Yan Heng was extremely disappointed and said, “But General, it’s true that Gou Chun has allowed his soldiers to plunder the people’s grain. Local aristocratic families wanted to come to Yuncheng to file complaints, but they were killed on the road by Gou Chun who fabricated charges against them. The border hasn’t been invaded by the Zhao family army, yet white bones are already piling up everywhere. If the General doesn’t severely punish Gou Chun, I’m afraid before the Zhao family army even enters Yanzhou, Yanzhou will descend into chaos first.”

“How dare you!” Gou Xi flew into a rage. “His Majesty is here, which means the dragon veins of the realm are here. How could Yanzhou fall into chaos? You must not spread such alarmist talk.”

Yan Heng wanted to continue persuading him, but an advisor beside him quickly pulled him back and said to Gou Xi, “General, Mister Yan has drunk too much wine and is inevitably speaking nonsense. I’ll take him away right now.”

With that, he forcefully dragged him out.

Once outside in the courtyard, Yan Heng vigorously shook off his hand, still fuming with anger. “Why did you drag me? Which part of what I said was wrong?”

“You weren’t wrong, but the General has a terrible temper right now. Why must you clash with him head-on? Have you forgotten that just the other day the General killed someone?”

Yan Heng stamped his foot and said, “That’s precisely why I must admonish the General! Knowing there’s an abyss ahead, should we just watch the General step into it?”

Yan Heng was both sorrowful and angry, tears falling and wetting his collar. “Think of the past—the General was upright and incorruptible, clean and honest, but, but…”

The advisor quickly covered his mouth to prevent him from finishing his words, whispering, “Foolish, so foolish! Why are you speaking recklessly in this mansion? The maid who was killed by the General the other day died because the General overheard her disrespectful words. Do you want to follow her example?”

Yan Heng tried to pull away his hand, but this time the advisor didn’t let go. He pushed him along for a distance, away from the study, before releasing him. “I’m doing this for your own good. We’ve both served the General for over ten years. I don’t want you to meet a bad end.”

Just as he finished speaking, they heard orderly footsteps. The two immediately fell silent and looked over to see the steward leading more than twenty people toward them. Most were women, dressed in revealing and gaudy clothing, carrying either zithers, pipas, or flutes in their arms.

Clearly, they were women from a music house.

Yan Heng’s face turned even more ashen.

The advisor gripped him tightly, afraid he would charge forward again.

The steward saw the two men and immediately came forward to pay his respects.

The advisor asked, “Where did these people come from?”

The steward replied, “They’re music house women sent from Qingzhou.”

Yan Heng asked with a dark expression, “Since they’re tributes from the local area, why aren’t they being sent to the palace? Why were they sent here instead?”

“This…” The steward said in a low voice, “These were sent by the Second Young Master to the General.”

Only then did Yan Heng remember that upon arriving in Yuncheng, Gou Xi had requested the position of Qingzhou Inspector for Gou Chun. However, Gou Chun hadn’t gone to take up the post, but had instead gone to the border to command troops and guard against the Yuzhou army.

He had thought it was just a title, but who knew that while Gou Chun was physically at the Yuzhou border, his hand still reached into Qingzhou?

Yan Heng was both angry and helpless. In the end, he stopped talking to the advisor and simply flicked his sleeve and left.

The advisor watched his departing figure, shaking his head and sighing. He glanced once more in the direction where the entertainers had gone, heaved another deep sigh, and finally shook his head as he walked away.

Zhao Zhongyu read and reread Zhao Hanzhang’s letter. Although he didn’t know why she was so urgently seeking officials proficient in water mill engineering, he still decided to make another trip.

He burned the letter and tossed it into the brazier, watching it burn to ashes before standing up and walking out. “Prepare the carriage. We’re going to Shen Garden.”

Shen Garden was located in a corner of Yuncheng, with only one brick house that was quite simple and plain. Around it were cultivated vegetable gardens and farmland.

In the field were beans and millet. A middle-aged man dressed in plain clothes was weeding in the field. Reminded by a young servant beside him, he turned around.

Seeing Zhao Zhongyu, he quickly put down his small hoe and hurried forward to bow. “This humble official pays respects to Minister Zhao.”

