Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies

Chapter 149: Chapter 73: Appointment Letter! The Post of Commander of the County Military Department.

Shen Qing?

The man before her was actually Shen Qing!

The same Shen Qing who had been rejected by her for a blind date, the one expected to marry into her family?

Tang Wanrou's mind was a tangled mess, and it took her quite a while to fully regain her composure.

She lifted her head and looked at Shen Qing's face, gradually, its features began to align with the ones in the portrait she had seen before.

The actual person before her appeared much more robust than the one in the portrait, and without close scrutiny, she wouldn't have recognized him at first glace.

Tang Wanrou bit her lip, her face still showing traces of shock.

After a long time, she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and with a gesture of cupped hands, she relaxed and said, "Thank you for saving my life."

Shen Qing slid down from the back of his horse.

He gently patted the horse's back, signaling it to wait there.

Zhuifeng snorted loudly and began to nibble on the tender grass on the ground, seemingly bored.

"Miss Tang, what happened? Why were you being pursued by this man?" Shen Qing stepped forward and asked in a calm and forceful voice.

Upon hearing Shen Qing's question, Tang Wanrou felt a surge of indescribable emotions.

The scene of the numerous escort masters of the Taiping Escort Agency meeting their deaths flashed through her mind.

In just one day, those escort masters whom she interacted with day and night were lying in pools of blood.

And her father, the Chief of the escort agency, was now likely in more danger than safety, his fate uncertain.

Her eyes reddened suddenly, and tears started to well up.

Tang Wanrou tried to control her emotions, raised her head to look at Shen Qing, and with trembling lips, she said, "We were set up, my father and the others... they're all dead..."

As she spoke, Tang Wanrou could no longer hold back her emotions, and tears began to silently roll down her cheeks.

She wiped away the tears, then stammered through the details of what had happened.

Upon hearing Tang Wanrou's story, Shen Qing's brows immediately furrowed.

He hadn't expected the Huang Tian Sect to reach into the county government's military armory and secretly steal a substantial amount of military supplies.

The fact that the Huang Tian Sect could do such a thing indicated that there were others in the county town assisting them from the shadows.

This matter likely involved quite a few people behind the scenes.

After pondering for a moment, Shen Qing said, "What do you plan to do about this?"

Tang Wanrou blurted out, "I must report to the County Magistrate, he cannot be unaware of such a significant matter."

Shen Qing thought for a moment, then asked tactfully, "Do you know someone reliable and acquainted with the Lord County Magistrate?"

Tang Wanrou was slightly stunned, then shook her head and said, "No..."

"Then this matter may not go as smoothly as you expect."

"Why not? With such a grave incident occurring, could the Lord County Magistrate really ignore it?" Tang Wanrou asked, puzzled.

Shen Qing warned her, "It's not about ignoring the matter, but it's very likely to be delayed, which would be very disadvantageous to you."

He remembered County Magistrate Du Yuntong mentioning that recently, someone from the Guardian Martial Department was going to be dispatched from the prefectures and counties to investigate the Huang Tian Sect.

The timing suggested that they were due to arrive anytime within the next few days.

Given County Magistrate Du Yuntong's tendency to avoid trouble, he might not take this matter seriously, or even intentionally cover it up and leave it for the officials from the county town to handle.

Seeking help from the County Magistrate, Tang Wanrou would most likely end up with no results.

Moreover, there might be inside agents of the Huang Tian Sect within the government office, which could put her life at risk if she was not careful.

However, Tang Wanrou was a stranger to him, and he had no obligation to add troubles to his life, so he simply gave her a brief warning, considering it doing his moral duty.

After hearing Shen Qing's words, Tang Wanrou calmed down and carefully weighed her options in her mind.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized that apart from seeking the government office's help, she could not find even a hint of another solution.

Could it be that over a dozen lives from the escort agency were lost in vain?

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This was something she could not accept at all.

At that moment, she even felt that Shen Qing's warnings were an overstatement.

Her own escort agency was framed and fell victim to a horrendous crime; it was impossible for the government office and the County Magistrate to turn a blind eye.

