Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The Honor Roll was currently crowded with people.
“Congratulations, Brother Wang. You have been posted to Lizhou County.”
“Likewise, brother. You’re in the county next to mine. We should visit each other more often in the future.”
“Of course.”
“Eh? Isn’t this Su Yu’s name? He’s appointed as the Royal Secretariat?”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, can’t compete, we can’t compete. They really arranged everything for him.”
As a Royal Secretariat, his official position was not high, and he even had to serve tea and water. However, on normal days, he would follow the prime minister and the emperor to handle government affairs. It could be said that he was considered as an important figure to be nurtured within the official circle.
A group of people immediately surrounded Su Yu and congratulated him.
Su Yu looked up in surprise. He didn’t know about his posting at all.
Compared to ordinary officials being posted out, he could be said to have ascended to the heavens in a single bound.
Once he was done with his official tour, he would be entering the central authority of Great Zhou and hold a position in one of the six ministries that made up the Royal Court.
Seeing that there were fewer people on the Honor Roll now, He Sui finally walked over.
He started looking at the list.
Finally, he found his name. But upon seeing his posting, his eyes widened in disbelief.
Qian Prefecture, Pingliang County!
“How is this possible?! How is this possible?!” He Sui muttered.
He was completely lost.
At this moment, someone patted his shoulder and comforted him. “Brother He, I don’t know when we’ll be able to meet again. Pingliang County is an infamously poor county, and the people inside are unruly. Brother He, it’s best if you find a couple of reliable guards. Also, I heard that the evaluation there is extremely difficult to complete. Every county magistrate is trapped there for at least a decade. Brother He, you have to be mentally prepared.”
He Sui felt as though he had just swallowed a bitter pill.
He was 27 years old this year and in his prime. Ten years later, he would already be 37 years old, a middle-aged man!
Could it be that the best years of his life were going to be spent in such a poor and remote place?
He Sui rushed out of the Profound Language Pavilion without a word.
He wanted to ask the Crown Prince why the original prosperous position in Jiangnan Prefecture that he had been promised had suddenly been changed to become a remote and desolate place in the Qian Prefecture.
When he arrived at the Crown Prince’s residence, He Sui requested to meet with the latter.
However, he was told that the Crown Prince was currently unwell and could not meet him.
He immediately knew that the Prince was trying to cut ties with him now.
“Why? Why?” He Sui couldn’t understand how this happened.
He Sui immediately knelt in front of the Crown Prince’s residence!
He refused to leave!
The guard was helpless and could only go in to report this matter to the Crown Prince.
After a while, the guard came back and said, “The Crown Prince will meet you now.”
He Sui hurriedly got up and entered the residence.
When the two met, the Crown Prince smiled and said, “Have a seat first!”
As He Sui sat down, the Crown Prince helplessly sighed and said, “I know why you’re here today. Originally, things were going smoothly, and I managed to move you to Leyang County in Jiangnan Prefecture. It’s a famous county with plenty of money and food, and the commoners live in peace. As long as you live quietly without any problems for a few years, your evaluation will definitely be excellent. At that time, you will be able to find an opportunity to be promoted. However, the memorial that I sent to His Majesty was returned.”
“Why?” He Sui asked in puzzlement. He knew very well that such memorials were rarely rejected.
The Crown Prince said honestly, “Minister Su had long already asked to send you to the Qian Prefecture. You know that His Majesty trusts Ministers Su more in this matter. I have no choice but to follow.”
He Sui widened his eyes and pondered for a long time before he asked in puzzlement, “How did I offend Minister Su Changqing?”
The Crown Prince sighed and said, “You asked about the Su Family’s literary talent back during the banquet with Su Wen. Although it’s not disrespectful, in Minister Su’s eyes, it might be a provocation to the Su family. It might be because of this that he took the initiative to punish you, sending you all the way to Qian Prefecture!”
He Sui’s face was filled with sorrow as he gritted his teeth. “What’s the point of this? Is there even a point? He’s ruining my life over just a few words?”
The Crown Prince did not respond and continued, “Since you offended Minister Su, even I can’t speak for you. I felt guilty for letting you go so far, so I deliberately chose not to see you. Here’s 3,000 taels of silver, take it as a gift from me to send you off. After today, I don’t know when we’ll meet again.”
Evidently, the Crown Prince wished to draw a clear line between them.
However, it was not good to make him continue kneeling at the door. He could neither hit him nor chase him away. If news of this got out, it would result in his subordinates feeling disappointed in his behavior.
That was why he decided to invite him in. He planned to give him some money and explain the whole story so that He Sui would not blame him.
This would also allow the bystanders to understand that it was not because he, the Crown Prince, was being particular about his subordinates, but rather because Su Changqing wanted to take revenge on him.
He Sui opened his mouth, but did not know what to say.
In the end, he cupped his hands and said, “Many thanks, Your Highness. There’s no need for money. Today, I’ll risk my life to go find Su Changqing and have a talk with him. I want to see if this Great Zhou really has no law!”
With that, he stood up and left the mansion.
Outside the Su Residence, He Sui came to the door and roared, “I want to see Su Changqing!”
“Who dares to call the Prime Minister, my house’s Master, by his name?!”
The main gates opened and the guards rushed out to surround He Sui!
He Sui had already let his anger get the better of him. He continued to holler, “I want to see Su Changqing who wants to take revenge on me! If you have the guts, then beat me to death today! If you guys can’t beat me to death, then I’ll knock my head against the door of your Su Residence!”
The leader of the guards simply sneered, “Men, tie him up and feed him some feces and urine from the latrine at the back. Let him know that he should not speak nonsense!”
He Sui turned pale with fright. The guards ignored his attempt to resist, simply grabbing his limbs. With a twist from one of the guard’s hands, He Sui’s chin was dislocated with a loud crack. He couldn’t curse even if he wanted to.
Just when He Sui was about to be carried away, a voice suddenly sounded from afar.
“What are you doing!”
Hearing the voice, the guards did not dare to act rashly.
A carriage stopped in front of the residence, and Su Wen as well as Su Changqing alighted from it.
The guard captain smiled apologetically and said, “Master, this fellow came to the door and spouted nonsense. I wanted to teach him a lesson.”
Su Changqing looked at He Sui before saying “Come in, let’s talk inside.”
The guards immediately let go of He Sui and fixed his chin.
He Sui raged, “I won’t enter the residence, I will say everything in broad daylight. I will let the world know of your hypocritical face!”
Su Changqing smiled and said, “They say that I’m a crafty and fawning person to begin with. So what if I’m a little hypocritical?”
He Sui was rendered speechless.
By the side, Su Wen smiled and urged, “Let’s go in and talk. It’s quite tiring to stand here. Besides, there’s nobody here anyways. Even if you kill yourself here, no one would know. People might even think that you drank too much and died.”
Speaking of which, most of the people living near the Su Residence were influential people. He Sui was shouting and causing a ruckus, but there wasn’t a single person watching the commotion.
He Sui made up his mind and followed the father and son into the house.
When they arrived at the living room, the three of them sat down. Su Changqing looked at He Sui and said indifferently, “What’s wrong? Can’t you accept going to Qian Prefecture?”
He Sui sneered, “Do I have to accept your personal revenge? How can there be such a logic in this world?”
At this moment, Su Wen smiled and said, “Oh… so you can accept that you used your relationship with the Crown Prince to get in through the back door, but you can’t accept that you were sent to a poverty stricken location by someone else through their connections? You’re proud when you gain benefits, but you’re indignant when you get hurt?”
