Chapter 22: The Past and Present Lives of Reborn Person Three...
"Whoosh!" Somewhere in the distant Yiyang County.
A bucket of cold water was poured over him, and the water droplets splashed and dripped off him.
Although the weather wasn't too bad for him to handle cold water, the young man huddled in the corner, dressed only in a thin cloth robe, was still quite uncomfortable after being soaked through. His hair was disheveled, and his head was drooping, making him look extremely disheveled and pitiful.
"Master Qin, you need to clear your head!" the newcomer threatened in a low voice. "Don't even think about probing into anything you shouldn't know or making any underhanded moves—where are your two servants?"
Qin Liusong raised his head, his face throbbing with pain, and smiled. Surprisingly, there was no fear in his expression. Instead, he smiled gently and said in a very composed manner, "Mr. Huai Liu of Shanjing Academy and I are like brothers, and we have never cared about worldly status. Recently, I found a new score for the zither and wrote to share it with him. Of course, I sent it to Mr. Huai Liu to wait for his reply."
"..." The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
The guard looked back at the room, seemingly unsure of what to do. After confirming some instructions, he forced a smile and came over to help Qin Liusong up: "Hehe, they haven't returned for several days... Is it really the musical score?"
"Cough cough." Qin Liusong coughed a few times, and without any politeness, he used the force to put most of his body weight on the other person. Then he let the maids take him into the room, where they served him nicely, helped him change into clean clothes, wiped and tidied his wet hair, and served him a cup of hot tea and a plate of delicate butter pastries.
Qin Liusong finished his meal slowly and deliberately, and only then did he feel much better.
He looked at the guards who had been waiting impatiently, and at the person sitting on the other side of the wall who refused to come out and confront him, and said sincerely, "I have no chance to take the imperial examinations, so I can only work on these refined things. The correspondence between Mr. Huai Liu and me is all about music. If you don't believe me, you can go and investigate for yourself."
He knew it was a waste of breath to say those words.
Even before he was locked up today, he knew that his previous secret investigation and warning of the villagers had been exposed. The adults would search his place thoroughly, and those letters would definitely have been read by now.
These scoundrels were worried he would expose them. His careful concealment for several days proved worthwhile; it wasn't until today that the truth could be revealed—his two attendants had long since vanished.
"..." It seemed as if some instructions came from next door, and the guard turned and left, probably to carefully examine the letter again. Qin Liusong was not in a hurry at all, and even took another sip of tea, just waiting obediently, as if he was not in a dangerous situation at all.
If a person could live another life and still not learn from the experiences of their previous life, then they would be incredibly foolish.
Qin Liusong lowered his eyes, his light brown pupils gleaming with firelight.
When the new emperor ascended the throne, he was just an insignificant county magistrate. After several years of waiting for his position, he tried every means to climb the ranks. By the time the new emperor passed away, he had only been promoted to the position of Assistant Prefect of Ruzhou Prefecture, a fifth-rank official.
At his age and in such a position, everyone would praise him for achieving such high rank and power at such a young age. But a deep resentment burned within Qin Liusong—
The new emperor is good at recognizing talent and has promoted many capable officials, so he has no shortage of confidants.
He was very talented, but he always lacked an opportunity to be noticed by the new emperor… He was just missing that one crucial bit of luck his whole life. Why? He tried his best to showcase his excellence, but he wasn't a high-ranking official in the capital, nor a prefect; no matter how hard he tried, he wouldn't stand out. Now, the new emperor was gone…
Overwhelmed by intense emotions and resentment, Qin Liusong vaguely realized that he had experienced a miraculous adventure.
He had somehow returned to... the time before he even took the imperial examinations. Similarly, the new emperor was not yet the crown prince, but merely the least favored prince, and hadn't even yet set off for his fiefdom in Liuzhou!
Qin Liusong made a decisive move, withdrawing from the provincial examination he hadn't finished. He consulted a doctor, took medicine for over half a month, and told everyone that he had developed some health problems from the exam and would need to rest for at least a few years. He had naturally failed the provincial examination, and now, with only the title of Xiucai (a lower-level scholar), Qin Liusong packed his bags, saying he wanted to travel and clear his mind, and immediately set off with his page and servants for Yiyang in Ruzhou.
