Yang Ge nodded: "From this moment, we have at most eight days. Make good use of the time."
Fang Ke glanced at him and replied, "Sir, documents from the Jiangzhe Provincial Administration take only five days to arrive here."
Yang Ge: "All I know is that we are the emperor’s personal troops, the guards stationed at the Northern Town Prefectural Commissioner’s Office appointed by the Brocade-Clothed Guard. I know nothing of any Provincial Administration Commission."
Fang Ke: "I understand, sir!"
Yang Ge: "Hoist the flag of my Brocade-Clothed Guard. Those who resist stubbornly will be killed without mercy!"
Fang Ke: "Yes, sir!"
With that, he touched his sword and hurriedly turned and left.
Yang Ge watched him go, feeling somewhat relieved.
Fang Ke was a man who held awe in his heart, aware of what was significant and what was not.
When there is a way out, that’s a bad thing.
When there is no way out, that’s a good thing!
Unless you push him, he won’t even realize how excellent he is!
Yang Tiansheng looked at his somber expression and asked in perplexity, "Hasn’t everything already been taken care of? Why do you still look unhappy?"
Yang Ge glanced at the fire basin at his feet, sighed lightly: "These remaining account books have reached the level of the Magistrate of Yangzhou. Where should the ones we burned end up?"
Yang Tiansheng smiled and said, "The old saying goes, ’Wear shorts that fit your butt.’ You, as a mere minor official, have managed to reach the level of magistrate, which should satisfy you. What, do you really want to topple those high-ranking officials?"
"That’s the truth!"
Yang Ge nodded in agreement: "But that’s not how things are done."
Yang Tiansheng scratched his forehead slightly: "What do you mean?"
Yang Ge turned, grabbed a chair, and sat down, adjusting his breathing as he slowly explained, "If this fire can spread to those high officials, under their panic and distress, they would surely sacrifice the people below them to save themselves, and we would be able to handle it smoothly!"
"Now that the fire cannot reach them, they will aim the flames at us..."
Yang Tiansheng also pulled up a chair and sat down: "You mean to temper justice with mercy, to seek the middle ground?"
Yang Ge nodded: "Exactly."
Yang Tiansheng: "Don’t overthink it; just clean up the mess in front of you, and as for the future... didn’t you also say, at most, you’ll just take off this official robe and wander the martial world with your brother?"
Yang Ge suddenly let out a cold laugh: "I, a grand master of the True Essence Realm, roam the martial world with you, a mixed fish of the Qi Sea? Are you confused about who is the elder and who is the younger?"
"Slap!"
Yang Tiansheng slammed the table and stood up furiously: "Who are you looking down on? Just the True Essence Realm? I could achieve that with a spit!"
Yang Ge stretched out his hand in a ’bring it on’ gesture: "Don’t talk big, go ahead and cultivate from essence to energy and show me!"
Yang Tiansheng’s face turned red, and he made a gesture as if to leave: "I acknowledge my error in judgment, mistaking a person of low caliber..."
Yang Ge quickly caught hold of him: "Alright alright, just joking... haha!"
Yang Tiansheng, with a sullen face, glanced sideways at him, but ended up laughing along, cursing as he laughed, "You really think everyone is as unsociable as you!"
Yang Ge: "You wouldn’t believe it, but I originally wanted to be a do-nothing tavern waiter, living quietly without practicing martial arts or aspiring to be an official. But heaven kept spoon-feeding me opportunities that I couldn’t refuse!"
Yang Tiansheng laughed and scolded: "You’re flaunting it now, aren’t you? What about now?"
Yang Ge thought for a moment and answered seriously, "Now, I still just want to be a do-nothing nobody."
Yang Tiansheng shook his head gleefully: "You’re no nameless nobody now; you’re ’Timely Rain’ Zhang Mazi, a name that rings loud in the martial world!"
Yang Ge smiled and didn’t reply.
Shortly thereafter, Qin, the deputy unit leader who had finished cleaning up the mess, briskly entered and reported with a salute: "Sir, the miscreants of the Changfeng Gang have been thoroughly apprehended!"
Yang Ge nodded: "Confiscate their properties, interrogate them, dig out all the filthy deeds they’ve done over these years... Focus the interrogation from last year’s case of the three major grain merchants hoarding grain up to now, the dirty deals they made for these merchants and the people behind them in terms of collecting money and land, detail the money down to the smallest unit, the land division to precision, and the people involved by their full names. Whoever they reveal, arrest them immediately!"
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Pausing, he softened his tone and said gently, "Qin..."
The hesitant Deputy Qin immediately stood straight, responding, "This subordinate is here!"
Yang Ge smiled, his voice gentle, "You know the current state of this case as well as I do, so you must be aware!"
"If this case is handled well, we all can hold our heads high and share the spoils!"
"But if it’s poorly handled... not just you and me, but the entire Northern Town Prefectural Commissioner’s office and even all 14,000 of our brothers in the Brocade-Clothed Guard could be dragged down with it!"
"Although I initiated this, you are now the one handling it!"
"Don’t take on this black pot yourself..."
"It could get people killed!"
Deputy Qin tightened his expression and immediately cupped his hands in salute: "Thank you for your guidance, sir. This subordinate understands!"
Yang Ge waved his hand: "I don’t care how you do it, I just want evidence, just results!"
"If the evidence and results are in my hands, and I can’t take them down, then the black pot will be on Yang Erlang’s head!"
"But if your evidence and results aren’t solid enough to prevent them from overturning the case, then you won’t be able to shake off that black pot!"
Deputy Qin furrowed his brows, spoke seriously: "Please wait, sir... I’ll get right on it!"
After he left, Yang Tiansheng, amazed, looked at Yang Ge: "Have you always handled things this way?"
Yang Ge exhaled deeply, spoke irritably: "Do you think everyone handles things as carelessly as you? To handle a matter well, one must consider the overall situation, and strategize from top to bottom... One can be bold and reckless strategically, but tactically, one must be careful and plan every step!"