Chapter 538: The Taste of Power and Nobility

Huazhu Pier, ships coming and going.

Porters carrying goods carried sacks in the scorching sun, sweat beads rolling down their chins, splashing onto the blue-gray stone slabs, evaporating and disappearing between breaths.

"Why hasn't this Liang Water Envoy from Pingyang Prefecture arrived yet? The post station sent a letter a few days ago, and I haven't seen anyone for two days. It's harmed us who are handling errands, eh."

Two fat and thin prefecture government office clerks sat at a tea stall waiting, sweating all over, obvious sweat stains showing on their soap-colored clothes, fanning themselves irritably.

"Disaster comes from the mouth." The thin clerk drank the tea dry, "The prefecture city is a big place. The bluestone road built can let three carriages walk side by side, and the buildings are so high you can't see the blue sky. The Sixth-Rank Heng Water Envoy, just talking about the rank, is one level higher than our county magistrate! Young and promising, high position and heavy power, who knows how arrogant he is? If he blows a breath, we will have to fly away."

The fat clerk was stubborn: "So what if it's from the River-Marsh Office? Our place didn't have a flood, can he manage it?"

"Heh, who can say for sure? Didn't someone come to check the river embankment two months ago? Who knows if he will pick out some problems for you? Then he can manage it?"

"Don't they say Liang Water Envoy is King Chi reincarnated? He did so many good things in one day, what a capable person, why would he make things difficult for us small clerks?"

"Capable means good temper? According to me, the more capable, the bigger the temper, all insisting on their own dead logic!"

The fat clerk was listless.

"Eh, when can I be an official? Not much, Ninth-Rank is enough, enjoy the master's addiction, plant ten more acres of water fields, marry a virtuous wife, take a beautiful concubine, give birth to a few sons and daughters..."

The thin clerk sneered: "You can forget it. A fat man like you can be an official, mostly because the county has something urgent and needs to borrow a head."

Often mocked, the fat clerk was not angry.

The two had been together for many years and were used to sarcasm, silently drinking tea and waiting.

The tea doctor suddenly approached with a towel to pour tea.

"Two masters, a Fuchuan ship came on the river. I haven't seen it on the pier before, it's quite strange. You two have sharp eyes, distinguish carefully, is it the person you are waiting for?"

Hearing the news, the fat and thin clerks looked up and saw the water wave flag, overjoyed.

"Yes, yes, yes!"

"It's here, it's here, go tell the county magistrate quickly, go tell the county magistrate quickly!"

The Fuchuan ship docked, and the iron anchor sank into the water.

"Welcoming the laughter, the fragrance fills the sleeves, happy that you have come to the old place again. I have long heard that Liang Lord has great talent, holding treasures and cherishing them. Seeing you today, hearing your name is not as good as seeing you, and it is even better!"

"Lord Liu is polite. If it weren't for Lord Liu's warm invitation, how could Liang steal a few days of leisure for public business?"

Huazhu Pier was cleared for the most part, and the porters coming and going stood aside.

Huazhu County's new county magistrate, Liu Wennian, stepped out of the carriage and laughed and bowed.

Huazhu County's former county magistrate was Yu Dayi. After the flood disaster, the negligent Yu County Magistrate was naturally removed from office.

Liang Qu hadn't paid attention to his situation, whether he was demoted or dismissed.

Exchanging a few pleasantries.

The Dragon-People got off the ship, at the end of the line, Long Pinghe carrying the half-dead water bandit.

Liu Wennian looked surprised and pointed to the water bandit: "The warrior's hand... this..."

"Encountered water bandit ambush on the Heishuihe, caught a leader by the way, borrow the prefecture government office prison for a few days."

Liu Wennian was ashamed: "Liu's governance is ineffective, actually letting water bandits collide with the Lord."

"Last year the embankment collapsed, Huazhu County was severely damaged, the people were displaced, and it hadn't recovered its vitality. In a mess, it's inevitable that some rat droppings will appear."

Liang Qu was not here to hold accountable. Without a flood, the Sixth-Rank Heng Water Envoy couldn't suppress the local county magistrate, and there was no need to make it awkward.

Both sides of the Heishuihe were mountain forests, and coupled with the high value of water transport, banditry was hard to eliminate.

Hearing the meaning, Liu Wennian was slightly relieved, stepped aside, and personally led Liang Qu and his party toward the inner city.

"Lord Liang has come from afar, I have already sent someone to prepare a banquet..."

The coachman handed over the reins and sat down to wave the whip.

The wooden wheels crushed the stone slabs and drove away one after another.

The porters on the pier watched the Dragon girl gather the corners of her skirt, lower the curtain, and raise her hand to wipe the heat sweat on her neck, feeling lost in her heart.

Such a beautiful beauty, not looking at her face twice, not smelling her fragrance twice, is truly a regret of this life.

"Heh, spit."

Old phlegm landed.

"Damn, this is called living like a human! Young and promising, beauty by his side, county magistrate welcoming, we are all living like dogs!"

"If I could marry such a wife, I would be willing to die of exhaustion!"

"Die of exhaustion? How to die of exhaustion?"

The man started a commotion.

"What are you saying, what are you saying? Wipe your eyes clean, don't let pig oil cover your heart. Lord Liang's female family members, are these hard labor you can look at? Last year Lord Liang controlled the disaster, didn't you receive grace? Be careful of being dug out!"

The fat and thin clerks lingering on the pier shouted and waved their whips to intimidate, and the whole pier gradually returned to normal.

