Chapter 165 Innocence Lost, Difficult to Recover...
The government office.
Zhangzhou Prefecture was well governed. Not only was the disaster dealt with, but also the old ailments were all cured by Zhang Ting.
Prefect He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes contentedly for a short rest.
She experienced the joy of being a hands-off manager for once.
The entire prefecture was running smoothly, with each department performing its duties, and she didn't have much to do throughout the day.
She thought to herself with delight: Zhang Ting has won the hearts of the people and gained a good reputation, which has done her a good deed. Her recommendation was not in vain.
By now, her petition requesting an official appointment must have already reached the Emperor's desk, right?
Although His Majesty dislikes Zhang Ting, the Crown Princess and Prime Minister Gao regard her as their right-hand woman. With their covert manipulation and her well-deserved political achievements, wouldn't a mere fifth-rank prefecture be a piece of cake?
Prefect He couldn't help but chuckle. Zhang Ting did have some luck in officialdom.
But then she frowned, sighing unhappily. As a subordinate, she was excellent, but she had been promoted to the prefectural city... Prefect He couldn't help but recall the scene from that day: officials and commoners stood in a dense, imposing crowd, seemingly like an overturned sea. Zhang Ting's ability to unite people was terrifying, and the level of response from the people and officials to her was simply frightening. Prefect He had no doubt that if Zhang Ting were to rebel one day, Zhangzhou Prefecture would be the first to stand up and support her.
Prefect He hissed heavily, abruptly banishing the unrealistic and terrifying thoughts from his mind. What was this bright and promising young man doing, rebelling?
She tapped her head, realizing she'd really gone mad from playing around with men.
"Knock knock—" The duty room was knocked on.
"Lord He, the Prefect of Tongzhou Prefecture has sent you a letter."
"Come in." Prefect He coughed lightly, sat up straight, and appeared dignified and solemn, trying to reclaim the official position that Zhang Ting had taken from him.
The clerk walked in with his head bowed and handed her the letter. "Your Excellency is busy, I will take my leave now." He never once looked up at her.
Prefect He felt a lump in his throat. Was he trying to wink at a blind man?
She completely forgot that she could not look directly at her superiors, and that violating this rule would result in twenty strokes of the cane, a strict rule she had set before.
Prefect He slowly opened the envelope. What did that cunning old dog from Tongzhou Prefecture want from writing to her? Surely it wasn't another show of arrogance? Last time, under the guise of expressing his feelings and discussing philosophy, he berated her mercilessly.
She wanted to see what this cunning old dog was up to this time!
Prefect He, with a cautious and skeptical attitude, carefully read through the document, but was suddenly shocked.
This...this is actually someone coming to flatter her?
She sat up straight, her spirits lifted, and read the letter carefully, word by word. The letter said that Zhangzhou Prefecture was governed exceptionally well, its reputation even reaching Tongzhou Prefecture. She had heard it was the work of a virtuous official named Zhang Ting. She wondered if she could borrow the prefecture's resources for a while.
Prefect He was so flattered that he felt completely relaxed and couldn't suppress the smile on his face.
Of the many prefectures in Dayong, Zhangzhou Prefecture was the most remote and isolated. It was plagued by war and natural disasters year after year, and was located on the periphery of the court, a place that officials avoided like the plague. Although she herself was a prefect, she was like Zhangzhou Prefecture, ostracized by those in the core. How could she enjoy the feeling of being flattered by her peers like she did today?
Prefect He let out a long sigh, clutching the 'deeply affectionate' letter, overwhelmed with emotion. Her colleague had so warmly and humbly asked her to lend him someone; of course, she would choose to do so.
No, I won't lend it.
That cunning old dog from Tongzhou Prefecture, that lowly woman who never gave me a kind look at the past discussions, thinks that a few nice words will make me give in? Humph, what a fool!
Long Feifengwu briefly rejected the letter, and Prefect He arrogantly raised his chin, ordering his yamen runners to deliver it to the other party again.
Zhang Tingzhen is a real gem. Even if he were to serve as a minor magistrate in the most remote and impoverished county, there would be a scramble to recruit him. Prefect He stroked his chin. No wonder the Fifth Princess and Prime Minister Gao had already won him over so early on; she adored this talent.
Having vented his pent-up frustrations today, Prefect He is quite pleased.
She began to fantasize about Zhang Ting arriving in the prefectural city as governor and governing Zhangzhou with great success. She wouldn't have to do anything; she could simply wait for Zhang Ting to bestow the credit upon her, and with the connection to the Fifth Princess, her home front would be secure. Then, she could be promoted to one of the Six Ministries in the capital, and further still, enter the Grand Secretariat…
Prefect He couldn't stop laughing. Even if Zhang Tingguan's reputation and supporters were far greater than his own, it seemed like it would still work? Hahaha.
As for the letter from the prefect of Tongzhou, she had long since forgotten about it.
However, Prefect He did not expect that after being humiliated by him, the other party would send his second-in-command, the Assistant Prefect, with gifts to "invite the person," demonstrating their sincerity and determination.
One cannot hit a smiling face, so Prefect He hosted a banquet to warmly entertain Liu Fuxin, the Assistant Prefect of Tongzhou Prefecture.
Having been a seasoned official for many years, Liu Fuxin's flattering words and toasts at banquets made Prefect He blush with delight.
However, knowing the purpose of the other party's visit, and considering the gifts, she said, "Lord Liu, since you have come here sincerely, I will not deceive you. I cannot make the decision regarding the transfer of Zhang Ting, so you should give up on that idea."
