Chapter 125: The Bumpy Turn of Fortune for Host and Guest
The County Magistrate of Kunshan, Huang Xianzhou, received an order from his superior and went to the Pingjiang Prefectural Yamen. He did not see Prefect Liu; instead, he was received by Prefect Liu’s trusted staff member, Mr. Cao.
Mr. Cao was very enthusiastic, asking many questions for a long time before hesitantly mentioning the matter of transferring him to the Maritime Tax Bureau for an inspection. Seeing Huang Xianzhou calmly accept the official document, Mr. Cao felt both regretful and guilty. He insisted on treating Huang Xianzhou to a meal, but Huang Xianzhou was determined to leave, citing the extreme importance of the task at the Maritime Tax Bureau and his need to prepare quickly.
Unable to keep him, Mr. Cao escorted Huang Xianzhou to the yamen gate and watched him ride away on his horse, sighing and shaking his head.
The Prefect said he was being sarcastic, and indeed he was quite sarcastic. He didn’t even bother to find an excuse, just stating that the task at the Maritime Tax Bureau was extremely important. Wasn’t that like spitting in his face?
Alas, forget it. He must be in a terrible mood. A good county magistrate, a “hundred-li official,” reduced to inspecting goods at the wharf by an order. It’s truly pitiful.
Huang Xianzhou rode his horse all the way back to the Kunshan County Office, entered the Signing Room, and carefully spread out the official document, reading it over two or three times.
The Maritime Tax Bureau, the wharf!
The Young Lord said: “According to his thoughts, give him an opportunity.”
This document was his opportunity, a tremendous opportunity!
Huang Xianzhou slowly sat down, carefully folded the document, placed his hands on either side of it, and looked at the document, slowly calming his agitated heart.
He needed to think carefully about how to proceed, where to start…
First, he needed a helper, Mr. Yao!
Huang Xianzhou stood up, holding the document, and went to the adjacent room to call Mr. Yao. The two walked one after the other.
Huang Xianzhou first went to a small eatery opposite the yamen and bought a bag of braised peanuts, a bag of pig’s ears, and a bag of boiled broad beans. He also bought a large jar of wine. Huang Xianzhou carried the food, and Mr. Yao carried the wine into the rear residence of the county yamen.
Mr. Yao watched Huang Xianzhou move a small table under the corridor, arrange the bags of cooked food, and bring out wine cups and chopsticks. He was bewildered. Lunch had been eaten not long ago, and it was still early for dinner, so why were they drinking?
Huang Xianzhou sat down, pulled the wine jar closer to pour wine, and gestured for Mr. Yao to sit.
“What happened?” Mr. Yao sat down and carefully observed Huang Xianzhou’s expression.
Huang Xianzhou poured the wine and took out the document from his sleeve, handing it to Mr. Yao.
The document was very short, and Mr. Yao finished reading it at a glance.
“Esteemed Master, what is this?” Mr. Yao looked at Huang Xianzhou with pity.
“It’s good,” Huang Xianzhou took a gulp of wine and picked up his chopsticks, pointing at the document.
“Yes, yes, it’s good, it’s good,” Mr. Yao said with a dry laugh, raising his cup to Huang Xianzhou.
“It’s really good,” Huang Xianzhou looked at Mr. Yao, serious and earnest.
“Yes, yes, it’s really good.” Mr. Yao’s dry laugh faltered halfway as he looked at Huang Xianzhou’s serious expression and became puzzled. “Esteemed Master, do you have any plans? Or are you angry?”
“Angry about what! Didn’t I tell you, it’s good! This is the Maritime Tax Bureau!” Huang Xianzhou chuckled.
“Esteemed Master, what exactly do you mean?” Mr. Yao was now truly bewildered.
“We’ve talked about it several times, why is that Young Lord staying in Pingjiang City and not leaving!” Huang Xianzhou threw a peanut into his mouth.
“The Maritime Tax Bureau?”
“Prefect Liu said the Young Lord is lingering in Pingjiang City because of that little girl, bah!” Huang Xianzhou spat. “The Young Lord is a dignified Prince’s Heir, experienced and knowledgeable. Would he delay for half a year or a year because of some country girl?
