Chapter 240 - 169: What a Coincidence
Fang Yue had just reached the street in front of the Government Office and was about to go inside.
"Hey, Junior Brother Fang?!"
Just then, a familiar voice called out.
Fang Yue turned to look and saw Zhang Shu staring at him in surprise from a carriage across the road.
"So it’s Senior Sister Zhang. I didn’t expect you to be in Denglai City too. What a coincidence," Fang Yue said with a slight smile.
He had left a day after Zhang Shu, and given the vastness of the Great Wei Dynasty, he had thought they would never cross paths again. He certainly hadn’t expected to see her the moment he arrived in Denglai City.
"Junior Brother Fang, you didn’t... you didn’t sneak away, did you? If you did, you should leave Denglai City at once. I heard they’ve been cracking down on Martial Artists who fled Shanyang Prefecture without permission."
The surprise on Zhang Shu’s face faded as she glanced cautiously to either side of the street.
They weren’t far from the Denglai City Government Office, and government constables were scattered about on patrol. However, no one was paying them any attention.
"Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister Zhang. I have some business at the Government Office," Fang Yue said with a smile.
This Zhang Shu had once been quite unruly, but she seemed to have mellowed out considerably since getting married. Otherwise, Fang Yue certainly wouldn’t have bothered with her.
Even so, their relationship was only slightly better than that of complete strangers.
"I see. Well, be careful then." Though Zhang Shu didn’t quite believe Fang Yue was actually going to the Denglai City Government Office on business, she still warned him politely—which was her way of saying she believed he was likely to be arrested by the city’s officials.
"My lady, that guy just doesn’t appreciate your kindness. When he gets arrested, he’ll get what’s coming to him," said Zhang Shu’s maid, Xiaolv, with a pout.
As Zhang Shu’s personal maid, she knew of this junior nephew of Zhang Baiyang. Naturally, she also knew what had become of Fang Yue later on.
"My lady, we should stay far away from him. We’ll be in trouble if we get caught up in his mess." Xiaolv was convinced Fang Yue was a runaway, and that someone like him could be arrested by the Denglai City Government Office at any moment. If they got too close, they might be implicated, which would be terrible.
"Alright, Xiaolv, that’s enough. It’s not good to speak ill of people behind their backs," Zhang Shu chided with a smile.
Then, she settled back into the carriage to wait for her husband.
Chen Shicheng had gone into the Government Office to deliver some gifts and take care of business. He’d been inside for a while and should be out soon.
~~~~~~
Meanwhile, Fang Yue arrived at the main gate of the Denglai City Government Office.
"Halt! This is the Government Office. Unauthorized personnel are forbidden from entering."
The government constable guarding the gate glanced at Fang Yue and immediately blocked his path, his expression unfriendly. A lot of people had been coming to the Government Office lately trying to get an audience.
After all, many wealthy families from Shanyang Prefecture wanted to establish themselves in Guangfeng Prefecture, which naturally meant cultivating connections within the Government Office.
County Magistrate Lin had already instructed them to turn away anyone seeking an audience who was of low status, had no money, or didn’t have a family member with an official post of the Sixth Grade or higher.
"This is an official document from Shanyang Prefecture. I have urgent business with City Lord Zheng," Fang Yue said directly, wasting no words.
Although Denglai City was technically a county, its special status meant the head of its Government Office was addressed as City Lord.
"A document from Shanyang Prefecture? Who knows if it’s real or fake!"
The constable at the gate looked at Fang Yue, his sneer deepening. He’d seen plenty of people like this lately, all of them thinking they could just waltz in and out with a document issued by Shanyang Prefecture. What a joke.
Even if the Mansion Master of Shanyang Prefecture himself showed up, he’d still have to cough up some silver.
They were in charge of the gate. If he didn’t bribe them, they wouldn’t take his document inside for him. And if they couldn’t verify the document, they couldn’t let Fang Yue in.
"I see." Fang Yue understood what the two of them wanted.
He immediately took out a silver banknote and handed it to them.
Seeing that Fang Yue knew how things worked, one of them took the document he offered and went inside the Government Office to have it verified.
~~~~~~
At that moment, inside the main hall of the Denglai City Government Office.
"Inspector Qi, you’re quite a rare guest. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit today?" Zheng Changsheng asked with a smile as he poured the other man a cup of tea.
