The Demonic World I designed-Chapter 46 - 44 The Great Jin Citizens with Erased Memories

46: Chapter 44: The Great Jin Citizens with Erased Memories

46 -44: The Great Jin Citizens with Erased Memories

When Lord Chen arrived at the Jiangnan Capital’s Government Office, it was already dusk on the second day.

Fortunately, the distance between Lyuzhou and Nanming Prefecture, the Jiangnan Capital, was not far.

If the Capital had remained in Suyang like the previous dynasty, it would have taken him two more days by boat to arrive.

Upon hastily reaching the Government Office, there were still Government Officials at the door, which clearly indicated that the Provincial Governor had not yet finished for the day, so he quickly stepped forward and reported his name, “Brother, could you please announce that the newly-appointed Magistrate of Lyuzhou, Chen Qing, has come to report.”

The spirited official, evidently born from a family of warriors, quickly straightened up, “Lord Chen, is it?

Please follow me directly, the Provincial Governor has been awaiting you for quite some time.” frёewebηovel.cѳm

“Oh?

Is that so?

Then, I’m troubling you.”

“Not at all, my Lord, not at all!” The other party quickly replied with utmost care, as it was rare for a scholar to be so courteous to a minor official like him, leaving him somewhat flattered.

Lord Chen felt a slight sinking in his heart.

He had traveled overnight and arrived earlier than the group of Imperial Scholars who had been appointed to positions in Lyuzhou.

It should have been known by only a few, so how did the Provincial Governor seem to anticipate his arrival?

It looks like the Emperor still had a hold on his whereabouts.

Following the minor official, he arrived at the main hall of the Government Office, where, after being announced, he saw a middle-aged man of scholarly appearance and gentle demeanor come forward to greet him at the door.

“Is this Lord Chen, the newly-appointed Magistrate of Lyuzhou?”

“Indeed, it is I…” Chen Qing glanced at the man’s Third Rank official’s attire and quickly stepped forward to bow, “Greetings, Provincial Governor.”

“Lord Chen, you must have had a taxing journey.

Please, come with me.”

Gong Qiniang was very courteous to the new official, motivated by the information shared by Academic Commissioner Mu Hongqing the day before.

According to Mu Hongqing, the incident with the Thousand-Faced Fox in Lyuzhou seemed to have been uncovered by this new Imperial Scholar, who, according to further reports from Capital City, had made significant contributions there.

Consequently, he had been promoted exceptionally.

Being so young and starting his official career as a Fourth Rank, he was a unique case in the Twentieth Year of the Great Jin, even more exceptional than the once-famous Fei Jun and Wang Ye.

Without a doubt, Gong Qiniang believed that the man before him, like Wang Ye, was a Magician by training!

Unlike the wariness they held towards the bloodline warriors from noble families, the civil officials were keen to cultivate relations with Magicians.

Bloodlines, after all, depended on birth and were unattainable for ordinary people, but the mysteries around Magicians were within reach.

Though selecting a Magician depended heavily on innate talent, the sentiment resembled their own civil examinations.

As long as one had sufficient effort and aptitude, regardless of background, one could stand out—after all, wasn’t every Imperial Scholar one in ten thousand?

Therefore, civil officials generally held Magicians in higher regard.

Furthermore, the Imperial Court had opened the Sorcerer Academy and awarded the right to recommend descendants to officials with sufficient achievements, making Magicians even more sought after by the civil administration.

“You’re too kind, Sir…” Seeing the Provincial Governor personally pouring him tea, Chen Qing was taken aback and quickly stood to say, “I don’t deserve such treatment.

Please take your seat, Sir.

I can serve myself!”

Satisfied with Chen Qing’s respectful demeanor, Gong Qiniang’s brows relaxed.

Many of the literary officials with Magician potential had been incredibly proud, and he had encountered many over the years.

Rare were those as humble as the young man before him.

