Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Early the next morning, Lin Ting accompanied Yan Ji to Luoshi Village.

Located in the suburbs, close to the Qu River, Luoshi Village had been hit by recent rains, leaving the roads muddy. After Lin Ting nearly tripped for the umpteenth time, they finally reached the village entrance.

Luoshi Village had stood for over a century. Its bamboo fence, old and weathered, bore the marks of several repairs, clearly showing the passage of time.

From the entrance, few people were visible, save for a white-bearded old man standing guard. As they approached, his expression tightened, his gaze fixed on them as if they were sworn enemies.

Just as Lin Ting was about to ask for directions, the old man suddenly sprang up, brandishing his bamboo staff and snarling, "How dare you show your faces again? Scram!" The word "scram" was delivered with surprising force, belying his apparent age.

Lin Ting was about to protest the rudeness—they hadn't even spoken yet, why the immediate hostility?—when Yan Ji pulled him back. "Village Chief, stubborn resistance is not the answer. The imperial court has already built new housing and reallocated land for your villagers in the city. Luoshi Village and several surrounding prefectures have suffered greatly from floods in recent years. This dike, the court is determined to build."

Yan Ji's words only infuriated the old man further. He raised his staff and chased after them, shouting, "Those are just your tricks to deceive us! Once we all move, you'll seize our land and never give us back our homes or fields. You'll force our entire village onto the streets as beggars!"

Lin Ting dodged frantically, thinking the old man's words were utterly unreasonable. He retorted, "Old man, that's unfair! Where did you hear such nonsense? The court building new houses is a concrete fact. You can't be so unreasonable!"

The village chief snorted through his nostrils. "Reason? Did you show reason when your soldiers surrounded our village? Hmph!" He plunged his staff into the mud. "One thousand taels per family, or there's nothing to discuss."

"One thousand taels? Why don't you just rob us?" Lin Ting shot back. These villagers were incredibly greedy, refusing to listen to reason. No wonder no minister wanted this assignment.

The village chief's eyes widened in fury as he pointed at them. "Are you leaving or not? If you don't, I'll call for help... Help! Help! Someone's trying to break into the village!"

Lin Ting stared, dumbfounded. What kind of stunt was this?

Windows across the village snapped open, revealing wary faces.

"Let's go!" Yan Ji immediately grabbed Lin Ting and turned to leave.

They retreated to a teahouse in the city to compose themselves. Lin Ting slumped into a chair, utterly drained. "I'm exhausted," he groaned despairingly.

Yan Ji, long accustomed to such incidents, called for a waiter to bring tea and handed a cup to Lin Ting, who chugged it down in one gulp.

They had been chased all the way to the city gates by the old village chief. If not for the city guards, that old man, with his white beard and hair, who seemed to have more energy than Lin Ting, a nineteen-year-old college student, would likely have continued the pursuit.

Yan Ji held his tea and said, "In the past month since my grandfather's imprisonment, I've tried to persuade the villagers in Luoshi Village myself. But each time I reach the village entrance, I'm stopped and driven back."

Lin Ting looked up. "Oh? Always driven back by the village chief?"

"Sometimes the chief, sometimes other villagers."

Tsk. Young Master Yan has good stamina too.

"So, what do we do now?" Yan Ji pressed. His grandfather had been in prison for over a month, with no visits or deliveries allowed. He and his mother were like ants on a hot pan, frantic with worry, unable to find any solution.

Lin Ting sat up. "Let me think."

As they were having tea, they suddenly heard a frantic knocking at the door. When it opened, a young servant-like figure said to Yan Ji, "Young Master, bad news! The City Patrol has surrounded Luoshi Village again!"

"What?!"

---

Lin Ting and Yan Ji rushed back to Luoshi Village, only to find the village entrance choked by a dense formation of iron-clad guards, blocking all routes out.

Inside the village, the villagers huddled together, anxiously watching the black-armored guards at the entrance.

