Chapter 167: Registering for Household Registration

Chapter 167: Registering for Household Registration

The other officials also perceived Mo Chuhan's formidable presence. They dared not obstruct him and instead approached Mo Jiuya and He Zhiran behind him.

To their surprise, Mo Jiuya was no pushover either. Seeing someone coming over, he first shielded He Zhiran behind him before pushing the officials aside, just like Mo Chuhan had done.

Now, the officials got a taste of the brothers' strength and none of them dared to step forward. Instead, they resorted to shouting from the side, hoping to intimidate the crowd.

The Mo brothers completely disregarded these officials, who seemed like clownish performers, and led their people straight to Cui County Magistrate.

Seeing this intimidating scene, Cui County Magistrate instinctively wanted to sneak out through the back door.

Mo Chuhan swiftly moved forward, blocking his path.

"Cui County Magistrate, please stay a moment. Register our household registration first before you leave."

Cui County Magistrate...

He cared about his reputation too, you know?

However, when he met Mo Chuhan's imposing face that radiated authority without effort, a chill ran down his spine.

Observing his subordinates cowering at the door, his anger grew exponentially.

"What are you all standing there for? Get these people out of my office now!"

Seeing this, the officers hesitantly stepped forward.

This time, they were wiser and didn't dare to obstruct Mo Jiuya and Mo Chuhan. Instead, they targeted Fang Chuanzhou and Xie Tianhai.

The two men, being scholars of a certain age, were no match for the officers' tugs and could only retreat with their momentum.

Fang Chuanzhou felt indignation rising within him.

"Let go of me, I have something to discuss with the county magistrate."

Hearing the voice from behind, Mo Chuhan and Mo Jiuya turned simultaneously, both ready to intervene if the officers didn't release their grip on the two men.

The officers, intimidated by the brothers' sharp gazes, instinctively shrunk back, loosening their hold on Fang Chuanzhou and Xie Tianhai.

Fang Chuanzhou and Xie Tianhai took the opportunity to break free from the bailiffs' grasp. With indignation, they bypassed the Mo brothers, He Zhiran, and stood before County Councillor Cui.

"County Councillor, are you making it difficult for us by not issuing new household registrations?"

Cui County Councillor never expected that these people would dare to brazenly question him like this. He had never encountered such a situation before.

With the bailiffs proving ineffective and the Mo brothers glaring fiercely at him, Cui County Councillor felt a twinge of fear at this moment.

A true hero doesn't back down from a temporary loss, and a gentleman can wait ten years to take revenge...

In any case, he couldn't afford to suffer a loss now, no matter what.

With this in mind, Cui County Councillor cleared his throat, adopting a much more conciliatory tone than before.

"I've already made it clear. Your household registrations can only be processed after the new county magistrate arrives."

Upon hearing his words, Fang Chuanzhou and Xie Tianhai both let out mocking sneers.

Xie Tianhai stepped forward, "Though I have been sentenced to exile, I am a man who has served as an official for decades. I am well-versed in the workings of the bureaucracy. Do not attempt to use your official powers to settle personal scores by making difficulties over our registration here."

"Fang Chuanzhou chimed in, "Surely County Magistrate Cui is familiar with the administrative structure and responsibilities in Daxun, isn't he?"

According to law, it is the county magistrate's responsibility to handle household registration. If you believe this matter requires the personal attention of the county governor, I ask, what purpose do we serve by being county magistrates?"

These were the words Mo Jiuya had intended to speak, but now that his two uncles had already expressed them, he slammed his palm forcefully onto the table.

"I ask you, will you take care of the household registration or not?"

Cui County Magistrate already felt a twinge of guilt due to Fang Chuanzhou and Xie Tianhai's words.

Faced with Mo Jiuya's intimidation, beads of sweat immediately formed on his forehead.

His subordinates, one by one, cowered like turtles retreating into their shells.

He was convinced that if he dared to utter a single refusal, he would surely suffer consequences.

