Shen Yuxi was speechless.
Oh, please.
Who in the Mo Kingdom didn't know that the fourth prince kept his distance from women? When had he ever done anything as intimate as sharing a carriage with a young lady?
No wonder people read too much into it.
But an arm could never twist a thigh.
Shen Yuxi knew she couldn't win against Mo Xuanchen. She could hardly throw the fourth prince out of her carriage.
She sighed silently to herself.
Leaning back slightly against the soft cushion, she closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.
Otherwise, they would just sit staring at each other. How awkward would that be?
When the party reached Qingzhou, the Qingzhou magistrate, who had received word well in advance, was waiting at the city gates with a group of officials to welcome them.
The carriage slowly stopped, and the clopping of hooves abruptly ceased.
The Qingzhou magistrate hurried eagerly forward, his aged face smiling like a blooming chrysanthemum.
"Your Highness, I received word of your arrival and have been waiting here since before dawn. At last, you're here."
"I have prepared fine wine and dishes at my residence to welcome you and wash away the dust of your journey. Would Your Highness do me the honor?"
Hearing the Qingzhou magistrate's fawning voice outside, Shen Yuxi could imagine just what sort of creature he was without even stepping out of the carriage or seeing his face.
After an interminable wait, the Qingzhou magistrate finally heard a man give an almost inaudible "Mm" inside the carriage.
He was instantly overjoyed.
He hastily stepped aside.
The Qingzhou magistrate was just about to board his carriage with the others and return to his residence.
One foot was already on the carriage step when Mo Xuanchen's subordinate suddenly appeared.
He stopped the Qingzhou magistrate and said flatly, "Sorry for the trouble, Magistrate Zhao, but please lead the way."
Before Zhao Panggua could react, Fang Yu continued, "His Highness dislikes people riding in carriages while leading the way, so I'm afraid you'll have to lead His Highness on foot, Lord Zhao."
What?
Zhao Panggua was dumbfounded.
There was still a long way to go before they reached the magistrate's residence.
He would have to walk for nearly four hours!
"I..."
"Those are His Highness's wishes."
With that single sentence, Fang Yu blocked the words that were about to spill from Zhao Panggua's mouth.
"This humble official... obeys."
Zhao Panggua's face looked as bitter as a bitter melon, his brows furrowed tightly enough to crush a fly.
The officials trailing behind him looked no better, but seeing Zhao Panggua obediently walking ahead of the carriage to lead the way, they had no choice but to follow.
Both Zhao Panggua and these officials had always lived in pampered comfort and were exceedingly delicate.
When had they ever suffered such treatment?
After just an hour of walking, Zhao Panggua looked as though he had been fished out of the water.
Beads of sweat the size of beans covered his forehead, and his face was bright red.
The back of his robe was soaked with sweat, clinging stickily to his body.
His legs and feet, in particular, ached terribly. He had no strength left and felt as though he would collapse the next moment.
Fang Yu shot him a disdainful glance.
Tsk!
He was this exhausted after only an hour's walk?
How utterly useless.
After another quarter of an hour, Zhao Panggua truly couldn't hold on any longer.
With a thud, he fell flat on his face, like a dog eating dirt.
One of his front teeth was knocked out, and blood poured from his mouth.
Fang Yu sought his master's instructions. Only after receiving Mo Xuanchen's approval did he have someone help Zhao Panggua back into his carriage.
Sitting in the carriage and staring at the large, bloodstained front tooth in his hand, Zhao Panggua badly wanted to cry.
The carriages finally stopped outside the magistrate's residence.
"Your Highness, please come inside."
Zhao Panggua spoke through his gap-toothed mouth, cool air rushing straight in through the space between his front teeth.
It was comical and ridiculous.
"And who might this be?"
Zhao Panggua's eyes lit up when he saw Shen Yuxi.
"Lord Little Shen, a female official personally appointed by His Majesty."
Though Qingzhou was far away, everyone in the Mo Kingdom knew that Emperor Xuanzhao had appointed a female official. After all, it was the first such case since the kingdom's founding.
