Royal Gold Magistrate

Before leaving the palace, Emperor Jing and his entourage had changed into plain clothes.

Their attire was still elegant and luxurious, of course, but the guard clearly mistook Emperor Jing for a wealthy merchant or local tycoon.

How dare a mere merchant sit in the same pavilion as his young master?

Emperor Jing stood silently in the rain.

The people behind him were all stunned.

Good heavens, His Majesty had been insulted! The guard even asked who His Majesty thought he was. At their age, they were still learning new things.

The accompanying guards’ faces had already darkened, their hands quietly moving to their waists. They were just waiting for Emperor Jing’s command to make the heads of those in the pavilion roll!

Guo Tianyang was beside himself with rage. He charged forward, flailing his arms and shrieking, “You scum! How dare you speak to my master like that…”

Halfway there, the guard raised his hand and slapped Guo Tianyang, knocking him down.

He fell straight into the water, bubbles gurgling up. Someone quickly pulled him out.

But he had swallowed a lot of dirty water and couldn’t speak for a moment, just coughing on the spot.

Seeing this, Li Yansong hurriedly patted him on the back.

Emperor Jing’s face was now cold. “What if I insist on entering?”

The guard’s mouth twisted into a sneer. “Old man, you’ve got some nerve. My young master is sitting in there, the renowned Scholar Su Rongxuan of this district, a honored guest of Lord Yan. How could someone like you be worthy of sharing a pavilion with my master?”

“You still want to come up? Just try it! I’ll crack your skull open!”

Emperor Jing trembled with anger.

In all his years, this was the first time someone had insulted him like this. How could a mere servant be so brazen!

The guards’ hands tightened on their swords, veins bulging on their knuckles… they were eagerly awaiting Emperor Jing’s command.

Thunder and lightning crashed overhead. Standing in the rain, Emperor Jing couldn’t help but feel a deep sadness.

After a long moment, he finally spoke, “Just a mere scholar, and yet…”

“How dare you! My young master holds an official title. He associates with high officials and great scholars daily. You’ve got some nerve! Being able to catch a glimpse of my young master today is already a great fortune for you.”

“You still dare to spout nonsense? Get lost now, or don’t blame me for being impolite!”

Just as Emperor Jing was about to speak, a sudden cry came from beside him.

“Help! Someone’s fainted!”

Everyone turned to look. It was the old man who had been holding the umbrella for the woman and child earlier. The woman had collapsed, still clutching her child.

The old man was barely supporting her, looking helpless and confused.

People nearby quickly went to help, some trying to take the child from the woman’s arms.

But the woman’s arms were locked tightly around her child. Even unconscious, no one could pry them apart.

Emperor Jing immediately roared, “Won’t you let them in now?!”

The guard sneered dismissively. “How interesting. I’ve seen plenty of these mud-legs trying to fake illness to get into the pavilion and out of the rain.”

“If everyone pretended to faint or fall ill, how could the gentlemen in the pavilion sit in peace?”

“They are like celestial stars descended to earth. These mud-legs reek of vulgarity… Want to come in? No way!”

“I won’t say it again. Get lost now!”

Li Yansong and the others woodenly watched this tragic scene unfold.

They let the rain beat against their faces, their soaked clothes flapping in the wind. In their hearts, there was only a long sigh…

Seeing the situation before him, Li Yansong understood.

When Yan Guoan came to manage Dengjin District, he must have first contacted the local scholars and gentry.

These people usually put on airs of refinement and grace, but at their core, which one of them wasn’t a local tyrant? Even their servants and guards acted superior to others.

After all, very few poor people could afford an education.

These people had both status and money. Yan Guoan couldn’t govern the district without them. Not just Yan Guoan – even the government, when trying to govern an area, had to liaise with local scholars.

After all, they were the elite, holding resources in their hands. And what were mere commoners worth? To put it cruelly, for many officials, commoners were probably just numbers on paper.

But there was no way to get things done without these people. Even a strong dragon can’t crush a local snake. These people wielded great power in their own territory. Going against them would only make things twice as difficult.

You look down on local gentry and scholars? Fine, they’ll directly incite the masses to smear you. Once your reputation is ruined, you won’t be able to continue as an official.

You want to find people to implement policies among the common folk? Sure, they’ll just go through the motions to fool you.

Putting himself in their shoes, Li Yansong could understand to some extent.

But the current situation was completely different from the reports that reached the imperial court!

Is this how Lord Yan shows his love for the people and his success in education?

These so-called educated scholars were clearly oppressing and harming the people, without a shred of benevolence. It was chilling!

Emperor Jing’s face was now covered in frost, his heart as cold as a block of ice.

Then, for some reason, the image of Li Yuanzhao suddenly appeared in his mind.

He wondered if things were as bad in Yuanzhao’s district…

Zhang Dongxiang’s hot temper had already gotten the better of him. He rolled up his sleeves, ready to fight.

Guo Tianyang held him back with all his might. Going up now would just be asking for a beating. That dog’s strength was formidable – a skinny old man like Zhang Dongxiang would probably be slapped into pieces.

It wouldn’t be long before His Majesty gave the order. When that happened, none of the people inside would be able to leave!

As they faced off, the sound of scholars chatting and laughing drifted from the pavilion.

“Brother Chen, this poem of yours, with its perfect parallelism and beautiful imagery, shows great improvement recently. Oh, and who wrote this sensual verse below?”

“Who else could it be but our Brother Wang Zai… Haha, look at how he writes – clearly honed in the brothels.”

“Tsk tsk, it’s really quite good. But this line at the bottom… what does it mean?”

“Oh, that? Brother Wang said adding some dots at the end gives a sense of something left unsaid!”

“I see!”

The wind, rain, and thunder muffled the voices from the pavilion, but some of the playful banter still reached Emperor Jing’s ears.

Emperor Jing felt dizzy.

When he recovered, he turned and left the pavilion. The guards and the three Cabinet Elders looked at each other in confusion.

Given His Majesty’s usual temper, these people should have lost their heads by now. How could he just turn and leave?

“Bring that woman and child to the carriage… Get in the carriage!”

No one dared disobey the Emperor’s command. Everyone silently climbed back into the carriages.

Inside the carriage, Emperor Jing lowered his head and remained silent for a while. He wiped the rain from his face, his expression returning to normal. “Guo Tianyang, you go back to the palace. Mobilize all the Eastern Depot and palace guards.”

“Seal off this district tightly. Not a single person is to leave. If there’s any oversight, you’ll be held responsible!”

Guo Tianyang’s heart tightened involuntarily.

His Majesty was about to unleash a bloodbath! Yan Guoan was finished…