Qin Liusong was from Ruzhou.
He calculated the route. When the Second Prince was to take up his fief in Liuzhou, he would definitely pass through Ruzhou. Although he didn't know the specific route, he could find out and catch up with him to recommend himself as a retainer. He had been a confidant of the new emperor since his humble beginnings. This time, he would finally be noticed, right?
So here comes the most crucial question.
There are still more than half a year before the Second Prince is to be enfeoffed as a prince. Is he really going to just go up and recommend himself so brazenly? Without making any preparations at all? Even if His Highness the Second Prince is down on his luck, he is still a prince. Would he really take a liking to a mere scholar like him who recommends himself?
Qin Liusong must offer a meritorious service, or rather, prove his talent.
Finding the right person to recommend oneself to is an art in itself.
...So after his rebirth, he went straight to Yiyang and secured a position as a secretary. This was because, in his previous life, when he was the assistant prefect of Ruzhou, he had been so brazen as to "collude with bandits and falsely report achievements" in a certain place, which led to his being investigated and convicted by the new emperor. That place was Yiyang County.
Now, Qin Liusong is offering himself up to the tiger, boldly maneuvering in the county government to investigate the matter. On one hand, he can't help but secretly give pointers to the villagers, and on the other hand, he is quietly collecting evidence and sorting out the situation, preparing to eradicate the person entirely with his own skills.
Qin Liusong had the confidence to back it up.
He was once a friend of Mr. Huai Liu of Shan Jing Academy, and after being reborn, he quickly continued their friendship. The two became friends through music and exchanged letters. Now, Qin Liusong has collected evidence of the crimes committed by the officials of Yiyang County, and Mr. Huai Liu's son is an imperial censor who is loyal only to His Majesty and has no other stance.
What would happen if he sent the letter?
The people of Yiyang County and travelers will return to their peaceful lives. Mr. Huai Liu's son will gain status and rewards, while those who deserve punishment will be imprisoned pending trial. Qin Liusong, however, is merely an ordinary scholar without official rank. He will bring the secrets he has uncovered, such as the bandit camp, to the Second Prince to recommend himself…
His Highness gained a fortune of unclaimed wealth, and in return, he gained a wise and benevolent ruler.
Thinking of this, Qin Liusong's lips curled up slightly, then he pursed them again with some anxiety.
Now all we have to do is wait for Mr. Huai Liu to come and rescue him, so that this matter can be brought to a complete end.
after all.
He had recently heard the news that the Second Prince had been enfeoffed as a prince... and he figured the entourage would be passing through Ruzhou soon. He had to quickly settle this mess and catch up to recommend himself.
Hopefully there's enough time... enough time to wait for the pageboys to return so I can quickly help him find out the convoy's route.
It's been tough for the two of them. They had to travel dozens of miles to notify the villagers and also search for Mr. Huai Liu. They haven't heard from him for days, and they don't know if they made it in time...
Qin Liusong's thoughts drifted back to his two attendants.
He sent them out to deliver the evidence to Mr. Huai Liu, and at the same time, to report one last message to the villagers. However, Qin Liusong's information was vague; he only knew which area the bandits intended to cause trouble in, but not which village or mountain. The two attendants had no choice but to risk their lives and travel to each village and mountain hamlet to warn the villagers to be on guard…
I hope everything goes well.
No matter how hard Qin Liusong tried, he couldn't recall which route the Second Prince took to his fiefdom in his previous life... It was astonishing that he could remember the other party passing through Ruzhou; back then, the other party was just an unpopular prince.
There's only one thing he's certain of when he works backwards.
...because the county town of Ruzhou that His Highness the Second Prince's entourage passed through was not Yiyang.
Qin Liusong took another sip of tea, convinced of its authenticity.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Small Theater——
Qin Liusong: Anyway, I'm not coming to Yiyang.
the next day.
Master Qin, who was startled awake from his dying dream: Huh?
The Second Prince has come to Yiyang?!
.
(Because of his cousin Wang Shuo's rebirth, he introduced Master Huang to the male protagonist in advance. Master Huang's hometown is Yiyang County, so the male protagonist changed his route to Yiyang this time and encountered this incident that night.)
.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com