txolops Chapter 052 It's all for the sake of the surname.
Chapter 052 It's all for the sake of the surname.
"This advisor of yours seems to be a little too enthusiastic."
As the voices rang out, Li Yue emerged from behind the screen.
"I didn't think much of it yesterday, but this morning it seems there is indeed a problem."
Chen Shouzhou nodded, gesturing for Li Yue to sit down, and then spoke in a deep voice.
"Perhaps Master Sun is in cahoots with that monk Zhiyuan. I will send people to investigate. If that's true, hmph!"
Li Yue picked up the half-finished cup of tea, smiled, and said nothing.
Chen Shouzhou was silent for a moment, then spoke up again.
"You just said that there is a third path for me to choose from. What do you mean by that?"
"The God-Worshipping Cult has gathered thousands of followers and is growing stronger every day, which has already affected the stability of the local area. Your Excellency is currently troubled by whether to eradicate the God-Worshipping Cult or let it go, but no matter what you do, it seems to be a risky move."
Li Yue put down his teacup and suddenly became serious.
"But in reality, you have a third option, why not cooperate with me?"
"cooperate?"
"The Church of God is vast in scale, and to you, sir, it is like a sword hanging over your head. But if you were to wield this sword, wouldn't you turn harm into benefit?"
Li Yue looked at Chen Shouzhou with composure and confidence.
Chen Shouzhou didn't speak. He picked up the teacup but didn't bring it to his lips. He just scraped the tea leaves back and forth with the lid.
Yesterday, he was indeed struggling with whether to take action against the God Worshipping Cult. After being persuaded by Master Sun, he was actually inclined to eliminate the God Worshipping Cult.
But unexpectedly, he encountered a ghost last night, and it was the doorman worshipped by the God Worshipping Cult who saved him.
We won't discuss the followers of the God-Worshipping Cult, or the major and minor priests, but the gods they worship don't seem to be evil or demonic; at least, the Gatekeeper isn't.
After all, Chen Shouzhou had seen it with his own eyes; the golden light emanating from him made him look like a god descending to earth.
Now, Li Yue suddenly approached him and proposed a third option: cooperation. This was something Chen Shouzhou had never considered before.
If they can truly cooperate, even if he can't completely control the God Worship Cult, he can at least guide it to some extent.
In this way, no major trouble will occur.
"Your Excellency should know that sometimes divine pronouncements are more effective than government decrees, or rather, when it is inconvenient to use government decrees, one can achieve one's goals through divine pronouncements."
Li Yue spoke again, and upon hearing this, Chen Shouzhou stopped scraping the tea leaves.
These words truly resonated with him.
As a county magistrate, he oversees the military and political affairs of the county, seemingly wielding great power, but who knows the difficulties he faces?
Leaving aside natural disasters and man-made calamities, and the sleepless nights he spent trying to collect enough tax revenue each year, even in ordinary times, it was difficult for him to do something practical, accumulate some achievements, and get a promotion.
For example, if he wanted to build a road, he would have to stop after building a few meters because of the neighbor's fields and the neighbor's ancestral graves. Although he was the county magistrate, the local powerful families were deeply entrenched and he couldn't touch them at all.
He's been stuck in Hedong County for a full ten years, still just a minor county magistrate with no hope of promotion.
But if we cooperate with the God Worshipping Cult, as Li Yue said, many things will be much easier.
According to Chen Shouzhou, many local gentry had joined the God Worshipping Cult.
Those people may not care about him as the county magistrate, and they may not take his orders seriously, but would they dare to defy the will of God? Would they dare to oppose the gods?
In this way, he can fully utilize his abilities in Hedong County, and once his political achievements are outstanding, promotion will be within reach.
Pa~!
Thinking of this, Chen Shouzhou put his teacup on the table and looked intently at Li Yue.
"You can't just be used by me for nothing. What are your conditions?"