“Please, no need for such formality.” Zhao Zhongyu extended his hand to help him up, then looked at the millet planted in his field and asked, “When we came to Yuncheng, we had already missed the farming season. Can this millet still be harvested in time?”

The man replied, “With intensive cultivation and guaranteed irrigation, it can naturally be harvested. However, for ordinary people, this method is too inefficient, so it’s still best to plant according to the farming season.”

“This year’s spring plowing in Luoyang was somewhat delayed as well. I wonder how their harvest will be.”

Shen Ruhui sighed upon hearing this. “Indeed. Let’s hope Heaven shows favor—if the rain could come a few days later and then fall for two more days, then Luoyang would have a chance at survival.”

Zhao Zhongyu glanced at the millet in his field that had already formed ears, then looked at the soybeans whose pods were gradually filling out, and smiled. “The spring plowing in Luoyang was about ten days earlier than your planting. If we calculate it, the beans should be ready for harvest by now.”

Shen Ruhui nodded and invited Zhao Zhongyu to sit in the thatched pavilion nearby.

It was a thatched pavilion built to the left front of the stone house, right beside the field, meant for him to rest.

Servants immediately spread out grass mats. Zhao Zhongyu knelt and sat in the upper position, while Shen Ruhui knelt opposite him.

A servant brought over a low table and placed it between the two men, then knelt to the side to boil water and prepare tea.

A cool breeze blew past, carrying away the sweat that had just formed on Zhao Zhongyu’s brow, and soothing his irritated heart. He smiled and said, “This is truly comfortable. No wonder you always stay here and refuse to return to the official guesthouse.”

Yuncheng wasn’t a very large city. With the Emperor relocating the capital here, where would all these officials live?

They couldn’t just seize the locals’ houses. Well, some did seize them, but they couldn’t be too ruthless. Most officials either half-seized, half-purchased houses, which could be considered cooperation with local aristocratic families.

Others temporarily stayed in official guesthouses, waiting for the court to build a batch of houses before being assigned residences.

But now, building the palace had consumed everyone’s financial and manpower resources. Where would they find the energy to build houses for officials?

Shen Ruhui was straightforward—he found a place in the city with farmland and water, and simply built himself a brick house to live in.

However, places with farmland were all far from the bustling main city. His location was quite remote.

Shen Ruhui shook his head with a bitter smile. “I have no official duties now. Why should I stay at the official guesthouse and invite scornful looks?”

Zhao Zhongyu asked, “How have you considered what I proposed to Minister Shen last time?”

Shen Ruhui frowned. “I’m a court minister. Since His Majesty is in Yuncheng, I should naturally remain in Yuncheng. What would be the point of returning to Luoyang now?”

Zhao Zhongyu said, “I’ve heard that Luoyang is gradually stabilizing. The Yuzhou army and the Xiliang army have jointly cleared out the bandits within the territory. Merchants from various places have begun traveling to Luoyang, spreading news beyond Luoyang’s borders.”

“Many people who left Luoyang have started returning,” Zhao Zhongyu sighed. “Life outside isn’t easy. Minister Shen should understand this. If one can secure a chance for survival in Luoyang, naturally one’s hometown is still the best.”

Shen Ruhui said nothing. He pushed the prepared tea to Zhao Zhongyu, inviting him to drink.

Zhao Zhongyu merely glanced at the tea in the bowl and said, “Minister Shen has long been in the fields and probably doesn’t know yet—while the wheat harvest in Yanzhou was abundant, at the Yuzhou border, Gou Chun allowed his soldiers to plunder the people’s grain.”

“That was the people’s food supply for the entire year, and after being robbed, they still had to pay their taxes as usual. This year, because His Majesty relocated the capital to Yuncheng, there’s an additional levy,” Zhao Zhongyu said softly. “I heard that the local village elders refused to accept this and sent their sons and nephews to the capital to file complaints, but before they could even leave the county, they were killed.”

“Gou Chun even imprisoned their entire families under the charge of colluding with bandits. More than a month passed before the news reached the capital.”

Shen Ruhui’s eyes widened. “More than a month? Does this mean the General didn’t know either?”