Qi Ming was an Inspector from the Observatory. Although his official rank was lower than Zheng’s, the Observatory held a special status, so Zheng had to treat him as an equal.
"An Inspector from Shanyang Prefecture will be passing through Guangfeng Prefecture today. I’ve come to give you a heads-up, City Lord, and ask that you extend him some courtesies," Qi Ming said with a slight smile.
The news had come directly from the Director of the Shanyang Prefecture Observatory, and it had even reached the Observatory in Yujing City.
All Observatory branches along the route were ordered to provide assistance. Therefore, even someone like Qi Ming didn’t dare to be negligent; he had rushed over to smooth things over before the person even arrived.
"Of course, of course."
Zheng Changsheng laughed heartily, then lowered his voice and asked, "This person... they have a powerful background?"
"City Lord, there are some things it’s better not to inquire about. Even I don’t dare ask too many questions," Qi Ming said, shaking his head and putting an end to the topic.
But the fact that even Qi Ming was so guarded about it only made Zheng Changsheng more convinced that the visitor’s background was immense. He made a mental note to tell his gatekeepers to be on their sharpest behavior for the next few days and not to offend anyone.
"Heh heh, Qi, my brother, look what I have here. Someone just pulled some strings to send over a blood ginseng. I’ll offer it to you instead. If you hadn’t come to give me this warning, I might have offended someone important without even realizing it."
Zheng Changsheng picked up a brocade box from a nearby table and handed it to Qi Ming.
Qi Ming naturally tried to refuse, but after several attempts, he had no choice but to shamelessly accept it.
~~~~~~~
’Since City Lord Zheng accepted the gift, things should be much easier now. Maybe Dad can be transferred over in a few days.’
Chen Shicheng was walking out of the courtyard of the City Lord’s Government Office, the joyful expression on his face impossible to hide.
After all, there was an art to giving bribes.
You worried if they wouldn’t accept, but you also worried if they accepted too readily. If they didn’t accept, they obviously wouldn’t help you. But if they accepted too easily without any indication of commitment, they might also do nothing for you.
Just as there are bandits who prey on other bandits, the world of officialdom was much the same.
Fortunately, City Lord Zheng had accepted the gift and indicated that there were no problems on his end, but that Chen Shicheng still needed to sort things out with one other person: the Vice Commander of the Denglai City Navy.
With the matter already halfway to completion, Chen Shicheng was naturally in a good mood.
As he reached the main gate of the Government Office, he saw a man haggling with the constables, only to give in and hand over a silver banknote after a few words.
’Hah, so stingy. With such a paltry amount of silver, it’d be a miracle if those gatekeepers actually did anything for him. They’ll probably just go inside, wander around for a bit, and come back out to send him away.’
Looking like a man of the world, Chen Shicheng couldn’t help but sneer at Fang Yue in the distance.
’Some people just can’t recognize their own place in the world.’
"Well now, if it isn’t Lord Chen! Looking at you, I’d say your business was a success. Heh heh, in a few days, I bet we’ll have to start calling you Young Master Chen."
The government constable at the gate had seen Chen Shicheng coming out and immediately rushed forward with enthusiastic flattery.
"Well said. Here’s your reward."
Chen Shicheng tossed the constable a silver ingot, then turned and left with a flourish.
"See that? That’s what you call generous. You should learn from him; it’ll do you good. To get things done, you have to spend silver, and you have to be willing to spend it. Otherwise, nothing gets done," the constable said, turning back to Fang Yue after seeing Chen Shicheng off.
As he spoke, the other constable—the one who had gone inside—came back out.
He walked up to Fang Yue and shook his head. "The County Magistrate isn’t in. You should come back tomorrow."
"Is that so?" Fang Yue smiled.
He knew this was just their trick, an obvious attempt to extort more silver from him.
’Saying the person isn’t here... I bet they didn’t even go look for anyone.’
At that moment, Fang Yue truly understood the meaning of the saying: "The King of Hell is easy to see, but his little demons are hard to deal with."
"You two, listen up! Be on your toes for the next few days. If an Inspector from the Shanyang Prefecture Observatory arrives, you are to invite him into the Government Office at once."
"If either of you dares to slight our distinguished guest, hmph, the plank from the City Lord’s Mansion will not spare you!"
Just then, a stern voice rang out.
Immediately, a middle-aged man was seen striding over.