Jin Shanyao in Yuan Shanjian's seat, arms crossed, "I'll sit here and wait for him... Let him try not to come back."
Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan exchanged a glance, smiled, and then sat down to check the ledgers and examine the river map.
Time flew by and it was already evening.
Yuan Shanjian, carrying his official hat, walked back, his feet smudged in the mud. Seeing Judicial Commissioner Feng standing like a wooden stake under the eaves, he exclaimed, "Hey... in a meditative state??"
"My lord, you must hide..." Judicial Commissioner Feng jogged forward to pull the man away, but before he could take two steps, Jin Shanyao and pulled one person with each hand as they charged out of the house.
She walked straight to Yuan Shanjian, pushing Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan side by side in front of him. "Come on, if you have any complaints, say them in front of them... We can't hear you through the door."
Jin Shanyao said, taking out a booklet from her satchel, holding a charcoal pencil, and looking at Yuan Shanjian, "Start cursing. I'll take notes. Don't worry... I won't miss a single word, and I guarantee it will be presented to the Emperor verbatim."
"There's a saying, 'When the censor-in-chief inspects local officials... what was it again?'"
Meng Anci replied with a smile, "If His Majesty were here in person, Aunt... how could Lord Yuan, a fourth-rank official, not know the powers of the Censor? His scolding of me is like scolding His Majesty. You must have misheard."
"Oh... did I hear wrong?" Jin Shanyao looked directly at Yuan Shanjian. "Who are those two idiots cursing? Whose children are you trying to appease?" After asking, she waited for the answer with a serious expression.
Yuan Shanjian's face burned from the two men's spitting, and he couldn't utter a single word.
Judicial Commissioner Feng quickly smiled and tried to smooth things over, "Oh dear... look at my head, the food is all ready... Madam, please follow me, gentlemen."
Jin Shanyao put the booklet into her satchel and said calmly, "Alright, let's eat first. Tell me when Lord Yuan remembers..."
Yuan Shanjian speechless after being rebuked. He had hoped to ease the awkwardness during the meal when Meng Anci said with a smile, " Judicial Commissioner Feng, we've had a long day. Could you please bring the food to my room?"
Judicial Commissioner Feng glanced at Yuan Shanjian and smiled, "Alright, I'll give the order right away."
Meng Anci, Zhao Zhiyuan, and Yuan Shanjian bowed and took their leave.
Back inside.
Jin Shanyao began to lecture her two children, "You were sent by the imperial court, representing the emperor, not Yuan Shanjian's subordinates. You must learn to use others' strength against them, to borrow the emperor's power, and to wield authority like a tiger's feather... Do you understand?"
Meng Anci seriously, "I understand, Aunt... If he dares to speak rudely again, I'll say I'm going to write a memorial to the Emperor to report on the progress."
Zhao Zhiyuan's brain was being bombarded all day long, from snatching a bowl at the tea stall to the face-to-face confrontation at the government office... His understanding of Jin Shanyao was being refreshed time and time again, as if he had never known this elder before.
Jin Shanyao didn't hear Zhao Zhiyuan's reply and looked at him with dissatisfaction.
Zhao Zhiyuan quickly replied, "Understood, you're just using someone else's power."
The Jin Shanyao his hand in satisfaction. "From this moment on, you must forget your original selves and consider yourselves as the emperor's alter egos... Think about how the emperor usually disciplines his officials, and discipline them in the same way."
The two kids, their eyes gleaming, nodded in unison.
The following day, Zhao Zhiyuan suggested that they go to Jianghe County for an on-site investigation.
Yuan Shanjian, "Alright, go now... You guys pack some clothes, and if you don't make it back, you can sleep over there."
Zhao Zhiyuan had thought that Yuan Shanjian would be somewhat unwilling, or would try to please them because of what happened yesterday, but that didn't happen... After one night, Yuan Shanjian as if nothing had happened.
He was still as impatient as ever, grabbing a constable at random. "Go to the backyard and have Madam prepare two sets of tattered clothes for me. I'm going to Jianghe County."
