Governor’s Mansion
Vines were spread all across the walls and leaves had started to sprout along these vines. The entire wall was lined with greenery and faint red petals from other flowers that blossomed alongside these. Birds were attracted to these red petals as well as the fruits around them.
An oxcart had arrived on the front porch, as the servants rushed out to welcome the visitor and led him into the mansion. When he entered, he saw guards posted everywhere, as they stood upright and still. When he entered the compound, he saw that all the maids were extremely busy and uptight, they moved around as they collected his luggage and belongings from the oxcarts.
The butler arranged for men to fill the other oxcarts with more luggage.
Within the study room, a middle-aged man sipped tea and talked to the Governor. The aroma of sweet tea filled the entire room, as the both of them sat up straight and spoke to each other comfortably.
This was the newly appointed Governor, Gong Yun who sat across from the previous Governor. Both of them were extremely polite to each other. The reason for this was because the Governor had done extremely well in his position. He had opened up sea trade which helped the dynasty flourish and earn a great deal in income. He’d gotten rid of the pirates in the sea. Above all, he had found the killer responsible for the deaths General You Ji, since it was under his jurisdiction. Promotion and even conferment of noble titles awaited him.
Despite the fact that Gong Yun was the newly appointed Governor, he wouldn’t rush the Governor to leave or be discourteous in anyway.
"Brother Gong, since you’ve come to replace me, I should instruct my servants to speed up so that we can vacate the premises for you. I shouldn’t impose on the Governor’s Mansion any further." The Governor smiled, as he took a sip of tea.
Gong Yun took a sip of tea as well, "Brother Li, there’s no need to stand on ceremony. It's obvious that you’re going to be promoted to higher stations and thus wouldn’t want to linger here in the Governor’s Mansion for any longer than required."
"Looks like Brother Gong knows me." The Governor didn’t deny this as he smiled, before he said, "I wonder is the latest news within the capital city, tell me more."
Gong Yun then hushed his voice to a whisper, "The Grand Princess’s daughter just played a Qin piece for the Emperor, who was very impressed. After that one event, he’s been calling her regularly to play the Qin for him."
"Why is that?" The Governor was in an extremely good mood since he’d completed his Governor tour and done many great deeds worthy of praise.
"One reason is because the little Canton Princess has improved tremendously at such a frightening pace. I’ve gotten the chance to hear her play before and she’s truly gifted, and has far surpassed her tutor."
"The other reason was because King Lu left the capital city crying and wailing. This caused the Emperor to worry for his wellbeing. Ai!" Gong Yun sighed as he spoke.
When the Governor heard this, he looked at him as though a thought formed in his head, "That is to say, the Crown Prince’s position has stabilized."
"That is right. King Lu has already left for the minor prefectures. Looks like the heir apparent to the throne has finally stabilized his position. Although the Emperor has another son, he’s never been outstanding or prominent. The Crown Prince is stable."
They both then fell deep in thought. After this matter had been discussed, there wasn’t a need for further talk.
A butler then stepped in. He looked to be around forty years of age, he was well groomed and tidy. He then whispered, "Your Excellency, your things have all been packed. Only several study rooms have been left as they were, would you like to take a look?"
"You guys, you guys have always been wanting to return to the capital city. We’ve only been out here for several years and now you can’t wait to be back." The Governor laughed as he spoke out. "Alright then Brother Gong. We shall go out for a walk, so that you won’t miss the auspicious timing to take office."
Gong Yun stood up and laughed, "When I heard Brother Li scolding your servants about being too eager to return, I couldn’t help but laugh. I never expected that Brother Li was more eager to be back. Come, let’s take a walk together and admire the scenery then."
They both left the compound and walked around the corridor, where a manmade mountain was in place next to the pond. While they discussed recent events, someone rushed up to them, "Your Excellency, an Imperial Edict is here."
"Imperial Edict?" The Governor was stumped but he hurriedly regained his composure and instructed, "Everyone should stop moving. There shouldn't be any unnecessary noise or movements. Prepare the incense and get ready to receive the edict."
