CUI BUQU YANKED his wrist away but failed to win himself free. Everyone around them looked over, including Rong Qing.
The censor wore an expression of bemusement as he watched the young man's frivolous antics. Had Li Shisi been teasing a beautiful woman, Rong Qing would likely have already intervened. But Cui Buqu was wearing a beard and clearly a scholar—not to mention secretly an agent of the Zuoyue Bureau. Rong Qing silently recalled all the most terrifying rumors he'd heard about them, and one thought filled his mind: This man really has some nerve.
He gazed at Li Shisi in sympathy.
If Cui Buqu had come as himself, Li Shisi would by now have been sliced into several dozen pieces by his glare, then tossed into a sizzling wok. But at that moment, Cui Buqu was Cui-xiansheng, Rong Qing's personal aide—shy and taciturn. His behavior presented a character wholly different from the normal Cui Buqu.
On Cui-xiansheng's face was a mixture of shock and confusion, as if he'd received a grave and unexpected insult. "Unhand me!" he exclaimed.
He shook off the other man's grip and this time succeeded. But as Li Shisi released him, his fingers brushed lightly over Cui Buqu's palm, a playful and flirtatious gesture. It seemed this young man was quite experienced in the art of seduction, with no preference between men or women. He turned to Rong Qing. "Censor Rong, Cui-xiansheng and I share a natural rapport. Might you be willing to give him to me? Only name your price."
"Ridiculous. Cui-xiansheng is a human being, not an object," Rong Qing reproached him. "How can you say such a thing? Please leave us be!"
Rong Qing had come ready for a battle of wits and courage. He hadn't anticipated Li Shisi, and the young man's sudden appearance disrupted his momentum completely.
"Shisilang, mind your manners!"
The eldest son of the Li family bustled over, bowing to Rong Qing with a helpless expression. "Please forgive him, Censor Rong. My cousin was raised in Luoyang as the son of a widow. I'm afraid he's become rather willful. Censor, you're a generous man; please don't let yourself be upset by the likes of him."
Li Shisi's face was the picture of unconcern. "What do you mean by willful, Cousin? This is called being true to myself! I've no interest in the singers here; I want this gentleman. He's not Censor Rong's wife, son, or father, so why can't he give him to me? I'll offer Cui-xiansheng some money and hire him as a scribe. Working for him or working for me—what difference is there?"
Rong Qing's face darkened, and he raised his voice. "Did Magistrate Huang invite me here so I could witness such a farce?!"
Upon hearing the commotion, County Magistrate Huang Lüe hurried over with his escort. The Li family pulled Li Shisi back toward his seat, scolding him as they went.
Li Shisi muttered in dissatisfaction but tried nothing further after his cousin's reprimand. He remained seated, his gaze wandering often toward Cui Buqu. When Cui Buqu glanced over, the young man responded with a cheerful grin.
Cui Buqu's face remained blank. He looked away.
Though Rong Qing was a guest, he was also an envoy with the important position of imperial censor; County Magistrate Huang Lüe graciously gave him the seat of honor. Sitting at Rong Qing's side, Cui Buqu was conveniently afforded a clear view of the entire venue.
The guests at the banquet were all local landlords from prominent families. As their wealth was in the land, the current disaster was a harsh blow. Once the floodwaters receded, their harvest would be ruined; they wouldn't be able to collect taxes this year even if they wished to. They looked around with strained smiles, striving to keep their spirits up, but none were in any mood to enjoy a feast, even if the offerings had been mythical phoenix livers.
Huang Lüe took the seat below Rong Qing's and raised his voice to be heard. "Under normal circumstances, we wouldn't think of holding a banquet with the flood ongoing. However, today we're graced with the presence of some esteemed scholars from our city. They were delighted to hear Censor Rong had come to assess the situation and offered to visit as soon as possible. This humble magistrate thought it best to summon all of them here at once so you could speak to them."
The censor was only here to make inquiries about the flooding and oversee the relief efforts. Supplying grain to the displaced victims would be his priority, lest the people's desperation turn into rebellion. In this respect, the affluent landowners had nothing to gain from the censor, so none of them were enthusiastic about the banquet. When Huang Lüe said they had offered to visit, they silently cursed him for distorting the truth to flatter their guest.
