Chapter 127: Parting (1)

Chapter 127: Parting (1)

When Wen Ren Yue entered the study, he noticed that the two portrait paintings that had previously made him uncomfortable to look at were gone, replaced by a map of the entire Dayu realm.

Le Wuya stood facing the map, shelling pine nuts one by one as he ate them.

Wen Ren Yue set down his book box and gave him a proper bow.

Le Wuya waved a hand: "Why are you still so formal?"

Wen Ren Yue said, "Ritual must not be neglected."

After finishing the bow to his teacher, he then asked, "What are you looking at, Brother Gu?"

Le Wuya leaned back in his armchair, flicked a pine nut shell, and it landed precisely on a corner of the map.

He turned his head with a smile and asked, "Ever heard of Tongzhou?"

Wen Ren Yue silently noted the name "Tongzhou," assuming Brother Gu was about to test him with another question.

"Tongzhou Prefecture governs two prefectures, Puluo and Sanjiang, which together oversee twelve counties. Located on the southeastern coast, it suffers from rampant pirate incursions that strike frequently. Of the previous three prefects, one was assassinated by Japanese pirate spies, one drowned after falling in while drunk on duty, and one was arrested for embezzling government funds. Currently, all prefecture affairs are being managed by the Assistant Prefect..."

Le Wuya studied that corner of the map, and said calmly, "...This is my new assignment."

Wen Ren Yue turned to look at him.

He was slow to react, stunned, a hint of unease spreading through him like ink in water: "Brother Gu... when did this happen?"

"I just got the letter this morning." Le Wuya continued shelling pine nuts. "The transfer order has to go through many levels, taking at least ten days, at most half a month. You probably learned of this news even before Prefect Lyu."

Wen Ren Yue was unable to collect himself for a long time.

How can this be?

Brother Gu's talents were outstanding, and he had caught the emperor's attention—promotion was only a matter of time.

The small town of Nanting was never a place that could hold Brother Gu.

But this is too soon, too dangerous!

A flood of words surged up and choked his chest, leaving him breathless.

"This is a jump of five whole ranks, from seventh to fourth." As if sensing Wen Ren Yue's hesitation, Le Wuya said cheerfully, "You should be congratulating me."

Wen Ren Yue composed himself: "...Is this the emperor's decision?"

Le Wuya nodded: "His word is as good as gold. How could anyone defy it?"

Wen Ren Yue strode forward quickly, chest heaving, pressed both hands on the armchair, and leaned in close to him: "Can you refuse?"

Le Wuya rarely saw him so agitated. Startled, he reached out and patted him on the chest, joking, "Good heavens, such a big guy, looming over me like a storm cloud—you'll scare me to death."

Wen Ren Yue grabbed Le Wuya's wrist: "Brother Gu, you must know what I'm worried about. But I still have to say it. It's because I wasn't ambitious enough before, failing to earn us a jinshi degree. You've been able to gain a foothold in Nanting—first, through your talents; second, through the support of the two princes; and third, because Nanting is a small and remote county."

"In this tiny county town, as long as anyone knows you're favored by the princes, they'll back off and not dare cause trouble. But once you go to a place where the good and bad mix, if the two princes wish to support you, the resources and connections they can mobilize would be ten or a hundred times more than in Nanting County. By then, it will inevitably catch the emperor's attention. Brother Gu, I don't care whether you're truly Le Wuya, but the emperor does! He killed you once before. Once he meets you face to face, who's to say he won't kill you again?"

Fearing someone might overhear, Wen Ren Yue kept his voice extremely low, each word steady and forceful, logical and well-reasoned.

Le Wuya knew every word came from genuine kindness and sincerity. He raised a hand and gently straightened Wen Ren Yue's hat strap.

Wen Ren Yue treated him with honesty; he couldn't help but repay him with sincerity.

"Ming Ke." Le Wuya called him by his courtesy name. "I'm an Imperial Academy student, twenty-six years old—in officialdom, that's shallow experience, still wet behind the ears. If it weren't for a position so perilous and difficult, how would it ever come to me?"

"Looking at it narrowly—the emperor has commanded it. If I refuse the post, that would be defying imperial orders. Then I'd be stuck at minor official rank for the rest of my life, and making a comeback would be a thousand times harder."

"I refuse to accept that. I won't stand for it. Le Youque in his past life lost too much, made too many losing bargains he never wanted. That's not right. I clearly deserve the best things in the world."

Wen Ren Yue's heart shook violently as he stared intently at him.

