Chapter 38 New Life
"Calm down, calm down, Mingfu! We can't flip the table! How can we play if we flip the table? It won't benefit anyone; everyone will lose!"
County Magistrate Diao was extremely anxious and stammered.
"The biggest benefit is that they are gone."
"But Your Excellency will also perish. They didn't follow the proper procedures when mobilizing troops. A nobleman should not risk his life. How can Your Excellency trade your life for theirs?"
"I feel like I've made a great deal!"
"..." Magistrate Diao was speechless. "You are a seventh-rank county magistrate, a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) who has achieved the third rank in the imperial examinations, and a scholar whose name is remembered even by the Empress of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Your future is limitless. How can you let them ruin your future?"
"Are you done talking?"
Magistrate Diao cautiously observed his expression and tentatively said, "I've finished speaking..."
Ouyang Rong nodded, gripped the hilt of his sword and pressed down, intending to chop off the "old dog's" head. This terrified Magistrate Diao, who immediately broke down in tears, wailing, "There's more, there's more..."
"explain."
County Magistrate Diao turned his head to shield his face from the blade, and said urgently:
"If Magistrate Ming is gone, what if the next magistrate is a corrupt official? Not only will all the grain and silver obtained from confiscating Magistrate Ming's property be lost, but the disaster relief camp in the suburbs will probably be forcibly demolished. All the hard work Magistrate Ming has put in these days will be destroyed in an instant."
"Your Excellency, you have no idea. The previous officials were all bastards who only knew how to make money. They finally got to have you, a just and upright official, and they were counting on you to uphold justice. To exchange them one for one is really too much of an honor for them. We can't just let them off so easily..."
"Therefore, Your Excellency must not act impulsively, but remain calm! A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan. As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn..."
The county magistrate was so anxious that he stammered and after racking his brains for an explanation, he found that the man in front of him had stopped moving. He carefully lowered his hand and looked up. He saw that the young magistrate had calmed down at some point and was silently watching him.
"Ming... Mansion?"
Ouyang Rong suddenly said, "With your mouth full of rhymes, is Lord Diao also going to take the postgraduate entrance exam?"
"..." Magistrate Diao was taken aback. What was the postgraduate entrance exam? Also?
Before he could even ask, he suddenly felt a lightness on his body.
Ouyang Rong had already stood up and quietly patted the dust off his clothes.
Having narrowly escaped death, Magistrate Diao secretly wiped away his sweat. The man in front of him had looked truly terrifying. Years of experience in reading people told him that if he hadn't answered correctly, he would have lost his head... Speaking of which, what kind of amazing magistrate has come to Longcheng County? You outsiders call him a gentleman.
Magistrate Diao cursed under his breath, carefully avoiding the chilling blade at his neck. He got up, drew the short sword again, and, bending over, handed it to Ouyang Rong with both hands.
The latter glanced at him, his expression unchanged, took the item, sheathed it, and as he turned to leave, uttered a single sentence:
"Lord Diao is indeed used to kneeling, but there was something he said that made some sense."
"May I ask, Your Excellency, which sentence is it? I will ponder it and try to say more things that Your Excellency likes to hear in the future."
Ouyang Rong squinted at Qin Duwei, his junior sister, and Yan Liulang, who were crowding around him, and said softly, "Flipping the table is far too lenient on them..."
"As long as you don't flip the table, that's fine... Your Excellency is wise!" Magistrate Diao nodded with satisfaction.
Ouyang Rong ignored him, glanced at the pitch-black night before dawn, and said loudly, "General Qin."
"Your subordinate is here!"
"Light the fire and cook the rice, feed the horses with millet, and let the soldiers have a good meal before dawn."
"Yes, sir!"
Commandant Qin didn't ask any further questions and immediately went to carry out the order.
Upon hearing this, Magistrate Diao nearly fainted. Hadn't they said they wouldn't overturn the table? Why were they gathering troops for a "farewell feast"?!
"You've had a long night, you should all go and get something to eat." Ouyang Rong said softly to his junior sister and Yan Liulang, who both looked confused, before turning and leaving without explaining.
Whether or not the table in Longcheng County is overturned is up to him; the Liu family and the other twelve families are the ones begging on their knees.
...
A certain person had a habit of going to the disaster relief camp on the outskirts of the city every morning before returning to his office to work. If he had no official business that day, he would stay in the outskirts of the city to deal with the affairs of the refugees and meddle in other people's business.
Even with all that happened last night... including my first murder, cleanly severing a head... it was no exception.
After uttering a command that sounded like he was flipping a table, Ouyang Rong left the government office and then subconsciously walked to the disaster relief camp on the outskirts of the city.
The disaster relief camps are for refugees who have been homeless due to the floods. The poor at present do not have the right to sleep in late, and there is not much entertainment at night. They go to bed early and get up early. Not everyone is like Magistrate Diao.
So every morning, the campsite, which had been silent all night, seemed to suddenly come alive, becoming the liveliest time of the day.
Ouyang Rong used to really like this kind of vibrant life.
The bustling morning market is the true pulse of this county town, not the pipa music from Yuanming Tower, the extravagant lifestyle of wealthy families, or the solemnity of the Longcheng County Government Office.
