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墨書 Inktalez
The exam had begun.
For a whole week, the two men were busy somewhere, and I couldn't even catch a glimpse of them. In desperation, I called Han Meilan to go shopping with me.
I hadn't intended to go with her, but in this unfamiliar place, her martial skills made me feel safer.
Yichuan County wasn't large, so it didn't take long for us to explore every corner. The overall impression could be summed up in one word: poor.
The shops here were extremely monotonous, primarily catering to basic livelihoods. The bustling vibrancy was completely absent from this place, and there was no point in thinking about any promotional tactics to attract customers. We wanted to buy some fabric to make new clothes for everyone, but we couldn't find a single piece that was fashionable or tasteful.
Despite the poverty, there were a few grand houses that stood out in their opulence, appearing particularly out of place in the county town. These must belong to the prominent families of Yichuan County, with people entering and exiting dressed in fine silks and satins—likely imported from other counties since such fabrics were unavailable here.
Overall, the county was impoverished and exhibited extreme wealth disparity.
It was unrealistic to expect equal wealth distribution in an ancient feudal society, but the overall appearance of Yichuan County clearly indicated that the governance here had been utterly disastrous.
The situation was even worse in the rural areas outside the town. We rode our horses for two hours around the outskirts and discovered that the natural environment in this region was quite poor; it seemed rather arid, with cracked soil. It was harvest season, yet this year's yield was evidently low because the bark had been stripped off the trees by starving people.
I recalled the corpses I had seen when I first disembarked, and Han Meilan, who was sensitive by nature, already had tears welling up in her eyes.
“Liuying, what can we do?!” she spoke with a quivering voice, which made me quite irritated.
I patiently replied with a gentle tone, “Melan, please calm down. Let's go back and discuss this with our two brothers; they must have some ideas. I believe that by then, there will be plenty for us to do—perhaps even more than we can handle.”
Han Meilan took a deep breath, nodded vigorously, and looked at me with admiration in her eyes.
As we arrived at the county office, we saw Luo Dachun smiling broadly as he escorted a man to the entrance. The man was in his forties or fifties, dressed in luxurious attire, and had a robust figure—clearly a wealthy individual.
"Xu Yuanwai, safe travels! I won't see you off any further!"
"Lord Nie, you're too kind. Please, do stay!"
The two of them appeared to have already become close friends.
Luo Dachun was wearing a green Official Robe with a black round collar. The color surprisingly suited his demeanor well, making him look quite handsome. Nie Qiuyuan held the rank of a Sixth-Rank official, and both Sixth and Seventh-Rank Official Robes were green. I had imagined what Nie Qiuyuan would look like in this robe and thought the frog green was rather peculiar; however, it turned out to be better than I had expected.
"Brother Luo, who is that person?" I asked as the man walked away, following Luo Dachun into the inner courtyard along with Melan.
Luo Dachun grinned mischievously, "Just a few days into his new position, and someone is already bringing us gifts! Come on, let's take a look!"
The eight-treasure gift box had already been delivered to the hall; it was an exquisite wooden chest intricately carved with designs. Just this box alone must have cost quite a bit.
When we opened the box, it was filled with various silks. Digging deeper, we were astonished to find that underneath were neatly wrapped gold and silver!
We counted—there must be five thousand taels of silver. This was merely a greeting gift for the newly appointed official.
"Look around," Luo Dachun said, tilting his chin to indicate our surroundings.
There were at least ten boxes of similar specifications and varying shapes displayed around us.
"This must be the umpteenth guest I've received today!" Luo Dachun laughed.
"Brother Luo, you... just accepted it like that?!" I held back for a while but finally couldn't help but exclaim. This is bribery!
"I accepted it. What's wrong? They offered it with good intentions; shouldn't we accept it?" Luo Dachun looked at me as if I were an idiot.
"This, this..." I didn't know what to say.
"Cousin! What you're doing is wrong!" Han Meilan exclaimed, her face flushed. She rarely spoke up like this, clearly not used to it. But her words echoed my thoughts.
I wasn't morally superior or looked down upon these treasures; on the contrary, I found them quite practical. However, as a modern woman, I felt a sense of fairness inside me, knowing that this was illegal.
"Go on, go on, girls shouldn't worry about these things. You two focus on planning and arranging a few tables of fine food for me. In three days, for the Double Ninth Festival, the brothers will host a banquet at the county office," Luo Dachun instructed.
So Melan and I got busy for three days. According to regulations, the county office was equipped with servants and chefs, so our main job was to plan and design. Of course, our skills were not inferior to those of the chefs, so we often took matters into our own hands. After all the preparations—the menu, flavors of the dishes, plating, table setting, and decorations—I felt we had done a perfect job.
While arranging the banquet location, we found our home already filled with potted chrysanthemums sent by others—various colors and dozens of varieties competing in beauty, a sight to behold.
It was the Double Ninth Festival; chrysanthemums were in season. The newly appointed Lord Nie was quite flamboyant in appearance, so the wealthy folks in the county hurriedly picked out the finest ones and sent them over, hoping to win his favor.
Melan and I chose to set up the banquet in the back garden. We decorated it with lights and arranged the chrysanthemums at varying heights throughout the garden. This way, guests could admire the moon above while enjoying the chrysanthemums below, complemented by fine wine and delicacies—it was quite enchanting.
At this moment, I couldn't sleep and went out alone to take another look at the banquet location. Under the gentle glow of the crescent moon, surrounded by blooming chrysanthemums in full splendor, I couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. Ever since chrysanthemums changed their meaning in our time, I had developed a resistance to flower-viewing activities. Yet witnessing such a grand display of frost-resistant beauty truly stirred my heart.
A snow-white chrysanthemum suddenly stretched beneath my nose, its faint fragrance wafting through the air.
"This branch is called Remaining Snow, Startled Swan. I didn't expect to find such beautiful chrysanthemums here." The deep voice was soft and familiar.
It wasn't the middle of the night, but Night Phantom stood quietly behind me, holding the white chrysanthemum delicately. The petals were long and silky, gleaming white like jade, while the tiny petals encasing the flower's core were a gentle pale yellow, particularly enchanting.
"You've arrived?" A light joy surged within my heart.
He nodded. "These past few days, I've been secretly investigating Yichuan County and discovered traces of Mirror Gate's hidden points. Mirror Gate is particularly sensitive to the skills you possess, so you must be extremely cautious in your actions and avoid drawing their attention."
I was taken aback. The reach of Mirror Gate truly extended far and wide, not even sparing a small county. I hoped that if something happened, I wouldn't be caught in the middle.
"Don't worry, I know how to handle it. Will Ren Pingsheng... be coming after us too?" I was more interested in the latter.
"According to the information I've gathered, Ren Pingsheng has gone to Jiangnan for business, so we should have some peace for a while. Regardless, be very careful with anything related to Mirror Gate and protect yourself."
He was genuinely concerned for my safety, warming my heart.
He smiled gently. "Let's not dwell on that for now; Ming Dachun is likely to put on quite a show. Don't you love watching performances? Just watch closely tomorrow."
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