Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Your news is really unreliable. Xiangyang District is a paradise. I heard that the merchants who have gone there to do business have returned. Many of them want to move there with their families. I heard that the lands there are tidy and it’s even clean during rainy days. The houses there are like heavenly palaces…”
The person described Xiangyang District with poor language skills. He had also heard what he said from the merchants.
When Fengyi County was still in the hands of the Tsing Yi Army, the merchants still dared to go to Xiangyang District to do business, which in itself had explained many questions.
“… What’s Xiangyang District originally like? It’s not much better than this place. Since it’s been governed by District Magistrate Liu, it has transformed in just half a year’s time. Now that he has conquered Chengan District, Maolin District and Jiaoping District, the three poverty-stricken places may become as good as Xiangyang District. With such a good opportunity, I’ll probably become rich if I go there,” the man said while gesticulating merrily. He sighed. “It’s a pity that my wife and mother won’t allow me to do so, or they’ll make a ruckus.”
Everyone was talking about Xiangyang District and they were very curious about it. Most of them did not believe him.
Upon hearing those words, the boy servant whispered to the strategist in astonishment, “Isn’t Liu Xi… just a small district magistrate?”
A district magistrate had attacked the three districts nearby with his troops?
Who would believe that he did it to recapture the lost lands of Dongqing and save the people from extreme misery?
A small district magistrate actually had the ability and military force to recapture three districts. It seemed like he had even pocketed all three districts afterward…
“He’s ambitious and bold.” The strategist took a sip of tea. “He’s an interesting person.”
The strategist had heard of Liu She before. As for Liu Xi… he really had not heard of him before.
“Would you like to go have a look, Sir?” the boy servant asked.
The strategist glanced at his attendant funnily and said, “Didn’t you previously say that you want to go to Diyang District?”
As the master and servant were talking, they heard the man speak in a flustered and exasperated manner, “… What I’ve said is all true. These are facts spread by the merchants who have gone there to do business. Who has dared to go to Chengan District to do business in the past? Now, everyone has gone there and they’ve earned a lot of money… The one who’s in charge is said to be Wei Ci. He’s really handsome. He does business in a well-grounded and reasoned manner…”
Dumbfounded, the boy servant opened his eyes widely. “Mr. Zixiao?”
“It may not be him. Maybe there’s someone with the same name or this person has gotten the wrong name… According to Zixiao’s temper, he doesn’t seem like someone who will enter the game that quickly.”
The world was still in chaos. According to Wei Ci’s complicated mindset, he would most likely choose to observe for a period of time and wait for the true Emperor.
The attendant pouted and said, “Didn’t the person say that he’s very handsome?”
The strategist could not help but chuckle. “I’ve taught you several times, but you don’t listen. Zixiao hates it the most when the others talk about his appearance.”
The attendant raised his hand and rubbed his chubby face. His own appearance was mediocre. He really did not understand the mentality of a person who wished to be ugly.
“He’s handsome, but he doesn’t allow people to say that. I won’t say that anymore then,” the attendant said, giggling a little.
For a while, they listened carefully to the man’s narration. The more they listened, the more they felt that the person in charge of Chengan District was Wei Ci.
Startled, the attendant said, “Maybe… he’s really Mr. Zixiao?”
The strategist responded with uncertainty, “Maybe.”
The boy servant asked, “Sir, why don’t we go to Chengan District to look for Mr. Zixiao?”
The strategist felt somewhat helpless. “You grasp at shadows. Since we’ve already come to the border of Diyang District, it’ll just take a day’s time. We’ll look for Huang Song first so that our trip isn’t for nothing. If we’re not satisfied, we can then go to Chengan District to look for Zixiao.”
After drinking their tea, the master and servant returned to their carriage.
The weather was still cold, so the people were still wearing thick clothes. There was a slack season after the spring ploughing had ended. There were very few people on the streets. However, the closer they got to Diyang District, the more people there were. It was a sight of farmhouse leisure.
