My Husband is a Drama King [Book Transmigration] 97

Chapter 97: The Journey Back to the Capital

The quilt was warm. In the winter, Song Changxu really didn’t want to move. He hugged Xu Zhizhou and touched his stomach again. He said in a low voice, “When I come back, your belly should be showing.”

Xu Zhizhou yawned. He nestled in Song Changxu’s arms. “You won’t be in danger during the disaster relief. It’s fine as long as you’re not corrupt. I won’t be able to get up to see you off tomorrow. Remember to write to me when you get there. I can read now.”

Song Changxu smiled and nodded. “I’ll write to you. You should also be well at home. It’s cold in the winter. Don’t go out often.”

Xu Zhizhou answered. He fell asleep in a daze. Song Changxu reached out and patted his head.

The next day, Song Changxu had breakfast and then took a carriage with the others to the prefectural city. The official road they took was not too bumpy. If they had taken the small paths, it would have delayed their journey.

Originally, it was closer to go to Youzhou by water, but now the river was frozen, so they could only go by land.

Song Changxu had put several cushions on the carriage, which made it much more comfortable. Otherwise, sitting for so long would have been a torment.

Song Changxu arrived in Youzhou eighty days later. It was the New Year’s atmosphere then. There were some people in Youzhou, but most of them were from wealthy families.

Someone welcomed them to the post station. “Sir Bie has prepared a welcome banquet for you at the restaurant.”

Song Changxu smiled and agreed. They had been traveling all this way and were a little tired now. After washing up and changing their clothes, it was just right to go to the restaurant.

When they reached the restaurant, Song Changxu finally saw Bie Yu. He was the top scorer chosen by Emperor Pingjing when he was young. He was now in his early thirties and still had a hint of sharpness. His appearance was not too outstanding, only that he looked very plain.

“Please sit,” Bie Yu said with a smile.

After Song Changxu had sat down, he found that the banquet Bie Yu had prepared was different from others. There were many dishes, but the portions were small, which gave Song Changxu a good impression of him.

When they had reached the disaster-stricken prefectural city, if they had been served with big fish and meat, Song Changxu would have felt guilty. Besides eating, there was no pipa playing or dancing at the banquet. It was the first time Song Changxu had had such a comfortable meal.

The other officials also had no other thoughts. After they had finished the banquet, Bie Yu had someone clear the table and then brought over tea and snacks.

“Now let’s talk about the avalanche in Youzhou.”

Song Changxu couldn’t help but nod.

No wonder he was a governor. His bearing and elegance were completely different from the prefect of Yongzhou who had been thrown into prison.

Bie Yu had someone bring over a stack of papers.

“After the avalanche, I had people count the number of people and the damaged houses. The grain in Youzhou is not enough, and the neighboring prefectures are also short of grain, so we had to ask the court for help. In addition, Youzhou is too large, and there are many places that the prefectural government can’t take care of, so we can only roughly estimate the scope and impact of the avalanche.”

Song Changxu took the papers and read. The other officials also perked up and looked. The things Bie Yu had organized were very complete, which made it much more convenient for them.

Song Changxu: “You’ve gone to a lot of trouble, Sir Bie.”

Bie Yu smiled faintly. “Valuable things are only valuable when they fall into the hands of useful people.”

Song Changxu’s heart stirred. It was almost evening after they had finished their tea and snacks. They returned to the post station one after another. Bie Yu called out to Song Changxu. “Sir Song, please walk with me.”

Song Changxu cupped his hands. “It would be disrespectful to refuse.”

Bie Yu was a governor, and his rank was above his. Song Changxu went with him to see the disaster victims. They were living in sheds. On such a cold day, they could still avoid the cold.

Someone greeted Bie Yu when they saw him.

Bie Yu: “Get up. Don’t make a sound.”

Bie Yu had been rooted in Youzhou for ten years. He must be familiar with every blade of grass and every tree here.

“I thought you were a middle-aged man, Sir Song. I didn’t expect you to look so young,” Bie Yu said.

His words pulled Song Changxu’s thoughts back. He lowered his eyes. “You’re too kind, Sir Bie.”

Bie Yu smiled. “Don’t be nervous. I was also your age when I came to Youzhou. At that time, I was not yet a governor. I first went to be a prefect, and then I was promoted step by step. But compared to others, my official career was a bit smoother.”

