「Half an hour later, in the rear courtyard of the County Magistrate’s Office.」

When Chang Younian, seated at the head of the room, heard that all the medicinal materials in the building had been taken, his reaction completely surprised Qi Yue and Wang Tianfeng.

There was no explosive rage, no reprimand as they’d expected. Instead, the County Magistrate spoke in a calm voice:

"Very well. I understand. Qi Yue, take your men and begin requisitioning all medicinal materials from the city’s storehouses tomorrow. Inform all the citizens and the refugees outside the walls that the doctors have developed a treatment for the plague. In three days, everyone can take it. There isn’t much, but it will be enough to suppress the symptoms for a time. After another three days, more medicinal materials will arrive from other regions.

Also, conscript the able-bodied refugees and have them start clearing away all the corpses outside the city. The pay is still one bowl of porridge and one cup of water per day. Those who perform exceptionally will be granted residency in Jade Peak County and will receive three months of free housing, after which they will begin paying rent. If anyone dares to cause trouble again, they will be executed without hesitation!

Inform the Ministry of Industry to continue deepening all the city’s wells tomorrow. We must have a sufficient water supply.

Finally, relay my order: tell those four brutes to take the gloves off. Tonight, not a single high-ranking member of the Four Great Gangs is to be left alive! I will request assistance from the Reincarnation Bureau to help you."

"The, the Reincarnation Bureau!!"

Qi Yue’s face filled with worry. "Your Excellency, if, if we mobilize them, I’m afraid the Sovereign might..."

"Do you think the Sovereign is unaware of what has happened in the Four Mansions of Da Liang—in Linchuan, Xiangyang, Beiding, and Xichuan? Enough. Just follow your orders!" Chang Younian barked, leaving no room for doubt.

"Yes, sir!" Qi Yue replied with a cupped-fist salute.

Beside them, Wang Tianfeng was frozen in shock. If Qi Yue hadn’t nudged him back to his senses, he might have collapsed to the floor.

’The Reincarnation Bureau... second only to the Six Paths Bureau of Da Liang.’

The first was responsible for policing the Martial Artists among the nation’s Noble Families, prominent local clans, and other powerful factions.

If Martial Artists from these factions were found committing crimes that endangered the foundations of Da Liang, the Reincarnation Bureau would dispatch agents to eliminate them. No exceptions!

The second, the Six Paths Bureau, monitored all officials of the Liang Kingdom. Any official caught committing crimes—from corruption and perverting justice to levying crushing taxes, murder, and arson—would be reported to the Sovereign, who would then decide their fate.

Both of these bureaus were under the Sovereign’s direct control!

Most terrifying of all, both bureaus had numerous Innate Martial Artists within their ranks. They operated from secret locations, their presence known only to local officials.

However, in recent years, both bureaus had all but vanished. The Sovereign seemed to pay little attention to affairs in the provinces, so many officials and Martial Artists had largely forgotten about them.

But a fearsome reputation casts a long shadow.

Wang Tianfeng had assumed these bureaus no longer existed. ’Otherwise,’ he thought, ’Chang Younian would never have dared to let so many things slide.’ He never imagined the County Magistrate would reveal they were still active!

’Once the Reincarnation Bureau gets involved, not a single Martial Artist from the powerful families will be considered innocent. And if the Martial Artists are executed, it’s the same as wiping out the entire family.’

But just then, another terrifying realization dawned on him—

’Chang Younian had never directly interfered in the disputes between any of the county’s factions. His supposed backing was just a claim made by others; Chang Younian himself had never publicly acknowledged it.’

’He let the Zhao, Wang, Ma, and Fan families unilaterally raise the tax silver. He let the An and Miao Families and the Four Great Gangs collect protection money, levy their own fees, and run black markets. Chang Younian turned a blind eye to it all, but that didn’t mean he approved! He was simply operating on the principle of ’no complaint, no investigation.’’

’Even if his superiors were to investigate, he would only be charged with negligence and dereliction of duty. For someone from a Noble Family, that was hardly a punishment at all.’

’On the contrary, the image Chang Younian projected was one of a man dedicated to disaster relief and saving the people, his only controversial act being to refuse the refugees entry into the city. The subsequent refugee riot was an "accident." Now, as he tries to save lives by requisitioning medicinal materials, the materials are "stolen"...’

Suddenly, it all clicked into place. Far from a fool, Wang Tianfeng was seized by a terrifying mix of fear and awe; his blood ran cold at the depth of Chang Younian’s schemes. He scrambled to his knees. "Your Excellency! If you mobilize the Reincarnation Bureau, our Wang Family will also..."

"Don’t worry. The Wang Family will be fine," Chang Younian interrupted with a smile.

His words were a lifeline. Wang Tianfeng’s terror instantly turned to elation. He prostrated himself in gratitude, exclaiming, "Thank you, Your Excellency! Thank you!"

After the two had left, Chang Younian picked up the two pieces of the Broken Blade from a nearby table. A smile touched his lips as he murmured to himself:

"Another pretext, delivered right to my doorstep. Excellent, truly excellent! Who would have thought the net I cast would land such a big fish? To think a survivor from *that* family is still in the city!"

As he spoke, he carefully examined the cut on the Broken Blade. It was perfectly smooth, flawlessly clean. The more he looked, the more a deep sense of longing grew within him.

"The power of a Divine Weapon! Only *that* family could have forged such a thing! If I possessed a Divine Weapon like this, a Seventh Grade could challenge a Sixth Grade!"

The Black-robed Steward also smiled. "Your Excellency, with this pretext, the fallout from the refugee riot should be significantly mitigated. In the best-case scenario, your position will remain unchanged."

"Hahaha! And here I was, planning to use the medicinal materials incident to shift the blame. Even if they hadn’t looted and set fires, I was going to give them a little push. Now, everything has fallen perfectly into place."

Finished speaking, he looked at the Black-robed Steward. "Take the Broken Blade and a letter and send them to our superiors by the fastest horse. They’ll know what to do once they see them. Waste no time. I’m going to the Reincarnation Bureau tonight."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

The Black-robed Steward accepted the Broken Blade, gave a slight bow, and turned to exit the hall.

Even he hadn’t expected Chang Younian to be so brazen in his determination to shift the blame and reduce his own culpability.

’Even if the An and Miao Families and the Four Great Gangs hadn’t set the fires or stolen the medicinal materials, Chang Younian would have sent his own men to do it.’

—*He wanted to save the people, but alas, lawless factions within the city were acting with impunity, obstructing his relief efforts.*

That excuse alone was enough to bring in the Reincarnation Bureau!

With this move, not only could he shift responsibility for the refugee riot, but he could also eliminate the factions backed by the Lu and Gu Families. As for the Broken Blade, that was just an unexpected bonus.