Chapter 209 The Colorful-Clad Female Official and the Young Master Wei
Jiangzhou in Jiangnan Circuit was located on a key waterway of the Yangtze River.
The northern section of the river that flows through this area is also known as the Xunyang River.
This section of the river is turbid and yellow, with increasing amounts of silt, yet it is one of the most prosperous waterways in Jiangnan, with numerous merchant ships.
After the boat passed Xunyang City, the scenery on both sides of the river suddenly opened up.
However, compared to the broad plains on both banks, the rolling river was quite crowded:
A hundred boats race, those that paddle hardest win; a thousand sails compete.
Today, under the bright spring sunshine, swallows fly and grasses grow green on both banks. On the Xunyang River, where mud and sand roll and the water glistens in the sun, a magnificent and imposing ship sails against the wind, its keel breaking through the waves.
Its prow is towering, the dragon head carving is lifelike, the flags are fluttering, the interior of the cabin is exquisite and luxurious, and the carving styles are diverse, all of which show the grandeur of the officialdom.
On the river, other cargo ships bearing merchant flags and private boats belonging to wealthy families paled in comparison.
Furthermore, it seemed that the official flags flying on this ship were spotted, and all the other ships made way for it, with no one daring to contest the road.
During this time, some experienced merchants who traveled all over the country noticed that the crew of the official boat sailing in the middle of the Xunyang River were all well-trained, serious and dignified, and walked with a steady gait.
Some people couldn't help but secretly gasp in astonishment:
"The special ship of the Jiangnan Circuit Inspector, escorted by elite soldiers of the Zhechong Prefecture, what kind of distinguished person is it carrying, and where is it headed? Could it be delivering an imperial edict?"
These questions, of course, remain unanswered.
The official ship, which transferred in Jiangzhou City, was personally seen off by the governor of Jiangzhou, and was escorted by soldiers from the Third Zhechong Prefecture of Jiangnan Circuit, sailed smoothly towards Longcheng County.
At this moment, there are several figures facing the wind at the bow of the ship.
"Sister Miaozhen, please, just give me a little hint: what gift is in this brocade box that my great-aunt gave me? I'm so excited, it's like a cat is scratching at my heart."
There was a woman's voice, colder than the river wind:
"Young Master Wei, are you courting death? You dare to inquire about His Majesty's gifts. If someone reports this to the Emperor, even your father won't be able to protect you. This isn't your Wei Prince's residence. Young Master Wei, you'd better watch your words."
"Sister Miaozhen has a kind heart, she definitely won't tell on me! I trust her on that."
The lady-in-waiting, Miaozhen, frowned slightly and glanced at the young man in black robes who was squatting beside her, grinning. The latter was holding a plump pear in his hand, sniffing it from time to time, but not taking a bite, and just talking flirtatiously.
Faced with this attempt to ingratiate herself, Miao Zhen, dressed in a crimson palace gown, slightly raised her chin, gazing at the approaching Dragon City territory in the distance, and offered a soft reminder:
"Young Master Wei, don't shout recklessly; loose lips sink ships."
The young man surnamed Wei, who was squatting on the ground with a sweet smile on his face, smiled nonchalantly, took a bite of the pear in his hand. He was dressed in an elegant purple robe, but his skin was a bit dark, probably from years of sun exposure. His face was fine, but as a man, he had a pair of almond-shaped eyes, which made him look rather effeminate.
"Sister Miaozhen, what are you saying?"
The young man surnamed Wei maintained his bright smile. While eating a pear, he glanced at the aloof middle-aged female official beside him, who was actually older than his birth mother, who had been born a concubine, and chuckled:
“Hey, Sister Miaozhen, just call me Shaoxuan. There’s no need for all this formality. The book says that when people are far from home, they miss their families even more during festivals. Although we’re not related and it’s not a festival right now, we’re still ‘fellow townsmen’ from Luoyang, aren’t we? What’s wrong with being a little more friendly?”
Miaozhen nodded gently: "I have witnessed the noble family traditions and profound learning of the Prince Wei's mansion today."