It seemed his luck was not bad, having had Mu Hongqing before, and now he had this promising junior under his wing.

Excellent, excellent.

Perhaps I could foster a closer relationship.

Once we’re more acquainted, I could recommend my own descendants to the Sorcerer Academy and ask for his care.

Speaking of which, considering how young this lad looks, I wonder if he’s betrothed?

I should inquire later…

“Lord Chen, are you here about Lyuzhou’s supplies?” Gong Qiniang suppressed the urge to broach the topic of marriage and led with official business instead.

“Indeed…” Chen Qing immediately looked troubled, “I’ve come from afar and was unaware that the situation in Lyuzhou was so dire.

The entire Provincial Government Office was like a haunted city.

With my limited experience, I truly don’t know what to do.”

“Ah… that, ha ha ha, you need not worry, Lord Chen,” Gong Qiniang hurried to console, “It can’t be helped with such exceptional circumstances.

Rest assured, Lord Chen; whatever support you require, I will assist you to the best of my abilities.”

That’s just what I wanted to hear!

Chen Qing quickly responded, “Sir, with the current situation in Lyuzhou, we cannot rely on taxes for the time being.”

“You can leave that to me!” The other party grandly assured, “I’ve already reported to the Imperial Court that this year’s tax from Lyuzhou need not be submitted; it will all be used for the reconstruction of Lyuzhou.

Furthermore, we will coordinate Jiangnan’s financial resources to aid Lyuzhou.”

“Thank you for the support, Sir!” Chen Qing was visibly moved and quickly got up to add, “About the progress of salt and tea routes that need to be supplied, I’m afraid those will have to be delayed as well.”

“You can also rest assured on that; I’ve already negotiated with the officials of the various routes, and they will allow Lyuzhou adequate time to handle and clear any issues.”

“Then there’s the matter of manpower…” Chen Qing, seizing the moment, continued: “I have been to the Lyuzhou Prefectural Office and found it utterly deserted.

I really can’t find officers for dispatch.

Moreover, with the Commander position vacant and not a single soldier maintaining the city’s defense, I must ask for your assistance in dispatching some.”

“This…” Gong Qiniang was immediately put in a difficult position.

Money was easy, but manpower was another matter.

If he could have sent people to Lyuzhou, it wouldn’t be in its current state…

“To be frank…” After hesitating a moment, Gong Qiniang confessed, “At present, it’s rather difficult to dispatch manpower.

The events in Lyuzhou were too horrific, and as Lord Chen, who comes from a scholarly background, would understand, common people have limited tolerance for so-called demon events.

After all, their memories of such things had been sealed before.

Suddenly facing such incidents, it’s hard for them to accept, which makes everyone rather reluctant to go to Lyuzhou.

It’s quite a problem for me as well…”

“Their memories were sealed?” Chen Qing was taken aback.

“Lord Chen is unaware?” Gong Qiniang was perplexed, as the official in front of him was a Magician by training, it seemed unlikely he wouldn’t know about this.

“I really don’t know,” Chen Qing said earnestly.

He explained that he had been alive in this world for twenty years and had never heard any elder mention anything about demons.

According to Wang Ye, peace had not been restored for long; it was just when he was born that peace began.

How could his parents and even the older generations be clueless about the existence of demons?

Could the Imperial Court suppress the books from the previous dynasty, yet also silence the mouths of the common folk in the countryside?

“I see…” Gong Qiniang nodded, wondering how Chen Qing’s magician master could have failed to tell him even this?

So he didn’t hide anything and spoke candidly, since within official circles, this matter was no secret.

“Back then, a certain indescribable being had proposed the idea of demons coexisting with humans, and to achieve that coexistence, people needed to first forget their fear of demons.

Thus, a wide-spread technique was used, and all the common citizens of the Great Jin Dynasty forgot their memories of demons!”

“What?”

Chen Qing was completely stunned…

Was there such an incredible technique?

