Chapter 2029: The First Time in Sixty Years

Rain poured down in torrents, like a reckless child, carelessly roaming and playing through the world, and the roadside tea shack was one of its "victims."

A few earthen-and-timber rooms and a shabby thatched awning made up a simple tea shack, situated at a fork in the road, yet it was the main resting spot for travelers and merchants on ordinary days.

However, in this bleak, storm-tossed weather, the tea house had few customers—only those taking temporary shelter from the rain. But that didn't matter; the old Emperor and his party were enough to make up for the business the shopkeeper had lost to the rain.

And the old Emperor's party had drawn everyone's attention from the very start. It was really the guards accompanying them—their bearing was too imposing, their eyes too cold. Despite the heavy rain, though they wore bamboo hats and leather cloaks, they stood in the downpour without so much as twitching. To the shopkeeper, who had seen much of the world, such men were either nobles or outlaws.

The shopkeeper was quite certain in his heart that the former was more likely. At this critical juncture, anyone daring to travel openly with weapons like this couldn't possibly lack status.

The news that the Emperor had come to Shenzhou had long since spread widely among the common folk. At such an important time, neither the prefectural nor county constables dared to be careless, and even the village headmen of every township and hamlet were working hard for harmony and stability during the imperial entourage's stay at Taikang Palace.

Even the shopkeeper of this humble tea shack had to thank His Majesty's southern tour. Ever since the Emperor arrived in Shenzhou, business at his tea house had clearly improved, with foot traffic visibly increasing. If not for the influence of the Emperor's visit, how could Luoshan County have so many people traveling back and forth to Xinyang, and by land at that?

The shopkeeper had no chance to play any tricks. After serving a bowl of tea, he was shooed back into the tea room, while two guards firmly held the door, not allowing anyone in or out, lest they disturb the old Emperor's mood.

And how could the old Emperor's mood be good at a time like this? A sudden downpour had once again interrupted the journey—since entering Luoshan County, in less than two days, this was already the third time.

It was as if the very sky overhead was trying to stop the old Emperor from visiting the common folk, afraid he might see or hear something that would anger him.

Under the scouring rain, the thatched awning trembled incessantly. The mud on the road outside was waterlogged and murky, and dense raindrops, driven by the wind, stung the face. In such an environment, everyone was shrouded in a layer of water vapor.

Even the old Emperor himself had a patch of his clothes soaked through, which worried both Hu De and the imperial physician accompanying him deeply. Given the old Emperor's current constitution, he could barely endure the rigors of two days of travel—how could he dare to get drenched in rain? If anything went wrong, how could any of them bear the responsibility?

But the old Emperor was stubborn, obstinate to the core. He refused even to enter the building, insisting on who knows what, just sitting there waiting to resume the journey. On a table sat a single bowl of tea, its surface steaming with vapor distinct from the rain mist. The tea leaves were local Luoshan tea, and it smelled quite pleasant—but it was only set out for show.

When the old Emperor traveled abroad, all food and drink came from no local supply whatsoever—well, for fear of unknown origins. But since he had entered the tea house and borrowed its space to shelter from the rain, ordering a bowl of tea was only proper.

Beside him, Wang Qinruo waited respectfully, speaking to the old Emperor about Luoshan's climate and environment, saying how summers brought frequent torrential rains and autumns and winters brought droughts and floods. But what the old Emperor cared about was only when the rain would stop so he could set out.

At the moment, the old Emperor had indeed regained some of the vigor of his youth—the more he was worn down, the more spirited he became; the more setbacks, the braver.

Around noon, the torrential rain finally came to an end. Without a moment's delay, the old Emperor called for them to set out. Stepping out of the tea house, the wet, muddy ground was strewn with rotting straw stalks that stuck to the soles of shoes with every step. Facing them was a three-way fork: one road was the official highway they had already toiled along for over a day, and the other was a small path overgrown with green grass.

Noticing the old Emperor's gaze, Wang Qinruo immediately explained: "Following this road north leads to the county seat, with many villages along the way. Most of Luoshan County's population and grain production are concentrated in the north. The small path leads to the mountain ridges, where there are also some villages inhabited by rustic mountain folk, not easy to govern."

"South!" Without the slightest hesitation, the old Emperor said directly.

Hearing this, Wang Qinruo hurriedly tried to dissuade him: "Your Majesty, in summer there is much rain, and the mountain paths are winding and difficult to traverse. Flash floods and mudslides are frequent, and dangers abound. Your Majesty's person is priceless—I beg you not to take such risks!"

Li Jihe, standing nearby, added even more worry to his already stern face upon hearing this. Though they had been traveling for only three days, this general tasked with protecting the Emperor had nearly gone gray-haired from worry, with immense pressure constantly hanging over him.

Hearing now that the old Emperor planned to take an unconventional route, he immediately grew anxious and joined in the persuasion: "Your Majesty, forgive my impertinence, but it would be better to head north!"

If the old Emperor were the sort to listen to advice, he wouldn't be here at all. He shot Li Jihe a glance that made the man shrink his neck slightly, then looked at Wang Qinruo and said: "People live there permanently—how is it that I can't even take a trip there without all these misgivings? Or is there something you don't want me to see?"

"Your servant would never dare!" Wang Qinruo quickly declared.

"Set out! Head south!"

The horses were brought over, and Hu De helped the old Emperor mount. The party quickly prepared and soon set off south along the small path. Wang Xuanzhen deliberately lagged behind, a trace of helplessness showing on his calm face. With the old Emperor's sudden change of route, all his preparations in the direction of Luoshan County town had gone to waste.

