142: The Resolve of an Adult

Damn it, I've been played again.

Am I somehow uniquely cursed? Whenever other people transmigrate into another world, it's always: I am invincible, enemies are mentally disabled, and beautiful women swoon over me.

Why do I just attract a mountain of troubles?

I clearly use hidden sleeve arrows! In principle, I'm a melee archer! Not some unlucky E-rank lancer!! Why am I always this profoundly unlucky?

After meeting Magistrate Yue and his old man, Ming Tian introduced them to Xinzhu, who was essentially his future wife.

His father, Zhuge Fang, certainly wouldn't object to this match. A princess consort for a daughter-in-law, and Xinzhu had such a wonderful temperament.

Magistrate Yue's response amounted to little more than polite pleasantries.

What they discussed next, however, gave Ming Tian a massive headache.

Meng Lang, the Surveillance Commissioner of Shangjiang, was coming to Sumen Town.

What the hell was a surveillance commissioner? Ming Tian didn't know; it sounded like some ridiculously overpowered official, but after Yin Chan gave him a brief explanation, he more or less understood.

The bastard was nothing more than a running dog!

The duty of a surveillance commissioner was to tour various counties and commanderies, acting as an official who supposedly cared for the common people. Heh, if anyone in China didn't understand what "caring for the common people" meant, they were either an idiot or lived in a village without internet access.

Although his official rank wasn't extraordinarily high—merely the upper fourth rank—his authority was outrageously, absurdly vast.

Sometimes even high officials of the second or third rank had to show deference to a surveillance commissioner.

Because an official wandering around with such a brief wielded immense discursive power.

Each surveillance commissioner was assigned a specific region, responsible for observing the conditions among the common folk in every commandery and township. Wherever they went, local officials had to offer lavish bribes and favors so that the commissioners wouldn't nitpick, allowing those officials to keep their official hats.

If the local officials failed to provide sufficient bribes, the consequences went without saying.

Forget about laws prohibiting corruption; every dynasty—even modern times—had laws against corruption, but when was there ever a shortage of corrupt officials? Especially someone like Meng Lang, who wielded such enormous influence.

Leave aside Magistrate Yue; even Prefect Yu Baoqing of Douhu Prefecture—an external official of the upper third rank—didn't dare provoke the surveillance commissioner. You had to remember that a prefect of the upper third rank was actually two grades higher than a surveillance commissioner of the upper fourth rank.

"If it hadn't been for Brother Zhuge propping things up last year, we probably would have followed in Douhu Prefecture's footsteps. What are we going to do this year?"

Saying this, Magistrate Yue looked as though he had aged ten years overnight.

He slowly laid out the distressing situation.

Meng Lang was a surveillance commissioner personally promoted by Xiao Feng, the Prince of Xi'an and Jing. Rumor had it that Meng Lang had deeply won Xiao Feng's favor, and Xiao Feng intended to groom him into the Qi Dynasty's next Champion General. Appointing him as a surveillance commissioner was meant to toughen him up through experience.

And Meng Lang, relying on Xiao Feng to back him up, acted completely tyrannically! Whenever he arrived at a commandery or county, he wouldn't stop until he had squeezed it completely dry.

If the bribes offered didn't satisfy him, forget about the officials losing their official hats; even the local common folk would suffer disaster.

The previous prefect of Douhu Prefecture refused to play ball, boasting that he was two ranks higher than Meng Lang and asking what kind of nobody Meng Lang thought he was, daring to pick a fight with him.

Pretty arrogant flex, right?

As a result, Meng Lang went back and complained to Xiao Feng that the prefect refused to show respect. Xiao Feng immediately dispatched eighteen thousand troops, beating the prefect until he cried for mercy, turning Douhu Prefecture completely upside down. The population of Douhu Prefecture, which originally stood at eighty thousand, was brutally slaughtered down to barely over ten thousand.

As for that prefect, his entire family was subjected to death by a thousand cuts, which showed just how savage Meng Lang was! That was also the reason why Prefect Yu was able to ascend to his current position.

Hearing this, Ming Tian finally understood. No wonder Douhu Prefecture had felt as desolate as a Hengdian ghost town set when he first entered; it turned out the city had just been recently subjected to a massacre!

"Last year, if Brother Zhuge hadn't held the line, we probably would have shared Douhu Prefecture's fate. What are we going to do now?"

By this point, Magistrate Yue's hair had turned entirely white from worry.

"Sigh." Zhuge Fang let out a helpless sigh. "Meng Lang's appetite grows larger every time. Last time he demanded five thousand liang of silver and twenty fine steeds. This time... I'm afraid I can no longer afford it."

Five thousand liang of silver? Twenty fine steeds? Wasn't that a bit too exorbitant?

Did this Meng Lang not understand the logic of killing the goose that laid the golden eggs? And who the hell was this Xiao Feng? How could he be so ridiculously OP, casually backing a fourth-rank official and granting him such monstrous leverage?

Noticing Ming Tian's confusion, Yin Chan sidled over to give him a crash course on who Xiao Feng was.

This explanation didn't just clear things up; it completely shattered Ming Tian's worldview.

Xiao Feng sounded like a woman's name, but he was actually a man. He was the father of Xiao Luan, which meant he was the grandfather of Xiao Baojuan!

