Chapter 28 Those meticulous stitches could only be hers…
As autumn deepened, the long journey became even more arduous, taking seven consecutive days to reach the territory of Yuzhou.
The prefect sent people to welcome him early in the morning. After a day of preparations at the post station, Ji Jinghe officially took office.
Ji Jinghe's ability to achieve the highest honors in the imperial examinations made him famous early on. Many people knew about his deeds even before they had met him. Although he was demoted, he still held a position that was unattainable for ordinary people.
Having heard of Ji Jinghe's decisive, fair, and incorruptible style of doing things, his subordinates began preparing for his arrival well in advance.
The prefect said, "Sir, all the documents you requested are here. If you need anything else, please let me know."
Ji Jinghe casually flipped through the pages without replying.
The prefect paused for a moment, but unable to fathom Ji Jinghe's character, he could only follow custom and say, "The post station is simple, but I have prepared a superior room for you, sir. Why don't we call your attendant later to move your clothes over?"
"So that you can stay comfortably for the next month."
Ji Jinghe lifted his eyelids and glanced at him, saying indifferently, "It seems the prefect often does this."
The prefect hesitated, stammering incoherently, "This humble official...this humble official..."
Ji Jinghe coldly rebuked: "If only they had used their crooked thoughts on government affairs, Yuzhou wouldn't have had thousands of households go hungry."
This summer, Yuzhou suffered a severe drought. Except for the areas near the Yellow River, where the harvest was preserved, the rest of the region suffered almost no harvest. If it weren't for the imperial court sending officials to provide disaster relief several times, Yuzhou would have been in chaos long ago.
Otherwise, how could Ji Jinghe have been sent on inspection tours in the first place?
A single remark was enough to make the prefect utterly ashamed, especially since there were subordinate officials from various regions present in the hall. It was as if the prefect had completely lost face.
The prefect hurriedly bowed and said, "I misspoke, sir. Please forgive me."
The atmosphere inside the hall instantly became tense, plummeting to a low point.
Ji Jinghe was too lazy to deal with these social niceties, so he ordered all the officials to start reporting on their work. It took him a whole day to finish.
After returning to the post station that evening, Wei Ji arrived shortly after only a short rest.
"How's the investigation going?"
Wei Ji shook his head: "The defenses are tight. Even if we had arrived three days earlier, we would have gained nothing."
Ji Jinghe sipped his tea, savoring the meaning of the phrase "heavily guarded"...
For a mere local gentry to be described as being under heavy guard is truly outrageous.
"Have you found out anything?"
Wei Ji: "The servants in the mansion are very tight-lipped, so we couldn't get anything out of them. We've been keeping watch around the Zheng mansion, and apart from going out to a teahouse once, Zheng Wanshan hasn't gone anywhere else."
“Some brothers visited the countryside and said that the Zheng family had been defrauding the people for a long time, using loans to seize land, leaving many people with no land to cultivate.”
This is a tactic commonly used by local gentry, but there's no need to rush. There's still a month left, and loopholes will inevitably appear. As long as there's even one sign, it's a good sign.
Ji Jinghe: "First, have someone keep an eye on Zheng Wanshan's movements as usual. If there is anything unusual, report it immediately. Since we can't break into the mansion, let's leave it alone for now, so as not to alert him."
Just then, Qingque knocked on the door.
Qingque: "Sir, a steward from the Zheng family has come to visit. He says that his master is hosting a banquet tomorrow and has come especially to welcome you."
The enemy was even less composed than he was.
Ji Jinghe lowered his eyes and chuckled softly, stroking his teacup, his smile swirling in the steam. "Reply to him, he has important matters to attend to and cannot attend the banquet."
Wei Ji was puzzled and was about to speak up to dissuade him when a thought flashed through his mind and made him shut his mouth.
Ji Jinghe is best at understanding people's hearts. Every decision he makes has a reason and is never made without cause. In all the years he has worked under him, without exception, his biggest miscalculation was probably just over two months ago.
Wei Ji and Qing Que went out to carry out their orders, and in less than a quarter of an hour, the news reached Zheng Wanshan's ears.
Zheng Wanshan slammed his fist on the table, spilling tea everywhere: "What did you say? You can't receive guests?"
The steward nodded: "I didn't even get to see Ji Jinghe. I was stopped as soon as I arrived at the entrance of the post station. After a short while, the servants came to say that they would not see any guests."
Zheng Wanshan scoffed, "He won't even see me, why would he see you? Nonsense!"
He touched his bulging belly, his eyes narrowed, revealing a slightly cloudy light, and after letting out a long breath, he said, "Those from the capital are still not easy to deal with. What's with all the pretense of being high and mighty? Just stuff a couple of women and some silver notes in their hands, and they're still the same old them."
Even heroes can't resist the allure of beautiful women, and mortals can't escape the entanglements of wealth and power.
He simply didn't believe that Ji Jinghe was a banished immortal who was detached from the three realms and indifferent to beauty and wealth.
Butler: "The people below have inquired and said that Ji Jinghe doesn't have a good relationship with his wife at home. That wife is the daughter of Chu Xingjian, who was beheaded some time ago."
"Chu Xingjian was killed because he harmed Xu Yun. Once a couple has something like this between them, I don't believe their relationship can be good. It might even be worse. Master, just pick a few beauties and send them over. Wouldn't Ji Jinghe accept them obediently?"
