Chapter 87: The Capital (1)

Chapter 87: The Capital (1)

Le Wuya was Le Wuya, through and through.

After half a night of sorting himself out, he was no longer troubled.

He really was something, no doubt about it.

Superb skills, likable nature—plain and simple.

On this point, Le Wuya had never doubted himself.

But there was something off about this goodness of his.

Once people got tangled up with him, you never knew if it'd be good luck or bad.

He weighed Xiaoliu, Little Seven, and Wenren Yue in his mind, one after another, and found each had their own merits—boundless prospects, a bright, glorious future ahead.

Precisely for that reason, it was better not to drag them into his bad luck.

Once he'd made up his mind, Le Wuya planned to continue treating them as usual.

A guy in his twenties could get confused and not know his own heart—it happened.

Like Little Phoenix, who'd been so tight with him in their youth, but didn't he go and get married later?

...

But no matter how Le Wuya mulled over these three relationships, he had to go to the capital, no way around it.

Since the Emperor's mood was anyone's guess, he couldn't say when he'd be back.

Wenren Yue helped him pack, all the while staying silent.

Le Wuya rambled on with advice: "While I'm gone, hit the books. The matter with Scholar Ming has mostly blown over—you can go make the rounds at Nanting Academy. I've marked a few students on the list who are highly likely to pass the exams in the same batch as you. You should socialize with them more. Being from the same hometown and passing the same exams, that's a bond like no other. Build some good connections so you won't be left standing alone in the official world later. Got it?"

These words were about as self-serving as it got, and if this had been said to Wenren Yue before he entered government service, he'd have brushed it off.

But now he knew that Le Wuya's words were pure gold—the most practical advice he could get.

Don't chase empty fame, and don't worry about being seen as forming cliques.

As long as you stay on the straight and narrow and keep a clear conscience, that's all that matters.

Seeing Wenren Yue nod his assent, Le Wuya continued: "I've told the constables you can still come and go as you please after I'm gone. Don't forget—keep teaching Hua Rong his reading and writing. I've noticed he's been trailing after Ru Feng these past couple days, totally in awe of him—he probably wants to grow up to be just like him. Since he's attached himself to me and become one of mine, I naturally can't shortchange him... Also, keep an eye on Sun Ru. That guy's got way too many tricks up his sleeve—tell him not to mess up our Nanting. If anything goes wrong, go to Xiao Qin. He may look like a slacker, but he's solid."

Wenren Yue folded his clothes, and at the word "our," a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Le Wuya, none the wiser, added: "Oh, and don't forget to go check on our land every now and then."

Before summer, the embankment dams Le Wuya had the Village Elders build were all finished one by one. As time went on and the water flowed, depositing silt, it would create big stretches of rich, flat, fertile dam land.

Le Wuya had deliberately held back this little detail, betting on the fact that Nanting valued commerce over farming. Since Nanting had never had embankment dams before, these Village Elders had no clue that building them would create new farmland from silt buildup.

As for the new dam land, Le Wuya naturally planned to pocket it for the government without a second thought.

When the time came, Le Wuya would have to think long and hard about what to plant and how to divvy up the land.

...And try to make all these folks' mouths water.

To all his various requests, Wenren Yue only answered with two words: "Don't worry."

Those two words of promise were worth a fortune to him.

Le Wuya's mind was completely at ease, and he continued preparing what he needed for the capital.

But the stuff he was bringing along was honestly way too much.

When he saw Le Wuya loading a carefully tended camellia onto the carriage, Xiang Zhi, who'd been watching the whole time, finally couldn't take it anymore: "You're hauling stuff in and out—you moving out or what?"

Le Wuya introduced with great enthusiasm: "Your Highness. This is a walnut carving from our Nanting, and that's a new camellia variety we cultivated. This is... oh, these are just some snacks for me to munch on."

Seventh Prince: "...Do you actually think you're going to the capital to be rewarded for your merits?"

Le Wuya played dumb with complete confidence: "I cracked a case this big—even if I get no credit, there's no way I'm in trouble, right?"

