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Home/ There’s A Beauty / Chapter 77 (Part 2)

Recently, there are always a lot of things popping up inexplicably on the table of the new emperor, including sachets, picture scrolls, flowers, bamboo dragonflies, and even the rattle that only children like to play with. If it weren’t for the new emperor constantly setting up barriers and smokescreens, he might have scared a group of ministers around him.

That morning, a silver-red beetle suddenly appeared in his hand, which made him dumbfounded. He immediately pulled it into his palm, pretending to be nonchalant. After the court session, he returned to his bedroom and opened his palm to look at it carefully. He saw a silk thread tied around the beetle’s neck, for some unknown reason.

“Wei Chen, come here and take a look, why is there a thread tied around its neck?”

The chief eunuch took a closer look and immediately smiled, “Your Majesty, Magistrate Xiao Zhao really has a childlike taste. This thread is for you to play with the beetle! Your Majesty, please watch, I often used to play like this when I was a child.”

He grabbed the silk thread and threw the beetle into the air, only to hear a slight buzzing sound. The red beetle spread its wings and flew up, but it couldn’t escape because of the thread tied around its neck, so it could only circle back and forth in the hall. The chief eunuch followed around twice before returning it with an expression of still wanting to play.

The new emperor has never played this kind of game before. His cold and serious face melted like ice, and then a little smile appeared in his eyes. He seemed to be reproachful, but in fact he said dotingly, “If he doesn’t go to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to remind them about the work report, he is still being naughty all day long. No, I must go back and take a look.”

He would always make some time during the day to visit Magistrate Xiao Zhao, and spend the whole night with him, as if he had regarded the other party’s home as his own, and this huge palace was just a decoration. After he disappeared, the eunuch in chief waved a brush and laid several smokescreens.

When Lord Yama arrived at the courtyard, You Shu was sticking his butt out and catching crickets in the back garden. Several little ghosts burrowed into the ground to help him find out the location of the cricket nests so that he could dig them with a hoe. As soon as he dug a hole, a strong cricket with a square head and a pointed tail jumped out and fled away in one or two jumps.

“Ah!” You Shu let out a cry and quickly got up to chase after it. However, he saw that Lord Yama had already put his finger on the cricket’s head, making it unable to move.

To ordinary people, it seemed as if the cricket wasn’t aware of the danger and was just resting on the leaves. You Shu controlled his surprised expression, tiptoed over, and put the cricket into the bamboo cage he had woven by himself.  

He would never admit that the reason why he offered so many toys was to attract his friend to play with him. Now that his goal has been achieved, he was naturally very happy, his little mouth was pursed, his dimples were squeezed, and his black and white eyes were sparkling.

How could the man not see his joyful expression? His heart was numb but his face didn’t show anything. 

After You Shu put the cricket he caught into the small clay pot, the man sat next to him and silently watched him play.

You Shu held a piece of dog tail grass and kept playing with two crickets, making them fight together, with a lively expression.

Having been treated coldly for half a month, unsure of his future or where he would go, You Shu was still able to maintain an optimistic attitude from beginning to end and take good care of himself, which made Lord Yama feel both heartbroken and relieved. 

He wanted to touch the top of his soft hair, pull him into his arms, give him a hug, and pat him, but he had to restrain himself. If everything is revealed, the beautiful scenery that can be enjoyed openly in the past will be reduced to nothing in the future. In the end, the losses outweigh the gains, so forget it…

Lord Yama wasn’t in a hurry, but some people can’t wait any longer. The second master’s family were already prepared, but they didn’t see You Shu coming back to ask for silver, so they realized that something was wrong. 

Now the shackles on their shoulders and limbs weigh several hundred pounds, and they can’t even get out of bed, not to mention walking. Their skin and flesh was bruised, and their bones were deformed due to the pressure, reaching the brink of death.

Zhao Youcai had lost all weight and was lying on the bed, gasping for breath. A servant was cleaning up the feces and urine for him, and a maid was feeding him. The room was full of the foul smell of excrement and the aroma of food, making it very nauseating.  

The second master and second wife were both paralyzed in bed, incontinent, causing the servants to complain. Zhao Youcai’s wives, concubines, and children had long since hid in the countryside and they dare not live with these criminals for fear of being implicated.

“Steward, steward, go find Zhao Youshu!” Zhao Youcai had a premonition that the end of his life was approaching, so he had to bow his head. 

Why didn’t he know that Zhao Youshu could be so stubborn? This bastard didn’t care that his work report was withheld and refused to pay the bribe, even staying in the ghost house without moving. He had such a stubborn temper that even ghosts and gods had no way to deal with him.

The steward took the order and left. When he arrived at the ghost house, his legs couldn’t help but tremble. In the past few days, he often came here to monitor. So how could he not know what a strange place this is, and how can a young master who can live peacefully in such a place be an ordinary person? If you spend time with him, you will die sooner or later.

As soon as he raised his hand, the door opened, and a cold voice sounded in his ears, “Who are you looking for?”