Liu Fu was greatly alarmed. "Why do you say that, Lord He? You are the prefect of this prefecture. Can't a mere county magistrate just borrow money as he pleases?"
Prefect He waved his hand, saying, "You don't understand." But he refused to reveal any further details.
Liu Fuxin was puzzled. Who exactly was this Zhang Ting? He was just a low-ranking county magistrate, and even the prefectural governor couldn't order him around.
However, Liu Fuxin also understood something from her firm attitude of compromise, and tentatively asked: "I have come here with the utmost sincerity. Tongzhou County is suffering from a plague, and the people are in great pain. I would like to ask Lord He for some guidance?"
Prefect He accepted the gifts and answered crisply, "If you want to borrow someone, you naturally have to ask their opinion." If Zhang Ting had no objections, then of course she had no objections either.
Liu Fuxin frowned deeply, increasingly confused by the situation in Zhangzhou Prefecture. How could it be that a seventh-rank county magistrate held a higher position than a fourth-rank prefect? Who was truly in charge of Zhangzhou Prefecture?
This is absolutely unbelievable.
But she had come under orders from her superiors and wasn't one to dwell on trivial matters. She asked Prefect He for advice, "I wonder if Lord Zhang Ting..." She added, "Does Lord Zhang have any favorite things? How should I respond?"
Prefect He paused, frowning in thought. As for Zhang Ting's preferences, even after working together for quite some time, she couldn't quite put her finger on them.
If we have to say it, does loving being an official and loving hard work count?
During the pause and silence she was in, Liu Fuxin also pondered, and seeing the increasingly confused expression on the other's face, she couldn't help but feel uneasy as well.
He probed again: "Throughout history, the allure of a beautiful woman has been the most difficult to overcome, with countless sages falling prey to it. I wonder if this applies to this Lord Zhang?"
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Prefect He burst into laughter, laughing so hard he could barely breathe.
"Why are you laughing?" Liu Fuxin cautiously took a few steps back. Could the prefect of Zhangzhou be crazy?
Prefect He finally caught his breath and waved his hand, then burst into laughter again, "You don't know, Lord Zhang... she's no good! She suffers from a serious illness, so she's extremely cautious about even contact with women, let alone men."
Liu Fu stared wide-eyed in horror, "How could this be!" But the speaker was the prefect of this prefecture, and he spoke with such detail that even though it was hard to believe, she couldn't help but believe him.
He sighed a few times, both out of sympathy for his colleague who had lost the joys of life at such a young age, and out of lament for the slow progress of official business.
An official who has suffered such a sudden misfortune and is now afflicted with a serious illness must be extremely vulnerable and sensitive. She must go back and think about how to persuade him to return to public service.
"Farewell, Lord He. I shall take my leave." He turned and left, intending to inform the prefect before making a decision.
But along with her, Zhang Ting's innocence was gone forever.
...
Kyoto.
On the emperor's desk lay a memorial requesting an official appointment. Emperor Chengtai, bored, unfolded it, and his eyes immediately widened.
Please seal... Zhang Ting?
She called out, "Xu Qiu, come here."
"Come and take a look at this character. Or have I lost my sight?" A man who was just demoted to a poor county by the emperor was recommended to be the prefect in less than a year? And it was with the full guarantee of this prefect.
Is there really such audacious person in the world? Is this a sign of contempt for her?
Xu Qiu stepped forward quickly, and upon closer inspection, he was startled. "This...this...could there be someone in the world with the same name?" Who dares to risk their life at this time of year?
Emperor Chengtai's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets with rage. His wide sleeves fluttered wildly as he shouted, "This is outrageous!" His chest heaved violently as he gritted his teeth. "Do you think that because I am old and frail and can no longer get up, you all think you can ride roughshod over me? Is that it?"
Xu Qiu's hair stood on end, and he knelt down abruptly, "Your Majesty, please calm down."
"Your Majesty, please calm down—" The palace maids and servants were so frightened by the overwhelming power that they knelt down in fear, and the timid ones even spilled yellow soup on the ground.
Emperor Chengtai was old, but his nose was still sharp. With a stern look in his eyes, he pinned the disrespectful palace maid to the spot, so afraid that she couldn't even open her mouth to beg for mercy.
"Drag this filthy, lowly servant out and beat her to death! She's defiled my Zichen Palace!" she sneered. "So, you all dare to ride roughshod over me! Without master or servant, without ruler or mother, are you trying to defy the heavens?!"
Xu Qiu swallowed hard, then rushed over and hugged her leg. "Your Majesty has just recovered, you should take better care of your health and not worry about such trivial matters." She buried her head and sobbed, worried about her master.
A while ago, the north wind was fierce, and His Majesty caught a cold after being exposed to it during court sessions.
Standing at his feet was the old man he had served for many years. Emperor Chengtai forcibly suppressed his anger and roared, "Summon Gao Qiu!"
——
Gao Mansion.
Inside a secluded octagonal pavilion, an old man and a young man are playing chess.
"Prime Minister Gao, the Empress Mother is probably about to summon you." The young and elegant woman blew on the white chess piece in her hand.
Gao Qiu stood up with a smile and straightened his clothes.
Just then, a servant rushed in, "Reporting to Your Excellency, His Majesty urgently summons you to the palace!"
Gao Qiu turned around and exchanged a glance with Chen Liu, both smiling, their thoughts unspoken.
Just when I was wondering how to deal with Zhang Ting, this was like a pillow being handed to me when I was sleepy.
Let's see how she turns things around this time.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
