Yichuan County No. 39 (2)

  The exam has started.

  For seven days in a row, the two men were busy with something and I couldn't even see their faces. Helplessly, I had no choice but to call Han Meilan to go shopping together whenever I was free.

  I didn't want to go with her at first, but now that I'm in unfamiliar territory, she has better martial arts skills, so it's safer for me to call on her.

  Yichuan County is not big, so after a few days, I have walked through every corner of the city, and my overall feeling can be summed up in one word: poor.

  The shops here are all very monotonous, doing only the kind of business that maintains a basic livelihood, and prosperity and bustle have nothing to do with this place, let alone thinking about promotional methods to attract customers. My friend and I wanted to buy some fabric to make new clothes for everyone, but we couldn't find any fashionable or tasteful ones.

  It's said to be poor, but there are several large mansions that are luxurious and majestic, standing out in the county town. This must be the home of some prominent people in Ikawa County, with people coming and going dressed in silk, satin and brocade, probably all imported from outside the county, because you can't buy them here at all.

  Generally poor, with extreme income inequality.

  It is unrealistic to make the ancient feudal society equally rich and poor, but the overall appearance of Yichuan County shows that the previous governance of this county was simply terrible.

  The rural areas outside the city are even worse. The two of us rode horses and spent two days touring the outskirts of the city, only to find that the natural environment in this area is also very poor, seemingly quite arid, with cracked earth everywhere. It's currently the season for harvesting autumn crops, but this year's yield is clearly not good either, as people starving have stripped the trees bare.

  I remembered the corpses I saw when I just got off the boat, and Han Mei Lan with a heart of glass, tears were already welling up in her eyes.

  "Firefly, what can we do?!"; She said with a sob in her voice, which annoyed me.

  "Meilan, don't worry, let's go back and discuss with the two brothers, they must have a plan. I think, when the time comes, we will have many things to do, and we might even be too busy to handle."

  Han Mei Lan took a deep breath, nodded vigorously and gazed at me with adoring eyes.

  As a result, when we returned to the county government office that day, we saw Luo Dachun smiling and sending off a man at the gate. The man was in his 40s or 50s, dressed elegantly and luxuriously, with a plump build, clearly a wealthy person.

  "Slowly walking away, forgive me for not seeing you off further!"

  "Lord Nie is so polite, please stay a while!"

  The two of them looked as if they had already become sworn brothers.

  Lu Da Chun wore a green official uniform with a black round collar, which color inexplicably complemented his temperament and looked very good. Nie Qiuyuan was conferred the sixth rank, and the uniforms of the sixth and seventh ranks were all green. I had imagined what Nie Qiuyuan would look like wearing this uniform, and thought that this green color was quite strange, but the result was better than I had imagined.

  "Big Brother Luo, who is this person?"

  I saw that man walk far away, then I followed Ruo Da Chun to the inner house with Mei Lan.

  Luo Da Chun smiled slyly and said: "It's only been a few days since we took office, and someone has already come to give us gifts! Let's go take a look!"

  The eight-treasure gift box has been sent to the third hall, it's a large wooden chest, exquisitely carved with flowers. This chest alone is probably not cheap.

  Open the box, inside are all kinds of silk fabrics. Digging deeper, wow, what's exposed underneath is all neatly wrapped gold and silver!

  We counted it and there were five thousand taels of silver. This was just a courtesy call for the new official.

  "Look around." Lu Daquan raised his chin slightly, indicating for us to look at our surroundings.

  Almost a dozen boxes of different sizes and shapes were lined up.

  "I don't even know how many guests I've received today!" said Luo Dachun with a smile.

  "Lu Da Ge, you... just like that... accepted?! I held it in for a while, but finally couldn't help calling out. This is bribery!"

  "Received. What's wrong? They kindly sent it, aren't we going to accept it?" Lu Da Chun looked at me with an expression as if he was looking at a fool.

  "This, this......" I don't know what to say.

  "Brother! This is not right!" Han Meilan exclaimed, her small face flushing bright red. She rarely spoke like this, it was clear she was very unaccustomed to it. But what she said was exactly what I had been thinking.

  I'm not a noble person who looks down on gold and silver treasures, on the contrary, I think this is quite practical. However, as a modern woman, I have a sense of justice in my heart, and I know that this is against the law.

  Luo Da Chun said: "Shoo, shoo, little girls don't bother with these things. You two go and think about it, arrange a few good tables of wine and food for me. Three days later on the Double Ninth Festival, brothers will be entertaining guests in this county government office."

  Mulan and I were busy for three days. In fact, the county government is equipped with servants and chefs according to regulations, so our main work was planning and design. Of course, our skills are not inferior to those of the chef, so we often take matters into our own hands. After a round of preparation, the menu, taste, layout, table setting, decoration, I think it's still very perfect.

  When we were busy preparing for the banquet, we found that our home was already filled with potted chrysanthemums sent by others, in various colors and dozens of varieties, competing with each other in beauty, breathtakingly beautiful.

  The Double Ninth Festival is here, and the most seasonal thing is chrysanthemum. This newly appointed "Nie Daren" has a charming appearance, so the big shots in the county are busy selecting high-quality ones and sending them over with the intention of pleasing him.

  I and Mei Lan chose the banquet location in the backyard, set up lanterns in the backyard, and arranged these chrysanthemums high and low in the garden. In this way, you can appreciate the moon by raising your head, and appreciate the chrysanthemum by lowering your head, with fine wine and delicious food, it's still quite good.

  I couldn't sleep, so I came out to take another look at the venue for tomorrow's banquet. Gazing at the chrysanthemums blooming in full glory under the bright moonlight, I couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. Ever since the meaning of chrysanthemums changed in our era, I've developed an aversion to flower appreciation activities. But such a grand scale of proud frost and city-toppling beauty is indeed quite breathtaking.

  A snow-white chrysanthemum suddenly stretched out before me

  Under her nose, a faint fragrance wafted out.

  "This branch is called 'Remnant Snow and Swan Goose', I didn't expect to find such good chrysanthemums here."

  A very low voice, soft and familiar.

  It's not the third watch yet, but the Young Master of the Night is standing quietly behind him, holding that white chrysanthemum in his hand. The petals of the chrysanthemum are as fine and long as silk, shining white like jade, while the delicate petals wrapped around the flower core are a faint yellowish-brown, exceptionally captivating.

  "Have you arrived?"

  A faint joy suddenly surged up in my heart.

  He nodded: "In recent days, I have been secretly investigating Ikawa County and found traces of the Tianjingmen's dark deeds. The Tianjingmen is most sensitive to the skills you understand in your heart, so be extremely careful when taking action, don't attract their attention."

  I was shocked. The wings of the Tianjing Gate are indeed all over the world, and even a small county town is not spared. That is to say, when an incident occurs, don't let me rush forward blindly, okay?

  "Don't worry, I have a sense of propriety. Ren Ping Sheng... will he come after me too?" I'm more interested in the latter.

  "According to the intelligence I've obtained, Ren Pingsheng has gone to Jiangnan to handle some business, so we can probably have a peaceful period for a while. In any case, when it comes to matters related to the Tianjing Gate, be extremely cautious and protect yourself well."

  He was concerned about my safety, and my heart warmed up.

  He smiled lightly: "Don't worry about these for now, tomorrow Da Chun is going to put on a good show. You love watching plays, don't you? Tomorrow, just watch carefully."