Chapter 84: Who Else Is There?

The county magistrate of the Vermilion Domain is of the lower eighth rank, and Peaceful County is only a lower county; its magistrate is of the lower seventh rank. This is a special promotion.

Liang Jing soon brought the news.

In the office, Cao Ying sat there with his right hand clenched into a fist beneath the desk.

Fifteen years.

Fifteen years.

Fifteen years.

His face flushed, and he had to lower his head to hide it.

The morning sun slanted in, and even a single shaft seemed to carry boundless life.

"My thanks, Your Grace." Yang Xuan saluted toward the palace with great understanding, his face full of gratitude.

"Do not thank me yet," Liang Jing said with a苦笑. "I inquired today. Peaceful County is a place where exiles are banished; no one is willing to serve there."

No wonder no one fought for it.

"Most of the middle and lower counties in the Great Tang are places no one wants to serve, and Peaceful County is even worse. Zitai, wait a little longer. In two years, I will surely find you a fine place." Liang Jing stroked the jade pendant.

Shops in the Eastern Market were under construction, and many merchants had already come to reserve them. This alone had made him a fortune.

The jade pendant had only just been bought. As he stroked it, guilt toward Yang Xuan inevitably rose in his heart.

Two years.

There was constant strife in Chang'an, and to remain here for two years would bring him almost no benefit.

Time waits for no one.

Yang Xuan feigned hesitation, reaching for his teacup. But when his fingers touched it, he froze.

After a long while, he looked up and said earnestly, "I will go."

Liang Jing rose and patted his shoulder. "Good brother!"

The one the imperial consort had taken a liking to had not chosen ease and comfort, but the hardest, bleakest place of all, a place no one was willing to go. The imperial consort gained face from this.

After Liang Jing left, Cao Ying could not help trembling.

"This is only the first step," Yang Xuan said, feeling a certain solemnity in the moment. "Only the beginning."

Cao Ying nodded hard. "This old man will go home at once and make preparations."

Yang Xuan nodded. "Send word to Yang Lue."

"Yes."

Cao Ying hurried away. At the doorway, he paused, turned back, and bowed deeply to Yang Xuan. As he turned, two tears fell.

Yang Xuan rose. "Second Brother."

In a flash, Wang La'er darted in.

"Your orders, sir."

Yang Xuan walked out.

"Come, let's inspect the streets!"

That patrol led him to Yuanzhou Noodles.

"Greetings, sir." Han Ying came out to welcome him.

"Find a quiet place."

On the second floor, Han Ying stood nervously at the side.

Wang Shun brought hot tea and looked eagerly at the mat laid out on the floor.

She had tried it yesterday; it was not hard.

She quietly closed the door and went out.

Wang La'er stood guard at the door. Only after seeing her leave did he lightly knock three times.

Inside, hearing the knock, Yang Xuan said, "If nothing unexpected happens, I will be leaving the capital to serve as an official..."

"Sir!" Han Ying's face went white at once. "This servant cannot bear it."

"I am not asking you to bear it," Yang Xuan said with a smile. "Yuanzhou Noodles will draw in the Imperial Academy. Do not be fooled by how the Imperial Academy seems detached and carefree. No one will make an enemy of them for the sake of a single noodle shop. Too foolish. Not worth it."

Yang Xuan's next stop was the Imperial Academy.

"Are you certain?"

Ning Yayun rarely put aside his zither.

"Yes."

Yang Xuan said, "After I leave, I will have left behind Yuanzhou Noodles. I think others will covet it. I was thinking that wealth comes and goes, and nothing is taken with us in death..."

"You want to share some of the benefits with the Imperial Academy?" Ning Yayun smiled. "I said before that the Imperial Academy will never abandon its own. Go ahead."

"Many thanks, Chancellor." Yang Xuan had not expected Ning Yayun to be so upright and noble, and he agreed without the slightest hesitation.

Next he went to find Zhou Ning.

"To the north?" Zhou Ning stared for a moment, the prescription in his hand suddenly blurring.

"Yes." Yang Xuan asked, "That region is remote, and there are not many physicians. If I am ever unwell... may I write to ask you about it?"

Zhou Ning nodded unconsciously. "Of course!"

Walking along the street, Yang Xuan thought it over carefully. Apart from Zhao Sanfu, there was no one else he needed to bid farewell to.

"How much for one packet?"

A familiar voice came from ahead.

"Three coins."

"One packet, then."

Nian Ziyue took the packet of pastries and turned around, only to see Yang Xuan.

"You..."

After a moment, the two of them walked side by side.

"You are going far away?" Nian Ziyue suddenly felt a hollowness in her heart.

"Yes. From now on, Your Highness should be careful. When you go out, bring people with you," Yang Xuan advised solemnly.

Nian Ziyue nodded. "How long before you return?"

"I do not know either." Yang Xuan thought for a moment. "Perhaps I will come back every year, perhaps in two or three years."

The two of them wandered all the way to Peaceful Music Quarter.