Wei Shaoxuan chewed on a pear, shrugged, and said nonchalantly:
"Sister, you flatter me. Unlike my elder brothers who are fond of literature, I have never liked reading and I can't calm my mind. I usually travel around with my godfather and I just like the rugged scenery of the desert frontier."
Wei Shaoxuan, the sixth son in his family, squatted at the bow of the boat, tilting his head back and smiling to reveal a set of white teeth.
Miaozhen didn't bother to look at him. She glanced sideways at the man carrying the box who had been silent since boarding the ship, not far from the two of them.
This burly man was about forty or fifty years old, puffy and fleshy, with dark and rough skin, resembling a farmer toiling in the fields. His physique was very solid, and from a distance, he looked like a cube.
His attire was also strange; he wore a short-sleeved hemp garment and had braids on both sides of his temples, unlike a Han Chinese man.
His face was calm at the moment, and he carried a long, purplish-black wooden box on his back. The box was simple and unadorned, with mechanical lines, and it was unknown what it contained.
Miaozhen raised her hand and pointed, "Is this Young Master Wei's godfather? I thought he was a guard."
Wei Shaoxuan's smile remained unchanged as he ate a pear and mumbled incoherently:
"My godfather is from the northern frontier. He's been in the army for a long time and doesn't talk much, even in front of my father. But don't worry, Sister Miaozhen, he's always been sincere. He's a straightforward and honest man, cold on the outside but warm on the inside, rugged yet passionate. Everyone who knows him speaks highly of him!"
"Is that so?" Miaozhen didn't believe a word of the nonsense spouted by this illegitimate son of the King of Wei.
She glanced sideways at the man carrying the box; his aura was as still as an ancient well. Miaozhen vaguely recalled some rumors and speculations, and casually asked:
"Your godfather's attire suggests he's a Xianbei? There are quite a few of them on the frontier. What's his name?"
Wei Shaoxuan sighed, his face full of sorrow:
"Hey, Sister Miaozhen, why are you always asking about my godfather's details, like arranging marriages for him? It's a pity my godfather doesn't like beautiful women. Why don't you ask me more about my situation instead? I'll tell you everything I know!"
Miaozhen was too lazy to reply to him.
"Qiu Qi".
The man carrying the box suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse.
"Surname Qiu?" Miaozhen turned her head and suddenly asked, "What is your relationship with Qiu Shenji, the guest elder of the Prince of Wei's mansion and a top-notch military strategist and Qi cultivator?"
The man carrying the box ignored him.
Wei Shaoxuan stretched out his arm and waved it rapidly in front of Miaozhen, trying to attract her attention, and interjected:
"What would that old man be doing here? Sister Miaozhen knows perfectly well that my father and several uncles and elders in the manor are busy cleaning up the mess from the Yingzhou Rebellion. They don't have time to wander around here. Sister, you have quite the imagination, haha."
"Besides, didn't we already say that we're here to give gifts, just like you were giving gifts to your aunt? We're all relatives, so we should give one too, right?"
Miao Zhen's lips curled up: "Give me a Mo family sword box that is one of the few remaining in existence?"
Wei Shaoxuan's eyes flickered slightly, but he quickly regained his composure, stood up, and patted his sleeves.
"Sister has a good eye, but you've misunderstood. The sword case was a gift from Father. It's normal for a young man to have a sword. What man from Luoyang wouldn't want to carry a sword and venture into the north? The gift given to that family was something else entirely."
Miao Zhen stared at the strange pair of godfather and godson for a while, then shook her head. "Oh."
She seemed to have lost interest... She came on the orders of Her Majesty the Empress, and didn't have much of a relationship with the Wei family who were hitching a ride on her boat and in her carriage. There was no need to curry favor with them or offend them. The Wei family's current situation was very complicated.
Miao Zhen lowered her eyes, ignoring Wei Shaoxuan's overly familiar conversation, and turned back to the cabin.
