"So you want me to hug you?" A low, seductive voice resounded in her ears.
Helian Wei Wei wanted to duck away but he tightened his arms around her.
Baili Jia Jue said with an extremely charming smile spreading across his lips, containing a hint of evilness, "Next time if you want me to hug you, just tell me directly. I'm an understanding person, I will not reject such request of yours."
She had never seen someone like him who would not only take advantage of others but also take it for granted. Such an awful, cunning man!
Helian Wei Wei raised her eyes and cast a glance at him, thinking that he was so handsome that he almost looked unreal. She knew there was nothing she could do, in the end, she laid her head on the man's chest, breathing in the sweet scent of sandalwood. Something had started filling up inside her heart, a sour yet extremely sweet feeling...
However, Baili Jia Jue stopped his pace abruptly when he walked to a dark alley.
Little Seven even stopped eating the steamed meat buns as he stared sternly into the darkness at the dark alley with his eyes wide open.
There was a bunch of people standing in the darkness, holding a wooden stick in their hands while glaring at Baili Jia Jue.
They had received an order from their master during the day and were told to kill him right away if it was inconvenient for them to beat him.
Out of their expectations, Master Chen actually followed behind these two bumpkins all the way to Fuping County, which made it impossible for them to take action.
Finally, they were left alone with a kid.
How long are we going to wait if we don't take action now!
"Kill him!" The leader of the men in black commanded.
He turned the wooden stick around and it instantly became a long knife. The knife was swinging in Baili Jia Jue's direction and would hit him in no time.
"How dare you mess with our master, you dead man!" The man who was wielding the knife thought Baili Jia Jue would surely die if he stabbed him with it.
However, it was out of his expectation!
He actually failed to hit Baili Jia Jue!
The man before him had vanished into thin air.
The leader found it hard to believe; he turned his head around and met the man who was supposed to be standing in front of him. The leader had no idea when the man stood behind him.
The man stood there, tall and slender. He was holding someone in his arms, yet his hair was still neat-looking. He looked so superior and graceful, like a deity walking out from the moon. Anyone would feel a chill came creeping over beneath his deep, cold eyes...
The leader of the men in black was quite terrified at first, but he could not help from sneering when he recalled their background. He acted as though he's really tough, but in fact, it's all but an empty show of strength.
He sneered and exchanged glances with the man standing behind Baili Jia Jue, hinting that he should get ready to launch a sneak attack on Baili Jia Jue. He said with a disdainful expression on his face, "If I were you, I would go and apologize to my master right now. Have you not inquired about my master's power in Fuping District? You're just a small county head magistrate, do you really think you can fight him?"
"Heh, a small county head magistrate?" Baili Jia Jue slowly paced toward him with a spurious smile on his face.
The man who was waiting to attack Baili Jia Jue found the right timing, hence he raised his knife to stab on the latter's back.
Right at this moment, the leader in black saw a black figure flashing before him. The knife stabbed right into his left arm!
Meanwhile, Baili Jia Jue who was supposed to be stabbed to death was standing there safe and sound, still looking graceful.
As pain swept through his body like a furious storm, the leader squatted down on the floor. He gazed at Baili Jia Jue who was unscathed; he could feel surging emotions of trepidation deep down in his heart.
This man, who the hell is he!?
I can't even see through his martial Qi, let alone predicting how powerful he is!
Even if all of us join hands, it's not necessarily absolute that we can be his match!
The leader's face went pale at this thought. He supported himself with one hand resting on the ground, thoroughly flurried, looking at Baili Jia Jue walking toward him slowly. His bewildered eyes became flustered.
"Stop!" Someone wanted to pull the little one closer, but to his surprise, he was unable to lift the child. So he straight away pulled out a dagger, pressed it to the little one's throat and said, "I'll kill him if you dare to move forward!"
Indeed, Baili Jia Jue stopped his pace, but he looked at the man with obvious mockery in his eyes. He slightly opened his thin lips and said with a faint smile, "Fool."
The one simple word had successfully infuriated the man holding the dagger. "Do you not believe that I will do it? I will cut him with the dagger now to let you have a good look!"