Zheng Wanshan chuckled softly, leaned back on the couch, and lit a cigarette. "Then go and invite him a few more times. No matter what method you use, get him under your control. If he can't be used by me, then take action directly. We must not let him leave alive. The things the prince entrusted to us cannot go wrong."
The steward bowed and said, "I understand."
The sound of a door closing interrupted the fragrance that filled the room. Gilded curtains fell, and a soft melody drifted out from inside...
*
In the blink of an eye, Ji Jinghe had been in Yuzhou for seven days. During this time, the Zheng family's servants visited the post station countless times, sent out countless invitations, and brought gifts every time. No sooner had they been driven away by Qingque than new people arrived. Even the prefect spoke up for Zheng Wanshan.
That day, the Zheng family's steward came again, bringing some special products from Yuzhou, mostly food, which were not as valuable as gold and silver.
The steward was a smooth talker, and Qingque, fearing it would delay important matters, went forward to report to Ji Jinghe.
Ji Jinghe: "If we do the math, how many times has the Zheng family come over during this period?"
Qingque: "It must have been at least ten times."
Ji Jinghe chuckled softly, but remained silent.
The Zheng family are related to Consort Zheng's maternal family by marriage. Relying on the power of the Prince of Chu, they have reaped countless benefits. The fact that they are now paying attention to him means that they need his help.
Ji Jinghe: "Take the invitation. As for the food, you can take it and distribute it."
Qingque readily agreed and immediately went to relay the message.
The next day, at the Zheng family's residence.
Ji Jinghe left by carriage, and Zheng Wanshan was already standing at the door to greet him. "Lord Ji, it's an honor to meet you in person. I've heard so much about your achievement of passing the imperial examinations three times. It's great to finally meet you in person."
"Mr. Zheng, you flatter me." Ji Jinghe clasped his hands in greeting. "I have been busy with official business lately and only came to the banquet today. I apologize for my rudeness. Please forgive me, Mr. Zheng."
Zheng Wanshan: "What are you saying? It's only because Lord Ji is here that I, Zheng, am being given face."
Today, not only Ji Jinghe was invited to the banquet, but also the prefect. The three of them sat together at the table, each with their own reasons on the surface, but each harboring their own ulterior motives.
Zheng Wanshan appeared nonchalant, but secretly he had been observing Ji Jinghe closely. "Lord Ji, I have been sending out invitations repeatedly to make up for my regret of failing the imperial examination. I have never been good at studying since I was a child, and I can only make a living by doing small business."
The prefect praised, "Boss Zheng, you call this a small business? It's better than our jobs as officials in the court!"
Upon hearing this, the prefect immediately realized his mistake and quickly slapped his mouth twice, saying, "This official misspoke, misspoke."
Seeing the smile on Ji Jinghe's lips, Zheng Wanshan had no choice but to suppress his displeasure for the time being.
Ji Jinghe unexpectedly chimed in, "Boss Zheng is too modest. You own so many shops in Yuzhou City now; they're no longer small businesses."
Zheng Wanshan chuckled and raised his glass: "It's all for making a living. Come on, let's have a drink."
The table was laden with food, but half an hour had passed and almost no one had touched their chopsticks, while the wine jugs on the table had been replaced one after another.
Ji Jinghe drank some, then excused himself from drinking a few more cups, claiming he couldn't hold his liquor.
He deliberately tried to please him, and after a few rounds of conversation, Zheng Wanshan revealed his true nature and started making jokes.
"I never expected that Lord Ji would wear patched clothes. I thought only people from humble families like us would do that."
Mending?
Ji Jinghe followed the gaze and noticed the stitches on his cuffs, dense and neat, in such a hidden place that Zheng Wanshan had actually spotted them.
He didn't even notice when he went out to change his clothes.
The prefect noticed the slight stiffness on Ji Jinghe's face and mistakenly thought he was angry because he had been exposed. He tried to smooth things over by saying, "Your Excellency is frugal as an official, which is naturally different from other officials."
Zheng Wanshan laughed out loud, and Ji Jinghe remained silent for a long time, the matter being tacitly left unresolved.
The prefect suggested playing dice for fun, but he ended up losing the most and got drunk within an hour, falling asleep on the table.
Zheng Wanshan had a high alcohol tolerance, and after a standoff with Ji Jinghe for an hour, he was still in a daze.
Knowing his master was quite drunk, the butler suggested ending the drinking session. Before leaving, Zheng Wanshan still clung to Ji Jinghe's sleeve, babbling drunkenly, "Lord Ji, you lost. You'll have to come again next time..."
Seeing his drunken state, Ji Jinghe was too lazy to talk to him. "Take your master back to rest."
After saying that, Ji Jinghe casually dusted off his sleeves and walked away with steady steps, no longer caring who was seeing him off.
He rarely drinks alcohol, but today he suddenly drank too much and still felt unwell.
While Qingque was riding outside, taking advantage of the quietness of the road, she brought up the matter of clothes.
"That day, I listened to the old man's words and went to Banmu Courtyard to find clothes. It wasn't until the next morning that Baozhu brought them over. At that time, I didn't have time to check if they were good or bad. After arriving in Yuzhou, I completely forgot about the matter."
Qingque said timidly, "When we get back, I'll change it for you right away."
Ji Jinghe knew without him saying it.
Those meticulous stitches could only have been done by her; no wonder she said she stayed up late that night.
The image of her beautiful figure reflected in the window of yesteryear floated into my mind, as if she were right in front of me, her every frown and smile, every frown and anger, was exceptionally vivid.
"Have you received any letters from home?" he asked.
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