A Good Country Wife-Chapter 628 - 622_1

Waiting for two or three days would have been bearable, but who would have expected the city gates to remain closed for an uninterrupted span of four or five days? This was not a time of war, and to hermetically seal the city gates without any reason for such a length of time was unprecedented in the entire history of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Of course, now that the refugees had left, they wouldn’t be aware that their presence was the cause. People simply felt that Ceng Lu was audacious to the extreme. Even if the Emperor was far away and aloof, one wouldn’t dare to be so rampant. Besides, Xin’an City was less than half a month’s journey from the Capital City. Could Ceng Lu truly believe that relying on the Empress from the Ceng Family within the palace, he could act so recklessly?

Let alone the fact that the current Emperor was enlightened and wise, and furthermore, the Empress Ceng was not as favored as she appeared to be. Anyone familiar with the inner dealings of the palace, and who also considered the external circumstances, would realize that Empress Ceng was but a pawn used by the Emperor to balance the forces within his harem, and moreover, one of insignificant weight. Ceng Lu acting so brazenly was simply courting death.

"Sir, we’ve gone through great lengths to transport this grain. Are we just going to turn around and take it back? Moreover, this is grain for disaster relief. This doesn’t seem proper. The Emperor takes disaster relief very seriously. If blame comes our way, although Magistrate Ceng will not fare well, I’m afraid we too will be implicated. We still need to weigh our actions carefully and proceed prudently."

Although Magistrate Ceng’s conduct was highly improper, it also seemed incorrect to simply turn around and head back to the Capital City. The deputy, who was quite loyal to the Grain Transport Officer Zheng Qin, had been sent specifically by his family to gain experience alongside Zheng Qin. Therefore, he had to consider Zheng Qin’s interest in every matter and raised concerns whenever he felt something was not right.

Though Zheng Qin was not the brightest, his redeeming quality was in being receptive to advice. "What you’ve said makes sense, but that damn Ceng has had us waiting outside the city for so long without opening the gates. Perhaps it’s deliberate. I really can’t swallow this animosity. If we were to accept this without protest, wouldn’t that be letting that scoundrel off the hook! And given the magnitude of his mistake this time around, I certainly haven’t forgotten our past feud. How could I miss such a golden opportunity? Keep a sharp eye out and think of ways to get back at Ceng Lu. With such a substantial bit of leverage, we must have him suffer a major loss."

"You’re right, but we must protect ourselves first and not give others a handle against us. In recent years, Empress Ceng has been quite prominent, and our family has been reluctant to confront her directly. If you truly blow the whistle on this matter, not only will the Ceng Family certainly retaliate, but even our clan might not stand by your side. If they then scapegoat you, the situation would be very unfavorable," the deputy said, knowing full well the details of the incident that occurred a few years back between Zheng Qin and Ceng Lu.

Zheng Qin understood this logic all too well as he had already endured it for so long; this was the second time. If he were to back down again, he felt the barrier in his own heart would be insurmountable. With a darkened expression, he said nothing.

Seeing Zheng Qin’s mood, the deputy couldn’t help but smile confidently, "Sir, there’s no need to be angry. There’s a saying: ’Vengeance will come when the time is right.’ Although we can’t do anything directly to give the Ceng Family an excuse to take action, the indiscretions Ceng Lu has committed are so astonishing and scandalous that they cannot be easily quelled. By not reporting to the Court, we’ve already shown considerable face to the Ceng Family. If this were to leak out through other channels... well, that would be none of our concern." frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

Understanding dawned on Zheng Qin immediately, and a smile returned to his face. "Indeed, by not exposing Ceng Lu’s actions, I’ve already been more than generous. If Ceng Lu faces retribution for his own misdeeds, it serves him right. However, the city gates remain closed, and waiting indefinitely simply won’t do."

Upon hearing Zheng Qin’s words, the deputy whispered a few sentences to him, to which Zheng Qin’s eyes lit up, and his mouth couldn’t help but form a wide grin. "You clever rascal, I knew you had a nimble mind. This idea of yours is wickedly brilliant, and it’s just what I wanted. Once we pull this off, I will certainly reward you generously."

"Then I humbly thank you for your promise of reward," said the subordinate.

Truth be told, it wasn’t deliberate on Ceng Lu’s part this time. Even with the past grudge against Zheng Qin, in the end, it was Ceng Lu who emerged victorious. He not only won the beauty, but Zheng Qin also compensated him; thus, Ceng Lu had both the inner satisfaction and the outward glory. There was no reason for him to harbor the grudge any longer. He was entirely unaware that someone had been dispatched from above to deliver grain for disaster relief.

What was Ceng Lu doing, then? Having received a letter from home, Ceng Lu did not dare to indulge in pleasure and frolic. Instead, he was sound asleep in his room, utterly neglecting the official duties of the government office and his household affairs, leaving everything to the butler and the family’s learned steward.

What could the butler and steward do? They were known only for their corruption and malfeasance, and ignorant of anything else. Furthermore, having deceived Ceng Lu, they not only withheld the grain from Xin’an City’s disaster victims but also drove all the refugees out of the city. Fearing a real commotion, they simply kept the city gates shut, barring entry and exit—a plan both direct and lazy without realizing the gravity of keeping the city gates closed for so long.

And due to the lax oversight from above, the soldiers on guard duty atop the city walls spent their days inside drinking, gambling, and making merry, paying no heed to the events outside. Consequently, they remained ignorant of the grain transport team arriving and encamping outside the city walls for several days, and were equally unaware of when the team departed.

Following the deputy’s advice, Zheng Qin now distributed the grain to the various County Governments affected by the disaster, personally joining the soldiers to ensure the relief grain was handed out. In addition, he sent a trusted subordinate with a letter of contrition and another letter to the Capital City.

The letter of contrition was addressed to the Ministry of Household, detailing his own dereliction of duty; he had failed to complete his task and could not simply hand the grain over to the Magistrate. Unable to stand by while the disaster victims starved, he took the initiative to distribute the grain to the affected counties. He was aware that his actions violated protocol and was prepared to answer for his actions upon his return. The majority of the letter focused on his own failings, while Ceng Lu’s actions were merely glossed over, seemingly intent on covering for Ceng Lu.

Zheng Qin believed that even if someone from the Ceng Family read the contents of the letter, they couldn’t fault him, much less lay the blame at his feet. After all, it was Ceng Lu who had acted without restraint. Even if the one transporting the grain had not been Zheng Qin, the outcome wouldn’t have been any better. If someone more hot-headed and conscientious had been in charge, the incident could have been even worse. By handling it as he did, Zheng Qin had already shown a great deal of face to the Ceng Family.

To demonstrate his sincerity, the other letter that Zheng Qin composed was sent directly to the Ceng Family. Regardless of circumstances, it was only right that they be informed of the fiasco that had occurred under Ceng Lu’s watch, and they needed to take swift action to cover for Ceng Lu, trying to suppress the matter and turn a major issue into a minor one, if possible.