The man raised his dagger upon saying that. However, he received a punch in the stomach the moment he raised his arm.
Bang!
The man was lifted high up and thrown heavily to the ground.
"Thud!"
Blood trickled from the corner of his lips.
The leader of the men in black could not believe his own eyes. What did I just see?
His strongest subordinate was actually beaten up by a four-year-old child!
In an instant!
The expression of all the men in black changed.
Their first reaction was to run!
However, it was too late as nobody had ever escaped unharmed after messing with the Third Prince!
After some crackling and rattling noises.
Baili Jia Jue leisurely wiped his hands while his left foot stepped on the back of the hand of the leader. The leader could not see his face clearly as he was standing in the light. All he could see was the flash of red in the man's narrow eyes.
Helian Wei Wei walked toward him and put her hands on his cold fingers.
Just then, Baili Jia Jue calmed his rage and looked back at her, "What's the matter?"
"I'm cold," Helian Wei Wei smiled faintly while holding his hand, their fingers interlaced. She said to the little one, "Little Seven, I'll leave them to you. Let them stand in line and send them to prison. We can make use of them later. Assassinating court officials, even Lord Liao will not be able to cover up the crime."
Uhm! The little guy replied, looking innocent and sturdy. He picked up a wooden stick from the floor. Without wasting his breath, he would hit anyone who did not stand properly, so hard that their mind went blank.
The badly battered leader was holding his painful arm, vaguely realizing that something was wrong here.
They were so different from what they imagined themselves to be. They have such good skills, do they really have no background at all?
Right when the leader of the men in black was in confusion, Master Liao had arrived at Fuping County. He began venting his grievances the moment he saw Magistrate Liao, however, he did not say a single word about sending people to cause Helian Wei Wei trouble. "Dad, you don't know how arrogant that newly appointed county head magistrate is. I was having my meal in the provincial capital, not only did he bump into me when he was there, he even asked me to compensate him some more."
Magistrate Liao had had the intention to cause trouble to Helian Wei Wei. The somber expression in his eyes intensified upon hearing what his beloved son had mentioned. He then questioned, "Does he not know who you are?"
"I've told him my name on the spot, I mentioned about Dad too but he could not be less bothered about you! He made me lose face in the provincial capital!"
Magistrate Liao grasped the teacup in his hands tightly while listening to his son. "Look how I am going to rip off his skin tomorrow!"
"Dad, you must make him pay for it!" Master Liao wanted to humiliate his enemy so much that he forgot to inform Magistrate Liao about the fact that Helian Wei Wei and Chen Liang knew each other.
The clueless Magistrate Liao did not know that his son had caused a huge ruckus behind his back as he was thinking of ways to get rid of his competitors.
On the other hand, as soon as Private Advisor Zhang heard that Master Liao was coming, he went straight to him along with some money to show his loyalty.
Magistrate Liao could not bear to see his fawning face so he only asked, "What has the one named Wei been doing this entire day? I heard that the villagers are all gossiping about him."
"The one named Wei did something stupid again." Private Advisor Zhang spoke enthusiastically with a face of disdain, "It would be absurd, if not to say that this person has limited experience. Before even checking the type of terrain that the Fuping county has, he has already decided to have a buried water diversion system. What a dream by an id*ot!"
Magistrate Liao laughed upon hearing that. "Buried water diversion system? Everyone knows that the terrain of this river is lower than that of the field. The water will not possibly flow to higher grounds. Lord Wei better not be crazy because of too much pressure from us."
"To me, the one named Wei is not even so kind-hearted. He is most probably thinking of having some results until he went crazy. That's how he came up with this." Private Advisor Zhang teased, "This is even better. Wait until the officials from the provincial capital are here tomorrow, let's see how the one named Wei can save himself!"
Magistrate Liao did not speak further. He drank a mouthful of tea with his head low, but the smile on his face was extremely vicious.
In order to kick some off the plate in officialdom, this was the best way.
Whatever the commoners are saying, only other people would believe them...
Don't blame him for being too mean, just blame that the one named Wei was too arrogant and did not listen to anybody. He deserved to end up worse than being dead!
Yamen of the county magistrate – the night drew in.