He said it frankly.

He was from a poor family. Besides the help of the Xiao family, his husband’s family had also helped him a lot, which had allowed him to become a junior third-rank prefect at such a young age.

Song Changxu chose his words carefully. “You are indeed young and promising, Sir Bie. You are a role model for our generation.”

Bie Yu smiled without speaking. He had heard of Song Changxu. After all, he was the first top scorer chosen by His Majesty after he had taken over the government. Now it seemed that he was not bad.

He walked for a while. There were ragged beggars on the road. Song Changxu glanced at them, but Bie Yu did not even look.

“There are few beggars in Youzhou. When they run into the patrolling yamen runners on the street, they will be driven away,” Bie Yu said calmly.

“They have their own hands and feet. They can rely on their labor to eat, but they have to come out and beg. The prefecture under my rule does not tolerate such lazy people.”

Song Changxu: “You’re right, Sir Bie. They should indeed rely on their own hands to support themselves.”

Song Changxu had just arrived and did not yet know the appearance of Youzhou. Now it seemed a bit desolate, but it was still gradually recovering.

He looked around and found that the houses in Youzhou were built more sturdily, and the spacing was wide, which made it more pleasing to the eye.

Bie Yu noticed his gaze and explained, “When I first arrived in Youzhou as a prefect, the houses here were already old. I moved the common people to the other side, demolished the buildings here, and built new ones to sell.”

The income was the financial revenue of Youzhou. Of course, he had not put a part of the money into the treasury, but had divided some of the bank notes with these people on the spot.

If there were no benefits, who would work with him in the future?

Song Changxu saw that it was very regular.

“This time, I plan to have them repair the houses as well.”

Song Changxu agreed. After all, he had been in Youzhou for about ten years. Bie Yu was familiar with this place. It seemed that as long as the silver and grain were sent, Youzhou would soon be able to get out of it. This was completely different from the disaster relief in Yongzhou. Bie Yu seemed more organized and responsible.

He looked up and saw that he had already reached the post station. Song Changxu took his leave and went back. Bie Yu waited for a while before he returned to his own home.

A seven or eight-year-old boy called him “father.”

Bie Yu rubbed the space between his eyebrows. “You can go and play first. I’m going to the study.”

When the imperial decree appointing the imperial envoy had reached Youzhou, there had been another appointment letter. Emperor Pingjing had had him go to Xuzhou to be the prefect after the disaster relief in Youzhou was over.

Logically, he had been in Youzhou for so many years. Even if he had no merits, he had worked hard. What’s more, he had governed Youzhou in an orderly manner, and as a top scorer, he should have been promoted to the capital long ago. He had not been promoted for so many years and had to be transferred from the familiar Youzhou.

Bie Yu sighed. “It seems that His Majesty still remembers.”

But he had no complaints. Compared to the fate of the other members of the Xiao family, it was better for him to just be in the local areas. But it was another Youzhou to govern.

Bie Yu put away the appointment letter. As for whether he had any regrets, he still did not. He was not a person who liked to look back. He would only look forward. In the circumstances at that time, he would still have chosen to defect to the Xiao family to gain political support and then establish himself in the court.

His Majesty would grow up eventually. He knew this well. When he had enough seniority, he would use the Xiao family’s power to be an official in the local areas and display his talent.

Now it could be considered that his wish had been fulfilled.

Bie Yu let out a breath and went to see his son.

On the other side, after Song Changxu had returned to the post station and had warmed his hands and feet, he was about to get into bed. He thought of something, took out his paper and brush from his bundle, and first wrote a letter to be sent tomorrow.

The matter in Youzhou should not be too tricky. They stayed in Youzhou for three days and then went to the various county towns for disaster relief.

The management methods of the county magistrates were different. Some counties were well-managed, while others were not. Besides writing a letter to Xu Zhizhou on the first day he arrived in Youzhou, Song Changxu had no other time.

He was busy in the county town. Besides the disaster relief, some backlogged cases also fell on his head. So many common people had blocked the post station to complain. It was not right for Song Changxu to push them away, both for public and private reasons.

Song Changxu had no choice but to start handling cases in his spare time.

“There are so many files in your county yamen. How come not a single case has been handled?” Song Changxu asked with a trace of surprise in his eyes as he looked at the dusty files.