Working on the pier, there were many strong men.

Eating and drinking were just those things.

Too lazy to care, the fat and thin clerks straightened their clothes, walked to the side of the Fuchuan ship, and wanted to take the government office money to treat the boatmen above to come down for wine.

Unexpectedly, after shouting several times, there was no shadow of anyone, only a black furry head poked out.

The two clerks were shocked, subconsciously gripping the short whip, looking closely and finding it was a river otter.

Wait.

River otter?

Tatta Kai grabbed the ship railing, poked its head out to look around, hissed twice, and brought the family otters to swagger off the ship. It weighed the heavy yellow leather bag at its waist, preparing to exchange for some food.

The fat and thin clerks hadn't seen this battle, staring at each other with big eyes.

The pet raised by Liang Water Envoy?

On the ship... not a single boatman?

Hesitating.

Tatta Kai had already brought the otters to the foot shop. As soon as it appeared, there was a surprise, and the long chair fell to the ground.

"River wolf! It's a river wolf!"

"Run! Run quickly!"

"So big, it's become a spirit!"

Clatter, clatter.

The diners dropped their chopsticks and fled.

In a blink of an eye, the guests in the foot shop ran away cleanly, leaving only the shopkeeper old man who couldn't run away from the temple, raising the pot lid, trembling.

Tatta Kai scratched its head and curled its lips in disdain.

Country bumpkins with no knowledge.

Opened the cloth bag and patted out two cents of broken silver.

Tatta Kai pointed to a table of food, ordered a few, and waited with arms crossed.

Clang!

The shopkeeper old man accidentally dropped the pot.

The winding path leads to a secluded place, the cicadas never stop.

The yellow-robed monk stepped on the stone steps, shuttling through the shade, leading Liang Qu and his party up the mountain, introducing the small mountains and towers one by one.

The River God sacrifice was the day after tomorrow, Liu Wennian naturally needed to arrange accommodation during the period, located in the Great Temple of Huazhu County, the back mountain of Linggu Temple.

Lush shade pushed away the dry fire.

Long Yao and Long Li looked around.

It was their first time in a temple, and they were quite curious, pulling Liang Qu's corner and whispering.

"Lord, why does County Magistrate Liu want to arrange for us to stay in a temple?"

Liang Qu said: "Temples often serve as inns. If you pay some incense money, both men and women can stay, and even live for a long time, just pay the rent every month, no different from renting a house. You can live as long as you want. Many scholars who take exams like the quietness of temples, which is convenient for review, and often live for two or three years until they pass. Ordinary officials passing by also like to find temples to stay, because the conditions of temples are often better than post stations, and they are safer than mixed hotels. Therefore, many great officials and great poets often have a few monk friends around them."

"What about eating?"

"The restaurant staff should be arranged to send food boxes up the mountain every day. It won't be all vegetarian. County Magistrate Liu should have arrangements." Liang Qu guessed.

"Does Liang Lord know that Linggu Temple has a strange scene every midsummer?" the leading little monk asked.

Liang Qu thought for a while: "Flowing Light Sea?"

"The Lord has broad knowledge." The little monk put his hands together.

Long Yao asked: "Lord, what is Flowing Light Sea?"

"Every midsummer, as long as it doesn't rain that day and the humidity isn't heavy, a large number of fireflies will emerge in the valley of Linggu Temple in Huazhu County, forming a strange scene like a fluorescent green sea, so it's called Flowing Light Sea, which is quite famous." Liang Qu said.

The reason he knew was because Xiang Fang Su and the others went to play last year.

Famous scenic spots in the counties around Pingyang Prefecture, the Eighteen Waterfalls of Jiangling County, the Flowing Light Sea of Huazhu County, the Blue Lake of Haiyan County... all were run through by the two, and the Flowing Light Sea was particularly impressive, and they blew about it being very big when they came back.

The Dragon girl's eyes brightened, and she looked forward to staying tonight.

The little monk said: "After sunset, the best position to enjoy the night clear is at Zhigong Hall. The small bridge in front of the hall and the grass deeper inside are the places where the night clear gathers earliest. The Baogong Tower behind Zhigong Hall is also not bad, and there will be slightly fewer tourists. However, County Magistrate Liu is entertaining distinguished guests in the past two days and specifically sent people to clear the back mountain, so it doesn't matter if there are many or few people. If Liang Lord wants to see it at night, it is best to walk through it once at dawn to familiarize yourself with the path, so as not to be unable to find the direction in the dark at night, and even more so to 'scare away' the night clear."

Liu Wennian's arrangement was not bad.

In Pingyang Prefecture, the Sixth-Rank is nothing, there are a lot of them.

Put it in the county town, it's incredible, almost the number one, bigger than the county magistrate, so he has to pay attention.

One mountain is blocked, for people to enjoy alone.

Liang Qu truly felt a bit of the taste of power and nobility.

Eh.

The bad atmosphere of society blew in unknowingly, letting himself fall into the big dye vat.

Corruption!

"Liang Lord, your residence has arrived."

The leading monk stopped and pointed to three rows of houses and a small courtyard with a single door.

The Dragon girl took the large and small bags and moved in happily. ===== CHAPTER 539 =====

Sigh.

The unhealthy social atmosphere had blown in before he knew it, causing him to fall into a great dye vat.

Corruption!

"Master Liang, your residence has arrived."

The guiding monk stopped and pointed to a row of three connected houses with a private courtyard.

The Dragon Girl took the bags and bundles, hopping with joy as she moved in.