The village chief, stooped with age, thumped his staff loudly, pointing and cursing at them. "Is there no justice left? This is our home! No one can drive us out of here!"

The villagers behind him echoed in agreement: "Yes, we're staying here!"

"So what if floods come? Haven't we had enough floods over the years? They haven't washed us away yet!"

"Exactly!" "They must be lying to us!"

"Tyrant!"

The man at the very front of the City Patrol suddenly leveled a spear at the village chief, its tip hovering just before his eyeball.

Everyone gasped in fright, pushing back a few steps. Then they heard the leader declare, "I am the Marquis of Anding. By His Majesty's command, I am here to evacuate you. Any who resist will be killed without mercy."

A collective gasp of terror rose from the crowd. They were ordinary commoners, helpless against these iron-clad guards.

"It's over, it's over." Lin Ting pointed at the man at the front of the City Patrol and asked Yan Ji, "Who is that?"

Yan Ji replied, "Xie Ruhai, the Marquis of Anding, brother of Empress Dowager Xie, and commander of the City Patrol."

Lin Ting thought this man must be an idiot, specifically sent to cause trouble. If he couldn't do his job, he should just go home, right? Go home!

He moved closer, determined to get the City Patrol to withdraw first, no matter what. But before he could get close, a guard's spear was at his throat, demanding, "Who dares trespass on the City Patrol's operations?"

Lin Ting thought to himself that he wasn't trespassing; he was walking over openly. He pulled out his jade token and said, "His Majesty specifically ordered me to handle the affairs of Luoshi Village."

Upon seeing the token, the guard immediately lowered his spear and bowed, making way.

Just as Lin Ting was about to enter, a horsetail whisk blocked his path. "Oh, Lord Lin! So you were here!"

He turned to see Eunuch Zhao standing two steps away, smiling. "His Majesty has arrived. He wishes to see you."

Lin Ting pointed at himself. "Me?" Zhao Dehai nodded.

Lin Ting put away his jade token and followed Zhao Dehai. Yan Ji grabbed his arm, worried. "Who is that eunuch? Where are you going with him?"

Lin Ting patted his shoulder. "It's fine. Eunuch Zhao and I are quite familiar. I'll be back soon."

He followed Zhao Dehai along the path, and from a distance, he saw a carriage. Its curtains were entirely dark green, with no other decorations. At first glance, it looked like the most ordinary carriage imaginable. Who would have thought an emperor would be sitting inside?

When Lin Ting entered the carriage, Pei Xingjian was resting against the partition, eyes closed. His dark hair was bound in a golden crown adorned with jade, and he wore a dark blue robe with auspicious cloud patterns. His thin lips were tightly pressed, his brow bone prominent, making him appear even more majestic and unapproachable from afar.

Lin Ting's footsteps were lighter as he entered.

Despite his quiet entry, Pei Xingjian was startled awake. A pair of dark, deep-set eyes looked over, filled with heightened vigilance, and a slight redness at the corners, as if he hadn't rested well.

Lin Ting had no choice but to bow and greet him. "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Pei Xingjian stared at him for two breaths, then said faintly, "Come here." His voice still held a hint of hoarseness.

Lin Ting approached, but Pei Xingjian made no further move, just continued to stare. Remembering the purpose of his visit, Lin Ting moistened his lips and said, "When I arrived just now, I saw the City Patrol guarding the village exit. The villagers are very frightened. Could they—could the City Patrol be withdrawn?"

Pei Xingjian's eyes grew cold. He patted the empty seat beside him and said, "Sit here."

Lin Ting cautiously sat down. Then he heard Pei Xingjian say tautly, "Lean your head closer."

Lin Ting didn't understand what he wanted, but he obediently leaned his head forward. Then, the other man gripped his jaw, pulling his face close to his own.