At least on paper, he'd caught the bandits behind the Xingtai massacre, confiscated a huge stash of opium, and rooted out a corrupt official—you could call that a hell of an achievement.

As for the matter of slapping the Emperor's face without even being there, Le Wuya insisted he hadn't meant to do it.

If the Emperor wanted to look magnanimous, he'd show him favor, not fury.

With that logic, what did he have to be afraid of?

Seventh Prince gloated: "Right. You crack a big case, Lü Deyao takes the fall; you get rewarded, Lü Deyao gets called to the capital for a dressing-down. You—just wait, he's going to make life hell for you."

Le Wuya had tricked him into investigating the wandering beggars of Nanting before, and he knew full well that this Lü was about as petty and narrow-minded as they came.

When he got back to Yizhou, Le Wuya was going to have a world of trouble waiting for him.

But Le Wuya said with a grin: "I've never been afraid of tight shoes. The Seventh Prince was kind enough to gift me over a dozen fine pairs of shoes back then—enough to get me through shallow waters and rough rapids, from summer all the way to winter."

Seventh Prince: "..."

In all his life, he'd never met anyone so thick-skinned and shameless.

Little did he know, Le Wuya had another trick up his sleeve: "But shoes wear out fast, you know. If the Seventh Prince would be so kind as to gift me a few dozen more pairs to last me a few more years, I'd be truly, deeply grateful."

...Xiang Zhi literally couldn't believe his ears.

He'd won over plenty of young officials before with expensive gifts, and every gift hit the mark perfectly, right where they wanted it.

Every single one of them had been falling all over themselves with gratitude and reverence.

Whenever anything came up, they'd repay him ten times, a hundred times over.

But this time, he'd run into someone with no shame at all. Not only was there zero repayment, the guy actually dared to ask for gifts—and even specified shoes!

The Seventh Prince spun around and stormed off toward the back courtyard.

Just then, the Sixth Prince came out of his room, throwing on a robe.

He'd been training every single day without fail, building up a strong body, so his wounds had healed up remarkably well—in less than half a month, he was back to his old spirited, dashing self.

Watching the Seventh Prince storm off in a huff, he asked, puzzled: "What's this..."

Le Wuya: "Oh, nothing. I just pissed him off and he left."

The Seventh Prince hadn't gotten far and heard every word of that outrageous remark, grinding his teeth in even more fury.

He wanted to put laxatives in his overflowing snack stash!

The Sixth Prince naturally noticed his carriage packed to the brim: "Bringing so much stuff?"

"Traveling afar, one must be prepared," Le Wuya said, holding out his snack box like it was a prized treasure. "Nanting's city gate toll has been reduced recently, and business is booming. Plenty of good things now. Hey, I've prepared three portions so we can share along the way."

With that, he picked out a packet of crispy sugar treats from the array of delicacies, compared them for a moment, popped the prettiest one into Xiaoliu's mouth, then chose the biggest for himself, happily chewing on it.

The Seventh Prince blinked.

Wait... three portions?

Although Lü Deyao was also traveling with them to the capital, he hardly counted as a person.

...So that meant he got a share too.

With that thought, the Seventh Prince quickly calmed down, with his hands clasped behind his back, doing his best not to skip as he left the courtyard.

...

The Emperor was still waiting in the capital, so they couldn't afford to delay too long.

Once Zhi Jie's arm injury was on the mend, they set off for Yizhou, picked up Prefect Lü, who was nearly beside himself with worry, and headed together toward the capital.

The two brothers had a distant relationship, so of course they rode in separate carriages.

Lü Deyao, who was thoroughly sick of the troublemaking Le Wuya and spent all day sighing and fretting, occupied a carriage alone, trailing behind the two princes in a cloud of gloom.

Le Wuya also had a carriage to himself, filled with his Nanting treats. One day a new ice chest would show up, the next a new storybook—it was anyone's guess which of the two had sent them.

But perhaps because of the outsider Prefect Lü's presence, Le Wuya was unusually quiet and withdrawn.

The closer they got to the capital, the more silent he grew, rarely leaving his carriage, just arranging chess pieces by himself inside.