His birth and death years were unknown, but he had lived to an extremely old age. This man kept a remarkably low profile; history didn't even record much about him.

Moreover, this man had an extraordinary number of sons.

Xiao Yaoguang was his son, Xiao Yaochang was his son, Emperor Ming of Qi, Xiao Luan, was also his son... In other words, these high-ranking officials were actually Xiao Baojuan's uncles, yet none of them actually knew it.

There were rumors that even Meng Lang was the son of one of his illegitimate children.

As for his grandchildren... historical records showed Xiao Feng had around seventy-some grandchildren. Listen carefully, those were just the *recorded* grandchildren; if you added up all the unrecorded sons and grandsons, there were at least three hundred people...

And if you counted daughters and granddaughters... easily five hundred?

What the hell, this family tree is an absolute mess!!

So this guy... this Prince of Xi'an and Jing was basically an ancient version of Makoto Itou? A human-shaped artillery piece? A super stud?!

If a modern person fathers a soccer team, they make the front page of the newspapers every day, but you—you actually spawned an entire independent regiment?! How many kidneys do you have? Are all the organs in your abdominal cavity secretly kidneys?

Over five hundred descendants? Even pigs aren't as fertile as you!

Besides, Xiao Feng had never even been emperor, yet he still managed to father over five hundred descendants. If he *had* been emperor, wouldn't he have achieved Tengen Toppa?

My Italian artillery piece is the one that pierces the heavens! Tengen Toppa, Italian artillery!

For some reason, Ming Tian misheard a phrase in his head. Damn, why did it sound so epic? And what the hell was an Italian artillery piece that pierced the heavens?

You could father five hundred children without even being emperor? What kind of galaxy-brain move was this? Coach, please teach me your secrets?!

So starting from Emperor Ming of Qi, Xiao Luan's generation, the entire imperial court was one big happy family? And here I thought I was getting dragged into some complex political struggle; it turned out I just stumbled into a mother-in-law television drama! Could it be that I'm also one of his illegitimate children? This is getting too recursive!

"It's bleak."

Zhuge Fang's eyes welled up with tears. Overcome with emotion, he patted the back of Ming Tian's hand and said, "Still, now that you're back, this old father can rest easy. Sumen Town is saved this time."

"Indeed." Magistrate Yue also choked back tears, looking at Ming Tian with a gaze full of profound gratitude.

Well, being looked at by you two like this is rather creepy. Putting that aside for a moment, I don't recall actually agreeing to save Sumen Town, did I?

Frankly, what did the fate of Sumen Town have to do with me? Why should I wade into this muddy water?

Besides, hearing them talk like this made Ming Tian feel rather awkward about bringing up his plan to take his parents away to live among the Di tribe.

Ming Tian knew his father Zhuge Fang's character all too well.

He and Magistrate Yue had worn the same pair of pants since childhood. If Ming Tian announced right now that he was taking him away to take refuge among the Di tribe, Zhuge Fang would undoubtedly give the following reply:

"Until the matter with Meng Lang is settled, I will not leave Sumen Town even if it kills me."

Yes, he would probably say something like that.

"Xinzhu, what do you think?" Ming Tian asked his future wife.

Since Ming Tian still cared quite a bit for his wife, seeking her counsel was essential.

Xiao Xinzhu thought for a moment and said, "I have met Xiao Feng twice. He is stubborn and opinionated; I might not be able to easily cow him. But as for Meng Lang, given my status, I should barely be able to handle him."

"Oh, alright."

Having received a definitive answer, Ming Tian finally felt relieved.

Since she could handle it, dealing with the situation for the sake of his old man shouldn't be too big of a problem.

"When does Meng Lang arrive?"

"Tomorrow at the hour of Si!"

Magistrate Yue said solemnly, "He usually stays for three days. I'll sound him out. If I can satisfy his demands, naturally I won't trouble the Prince Consort to act. If I cannot meet them, then I'll have to trouble you."

Three days?

Ming Tian calculated in his mind; the time should be relatively ample, and staying here for three to five days shouldn't pose any major issues, so he nodded and agreed.

At the same time, glancing sideways, Ming Tian noticed Su Xiaoxiao hiding outside the door, listening to everything, her pretty face etched with a trace of worry.

This immediately filled Ming Tian with a sense of foreboding.

Right, Su Xiaoxiao!

Ming Tian, who was well-versed in Su Xiaoxiao's backstory, knew full well that Meng Lang had always wanted to forcefully take her for himself. Now that she was in Sumen Town, if she were to cross paths with Meng Lang, trouble was bound to erupt.

Su Xiaoxiao had to be hidden away!

After turning it over in his mind, Ming Tian thought of a suitable candidate!

"Old Wang!"

With a single shout, for some reason, the moment Ming Tian called him, Old Wang—who hadn't dared to speak up until now—jumped as if startled.

"Huh? Oh! Brother Ming Tian, what is it?"

Old Wang's voice was timid, and for some reason, his gaze kept darting toward Magistrate Yue.

However, Ming Tian couldn't be bothered to care about such trivial details.

"Old Wang, I have a mission to entrust to you! Help a brother out!"