After saying that, he went into the second hall, found the map of Jianghe County, rolled it up neatly, wrapped it in another layer of oil paper, and then put it in his pocket. "Let's go... shall we ride in your carriage or mine?"
Meng Anci smiled and said, "If Lord Yuan doesn't mind, you may ride in the oxcart with me."
"An oxcart? An oxcart is nowhere near as fast as a horse-drawn carriage. Won't this waste time?"
Jin Shanyao silently took out her booklet, taking notes and reading aloud, " Lord Yuan thinks Lord Meng's official rank is too low and he is not worthy to ride in the same carriage as him."
Yuan Shanjian taken aback. "When did I say I wasn't worthy? I said the oxcart was taking up too much time."
Jin Shanyao, not raising her eyes or opening them, "You don't want to sit with Lord Meng because you think his official rank is too low."
Yuan Shanjian felt she was being difficult to deal with and said impatiently, "Sit, sit, sit... I'll sit, okay?" He then strode over to the oxcart and plopped down on it.
Jin Shanyao a charcoal pencil, glanced at him, then read aloud as she took notes, " Lord Yuan is slacking off and harboring resentment."
Yuan Shanjian pointed at the Jin Shanyao his hand in anger, stammering "You, you, you..." for a long time, not daring to say a word, afraid of being ridiculed by the other party, and could only clench his teeth tightly.
With everything prepared, the group set off for Jianghe County.
Yuan Shanjian closer to Jin Shanyao, "Let me see the booklet. What's written in it?"
With a flick of her Jin Shanyao, she hid the booklet behind her back. "What are you looking at? This is a secret report; you can't look at it."
Yuan Shanjian:...
Jin Shanyao put the booklet into her handbag and patted it thoughtfully. When she looked up, Yuan Shanjian staring at her with wide eyes. She pretended to rummage through her bag to find the booklet.
Startled, Yuan Shanjian quickly turned his face away... Jin Shanyao her eyes, "You little brat... I can't handle you."
The oxcart swayed and rattled towards Jianghe County. When it passed a tea stall, the shopkeeper recognized the man at a glance. He picked up the teacups on the table and ran into the house, then slammed the doors and windows shut with a bang.
Yuan Shanjian jumped off the oxcart and pounded on the door, " Old Guan... why are you hiding from me?"
A hurried voice came from inside the house, "Sir... my shop is closed today."
"Stop with the nonsense, go... get us some tea to quench our thirst..." Yuan Shanjian said before sitting down in the tea stall outside.
The wind was a bit strong outside, and his official hat was blowing unsteadily, so he simply took it off and tucked it under his arm. Seeing that there was still no movement in the shop, his temper flared up immediately.
" Old Guan... get me some water, are you trying to kill me with thirst?! Do you believe I'll shut down your teahouse...?"
The shopkeeper, hiding inside the shop, paced anxiously. After weighing the pros and cons, he made up his mind and said, "Sir... please wait a moment."
After saying this, he picked up the copper kettle from the stove, poured water into it, then carried the tray out, chuckling, "Sir... going to inspect the river again?"
Yuan Shanjian him up and down. "You killed someone?"
"No, no, no... Sir, please don't scare me..."
"You're nervous even though you didn't kill anyone..."
"I'm not nervous!"
"I wasn't so nervous as to give you the teacup..."
The shopkeeper only then realized that he was tightly clutching the teacup. He quickly glanced at Jin Shanyao, "Sir... this is a new bowl."
"Alright... go ahead and get busy. New bowls or old bowls, as long as we can drink water..." He picked up the teapot, filled three bowls with tea, and urged, "Drink up... we still have a long way to go."
Jin Shanyao looked at the empty bowl in front of her, then glanced at Yuan Shanjian, Yuan Shanjian his head away... looking at the sky and the ground but not at her.
Jin Shanyao her hand on the table, and the innkeeper rushed out with a teapot. "Sir, your special teapot... cold water, I just fetched it."
He poured her a full bowl, then stood aside staring at the bowl in her hand. Jin Shanyao looked up at him, and the shopkeeper understood, silently turning and leaving.
Once inside, he quickly peered through the door, his eyes fixed on the bowls. He silently counted in his mind: one, two, three, four...