One morning, four carriages passed through the city gate checkpoint and entered the capital.

Of all the capital's decadent pleasures, its "sounds" were the most distinctive.

The clip-clop of hooves rang out, crisp and pleasant, kicking up the warm, damp smell of earth.

The vendors' melodic hawking drifted by: "Honey cakes! Aiwowo (steamed rice cakes)!"

Famous performers on waterside pavilions sang in sweet, soaring voices—like orioles trilling, like phoenixes calling, like wind through willows—their songs lingering in the air.

Le Wuya took in all these sounds and thought to himself, *I'm back here again.*

But perhaps the capital sensed another demon had arrived and wanted to make things difficult for him, for the carriage slowly rolled to a stop halfway.

Le Wuya didn't bother to lift the curtain to look, merely holding a black stone in his hand, gazing at the board, trying to work out his own white-stone strategy.

Soon, a soft, polite tap came from outside.

It was Ru Feng: "Magistrate Wenren, it's nothing serious. There's a dispute up ahead that's blocking the road for now."

To keep from drawing attention, the carriages they rode, though luxurious, bore no imperial markings, looking like a rich family heading to the capital to visit kin.

So the two households arguing up ahead didn't recognize them and kept right on squabbling.

Le Wuya stared at the chessboard and joked, "I see. Should the two of you go handle it yourselves?"

"It's nothing important," Ru Feng said plainly, laying out the situation in a few words. "It's Erudite Le Hang from the Imperial Academy and Yuan Zijin, second son of General Yuan, the Dragon Tiger General. Their carriages collided. The Yuan family's carriage yoke came off and nearly spooked the horses, but thankfully no one was hurt. The two families are now arguing. It's just a minor fender-bender, nothing for the two lords to worry about."

The carriage went quiet.

After a moment, Le Wuya let out an "oh" and set down the black stone.

The black stone moved like a dragon turning, silently roaring, and flipped the white stone's attack.

He asked, "Who's at fault?"

Though he asked, Le Wuya already had a good idea.

His elder brother was steady and proper, having taught him from a young age never to ride fast in the streets for fear of hurting passersby.

Ru Feng always handled things properly; he wouldn't come back without the full story.

Ru Feng recounted: "According to both sides, Erudite Le was walking down the main road to the Imperial Academy when the Yuan carriage shot out of a side alley and they collided."

At this point, Ru Feng lowered his voice slightly: "From what I can tell, the young Master Yuan reeks of alcohol—probably hungover—which is why he was careless."

Le Wuya: "Got it. Thanks for the trouble."

Ru Feng gave a slight bow and turned back.

As he passed Prefect Lü's carriage, Lü Deyao immediately poked his head out.

During this time, worn down by worry and fatigue, he had grown thinner, now looking even more like a sharp-faced goat.

Knowing this man was the Sixth Prince's close attendant, he put on his most respectful demeanor and said with a fawning smile, "Young Master Ru Feng, what's happened up ahead?"

Ru Feng nodded politely: "To report to Prefect Lü, I'm not entirely sure. It's nothing serious, so please don't worry."

The Prefect let out a dejected "oh" and was about to stretch out his goat-like head for more probing when he saw Le Wuya passing by his carriage, robes fluttering.

He watched him walk forward in astonishment, raising a finger to point at his back: "He... this is..."

Ru Feng also raised an eyebrow in surprise, but quickly reached out to lower Lü Deyao's pointing hand: "Magistrate Wenren probably wants to see what's going on. Does Prefect Lü wish to go as well?"

Hearing this, Lü Deyao immediately shrank back.

Under the Emperor's very feet, a place of propriety, he had only visited a few times in his whole life and had to be cautious at every turn.

High officials, generals, and noble scions were as numerous as fish crossing a river; if he made a single misstep and offended one or two, it could ruin his career.

Before Le Wuya even reached the scene, he heard a drunken, mocking sneer: "Erudite Le, you've read... *hic*... you've read so many books, tell me yourself—does your Le family, having raised such a person, still deserve to walk on the main road? Huh?"