Baili Jia Jue's lips lifted as he was reading the letter sent by the shadow guards."This movement is not enough. Bring down the one from the Capital too."
"Yes," replied the shadow guards respectfully with their eyes down, though in their hearts they could not help but feel stunned by the means of their master.
No one could ever imagine that everything in the Capital was in the palms of His Highness even when he was far away in Fuping. He had not miscalculated anything so far.
The situation in Fuping was going on in an invisible trend covering the entire county, while the individuals involved were not even aware of the danger yet to come.
The shadow guards turned to look at their masters and saw that Baili Jia Jue was holding a black piece between his slender and transparent fingers. With a snap, the piece landed on the jade chessboard!
This scene was probably what people said, with the towns behind his back, one was able to control the entire situation...
Helian Wei Wei was drying her hair, but just as Baili Jia Jue entered the room after finishing with his work, she was already sound asleep. Her eyes were closed shut and the lashes were so long.
Baili Jia Jue just stayed and watched her sleep. After a while, he bent down to carry her in his arms and placed her on the bed.
As he let go of his hands, Helian Wei Wei stirred.
Baili Jia Jue planted a kiss on the corner of her eye and spoke with a magnetic voice, "It's alright, go back to sleep."
Helian Wei Wei was indeed feeling sleepy, so after hearing his words, she shut her eyes and dozed off again.
Under the moonlight, Baili Jia Jue half-embraced her in his arms. With his slender body and ink-black hair lying around them, there was an unspeakable gentleness in him.
The next day, when Helian Wei Wei woke up, she noticed how clear and innocent the face was. She was just about to move but she got pinned down by the extended arm.
"Sleep a little more." Baili Jia Jue still had his eyes closed and his voice was a little husky from just waking up.
Helian Wei Wei glanced outside. "No, I have to get up first. I want to go take a look at the water extraction device."
"The shadow guards are there, no one will dare to get any closer." Baili Jia Jue knew that his little pet would sometimes be restless, so he simply held down her paws and slid his other hand into her clothes.
Helian Wei Wei went numb and fell back onto his chest. Her ears were pinkish as she bit her thin lips and said with a trembling voice, "Not here."
After all, yamen was a place to handle cases so anyone would enter anytime. Not to mention her identity now, someone would bound to be looking for her early in the morning.
Baili Jia Jue also knew that the location was not suitable, so he was not going to do anything to her. He pulled her back into his arms and they both went into a shallow sleep.
The two of them rested for not up to five minutes and a servant was already knocking on the door, "Lord Wei, Lord Wei!"
Helian Wei Wei slightly adjusted her clothing and opened the door after putting on a coat, "What's wrong, what's so urgent?"
The servant said in a hurry, "They sent someone from the provincial capital. Magistrate Liao had given the order for all county magistrates to get up early and gather at the Yan Manor."
"Gather at the Yan Manor?" Helian Wei Wei's fingers stopped in the middle of tying her coat and the corner of her mouth lifted. "Alright, you may leave for now."
The servant answered "yes" with his eyes down and with that, he vaguely saw the figure of Private Advisor Long in the room. He muttered without hesitation, "Lord Wei, your relationship with Private Advisor Long looks pretty good. He is already here waiting in your room so early in the morning."
Baili Jia Jue listened to everything with ease, then he extended his arms from the back and took over the buttoning task from Helian Wei Wei. "As a recognized private advisor, I should be the one doing this kind of work."
Both of them were facing the bronze mirror and his breaths were just beside her ear. Helian Wei Wei felt numb everywhere. She did not want to move around because if she did and touched anything, she would be late.
It took quite a while for His Highness to finish buttoning her clothes up. There was a sneer on his thin lips. "Your expression right there, definitely means that you're annoyed because we did not continue on."
Helian Wei Wei was rendered speechless.
When did she get annoyed?
His Highness must be imagining things again; they were not on the same frequency since the beginning!
"I'll compensate for everything once we're back to the palace." Baili Jia Jue bent a little to kiss her ear and the tip of his tongue slightly brushed her skin.
Helian Wei Wei shuddered and fell into his arms as if she was electrocuted like a prawn.