“The county magistrate said that some cases are not easy to handle, so he just put them aside… and then they piled up.”

Hearing this, Song Changxu was impressed. He had stayed in this county for many days and had understood that this county magistrate was just lazy and wanted to live off his position for the rest of his life. So he did not do a single thing that was troublesome.

He had not done anything for the county since he had become a county magistrate. Instead, he had taken several concubines and was living a comfortable life, only caring about his own pleasure and completely disregarding the lives of the common people below.

Song Changxu made a fierce note of it.

It took about a month to go through all the county towns in Youzhou. Song Changxu and the others had just had a meal at a restaurant with the accompanying officials for the New Year, and had exchanged festive words.

Song Changxu had been forced to drink a little. He went out and was blown by the cold wind. He shivered and was much more sober.

“Sir Song, it’s the New Year.”

“We’re still outside. We should go home to stay up for the New Year.”

…

The officials were a little drunk. Song Changxu was also a little drunk. He still remembered that Xu Zhizhou had reminded him to eat dumplings during the New Year.

He found a noodle shop and had them make him a bowl of dumplings.

“Alright, please wait a moment, sir.”

When the dumplings were ready, Song Changxu took his chopsticks and ate the steaming hot dumplings. He had never been full at a banquet. This bowl of dumplings had just whetted his appetite. Now that he had finished them, his heart also softened.

He placed the copper coins on the table, shook his shoulders as if to shake off his fatigue, and walked out of the noodle shop to look at the fireworks in the sky.

Fireworks were to be set off during the New Year. In the past, he had always set them off with Xu Zhizhou. Now he didn’t, but it was good to just watch.

He stood in the snow and stopped. After the fireworks had been set off for a while, he went back to the post station. After washing up, he took his brush to write a letter to Xu Zhizhou.

While he was writing, Xu Zhizhou was not free. He was setting off fireworks and also saw Xu Cheng jumping around with them. Children had endless energy.

In the evening, they had had a meal at the Xie residence. Xu Zhici was already showing. He was in a very good mood, and Xu Zhizhou had chatted with him a lot.

With Cao Qin, Song Mingyan, and Cheng Ge’er in the capital, it was still lively. Xu Zhizhou gave the red envelope he had prepared to Xu Cheng.

“This is your red envelope, Cheng Ge’er.”

“Thank you, uncle-in-law,” Xu Cheng answered happily.

Xu Zhizhou patted his head.

After the fireworks were finished, they went back to their rooms to warm themselves by the fire and stay up for the New Year. With one person missing in the family, it was still noticeable. Xu Zhizhou felt that the New Year was too cold this year.

If it were his husband, he would always tell a few jokes or find something to do. With him by his side, he felt both safe and satisfied.

Song Mingyan: “I wonder how Changxu is doing over there.”

As soon as someone mentioned Song Changxu’s name, Xu Zhizhou was always the first to react. He said, “He’s only sent one letter. I don’t know how he is. He’s probably reading in his room. He has to stay up for the New Year today, so he won’t be sleeping so early.”

Xu Zhizhou still understood Song Changxu.

While they were staying up for the New Year, Song Changxu took out the book he had brought to read. After the New Year’s vigil was over, he went to bed.

He missed Xu Zhizhou a little, but it was alright, because he would be going back soon.

After the New Year, the county town had a new look. It was a bit lively. More people were on the street, and more people were buying things and opening shops.

The houses were half-built. It was not difficult to continue to build them now. Song Changxu and the others left this county town. He had been delayed the longest here because he had to handle cases. He had also gotten to know a few of the students from the county school, who admired him very much.

“Are you going back to the capital, Sir Song?” a scholar asked, cupping his hands.

Song Changxu nodded.

The leading student of the county school said, “Thank you for helping to resolve the previous case, Sir Song.”

The case Song Changxu had resolved was an arson case involving a student from the county school. Because there was evidence, but at that time, the student’s character did not seem like that of an arsonist, it had become a cold case.

Song Changxu had gone to the county school several times to handle this case and had become familiar with the students there. He was both an imperial envoy sent by the capital and a top scorer. The two identities, combined, made the students of the county school both curious and respectful of him.

“What’s real can’t be fake, and what’s fake can’t be real. As long as you haven’t done it, it’s fine. Anything that has been done will leave a trace.”