...He had finally given him a straight answer.

He really was...

"Looking at it broadly..." Le Wuya said seriously, "Across the nine provinces and myriad regions, all living things have life and spirit. Every prefect has been a jinshi degree holder—compared to the common people, each one is extremely honored and noble. If even they have fallen in the line of duty, dying without a proper burial, then what of the common people of Tongzhou?"

Hearing this, Wen Ren Yue let go of the chair and stepped back two steps, until his lower back bumped against the desk.

He looked at Le Wuya intently, as if trying to etch him into his memory.

After delivering this speech, Le Wuya returned to his usual carefree attitude, holding up a large bowl of pine nut kernels: "Hey, want some pine nuts?"

Today, lost in thought before the map, he hadn't snacked, and had unknowingly shelled many snow-white pine nut kernels.

In the past, Wen Ren Yue always shelled them for him. Now that he was about to be transferred, he feared he wouldn't be able to wait until Wen Ren Yue took the provincial examination.

Once they parted, separated by a thousand miles, who knew when they'd see each other again.

While Le Wuya sighed, Wen Ren Yue slowly exhaled the breath he'd been holding.

He said simply, "Wait for me."

Then he quickly left the study, not even taking his book box.

Le Wuya gazed at his retreating figure, then lowered his head and pulled two letters out from the desk.

One was from Xiaoliu, the other from Xiaoqi.

Xiang Zhi's letter asked about his injuries and included a map of Tongzhou and a copy of the Tongzhou Local Gazetteer.

The book had clearly been flipped through—showing signs of diligent study. Not only were there several important annotations, but also scattered drops of candle wax along the page edges.

Xiang Zhijie's letter was quite concise.

He wrote: "Amid crashing waves and towering swells—that is precisely the time to ride the wave."

Le Wuya smiled softly to himself at the two letters.

People from his past life trusted him.

People from his new life cared for him.

He was truly a lucky man.

Le Wuya stood up, stepped over the threshold with a lively step, glanced around, and grabbed Secretary Wen, who had finished breakfast and was idly wandering around the yamen: "Secretary, where is Deputy Magistrate Sun?"

Secretary Wen, holding his belly, hurried over: "He's over at the coal mine."

Le Wuya said, "Tell him to meet me at the pavilion outside the East Flower Hall."

……

The spring chill lingers, the east wind blows timidly, willows are just beginning to sprout, and flower buds have yet to bloom.

Deputy Magistrate Sun, in this bleak early spring, worked up a full sweat.

Ever since he had thrown in his lot wholeheartedly with the magistrate, he was always in such a hurry, as if a fire were lit under him.

At first, he had put on an act for the magistrate, feigning loyalty to gauge the man's true nature.

But in the end, he had trailed after the magistrate, hurrying and chasing, working alongside him up to now, willingly and with wholehearted admiration.

When he entered the pavilion in the East Flower Garden, he saw the magistrate standing within, holding an arrow in hand, with a double-eared pitch-pot set before him.

For a moment, Sun Ru almost thought he had traveled back in time.

Over a year ago, it was in this very pavilion, with this very same scene.

The magistrate had casually shown his mettle, and amid laughter and talk, had forced Sun Ru to take his side.

…And now, a year had already passed.

As Sun Ru was lost in a daze of nostalgia and confusion, Le Wuya turned around and gave a bright smile: "County Vice Magistrate, you're back."

Sun Ru was even more taken aback.

…Even the words he spoke were exactly the same.

However, what Le Wuya said next was completely different from what he remembered: "County Vice Magistrate, I'm leaving. I'm going to Tongzhou to take up the post of prefect."

Sun Ru let out a stunned "Ah," and his palms instantly grew damp.

The first emotion that surged in his chest was not the wild joy he had expected, but bewilderment.

…Leaving?

He asked without thinking: "Then… Magistrate, what's to become of Nanting?"

Before Le Wuya could reply, Sun Ru was already agonizing over it for him.

Nanting was just starting to flourish!

Roads were open and clear, merchants flocked in droves; granaries had surplus grain, households had accumulated wealth.

The gentry and elders of Nanting had been handled with such finesse that none remained dissatisfied.

The common folk trusted the yamen; minor matters no longer required going to the yamen, and even major matters they dared to bring their grievances to the authorities.

Once the yamen stopped bleeding them for silver, it reaped unexpected benefits: everyone was willing to come to Nanting, and the more law-abiding and peace-loving the people, the more they wanted to settle there.

