Home/ There’s A Beauty / Chapter 74 (Part 1)
Although You Shu’s chin was lowered, the muscles on his cheek tensed for a moment before relaxing immediately. But such a subtle expression couldn’t escape the eyes of the King of the Underworld. He smiled inwardly, but didn’t show anything on his face. He walked around the room, looked around, and then shook his head frequently.
“Being honest, diligent, and loving the people like a son” is the foundation of being an official. Although this man did a good job, he was a little harsh on himself.
When other officials retire from old age and return to their hometowns or go to the capital to report on their duties, they will have more than a dozen carts of gold and silver, not to mention a bunch of beautiful wives.
However, Magistrate Xiao Zhao only had a small package and two old boxes. All the luggage added up to nothing but two coins of silver. It is said that “three years of the Qing prefect, one hundred thousand snowflakes of silver”, he spent all the snowflakes silver on the people, but before he left, he could not even gather enough expenses for himself.
{three years of the Qing prefect, one hundred thousand snowflakes of silver= referring to the officials who flaunt their integrity, but actually plunder people’s wealth}
The man really doesn’t know whether to praise him or scold him. This person didn’t take the money that he shouldn’t have taken, but also donated the salary that he should have received, not even thinking about what to do if there’s an emergency? Lord Yama sighed, sounding very helpless, but also extremely sympathetic.
He originally wanted to touch the soft hair of County Magistrate Xiao Zhao, but promptly retracted his hand. He looked at the other party who was pretending not to see him, then picked up a book and flipped through it absentmindedly.
Seeing his small body sitting upright and making stiff movements, the man couldn’t help laughing again. Well, if he doesn’t plan for himself, someone will do it for him.
Thinking of it this way, Lord Yama tapped the empty money box with his fingers, then waved to a pied cat lingering on the window sill, causing it to jump on the table. With a muffled thud, the box fell in half, with golden light shining through the cracks.
You Shu seemed to be immersed in reading, but he kept staring at Lord Yama from the corner of his eye. Seeing this scene, there was nothing he didn’t understand. The other party must have noticed his predicament and found a way to help him. He is so generous in solving people’s problems, and must have been a great person when he was alive!
You Shu was deeply moved and he accepted this friendship with peace of mind, thinking: If he saves enough money in the future, he can make some exquisite sacrifices and burn them for the other party as a return gift. He picked up the money box and took out a few gold leaves. If converted into silver, it would be a hundred taels. It’s truly a windfall.
One hundred taels, isn’t it too much? You Shu quickly totaled up the expenses on the road: He only needed fifteen taels of silver for his journey to the capital. Another thirty-five taels to find a place to settle there, but there are still an extra fifty taels of silver.
After giving so much at once, he had to suspect that Lord Yama was testing his integrity again, so he scraped aside the extra gold leaves, bought rice, noodles, clothes, cloth, quilts, fruits and vegetables, and sent them to the various nurseries in Lishui Prefecture.
Seeing him acting like this, Lord Yama couldn’t laugh or cry. The extra fifty taels were supposed to be used by him to buy some delicious food to replenish his body, but he donated it in the blink of an eye. What a fool. However, the more stubborn and upright he became, the more Lord Yama appreciated the other party, so he had no choice but to go with him.
After getting ready, You Shu hired a carriage to take himself to the capital. He did not make a big fuss, but disguised himself and left silently. No one could have imagined that sitting in this simple ox cart was Magistrate Zhao Xiao, who had saved tens of thousands of people in Lishui Prefecture.
The carriage drove through the official road, flanked by villages shrouded in cooking smoke, with cattle and farmers working in the fields, and children playing on the ridges of the fields.
You Shu sat on the shaft of the carriage and looked at this quiet and beautiful scenery from afar. As if thinking of something, he forced his mental power into his eyes and looked up. He saw that the sky that was once filled with resentment and ghostly shadows was now covered with yellow flags and purple covers, with no wind or rain, creating a peaceful scene where the world is bright and clear.
He looked at the beautiful scenery for a long time, then stood up suddenly and raised his arm, as if touching the swaying autumn wind, and then smiled foolishly. Lord Yama, who had already appeared on the other side of the shaft, immediately disappeared and stared at this rarely seen smile for a moment.
He never knew that when Magistrate Xiao Zhao smiled sincerely, he would look so handsome and bright. Rosy cheeks, peach-blossom eyes, these words that are used to describe women could be placed on him without any conflict. He couldn’t help but look at it again, feeling even more reluctant to appear suddenly, so as not to destroy the tranquility of this beautiful scene.
After a long time, he walked over and gently touched the slightly raised corners of Magistrate Xiao Zhao’s lips.
You Shu clearly felt a chill on his face, but he thought it was caused by the autumn wind and didn’t pay much attention. He stood on the shaft with his arms raised for a long time, only to see the driver and pedestrians on both sides cast strange glances at him before he sat down resentfully. People of this era have never seen Titanic, so they really don’t understand the style.
As soon as he put his head into the carriage, he froze. He saw Lord Yama sitting in the main seat with a golden sword, his eyes were bright and dim, and his expression was very unpredictable. He reflexively assumed a calm posture, sat down next to the other party, and then took out a book and read it slowly to hide his nervousness.
You Shu didn’t know what this person had in mind. He sat there for two or three quarters of an hour but didn’t see the other party leaving, which made him suffer from back pain and cramps in his calves.
After struggling like this until noon, the coachman finally found an open space near the water and asked his employer to come down and rest for a while, which finally freed You Shu.