"I'll... I'll attend to it right away... for you..."

In any case, these people would all be living in City Yun from now on. There were plenty of ways to deal with them, and he wouldn't let himself be at a disadvantage.

After County Magistrate Cui finished speaking, he promptly retrieved a stack of blank registration papers from beneath the table and, in front of everyone, filled out their registrations and stamped them with the official seal.

To guard against any underhanded tricks by this deceitful county magistrate, Fang Chuanzhou and Xie Tianhai carefully checked the documents after they were completed. Satisfied that there were no issues, they nodded at the Mo brothers.

The group left the room with their registration papers in hand, while Mo Chuhan turned back to give County Magistrate Cui a fierce glare.

County Magistrate Cui was once again drenched in cold sweat.

Fresh from the intimidation by the Mo brothers, the bailiffs escorting them to West Ridge Village didn't dare to display their usual arrogance and bravado. They behaved meekly, like quails, merely focusing on guiding the way.

Hardly had He Zhiran left the government office when she spotted Tang Mingrui standing by the roadside, waving in her direction.

He Zhiran deliberately spoke loudly to Mo Jiuya, "My lord husband, how far is West Ridge Village from here?"

Mo Jiuya caught a glimpse of Tang Mingrui from the corner of his eye, understanding that He Zhiran's question was an indirect way to share their location with him.

Thus, he deliberately raised his voice and said, "I've heard that West Ridge Village is located at the westernmost edge of City Yun, but I'm unsure precisely how far it is."

Tang Mingrui nodded at the pair, acknowledging their destination, before he casually left with his head lowered.

Xilingle Village was situated in the northwest corner of City Yun, nestled in the most frontier region of the Great Shun Dynasty.

As its name suggested, the area was characterized by an unending expanse of towering mountains that served as a natural boundary between the Great Shun and the barbarian lands.

Due to the treacherous mountain terrain, it was not easy for the barbarians to cross over, which was why the Great Shun had not constructed walls there.

Nonetheless, these steep mountains did not entirely deter the barbarians from venturing in.

After all, scaling a mountain was a less daunting task compared to sieging a city.

Of course, the barbarians did not constantly harass the region; they only took the risky journey during famine years or when winter food supplies ran out.

Despite this, the local inhabitants suffered greatly, living in constant fear and uncertainty, never knowing when the barbarians might strike.

After a journey of roughly two hours on foot, the official and the group finally arrived at Xilingle Village.

From a distance, the West Ridge Village was nestled against a range of mountains.

Now that winter had arrived, while City Yun had yet to see snowfall, the higher elevations of the mountains were already blanketed in white.

Even before entering the village, one could see an unbroken expanse of farmland stretching out.

It was evident that the West Ridge Village possessed a substantial amount of arable land.

The houses within the village were clustered into three distinct areas. If not for prior knowledge that they all belonged to the West Ridge Village, one might easily mistake them for three separate villages.

Mo Jiuya approached a bailiff and inquired, "Why are the houses here scattered in three locations?"

The bailiff instinctively expected some form of benefit, but upon meeting Mo Jiuya's profound gaze, he immediately cowered.

"I'll be honest with you. You've offended County Councillor Cui, and he deliberately sent you here to be ostracized. The West Ridge Village is home to three major families: the Cui, Zhao, and Zhou clans. The Cui family are relatives of our county councillor and are the largest clan here.

Though the other two clans were weaker, they knew their place and never provoked the Cui family, thus allowing them to live peacefully here."

Peng Wang had already given Mo Jiuya a general idea of the situation in West Ridge Village. However, he was unaware that this was the village where the relatives of Cui County Magistrate resided.

If not for the officials' revelation, Mo Jiuya would have remained oblivious to this connection.

It seemed that Cui County Magistrate's intention in assigning them to West Ridge Village was not merely to have them ostracized by several families, but more importantly, to provoke a response from the Cui clan members.