Halfway through the journey, Jin Shanyao saw the Harmful River the man had mentioned... The river surface was just beginning to thaw, and the banks were bare for a hundred meters, without a single tree, and the soil underfoot was extremely loose.
She thought to herself, "If it stays like this, it'll be strange if the riverbank doesn't collapse once the ice and snow completely melt."
Without pausing, Jin Shanyao continued on his way to the capital. As soon as he left Jianghe County, the streets gradually became deserted, and the old ox immediately took off galloping towards the capital.
As soon as her oxcart entered the capital, she sensed something was amiss. The usually bustling city gates were now deathly still. She jumped off the oxcart and walked to the side of the guards.
He nudged the other person's arm. "What happened on the Tu Geng???"
Tu Geng silently took two steps to the side, not wanting to talk to her. Jin Shanyao him, shuffling along. "Why has everyone become so lifeless while I was gone?"
Tu Geng took a deep breath and pointed to the white flowers on the city gate, "See them?"
"I saw it, and I was wondering... Your city gate office is quite elegant, you even know to hang white flowers..." Before she could finish speaking, Tu Geng covered her mouth.
"If you want to die, don't drag me down with you..."
Jin Shanyao slapped his hand away, spitting several times... "Aren't your hands dirty? Why are you covering my mouth like that..."
Tu Geng was startled, but now that he'd recovered, he felt his palms burning. He rubbed his hands vigorously on his clothes and whispered, "His Majesty passed away last night."
Jin Shanyao her head and said "Oh." She had already seen that the old man was nearing his end, so she didn't think much of it. She got into the oxcart and swayed back to the Anzhi Hall.
Tu Geng stood there, stunned. He could only manage a weak "Oh?" But that was the emperor who had established the Sheng Dynasty dynasty! Did he really not care about him?
At the side door of the Anzhi Hall, Jin Shanyao banged against the door panel, " Qing He, open the door."
"Oh... you're here!" Qing He's cheerful voice came from inside the courtyard. The door opened, and she exclaimed with delight, "Master, you're finally back! I've missed you so much!"
She opened the courtyard gates completely, and the old ox walked into the yard on its own. Meng Anzhi heard the noise and ran out, surrounding her happily, saying, "Auntie..."
Jin Shanyao cupped her face in her hands, forehead to forehead, and asked, "Tell me... did you miss your aunt?"
Meng Anzhi giggled as she was teased, "I've thought about it... You can't leave me behind anymore."
Jin Shanyao chuckled and said "Oh," mimicking her tone, "I can't leave you behind."
"Ahhh... Auntie, you're mimicking me."
Jin Shanyao heartily and pulled her to the oxcart, saying, "I brought gifts for you all."
"What gift..."
Amidst the expectant gazes of the crowd, Jin Shanyao pulled out an iron shovel... clang clang clang...
" Qing He... here, this is a shovel from Pingcheng Prefecture..."
Qing He took it and smiled, "Thank you, Master. This shovel looks sturdy..."
"That's three hundred coins..."
As soon as Jin Shanyao speaking, Qing He exploded, "What kind of shovel costs you three hundred coins?"
Qing He rolled up her sleeves, wanting to confront the shopkeeper, but then remembered that she had bought it from out of town, and forced herself to hold back.
"There must be a reason why it's so expensive. Take a closer look and see if the craftsmanship is better than that of the capital..." Jin Shanyao pointed to the uneven chisel marks on the iron shovel.
Qing He took a deep breath, "Yes, it's purely handmade..."
Jin Shanyao chuckled, then took out a bag of conch shells and handed it to Meng Anzhi, "Here... take these to make wind chimes... they'll sound lovely when they tinkle."
She then took out a box of ink sticks, "These are good stuff, your aunt got them at a bargain price. You and Anci share them..."
Meng Anzhi hugged the ink box, beaming from ear to ear, "Thank you, Auntie."
"Oh... good boy," she said, taking out a copper medicine grinder and handing it to Zhou Xiaosi, "Here... it's pure copper."
