Only then did Jing Rong take out the fifty-three taels that Wei Yi had pocketed and solemnly handed it over to Lang Po.
He did not forget to add, "Remember, you owe this prince fifty three taels."
"This subordinate understands."
Lang Po's heart was bleeding as he held the fifty-three taels of silver. He stuffed it into Wei Yi's hands and turned his eyes away, not even looking at it.
After receiving the money, Wei Yi happily boarded the carriage.
I don't feel the heat anymore!
Lang Po was on the verge of tears.
After the interlude just now, they continued on their way.
They arrived at Anfu County around five in the evening.
Anfu wasn't big, but it wasn't small either. The architectural style was closer to that of a small town in Jiangnan. Aside from the three main roads, the rest of the place was basically an intricate network of small alleys. It wasn't exactly prosperous, but it wasn't exactly a remote and desolate place either.
Moreover, it was surrounded by mountains and water. It was very comfortable.
As soon as the carriage entered the county, it attracted a lot of attention.
Although Anfu was connected to the official road, it was not the only route to the capital. In fact, it could be said to be the most remote route to the capital. This was because if one were to go from Anfu to the capital, they would have to walk an extra day.
Therefore, in order to take a shortcut, many merchants and pedestrians would usually bypass Anfu and take a small path before heading to the main road. This way, they wouldn't have to waste time.
However, Jing Rong was worried that Ji Yunshu and Aunty Xie would be accompanying them. He was worried that the carriage would be bumpy on the small roads, so he ordered them to take the main road.
At this moment, when the commoners saw such a grand procession of carriages entering the city, they naturally began to discuss.
Fortunately, it was nighttime, so it wasn't too conspicuous.
When they arrived at the inn, Jing Rong ordered the carriage and horses to be moved to the backyard.
Not long after, Zhao Huai and the rest entered the inn.
The two groups did not talk to each other along the way, and they also pretended not to know each other.
Everyone sat on the first floor and ate, playing by themselves.
Aunty Xie went into her room to have her meal. Mo Ruo, who loved to drink, sat alone at the table next to them.
After drinking a few cups of wine, Mo Ruo started talking nonsense again.
"How pitiful, how pitiful. They clearly have feelings for each other, but there's a magpie bridge between them."
The magpie bridge referred to Wei Yi.
When Jing Rong heard this, he picked up his chopsticks and stabbed them at Mo Ruo.
But it was caught by Mo Ruo.
"Thank you. I happened to be short of a chopstick."
Jing Rong couldn't be bothered with him anymore. He picked up some food and placed it in Ji Yunshu's bowl.
"Eat more."
"Yes."
Ji Yunshu accepted his goodwill.
Wei Yi was eating his meal, but when he saw this, he followed suit and placed a piece of meat in Ji Yunshu's bowl.
"Shu 'er likes to eat meat."
He even picked up the food from Ji Yunshu's bowl.
"Shu 'er doesn't want to eat your dishes."
That look was willful and arrogant.
And this scene seemed familiar!
Ji Yunshu felt very awkward.
Jing Rong was speechless. His face turned green. In the end, he swallowed his anger.
At this time, Lang Po walked over and whispered something in his ear.
His face darkened, and after a moment of thought, he left the inn without saying anything.
Outside, a yamen runner was standing there respectfully. When he saw him come out, he bowed and cupped his hands. He lowered his voice and said, "Your Highness, Lord Liu would like to invite you to the yamen."
Interesting!
"That sly old fox. He received the news so quickly."
"Lord Liu said that if Your Highness doesn't go, he will keep waiting."
Hearing the yamen runner's words, Lang Po said, "Your family's lord sure is imposing. Asking my Prince to move? If he wants to see you, why didn't he come personally? "
"This …"
The yamen runner was speechless.
Jing Rong thought for a moment. He looked back at the inn and ordered Lang Po, "Tell the others to take good care of Teacher Ji. This Prince will go."
"This subordinate will follow."
"No need. Ziran is here."
"Yes."
Lang Po acknowledged.
Jing Rong and Shi Ziran followed the yamen runner to the yamen.
Liu Zhiliang had been waiting outside the yamen. When he saw Jing Rong, he lifted his official robes and knelt down.
"This lowly official greets Prince Rong. Please forgive me for not going to the city gates to welcome you."
Jing Rong looked at him and said, "Liu Zhiliang, don't be so polite with this Prince. Get up. Don't break your legs from kneeling."
His tone was cold.
Liu Zhiliang bowed, his body still bowing respectfully.
He didn't dare to look at Jing Rong. He only lowered his head and said, "Your Highness, this lowly official has prepared a banquet in the backyard. I hope Your Highness will do me the honor."
Jing Rong's eyes darkened. He sneered, "No need."
"Of course. If it wasn't for Your Highness, this lowly official wouldn't have come to Anfu to be the county magistrate. This lowly official will always remember Your Highness' benevolence. This lowly official has been thinking about how to repay Your Highness if I ever see you. Now that Your Highness has finally arrived, this lowly official will naturally treat you well."
Extreme flattery!
Jing Rong looked at him from head to toe, as if he had seen through him.
He asked, "Liu Zhiliang, who informed you that this Prince is coming to Anfu?"
Liu Zhiliang bowed again and said with a smile, "Your Highness was ordered to go to Yufu County to investigate the missing relief silvers. This matter has spread all over the county. Your Highness is a noble person and naturally wouldn't take a detour like the others. You will definitely pass through Anfu. This lowly official has been preparing to welcome you for many days.
Shi Ziran, who was standing at the side, said, "Lord Liu, your words are against your conscience. If you had already prepared to welcome me, why didn't you welcome me at the city gates? Why did you send someone to invite His Highness to your county yamen? Now that I think about it, you're putting on airs. "
"Your Highness has misunderstood."
Liu Zhiliang bowed even lower.
He hurriedly explained, "I thought that Your Highness would send someone to inform me of your arrival in Anfu. However, I didn't receive any notification, so I knew that Your Highness didn't want to make it public. That's why I gave up on the idea of welcoming you at the city gates. Just now, this lowly official wanted to personally invite Your Highness, but I was worried that Your Highness's identity would be exposed. Thus, I was impolite and sent my subordinates to invite you to avoid alerting others and upsetting Your Highness."
It had to be said that Liu Zhiliang was comparable to the Vice Chancellor of the Supreme Court.
Both of them were godly bootlickers!
Moreover, he was so accurate that Jing Rong couldn't reprimand him.
He might as well —
"Alright, Liu Zhiliang, this Prince won't be going in. The reason why I'm here is not because of the delicacies you prepared, but because I want to see if you're comfortable being the king of the mountain," Jing Rong said.
'King of the mountain?'
Liu Zhiliang was puzzled.
He hurriedly said, "Your Highness must be joking. This lowly official is not a king of the mountain. In front of you, I'm just a worm."
"You have quite a glib tongue."
Liu Zhiliang's liver trembled.
"Anfu County has been peaceful in recent years. Your position as an official has been well-deserved. This Prince has seen through you, so I won't keep you any longer. Just do your job well. When this Prince returns to the capital, I'll mention you more in front of the Ministry of Personnel."
"Thank you, Your Highness." He asked again, "Does Your Highness really not want to come in?"
"There's no need. This Prince has other matters to attend to."
"Then this lowly official will send someone to escort you."
Liu Zhiliang sent two servants to follow Jing Rong. Jing Rong had only taken two steps when two anxious servants ran towards him.
The two servants knelt in front of Liu Zhiliang.
"Milord, my … my Old Master Zhang has passed away."
Liu Zhiliang paused and was shocked. "Old Master Zhang?"
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