The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 339: Chapter 339: Private Seal

Xi Su was silent for a good while. Just when Lian Zhou thought he was going to ignore the matter, he finally spoke.

”I’ve heard that the wine from Yunlai Tavern is crisp and fragrant, with a sweet, lingering aftertaste. It’s truly a rare delicacy that can’t be bought even if you have the silver.”

Lian Zhou: ”...???”

He slowly caught on, his expression turning inscrutable as he stroked his chin.

”You have a point. If the Master wants a lot, maybe he’ll spare some for us?”

He clicked his tongue lightly.

”Looks like the Master still cares about us after all!”

He couldn’t wait to get back to the Capital City now!

...

Shen Yanchuan ended up staying in Changzhou for half a month, and in the blink of an eye, it was early October.

During that time, however, he spent most of his days in his private villa, rarely even meeting with the local officials. It was as if he had come here just to enjoy a quiet getaway.

Xu Jie had been suspicious at first, but as time went on, he gradually let his guard down.

He wasn’t familiar with Shen Yanchuan. And although the Second Prince had previously warned him to be wary of Shen Yanchuan, after this period, he felt the Second Prince had exaggerated.

This Young Master Heir might be able to stir up some trouble in the Capital City, but this was Changzhou!

Xu Jie was very confident in himself.

So, when Shen Yanchuan suggested a visit to the Li River dam, he readily agreed.

A light rain began to fall again that day. The weather in Changzhou had turned chilly in October, and the autumn rain felt bleak.

When Shen Yanchuan and his party arrived at the dam, they saw numerous soldiers carrying sandbags. Many were soaked to the bone, standing in muddy water.

”I managed to plug the breach with great difficulty, but it started raining again today. To be safe, I have ordered my men to reinforce the dam.” Xu Jie pointed. ”Only when the silver for the river channel repairs arrives can we truly solve this problem!”

Shen Yanchuan’s gaze lingered for a moment on the soldiers working tirelessly in succession, then shifted to the side. He asked:

”Are those the flood victims?”

Xu Jie followed his gaze and saw a group of people in tattered clothes, some standing, some sitting, looking out at the raging Li River with expressions of utter misery and numb despair.

He sighed and explained, ”Yes. The Li River burst its banks, and these commoners’ fields were all flooded. They have nowhere else to go. But rest assured, Princely Heir, I have already ordered my men to set up tents and distribute congee.”

Shen Yanchuan’s expression was calm, betraying no emotion.

Another official, seeing this, assumed the pampered Young Master Heir had never witnessed such a scene and tried to curry favor.

”Princely Heir, there is no need to worry. Although the dam has breached and the fields are flooded, we have not yet entered the winter months. There won’t be any major problems.”

The implication was that they, as officials, had already fulfilled their duties to the best of their abilities.

Shen Yanchuan was suddenly reminded of three years ago, when the Capital City was blanketed in heavy snow and the land was frozen solid.

Countless people had frozen to death on the roadside, buried in silent slumber under layers of snow.

’She, too, was once like these people—displaced and with nowhere to go.’

The color in Shen Yanchuan’s eyes turned cold, a frosty glint seeming to flash in their depths. But the moment he looked up again, those deep, almond-shaped eyes had returned to their usual calm composure.

He nodded, his tone flat.

”Lord Xu, you’ve gone to great trouble.”

Xu Jie said with a sigh, ”When I was young, I also experienced famine. I know the hardships of the common people, so seeing this today, I naturally cannot bear it.”

Shen Yanchuan paused for a moment, as if recalling something.

After a moment, he tilted his head slightly and asked, ”I once heard that it was because of the drought over twenty years ago that Lord Xu formed such a deep friendship with General Huo.”

Xu Jie’s expression froze instantly.

The others in the entourage who heard this also fell silent in unison.

The name Huo Yucheng had become almost a taboo. Besides Shen Yanchuan, few would dare mention it in front of Xu Jie!

—After all, who would want to be associated with a man whose entire clan had been executed?

Despite the rain, Xu Jie could feel his palms sweating.

He came from a poor background, but his strength was in his studies. By his teens, he had already made a name for himself as a scholar.

That year, if not for Huo Yucheng—a man from his hometown—giving him silver, he wouldn’t have even had the travel money to take the imperial examinations in the Capital City, let alone his later meteoric rise.

This bond between him and Huo Yucheng was once a story told with great relish by many.

Of course, that was an old story from many years ago.

Xu Jie averted his gaze. After a long moment, he said in a low voice, ”He was a fool... How could he embezzle military funds!?”

The corner of Shen Yanchuan’s mouth seemed to lift in a very slight smile.

Everyone said Huo Yucheng embezzled military funds, and that the evidence was ironclad. But... the silver was disbursed from the Ministry of Revenue, and as its Chief of Staff, Xu Jie would naturally know the most about it.

”A pity indeed.”

Shen Yanchuan said lightly.

’Trust the wrong person, and one misstep can lead to eternal damnation.’

The Huo Family was wiped out in a river of blood, yet Xu Jie had become a provincial governor, a high-ranking official overseeing a region. The difference was like heaven and earth.

He reined in his thoughts and changed the subject.

”After I return to the Capital City, I will report the disaster situation here to Your Majesty. The relief funds and grain should arrive soon.”

Xu Jie was taken aback. But seeing that Shen Yanchuan didn’t press the matter further, as if he had only mentioned it in passing, the heart that had been caught in his throat finally settled back down.

’Besides, from the sound of it, Shen Yanchuan is leaving soon?’

’That makes sense. This place is hardly as prosperous and lively as the Capital City. With the constant wind and rain, it’s only normal that he’d want to leave early.’

Xu Jie hadn’t expected to be rid of this trouble so easily. He bowed deeply in his excitement.

”Then on behalf of the people of Changzhou, I thank you, Princely Heir!”

...

”Master, are we really leaving so soon?”

Lian Zhou was also quite surprised by this. The moment they returned to their residence, he couldn’t help but ask.

Shen Yanchuan nodded. ”I have what I came for. Staying here any longer would just be a waste of time.”

Lian Zhou naturally understood his master’s meaning.

The day before they had arrived in Changzhou, their men had already gotten there first in secret. They had investigated the schedules of several officials, including Xu Jie.

They had heard things they shouldn’t have heard, seen things they shouldn’t have seen, and most importantly, obtained things they shouldn’t have obtained.

Shen Yanchuan took several sheets of paper from his sleeve.

He flipped through them one by one. The first two were rubbings of memorials Xu Jie had submitted to the throne. The next two, upon closer inspection, were flirtatious little poems.

And the handwriting was completely different from the first two sheets.

Lian Zhou glanced over and tutted. ”Who would’ve thought? That Lord Xu is quite the dissolute romantic, having a taste for writing poems for courtesans.”

Shen Yanchuan’s gaze fell on the very end.

There was no signature, only a seal.

—Xu Jie’s personal seal.

Identical to the seal on the letter Huo Yucheng had received before the battle.