, and I could tell at a glance whether they would be promoted or retire in their current positions. I believed I’d developed a discerning eye, but Man Gu has completely eluded me.

“Ah? I’m promoted?” Man Gu stared at the appointment letter in confusion, examining it from all angles to verify its authenticity.

I’m here to temper myself in the mundane world, not to be an official in the mundane world.

Besides, I didn’t do anything. How did I get promoted?

“Congratulations, congratulations!” Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou clapped on either side. They were genuinely happy for Man Gu.

“C-Can I be a good commandery governor?” Man Gu wasn’t confident. “I can’t even manage a small county. Look at the overcrowded jail! Recently, there have been so many cases of gang-related crimes, breaking into homes, and theft in broad daylight. If it weren’t for you two senior brothers, I wouldn’t have realized how chaotic it was in this county.”

Meng Jingzhou kindly comforted him. “You shouldn’t put it that way. In my view, other parts of the Great Xia are just as chaotic. They just haven’t realized it. The fact that these criminals were caught here is a testament to your excellent governance.

“Besides, plenty of Void Refinement cultivators temper themselves in the mundane world, and many of them choose to be officials. But look at them. None of them have risen through the ranks as quickly as you do.”

“You’re a natural-born official,” Lu Yang said, encouraging him. “Who knows? You may even be the first to create the third path of the Void Refinement Stage—being an official in the mundane world.”

“I didn’t know I was this capable.” Man Gu was no longer doubtful. How could my senior brothers lie to me? Then he felt a headache coming on. If we can catch this many cultivators causing trouble in Quyi County, who knows how many more cultivators we’ll encounter in Zhongshan Commandery?

My cultivation keeps fluctuating, and my senior brothers will have to leave after solving the haunting case. No one will be able to keep things under control if chaos breaks out in Zhongshan Commandery.

Man Gu voiced his concerns. Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou mulled it over. This is indeed a problem. It’s fine while we are still here, but what happens after we leave?

Lu Yang came up with a good idea. “How about buying insurance? Although it can’t stop the chaos, it can reduce the losses.”

Man Gu smacked his palm with his fist, finding Lu Yang’s plan solid.

Seeing both senior brothers approve, Man Gu grew confident.

“By the way, Registrar Liu, do you want to come with me to the commandery?” Man Gu asked. I have the registrar to thank for teaching me many rules in officialdom over the past few years. Having him around in a new place means someone to consult on matters.

“Me?” Registrar Liu was astonished. He hadn’t expected a promotion at his age. He bowed deeply to Man Gu. “Many thanks for your generosity, Your Excellency!”

“And senior brothers, what are your plans?”

Lu Yang shrugged. “We’ll just follow you to Zhongshan Commandery. It doesn’t interfere with catching ghosts.”

Moreover, Man Gu is new to the position of commandery governor. We need to be there to back him up.

~~~

The branch chief of Luodi Merchant Guild’s Wilderness Province branch was surprised. “You want to buy insurance for the entire Wilderness Province?”

Why is this new commandery governor buying insurance on his first day? Buying insurance for the entire commandery is a huge transaction.

“Yes, and I wish to buy the policy with the highest coverage,” Man Gu said seriously. Standing behind him were Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, the three of them looking businesslike.

“Umm...” The branch chief felt troubled. He couldn’t help but sense something odd, but his expression belied none of it. “We are delighted that you are vigilant even in peacetime and are willing to buy insurance from us. However, since Zhongshan Commandery has never purchased insurance before, we’ll need to conduct a risk assessment.”

“I understand. In other words, your branch will send someone to Zhongshan Commandery to assess the risk and determine the premium,” Man Gu replied, though he actually had no idea. He had learned about these protocols from Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou on the way.

The branch chief shook his head. “That was the old protocol. After the Sword Tower and the Mountain-Moving Sea-Filling Sect incidents, our merchant guild suffered heavy losses, so our headquarters revised the policy.

“A deal this large requires us to report to headquarters. They’ll send the evaluators to carry out a risk assessment, after which the president will make the final decision.”