Regarding the old Emperor's incognito inspections, the Wude Office had also made preparations. Of course, his primary concern was still the old Emperor's safety—if anything happened to the old Emperor, none of them could escape blame.

"Office Director!" Standing at the entrance of the tea house, he merely waved his hand outward, and two men emerged from who knows where, swiftly running up to kneel before Wang Xuanzhen in salute.

Wang Xuanzhen wasted no words, directly pointing at the southern path and ordering: "Spread your men to the south. Reconnoiter every mountain village and township in the south for me. I don't care about other matters, but if any disturbance occurs and startles His Majesty, you need not come see me again!"

"Yes!" Hearing this, the two men immediately showed solemn expressions, bowed again in acknowledgment, and hurried off, soon disappearing from sight.

Taking a deep breath, Wang Xuanzhen gazed at the layers of mountain wilderness spreading to the south, then mounted his horse and, leading a few subordinates, set off to catch up with the old Emperor's party.

Only after this group of uninvited guests had gone far did the shopkeeper come out. With sharp eyes, he immediately spotted a small ingot of silver on the table—a standard one tael. In all his years running this tea shack, he had never received silver money before. This one bowl of tea was worth it!

The other customers in the tea house also began discussing the matter at this point. After all, in such a small place, the old Emperor's party was utterly out of place. Moreover, someone directly speculated whether some noble from the capital had come to the countryside seeking excitement.

In truth, the old Emperor's so-called incognito inspection was merely a smaller-scale affair, but for the locals, it still caused quite a commotion. More than ten li west of the tea house, two battalions of the imperial army were also packing up their temporary rain shelters at the edge of a forest, personally led by Murong Chengtai, trailing behind the imperial entourage as protection. Upon receiving word of the change in route ahead, they immediately gave the order to move out as well.

An incognito inspection was, in essence, still a large crowd accompanying the old Emperor to do as he pleased—just not so ostentatiously.

Luoshan County was geographically well-layered. Nestled against the Dabie Mountains, the south was a mountainous area, extending northward into a stretch of hills. Between the hills and the northern plains lay a ridge of high ground—not very elevated, intermittent, but stretching on for dozens of li.

It was precisely this ridge area that the old Emperor was visiting. After all, he couldn't very well plunge into the deep mountains, could he?

Traveling along the narrow path, the deeper they went, the narrower and more cramped it became, winding and difficult to traverse—though fortunately the undulations were not great. On the ridge, from high to low, terraced fields were laid out, increasing in number the lower they went.

It was summertime, and the wheat had already turned yellow. Because of the rain, the color looked somewhat duller, but gazing at those fields of wheat ripe for harvest, the old Emperor's mood improved somewhat. A golden wheat field always brought a sense of joy.

After traveling several li along the ridge, they approached a rise where a village was clearly clustered atop it—signs of habitation were visible even from below. Without hesitation, the old Emperor led his party up the rise, preparing to enter the village.

The village was called Nine Villages, said to have nine surnames among its residents. In reality, there were ten—the extra surname being the Shi family, the village's largest landowners, who also served as village headman.

One thing the old Emperor hadn't expected: just as they arrived at the village entrance, marked by a memorial arch built of rubble, they were stopped—by a young man leading several coarse-clothed roughnecks.

Wang Qinruo handled the negotiations, saying that his master was out on an outing and hunting, that it was getting late and inconvenient to return, and that they wished to enter the village to lodge for the night, hoping for their convenience. Unfortunately, Wang Qinruo had underestimated the cleverness of these rustic mountain folk. With all the rain that had fallen, what hunting could anyone do? Using the excuse that Nine Villages did not receive outsiders, they firmly refused.

After several rounds of negotiation, the other side was tight-lipped and unyielding in attitude. Even when Wang Qinruo offered money, it was useless—so stubborn that Wang Qinruo couldn't help cursing inwardly: how could there be such obstinate villagers under Luoshan County?

The Emperor wanted to enter the village and was being blocked. If words wouldn't work, then force would. Li Jihe led his men forward in a show of intimidation. Seeing that they were numerous and clearly not to be trifled with, the villagers hurled a few harsh words and retreated back into the village.

Then the party escorted the old Emperor into the village. The ridge top was quite flat, accommodating a fair number of households—looking out, one could see several dozen. But once inside the village, an awkward situation befell the old Emperor's party: not a single household was willing to take them in, and some went so far as to not even give a reply.

What was even worse came next. After they had called on only a few households, accompanied by a burst of gong sounds and dense shouting, a crowd of villagers surged out from all directions, each wielding farm tools, wooden clubs, and even some with knives, pressing in on them together.

Startled, Li Jihe nearly shouted "Protect His Majesty!" Fortunately, the other side's intent was clear—they merely wanted to drive away these ill-intentioned outsiders—which spared the guards from having to draw blood.

And so, under the premise of not revealing their identities, the old Emperor was driven out of Nine Villages in utter disgrace.

As he walked out of the village entrance, the old Emperor's expression was quite colorful—impossible to tell whether it was anger or something else. He turned back to look at this small village on the ridge, lost in thought.

Calling Wang Qinruo to his side, the old Emperor asked softly: "Is the local character truly so fierce? Are the local people truly so cold and unfeeling? Is this how they treat guests on ordinary days?"

Your Majesty! Wang Qinruo cried out in his heart. Take a look at the bearing of you and your attendants—do you look like ordinary people?

"This place is isolated and remote. Perhaps it's our large party that startled the villagers!" Wang Qinruo said carefully.

"Is that so?" The old Emperor fixed his gaze on Wang Qinruo, a note of suspicion in his tone.

How could Wang Qinruo withstand such a look? Wiping the sweat from his brow, he added: "Your servant suspects there may be another reason."

"Speak!"