Through the carriage curtain, Le Wuya gazed from afar at the carriage bearing the Le family crest.

His eyes grew warm:

...Why is the curtain so old?

Why hasn't it been changed?

Le Heng did not show himself.

Sitting behind that plain curtain, he said calmly, "By the Emperor's grace, I have been appointed Erudite of the Imperial Academy. My Le family naturally has a proper path to walk—what does 'deserving' have to do with it?"

"Moreover..."

He forced himself to swallow the rest of what he was about to say.

On the bustling streets of the capital, where prying eyes and ears were everywhere, this sentence must never be spoken.

...But his Ali was not a bad person.

Yuan Zijin sneered coldly: "The emperor's grace is as high as the sky and as thick as the earth. He's already spared your whole Le family from death and let you live as idle rich—that's a kindness in itself. Yet you still refuse to keep your heads down and behave—are you just asking to die?"

Le Hang, long accustomed to being gossiped about in the capital, had heard enough gossip to fill a dozen baskets and had long since learned to take it in stride.

Not wanting to bring Ali up again in public, he said: "Master Yuan, your carriage shaft is merely damaged—why must you block the road? Please move to the side, and I'll leave my coachman to hash it out with you. I still have duties at the Imperial Academy and cannot afford to delay—"

Yuan Zijin cut him off rudely: "Cut the crap. You're trying to run off, huh? No—"

Le Hang clenched the scroll in his hand, at a loss.

...Thug.

Suddenly, a young and clear voice rang out from outside the carriage:

"The Dayu Law's civil statutes state: borrowing official property for private use, and causing damage to it, is punishable by fifty strokes of the cane, along with a report to the Censorate. Upon investigation, both the borrower and the user shall be punished."

Le Hang frowned slightly—who was that?

Yuan Zijin, looking as if he'd seen a ghost, turned to the young man in plain white robes. He was about to curse, but upon seeing his face, his words caught in his throat.

Given the man's handsome features and commanding presence, Yuan Zijin held back his insults and said bluntly: "What business is this of yours? Scram! This is my family's carriage—where is there any borrowing of official property?"

Le Wuya not only refused to leave but took a calm step forward: "The Dragon Tiger General of this dynasty, Yuan Weiyan, is a First-Rank Official. May I ask what position Master Yuan currently holds? Are you entitled to use this red-canopied carriage reserved for first-rank military officers?"

Le Wuya was a master at reading between the lines.

When Ru Feng reported the situation to him, he'd referred to Le Hang as "Erudite of the Imperial Academy."

When mentioning Yuan Zijin, however, he had only cited his father's official title.

This indicated that Yuan Zijin, aside from riding on his father's coattails, was a man of no achievement whatsoever—hadn't even passed the provincial exam.

And on top of that, he was the second son.

Le Wuya had heard that the Dragon Tiger General's eldest son had considerable military talent. Barring unforeseen circumstances, this Dragon Tiger General position would never fall to this lazy good-for-nothing who drank in broad daylight.

Yuan Zijin was stunned speechless, his mouth hanging open.

Such was the custom in the capital—which rich kid from a powerful family didn't ride on his dad's coattails and take out official carriages to show off and run errands?

His father disliked traveling by carriage, so what harm was there in him borrowing it?

But this matter was one that the common folk would not report and the officials would not investigate.

Even if a patrolling censor saw it, they would not provoke these officials' displeasure and would simply pretend not to notice.

Being called out in public like this, Yuan Zijin immediately knew he was in trouble. His heart sank, and his confidence wavered, so he could only bluster and roar: "Who are you? How dare you point fingers at me?!"

"Entering the capital on imperial orders."

A clear, cool, and gentle voice took over his words.

The carriage curtain of the lead vehicle behind Le Wuya was lifted by Ru Feng, revealing Zhi Jie's handsome and upright face: "His courage—I gave it to him."

Having answered Yuan Zijin's two questions, Zhi Jie tilted his head slightly, his gaze meeting Yuan Zijin's, whose knees had gone weak: "Master Yuan, any further questions?"