Inside the cabin, a group of palace maids stood solemnly and on high alert, guarding a carved brocade box.
Before this gift from the Emperor, Miaozhen stood quietly with her hands clasped, observing with detached eyes. After an unknown amount of time, she murmured softly:
"It's been a long time, Your Highness. What a coincidence that His Majesty chose me to come. Should I call you Your Highness, or... call you Xianlang?"
At the bow of the ship, only Wei Shaoxuan and the man carrying the box who called himself Qiu Qi remained.
"Liu Lang talks too much," Qiu Qi said.
Wei Shaoxuan rubbed his face, his playful smile fading.
The pears flew through the air in a parabola, shattering the river water. The young man stood coldly against the wind: "Is that so? We're getting closer and closer to that sword furnace, and it's hard to suppress my emotions."
He turned to look at the Mo family sword box that was supposed to arrive, and suddenly smiled, revealing his white teeth: "I'll trouble you this time, godfather, to carry the sword for me."
Half a day later.
An impressive fleet of ships arrived at Penglangdu.
Amidst the curious and excited gazes of the people of Longcheng, Miaozhen led a group of palace servants to slowly disembark from the boat, board a carriage, and, surrounded by soldiers from Zhechong Prefecture, headed straight for Luming Street, with a clear objective.
Before leaving the ferry dock, the woman in the crimson palace dress lifted the curtain and glanced at the stairs leading down to the boat.
The two members of the Wei family, who had hitched a ride with the boat the whole way, have disappeared without a trace.
Miaozhen frowned and lowered the curtains, then her brows relaxed.
The survival rules she learned over the years in the Empress's inner palace taught her:
Aside from the saying "trouble comes from careless words."
It's none of your business, so don't meddle.
...
"The ladies-in-waiting beside His Majesty? These are no ordinary palace maids... They wear blue, scarlet, and purple palace gowns. What color is the head lady-in-waiting's dress?"
Inside the Longcheng County government office, Ouyang Rong, upon hearing the news, stood up, silently searched through the vague memories in his mind, and asked with a furrowed brow.
"It looks like a deep crimson color."
"Light scarf is seventh rank, dark scarf is sixth rank, that means they are sixth-rank female officials! They are higher than me, so why did Luoyang send them here?"
Ouyang Rong's eyelids twitched, and he said with a headache.
The county magistrate and other officials looked at each other, speechless with fear.
Ouyang Rong raised his hand to put on his official hat, passed them, and strode out, his brows furrowed.
"Never mind, where is he now? He should have taken the convenient waterway and disembarked at Penglang Ferry. How far is it from the county government office? Go open the main gate and prepare to pick him up."
Ouyang Rong resumed his decisive and efficient style, but a single, stammered sentence from the troubled-looking Magistrate Diao made him pause in his tracks:
"Your Excellency... the envoys from Luoyang have just passed by our county government office."
"ah?"
They ignored the officials who came out to greet them and went straight into the depths of Luming Street.
Ouyang Rong asked curiously, "Did they know I lived in the Deer Garden? Didn't you tell them I was on duty at the county office?"
County Magistrate Diao hesitated, then said, "No...it wasn't the Deer Park, Your Excellency. It seems they went to the Su residence next door to you."
Ouyang Rong was stunned for a moment, then his expression changed drastically, becoming unpredictable.
Seeing the young magistrate standing there in a daze, Magistrate Diao couldn't help but call out, "What's wrong, Your Excellency?"
Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes and murmured, "No way..."
He looked up at Magistrate Diao and the others, then suddenly rushed out of the county government hall without saying a word.
"Magistrate, what's wrong? Wait for us..." County Magistrate Diao and the others chased after them, calling out.
Ouyang Rong didn't wait for them. A short while later, with his official hat askew, he hurriedly arrived at the gate of the Su residence.
At this moment, the main gate of this once tightly closed mansion is wide open.
The strange scene of a crowd gathered in front of the door yet being unusually quiet made Ouyang Rong's eyes twitch.
It seems I guessed correctly.
(End of this chapter)
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