Chapter 392

After seeing Cheng Ze off, Zhuge Liang returned to his seat.

However, only a moment later, he stood up again.

He was currently burdened with worries and eagerly awaited Ying Su's return.

Because without Ying Su present, he could not make final decisions on many matters.

Just as Zhuge Liang hoped for Ying Su's early return, Ying Su, far away a thousand li distant, was not in the least hurried.

The weather today was fine; the sky was clear yet not too hot, making it very pleasant to sit in the carriage and admire the scenic beauty along the way.

"Tell everyone to slow down; there is no rush," Ying Su said to Lu Lu Zhishen, who was walking beside the carriage.

"Understood!" Lu Lu Zhishen replied, immediately going to convey the order.

Thus, the entire procession slowed down.

Meanwhile, Ying Su leisurely admired the scenic beauty along the route.

"Eh, that pavilion ahead looks quite nice; stop there," Ying Su instructed his subordinates as if he had discovered a new continent.

The carriage halted by the roadside; Ying Su stepped out and approached the roadside pavilion.

This pavilion was not large and appeared very new.

Dense rows of characters were carved onto the pavilion's pillars.

In the center of the pavilion stood a stone table, with four stone stools beside it.

The table and stools were very new, likely crafted not long ago.

What attracted Ying Su was the design of the pavilion, the shapes of the table and stools, and the text on the pillars...

Whether viewed as a whole or in parts, this pavilion achieved a very high level of artistic excellence.

So much so that upon seeing it, Ying Su spontaneously conceived a thought: he wanted to move it into the imperial palace!

However, this thought flashed by in an instant.

He had no desire to engage in such endeavors that exhausted the people and wasted resources.

Would doing such a thing not make him a tyrant?

"I will rest here. You go inquire who built this pavilion, and once you find out, return immediately to tell me," Ying Su said to his attendants.

Saying this, he walked into the pavilion and sat before the stone table.

"My lord, this pavilion is so exquisite; it surely was not made by common folk," Qiao Feng said.

"Mm, you are right; moreover, it does not seem like the work of ordinary artisans, for common craftsmen could not produce such exquisite items," Ying Su said.

Then, Ying Su began to carefully examine the table before him.

Seeing how much importance Ying Su attached to the pavilion, everyone else was baffled.

Was this not just a slightly better-looking pavilion?

Yet no one dared to ask.

As close bodyguards, Qiao Feng and Lu Lu Zhishen could speak with Ying Su, but both were rough men; apart from saying the pavilion looked nice, they knew nothing else to say.

Time passed little by little; after the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn, a guard hurriedly arrived bringing an old farmer.

"My lord, he knows the origin of this pavilion," the guard said, bowing to Ying Su and then pointing at the old farmer.

"This humble commoner greets My Lord!" The old farmer knelt on the ground, his body trembling slightly.

"Do not be afraid; sit down and speak," Ying Su said with a smile.

"This humble commoner is not afraid, but excited; in my several decades of life, this is the first time I have seen My Lord!" the old farmer said.

"Bring him a chair so he may sit," Ying Su ordered.

"This humble commoner dares not; standing while replying is sufficient!" the old farmer hastily said.

"If My Lord tells you to sit, then sit; could it be that you do not even obey My Lord's words?" Lu Lu Zhishen brought a chair and placed it behind the old farmer.

Seeing Lu Lu Zhishen's burly figure, the old farmer was startled; thinking that the consequences of disobeying My Lord would be even more terrifying, he sat down.

However, he only perched lightly on the edge of the chair, daring not to sit fully.

"Who built this pavilion?" Ying Su asked openly.

176. The Great Benefactor

"Replying to My Lord, this pavilion was funded by Li Wenxi of our township; at that time, he even hired me to help, and these few pillars were erected by me and Er Gou," the old farmer said.

"Oh, so you also participated in building this pavilion. Then who carved the characters on these pillars? And who designed these stone table and stools?" Ying Su asked.