“We’re leaving. You don’t have to see us off. If we’re fated, we’ll meet in the capital,” Song Changxu said with a smile, encouraging them. He lowered the curtain and had the carriage continue forward, or it would delay their journey.

The students of the county school watched him leave.

“When will I have such a demeanor as Sir Song, so calm and composed, with a sense of propriety, and a top scorer, and now a trusted minister of His Majesty?”

Someone thought to himself, And he’s so young. He’s really spirited.

A junior fifth-rank assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel was still an official with real power. Their county magistrate was only a junior seventh-rank. This young man, who was even younger than the county magistrate’s son, was already a rising new talent of the Ningxing Dynasty.

When Sir Song reached the capital, their county magistrate’s position would not be secure.

“If you want to be like Sir Song, you still have to study hard and meet him in the capital.”

Someone saying this had instead ignited a fire in their hearts. Song Changxu had just passed by them and had had an interaction. It was irrelevant to him, or it was his responsibility as a senior to encourage them, but it was different for them.

With a different status and position, his actions had a different meaning.

Song Changxu was in the carriage again, on his way to the capital. The journey was long. He had also bought a hairpin to coax Xu Zhizhou when he got back.

He would be back in the spring, almost summer. He had to go back and change out of his bulky cotton-padded coat, or he would be laughed at.

Halfway there, the weather had warmed up. Song Changxu and the others had stopped in a county town to buy a set of clothes and had taken off their cotton-padded coats.

When they reached the capital, it was still afternoon. The carriage went all the way to the entrance of the imperial palace. Song Changxu first went to report to Emperor Pingjing.

He answered truthfully whatever Emperor Pingjing asked.

“What do you think of Bie Yu?”

Song Changxu lowered his eyes. “Sir Bie is very suitable for governing the common people. With him in Youzhou, everything is in order.”

Emperor Pingjing was a little playful. Some of the people the Xiao family had promoted were capable ministers, and he had not touched them. Bie Yu’s meaning to him was not ordinary. Since Song Changxu had said so, it seemed that Bie Yu was a capable minister, and it was convenient to use him.

“You can go and rest, Minister Song. You’re also tired. I’ll give you a three-day holiday. You can go to the Ministry of Personnel after you’ve had enough rest.”

Song Changxu: “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Song Changxu knew that in the original novel, Emperor Pingjing’s anger towards the Xiao family was strong. After he had dealt with the entire Xiao family, Bie Yu, this treacherous top scorer who had abandoned his monarch and had defected to the Xiao family, had been thrown into prison and demoted by Emperor Pingjing, again and again. In the end, he had found a reason and had had him dismembered by five horses.

Now that His Majesty had let go of the matter of the Xiao family, his attitude towards Bie Yu was naturally much gentler.

He had been in Youzhou for so long. He could tell that Bie Yu was a good official. The officialdom was always complicated and ever-changing, and there were also times when one stood in the wrong position. As long as one was an official and did real work, it was fine.

Song Changxu walked out of the imperial palace and was taken to his residence by a carriage.

“Sir Song, we’ve arrived. We’ll be going back first.”

“Alright.”

Song Changxu was a little awkward when he reached the door. He knocked, and a doorman came to open it.

“You’re back, sir. The master’s husband is in the main courtyard,” the doorman said with pleasant surprise.

Song Changxu had someone carry his bundle to the main courtyard. Xu Zhizhou had gained a little weight. Song Changxu’s gaze fell on his stomach, which already had a small curve.

His features were as beautiful as ever. Seeing Song Changxu’s dusty appearance, he called out, “You’re back, husband!”

Song Changxu looked at his current appearance. Although he had tidied himself up before he had met with His Majesty, he was no match for Xu Zhizhou.

It was like a long-term worker who had gone out to work, and a beautiful young widower.

Xu Zhizhou stood up and touched his own stomach. He looked at Song Changxu with a hint of affection. “You should go and change your clothes first, and wash up. I’ll have the kitchen prepare a welcome-back feast for you.”

Song Changxu nodded silently, went to wash up with his head down, changed into a handsome robe, and looked like a gentleman.

***

Author’s Note:

Little Song: I’ve really come back from working outside. [Shuts up]

Little Xu: It’s good that you’re back. [Laughs]