Zhao Baozhu and Shanyi looked at each other face to face.
Neither of them knew what exactly was going on. Zhao Baozhu was genuinely bewildered, while Shanyi seemed deep in thought, his eyes flickering slightly as his brows slowly furrowed.
He turned to look outside the door, a trace of contemplation flashing across his face. Yet in the end, he still felt his speculation too absurd and forcibly suppressed the thought.
Following behind them, Ah Long looked at this one, then that one. Though he still had no idea what was happening, he at least understood that the reinforcements Old Master had summoned had arrived, and they should now be safe.
So that official who looked like an immortal wasn’t actually that dog official?
Thinking this, Ah Long suddenly let out a sigh of relief. His face reddened slightly as he felt somewhat ashamed for having cursed the wrong person in his heart earlier. Right, how could an official so noble and handsome be a bad person?
Ah Long was young and simply liked good-looking people.
Now that he knew Ye Jinghua was not the previous corrupt official, he immediately developed a great deal of goodwill toward this new Lord Prefect.
Each person in the room harbored different thoughts, and for a time the hall fell silent.
A moment later, footsteps sounded from outside.
Before the person had even entered, Zhao Baozhu abruptly raised his head, his catlike eyes glowing as he looked outside.
A hand lifted the curtain, and Ye Jinghua’s face emerged through the sunlight.
The moment Zhao Baozhu saw him, warmth surged through his heart. He only felt that Ye Jinghua’s hands looked good, and the man himself looked even better. Young Master was thinner, yes, but his brows and eyes seemed even more beautiful than before, and wearing that official robe made him appear extremely imposing. Zhao Baozhu’s gaze clung to Ye Jinghua’s body the entire way as he walked into the room, not even letting go of the faint glimmer upon his eyelashes.
Yet Ye Jinghua did not look at him.
He merely lowered his brows and eyes slightly, turned his face a little to the side, and stood still at neither too near nor too far a distance from Zhao Baozhu, entirely calm and composed.
Zhao Baozhu smelled the faint cold fragrance lingering on him, and his heart trembled. He only felt that he truly was foolish beyond measure, not recognizing Young Master immediately. Just now, he must have looked utterly stupid.
Zhao Baozhu was secretly regretting it when he heard a cold voice sound out: “County Magistrate Zhao.”
Hidden authority lay within that voice.
Zhao Baozhu suddenly shivered. Only then did he remember that the person before him was not only Young Master, but also his superior official. He hurriedly bent in salute.
“Yes.”
Ye Jinghua’s ethereal voice drifted over: “You’ve worked hard coming here today. I will personally investigate Chen Si’s matter. You may return first.”
The moment Zhao Baozhu heard this, he froze.
Young Master wanted him to leave? But…
They had only just met. There were still many things left unsaid.
Zhao Baozhu did not really want to leave. Hesitantly, he glanced at Ye Jinghua, pressed his lips together, and said: “…Lord Prefect, Wuya County’s previous season tax grain is still outside.”
Ye Jinghua did not look at him. Instead, with his hands clasped behind his back, he stood by the window, slightly turning his head to look at a fallen leaf that had happened to land upon the windowsill.
“The account books?”
Zhao Baozhu froze for a moment, then took the account books from his robes and stepped forward several paces, presenting them to Ye Jinghua with both hands.
Beside his ears came the rustling sound of sleeves brushing together. Within his vision, Zhao Baozhu saw a patch of black official robes. The sachet tied at the man’s waist swayed slightly with his movement. Then a hand reached out and took the account books from his hands.
When Ye Jinghua withdrew his hand, the jade thumb ring upon his thumb lightly brushed against Zhao Baozhu’s hand, and Zhao Baozhu’s heart skipped along with it.
After taking the account books, Ye Jinghua did not even look at them. Instead, he turned his head away again and repeated: “Go back.”
At this point, Zhao Baozhu no longer had anything left to say. He could only lower his head and acknowledge the order, then withdraw together with Shanyi and Ah Long.
The moment the few of them stepped outside, several people dressed in Ye family servant clothing surrounded them and respectfully said to Zhao Baozhu: “My lord, please allow us to escort you back to Wuya County.”
