When a homebody travels far, it takes three months to cover less than two miles.
Yang Ge had long been planning to head south and cause trouble for the Changfeng Gang.
First was the construction work at the Administration Office of the Upper Right; he couldn’t let it go and had to visit often.
Then there was the personnel arrangement of the Upper Right Office; he refused to just accept anyone and needed to write letters and discuss each with Shen Fa.
Next was the "Snow Drift Secret"; he had reached the fourth stage, "Yin Yang Harmony", a state more suited for stillness than action...
In any case, he always found reasons to delay...
By early September, all matters were gradually settled.
Even the most difficult "Snow Drift Secret," Yang Ge had succeeded in mastering the final stage "Diverse Paths Same Goal," his robust Inner Qi blending yin and yang, harmonizing water and fire!
By then, he was only a shudder away from refining his essence and returning to his true nature.
It was then that he truly found no reason to delay any further, so he hesitantly went to Liu Shopkeeper to ask for leave.
Before speaking, he still harbored the hope that Liu Shopkeeper might refuse, allowing him to naturally agree and push the matter further back.
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Unexpectedly, as soon as he had finished mentioning his need to travel far out, before he could even begin his prepared excuses, Liu Shopkeeper cheerfully agreed.
"No worries, go and attend to your important matters, however long it takes. We’ll keep an eye on things here at home, so don’t you worry!"
Liu Shopkeeper granted him leave first and then kindly added, "Do you have enough silver coins? Wealth aids the journey; you shouldn’t skimp too much. Better to have some extra money..."
As he spoke, he opened the drawer of the cash box to check, saw that there were only copper coins and a few silver pieces the size of fingernails, and casually pushed it back in, "We’ll go get money from the uncles upstairs when we close tonight!"
Yang Ge quickly waved his hand: "No need, no need, I have money. I have plenty; whatever I need, I have. It’s just the inn...maybe we should wait another two months, it’s peak season now, and you rely on these two months for the entire year’s earnings."
Liu Shopkeeper reassured him with a smile, "Money is never-ending. Don’t you worry about it; we are not so old that we can’t write or use an abacus. The weather is neither cold nor hot right now, perfect for traveling. The sooner you go, the sooner you return. If you delay for another two months, you would be travelling against the wind and snow, and you might not make it back by the new year..."
He truly treated Yang Ge as if he were his own nephew.
And he genuinely hoped that a hundred years from now, Yang Ge and his son Liu Fuyu would support each other.
Yang Ge had more to say but eventually could only smile and agree, "Alright, I’ll visit the elders back home tomorrow, then depart. Please take care of Huang for me for two months. It’s not picky; it eats whatever it’s given."
"Look at what you’re saying!"
Liu Shopkeeper feigned anger: "We run an inn, how could we shortchange its meals?"
Yang Ge just laughed: "There are no guests right now; I’m heading over to the martial arts school to see Brother Fuyu."
Liu Shopkeeper gestured: "Go ahead, and tell your Brother Fuyu to come over tonight. We men will prepare a few dishes and share a couple of drinks."
Yang Ge: "Absolutely..."
...
When the moon was high in the sky, Yang Ge returned to Drum and Bell Alley.
However, in Drum and Bell Alley, there were neither drums nor an alley anymore.
Instead, there stood an imposing three-entrance government building.
This new government building was the Administration Office of the Upper Right in Lu Ting.
The new building, facing north and south in a symmetric layout, spanned roughly two hundred meters along the north-south axis and about one hundred meters east to west, covering an area of over twenty acres.
The grand entrance had six doors and three bays, with a black iron plaque bearing the words "Patrol and Capture" hanging above, and a pair of stone lions with swords underfoot stationed at the doorway.
Combined with the predominantly black-colored beams and plaques, it gave a sense of might, strictness, and a chilling deterrence.
Inside, the office resembled a compound with three courtyards.
The first courtyard was a parade ground.
The second courtyard was the office building.
The third courtyard contained the living quarters and prison cells.
The entire Administration Office housed over a thousand officers and soldiers, including the office of Yang Ge, the chief officer, offices for the two deputy chiefs, offices for ten team leaders, as well as the Administration Office, archive room, armory, dining hall, medical office, etc., all concentrated here.
It could be considered well-equipped despite its size.
However, most of the time, the office did not house over a thousand people; even times when over five hundred people dined together were extremely rare.
It wasn’t that the Northern Town Prefectural Commissioner was overburdening the Administration Office with duties.
Although Shen Fa mildly disapproved of Yang Ge’s intent to slack off,
in the actual operation, he was quite considerate of Yang Ge, understanding that he was new to the office and unfamiliar with the duties, and so he assigned cases that should have gone to the Administration Office to the other six offices, giving Yang Ge time to acclimate.
But just because the Northern Town Prefectural Commissioner didn’t assign tasks didn’t stop the team leaders and banners from "patrolling for cases" on their own initiative.
This was also to be expected.
After all, how else to squeeze out a profit or receive bribes without investigating cases?
Without these extra benefits, how could they live on the mere ten-plus silver per month official salary?
Moreover, while Yang Ge wanted to slack off, the team leaders and banners below him were all ambitious!
In this regard, even though Yang Ge was the chief official of the Administration Office, there was still not much he could do.
He could only strictly uphold the three principles of "not being tempted by wealth," "not enforcing confessions through torture," and "not oppressing the good people" and firmly forbid his subordinates from violating them.
As for how to maintain these principles without the subordinates stepping over the line, that was relatively simple.
Although he could not track how the team leaders and banners were investigating each case in real time, or inquire every day,