amaotonovel Chapter 169 People from the Government Office
Chapter 169 People from the Government Office
"Sweetie, weren't you going to harvest rice? Why..." Lu Tao looked at the empty carriage, "Where's the rice?"
Tian Tian touched her nose. "The rice... I just sold it to other merchants as a favor."
"I... made a small profit from the price difference."
"The people didn't suffer any losses, did they?" Lu Tao asked.
Tian Tian shook her head, "Of course we can't let the people suffer losses."
The price she charged was the normal price.
"That's good." Lu Tao took Tian Tian's hand and led her back to the Baishi Hot Pot Shop.
"Magistrate Li just left."
He said... someone from the prefectural city will be coming soon...
"He originally planned to host a banquet for those people at Baishi Teahouse, but now... after trying the hot pot, he wants to host a banquet at the hot pot restaurant."
"At that time, the matter of rice seeds may be mentioned. Lord Li means that he will introduce you to the people in the prefectural city."
"I'll give you some time to prepare."
Tian Tian understood, "There's nothing to prepare."
Even those from the government office received the same treatment.
*
The hot pot was delicious, but Ling Yao couldn't taste it.
I didn't see Tian Tian today.
"This Miss Tian is incredibly clever!" Li Huaiyuan exclaimed.
Madam Li hugged Li Yi, "Indeed, how did she come up with this hot pot idea..."
She was truly baffled.
This way of eating... is novel and bizarre; how could an ordinary person have thought of it?
"This Miss Tian Er... is no ordinary person."
Ling Yao kept his head down the whole time...
"Uncle, what's wrong?" Li Yi looked at him.
Li Huaiyuan and his wife both looked at Ling Yao.
"Heming, you don't seem very happy today..." Madam Li said. When they were eating hot pot earlier, Ling Yao seemed absent-minded, as if he was looking for something.
Li Huaiyuan secretly sized up Ling Yao.
If Madam Li could notice that Ling Yao was acting strangely, then his cousin Li Huaiyuan would naturally be able to as well.
"What were you looking for in the hot pot restaurant just now?"
"Are you looking for Miss Tian Er?"
Ling Yao looked up in surprise.
Li Huaiyuan narrowed his eyes, "Heming, you..."
Ling Yao gave an awkward laugh, "No, what would I want with her for..."
"This is my first time eating hot pot, and I'm a little... a little unsure how to start."
Li Huaiyuan didn't believe it. "Really?"
Ling Yao stubbornly replied, "Yes..."
Although Li Huaiyuan had some suspicions, he did not expose him.
"Heming, after the second rice harvest, you should return to the capital," Li Huaiyuan changed the subject.
Ling Yao responded with an "oh".
He had been away from Beijing for more than half a year, and his mother had been sending him letters one after another, urging him to return to Beijing immediately, but he kept putting it off.
By the time the second rice harvest was complete, he had no reason to delay any longer.
*
Three people arrived from Yunzhou Prefecture.
The prefect himself came, along with his assistant prefect and vice prefect.
Li Huaiyuan led Ling Yao to the city gate to greet them.
"This humble official greets Your Excellency the Prefect, Your Excellency the Assistant Prefect, and Your Excellency the Vice Prefect."
The prefect was a fourth-rank official, the assistant prefect was a fifth-rank official, and the vice-prefect was a sixth-rank official, all of which were higher than Li Huaiyuan, the county magistrate, who was a seventh-rank official.
However, the Prefect, the Assistant Prefect, and the Vice Prefect did not dare to accept Li Huaiyuan's greeting directly. All three of them turned to the side and returned the greeting.
"Greetings, Lord Li."
The prefect glanced around and spotted Ling Yao standing next to Li Huaiyuan.
His pupils contracted, and he looked shocked.
This person... looks exactly like...
He turned to look at Li Huaiyuan.
Li Huaiyuan's identity...
He is the legitimate son of the Li family in the capital!
His aunt is the current empress, and the boy beside him looks exactly like...that person.
Isn't that...
"Your humble servant greets you..." The prefect trembled and bowed to Ling Yao.
Li Huaiyuan reached out and caught him, saying, "Your Excellency, you've mistaken me for someone else."
"This... is my cousin from my clan. He is not an official and is just an ordinary person."
The prefect's legs trembled, sweat beaded on his forehead, and he wondered what it meant.
What does Li Huaiyuan mean by this?
His cousin from the clan...wouldn't that perfectly confirm the boy's identity?
And what about the claim that he never entered officialdom and was just an ordinary person?
If he were an ordinary person... then where in the world would there be any nobles or imperial relatives?
The prefectural magistrate and the vice-prefect were puzzled. "My lord?"
The prefect turned around and glanced at the vice prefect and the vice prefect, and suddenly understood.
"Yes, yes, I... I made a mistake." He chuckled, but there was even more sweat on his back.
"Since you gentlemen have come from afar, I, Li, have arranged a simple meal at Baishi Hot Pot Restaurant. I hope you will do me the honor of joining me."
The prefectural magistrate and the vice-prefect were about to leave...
They've gotten used to it; when they visit various places under their jurisdiction, it's just about eating and drinking.
Even if the other party is Li Huaiyuan, it makes no difference.
But the prefect stood firmly.
"This...how could we let Lord Li go to such lengths?"
He cleared his throat and used his body to block the two people behind him. "We are here to investigate the high-yield rice varieties in Baishi County, not to eat and drink."
"Let's go back to the county government office and have a simple meal."
"hehe..."
Li Huaiyuan bowed, "Your Excellency, please don't stand on ceremony. I've already made the arrangements."
He turned to Ling Yao, "Heming, lead the way for these officials."
Ling Yao rolled his eyes helplessly. "Yes, gentlemen, please."
Upon hearing this, the prefect trembled, stammering, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare..."
Ling Yao walked in front, with Li Huaiyuan and the prefect following behind.
Li Huaiyuan stood ramrod straight, while the prefect hunched over, his eyes only daring to linger on Ling Yao's heels.
He was extremely panicked. How could this person be in Baishi County? He hadn't received a single message from him.
What is this person doing in Baishi County?
Are you simply here to see Li Huaiyuan? Or are you here to investigate something?
From the city gate to the Baishi hot pot shop, it's only a short walk, the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. In that time, the prefect had even decided where he would be buried...
"My lords, we've arrived." Ling Yao stood at the entrance of the hot pot shop.
He smiled, looking around the shop with great interest.
Meanwhile, Tian Tian was talking to Shen Zhian, who had been coming over for hot pot for the past few days.
"Miss Tian Er." Ling Yao strode into the shop.
Tian Tian looked up and saw him, saw Li Huaiyuan, and also saw the people around and behind Li Huaiyuan.
She immediately realized that it was someone from the government office who had arrived.
"Lord Li, the room has been arranged. Please follow me."
Ever since Lu Tao mentioned it to her, a private room on the second floor has remained empty.
Tian Tian, neither humble nor arrogant, led everyone up to the second floor and into the largest shop.
"It's so cool in this shop," Fu Cheng exclaimed.
The magistrate added, "Indeed, the shop is like autumn."
"How did you do that? Did you use a lot of ice? That must have been expensive."
The prefect wiped the sweat from his brow. "Is it cool?"
Why doesn't he think so?