"Yes!" At this point, several servants stepped forward to tidy the mansion and clean up. The Governor and new Governor ensured that their attire was presentable before they went out to receive the edict.
The eunuch nodded his head before he unraveled the scrolls and stood before the incense and spoke to the Governor, "Official Li Min and Official Dai Yun, receive the edict!"
"The edict!" The eunuch shouted loudly before he continued, "The Emperor’s words: An Jie Prefecture’s Magistrate Bai Yun acted out of evilness and killed a general. There’s no need for a trial. His rank shall be stripped and he shall be put to death. Please see to the execution!"
"Receive the edict!" As soon as the edict was read, the Governor stepped forward to receive it. The eunuch then laughed, "I’ve brought two edicts. This one's for yourself. The other edict was to expedite General You Ji’s promotion to the fourth rank. This humble subject shall now take his leave."
"Please suit yourself eunuch."
Seeing that the eunuch has left, Li Min then sighed, "In the blink of an eye, the Magistrate has become a criminal on death row. Regretful."
As he spoke, he handed the edict to Gong Yun, who had been a high-flying academic since his youth. Thus, he had never witnessed an execution in his life and seemed rather afraid as he received the edict. He trembled faintly before he spoke, "You haven’t completely relinquished your appointment to me Brother Li. I think it’s better if you preside over the execution."
Hearing these words, Li Min laughed. He knew that Gong Yun had been a scholar since his younger days. The thought of bearing witness to such brutal execution scared him. Li Min then spoke, "It’s correct that we should do things properly and with every start there has to be an end. But Brother Gong, do you know the difference between an official here and an official in the capital city?"
"Oh? Please enlighten me Brother Li!" Gong Yun paused before he clasped his hands in salute.
Li Min took several paces forward and continued to stroll about, while Gong Yun followed close behind. The pair reached the edge of the railings as Li Min looked down at the spring colors around the pond before sighing, "The key to being a good official here is to wield your authority, and the second point is to be strict."
"Authority will move you further up and strictness would mean executing men who deserve it. If I were to preside over this execution, it won’t do much for me. But if Brother Gong were to preside over the execution of this magistrate, it would spread fear and nobody would dare to offend you recklessly."
"Before I leave, I will do what I can help, and this is it." The Governor laughed.
"Many thanks Brother Li. It was truly my good fortune to have met such a good friend as yourself." Gong Yun paused as he saluted before he continued, "I’ve truly learned a lot. I never imagined that the first task I would have to do as Governor would be to kill someone. Since everyone has their eyes on us now, let’s set a precedence. Forget the outer counties. But every official higher than the ninth rank of this prefecture has to attend this execution. What do you think?"
Seeing that Gong Yun has decided to approach this matter with a certain order, Li Min laughed, "Great!"
Gong Yun didn’t hesitate further and decided to send the instructions along, to which the men below shouted out in acknowledgement before they passed the orders.
Same Day, Execution Grounds
Seldom were any executions held during spring and yet when one came it was that of the Magistrate. The entire Ying Prefecture which governed An Jie Prefecture was rocked by this affair. After all, the first thing which the new Governor did was to execute him. This was a serious matter and thus he personally presided over the execution, since he didn’t want anything to go wrong. Since the Magistrate’s family wasn’t implicated, he allowed them to take his body once the deed was done. In fact, there were many officials here, all who were made to attend this if their ranks were higher than the ninth rank. At this point, they all sat around.
Gong Yun handled everything before he walked over to the execution stage, where there was a pair of wooden blocks atop it. Li Min scanned his surroundings and noticed that more than a dozen officials had arrived. Even Pei Zi Yun had come. He then pointed, "That’s him, Pei Zi Yun, who found the necessary evidence to charge Yue Bai. He’s amazing."
Gong Yun listened and looked up to Pei Zi Yun, he saw that Pei Zi Yun drank tea at the reception for seventh ranked officials and above. He wasn’t even twenty years old this year, but already wore his robes and looked very scholarly. It was not hard to imagine that he was very close to the Crown Prince. His unspoken authority was such that if he wanted to condemn a magistrate, it wouldn’t be difficult.