Hearing this, Zhao Baozhu paused. Somewhat hesitantly, he turned back to glance once, then looked again at the people before him. In the end, he still nodded. “Very well.”
They had come in the former Prefect’s carriage and had not brought Molin with them either, so they could only ride back in Ye Jinghua’s carriage.
The three were escorted all the way to the entrance, where they saw that two tall fine horses had already been prepared, with two cushioned sedan carriages attached behind them. Four or five coachmen stood nearby. The moment Zhao Baozhu saw this, he hurriedly said: “There’s no need to go to so much trouble. The three of us can just ride in one carriage.”
The servant froze briefly upon hearing this, then hesitated slightly before lowering his head. “Yes. My lord, please board the carriage.”
Thus Zhao Baozhu brought Ah Long and Shanyi into the carriage together.
The instant Ah Long entered, his mouth dropped wide open. Clinging close beside Zhao Baozhu, he stared wide-eyed at the furnishings inside the carriage and could not help sighing: “O-old master, why is this carriage so nice?”
This carriage was far superior to the one they had ridden in earlier! Not only was it much larger, but every corner of the seats and ceiling had been carefully wrapped and sealed tightly with soft leather and cloth, such that not even a trace of cold wind could leak in. Soft cushions covered the seats as well, with several plush pillows placed about. The entire carriage was filled with a faint, pleasant fragrance.
Ah Long had never before seen such luxurious things. One moment he held the soft pillow from the seat, touching the embroidery upon it with his hands; the next he was poking here and there, looking all around like an excited little dog.
Shanyi had seen the world before and was far calmer than him, though even he was somewhat astonished. He sighed: “This Second Young Master Ye came to be an official, is he planning to move his entire Ye estate over here as well?”
He sighed inwardly. The Cao family could already be considered among the foremost refined noble families in the capital today, yet they still could not compare to the Ye family. The grandeur surrounding this Second Young Master Ye relied not only upon the Imperial Noble Consort and His Majesty’s favor, but also upon the century-long accumulation of the Ye clan itself. Every single object here was not something ordinary nobles could produce.
Zhao Baozhu was still somewhat dazed. Hearing Shanyi’s words, he raised his head and said: “I think they’re all servants of the Ye family, but I don’t recognize any of them. They all look unfamiliar.”
Hearing this, Shanyi turned back and said: “I do recognize a few. They seem to be attendants from Prime Minister Ye’s household.”
Zhao Baozhu suddenly understood. “So that’s how it is.” He immediately felt much more at ease inside. Though the prefectural yamen was large, it still could not compare to the capital. Having reliable people accompanying Young Master to care for him reassured Zhao Baozhu considerably.
“But why would Young Master come become a Prefect?”
Zhao Baozhu was deeply puzzled. “How strange. Doesn’t the Hanlin Academy have work for him to do?”
Hearing these words, Shanyi glanced at Zhao Baozhu, a hesitant expression appearing upon his face as though he wanted to speak but stopped himself. Yet Zhao Baozhu did not notice. Lowering his head, he felt shocked, but also somewhat disappointed. After finally meeting Young Master again, they had scarcely exchanged more than a few words before having to part. Who knew when they would meet again next time?
Zhao Baozhu softly exhaled, feeling an emptiness in his heart. Just now, Young Master had seemed much more distant toward him.
Ah Long was utterly confused and had no idea what they were discussing. He hurriedly tugged on Zhao Baozhu and asked: “Old Master, what are you talking about? You know that immortal-like Lord Prefect?”
Hearing this, Zhao Baozhu smiled slightly, a trace of gentleness appearing in his eyes as he said to Ah Long: “Remember the great benefactor in the capital I once told you about? That was precisely Lord Prefect.”
Ah Long suddenly understood. “So it was that great philanthropist!” Yet immediately afterward, he became somewhat puzzled again. How strange. That great benefactor looked only around twenty years old, so how could he possibly have a daughter suitable for Old Master’s age?
Ah Long frowned. Yet suddenly he thought of something else, not a daughter, then it must be a younger sister! That Lord Prefect was so imposing and handsome, more beautiful than Pan An himself. Surely he must have a younger sister of extraordinary beauty, like a fairy descended from heaven!
