pjbooks Chapter 423
Chapter 423
She cast a distant glance and saw a group of blue and green robes behind the red official attire, followed by wealthy local gentry in brocade finery and spirited young scholars. Not far from them was a dense crowd of commoners, all in gray cloth clothes, their faces dusty and weary.Their spirits were far poorer than those of the officials and gentry ahead—their lips were chapped, and as they looked toward her carriage, a faint glimmer of light appeared in their otherwise dead eyes.
Yue Fuguang waved a hand and said, "Go tell Prefect Huang that this Junior Preceptor is tired. It will be fine if I see him tomorrow."
He Jin smiled with a curtsy and went to deliver the message. Her superior was now too lazy to even bother with polite excuses. With the drought urgent, their journey was pressing, and they were set to leave at dawn the next day—there was no time to meet this Prefect Huang.
When Huang Xie heard He Jin’s words, his expression remained gentle and deferential. He bowed toward Yue Fuguang’s carriage and said, "The Junior Preceptor has labored tirelessly to relieve Yingzhou’s drought. The entire Yingchuan Prefecture is deeply grateful for this life-saving grace."
Shortly after Yue Fuguang’s carriage passed the Ten-Mile Pavilion, it stopped again.
Someone had blocked her carriage once more!
Before Yue Fuguang even asked, Dai Yuxing, who led the vanguard, hurriedly reported, "My lord, a father and son ahead are blocking the road to file a complaint?"
"A complaint?" Yue Fuguang had assumed it would be someone begging for forgiveness. She hadn’t expected to run into a genuine road-blocking grievance this time. That was something she had to hear!
Suddenly, she felt neither tired nor hungry. "Have you asked what they are accusing and whom they are accusing?"
As she spoke, Prefect Huang and his men, who had stepped aside to clear the path, noticed the commotion and rushed over in haste.
Huang Xie had some connections in the capital. He and Zheng Ziling were peers and close friends, exchanging letters from time to time.
Though Zheng Ziling, bound by certain unknown forces and the emperor’s gag order, dared not reveal too much in his letters, a few hints were enough for Huang Xie to grasp the Junior Preceptor’s standing at court.
Moreover, from crop varieties to technologies, everything this person had introduced had earned the reverence of the entire Dayan dynasty. Now, having single-handedly alleviated the drought across Dayan, her status was incomparable—
To put it in Zheng Ziling’s words, if the Crown Prince and Yue Fuguang fell into a river together, His Majesty would certainly save the Junior Preceptor first.
So, knowing that Yue Fuguang would pass through Yingchuan Prefecture, Zheng Ziling had written ahead to Huang Xie, urging him to take excellent care of her hospitality and, if possible, latch onto her good graces without hesitation.
Huang Xie was someone who heeded advice. He hadn’t climbed to his current position solely on capital connections—he was competent and willing to listen, not stubborn or arrogant.
Hearing faintly that someone had blocked the Junior Preceptor’s carriage, Huang Xie’s heart tightened. "Slow down, my lord—mind your step!" his attendant cried as Huang Xie nearly stumbled.
When he finally rushed to the front with his men, he saw from afar an old man and a young boy kneeling before the Junior Preceptor’s guards. He felt a bit more at ease.
As Huang Xie stopped to wipe his sweat, an official in blue robes behind him couldn’t help saying, "My lord, these riffraff dared to block the Junior Preceptor’s carriage on the road. Should we send people to drive them away? If we anger Lord Yue, none of us can bear the consequences!"
The official wore an expression of deep concern for Huang Xie and the others. Some nodded in agreement, while others were not so convinced.
The Junior Preceptor was who she was; if the prefect said he wouldn’t see her, so be it. If she didn’t want to deal with those blocking the road, who could object?
Given her current standing among the people, even if Prefect Huang, as the local magistrate, intervened, his words would carry less weight than a single sentence from her.
Thus, someone remarked, "Sir Sun is mistaken. There must be a reason the commoners are blocking the road. Let us wait and see how the Junior Preceptor handles it."
"But the Junior Preceptor wouldn’t even meet with us. She must be exhausted from the journey. We shouldn’t trouble her with trivial matters."
Huang Xie carefully folded his handkerchief into a square, tucked it into his sleeve, and said calmly, "Judge Yao speaks sense. Whether she handles it or not is up to her. As her subordinates, it’s not our place to make decisions for her."
He turned to glance at Sir Sun, whose eyes kept darting ahead. Brushing dust from his clothes, Huang Xie added, "Sir Sun, speculating about your superior’s intentions is a grave taboo in officialdom."
With that, he turned around, his stern face immediately breaking into a genial smile as he strode toward Yue Fuguang’s carriage.
At that moment, Yue Fuguang had just stepped down from her carriage and was walking ahead. Spotting Huang Xie and the string of officials trailing him, she arched an elegant brow. From this spot, though still a few dozen meters from the kneeling father and son, she could see most of the scene.
That Prefect Huang could remain so composed meant either he was unshakably confident, or that the grievance had little to do with him.
"Yingchuan Prefect Huang Xie pays respects to the Junior Preceptor!" Huang Xie bowed deeply. Though she was a prince, court and commoners alike preferred calling her the Junior Preceptor.
In the Dayan dynasty, there were still five or six living princes, but only one Junior Preceptor—her status beyond compare.
"Paying respects to the Junior Preceptor!" the crowd behind him bowed in unison.
Yue Fuguang’s expression was calm. She raised a hand slightly and said, "Rise, everyone."
Turning to Huang Xie, she added, "Since Prefect Huang is here, join me up front to see what grievance this father and son have within Yingchuan Prefecture."
Huang Xie wiped his brow with his sleeve and hurried to catch up. That one sweeping glance from the Junior Preceptor felt like it had seen through his very bones.
Ziling was right, he thought. This woman is an ancestor—just serve her well and never try to play tricks before her, or the consequences would be dire.
How dire exactly? He didn’t know yet, but just two steps later, he nearly stumbled again and began to vaguely sense the clue.
"Master, this Prefect Huang is a bit soft and bloated. It’s not even hot yet, and he’s sweating profusely. No wonder his kidneys are weak!"
"Little Bead, what’s Huang Xie’s background? Is any of this ahead related to him?" Yue Fuguang didn’t care about his kidneys—she cared if he was breaking the law.
"Master, Huang Xie’s teacher is the retired Grand Secretary Xu, the Crown Prince’s maternal grandfather."
"So he’s a natural member of the Crown Prince’s faction. Did the Crown Prince help with Huang Xie’s promotion?"
In this era, a teacher’s lineage was as binding as family, so Yue Fuguang logically lumped Huang Xie with the Crown Prince’s party.
But behind them, Huang Xie, who had overheard everything, was sweating even more after nearly falling.
One voice he was certain belonged to the Junior Preceptor. But whose was that childlike voice? There were no children nearby! He couldn’t be seeing ghosts, could he!
Huang Xie started sweating again.