CH 61

Zhizhou was a day and a half away from Huaizhou. After sitting in the carriage for half a day, Zhao Yelan opened the curtain in a dispirited mood and saw that there were a few people outside, and farmlands all around. Some people were sitting on the ridges of the fields, looking up at the sun.

Zhao Yelan also raised his head to take a look, and his eyes were dazzled by the scorching light. Ducking back into the carriage, he quickly waved his fan: “It’s too hot here. Is there still ice?”

“It’s gone.” Yan Mingting took his fan and waved it harder. “Bear with it, we will soon be in the forest and it will be cooler under the shade of the trees.”

Zhao Yelan feared the cold more than the heat. He turned to glance at the sweat on Yan Mingting’s face. It was almost dripping, so he moved the fan a little towards him, saying: “Fan yourself.”

“What about you?”

Zhao Yelan simply took off his outer robe.

Yan Mingting’s eyes flickered, and he similarly removed his outer robe.

“My lord, there is still an hour before the post station. There is a town, should we stop and get something to eat first?” Xiao Gao opened the curtain and saw the two men taking off their clothes. His face went red and he hurriedly backed away.

“Go and buy something, we won’t go out.” Zhao Yelan ordered, “If there are fans, buy a few more.”

“Okay.”

After a incense stick of time, Xiao Gao returned, handed over the things in his arms, and said awkwardly: “I could only buy these.”

Zhao Yelan took a look. There were a few stuffed steamed buns and a rice cake. “That’s it?”

“En, many inns are closed,” Xiao Gao said. “I went to fetch water, but those people wouldn’t let us fill the water bags, so there might not be enough.”

Zhao Yelan looked at Yan Mingting at once, and they both donned their outer layers in unison, their expressions a bit heavy.

Yan Mingting hopped out of the carriage first. Xiao Gao was about to get the stool for Zhao Yelan, but found that his lord had already been carried down by Yan Mingting. He opened his mouth slightly, then put down the stool and followed silently.

Only a few scattered shops on the street were still open, and after finding one that sold food, Zhao Yelan asked: “Shopkeeper, could you please fill our water? We’ll be on our way.”

“Water, ah? It’s not that I don’t want to give it to you, we all need water now. Look at these pancakes, do you want some?” the shopkeeper asked.

Zhao Yelan glanced back at the street. There were few pedestrians, and waves of heat could still be seen in the air.

Zhao Yelan first bought some pancakes, and then asked: “Where did everyone in town go?”

“To get water.” The shopkeeper pointed to a small mountain in the distance. “There is a mountain spring there. Everyone has gone to fetch water now, and our family also went, so it’s just me watching the shop alone. After selling this last bit, I’m going to hurry over there too.”

“There is a shortage of water here?” Zhao Yelan asked.

“Yes, ah, there has been a drought for almost two months, and the crops are almost dried up,” the shopkeeper said helplessly.

The carriage started moving again. Zhao Yelan’s expression was not good as he continued to watch the movement outside. When they passed the mountain, he saw the spring.

People were crowded together with wooden buckets in their hands. Even the children were holding basins or ladles, scrambling to grab the spring water, but there wasn’t enough. The people behind were anxious from the wait, so they began to snatch from others, and a fight was about to break out amongst the commotion.

“Stop!” Yan Mingting shouted loudly.

Everyone was stunned by his voice, and when they looked at the officers and soldiers behind them, they subconsciously fell silent.

Yan Mingting instructed them to line up one by one, then took the scoop from the little girl next to him and began to distribute three scoops of water to everyone, who then went back to line up again after receiving a round.

Zhao Yelan pulled the child over and asked: “Do you come here to fetch water every day?”

The little girl nodded and said aggrievedly: “It’s been more than ten days that we’ve been coming here. At first, it was only our family. Later, when everyone saw us coming, they also followed.”

“Does your family grow crops?”

“We plant there.” The little girl pointed to the rice fields in the distance.

“Can you take me to see it?”