Baili Jia Jue grinned naughtily, "Are you going to come onto me by yourself?"
Helian Wei Wei's heart skipped as she looked at his sly smile. The feeling of blissfulness rose, she guessed that was how it felt like to be fond of someone more and more. Although this person was so unreasonable until an almost unbelievable level, she would be grinning along as she saw those smiling eyes.
After breakfast, the officials from the provincial capital entered the Yan Manor alongside the county magistrates.
As if wanting to boast about his social network, Magistrate Liao was talking and laughing with the officials from the provincial capital along the way. This event led the commoners who were fixing the roads to have hope, and therefore they started to discuss it with each other.
Liu Yin and Old Man Liu were eavesdropping while their eyes were on Helian Wei Wei. They could not help but worry...
Helian Wei Wei's face did not change even a bit, as if she did not see the Magistrate Liao and the officials from the provincial capital brown-nosing. Everyone who came was indifferent in her eyes and she was not affected by the gifts they had brought.
Private Advisor Zhang pulled a face and muttered with disgust, "Just go on pretending then!"
To him, the one named Wei was really dumb. The officials from the provincial capital had already come yet he was still trying to be modest and arrogant. He did not even care to lighten things up, thus, he deserved to be unlucky!
Helian Wei Wei was not being arrogant, she just was not the type of person who would fawn over her superiors. She would do things in moderation yet not acting too rude.
As soon as the officials from the provincial capital sat, they started questioning, "The budget from the imperial court has been assigned. We heard that there are plans to build some roads here in Fuping, how do you all plan to do that?"
"We will use the same ways we did in previous years." Magistrate Liao was holding his teacup as he grinned and replied, "It would be best if the roads leading to the village can all be built, this would ease the convenience of the people to travel to the city."
After listening to that, the officials all nodded their heads in agreement. "Fuping county covers a big area, if adding a few roads could help the commoners with their traveling, it should be a good thing." Then, they turned their attention toward the county magistrates and asked, "What about you all? Do you all have any suggestions?"
Those county magistrates would definitely not have any other ideas as they were all very happy with the project of building roads! Among their conversations, they could not help but worship Magistrate Liao up until the sky.
However, Helian Wei Wei who actually had the most right to talk was drinking tea calmly the entire time.
She only let go of the teacup in her hands until they finished with the discussion. Then, she spoke with a voice as clear as crystal, "I don't think building roads is a good idea."
Magistrate Liao's smiling face suddenly deepened and he turned to look at Helian Wei Wei.
A few of the officials from the provincial capital also exchanged glances, then furrowed their thick brows. "Let's hear your reasons then."
"Fuping county already has two main roads going out of the village and both of them lead straight to the capital city. There's no need to build another one." Helian Wei Wei sounded calm, but each and every sentence was on point.
Magistrate Liao chuckled in a deep voice, "Lord Wei, you have just gotten into this field, you do not understand the meaning of building these roads to the commoners. People are building roads everywhere now. In order to let the people prosper, we will need to connect the roads and rails to the provincial capital. Otherwise, Fuping county will face poverty and be outdated in the future. This is a decision made after gathering all our concerns."
"Let me ask you then, Lord Liao. When you made this decision, did you consider the fact that Fuping county is covered with mostly fields? To build roads, these fields will need to be replaced. All the commoners grow food in the fields, what are they going to eat if their fields no longer exist?" Helian Wei Wei retaliated with a question casually.
Magistrate Liao's gaze deepened and he laughed, "What a good question Lord Wei! We were worried about this problem in the beginning too. But then after much thought, there will need to be sacrificed in order to achieve something. After the roads are done, the people will only need to wait until the season of harvest. By then, all losses can be earned back. If this doesn't work, we still have a number of dry foods for the needy in the store, right? We can just use them when the time comes."
"Lord Liao seems to have forgotten that just two days ago, you have handed the rest of the dry foods to Private Advisor Zhang, asking him to sell them off. What are we going to give the people when they are having difficulties?" Helian Wei Wei had already put down the teacup in her hands and went straight to the point.