The steward was so frightened that his whole body trembled, he said to the invisible gatekeeper, “Excuse me, brother, can you please bring a message to the young master? Just say that my master wants to invite him to the house for a chat.”

“Who is your master?” The voice came a bit closer, bringing along a gust of cold wind.

The butler’s knees weakened and he knelt down with a plop, saying in a trembling voice, “My master is the second master of the Zhao family. He wants to invite the young master to discuss the matter of family property.” After speaking, he ran away in a hurry.

The gatekeeper sneered and then went back to report.

It was already dusk when You Shu arrived at the Zhao Mansion. The room was very dark, with an indescribable stench lingering in the air. The three masters of the Zhao Mansion were each lying on a mat, their eyes were sunken, their bodies were as thin as firewood, and they seemed to be nearing their end.  

Zhao Youcai had been an official for many years, and his bad habits were difficult to change. Although he was in a disadvantaged position, he still couldn’t put down his arrogance, saying, “Zhao Youshu, what do you want to do? If you think that ten thousand taels of silver is too little, I can give you another twenty thousand.”

Thirty thousand taels of silver was exactly what the officials in the Ministry of Civil Affairs asked for. It was obvious that Zhao Youcai had a hand in it, but the more he used these schemes and tricks, the less You Shu wanted to fulfil them. 

He waved his hands and said, “No matter ten thousand, twenty thousand, or thirty thousand, I don’t want any of it. I will write a letter and give all my property to you, alright?”

“No, don’t do it!” Before Zhao Youcai could say anything, the second wife screamed, her face twisted as if she had seen a ghost.

“Zhao Youshu, don’t be so shameless! Your work report is still hidden between the piles of files in the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Without my help, you will have to wait in the capital for a lifetime! Did you study hard for more than ten years just to become a petty official? Just to waste your time? Are you willing?” Zhao Youcai finally revealed his trump card.

You Shu lowered his eyes without speaking.

At the same time, Ou Tai, the imperial envoy, who was travelling to various places for inspection, had returned to the capital and was standing in the Jinluan Hall to report to the emperor. While hundreds of civil and military officials were lined up on both sides, looking solemn. 

Ou Tai took out a stack of files, all of which were the list of corrupt officials who had been executed by him before even being reported, causing a chill on the back of all the ministers. Everyone then heard him change the topic and praise Zhao Youshu, the magistrate of Suichang County.

Officials in Lishui Prefecture were either killed by bandits or dismissed from their posts for investigation. This County Magistrate Zhao was actually the only honest official left. So how could he not attract attention? Moreover, when he left for the capital, he travelled in a simple carriage and disguised himself, so no one there found out about it. 

Only when the new Prefect showed up did everyone suddenly realise. Then they ran to the city gate and cried bitterly. They also made many umbrellas and asked the imperial envoy to deliver them on their behalf.

These umbrellas were enough to cover the sky and the sun. They have been opened and placed in the open space outside the Jinluan Hall. From a distance, it looks like a magnificent scene, with colourful silks flying around. 

The new emperor was also full of praise for Magistrate Zhao. Finally, he looked at the Minister of Civil Affairs and asked, “Have you approved Magistrate Zhao’s work report? Bring it to me for a look.”

The Minister of Civil Affairs had vaguely heard of Magistrate Zhao, but it wasn’t because of the dazzling political achievements of the other party, but because a subordinate once said to him that he was a stingy official who refused to pay a few thousand taels of silver.

Local officials who come to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to report must pay a full amount of silver before they can be graded and assigned posts. This is already a routine, and the Minister already knows about it. He also instructed his subordinates to block him to death, so that the other party can understand who is in incharge here.

How could he have expected that the imperial envoy Ou Tai would be so impressed by the other party that he would even bring it up in front of the emperor? Now the emperor seems to want to personally arrange this person’s future, how should he deal with it? Could he say that the other party had arrived a long time ago, but was detained by this minister? It seems that the black gauze hat on his head is about to be taken away!

The Minister’s mind suddenly turned with countless thoughts, and he finally remembered one thing. He cupped his hands and said, “I would like to inform His Majesty that County Magistrate Zhao has already arrived here. However, he didn’t listen to our advice, and insisted on writing the work report by himself. Therefore, because the report didn’t conform to the established regulations, I refused to admit it and now I’ve ordered someone to write it again.”

Another official immediately added insult to injury, “Your Majesty, the laws and regulations say that if the official documents submitted by the officials do not comply with the rules and regulations, it should be regarded as dereliction of duty and they should be investigated and dealt with. Although Lord Liu is kind to him, it violates national laws and is really inappropriate. According to this minister’s opinion, no matter what the achievements of the Magistrate Zhao are, if he makes a mistake, he must be dismissed from his official position and thoroughly investigated.”

“One-sided words cannot be believed. Let’s first read the work report of Magistrate Zhao.” Ou Tai naturally supported Magistrate Zhao.

The new emperor wasn’t one to listen to others’ words. He immediately sent the chief eunuch to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to bring the work report, and also summoned County Magistrate Zhao into the palace.

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