novelraw Chapter 232
Chapter 232
Chapter 232 Qian City Commandery
Wei Yu made quite a big show when entering the capital city. Unlike the silent and inconspicuous way he entered other small counties and cities, Wei Yu rode conspicuously into the city, with Fang Sheng blatantly showing the Wise King’s waist token to the city’s guarding soldiers.
Those who were alert already knew that the Imperial Court had sent an inspector to deliver disaster relief, and they had also heard about the Third Prince currently busy in Daichuan Commandery. The only thing unclear was the whereabouts of the Ninth Wise King.
However, when Wei Yu held the waist token and led over a hundred people into the city, the prefect—who had remained behind closed doors until then—had no choice but to come out in person to welcome him.
He was a man of medium build with a very honest appearance; from his looks, one couldn’t suspect he had any ulterior motives. His expression looked somewhat haggard, as if he had endured many hardships.
The group stopped at the gate of the Prefect’s Office. Wei Yu sat on his horse, looking down at the Prefect standing at the door, appraising him up and down a few times.
The Prefect of Qian City Commandery stepped forward respectfully with his household and greeted, “Your humble servant Pei Yongjie, Prefect of Qian City Commandery, pays his respects to His Highness the Wise King.”
The man looked like an ordinary person. Seeing his family behind him, Wei Yu said, “Everyone, rise.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Pei Yongjie appeared to be a man who did not like to smile; even when meeting a prince, he showed little expression except for respectful gestures to usher Wei Yu inside. Wei Yu dismounted his horse.
Pei Yongjie didn’t bother with unnecessary small talk, which Wei Yu appreciated.
The people around them cleared a path, and Wei Yu stepped into the mansion.
Behind him, a servant from the Pei family came out, intending to take care of the horses, but was rejected by the guards.
Fang Sheng didn’t even need to give any orders; the guards automatically took their positions: those following His Highness to the stable took care of the horses, some dispersed under the mansion walls to survey the environment, and some sneaked off quietly to look for Yi Shisan…
Led by Pei Yongjie, Wei Yu arrived at the front hall.
The main seat was naturally taken by him. Without permission, no one else dared to sit and could only stand below.
After sitting down, Wei Yu looked around and finally settled his gaze on Pei Yongjie’s family members.
After the servant served tea, Wei Yu smiled slightly and suddenly asked, “Prefect Pei, how old are you this year?”
It was an untimely question.
Pei Yongjie was slightly surprised but lowered his eyes respectfully and answered, “Your Highness, I am forty-three years old.”
“Oh, forty-three.”
Wei Yu pretended to realize something, then immediately asked, “At your age, why is it that none of your young children or grandchildren are visible?”
Upon hearing this, the expressions of those present changed in various ways.
Wei Yu glanced at their reactions, smiled, leaned back in his chair with his arms folded over his stomach, and said leisurely, “Prefect Pei, you have many relatives, yet not a single child is in sight? Surely at your age, you must have at least one son or daughter?”
Behind Pei Yongjie stood a row of relatives—old and grown—which made the turnout seem grand, as if the entire household had come out to greet him, but none were young children.
Even if Yi Shisan hadn’t told him before, Wei Yu could see at a glance that something was fishy.
Perhaps Pei Yongjie had already sent his children away knowing the situation was bad, or maybe they had been taken hostage by Japanese pirates?
That’s how it’s often depicted in dramas.
Pei Yongjie was more composed than others; Wei Yu’s words didn’t change his expression. After listening, he calmly replied, “Your Highness, you misunderstand. I have two sons and three daughters, all married and settled. Recently, a distant relative of mine fell seriously ill, so my eldest daughter-in-law took the children to visit.”
Wei Yu looked at him meaningfully, “Oh, so your Pei family sends children to visit distant relatives instead of adults? Aren’t you afraid something might happen on the road?”
Such an insinuating remark unsettled several who were thin-skinned and unable to hide anything.
Pei Yongjie lowered his head and said, “In the past, the two families were very close and often in contact. Now that my relative doesn’t have much time left and wants to see the children, I reluctantly agreed to the risk.”
Wei Yu smiled slightly and did not press the topic further. Instead, he looked down, lifted the tea cover, and changed the subject.
“Prefect Pei, you should know why I came here this time, right?”
Pei Yongjie: “Your humble servant understands. Your Highness has come to provide disaster relief.”
“Oh, since you know that, what do you think about the fact that in Qian City Commandery, grain prices have risen so much that corpses from starvation are everywhere, which nearly caused the disease outbreak in Xinghua Village to spread throughout the commandery?”
“Disease outbreak in Xinghua Village!”
Pei Yongjie suddenly looked up, unable to hide the shock in his eyes.
Wei Yu glanced at him, “You didn’t know, right? Well, that’s because my men at Xingyi had already taken control of the matter first. If I hadn’t happened to pass by, the patients from Xinghua Village might have escaped by now. Imagine what would happen if people with contagious disease ran everywhere?”
“A contagious disease, passed from person to person, is quite terrifying. Once it spreads, it becomes a large-scale epidemic, and it’s very difficult to cure. The cost for food and medicine alone is huge… If it weren’t for my men stumbling upon and managing to contain the outbreak in Xinghua Village, Prefect Pei, do you think Qian City Commandery could still survive?”
Pei Yongjie’s face turned increasingly pale.
When it came to pretending or boasting, Wei Yu was truly good at it.
He sat in the main seat, one hand resting on the table tracing the cup’s rim casually with his fingers, the other on the armrest supporting his chin. A mocking smile played on his face as he looked at Pei Yongjie.
Wei Yu felt that he had truly mastered the essence of “commanding the battlefield from behind the scenes”…
“Prefect Pei, you ignore the grain price issue, but so many people starving to death have caused the disease. Isn’t that something you should have foreseen? Why are you flustered now that you hear about it?”
Pei Yongjie’s eyes were dazed, and he murmured, “I…I didn’t do it on purpose…”
Seeing the pale and confused Prefect, Wei Yu secretly sneered and instinctively replied, “Not on purpose, huh? Then on purpose, right?”
“No! I didn’t!”
Pei Yongjie reflexively defended himself.
He looked at Wei Yu, his expression shifting rapidly from dazed to one Wei Yu couldn’t understand—fiery hot. This change took only a few seconds.
“I’m just a Prefect. Forty percent of Qian City Commandery’s grain is controlled by the people behind Fu’an Grain Shop! If they want to raise prices, what can I do? The granaries have long been empty; all the grain has been moved away over the years!”
“Disaster relief? The Imperial Court doesn’t send grain; the local people can’t collect any either. What can I do? I’m just a small Prefect; I have no say at all. I can’t even do anything about the memorials sent to the capital!”
“I know Your Highness the Wise King had already sent people to Qian City Commandery. I’m not afraid you’ll find something out. Anyway, things have come to this point—I no longer care if I live or die.”