Zhou Xiaosi chuckled, holding the copper medicine grinder, "Thank you, Master..."
Jin Shanyao and said, "No need to thank me... You can use this medicine grinder from now on." Then she called out, " Qing He..."
"Oh, what is it, Master?" Qing He hurriedly put down her handmade iron shovel.
Jin Shanyao pointed to the bolts of cloth on the oxcart, "Those two bolts of green cloth are mine, the tea set is for Old Qin... You can divide the rest of the cloth among everyone, one bolt each, I bought them on a headcount basis."
"Yes, Master..." Qing He thought to herself that she must not know how much this cloth cost. She must never let her master get involved in purchasing things in the future, especially when they are out of town.
Jin Shanyao suddenly remembered that there was a teacup in her bundle, and casually instructed, "Go and take the teacup out of my bundle and give it to Nanny Chen to feed the chickens."
Qing He quickly agreed, silently clutching her chest. Why was she bringing a gift for the chicken?
As it was getting dark, Jin Shanyao, still waiting for Meng Anci, asked in confusion, "Why hasn't your brother finished his shift yet?"
Meng Anzhi leaned close to her ear and whispered, "The late emperor has passed away, and all officials are required to enter the palace to observe mourning and discuss matters. He hasn't been home since last night."
Jin Shanyao frowned, finding the rules of the mortal world too troublesome, and didn't ask any further questions.
In the spring of the thirty-ninth year of the Sheng Dynasty, the late emperor passed away, and the whole country wore mourning clothes, with officials and common people grieving together.
The people wore mourning clothes for thirteen days, stopped weddings, banquets, and slaughtering, and abstained from operas, dances, and all forms of entertainment; the government set up mourning altars, and the people burned incense to express their grief.
Seven days later, Crown Prince Xiao Yuan ascended the throne before the spirit tablet of the late Emperor, issued an edict designating the following year as the first year of Yongxi, and became known as Yongxi Emperor. He also appointed his son Xiao Changchuan as Crown Prince.
Upon ascending the throne, the new emperor granted a general amnesty, promoted newly appointed officials, and reorganized the court.
Meng Anci was one of these newly appointed officials. He was transferred from the Hanlin Academy to the Censorate and appointed as a supervising censor for his meritorious service in exposing his colleagues' private land ownership.
Zhao Zhiyuan was originally a compiler in the Hanlin Academy. He was reassigned as the principal of the Water Bureau of the Ministry of Works. On the surface, it was a promotion, but in reality, it was a kicking over him from a prestigious civil service position to the management of river and water conservancy.
When the news reached Anzhi Hall, Jin Shanyao was sunbathing in the courtyard. She turned to Meng Anci, "Censor-in-Chief? What does that do?"
Meng Anci puffed out his chest, his expression arrogant, "Investigate all officials and impeach those who break the law."
Jin Shanyao his head, closed his eyes, and muttered, "So it's a job that'll offend people."
"Oh, Auntie! That's an Imperial Censor! Although his official rank isn't high, his real power is immense... When encountering corrupt local officials, he can petition the court for major cases and make decisions on minor matters on the spot;
When they inspect the local areas, it's as if the emperor himself is there. This is a position personally appointed by His Majesty, wielding the power of oversight and impeachment. As an official who speaks out for the court, which of the officials in the entire court doesn't show them some respect?
Jin Shanyao sensed the undisguised joy in his tone and chuckled softly, "Yes, my Anci is really amazing. He's gained real power in just two and a half years."
Meng Anci felt a little embarrassed by the praise, and the tips of her ears became slightly hot.
Meng Anci became a censor at the young age of fourteen, which shocked the entire court. In private, everyone talked about how he was cunning and climbed the ranks by stepping on his colleagues.
Some even dug up old news, saying that he had known the current emperor since his days as a scholar and was a true confidant and close minister.
As a result, officials throughout the court avoided him like the plague, fearing that any wrong word they uttered would become a stepping stone for his promotion.