The scent of medicine wafted into his nose. They were extremely close, so close that Pei Xingjian could clearly see every expression in Lin Ting's eyes. He toyed with the strands of hair near Lin Ting's forehead.

From childhood, he had met countless people of all kinds. Those who dared approach him had all died by his sword. Lin Ting was an exception.

He maintained full vigilance towards this person. In the past, he would have ended it with a single sword stroke. But now, he found this person interesting.

Lin Ting's lively nature and the subtle, elegant medicinal scent on him created a sense of disconnect. It was hard to imagine such contrasting styles coexisting in one person.

"Do you like the scent on you?" Pei Xingjian suddenly asked.

Lin Ting sniffed his sleeve. The medicinal scent on him was faint, almost imperceptible two steps away. When he first gained this "buff," he thought the scent was too weak and preferred something stronger. But over time, his nose had adapted, and now he barely noticed it unless he deliberately tried to smell it.

Before he could answer, Pei Xingjian's lips suddenly curved into a cold smile. "How about I take you into the imperial harem? Then you can be at my beck and call every day for my amusement. How does that sound?"

Lin Ting's internal alarm bells blared. What did he mean by that? He was a man! How could he enter the harem? This man looked so refined, but could he be gay? If so, could he still do his job?

"Ah, b-but I'm a man," Lin Ting stammered.

Pei Xingjian twirled a lock of Lin Ting's hair around his finger. His hair was short, but once it grew longer, it could be styled. He wondered what that would look like then.

He said lazily, "Does this dynasty have any rule forbidding men from entering the harem?"

Lin Ting didn't know. He neither nodded nor dared to shake his head, frozen in place.

Seeing that the person was frightened, Pei Xingjian finally withdrew his hand and said, "Get out."

Used and discarded, what a scumbag.

But Lin Ting didn't leave. After all, he still had a purpose for being in the carriage.

Seeing that the person didn't move, Pei Xingjian let out an "Hmm?" and tilted his head to look at him.

Lin Ting's throat bobbed. "Your Majesty, could the City Patrol be withdrawn? The villagers are uneducated and naturally find it difficult to understand the benefits of building the dike. With the City Patrol here, there's a risk of conflict with the villagers."

Pei Xingjian rested his chin on his hand, watching him with an air of composure. Being in a relatively good mood, he said, "You certainly care a lot about them. I can withdraw the City Patrol, but the villagers must move within the next few days. Otherwise—" He then gave a chilling, cold smile. "I'll have the Imperial Hospital dissect you."

Lin Ting shivered. Did this tyrant have any humanity? And judging by the villagers' attitude, he wondered what kind of spell they had been put under.

Anyway, it had come to this point, and he had voluntarily taken on this task. He could only take things one step at a time.

As the carriage drove away, Lin Ting recalled Pei Xingjian's words and suddenly felt a chill, pulling his hands into his sleeves. When he returned, the City Patrol had already withdrawn, and the path to the village entrance was clear again.

This time, they could enter. The village chief saw them return and asked unpleasantly, "What are you still doing here?"

Lin Ting tried to speak calmly. "Village Chief, we are not with those people. Please believe us, we are here to conduct a survey."

The old village chief didn't know what a "survey" was. He snorted, but didn't chase them away again.

Lin Ting quickly asked, "I want to ask, why are you unwilling to move?"

The old village chief said indignantly, "Haven't we already said it? We'll only move if each family gets a thousand taels of silver."

A thousand taels was no small sum. Lin Ting continued to ask, "Do you feel there's something wrong with the new houses the court built?"

At this point, a man suddenly stepped out from the crowd and said, "Mr. Wang said that the houses the court built for us are no good—they're small and leaky. They just want to occupy our land, that's why they're trying to drive us away."

Lin Ting keenly caught the keyword: "Mr. Wang?"

The person who spoke realized his slip and blended back into the crowd, not coming out again.

Lin Ting suddenly understood. Ah, so there was indeed someone stirring up trouble from within.