You Shu jumped out of the carriage as if granted amnesty, stretched out his arms, kicked his legs, and walked back and forth by the river twice. His lively appearance did not look like that of an official, but more like a student on a long trip.
Because he only had a few dozen taels of money, he could not afford the servants, maids, guards, and other handymen, so he had to go on the road alone. Moreover, the coachman was hired together when he rented the ox cart, so the other party did not know his true identity.
However, it’s also good. This way, at least the journey would be peaceful and he won’t have to listen to other people’s thanks or flattering words.
Although You Shu has a cheerful personality, he still likes the quiet atmosphere in his heart. He took out a piece of pastry and sat on a large stone by the river, nibbling on it slowly. Lord Yama stood beside him and looked up into the distance, unsure of what he was thinking.
The coachman also took out a dry cigarette and lit it, smoking with a very comfortable expression on his face, “Little friend, are you a scholar who is going to the capital to take the exam?”
“No, I’m going to the capital for work.” “Zhao Youshu” was a child prodigy who won the top spot at the age of eighteen. You Shu only took over this body for more than half a year and is now less than twenty years old, younger than most scholars. No wonder the coachman misunderstood.
“Going for work in the capital. Are you a native of Suichang?”
You Shu has never been good at lying. He would say what he can and hide what he can’t, “I am not a local. I was only living in Suichang temporarily.”
“Then what’s the difference between Suichang and other places?” Hearing that he was from some other place, the coachman got excited and asked proudly.
“It doesn’t seem to be any different?” You Shu have never lived in Dayong, so how can he tell any difference?
The driver became anxious and pointed to the official road not far away, “Can’t you see this? Look at our road. Isn’t it particularly flat and spacious? Let me tell you, most of the southern state capitals have been destroyed by this flood and are piled up with mud. The people have nothing to eat, nothing to live in, and their lives are miserable. Only Lishui and Suichang are better. Just after the flood, the Magistrate Xiao Zhao personally led us to rebuild our homes and repair the embankments. The road has been filled up, and the seeds in the fields have already sprouted. Everywhere is thriving, with infinite vitality!
He continued, “After crossing the territory of Suichang, you can take a look. It’s like a human purgatory, and without mentioning anything else, the official road is full of holes and pits that are difficult to level. It’s very different from Suichang! The people of Suichang are blessed to have such a good official as County Magistrate Xiao Zhao. Let me say this, the County Magistrates of the entire Dayong Kingdom combined cannot compare to a single finger of our County Magistrate Xiao Zhao.
You Shu was so praised by the coachman that his face turned red. He also saw Lord Yama listening with interest and glancing at himself from time to time, making him feel even more ashamed, so he had to bury his face in the big pastry and gnaw on it.
The coachman was a loyal supporter of County Magistrate Xiao Zhao, recounting his great achievements back and forth countless times before finally sighing, “I heard that the emperor values our Magistrate Xiao Zhao very much and has issued an edict to summon him back to the capital. He is a good person and deserves good rewards. We naturally hope that he will go further and further, but to be honest, we can’t bear to part with him. If he leaves, we will feel like we have lost our backbone all day, and we are very afraid.”
Seeing that the coachman began to cry as he was talking, You Shu quickly put the pastry aside and comforted him, “Don’t be afraid. I heard that the new Prefect of Lishui is also a very good official. Life will definitely be better in the future.”
“Ah, I know who the new magistrate is. He used to be a magistrate in Hedong Prefecture.”
The coachman waved his hand, “He is indeed a good official, honest and upright, but he may not have the same ability. Our County Magistrate Xiao Zhao takes one step to see a hundred steps, and his various arrangements seem inexplicable to you today, but tomorrow, you will know that he knows everything like the back of his hand. He not only writes brilliantly, but he is also proficient in arithmetic, civil engineering, astronomy, and geography. There is almost no need to investigate a case, and he can see who is right and who is wrong at a glance…”
Upon hearing the coachman talking back and forth about his lawsuits, You Shu’s face turned red and he felt extremely embarrassed. If there were only two of them, it wouldn’t be much, but Lord Yama was still here, making him feel uncomfortable all over.
Feeling flustered, he accidentally dropped half a large piece of pastry, which rolled down the rocks into the river, attracting many fish to nibble on it. His eyes immediately lit up and he suggested, “There are fish in the river, why don’t we grab a few ones to grill.”
The coachman, who hadn’t eaten meat for a long time, was immediately attracted to it. “Alright, the fish in autumn are really plump. I don’t have any fishing gear on the carriage, so I’ll make a net bag out of fresh grass and vines.”
You Shu had a lot of survival skills, so he could naturally weave fishing nets. He got some grass and vines to work with him, and the coachman finally stopped with his praise. Only Lord Yama sighed silently.
For some reason, he liked to hear others praise Magistrate Xiao Zhao, and especially liked to see his red cheeks, bright eyes, and smile on his lips when he is praised by others. No one knows that the real Magistrate Xiao Zhao is far more excellent than what they describe.
However, when he is doing something seriously, his posture is also very charming, just like at this moment. Lord Yama sat next to Magistrate Xiao Zhao and stared at his fingers shuttling back and forth through the vines for a moment.
After You Shu and the coachman quickly finished weaving the net bag, they threw some dry food in the river and then put the net into the water, waiting for the fish to get caught by themselves. I don’t know if there were more people fishing here recently or something else, but the fish are very vigilant, only just wandering around outside without getting caught.
At first, You Shu just said it casually, but when he saw the big and plump fish, with a round belly, looking very delicious, the greedy worm in his stomach also woke up and he went to take a look every once in a while, looking very anxious.
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