“Diyang District is peaceful. It seems that Huang Song is pretty capable.”
The boy servant was driving the carriage. The cartwheels were rotating slowly.
The strategist smacked his lips and did not make a comment.
The master and servant found a quiet place. They realized that there were teahouses and eateries which were open on both sides of the street. The faces of the people who came and went looked rosy. Obviously, they lived quite a comfortable life. The boy servant favored Huang Song even more.
The strategist’s ears were bombarded with the boy servant’s garrulous talk. He was praising everything and said that Huang Song seemed to be a good person and so on…
“You’re very noisy,” he said calmly.
The boy servant retorted, “If I don’t talk, you’ll say that it’s too quiet.”
The daily mockery of the master and servant (1/1), completed.
He was exhausted. Where had the little boy servant who was demure and obedient gone?
The strategist found a seat in the teahouse, asked the waiter some questions and then ordered a pot of ordinary tea.
“Don’t you think that Diyang District is good, Sir?”
The boy servant stretched his neck and looked outside the window. Since they had entered the city, the scenes that they had seen were pretty lively. There were even children playing in the streets.
“It’s pretty good.”
But it was not good enough.
“Do you want to live here then, Sir?”
“I’ll make a final decision after meeting Huang Song.”
The strategist frowned. Huang Song’s background flashed across his mind.
Prince Changshou had once particularly checked the identities and backgrounds of Huang Song and Feng Jue because they had created a lot of trouble for Prince Changshou.
Huang Song was the god-grandson of the imperial chief secretary, Huang Tan. Being the descendant of a eunuch, his origin was a problem… However, he was no better, so he would not be hyper-critical of one’s origin story… As for his ability, Diyang District was the best evidence.
However, he had to focus on Huang Song’s broad-mindedness and magnanimity.
He was the one who had come up with the scheme to let Prince Changshou frame Huang Song.
Could Huang Song not bear a grudge and hate him?
He did not want to be given a hard time.
“How should we meet him?” the boy servant asked.
“Pass him a visiting note saying that Yang Si from Jiangding County in Chenzhou wants to see him.”
The boy servant responded, “Sir, he may not be willing to meet us if we just send him a visiting note.”
Yang Si replied with a smile, “If Huang Song doesn’t know who has framed him, then there’s no need to meet him.”
If Huang Song had investigated him, he would naturally know who Yang Si was.
Whether he flew into a rage or not, they should meet.
The boy servant nodded and wrote a visiting note carefully and neatly.
Seeing that the boy servant was wearing tattered clothes with countless patches, the concierge looked at the boy with silent scorn.
He took the visiting note petulantly. Without looking at the contents of the note, the concierge directly retreated into the residence.
He did not place the visiting note on the top of the pile, but at the very bottom instead. The visiting notes placed on top were from important individuals.
After waiting for three days, there was still no news.
Yang Si asked his attendant to describe the situation on the day he had delivered the message. His attendant told him about it aggrievedly.
“Why would people pay attention to you when you’re wearing patchy clothes? I’m afraid that the visiting note can’t even reach Huang Song’s table… Whatever. It’s fine if we can’t meet him. Pack up our things. We’ll depart to look for Zixiao. He still owes me a few strings of 1,000 cash and he hasn’t paid me back yet. I must get my money back this time…” Yang Si was not reluctant to leave.
The boy servant pulled out the rug from under Yang Si’s feet. “Mr. Zixiao doesn’t owe you that much. You’re the one who has compounded the interest. It grows from a copper coin to a few strings of 1000 cash…”
Yang Si turned his head and told him off, “No one will think you’re dumb if you don’t speak.”
After the master and servant had traveled for half a day, Feng Jue, who was as busy as a bee, inadvertently flipped the pile of visiting notes on Huang Song’s table.
“Chenzhou… Jiangding County… Yang Si?”
