Xichun was listening intently when suddenly an older woman stood in front of her, looking at what she was selling.
"Young lady, what are you selling? It looks a bit like chili peppers to me." The aunt looked at it, but couldn't see anything from the outside of the jar, so she could only smell it.
"Auntie, I sell chili peppers. I have chili oil, chili sauce, and chopped chili peppers. Just add a spoonful, and it will make your noodles or rice taste even better." Xichun introduced her products to her and took out a small bowl for her to try.
"Hmm, not bad. How much are they? I think they sell similar chilies in the city." Xi Chun hadn't expected that while her inquiry hadn't yielded any results, she was actually getting business.
Because of what the woman said, people around heard it and came over to try it. Several people also bought some to take home and eat.
Qiangzi was in charge of scouting and didn't return until noon. Seeing that the business was doing well, he came over to help. After everyone left, the two of them pushed the goods back to the inn. Unexpectedly, the people in the prefectural city were even more generous than those in the county. They bought quite a lot in no time. Xichun didn't want to sell out all at once, so she had to pretend that the quantity was small and ran away with Qiangzi.
“I’ve already inquired. In the past, the Prefect always came through this street, supposedly arranged by the Prefect. He might come through here again this time. If we just wait there, we should get good news. I also heard that the Prefect is going to be promoted to another place this year, so the Prefect’s visit is also a way of evaluating officials.”
“That’s right, Brother Qiangzi, then we just need to wait and see.” Xi Chun compared the information he had gathered today with the situation and agreed that it made sense. They were not familiar with the prefectural city and dared not change locations rashly, lest the plan fail.
Xi Chun took out the letter of grievance written by Master Fu earlier, read it, and then put it on his person. This kind of thing cannot be seen by others casually, otherwise he might lose his life. This prefect is going to be promoted this year, and he may try to stop anyone who might affect his promotion.
The two continued to set up their stall, and the aunties loved the chili sauce. They all said they wanted to buy more, and Xichun almost couldn't resist their enthusiasm. Just as everyone was having a lively time, suddenly a lot of yamen runners appeared on the street.
"Reporting the Prefect's message, the Governor will be passing through here tomorrow. All idlers are to stay off this street. Stalls must close tomorrow and must not block the way." The constables conveyed the government's message and reminded everyone that anyone who dared to disobey would be charged with obstructing the government.
Most of the people walking around here are ordinary folks. Who would dare to disobey the government? Anyway, there are other streets to stroll around if this one isn't here. However, some people just want to come and see what's going on.
"Auntie, didn't we say we can't walk around here? Won't watching the commotion get us into trouble?" Xichun asked an auntie who was discussing the matter.
"What's there to be afraid of? We're not going to come to the middle of the road. We'll just watch quietly from both sides. As long as we follow the rules, the officials won't do anything to us." The aunt seemed to have seen a lot.
"What will happen to those who don't follow the rules?"
"Young lady, I advise you not to have such thoughts. I heard that some people broke the rules and went to complain, but as soon as the governor left, their whole family was arrested. Shh, you can't talk about this. Are you selling these chilies? You're not selling them here long-term. You said they can be stored. I'd like to buy more."
"Sell, sell! Everyone was so enthusiastic yesterday that we were worried we wouldn't be able to sell them all, so we brought all our stock today. We'll go back to our hometown tomorrow after we've seen the governor's grandeur." Xi Chun looked like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world.
"Okay, I'll buy more then. I'll call all my girlfriends to come and buy some later."
Xi Chun thought about it and realized that the consequences of this matter were indeed bad, so she decided to split up with Qiangzi tomorrow and not involve him. Anyway, she was the only one left in the family now. Wang Shi had already married and would not be implicated. If they really couldn't win the case, she would be the only one to take responsibility.
Since the governor was coming today, Xichun and Qiangzi went out early in the morning. They wandered around the street and saw many people dressed as commoners standing on both sides of the street, and some yamen runners giving instructions.
"Brother, why are those people on that street? Why didn't the constables stop them?" Xi Chun still didn't understand what was going on.
"What else can we do? We'll be welcoming the governor's men in a bit. You'll find out soon enough." The eldest brother looked mysterious.
Xi Chun then realized that those people must be the legendary performance troupe, so that the governor could "get a deeper understanding" of the local customs and traditions later.
"The Prefect has entered the city!" someone shouted. Everyone stared at the end of the road. Xi Chun, with her sharp eyes, spotted dozens of people in official robes on the other side. They seemed to be officials from Guangming Prefecture.
"Greetings, Your Excellency the Prefect." The prefect, who was in the lead, led all the officials in bowing, and the people on both sides also knelt down. The crowd of onlookers followed suit, and Xichun naturally dared not be an exception.
A sedan chair stopped, and the guards in front lifted the curtain, revealing a sprightly official. Xi Chun peeked at him and saw that he looked to be about fifty or sixty years old.
"My lord, these are all the people of Guangming Prefecture. They heard that you were coming today and spontaneously organized themselves to pay their respects to you. These are some of the elderly people over seventy years old in Guangming Prefecture. They had seen you once before, and they have come to see you again today." After hearing him say that there was no need for formalities, the prefect walked over and introduced the group of "people" around him to the prefect.
"Indeed, Guangming Prefecture is peaceful and prosperous under your rule, and its officials are honest and upright." The governor nodded and looked at him with a smile.
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare." The prefect was pleased with his arrangements; everything seemed to be going smoothly.
Unbeknownst to him, Xi Chun was just about to rush over to plead her case when she realized that someone had already beaten her to it. A young man ran over and shouted, "Your Excellency, I have a grievance to report!"
"Guards! There's an assassin! Quickly take this madman away!" Upon hearing this, the prefect's face changed, and he was about to order his constables to block the man, making sure he didn't spout nonsense in front of the prefect.
The onlookers were saddened to see a young man running to protest his innocence. It was a pity that such a outspoken person was about to face retaliation. Some people couldn't help but shake their heads.
Xi Chun was stunned, because she saw the person who had appeared.
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