Magistrate Liao listened and let out a cold laugh, "So what Lord Wei really means is to disagree to build those roads? Have you ever thought of the things that the commoners in Fuping county will miss because of your rash decision?"
As if to agree on what Magistrate Liao had just said, suddenly there were noises from far away, "We want to meet Lord Wei! We want to meet Lord Wei!"
This kind of ruckus sure would have been heard by all. The officials from the provincial capital exchanged looks and asked curiously, "What is going on outside?"
"My lords, several farmers were making a fuss wanting to meet Lord Wei. They seemed to want to ask him about something." Private Advisor Zhang was the one who replied. He opened his mouth again as if to speak but he stopped, this made everybody even more eager to know what was really happening.
Helian Wei Wei saw him exchanging looks with Magistrate Liao. Her slender fingers were knocking on the tabletop, but she kept quiet.
One of the officials from the provincial capital spoke, "Let the common people in, we want to hear what they have to say and what they want to ask Lord Wei."
"Yes." Private Advisor Zhang followed the order with his head down and a sneer on his face as if his plan was about to succeed. After a while, he led the farmers into the manor.
The common people obviously had never seen so many officials before, so their expressions were a little afraid.
Private Advisor Zhang lowered his voice and spoke with a strangely kind attitude, "You do not have to be scared, you may voice out if you have anything to say. All the masters here came from the provincial capital, they are able to help our people."
After hearing this, someone finally had the courage to shout, "I want to meet Lord Wei! Where is the newly promoted county magistrate of Fuping!"
After noticing the huge change of emotions among the farmers, the few officials who came from the provincial capital all turned to look at Helian Wei Wei with questions in their eyes...
Magistrate Liao kept his head down and sipped his tea, but that was not enough to cover the contemptuous curl of his lips.
Helian Wei Wei, on the other hand, was unexpectedly calm. She stood up with ease and said slowly, "I am the newly promoted county magistrate of Fuping..."
"So you are the one greedy official who has been preventing us from earning a living!?" A young man shouted loudly before Helian Wei Wei could finish her sentence, "Why are you stopping Magistrate Liao from repairing the roads? Here you say that it's all for the good of the people, but you have obstructed us from connecting the train roads to the provincial capital and use that money to build a what, buried water diversion system!? Everyone knows that the river terrains in Fuping is lower than the fields, it is impossible to use this method to water the fields. You can do all that by yourself, but why did you use up the budget for repairing roads and stopping us from earning money! The one named Wei, you are really the most shameless and greedy official I have ever seen!" Helian Wei Wei did not get angry after being scolded, in fact, she questioned him with a calm and steady voice, "Only a few of the lords and masters here know about the budget from the imperial court, my dear brother, where did you hear of this news?"
That man's gaze automatically shifted toward Private Advisor Zhang.
Private Advisor Zhang then let out a loud cough!
The man continued, "Who cares where I heard that from! For your own benefit, now you are stopping us from repairing the road and this is the truth!"
"About this, Lord Wei needs to have a proper explanation indeed." After listening to what that farmer had said, the officials from the provincial capital all turned to look at Helian Wei Wei sternly. "The imperial court will never accept corruption, we will not risk such a huge amount of wages to feed the mouth of a corrupted official who would endanger the people!"
Helian Wei Wei was able to keep her equanimity while facing the accusation. She did not go on the rampage as Magistrate Liao expected but uttered in a leisure manner instead, "The officials are right, we might as well talk it over since the villagers have inquired." She glanced at the farmers and continued, "Folks, why are you so sure that you can make a pot of money by fixing the road?"
The farmers exchanged glances with each other, they could not help but look at the direction of Private Advisor Zhang again.
Helian Wei Wei said with a smile, "Why do you folks keep looking at Private Advisor Zhang? Does he have any good ideas? I have a question for him then. The second after-autumn drought will happen seven days later, there will be no grains to harvest in the fields once the drought is here. You can't sell any food if there's no harvest. How are you going to make a pot of money if there is no sale? What's the purpose of fixing the road then?"
Private Advisor Zhang was at a loss for words, unable to answer Helian Wei Wei's continuous questions. He opened his mouth, trying to make an explanation but he failed to say anything.