“If the Young Lord truly fancied that little girl, he would have summoned her to his side long ago and taken her with him. As a Prince’s Heir, with high status and power, uprooting that little girl’s entire family and clan and bringing them to the Capital City would be a mere trifle!
“To think of the Young Lord like that is truly like frogs at the bottom of a well!”
“Is this the Young Lord’s intention?” Mr. Yao leaned forward, holding his breath, and asked.
“This is luck! My time has come! The Young Lord has been staying in Pingjiang City for a long time, it must be for the Maritime Tax Bureau. Look, this transfer order has arrived. Tell me, hasn’t my time come?” Huang Xianzhou did not directly answer Mr. Yao’s question.
“That’s true, but…”
Mr. Yao did not finish his sentence.
But his Esteemed Master, wherever he goes, is disliked by his superiors. Could that Young Lord appreciate him?
“This is an opportunity! All my ambitions in this life are pinned on this opportunity!” Huang Xianzhou slammed the document forcefully.
Mr. Yao glanced at him, gave a dry laugh, and raised his cup to him. Alas, he decided not to say anything more and just drink.
“This is an opportunity for you and me,” Huang Xianzhou pointed his finger at Mr. Yao.
“We hit it off immediately. I’m also someone without luck. Bah, that’s not right. Esteemed Master has luck, which means my luck too.
“Esteemed Master knows that I decided long ago to follow Esteemed Master for the rest of my life. If Esteemed Master is a county magistrate, I’ll be his strategist. If Esteemed Master goes to the wharf to inspect goods, I’ll count them for you. If Esteemed Master returns to the countryside, I’ll go home too. We’ll exchange letters, alas!”
Mr. Yao let out a long sigh. His fate, alas!
His father died early, and he grew up with his uncle, who was a finance and grain strategist. He was both a servant and an apprentice.
Upon reaching adulthood, he was almost as proficient in finance and grain as his uncle, if not better. He also studied criminal law and thought he was at least as good as his uncle. However, he had followed fourteen or fifteen masters in total. There was always some issue or another. The longest tenure was seventeen months, and the shortest was only one month. He was constantly on the move, changing masters, until he met County Magistrate Huang.
At that time, County Magistrate Huang had just taken office in Shen County. It had been seven or eight years since then, and their relationship as master and subordinate had been extremely harmonious. He had long decided to follow County Magistrate Huang for the rest of his life.
But County Magistrate Huang, alas! Their fates as master and subordinate were truly different and could not be aligned!
“This is an opportunity. I’ve been dreaming a lot lately, dreaming of a large snake biting me, taking a big bite! This is a great opportunity! Our opportunity has arrived!” Huang Xianzhou leaned forward, lowering his voice.
Mr. Yao raised his eyebrows and looked at Huang Xianzhou. After a moment of stunned silence, he also leaned forward, almost head-to-head with Huang Xianzhou.
“County Magistrate, this is not right. Can you give me a hint, just a word or two? How is this an opportunity? You need to give me some idea, so I know how to speak and act, right?”
“I can’t tell you!” Huang Xianzhou leaned back against the chair back and chuckled a few times. “My dream was very real, the snake truly bit me. This is a real, great omen and a great opportunity!”
Mr. Yao slowly made a sound of understanding, and after a moment, slowly made another sound. “County Magistrate, what about the Prefectural Yamen? What do they say?”
“They seemed quite guilty. Prefect Liu didn’t see me. This was given to me by Mr. Cao, who insisted on treating me to a meal,” Huang Xianzhou pointed at the document.
“Mm, that’s right. This is a confidential matter. So, when do we depart?” Mr. Yao leaned forward and asked.
“When can you pack up? I only have a few sets of clothes. Once you’re ready, we’ll leave,” Huang Xianzhou took a sip of wine.
“Then we’ll leave tomorrow morning, as soon as it’s light.” Mr. Yao paused, then leaned forward again, looking at Huang Xianzhou and smiling. “Since Prefect Liu is so guilty, and since this is a confidential matter, Esteemed Master, why don’t you just resign and leave?”
“That’s a great idea!” Huang Xianzhou slapped the table and laughed.
Resigning and leaving would be so carefree. If he achieved something later, recounting this period would be a tale of carefree spirit and boldness. What a wonderful story!
