CHAPTER 31: CHAPTER 30: A SHOW OF AUTHORITY

Speaking of which, this Mr. Li was rather thorough. Even though he hurriedly ran out to welcome the guests earlier, he didn’t forget to instruct the servants in the back hall to brew the best tea to serve the distinguished guests.

As he followed closely behind the two black-clad guards accompanying the Imperial Censor, he thought that by now, the tea should be ready. In any case, he must be cautious later to avoid giving this official any reason to find fault.

Originally, he had prepared all sorts of plans, thinking about how to be humble and polite, how to discern the other person’s thoughts. But when he reached the back hall, just as Li Wencai walked into the middle of the courtyard, the guard who was following the Imperial Censor suddenly stopped and signaled for him to wait there.

"The official is extremely exhausted from the journey and needs to rest for a while. Have someone tidy up a bit, and you wait here," said the guard in a deep voice.

Li Wencai didn’t dare to disagree and hurriedly agreed. He signaled for people to go in and simply tidy up a room in the back hall. Once the room was prepared, the Imperial Censor went in with someone who seemed the most stable, leaving two guard-like figures at the door.

The person who entered the room with Lu Qing was naturally Zhu Yu. The two sat at the table in the room, and Lu Qing poured two cups of tea, pushing one towards Zhu Yu.

Li Wencai, eager to curry favor with his superior, didn’t hesitate to bring out something good. That tea, fragrant yet not harsh, was smooth and had a lingering sweetness; even someone like Zhu Yu, who didn’t understand much about tea tasting, could tell it was definitely high-quality.

Savoring the pot of tea slowly, almost half an hour had passed.

Having finished the tea, Lu Qing propped his head on the table with one hand and closed his eyes for a nap.

Zhu Yu watched from the side, unsure of what Lu Qing was up to, and quietly sat there with him, resting her chin on her hand.

They stayed like that for another half an hour.

As time passed, Zhu Yu started to feel restless and cleared her throat.

Lu Qing’s eyelashes fluttered, and he opened his eyes: "Is something the matter?"

"Still no sign of Li Wencai?" Zhu Yu asked softly.

"Not yet," Lu Qing glanced at the light coming in through the window paper and, looking at Zhu Yu, added a teasing tone, "Someone aspiring for the inner chambers can’t stay idle even for a moment?"

"I can stay idle, just fine," Zhu Yu replied softly, surprised by his remark.

She knew well enough that this hour of idleness and inactivity had made her nervous. Unintentionally, Lu Qing’s teasing had hit the mark.

Not only Zhu Yu in the room was anxious; outside in the courtyard, Li Wencai was even more so.

He had been standing outside for over an hour, watching the sun climb higher and higher, scorching his head. His scalp felt hot, his vision darkened, his legs weakened, and his feet tingled.

Beads of sweat trickled down Li Wencai’s round, chubby cheeks, dripping onto the front of his official robe. What was once a face like a white bun was now flushed red, as if it were being roasted.

He endured and endured until he finally couldn’t take it anymore. Just as he was about to step forward to listen by the door, to see if the Imperial Censor inside had finished resting, the burly man guarding the door extended a hand and snorted harshly, scaring Li Wencai into quickly retracting his foot.

Another copper-faced guard, somewhat more courteous, clasped his hands in a salute: "Mr. Li, please be patient. Our master has been traveling day and night for His Majesty and is truly exhausted, just a little nap will do."

More than an hour had passed, and this "nap" was not at all short!

Li Wencai’s face twitched, but he still had to put on a smiling face, hurriedly assuring that it was no problem, as he stood there sweating profusely.

Drip, drip—

Drip, drip—

The wet stain on Li Wencai’s robe grew larger, and his body trembled more and more.

Finally, under the scorching sun, having been almost roasted, County Magistrate Li couldn’t hold on any longer. His eyes rolled back, and his massive body seemed boneless, slumping to the ground like a puddle.

Governmental officials standing at a distance hurried over, trying to lift him.

Unfortunately, these officials were usually idle, and since County Magistrate Li was a plump man, even two or three of them, after much fuss, could only manage to turn the white, fat man over in place.

At this moment, the door creaked open, and the formidable Imperial Censor stood in the doorway with his hands behind his back.

"What’s going on?" he asked the nearby guard.

The guard immediately replied, "Reporting to the official, County Magistrate Li seems to be overwhelmed by the many trivial tasks in the government office, leading to physical exhaustion and fainting."

"Oh? In that case, take a few officials with you and escort County Magistrate Li home to recuperate. Ensure that Mr. Li’s meals and living conditions are well taken care of," the Imperial Censor ordered coldly.

The burly guard accompanying him immediately saluted and accepted the order. With a few strides, he reached County Magistrate Li’s side, grabbed his belt, and single-handedly lifted the man whom even two or three officials couldn’t lift.

The officials rushed forward to support Li Wencai from either side.

The guard pointed at another official: "You lead the way."

The official dared not disobey and quickly led the way. The group carried Li Wencai away in a flurry.

Watching the rune leave with Li Wencai, Lu Qing turned back into the room and instructed the character to summon the county government’s County Magistrate, Chief Clerk, and others. In no time, a large crowd gathered. Besides the Chief Clerk and County Magistrate who entered the room, others crowded nervously at the door.

"Are you the County Magistrate and Chief Clerk of Qingshui County?" Lu Qing glanced at their official attire and asked, "County Magistrate Li has had a sudden indisposition, and I’ve sent people to escort him home to rest. Since that’s the case, I have some questions for you. Is there a Ghost Immortal Temple outside the county city, where one can pray for wealth or meet a fatal end while seeking fortune? I’ve heard this Ghost Immortal Temple is quite famous in Qingshui County, and many have gone there to wish for their desires. Are you aware of this?"

The County Magistrate and Chief Clerk looked at each other and both shook their heads.

"Reporting to the official, I really wasn’t aware of this matter; it was an oversight. Please pardon me!" The Chief Clerk hurriedly bowed respectfully, "Please rest assured, I will send someone to investigate immediately. No matter who it is, on the territory of Qingshui County, no one will be allowed to deceive people by playacting as gods or ghosts. I will certainly assist Mr. Li in handling this matter!"

The Chief Clerk spoke with unusual sincerity, although he had no clue about any Ghost Immortal Temple, and didn’t believe it was a significant issue, there was one point he was very clear about.

The current Holy Emperor detested any unauthorized temple-building activities. In the past, when the Holy Emperor was still a prince, contending for the throne with his brothers, rumors circulated among the people, claiming he was cursed and in league with demonic forces, that if he were to gain the throne, chaos would befall the land, resulting in widespread warfare and rivers of blood.

After ascending to the throne, the Emperor’s first act was to capture those spreading such rumors, which took two to three years, costing the lives of around a hundred people, and thousands more were implicated and exiled.

This clearly demonstrated how taboo such matters were in the Emperor’s mind.

Creating a stir over some Ghost Immortal Temple in Qingshui County could have been a big or small matter, but the arrival of the Imperial Censor, who only took orders from the current Holy Emperor, meant that this matter could no longer be "small."