"It appears like Private Advisor Zhang doesn't know about it as well," Helian Wei Wei continued with a smile, "I shall be surprised now, why are you folks so sure about something that none of the officials can guarantee?"
Unlike modern times, it went without saying that the citizens in ancient times were afraid to see the imperial officials. Their fears intensified upon hearing what Helian Wei Wei said.
Some farmers feared that they would be condemned and spoke with hesitation, "It's, it's Private Advisor Zhang who guaranteed that we can build up our family fortunes once the road is fixed."
All the officials from provincial capital went silent after hearing that. The underlying message could not be more obvious. It was evident that Private Advisor Zhang had created some rumors.
Besides, the biggest problem that needed to be solved in Fuping County was not fixing the road, but the worrisome drought.
Private Advisor Zhang never mentioned it at all, he kept talking about fixing the road instead.
When the time came and not a single grain was reaped because of the drought, everybody in Fuping District would have to flee famine. What penny could they earn by that time!
When the moment came, not only the imperial court would blame them, perhaps the Retired Emperor would fly into a rage and they would be held responsible for it.
Their original intention was to seize the opportunity to make fast money, but they were only willing to get the money if there was no danger in it. If it was way beyond their capability, none of them would want to bear the consequences.
"Private Advisor Zhang, you're wrong in handling this affair," said one of the officials.
The rest of the people turned to look at Private Advisor Zhang upon hearing that.
Private Advisor Zhang never expected this outcome, he tried his best to maintain the stiff smile on his face and said, "I'm just worried for the folks."
However, with things as such, no one would trust his words anymore.
Even the villagers that he brought with him came to understand the situation, hence, they gave him ferocious stares. An old man who knew better opened his mouth and said, "Are you just using us? Say something!"
"I..." Private Advisor Zhang's face took on a ghastly expression upon hearing the accusation, he then expressed himself, "My fellow villagers, don't simply make slanderous charges against me! All of you volunteered to come, why are you saying that I'm using you instead? I didn't even say anything!"
Id*ot! Magistrate Liao scolded him in his heart while listening to his useless explanation. His expression changed as well.
Basically, everyone knew that Private Advisor Zhang worked for him. If Private Advisor Zhang had made a mistake, it was tantamount to a huge slap in the face for him.
Lord Wei obviously knows it, yet he still takes such measures!
Good, very good!
Magistrate Liao's eyes wandered around, he said in an attempt to change the topic, "Let's put the matter of fixing the road aside. Lord Wei, you must have mistaken the questions that the folks asked you. They want to know why you insisted on spending a lot of money to bury the pipes to channel water despite the fact that the rice fields in Fuping County are at a higher terrain than the river. It is simply a waste of manpower and resources and a futile effort."
"Right, that's what they meant!" Private Advisor Zhang could not help but chime in with him, "According to what Lord Wei said, fixing the road will cause damages to the rice fields. But you have to go through the rice fields to bury the pipe and channel water too. If there's no water in the end and the rice fields are already destroyed, the folks will still lose their grains!"
Magistrate Liao took a sip of tea before saying anything, "Private Advisor Zhang, Lord Wei is a newly appointed official and he put his whole heart to make outstanding achievement. We can understand all these, but that doesn't mean we will allow it. Don't you worry, you can explain slowly to the folks if anything were to happen, so as to avoid misunderstandings of officials from the provincial capital."
"I'm just worried for the folks." Private Advisor Zhang looked as if he felt deeply grieved and said earnestly, "The citizens of Fuping District can still receive relief grains from the provincial capital even if they do not have food after the roads are fixed. Burying the pipe and channeling water is simply an act of wasting money, how effective will it be?"
Helian Wei Wei sneered and said, "Private Advisor Zhang hasn't seen whether the method is effective or not, how can you come to a conclusion right away?"
Magistrate Liao waved his hand and said, "Lord Wei, let's stop fighting and head to the rice fields to have a look. Let the Lords from the provincial capital be our witnesses."
This Wei guy, it seems like he will never accept defeat if he does not get a slap in his face!
He knew Fuping County very well, it was impossible for the river water to flow to the rice fields at high terrain!
