Womenās minds are always a bit more delicate, and from the standpoint of conspiracy theories, it wouldnāt be impossible for the Fushui County Magistrate to harbor malicious intentions toward Ye Ziāan if he were to visit Fushui County and they had a disagreementāafter all, it would be on the Magistrateās home turf. If someone dared to embezzle tens of thousands of taels of silver, they would surely dare to take a life.
"Harm me?" After a moment of reflection, Ye Ziāan chuckled and said, "You think too much, my dear. Iām just going there to understand the situation, not to wage a war against the Fushui County Magistrate."
"Iād better go on my own for this matter, and if there really is any danger, then all the more reason I should not let you come with me. Take good care of our son at home and donāt worry, things arenāt that desperate." Ye Ziāan bent down and pecked her cheek, "I just need to investigate whether itās just Fushan Village that didnāt receive the money, or if all the villages have been left out. It remains to be confirmed whether he really intends to embezzle my money and shirk his duties."
"But Iām worried about you going alone," Yang Chuxia said, looking at Ye Ziāan with longing eyes, her hand gripping his clothes.
"Be good and listen to me; Iām the one whoāll be worried if you go. Iāll have Ye Er and Ye Wu with me; both of them are skilled in martial arts, and Iāll bring a few more guards. Iāll also take the sleeve arrows you made for me. So donāt worry, just wait for me at home obediently." Having said that, Ye Ziāan gave her no chance to reply, kissed her cheek, and headed out.
Once Ye Ziāan left the governmental office, a layer of frost reappeared on his face; those words had just been to comfort Xiaxia.
There was no need to investigate further; Ye Yi had already taken it upon himself to find out that none of the villages across three townships had received their allotments.
And indeed, that sum of silver had ended up in the hands of the governmental office, which seemed intent on embezzling the money while neglecting the work.
Hmph, daring to swindle his moneyāhe wouldnāt be taken for a pushover!
"The young master has made all preparations, we can set off now."
"Hmm, letās go then!"
Instead of taking a carriage, Ye Ziāan chose to ride a horse like Ye Er and the others, with Ye Er and Ye Wu following behind him. Ye Liu also brought a group of bailiffs from the governmental office.
The group rode through the night and arrived at the gates of the Governmental Office of Fushui, which were still firmly shut.
When Ye Ziāan had someone knock on the door, the officials from Fushui claimed the County Magistrate was out on official business and would not return until the afternoon.
"Young Master, is this old man really out or is he faking it to avoid seeing you? And whatās with these people from the Governmental Office of Fushui being so impoliteānot even inviting us in to sit down?" complained Ye Wu.
"Whether heās truly out or just pretending, why donāt you go and see for yourself?" Ye Er retorted with a glare.
"Find us an inn; letās have breakfast first and rest a bit. He says heāll be back in the afternoon, so weāll proceed with courtesy before we consider other measures," Ye Ziāan said calmly.
Then he patted Ye Wu on the shoulder, "However, if youāre keen on scouting out the governmental office, I have no objections."
Ye Wu watched as everyone elseās silhouettes receded and gritted his teeth, "Well, Iāll just scout it out. If that old coot is here and says he isnāt, just wait and see how I deal with him."
With those words, Ye Wu slipped away into the governmental office.
Meanwhile, Ye Er and the others made for the inn.
"Young Master, Fushui County seems quite lively," someone commented.
"What you mean to say is, Fushui looks more prosperous than Mianyang," Ye Ziāan replied.
Unlike Mianyang, which also suffered from heavy rains but did not have a river that could lead to the sea, Fushui did not have to contend with a dead river. Even if seawater flooded inland, it was far from Fushui County, and the previous few County Magistrates of Fushui, being clean officials, had managed the water conservancy well.