He then distributed the dates, malt sugar, and other snacks that his aunt had given him to the dirty children passing by at the camp gate. Afterward, he found a hill where he could get sunlight in the morning and sat down. It was actually an old spot.
This time, Ouyang Rong noticed a group of children following behind him, timid and hesitant to approach. As if he were used to it, he waved his hand and called them to come to him.
Ouyang Rong seemed unaffected by the events that occurred in the east warehouse last night.
He rubbed his stiff, tired face, turned around, and said with a stern expression, feigning seriousness, "Don't move yet, let me guess... Alright, are you here to bribe me again? You're already learning bad habits at such a young age, what will you be like when you grow up? You'll be out of control..."
The younger children shrank behind the older children in fright, who quickly blushed and explained.
Ouyang Rong feigned a frown and sighed, "They come to feed me pickled radishes every day. Ah, there really are bad people among the masses..."
While criticizing them, the young magistrate's hands were busy. He readily accepted all the bags of pickled radishes they brought, patting their heads and asking them a few words of concern. If these children didn't have to go to school, he might have even given them some homework... After a while, Ouyang Rong let the children, whose little faces were reserved but happy, go.
Actually, this was a daily routine. Ever since the women in the camp learned that a certain handsome magistrate liked to eat pickled radishes, they would often find opportunities to "feed" him.
At first, they all came by themselves, but later they seemed to realize that the handsome magistrate was a bit shy. He would blush and stammer every time they surrounded and teased him, and he would start walking around them... So these women, understanding his situation, changed the method and had their children deliver the gifts.
Ouyang Rong used to be quite indifferent to the kind of harmonious relationship between officials and the people depicted in movies and TV shows, but he later found it surprisingly appealing when it happened to him.
However, after forcing a smile to send the children off today, his expression immediately returned to calm, and he sat alone on the hillside.
I felt a little cold that night.
But then, someone timidly called out from behind, "Master."
Ouyang Rong turned his head and saw a familiar small figure.
"Aqing? What brings you here?"
The young girl with the tattoo on her forehead was still wearing the same old clothes, worn and patched, but neat and clean. Her face, tanned to a healthy wheat color, was also clean. She was the kind of girl who looked as pure as a white cloud at first glance. Only the unpolluted green mountains and clear waters of this era could nurture such a beautiful girl.
"Ah... Ah Qing, come and return Master's clothes... clothes..."
Under his gaze, the little girl stammered her first words, then, as if summoning her courage, she raised her head, her bright, intelligent eyes fixed on him, and said in a clear voice:
“I heard from them that the master often comes to this area in the morning, so Ah Qing came... But it seems that the master didn’t come yesterday, and I waited all morning... But the master finally came today.”
Aqing stepped forward hesitantly, head bowed, and handed over a neatly folded robe. It was the robe that Ouyang Rong had draped over her during the misunderstanding when she took off her clothes last time. He had forgotten about it afterward, but he didn't expect this little girl to come all the way here in person.
"I had a banquet yesterday at noon, so I couldn't come," Ouyang Rong said somewhat apologetically. "I'm sorry, thank you for your trouble."
She handed it over with both hands, and he took it with both hands as well. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the sleeves of the shirt seemed to have some pretty embroidery.
Ouyang Rong remained silent.
"It's not hard work." Aqing blushed slightly, looking down at the two shoes below. The two of them were speechless for a moment.
Then, the girl with the character "Yue" on her forehead seemed to have thought of something, and her face became somewhat excited as she said:
"By the way, sir, my mother and I give my brother that miraculous remedy you gave us every day. We also follow your advice to ventilate the room and use fewer blankets... Now my brother's condition has improved a lot and is not as frightening as before... The old abbot also said that my brother has held on and that if he continues, there is hope for a full recovery."
Ouyang Rong nodded and forced a smile, "That's good." Actually, he had directly predicted that Ashan would get better that day just to give Ashan and his family confidence. Sometimes it's important to give people a sense of hope.
Aqing had no idea what Ouyang Rong had recently experienced, nor did she know how cruel the adult world was.
The two sat together on the hillside. Her eyes sparkled as she expressed her gratitude, which Ouyang Rong readily agreed to.
However, although Aqing was introverted, she was also sensitive. As if she had sensed something, she glanced at the young magistrate whose smile seemed tired, and took her leave. Ouyang Rong thought about it and did not try to stop her.
Before leaving, he noticed the ribbon on the little girl's skirt waist, which looked like the bow he had worn last time.
She's quite skillful. I remember Liu's mother mentioning that Aqing works as an embroiderer to support her family... Ouyang Rong thought to himself.
After watching the little girl's figure disappear, he sat on the hillside for a long time, quietly watching the twenty-four disaster relief camps in the fields ahead gradually return to their usual liveliness, as if they had been reborn under the early sun. Ouyang Rong felt that some kind of power was also returning within him.
They are also newcomers.
"It's just playing dirty games under the table, anyone can do that..." A new plan came to mind.
As the early sun warmed his body, the young magistrate stood up, draped his scholar's robe over his shoulder, picked up a few bags of pickled radishes, and walked with his back to the Longcheng County that was awakening in the morning light.
"No, we've been starving for so long, we need to get a bite of 'meat' first..."
These two chapters were written in a bit of a rush and have some flaws. I've reviewed and revised them, so I apologize to all my fellow readers...
(End of this chapter)
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