Thinking he had uncovered the secret, Ah Long nodded solemnly to himself. Perfect! Now that the great benefactor had been assigned as Prefect here in Qingzhou, this greatly benefited Zhao Baozhu. As long as Old Master sweet-talked him a little and properly ingratiated himself with this future brother-in-law, then marrying the young lady would surely only be a matter of time!
***
The Ye family horses traveled extremely quickly, and by dusk Zhao Baozhu’s group had already returned to Wuya County.
Upon reaching the city gates, Zhao Baozhu was startled to discover that the gathered common people had not dispersed. Instead, they had all brought food and vegetables, sitting upon the ground as though they had already been waiting there for quite some time.
From far away, once they saw a carriage approaching, everyone immediately stood up, staring sharply toward the carriage with guarded expressions.
Even the coachman driving the horses ahead hesitated somewhat at the sight of that aggressive-looking crowd.
Seeing this, Zhao Baozhu hurriedly lifted the curtain aside and nearly leaned half his body out. “What are you all blocking the road here for? Hurry and go home.”
The moment the common people saw Zhao Baozhu inside the carriage, their expressions immediately softened, and they all moved aside to clear a path. The coachman was also extremely perceptive. He slowed the horses and carefully guided the carriage through the crowd, lest the horses’ hooves kick up dust and dirty the people’s clothing.
“Young Lord Zhao has returned!”
“My lord, are you alright? Did anyone make things difficult for you?”
“Hurry and go tell your father, Young Lord Zhao is back!”
As the carriage drew near, everyone crowded around to speak with Zhao Baozhu. Sitting by the window, Zhao Baozhu looked at the sincere and kind faces of the common people lining both sides of the road, and his heart could not help relaxing considerably. Only then did he remember that the entire You family had finally all been captured at last. Belatedly savoring the joy of it, a faint smile appeared upon his face.
“I’m perfectly fine. All of you hurry home now, alright?”
With all this greeting and chatting along the way, the carriage moved slower and slower. By the time they entered the city, a group of youths were still running behind the carriage, laughing and joking noisily. Seeing this, Zhao Baozhu could not help laughing and crying at once.
“These little rascals.” Then turning back to Ah Long, he said: “Once we reach the yamen, fetch them some water first.”
Even the coachman driving ahead sighed emotionally at the sight. “Young Lord Zhao truly has the people’s hearts.”
Being praised like this in front of Ye family people instead made Zhao Baozhu embarrassed. After the carriage stopped before the yamen, he quickly brought Ah Long and Shanyi down. Yet though Ah Long himself had stepped out of the carriage, his hand still clutched the soft pillow from inside, refusing to let go.
The coachman saw this and smiled. “If he likes it, then my lord may let him keep it.”
Seeing this, Zhao Baozhu became even more embarrassed, his entire face flushing red. “How could that be? Ah Long, hurry and let go!”
Only after seeing Old Master grow angry did Ah Long unwillingly loosen his grip. Yet after watching the scene, the coachman’s expression became somewhat meaningful. He proactively picked up the pillow and handed it to Ah Long.
“My lord should keep it. In the future, ” He paused, glanced at Zhao Baozhu, then lowered his voice and said: “My lord should go inside and take a look first.”
Seeing this, Zhao Baozhu found it hard to continue refusing. He could only let Ah Long accept the pillow, then take out several dozen coins to buy the coachman tea. Yet the coachman absolutely refused to accept them, deftly mounted the horse, and rode away.
Watching him depart, Zhao Baozhu frowned in confusion, always feeling something was strange, though unable to pinpoint exactly what.
After the carriage disappeared into the distance, he turned around and walked into the yamen.
Yet the moment he entered, Zhao Baozhu felt something was off.
The yamen was extremely quiet. Clearly before they went to the prefectural office, Tao Zhang and the others had all still been here. So why was there not a single sound now?
Frowning, Zhao Baozhu quickly strode deeper inside with some concern, could it be that those prefectural soldiers had harmed Tao Zhang and the others earlier?
Yet the instant he hurried into the main hall and crossed the threshold, he saw a tall and elegant figure seated below.
A cup of tea rested in his hands, though he was not drinking it. Hearing footsteps, he unhurriedly set down the tea cup before turning his head around.
It was unmistakably Ye Jinghua himself.