Gong Yun looked up and stilled his heart.
"The criminal official arrives!" Someone announced as the atmosphere tensed up and the people started to speak.
At this point, Yue Bai was dragged down from a cage brought along by an oxcart. He was dressed in the prisoner’s outfit, and was extremely filthy. When he was dragged along, he bore little semblance to the official he once was and looked pathetic.
The executioner wore a red band around his head and was of a tall and sturdy frame. He walked towards the prisoner and brought a bowl of wine to feed him, but Bai Yue refused to drink it. He shook his head so violently that it hit the bowl and caused it to shatter on the ground. The executioner was experienced and had seen many similar situations. He didn’t bother to pour another bowl and just laughed coldly. He raised his blade as he stood beside the convict. As soon as the order was given, he would decapitate Bai Yue.
"Bai Yue has committed a great treasonous act against the state and this is the result of his own deeds. However, on most days, he was a country loving and upright man. He was well known for his agricultural efforts for the state and has done well in that regard. He is thus allowed a bowl of wine before his death." Li Min spoke atop the stage as he received another bowl of wine. When he looked at Bai Yue, he saw Bai Yue sigh. "Bai Yue, I’ve come to send you off. This is an order from the Emperor and nobody must refuse."
"Drink it up. You will feel much better. You shouldn’t have offended those you couldn’t afford to offend."
Hearing these words, Bai Yu raised his head, his eyes were bloodshot as he drank his wine in one gulp before he shouted, "I’m full of hatred!"
Li Min returned to his original place as Gong Yun slammed a wooden tile on the table, as he shouted, "An Jie Prefecture’s Magistrate Yue Bai doesn’t deserve a trial for his treasonous acts. His titles and ranks have been stripped and faces death immediately."
When he finished reading, he then threw the red wooden tile up into the air before it landed on the ground. As soon as the block touched the ground, the executioner swung his sword.
"Pu!" The officials around inhaled a deep breath of air, as they watched blood soar into the air. A head flew up high before it landed on the ground and rolled some distance before it reached stop. His eyes were still open wide, as though he wanted to say something.
The new Governor was expressionless, but it almost seemed like he didn’t dare to watch as he looked towards Pei Zi Yun and sighed, "Indeed, he is very cunning."
After the man was killed, Li Min didn’t hesitate and started to make his departure.
Pier
A large boat waited, with several armed guards within the boat. Many officials had escorted him to the gates of the city, but Li Min refused to let them send him off all the way. Before he boarded the boat, he turned around and looked at the city, and was filled with sadness at having to leave.
Pei Zi Yun had alighted from his oxcart to send him off as well.
Li Min caressed his beard and laughed, "You’ve finally come. I’ve waited a long time. Do you have any poems to give me as a farewell gift?"
"Your Excellency, have you forgotten something?" Pei Zi Yun laughed as well.
"What?" Li Min paused as he fell deep in thought before he broke out in laughter, "Oh, I have it ready. Men, where’s the quality wine."
Several moments later, someone delivered a flagon of wine as Li Min poured seven cups and sighed, "To recognize a talent, I shall drink seven cups. Since we part, it shall be another seven cups."
Pei Zi Yun didn’t mind as he drank seven cups consecutively before he recited.
"A ferry crosses the willow streams, not a person is in sight.
The only thought in his head was that of spring colors, as the gentleman slowly made his way home"
"What a good poem!"
Li Min laughed gleefully before he turned around to board the boat. Seeing that the Governor left, Pei Zi Yun was rather sad as well. He turned around and spoke to the Sect Leader, who still wore a veil, "With such a strict new Governor, our sects no longer have to worry about anything. I have to go now as well. If there’s any news of Ye’er, please contact me!"
"Right, this is a new story which I’ve written. The lead protagonist is General You Ji, along with the Magistrate, River Deity and our sects. Since we’ve accomplished all this with the help of the River Deity, we should help to spread his name around."
When the Sect Leader received this, she nodded her head, "I shall start printing copies immediately."