"Just listen to Lord Liao and go have a look at the rice fields," said one of the imperial officials from the provincial capital. The imperial official was indeed amiable and nice to the citizens. "Folks, follow behind us. Later you can explain to Lord Wei as well."
Everyone broke out laughing upon hearing him, they looked at Helian Wei Wei with clear mockery in their eyes.
The farmers had no idea whose words they should believe; they had a vague feeling that they should not have come to Lord Wei. However as the matter stood, there was no room for them to remorse now. All they could do was to brace themselves and follow behind the officials to the rice fields.
Even though they said they were going to the rice fields, Magistrate Liao, intentionally or unintentionally, kept guiding them toward the river. He wanted the imperial officials from the provincial capital to see how low the terrain of the river was.
One of the officials said indifferently while walking, "Lord Wei, sometimes you have to think before you act. The river is so low, how are you going to channel the water to the rice fields?
The corners of Helian Wei Wei's mouth were slightly curved into a mocking smile, she had yet to open her mouth.
All of a sudden, the sound of water flowing could be heard not far away, coupled with the sound of cheering from the farmers. It had created quite a commotion!
"Water! There's water!"
The imperial officials were stunned, they turned around to look at the direction where the sound came from. A handsome and apathetic silhouette was standing in the vast field, tall and slender. The hem of his long robe was flying in the wind; he looked like a god from ancient times.
He wore pure black gloves on his hands, his fingers long and slender. His lips curved into an indistinct smile and his deep eyes were beaming with a faint light. It was hard for people to ignore the overwhelming pressure coming from him.
Although he was standing in the crowd, he could be recognized at first sight.
Helian Wei Wei was stunned for a while, then her lips curled into a smile. His Highness had gone missing since morning, so he was actually waiting here...
"What's the matter?" the imperial officials asked.
After running back and forth, the servant's eyes went wide in disbelief and he said, "My Lord, please go have a look quickly, there's water!"
There's water?
Everyone knows that it is the rarest thing to find water in Fuping County.
There's water in the rice fields now?
Where did the water come from?
The imperial officials were dubitative, hence they slowly paced toward the direction of rice fields. They could see water flowing out continuously from the bamboo pipe, while the other end of the bamboo pipe was actually connected to the lowest-lying part of the river!?
How could this be?!
Everybody was caught off guard, their faces registering shock!
The few farmers who came after the officials could not believe their own eyes, they started tearing up in excitement!
"This, where did the water come from?" The villagers were so overwhelmed with happiness that they stumbled upon words.
"The Private Advisor Long beside Lord Wei!" someone shouted, "He asked people to bury the pipes and finally succeeded in channeling water to the rice fields!"
The Private Advisor Long beside Lord Wei?
Doesn't that mean it's Lord Wei herself?
They looked back at the direction of Helian Wei Wei.
There were glances of admiration, astonishment and most of all, awkward glances!
It was such an embarrassment to the ego of Magistrate Liao!
He came to the rice fields with the initial intention to see Lord Wei make a fool of himself, but what happened in the end!
He actually created an opportunity for Lord Wei to enjoy the limelight!
It turned out that he was the one who was humiliated instead!
Magistrate Liao only wished he could dig a hole and hide when he met the glances of his colleagues. All he could think about now was to leave this place as soon as possible!
Unfortunately, life does not work that way, especially not in front of His Highness. So, you want to run after bullying his people? You will have to ask if he's willing to let you go!
It was His Highness' usual style to return tit for tat, which was why the elders in the Capital most feared him.
The officials in the provincial capital had yet to know Baili Jia Jue's identity. If they did, they would not want to be any part of the matter in Fuping District, regardless of how much benefits Magistrate Liao would give them.
"My Lord, this place is too crowded, let's head back before these unruly commoners injure anyone of you." Seeing this situation, Old Master Yan immediately stepped out to help Magistrate Liao out of embarrassment.
To his surprise, as soon as he said that, a voice with a thick village accent barked, "We're forced to become unruly commoners because of you, you shameless man!"
"You, you... where are you from? I don't know you at all, don't you dare slander me!" Old Master Yan yelled back.