"What conditions can we, ordinary people, possibly have?"
Li Yue smiled, then his face darkened.
All we ask for is a peaceful life.
"so."
Chen Shouzhou gave a soft hum and then pondered for a while.
The so-called "peaceful life" was, in essence, to have him, the county magistrate, act as a protector, allowing the God Worshipping Cult to develop freely in Hedong County.
It sounds simple, but it actually hides enormous risks.
Given the rapid growth of the God Worshiping Cult, if it is not curbed, and with the protection of this county magistrate, I'm afraid that within two years, tens of thousands of people in Hedong County will have all joined the cult.
At that time, who will be more powerful, him, the county magistrate, or this Shen Taizhu?
If the God Worship Cult were to show its teeth at him, he would likely be powerless to resist and would be at their mercy.
Therefore, cooperating with the religion of worship is tantamount to asking a tiger for its skin!
As the saying goes, "After I die, I don't care if the world is flooded."
Seeing through Chen Shouzhou's concerns, Li Yue smiled again.
"Sir, how can you remain a mere magistrate of Hedong County for your entire life? With the help of the Worshipping God Sect, you'll surely be promoted elsewhere within two or three years. What will become of Hedong County then be of no concern to you, sir?"
"this……"
"Sir, you are just too kind."
Li Yue lowered his voice slightly, as if bewitching a demon.
"Little do you know, everyone has to look out for themselves. Haven't you seen through this all these years? Haven't you had enough?"
"I……"
Chen Shouzhou frowned instantly, and his grip on the teacup tightened involuntarily.
Li Yue's words truly resonated with him.
"grown ups."
Seeing that Chen Shouzhou was already on the edge of the cliff, Li Yue snorted and decided to give him another push.
"Don't forget, you only have three paths to choose from, and the path I'm giving you is the one that's most advantageous for you!"
Chen Shouzhou's eyes twitched suddenly, and his expression became increasingly serious.
Indeed, for a moment he had forgotten that his current issue was not whether to cooperate with the God Worshipping Cult, but rather how to choose among these three paths.
First, we cannot allow the worship of gods to go unchecked; otherwise, it will cause a major disaster in the future, and we will definitely hold them accountable for their crimes.
Secondly, eradicating the God-Worshipping Cult is also inappropriate. Leaving aside the question of whether the monk Zhiyuan possesses any magical power, or whether he can defeat the Five Gods and Menlang Gong, how could the God-Worshipping Cult, with its thousands of members, be completely wiped out?
These believers have long been brainwashed; if they were to gather together and do something extreme, he would be doomed.
Thus, only the third path remains.
Although it's like dealing with a tiger for its skin, it won't harm him at the moment, and will even bring him great benefits.
As for leaving behind a mess, as Shen Taizhu said, by then he will have been promoted elsewhere, and he can just leave the mess to the next magistrate. Why should he care so much?
After some deliberation, Chen Shouzhou took a deep breath, stood up abruptly, and gave Li Yue a slight bow.
"Shen Taizhu, I'll have to rely on you to do more for the county from now on."
"I dare not accept such praise."
Li Yue quickly stood up to return the greeting, and said with a smile.
"It is my honor to share the burden of the magistrate and for the sake of the tens of thousands of people in Hedong County."
"Haha~ Well said, we're all doing this for the people."
Chen Shouzhou laughed twice and nodded.
He didn't know anything about the followers of the God Worshipping Cult, or about the senior and junior priests, but this Master Shen was quite good and suited his taste perfectly.
Immediately afterwards, Chen Shouzhou's face darkened, and he summoned a bailiff, giving him a stern order.
"Sun Youwei is colluding with evil spirits and causing chaos. Arrest him and throw him in jail!"
"……yes!"
The constable was slightly taken aback, then responded and left.
Li Yue stood to the side, a slight smile playing on his lips. This advisor certainly had a good name, but it was a pity he had chosen the wrong side.