Upon hearing that the county magistrate was requesting an audience, Hongshi said, "Let him in!"
After entering the room, Magistrate Tong saw Linlang lying in Hongshi's arms. He indifferently withdrew his gaze, lowered his head, raised his eyebrows, bowed to Hongshi, and said, "Your Highness must be tired from your journey. This humble official and several other officials are hosting a banquet at Zuihonglou. We hope Your Highness will do us the honor of joining us."
After listening, Hongshi said, "Yes, I will go." Then he waved his hand and said, "If you have nothing else, you can go now!"
"This humble official takes his leave." After saying this, Magistrate Tong got up and left. After leaving the house, a slight smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, which seemed like a cold smile or a mocking smile, making it hard to understand.
That evening, Hongshi arrived at a time that was neither too early nor too late. Almost all the officials from Hebi County had arrived, and they were basically the same people who had greeted him at the city gate that day.
Upon seeing Hongshi arrive, everyone quickly stood up and bowed. Hongshi nodded, gesturing for them to sit down.
After the banquet began, Magistrate Tong raised his glass with a smile: "It is a blessing for us officials and all the people of Hebi County that Your Highness has come to Hebi County. Come! Let us all toast Your Highness!"
Hearing his words, everyone stood up and raised their glasses. Hongshi was pleased by his words and picked up the glass on the table to drink.
Everyone laughed, and the banquet began.
The musicians and dancers entered the room one after another. On both sides were the masters drinking and eating, and the large open space in the middle was reserved for their performance.
Hongshi wasn't particularly enthusiastic about the performance, having seen plenty of such shows since he was born into the royal family. Meanwhile, the officials, mindful of his presence, were all on edge and their attention wasn't fully focused on the dancers.
Everyone present was somewhat reserved, except for Magistrate Tong, who remained as unpretentious as ever.
Hongshi couldn't help but feel a little doubtful. This was hardly the behavior one would expect from a county magistrate in a county suffering from drought. He looked at Magistrate Tong and asked, "How is the disaster situation in Hebi County and the other counties near Kaifeng?"
Magistrate Tong stood up and replied to Hongshi, "Your Highness, the disaster in Hebi County is not serious because there is a river outside the city with just enough water for the people to irrigate and drink. As for Kaifeng City, it is more serious. I heard that there have even been incidents of people fighting over water in several villages."
Hearing this, Hongshi frowned. He hadn't expected the disaster in Kaifeng to be so severe. He immediately decided to head to Kaifeng, but Magistrate Tong advised him, "Kaifeng is not peaceful right now. If Your Highness goes there rashly, it may be dangerous. What if those disaster victims offend Your Highness? It would be better if I sent someone to check and confirm that everything is alright, and then have the Prefect of Kaifeng send someone to pick you up. It won't be too late for Your Highness to set off then."
Hongshi thought about it for a moment and felt that Magistrate Tong made sense. After all, he was a prince and his own safety was the most important thing. The disaster victims could wait a little longer; a couple of days later wouldn't cause any problems.
So he nodded in agreement and told Magistrate Tong to get it done as soon as possible.
Hongshi drank his wine and unknowingly became somewhat drunk. He then asked Magistrate Tong to send someone to escort him back. Magistrate Tong saw him to the door, but Hongshi refused Magistrate Tong's offer to go back to his villa with him. He waved for him to continue and then went back.
After watching Hongshi's carriage drive away, Magistrate Tong whispered something to the guard beside him before returning to continue drinking.
That evening, Magistrate Tong was writing a letter in his study addressed to the Eighth Prince. After finishing, he summoned his servant, handed him the letter, and instructed him to deliver it as soon as possible.
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