Pei Zi Yun laughed as he boarded another boat and ordered, "Wait a little while before we set off!"
The boat sailed gently across the sea.
As the boat inched forward, the wind started to howl. On both ends, lands could be seen in full spring colors. Everything grew densely. Facing the sea, Pei Zi Yun’s worries dissolved as he sighed and retrieve a jug of wine, he took a large gulp in the strong wind.
He then pointed a finger in the air.
"System!"
A white plum blossom appeared before his eyes as it became bigger and bigger until it transformed into a white, semitransparent system interface. It bore with it faint light perception as numbers and words swarmed into view.
"Yin Master: Level 4 (67.2%)
"Sword Techniques: Advanced (25.1%)"
"Principles of Dao: Intermediate (36.9%)"
"Dao Arts: 43 Varieties, Advanced (33.1%)"
"Stars Transposition: Level 3 (15.7%)"
"Wind Form: Level 1 (31.8%)"
"Geomancy: Advanced (0.9%)"
The changes in his skills weren’t very great, since much time hasn’t passed since the last time he checked. As for his Prestige, it was already at 67%. He then thought to himself, "The latest book hasn’t been released yet and only several officials know about this, but this number is already so high. Could it be that Prestige is also dependent on the status of people? Could it be that Prestige would increase at a faster rate if the person who heard it was a noble?"
Thinking this way, he smiled. When it came to Prestige, there was never too much. At this point, the boat captain shouted, "Young Master, we’ve reached Hill County’s pier!"
Pei Zi Yun leapt for joy as he disembarked from the boat. Hill County was small and was situated by the mountains. When he walked into an inn, he realized that it was full. The sky had turned dark and it was raining now.
The sky was foggy as it continued to rain and a strange feeling overcame Pei Zi Yun who looked out some distance away. He then walked in that direction and arrived at another inn. He smiled as he entered it. The entrance to this inn was damaged and worn. He thus knew that this was an old inn. He was received by the waiter who asked, "Young Master, would you like to stay for the night or to have some food?"
"Both. I wish for a room on the upper floor and I would like a single room with a balcony."
"Young Master, we don’t have rooms with balconies. But we do have a quieter room by the corner. This way!" The waiter led Pei Zi Yun into the room. It was the evening now so the waiter lit up a lantern as he showed Pei Zi Yun his room. Pei Zi Yun sniffed the air to ensure that it wasn’t moldy. He then smiled, "Not bad. At least it’s clean."
The waiter then regained his senses and fetched some hot water for Pei Zi Yun to wash up. He then said, "Our rooms are all clean. Within the entire county my inn has been around for the longest, and we know what our guests need."
"Let’s not speak of the better rooms, every single room is cleaned often. The sheets are washed once every three days, and sunned once every five days. It’s impossible for there to be mold here."
He then handed a hot towel over to Pei Zi Yun and gave him a cup of tea. Just as he was about to get busy with the dishes, Pei Zi Yun held him back, "Prepare my food properly. It doesn’t have to be much; three dishes are enough. Add a jug of wine to go along with them. Everything has to be fresh."
Pei Zi Yun then handed him two taels of silver much to the delight of the waiter. "Don’t worry Young Master. The dishes shall be here soon. I promise there won’t be anything wrong."
After he had his dinner, the sky was completely dark. Pei Zi Yun wore a pair of sandals and came out of his room to take a look. He noticed that it was raining heavily and thus decided to return to his room. He read for a little while before he fell asleep.
It was hazy and misty in the night, as the rain continued to pour down.
"Be careful of bugs in the middle of the night." The county was already dark and the streets were quiet. Nobody was along the pier at this hour and each household had already extinguished the flames at their doorstep. Only the night watcher carried a small lantern as he knocked on the gong and strolled down the streets.
The oil lamp on the table flickered before the flame started to become smaller. All of a sudden, the entire flame was extinguished. At this point, faint music could be heard in the distance. It sounded like it was there, and yet it wasn’t. Pei Zi Yun was deep in sleep, but his Yin Master stirred as it opened its eyes and stood up.