The little girl looked back anxiously at her mother, so Zhao Yelan called her mother over to go to the field together.

The field was planted with rice, but the originally wet land was dried up at this time, and the countless cracks in the ground were shocking.

Zhao Yelan crouched down to look at the rice. The leaves were yellow and the grains were as small as sesame seeds, close to withering.

The eyes of the girl’s mother reddened, and she wiped her tears with her sleeve: “The family was just waiting for this year’s harvest, and it looked like it could be harvested soon. But with the drought happening now, how can we live, ah?

Infected by her emotions, the little girl standing to the side also began to cry.

Zhao Yelan gave them some pancakes. At this time, food was far more reliable than money, and he distributed the rest to other people. On the way, he inquired about the situation with these people, only to find that not only this place was experiencing a summer drought, but other small towns nearby were all in the same situation.

The situation had not been obvious before, and the officials couldn’t be bothered to manage the affairs of these remote places. They were busy dealing with the Imperial Envoy’s investigation, so these people were neglected.

After everyone received the water and gradually dispersed, Zhao Yelan said: “We must return to Huaizhou immediately.”

All these places belonged to Huaizhou, and now the area was leaderless. It would take a few days until the new magistrate arrived, but the disaster was imminent.

As they traveled without stopping, Zhao Yelan seemed to have forgotten about the heat, and discussed options with Yan Mingting late into the night. It was not until then that he closed his eyes and rested for a while.

When dawn touched the sky, he heard lively voices outside and woke in Yan Mingting’s arms. He was taken aback for a moment: “I didn’t fall asleep like this last night, did I?”

“Would falling asleep on the table be as comfortable as my chest?” Yan Mingting teased.

“Shameless.” After this buffoonery, Zhao Yelan felt a little more relaxed. He opened the curtain and saw that they had already arrived in Huaizhou City.

The carriage went straight to the government office. After sitting in the carriage for a day and a night, his legs and feet were a little weak. Yan Mingting helped him out, and after taking a few steps, Zhao Yelan almost fell onto him.

“Such a wanton young master, you even take the initiative to throw yourself into my arms,” Yan Mingting teased.

Zhao Yelan slanted a glance at him, opened his fan, and took a moment to recover before striding toward the government office.

The head official had been overseeing the town for the past two days, and seeing him back was like seeing a relative: “Zhao-daren, you’ve returned. Kuang Sheng and Miss Yin have come here urgently several times.”

“Are they looking for me?”

“Yes, ah.”

Zhao Yelan guessed what was going on and said, “Go and bring them here.”

Taking advantage of this time, Yan Mingting quickly took time to wash up, and then directly brought Kuang Sheng, Yin Pinglu, and Li Yucheng to the dining table.

Zhao Yelan was already eating, and they exchanged glances.

“Have you eaten? If not, let’s sit down together to save time,” Yan Mingting said.

The three of them looked at each other, and the thicker-skinned Li Yucheng immediately sat down, followed by Yin Pinglu.

Kuang Sheng scratched his head, then sat down hesitantly. He took two mouthfuls of stuffed steamed bun and said cautiously: “My lord, although I am no longer a water reporter, I still have something to report.”

“Are you speaking of the drought in the surrounding area?” Zhao Yelan asked.

“My lord knows?” Kuang Sheng was surprised for a moment, and nodded. “There are many lakes here in Huaizhou, and the Huaihe River passes by, so it’s not as obvious as in other places. But it has not rained for two months, and a few days ago I got worried, so I went around the neighborhood and found that several small counties south of us have been dry.”

“We just returned from there,” Zhao Yelan said. “I fear that more than just these places have been affected. Later, you must take people around to sum up the number.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll go too. I’m very familiar with the area around here,” Yin Pinglu said.

“Can you?” Zhao Yelan looked at her. “This summer drought is no joke. It will be very tiring.”

“It’s fine, my lord, don’t worry about me. I am also someone who ran across the desert border,” Yin Pinglu said calmly.