One that covered the entire Great Jin Dynasty?

Having read the land records, he knew the Great Jin was vast, roughly ten times the size of Huaxia in his previous life, with a population count of two hundred million households.

What kind of technique could be so powerful?

To alter the memories of two billion households?

Even if it was just the common people’s memories, wasn’t that too exaggerated?

“Does Lord Chen possibly know…

what that technique is called?” Chen Qing asked curiously.

“I’ve heard some higher-ups mention it.” Gong Qiniang said hastily, “Apparently, it’s called Tsukuyomi…”

Chen Qing: “…”

God damn Tsukuyomi, I’m about to pull off a Meteoric Burst over here…

Could the King of Qin be an otaku who’s into manga?

After reading Liu Yu’s letter, he had more or less confirmed that the King of Qin was a predecessor who had traveled through time.

However, his identity was still not clear to Chen Qing, as many of the King of Qin’s deeds were taboo and difficult to inquire about.

Now that he heard this rumor, he became very interested, wondering how the other party managed it?

In his own understanding, only the Thousand-Faced Fox had the ability to alter memories.

But even if the Thousand-Faced Fox evolved to its final form, it couldn’t possibly alter the memories of two billion people at once!

This predecessor who had time-traveled was quite something, wasn’t he?

How did he manage to pull that off?

Could it be…

Chen Qing had a hypothesis in mind, but to confirm whether his guess was correct, he would have to wait for his troublesome beauty of a concubine to arrive from the Capital City and ask her.

“So that’s how it is, I understand…

You mean to say, it would be difficult for you to help me find the right officials, right?” Chen Qing addressed the pressing matter.

“This…” Gong Qiniang said with difficulty, “Indeed, that would be tough.

Perhaps…

Lord Chen, you could try recruiting in the attached county towns or in the countryside.”

“Me, recruiting on the fly?” Chen Qing was immediately troubled: “It’s one thing to talk about the small clerks in the Government Office, but what about the soldiers responsible for the city gates under the Provincial Government Office?

Wouldn’t you need to pull them from other Commanders?

There’s been no news of the new Commander in Lyuzhou, and the stationed soldiers outside of Lyuzhou have also been called away by the Imperial Court…”

“This…” Gong Qiniang sighed, “To be honest with you, Lord Chen, the military personnel issue is also quite tricky recently.

After the incident, even General Weichi’s personal soldiers were half-replaced by Mister Hua Pi, and many of the soldiers stationed in Lyuzhou have been switched out as well.

Now people are unsettled, and the Imperial Court is scrutinizing the Jiangnan Army even more closely.

There’s no way to allocate personnel in the short term.”

“Then what should be done?” Chen Qing immediately looked worried.

“Actually, Lord Chen need not worry.

The security along the Jiangnan Waterway is always very good.

Although Lyuzhou’s naval forces have been temporarily called away, other provincial governments in the region can provide support, so no major problems should arise for the time being.”

“As for the official soldiers of the Prefecture City, I can apply for a special privilege for you to recruit your own, and a number below five hundred should not be a problem.

As for the recruitment costs, you can be at ease, Lord Chen.

Just calculate the budget and report it to me.”

“Can that be done?” Chen Qing’s face was immediately filled with gratitude.

Yet, he was also excited inside.

He came specifically for this and did not expect the official to give in so easily.

“In urgent situations, exceptions can be made…

Lord Chen, you don’t need to worry too much.

I will fully support you in restoring order to Lyuzhou.”

“In that case, on behalf of the people of Lyuzhou, I offer my thanks to you!” Chen Qing quickly gave a deep bow of gratitude.

Things were going smoother than he had imagined.

Normally, if it were any regular city, gaining military authority would be somewhat troublesome.

Although it was just the right to command Mansion Soldiers, it was crucial for his upcoming plans.

After all, the beginning of his Divine Path Flow was the Guardian of the Divine Gate!