A gale of cold wind blew as Pei Zi Yun sighed, "Looks like the Yin Energy here is overpowering. Even when I was in the room, I found it rather uncomfortable."
Just as he mumbled to himself, the sound of the music started to draw closer, as footsteps became audible as well. He looked down.
The rhythmic footsteps seemed to have stopped as an oxcart appeared right before Pei Zi Yun. It was white in color, and yet red light glowed around it. He wondered whose oxcart was this, for there were guards around it who looked intimidating as well.
The oxcart stopped and someone stepped off. He was dressed in red official robes and looked to be around 22 or 23 years old. He had white hair along the side of his head and a cold expression across his face. He wore a white ray of light along his body. The second he saw Pei Zi Yun, he fell to his knees.
"I don’t dare, I don’t dare. Your Excellency is a fourth ranked official, how can you kneel down to me?" Pei Zi Yun blurted out.
"Of course, you should be knelt down to. It’s because of your grace and sharpness that I was conferred an additional title in death. I was even redressed of my grievances with your benevolence. However, since the Yin and Yang are two separate entities, I cannot do much for you. Please drink these three cups of wine, as a way of me expressing my gratitude."
As he spoke, he waved his hands and a table appeared. A jug of wine flew up onto the air and filled three cups before the cups floated towards Pei Zi Yun.
"If that’s the case, do not mind me."
Pei Zi Yun looked down into the cup and realized the wine was red in color and knew that drinking this would be beneficial to his Yin Master. Without further delay, he picked the cups up and drained them. As soon as he was done, he could feel wisps of white energy coalesce within his stomach. The man pushed for Pei Zi Yun to drink more, but was denied. "Your Excellency, this wine must be expensive and rare. I shan’t drink more of it."
When the man heard this, he fell to his knees once again, "Dao Master is benevolent. We shall meet in the future."
In that second, the white mist retreated, as it took the man away from sight.
When the white mist dissipated, Pei Zi Yun woke up. When he opened his eyes, and looked out of the window, the rain had stopped. Several stars hung overhead, they flickered like blinking eyes.
"Did I dream of a spirit?"
"No, it must be that the spirit had paid me a visit. Based on what he said, it sounded like he was the general?" Pei Zi Yun thought for a little while before he reopened the system interface. A smile appeared on his face, "Yin Master: Level 4 (97.2%)"
"A cup of spiritual wine has increased the percentage of my cultivation!"
Afternoon
Several chickens walked and clucked around the relay station. Xie Cheng Dong was in the middle of his cultivation when a Daoist rushed over towards him. When the Daoist saw that he was busy, he waited quietly by the side for Xie Cheng Dong to keep his sword. He then handed a note over to him.
Xie Cheng Dong smiled warmly and politely until he saw the note, which caused his expression to fall. He was angry, "What, why has Pei Zi Yun gone to Hills County for?"
When Xie Cheng Dong found out about this piece of news, he was extremely agitated. Several other Daoists around him were taken aback by his sudden change in attitude as well.
Xie Cheng Dong was very young and had already reached the tenth level of Yin Master. His attitude was often warm but now he seemed clearly upset. What news could it be to distress him this way?
Xie Cheng Dong paced back and forth several times before turning to speak to the Daoist, "Continue observing him. If he heads towards Yuanqing Village, report to me immediately."
When the Daoist heard this, he hesitated, "Young Master, the person who tailed Pei Zi Yun said that he only managed to get a glimpse of him and was already being suspected of spying on him. It was extremely hard to tail this person."
Xie Cheng Dong mumbled to himself, "It looks like Pei Zi Yun has developed a certain sensitivity from killing so many people. All he has to do is to look at someone to know if they harbor ill intent against him. This is going to be troublesome."
"Tell the people below not to watch him personally. Take my tile and recruit the smaller gangs around the neighborhood. Tell them to take some horses and oxcarts to observe him instead. Since they’re not Daoists, it won’t be so suspicious. Besides, instruct them that their job was just to take down notes on him and not to act maliciously. This way, even if he was sensitive towards people who plotted to harm him, he wouldn’t detect them."