Old Man Liu could not take it anymore, he threw the hoe in his hands on the ground.
"Yan! You have been in league with the magistrate all these years. God knows how many dirty things both of you have done behind our backs. You agitated the public to fix the road so that you can cash in on the project! All sizes of the roads in Fuping County have been fixed in these three years' time, but our lives are getting worse and worse! Apart from your sole authority in Fuping District, we have to send any girl you like to your house, or else our family will not be able to live in peace! Do you really think that there are no laws in this land?"
Old Master Yan felt restless looking at the glances around him. He could not help but take a step backward, holding his big belly and pointing at Old Man Liu as a warning. "Watch your words! All my marriages are based on mutual consent. How can you turn your back on me after accepting the money? You've already taken the dowry, but now you're saying that your family can't live in peace because of me. This is such deliberate wrongdoing after accepting my money! My Lord, please set things straight for me!"
Old Man Liu never thought he had the effrontery to say that, his eyes turned red in anger upon hearing the word 'dowry'. "We didn't want your 10 silvers at all! Do you think you're buying livestock?"
10 silvers?
Is he even paying for dowry?
This is simply a humiliation!
The expressions of some officials who were on the scene changed, thinking that this man with surname Yan is well out of order. If he's really fond of the lady, he could have just given her more pennies. Why must he render the situation so much worse!
Old Master Yan explained, "So you think it's too little, that's okay, I'll make up the money for you. Why must you make a false accusation against me? Let me tell you, Old Man Liu. I'm not a pushover and I will not ignore this and let you slander me!"
"You!" Old Man Liu's face turned green with anger.
Old Master Yan was still pretending to be righteous and said, "Some people have been under the pressure of poverty for so long, so he wanted to take advantage of me even though I lent him a helping hand before. I can understand all these and I'm too lazy to bother about it. Old Man Liu, regardless of how, you have to be responsible for slandering me around the public..."
Bang!
Before Old Master Yan could finish his sentence, Helian Wei Wei, who had been keeping silent the whole time, lifted her leg and kicked the chest area of Old Master Yan.
One kick was not enough for her to let off her steam, thus she gave him a second kick!
Old Master Yan was originally standing with his shoulders back and his chest out, still pretending to be rich. After being kicked by her, he curled up in great pain.
No one expected Helian Wei Wei to strike a blow. All the imperial officials were appalled by her sudden movement, especially Magistrate Liao.
He flew into a rage in an instant and yelled at Helian Wei Wei, "Lord Wei! What are you doing? Do you know who's the man you're beating up! He's the person who can help Fuping County the most in eliminating poverty!"
"The person who can help Fuping County the most in eliminating poverty?" Helian Wei Wei threw a mocking glance at Magistrate Liao and slowly grabbed him by his collar. "I've seen a lot of people, but I've never seen anyone as cheap as him. He only paid 10 silvers yet he dared to say he has paid the dowry and spread words to the public about how he has helped them. All the good ladies in Fuping County are suffering because of you! You're just a beast hiding under human skin, how dare you take the credit for somebody's achievement! Old Master Yan, explain to me, why do you keep disturbing the Liu family, again and again, hiring three big guys to beat up a woman?"
Old Master Yan was at a loss for words after being kicked twice by Helian Wei Wei. He felt intense pain on his body and turned to look at Magistrate Liao, blood trickling from his mouth.
Magistrate Liao was just about to help him out before he heard someone among the commoners shouted aloud, "Let Yan give us an explanation! He himself knows how much dirty stuff he has done over the years!"
Old Master Yan was annoyed by the commoners who were creating a disturbance and could not help showing his true colors. He was swollen with arrogance and said, "I pay to sleep with women, why do I have to explain? I despise all of you, making a fuss about my personal life once there's a problem. I didn't kill anyone, nor did I commit arson, I just do my business conscientiously and it's not even a crime. Has Lord Wei thought carefully about the consequences of kicking me?"
"Consequences?" Helian Wei Wei sneered and said, "Is Old Master Yan threatening me now? Who actually gives you the courage to threaten me, an imperial official, in front of the imperial officials from the provincial capital?"