Chapter 534 – The Winds of the World (Part Four)
“You guys have terrible news. xiangyang County is a paradise, I’ve heard that the merchants who went there to do business have come back, and many want to move their whole families there. They say the land is all neat and tidy, even when it rains, it’s clean, and the houses look like they belong in the heavens…”
This person was using rather poor language to describe it, and everything he said he heard from trading merchants.
When Fengyi County was still under the control of the Green Garment Army, merchants dared to go to xiangyang County for business, which itself said a lot.
“…What do you think xiangyang County was like before? It wasn’t much better than here, but under that Liu Xi County Prefect, it changed completely in less than half a year. Now Chang’an County, Maolin County, and Jiaoping County have all fallen into his hands; these three poor places could also be turned into something as good as xiangyang County. Just think… with such a great opportunity, if I go, I might just get rich.”
This person gestured wildly, then sighed, “But my wife and mother won’t let me. If I go for it, I’ll have a fight on my hands.”
The crowd murmured, full of curiosity about xiangyang County, most didn’t believe it.
The book boy, listening in, curiously asked the strategist, “Isn’t that Liu Xi just a county prefect?”
A county prefect commanding troops against three nearby counties?
No one would believe such nonsense about recovering the lost lands of Dongqing and saving the people from calamity.
This little county prefect actually has the ability and power to recover three counties? And from the tone of voice, it seemed he was even incorporating them into his own.
“He’s ambitious and bold,” the strategist sipped his tea, “a rather interesting fellow.”
He had heard of Liu Zhi, but Liu Xi… he really hadn’t heard of him.
“Would you like to go take a look, sir?” the book boy asked.
The strategist glanced at him with amusement, “Didn’t you just say you wanted to go to Zhaiyang County?”
Just as the master and servant were talking, they heard that person exclaim in frustration, “…What I said is true! That’s all information merchants passed along when they were doing business. Who dared to do business in Chang’an before? Now everyone is going, all making a fortune… The one in charge is supposedly named Wei Ci or something, they say he’s a beauty, really capable in business…”
The book boy widened his eyes in shock, “Zixiao, sir?”
“Not necessarily, it might just be a coincidence or the person got it wrong… Zixiao doesn’t seem like someone to jump into the fray so quickly.”
Right now, the situation in the world was still chaotic. With Wei Ci’s complicated mindset, he would likely choose to hold back for a while, waiting for the true dragon.
The book boy pouted, “But didn’t that person say he’s a beauty?”
The strategist chuckled softly, “I’ve told you this a hundred times, you don’t listen. Zixiao hates it when people talk about his looks.”
The book boy rubbed his baby-fat cheeks, looking rather ordinary, and truly couldn’t understand why someone would want to look ugly.
“If being handsome can’t be talked about, then let’s just stop mentioning it from now on,” the book boy said with a laugh.
After a while, they listened closely to that person’s recounting and found themselves increasingly convinced that the one in charge of Chang’an County sounded like Wei Ci.
The book boy asked in a daze, “Maybe… it really is Zixiao?”
The strategist replied uncertainly, “Perhaps.”
The book boy asked, “Sir, should we go to Chang’an County to find Zixiao?”
The strategist sighed, “You jump to conclusions too quickly. Since we’re already at the borders of Zhaiyang County, it’s only a day’s journey. Let’s see this Huang Song first; it’ll be worth the trip. If we’re not satisfied, we’ll go to Chang’an County to find Zixiao.”
The master and servant finished their tea, got up, and returned to their carriage.
The weather was still cool; the common people were still in heavy clothing. After the spring plowing, there was a bit of farming slack, so there weren’t many people out on the streets. But the closer they got to Zhaiyang County, the livelier it became, almost reminiscent of a leisurely countryside vibe.
“This Zhaiyang County is quite peaceful; seems this Huang fellow has some skills.”
The book boy drove the cart slowly.
The strategist made a sound of acknowledgment, not commenting further.
They found a quiet spot and discovered that there were actually tea houses and eateries opening up on either side of the street. The common folks looked rosy-cheeked; evidently, life was treating them well. The book boy’s fondness for Huang Song soared up.
The strategist had to endure the book boy’s chattering about how nice this place was, how great that was, how Huang Song seemed like a good person, and so on.
“You’re quite annoying,” he said calmly.
The book boy retorted, “If I shut up, you’d surely complain about how quiet it is around here.”
Just a typical master-servant banter (1/1), done.
How exhausting! Where had that obedient, shy little book boy gone?
The strategist found a spot in a tea house, asked the tea waiter a few questions, then ordered a pot of regular tea.
“Don’t you think Zhaiyang County is good, sir?”
The book boy craned his neck to look outside. Since they entered the city, the scenery was quite pleasant, seeing even children frolicking on the streets.
“It’s alright.”
Just not good enough.
“So, do you want to stay here, sir?”
“Let’s first meet this Huang Song, then I’ll decide.”
The strategist frowned, his mind racing with information regarding Huang Song.
Because of Huang Song and Feng Jue, Changshou Wang had been troubled quite a bit, leading him to investigate their backgrounds closely.
Huang Song was the paternal grandson of the eunuch Huang Qin, coming from a lineage riddled with issues… But he wasn’t any better himself, and he wouldn’t nitpick his origins… As for his capabilities, the current Zhaiyang County was the best proof.
But he really wanted to see what kind of character this person had.
After all, he had concocted the scheme that led to Changshou Wang framing Huang Song.
Would Huang Song hold a grudge against him?
He didn’t want to get tripped up.
“How do we meet?” the book boy asked.
“Send a letter of introduction, saying I’m Yang Si from the border region of Chenzhou, seeking an audience.”
The book boy exclaimed, “Sir, if we send just a letter of introduction, they might not even see us!”
Yang Si smiled, “If Huang Song doesn’t even know who set him up, then it’s not worth meeting.”
If Huang Song did his homework, he’d naturally know who Yang Si was.
Regardless of whether he was furious or anything else, they had to meet at least.
The book boy nodded and neatly wrote out a letter of introduction.
The doorkeeper, seeing the book boy dressed in rags, patched up numerous times, looked down in disdain.
He took the letter with a huff, didn’t even bother to read it, and went straight to deliver it to the manor.
He didn’t place it on top but instead shoved it at the very bottom, with all the important letters on top.
Three days passed with no news.
Yang Si had the book boy describe the events of that day in detail; the book boy, feeling aggrieved, recounted everything.
“Wearing a patched-up dress like that, why would they pay you any mind? That letter probably won’t even make it to his desk… Oh well, if we can’t meet, we can’t. Let’s pack up and head out to find Zixiao. That person still owes you several coins, a debt that hasn’t been repaid for years. This time we definitely have to get it back…” Yang Si had no nostalgia, asking the book boy to pack up for their departure.
The book boy retorted, “That’s not Zixiao owing you; it’s clearly you rolling interest after interest, from a single coin bun to several.”
Yang Si turned around and scolded lightly, “Stop talking, or no one will think you’re mute.”
Half a day into their journey, the busy Feng Jue accidentally flipped through the pile of letter requests on Huang Song’s desk.
“Chenzhou… border region… Yang Si?”