"Yes, Young Master!" The Daoist then walked out through the door.
Right at this point, the door to the relay station opened. It was meal time and thus lively sounds could be heard. Xie Cheng Dong replaced the anger on his face with a calm expression. Eunuch Liao walked up to him and the both of them looked into each other in the eyes.
"What’s the current situation?"
"Everything has been arranged."
Everyone around the relay station looked extremely busy. An attendant of the relay station was serving dishes in food baskets. He brought the huge basket up onto the table before he took dishes out from them. There were at least a dozen dishes and all of them were still steaming. Eunuch Liao stepped forward and sniffed it, "Even at such places, we need to test King Lu’s food before he eats in. To be cautious!"
"Yes!" A little eunuch stepped forward and tried the dishes one by one. When he reached the steam fished, he crinkled his noses and scrunched his face up. Eunuch Liao was taken aback by his reaction and asked, "Could it be poisoned?’
"No, it’s just not fresh!" The little eunuch fell to his knees and spoke dramatically.
Eunuch Liao was furious when he heard this, and called for the relay station attendant to come over. The attendant was on his knees, trembling in fear, "King Lu, my relay station is just a small station, how can we afford fresh fish? The fish are being brought from very far away. There’s just no way for it to be fresh. Please have mercy King Lu!"
The attendant spoke and felt extremely wronged. King Lu wanted to have fresh fish, but it was impossible for them to provide fresh fish.
"Forget it. There’s so many other dishes, how can this not be enough. You may be excused!" King Lu ordered, as the attendant returned to the kitchen.
The chef followed the attendant down and he looked rather disquieted by the entire ordeal. The chef then asked, "Attendant, this is a Canton Prince and the fish isn’t fresh. What should we do?"
Hearing the chef’s words, the attendant rolled his eyes and laughed, "Hm, he’s just a Canton Prince throwing a tantrum. He isn’t even an heir to the throne. It’s even hard up say if he might ever return to the capital city. What are you scared of?"
"Besides, Crown Prince and King Lu are rivals. When the Crown Prince finally ascends to the throne, it’s possible that King Lu might not even be a Canton Prince then."
At this point, a guard that stood outside came into the building. Eunuch Liao looked at him and asked, "Guard Zhang, where have you been?"
The Imperial Guard raged, "I was about to enter the kitchen to check out the surroundings and saw the attendant gloating. When I walked in, I overheard him saying that King Lu was just a Canton Prince, and might not even return the capital city ever. He even said there’s a chance that King Lu might not remain a Canton Prince in future."
"Outrageous, simply outrageous!"
"What?" The black robed imperial guard opened his eyes and asked in shock. King Lu was a prince and held authority for so long. Most people won’t even dare to look at him the wrong way. He’d only been demoted for a short time and the hearts of so many people had changed. Even the attendant of this relay station showed him less respect than he deserved. At this point the black robed guard drew his blade and shouted, "Traitorous dog, how dare he humiliate King Lu. Come men, let’s kill him off!"
"Yes!" Several armed guards immediately replied as the charged out in anger. Their eyes were bloodshot as they looked up at their superior, who remained speechless.
King Lu then waved a hand, "Hold it!"
After seeing his own men halt, King Lu paced towards them. He looked like he suppressed his own anger. Soon after, he looked at them sadly, "When it comes to facts, this relay station doesn’t have fresh fish. Likewise, another fact is that I’m no longer an heir to the throne."
As he said this, he then walked out, picked up a pair of chopsticks and took a bite of the fish. "I wonder if my children and grandchildren would be able to eat such stale fish!"
When everyone heard this, tears rolled down their cheeks.
Xie Cheng Dong wept as well, and saw that all the officials were moved by this. He then looked towards Eunuch Liao, "We’ve done it!"
He knew that it had already taken a great deal for the attendants to play their parts convincingly. Yet he had to be careful to draw the line, for if he crossed it might also mean that he would have to pay with his life.
Hence this way, even the Crown Prince or the Emperor would not be suspicious and would find it hard to investigate such a matter.
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