When Zhao Panggua had heard the news, he had wondered just what sort of woman could make His Majesty break precedent and appoint a woman to office.
It went entirely against ancestral rules and traditions.
Surprised though he was, he looked down from the bottom of his heart on the idea of a woman serving at court.
Women ought to stay home, support their husbands, raise their children, and attend to their husbands. How could they stand alongside men at court?
So Zhao Panggua thought.
His eyes stared fixedly at Shen Yuxi.
[What are you staring at? Keep staring and I'll gouge your eyeballs out.]
Disgusted, Shen Yuxi edged closer to Mo Xuanchen.
Zhao Panggua was startled.
Where had that woman's voice come from?
He looked around. Apart from them, the only person there was the young lady, Shen Yuxi.
Could it have been Lord Little Shen?
But she hadn't opened her mouth just now!
"Lord Magistrate, His Highness and Lord Little Shen must be very tired after their long journey. We should take them to have something to eat first and arrange for them to rest early."
At the reminder from the person beside him, Zhao Panggua came back to his senses.
"Yes, yes, how muddleheaded of me."
When Shen Yuxi followed them into the main hall, her gaze swept over the table laden with delicacies from the mountains and seas, exquisite dishes, and fine wine. The smile on her face gradually faded.
Behind vermilion gates, wine and meat rotted; along the roads lay the bones of those frozen to death.
The people of Qingzhou were trapped in deep water and scorching fire, struggling even to fill their bellies.
Yet the Qingzhou magistrate left them to their fate while hiding away at home to enjoy his extravagance.
"Zhao Panggua, how dare you."
The cold, merciless words fell like knives. Zhao Panggua had no idea why, but under Mo Xuanchen's overwhelmingly oppressive gaze, he dropped to his knees nonetheless.
Hiss-
His knees had already been hurting, and kneeling sent pain piercing straight to his heart.
"Your Highness, this humble official does not know what offense he has committed."
"The people outside are dying and suffering injuries, yet you still have the leisure to arrange this useless welcoming banquet."
"Food is scarce, yet your residence seems entirely unaffected."
Not a ripple disturbed Mo Xuanchen's voice. It was as calm as the sea at night.
But the chill held deep within his eyes fell squarely upon the magistrate like a blade tempered in ice.
Zhao Panggua couldn't help shuddering. Realizing what the problem was, he hurriedly admitted his fault.
"Forgive me, Your Highness. I know I was wrong... I have worried day and night over the epidemic, unable to eat or sleep in peace. Most of the food in my residence has been donated to the people, but..."
"But when I heard you were coming, I was afraid of slighting Your Highness. That was why I indulged in extravagance just this once."
Zhao Panggua lied without so much as blinking.
His whole speech flowed like drifting clouds and running water.
As he spoke, he secretly raised his eyes and stole a quick glance at Mo Xuanchen.
Seeing that Mo Xuanchen's expression remained indifferent, without the slightest sign of softening, his heart sank again. He hurried on with his excuses, his tone growing increasingly urgent and even taking on a hint of tears.
"Please see the truth, Your Highness! The epidemic has yet to subside, and food is indeed scarce. After I donated the stores from my residence, my own household was left with nothing but coarse tea and plain meals."
"Everything at today's banquet was temporarily borrowed on my orders from the few grain merchants remaining in the city, solely so that Your Highness could have a little respite. I would never dare squander resources, much less disregard the lives of the people!"
As he spoke, he kowtowed heavily several more times. "I know that the people are displaced and starving. As their parent official, I ought to share their joys and hardships, rather than prepare such an ill-timed banquet for Your Highness."
"But Your Highness is so exalted that I truly dared not slight you. A moment of muddleheadedness led me to make this mistake. Please give me another chance, Your Highness. I will have the banquet cleared away at once and send all this food to the relief stations to distribute among the suffering people!"
[Unable to eat or sleep in peace? Coarse tea and plain meals? How does he have the nerve to say that?]
Shen Yuxi thought, [Shouldn't he look down at his own belly before saying that?]