“All right.” Zhao Yelan smiled and handed her his Imperial Envoy token, then asked Yan Mingting to send a small group of people to follow her. “Then you go and find out if the officials in the nearby drought-affected lands have received reports from people and ignored them. If this is the case, frighten them into dealing with the relevant matters quickly. After the disaster situation is resolved, we will deal with their negligence.”

Yin Pinglu suddenly felt that the token was a bit hot: “My lord, you’re asking me to investigate other officials? Wouldn’t this be inappropriate?”

“What is the problem? You’re just running errands for me. I’m not familiar with the places here and don’t trust many people. Besides, you have a good head on your shoulders.” Zhao Yelan said, “Go ahead and do it. I will take care of it if something goes wrong.”

“Go, ba,” Yan Mingting also agreed.

Yin Pinglu looked at everyone and solemnly put away the token: “Okay, the mission must be completed.”

Zhao Yelan: “You must pay attention to your own safety. You can only do more things for me if you’re alive.”

“Yes!”

Yin Pinglu and Kuang Sheng immediately went out to start their work, full of pride. Li Yucheng was the only one left, and looked at the two of them eagerly: “Now what……is there work for me to do as well?”

“What do you want to do?” Zhao Yelan asked.

Li Yucheng thought about it. He was the suave, handsome son of the Prime Minister, so he couldn’t lose to an old man and a weak woman, right? He grit his teeth: “Just do it, tell me, where do you want to send me?”

“You just need to stay in Huaizhou.”

“So simple?” Li Yucheng was speechless.

Yan Mingting pursed his lips and smiled: “This is not simple at all, you must think it through.”

“What’s so difficult about it? Just leave it to me.” Li Yucheng patted his chest, then paused and asked, “What is the main reason for me staying in Huaizhou?”

“The main reason is for you to convince your uncle and other big merchants to be mentally prepared to help the victims,” Zhao Yelan said.

Li Yucheng directly fell off the stool: “They are businessmen, and the most important thing to them is profit. Isn’t this just bleeding them dry? How can I justify it?”

“The fields in Jiangnan are the granary of the realm. If the fields cannot grow rice, it will be difficult for them to survive.” Zhao Yelan rubbed his brow. “This is just the beginning, and we won’t touch them until necessary. I’ll leave this matter to you. If you can make this group of people willing to open their storehouses or sell rice at a low price, you won’t have to pay back the remaining nine thousand taels of gold you owe me.”

“I’ll try my best, ba.” Li Yucheng sighed, lying on the table like a dead fish. “I have to think about what I’ll say……”

Yan Mingting and Zhao Yelan had already gotten up to leave the dinner table, and Li Yucheng tried to persuade them to stay: “Hey, where are you going? Can’t you help me figure out how to convince them?”

Zhao Yelan went to write a sealed letter to the Imperial court, and ordered someone to send it out quickly. Then he went to the government office to check on the money in the treasury. The only bit of luck was that the disaster funds had arrived, and could temporarily relieve the pressure.

When the head official heard that he planned to distribute the disaster funds, he advised: “My lord, can we wait another two days? When the new magistrate arrives, it would be good to have him decide these matters, otherwise you……”

Zhao Yelan knew what he was thinking. Now that no one had reported a disaster, and without the approval of the court, he would be distributing the money without authorization. When the time came, he could pat his ass and leave. He was not a master who was easy to deal with, and was not suitable for taking over this mess.

“Even when the new magistrate arrives, he still has to spend some time to understand the situation and become accustomed to the affairs of the government office. Isn’t this time wasted in vain? Don’t worry, I will not leave until the matter is resolved. If something happens, I will take responsibility and won’t implicate you,” Zhao Yelan said.

“That’s not what I meant……” The official smiled awkwardly, and then expressed his sincerity and willingness to cooperate in all ways.

Zhao Yelan walked out of the storeroom and turned to look at Yan Mingting: “Have someone deliver a letter to Magistrate Sun, asking him to quickly inspect the situation around Zhizhou. His government also received half of the disaster money.”

