Chapter 214 Dignity
The officials in Lancheng were incredibly efficient. On the first morning after the holiday, they sent a minor official to invite Qi Yuxuan to the government office.
The minor official was dressed in a faded seventh-rank blue official robe and wore a black gauze hat. He looked young, no more than twenty or thirty years old. For his superiors to trust him enough to come alone to invite Princess Chang Le, he was considered a promising young man in the entire Qi Kingdom.
But the moment he saw Qi Yuxuan, he realized she was still a greenhorn, and the seriousness in his eyes vanished almost entirely. He immediately launched into a blatant compliment:
"This humble servant greets Princess Chang Le! Your arrival from afar truly brings honor to our humble abode in Lan City! These past few days, I've been wondering why there are magpies on the branches outside the government office every morning. Upon inquiring, I learned that it's because Your Highness has graced Lan City with your presence. We apologize for our failure to properly welcome you these past few days!"
Qi Yuxuan chuckled:
"This gentleman has a silver tongue. I thought that Lancheng was located on the border of Qi State, and if there were any talented people, they would all flock to the capital. But I didn't expect that there are so many talented people here. I was just being presumptuous."
Princess Chang Le seemed to be enjoying herself immensely from his flattery, but for some reason, the registrar, Lord Luo, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, and his eloquent tongue lost its previous eloquence, leaving him only to stammer:
"Your Highness is too kind. I am unworthy of such praise. It is our greatest honor to serve Your Highness."
Qi Yuxuan: "I still don't know your name or where you live, sir. I'll be staying in Lancheng for a while. If there's anything important, there's no need to trouble the Qilin Guard. Wouldn't it be more convenient to just find you, sir?"
Lord Luo felt that the princess's words had a hidden meaning, but after thinking about it for a while, he still couldn't figure out what such a young girl could be thinking.
"My humble servant, Luo Mingyan, is a registrar under Governor Wei of Longxi Prefecture. I live at No. 17, Huyang Lane, West Market of Lancheng. As Your Highness has instructed me to do as you please, I will certainly serve you to the best of my ability. However, the files on the abandoned mine are official secrets. If Your Highness wishes to review them, I will need to trouble you to make a trip to the Lancheng government office."
Qi Yuxuan nodded: "Of course."
Once on the carriage bound for the Lancheng government office, Lord Luo neither mounted his horse nor boarded the carriage. Instead, he respectfully followed beside Princess Chang Le's carriage, adopting an attitude of protecting the princess.
Lan Xin lifted the curtain and spoke slowly to Lord Luo, who was preparing to follow her:
“Lord Luo, the princess appreciates your kindness, but it’s freezing cold outside and the journey is quite long. There’s no need for you to make the trip.”
Upon seeing the beautiful maidservant beside the princess showing him such concern, Luo Yan unconsciously revealed a slightly frivolous smile:
"It's alright, it's alright. I practice martial arts regularly to stay healthy, so walking for a short while won't be too tiring. It's a good opportunity to soak up some sun."
Lan Xin's lips fell instantly, her eyes turning slightly cold. Having spent so much time by the Princess's side, she had picked up quite a bit of that imposing manner, and now she had a rather intimidating air about her.
"There are many people in Lancheng who know Lord Luo. Is Lord Luo insisting on following the carriage like a servant girl, hoping that the people will secretly complain that the princess is being harsh on her subordinates?!"
Luo Yan was taken aback, and the slight flippancy on his face vanished instantly, replaced by fear and trepidation: "This humble servant dares not!"
He was clearly speaking to Princess Chang Le behind Lan Xin, but the princess didn't even glance at him, instead leaning back and pretending to doze off.
Lan Xin sneered: "Lord Luo is loyal and unwavering, he certainly wouldn't dare. Then please hurry up and get into the carriage at the back, lest we delay our business."
"Yes, yes... I'll go right away!"
Luo Yan jogged into the carriage, but the cold winter weather, with its melting snow, startled him so much that he broke out in a cold sweat.
Princess Chang Le doesn't seem too difficult to deal with; the troublesome one is her maid. I wonder what her background is. Could she have been given to her by the Princess?
As the saying goes, even a lowly official is subject to the prime minister's authority. If he offended that maid and indirectly offended the princess, it would be a huge loss. However, he reconsidered. Lancheng was far from the emperor's reach; if things really came to that, he might as well go all the way…
A fierce and resolute glint flashed in Luo Yan's eyes, and his breathing gradually calmed down.
On the carriage of Princess Chang Le ahead.
"Pfft... Princess, look at his paper tiger act! Before I could even say anything, he ran off like a madman, as if he was afraid I'd eat him alive!"
Lanxin covered her mouth and chuckled, but fearing that outsiders would hear, she kept her voice so low that only the master and servants could hear it.
Bi Sui laughed too. If it weren't for Lord Luo sitting next to Lan Xin just now, she would have been the one taking advantage of the situation.
Qi Yuxuan shook her head: "He's just a small fry sent to annoy people, nothing to be afraid of. There'll probably be a fierce battle when we get to the government office later."
"Princess, do not worry. With you in the open and under the protection of the guards, everything will be perfectly safe."
It's true that the Qilin Guard gave permission, but Qi Yuxuan still had a sense of unease. For the past two nights, she had been dreaming about the flames that burst forth when the Phoenix Cry Blaze landed.
She had never seen such a shocking fire in her past and present lives combined. She dared not imagine the devastation that would have caused if those flames had landed on the roofs, thatched huts, or even on people and livestock.
Fireworks shops need to report every type of firework to the government. Fireworks from Huoshu Yinhua Fang are so popular that the Lancheng government couldn't possibly be unaware of it. There's only one possibility—collusion between officials and merchants.
Whether they were after money or something else, she would only be able to determine after she obtained the case file.
So, while she ostensibly went with the minor official to investigate, she actually arranged for Ren Shun to steal the files.
Qi Yuxuan lowered her eyelashes: "I hope so."
They arrived at the Lancheng government office without incident. Before even entering, Qi Yuxuan was startled by the dilapidated state of the entrance and raised an eyebrow.
The four characters "Lancheng Government Office" on the wooden plaque were worn so worn that their original color was no longer visible. The wood of the gate and threshold was also broken and tattered. Several corners of the bluestone steps outside the gate were missing, and moss grew on the edges.
Even the petition drum at the entrance was broken, and there were cobwebs inside.
Luo Yan alighted from the carriage and immediately followed Princess Chang Le ahead, leading the group inside with a fawning smile:
"Please excuse my poor appearance, Princess. Lancheng's tax revenue is meager, and Chief Secretary Yao is a frugal and diligent man. Therefore, we haven't had the funds to repair these things outside, and they don't look very presentable..."
"It's more than just undignified."
Princess Chang Le, whom he was leading, turned cold. Following her gaze, Luo Yan saw the chipped Dengwen Drum and realized something was wrong. The higher-ups had only said that the more broken the drum, the better for gaining sympathy. Why were these people even bringing out this ancient drum? Weren't they just handing Princess Chang Le a handle to use against her?!
Seeing that Luo Yan was anxious and flustered, and was about to break out in a cold sweat, Qi Yuxuan slowly said:
“If the drum is broken, we can slowly save up money to repair it. But how can there be a drum without drumsticks? Lord Yao and Lord Luo are too engrossed in studying politics, to the point that they have forgotten the people’s livelihood. This is really not right.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com