"It was here last time, wasn't it?" Nian Ziyue pointed to an alley beside them.

"Yes." Last time, Nian Ziyue had been dragged into this very place.

"If not for you, my life would have been ruined." She turned to face him. In those bright, spirited eyes, there was only sincerity. She curtsied gravely. "May your journey be safe."

...

Chen Prefecture lay in the northern reaches of the Great Tang, vast in land and sparse in people.

In those years, the Martial Emperor had steeled himself through bitter hardship, sent troops, and defeated Northern Liao in one decisive stroke. Yet a starved camel was still bigger than a horse, and in the end, the two sides made peace. Chen Prefecture had originally been territory of Northern Liao, but after that defeat, it was taken into the Great Tang's embrace in one sweep. Northern Liao agreed readily enough.

It was said the Martial Emperor had been pleased about this for quite some time. When his subordinates later reported that Chen Prefecture had many tribal groups, he paid it no mind and ordered troops to sweep them away. But those tribes proved unexpectedly resilient. Only later was it learned that Northern Liao had been giving them all manner of support.

The war did not last long, because the land here was not especially fertile. The grasslands were still acceptable, but no one in the Great Tang was willing to come here and herd livestock.

So the Great Tang treated Chen Prefecture like a thorny burden and tossed it to the north. What followed was rather amusing: the tribes once supported by Northern Liao soon bared their teeth greedily at Northern Liao itself, and after a bout of killing and slaughtering, they gritted their teeth in hatred.

Father, how could you beat me so viciously?

Thus those tribes became wandering outcasts and settled on the grasslands before Chen Prefecture. Both the Great Tang and Northern Liao tacitly used them as a buffer between their borders.

Outside the Chen Prefecture administration office in Lin'an County, Lu Qiang, the deputy governor of Chen Prefecture, a scar slashing across his face, stepped inside.

"Greetings, Deputy Governor."

Passing officials all wore horizontal sabers at their waists. Seeing Lu Qiang enter, they hurried to salute him.

"Where is the governor?" Lu Qiang asked.

"Damn it, is this the paperwork you wrote? A heap of filth!"

A roar came from the side office. Lu Qiang strode straight over.

"Redo it. If you make another mistake, you can go serve in Peaceful County!"

With the sound of footsteps, Chen Prefecture's governor, Liu Qing, a thin, dark man, came out. He glanced at Lu Qiang and asked, "What did Peaceful County say?"

A muscle twitched in Lu Qiang's cheek, and the scar along it jerked, making him look savage. "That filthy dog slave Yu Shan pretended to be ill. Once he heard that the new county magistrate had set out from Chang'an, he ran off."

Liu Qing descended the steps and cursed, "Beast. Oh, right, I remember there is still a chief clerk in Peaceful County. Where is he?"

Lu Qiang gripped the hilt of his saber and sneered. "He is temporarily acting as county magistrate. The moment Yu Shan left, he also claimed illness and said he could no longer get up."

"A pack of filthy dog slaves!" Liu Qing's face darkened as he walked forward, entered his office, and sat down. Slapping the desk, he said with bright, sharp eyes, "Peaceful County is a chaotic place. Someone must keep it under control. Have you found out about the new magistrate yet?"

Lu Qiang nodded, took the cold water handed over by a minor official, tilted his head back and drank it, then passed the bowl back. "Why is autumn so hot this year? Bring the kettle."

He drained more than half the kettle of cold water in one breath before letting out a satisfied sigh. "That new magistrate is said to be a youth."

"Damn it, whose connection got him the post? No matter. If he truly had backing, he would not have been sent to a place like this." Liu Qing slapped the desk. "The court grows more absurd by the day, actually tricking a youth into taking office. Bastards."

Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside.

"Governor, the magistrate of Peaceful County has arrived."

Liu Qing and Lu Qiang exchanged a look.

"Governor," the minor official came in, "those fellows heard it was a youth arriving and wanted to go tease him."

"A bunch of bandits!" Liu Qing laughed. "Well, giving him a show of force is fine too. If he is timid, he may as well go back home and suckle at his mother's breast."

Outside the administration office.

Yang Xuan and his party, travel-worn and dusty, were surrounded.

A group of minor officials and soldiers were laughing.

One squad leader stepped forward and bowed. "There is a saying in Chen Prefecture: a guest receives three punches upon arrival, and a new official takes one kick when he comes to office. Since Your Excellency looks so young, one punch will do."

"Sir, this is a show of force," Cao Ying said in a low voice. "A lawless place like this has no manners."

Yang Xuan rolled his neck. The squad leader's eyes lit up. Strike a pose...

"How about one palm?" Yang Xuan flexed his wrist.

"Fine!" The squad leader nodded reflexively.

"Second Brother, give him a slap."

A blur flashed by, and the squad leader instantly retreated, raising his hands to block.

Smack!

The squad leader was sent sprawling to the side.

Yang Xuan dismounted.

He walked forward slowly, his gaze sweeping across everyone present.

"Anyone else?"