“Don’t worry, someone was just sent.” Yan Mingting waited for a moment, and seeing that he didn’t intend to speak, he smiled and said proactively, “Tell me, Zhao-daren, what kind of mission are you going to assign to me?”

Zhao Yelan looked at him and hesitated to speak.

“Even Li Yucheng was assigned a mission, so it is impossible for me not to receive one.” Yan Mingting said arrogantly, “What’s more, I’m more useful than all of them, right?”

Zhao Yelan sighed. Sometimes he thought he was slow-witted, and held it against him, but other times there was a sort of tacit understanding, which he cherished very much.

“I worry that the Imperial court will doubt the truth of the disaster and quarrel amongst themselves, and it may take a lot of time to discuss the amount of supplies to be sent. I also fear that officials from various places along the way will make plans for the supplies and disaster funds, so a trusted person is needed to supervise.”

“It is enough to hear this. Of course only I can go,” Yan Mingting said with a smile.

“Only you can do it.” After all, he was a general, and anyone would have to be obedient before him and not dare to mess around at such a critical time.

“En.”

“You go north to the capital, and every time you pass by a place, show them my letter just in case. Have them prepare countermeasures and disaster relief supplies early. If you encounter the Imperial court’s disaster relief team on the way, follow them back and be sure to strictly guard the supplies so that they do not pass through the hands of other officials. If the team is taking the water route, you should check the water level of the canal on the way. If the worst case occurs and the Imperial team has not yet set off, you hand over this letter to the Emperor and have the supplies shipped in two batches. Travel fast, and bring a group of skilled soldiers to send the first batch over as soon as possible.”

Zhao Yelan handed him the letter, which described the current situation in detail and included a dry rice plant as proof, so that the situation was clear at a glance.

“Don’t worry.” Yan Mingting took the letter and solemnly put it in his sleeve.

Zhao Yelan couldn’t help being anxious: “It’s just that the journey is long and hard, and you may encounter all kinds of difficult officials……”

“You underestimate me?” Yan Mingting dismissed his worries in one sentence.

“Then go quickly,” Zhao Yelan said expressionlessly.

Yan Mingting laughed loudly and went to order a lieutenant to prepare the rations and troops, but when he turned around, he found that Zhao Yelan was still standing nearby, sulking.

He stepped forward and touched the other person’s head, taking advantage of the situation to embrace him, and saying: “Don’t worry about me. Actually, if you stay here alone, you should be careful about your safety. When I return, if one hair on your head is damaged, I will beat you.”

“You dare.”

“I dare not.” Yan Mingting smiled helplessly, and then asked him with a sigh, “By the way, do you know the name of that little girl yesterday?”

Zhao Yelan shook his head. He didn’t have time to ask the little girl’s name as he went around to ask about the rice fields.

“Her name is Mengting.”

Zhao Yelan raised his head in surprise.

“There are tens of thousands of Mengtings waiting for our Mengting to rescue them.” Yan Mingting lowered his head and kissed his forehead. “Today’s Mengting is unlike any other. I am very honored to have Zhao Mengting.”

Zhao Yelan looked moved, and sent him to the gate. He watched him jump onto a horse and lead his team. With the sound of the horse’s hooves, he gradually drifted away from him.

“Wait……wait!” Zhao Yelan suddenly chased after him.

The people on the street looked over curiously. Yan Mingting heard his voice and immediately pulled on the reins, turning around to ride forward a few steps.

Zhao Yelan panted as he looked up at the man on the horse, and said, “I have one more thing to say.”

“What is it?”

Zhao Yelan beckoned.

Yan Mingting bent down, and was about to put his ear close to him, when Zhao Yelan suddenly stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the lips.

There were sudden exclamations all around, and even the soldiers with dignified faces couldn’t help but look over one after another. 

Yan Mingting’s face turned faintly red, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the other.

Zhao Yelan bit his lip lightly: “Come back early.”