In previous years, the important performance assessment of county population growth had been a constant headache. Sun Ru had run around pulling strings and padding the numbers, barely managing to maintain a "satisfactory" rating. He never expected that once the magistrate arrived, this perennial thorn in his side would be solved as well.

Even the coroner had been replaced with someone more experienced and upright.

In short, everything pointed to thriving, auspicious prospects.

The magistrate could now sit back in the yamen and enjoy the fruits of his labor—why would he choose this very moment to leave?

How could he bear to leave it all behind?

While Sun Ru was nearly bursting with anguish on Le Wuya's behalf, Le Wuya cast the arrow.

The shaft passed through the left ear of the pitch-pot with a crisp clang, landing firmly inside.

Le Wuya drew out a white-feathered arrow: "County Vice Magistrate, thank you for standing by my side this past year."

Even though Sun Ru had navigated the treacherous waters of officialdom for years and had developed a thick skin, he dared not claim such great merit. His aging face flushed with heat: "Magistrate, you flatter me, truly you flatter me."

Le Wuya smiled: "That was just being polite with you. What follows is what I truly mean."

"Sun Ru, Sun Hongguang." Le Wuya held the arrow behind his back in one hand, looking straight at Sun Ru. "I ask you: are you willing to come with me?"

Sun Ru caught his breath: "…Me?"

"I'm going to Tongzhou. Since you, County Vice Magistrate, are so fond of being an official, you must have studied the official conditions of various places. I need not tell you what Tongzhou is like. It is precisely there that talent is lacking. If you agree, I will petition the higher authorities to bring you to Tongzhou and appoint you as a county magistrate there."

The hand at Sun Ru's side trembled slightly.

He knew Le Wuya was not making empty promises.

His vast network of connections was no empty boast.

If he so much as nodded, Le Wuya truly would take him along.

But…

Perhaps seeing through his thoughts, Le Wuya smiled slightly: "Of course, if you'd rather stay in Nanting, I'm also willing to petition the higher-ups to promote you to magistrate of Nanting. Or, you could remain as deputy magistrate, but no new magistrate would be sent. Choose between the two—which would you prefer?"

Under Le Wuya's gaze, Sun Ru lowered his head, tears welling in his eyes.

By now, he was utterly won over by the magistrate.

Having worked with the magistrate for a year, he had worried himself gray, but also gained much insight.

Previously, he had always felt Nanting was cramped and narrow—a half-day's stroll could cover it all, with no opportunities for graft, and life was dull and insipid.

He had never imagined that even this Nanting County, which he had seen and lived in all his life, could burst forth with vibrant vitality, governed so well and with such vibrancy.

If he left this place and started from scratch, Sun Ru truly did not know if he could ever again enjoy such a comfortable and carefree life as he had in Nanting.

Prospects were certainly important, but seeing Nanting flourish so, he realized his joy was not feigned—it was sincere.

He said in a hoarse voice: "Magistrate, this humble subordinate is willing to stay in Nanting, never to leave."

"Good," Le Wuya said softly. "Good."

Le Wuya knew that Sun Ru was no saint.

Before Scholar Ming's arrival, he had thrown his weight around in Nanting, likely lining his pockets with no small amount of silver and handling no few wrongful cases. But when it came to his affection for and understanding of Nanting, no one surpassed him.

In handing this thriving Nanting County over to Sun Ru, he was giving him one final test:

If he was willing to turn over a new leaf and work hard to improve, so much the better.

If he was insincere, or succumbed to temptation and relapsed into old habits, then Le Wuya would not mind reporting to the higher authorities to make him fall from grace, bringing all his schemes to naught.

Le Wuya continued:

"When I go to Tongzhou, I'll be a stranger there, so I'll take a few people with me to have by my side. I'll select some capable yamen runners willing to brave the venture with me. In addition, Qin Xingyue from the weapons office, that good-for-nothing from the Yuan family, and Hua Rong the gatekeeper—I'll take them all. Especially the gatekeeper who sees to the tea and water—how important that role is, I think you already know well. When the time comes, you can appoint someone you trust in that position."

"Nanting is in your hands—don't let it go to ruin. If I don't die, I'll write from time to time to check on things; if you're ever unsure, you may also write to ask me."

Le Wuya stepped forward and patted the tearful Deputy Magistrate Sun on the shoulder:

"It has been a true stroke of luck to work with you, County Vice Magistrate. Fortunately, that luck was not squandered."