At most, it would just cost some money.

Tang Wanrou felt a surge of resentment welling up inside her when she saw Shen Qing making excuses, presumably to avoid trouble.

But recalling that he had saved her life, she suppressed that resentment, saying, "Thank you for the reminder. I will figure out a way when the time comes. There's no need for Mr. Shen to worry about it."

Shen Qing noticed a subtle change in Tang Wanrou's demeanor, which left him somewhat baffled.

However, since it was none of his concern, he did not say any more and instead focused his attention on the body of the burly man lying in front of him.

The strong stench of blood continuously drifted through the forest wind.

Shen Qing walked forward, approaching the burly man's corpse, and bent down to examine it.

Under the Power of his Wind Defying Finger, the right arm of the burly man was almost completely destroyed.

At the shoulder's broken end, a piece of white bone was exposed in the air, making for a shocking sight.

Shen Qing squatted down, his fingers avoiding the sticky blood as he searched the body.

Suddenly, his fingers came across a hard object, and with a moved heart, he gently pulled it out.

It was a yellowed Imperial Decree, its edges worn, but the inscriptions on it were still clear and visible.

Shen Qing's pupils constricted, and a look of surprise flickered in his eyes.

"It's actually the Imperial Decree for the position of a Commander of the County Military Department!"

An Imperial Decree is essentially an appointment from within the Great Zhou Court, which, with the accompanying identity card, allows one to assume their post immediately.

Shen Qing had not expected that this burly man from the Huang Tian Sect would have such an item.

This man actually had an official status!

Shen Qing spread out the Imperial Decree to take a closer look. After a moment of scrutiny, he felt puzzled.

"No, something is wrong. This decree has only the official seal, not a specific name. It's not a real appointment, but rather… an appointment document."

Shen Qing was immediately overjoyed.

An appointment document looks just like an Imperial Decree, but it is not an officially confirmed assignment. Instead, it serves as a stepping stone, a way to knock on the door of the Great Zhou Court.

In some ways, the Great Zhou's appointment document resembles a letter of introduction from modern times.

Having it implies that one can seek a position within the local government office and thus make their way into the court.

An Imperial Decree is for a confirmed appointment that only needs the appointed to take up their post, whereas an appointment document requires one to wait in line for a position, subject to the actual needs of the government office.

The former bears the signature of the person assuming the position, while the latter does not, which means Shen Qing could also use it.

This must be something that the Huang Tian Sect had surreptitiously obtained, and it just so happened to fall into his hands for cheap.

"Hahaha." Shen Qing was immediately elated.

Commander of the Military Department.

If Shen Qing remembered correctly, the Military Department is the agency responsible for public security in the Great Zhou.

Unlike the newly established Guardian Martial Department, which came into existence because of issues related to Huang Tian Sect and demons,

the Military Department is an authentic agency with real power in the Great Zhou.

Even if the Guardian Martial Department were to be disbanded one day, the Military Department would definitely still exist.

This appointment document might just be the opportunity for him to make his foray into the Great Zhou Court.

Shen Qing took a deep breath, tucked the appointment document resembling an Imperial Decree into his chest, and silently continued his search. Apart from finding a pouch of money, there was nothing else of note.

He rose to his feet with an unchanged expression and returned to Zhuifeng's side.

Tang Wanrou did not say much.

This was the person killed by Shen Qing, and whatever he obtained naturally did not require her input.

Mounting the horse, Shen Qing said, "We have delayed here long enough, let's go back."

"Thank you, Mr. Shen, for giving me a lift. I cannot repay the life-saving grace you have shown today. Once I have avenged my family, the Taiping Escort Agency will follow your lead," Tang Wanrou said earnestly.

In the face of Tang Wanrou's promise, the expression on Shen Qing's face did not show much change.

He knew very well that the Taiping Escort Agency had been greatly weakened by this incident and was likely of little use anymore.

After a while, when Shen Qing had yet to respond, Tang Wanrou's heart felt uneasy. She looked up and met Shen Qing's gaze from his higher position.

"Get on."