"The characters on the pillars were personally carved by Lord Li Wenxi; as for who designed the table and stools, I do not know, but it was likely also done by Lord Li Wenxi, for Lord Li Wenxi enjoys carving characters and making various objects," the old farmer said.

"You refer to Li Wenxi as 'my lord'; is he an official?" Ying Su asked.

"He is not an official; he is a noble, and most of the land within dozens of li around here belongs to him," the old farmer said.

"He is a noble? Then with so much land, his family must have hired many people to farm it, correct?" Ying Su asked.

"They hired many people; I am one who farms land for his family," the old farmer said.

"No wonder he has the leisure to do such things; it turns out he is a noble and does not need to work with his own hands," Ying Su said indifferently.

"Yes, Lord Li Wenxi never works; he does not even know how to sow seeds," the old farmer said.

"Then do you hold any grievances against him?" Ying Su asked.

"Grievances? Why would we hold grievances against him?" the old farmer asked, puzzled.

"He does not farm, yet you do, and most of the grain grown in the fields ends up with him; do you feel no resentment in your hearts?" Ying Su asked.

"My Lord, the land belongs to Lord Li Wenxi; he allows us to farm it, so it is right for us to give him the grain."

"Furthermore, we actually hope that Lord Li Wenxi does not farm the land himself."

The old farmer said.

"Oh, why is that? Would it not be disadvantageous to you if he farmed personally?" Ying Su asked curiously.

"If Lord Li Wenxi farms the land himself, then the land available for us to farm would be less, and would we not receive even less grain?" the old farmer said.

His answer made Ying Su laugh.

It seems the common people of Great Qin are still honest.

They believe it is only right that nobles own the land.

Nobles letting them farm the land is a gift.

"By the way, can you eat your fill now?" Ying Su asked again.

"We can eat our fill this year; last year we suffered a disaster and couldn't eat enough, but we didn't starve. Lord Li distributed some grain to us, and that is how we survived." The old farmer spoke with a look of gratitude.

"You suffered a disaster last year? Was it severe?" Ying Su asked.

"Very severe; basically, there was no harvest at all! Everyone had no food to eat, so Lord Li let us eat at his place. Although we could only eat one meal a day, the portion was large; one meal was enough!" the old farmer said.

"I didn't expect this Li Wenxi to be such a great benefactor." Ying Su nodded, then said to his attendants: "Give ten coins to this uncle... ah, to this elder as a running errand fee. We will go with him to find that great benefactor Li!"

He hadn't paid attention for a moment and spoke too smoothly, even saying the words "uncle."

One must know his identity is that of the Emperor; calling someone "elder" was already giving the other party an immense favor.

Under the old farmer's lead, Ying Su and the guards arrived at a large manor.

Before even entering the gate, Ying Su felt the manor's thick artistic atmosphere!

His residence in Outside Xianyanggong simply could not compare to this.

If speaking of grandeur, of course the imperial palace is grander, but if speaking of living a daily life, the palace is far inferior to this!

Soon, Li Wenxi, having learned the Emperor had arrived, hurriedly came out to welcome them.

His whole body trembled; he didn't even dare to look at Ying Su, kneeling on the ground and shaking continuously.

"Why are you so afraid of me?" Ying Su asked.

"It is not fear, but respect! Your Highness's might shakes the four directions, and naturally you possess an aura that commands reverence, so when I see you, I cannot help but... tremble!" Li Wenxi explained, forcing himself.

In truth, he was afraid; terrified to death!

Who does not know that Ying Su kills as if it were nothing?

Not long ago, because of disagreements with the nobles, many more people died.

And he was one of the nobles!

Now the Emperor has come personally; is he preparing to make an example of him?

"Li Wenxi, was that pavilion on the road made by you?" Ying Su asked.

"I do not know which direction's pavilion Your Highness refers to," Li Wenxi said.

"What? Are there more than one pavilion here?" Ying Su asked.

"There are eight; seven of them were made by me, and the other I have not yet had time to renovate," Li Wenxi said.

"Why did you make so many pavilions?" Ying Su asked.