Rong Qing, on the other hand, was pleased by Huang Lüe's tact. If Huang Lüe hadn't taken the initiative to invite him, he'd have had to seek out all the prominent families in the county himself. His orders weren't simply to assess the situation, but also to ensure the grain had genuinely gone to disaster relief and that the landowners weren't colluding with the local officials to profit from the situation. He'd only recently been appointed censor, and this was his first official trip outside the capital. He'd consulted a senior official for guidance before he left and committed all his advice to memory.
In short, he was quite satisfied with Huang Lüe's performance. There were no delicacies on offer at tonight's banquet: The menu featured many ordinary vegetarian dishes, almost overly humble. Rong Qing even spotted a dish from his own hometown. Although he suspected Huang Lüe had arranged it to pander to him, it was only a simple plate of cold vegetables, so he enjoyed it without guilt.
Everyone took turns coming up to toast him, including Deputy Magistrate Li Yan and County Lieutenant Wu Yi. Rong Qing couldn't snub them, so in the spirit of the occasion, he took a few small sips of wine. Before the alcohol could affect him, he set down his cup and cleared his throat. "Although the imperial court has indeed allocated supplies for disaster relief, on my journey here I witnessed firsthand the raging floods that have submerged so many homes and fields. This disaster has displaced the common folk, leaving countless families devastated. While Magistrate Huang has permitted the victims to enter the city, the grain from the court will feed them for less than two weeks. Even if the floods recede and rice is replanted, it won't be ready for harvest until next spring. Before that, your people here must endure a harsh winter."
All the guests present were well-educated; they didn't need him to elaborate. Everyone saw where he was going with this speech.
A middle-aged man surnamed Ding interrupted him. "We all greatly admire Censor Rong's compassion and concern for the people. When the flood arrived, the waters drowned our fields. My kind-hearted mother couldn't bear to see our tenant farmers starve, so she took food from our family's warehouses to feed them. Now we're left with nothing. The county has been completely devastated by this disaster—we're forced to import food to feed our own children. It's too expensive for my family to bear. I implore Censor Rong to think of a way to save us!"
Before coming, Rong Qing had heard that the Ding family were the largest landowners in the county, and that one of their number served as an official in court. As soon as the man spoke up, others hurried to voice their agreement.
"That's right. Our fields were submerged too!"
"We've no more food in our stores. We implore the censor to petition the court for more grain!"
"Censor Rong, your lordship must think of the people!"
Their cries poured in from every side, leaving Rong Qing dumbfounded. He'd come here tonight planning to ask the landlords to donate their surplus food, but instead, they'd seized their chance to bemoan their own poverty. Now it was too late to say what he'd intended.
County Magistrate Li made a timely interjection. "Everyone, Censor Rong arrived just a few days ago. He's here with us now to gain a better understanding of the situation. If you have any grievances, feel free to voice them. But after tonight, anyone found slandering the imperial court will face serious consequences."
While Huang Lüe had watched coolly from the sidelines, Li Yan had stepped up to speak. Rong Qing's fondness for Li Yan grew. Yet before he could respond, a familiar voice rang out:
"Deputy Magistrate Li, please forgive my humble self for disagreeing with your words!"
Rong Qing looked over and realized the speaker was none other than Li Shisi, the young man who'd teased Cui Buqu.
"There are countless rumors flying about at the moment. People are saying the court will send no more relief, and that we must fend for ourselves. We didn't spread these tales! Our family used to provide our servants with three meals a day, but now we can only afford to give them two. Everyone is suffering hardships—our situation isn't much better than the refugees. It's only because we live in the city that our homes are still intact. But if the rain persists, it won't be long before the flood engulfs the city as well, and then all of Guangqian County will face ruin. Should we stay here or leave while we still can? We implore Censor Rong to assist us in this decision!"
Li Shisi's tone was flippant; he displayed a complete lack of restraint and little respect for Rong Qing. The young man was acting exactly like the spoiled, hedonistic son of a rich family.
Rong Qing's expression darkened. "We're all in the same boat and facing the same challenges, yet here you are talking about fleeing to save yourselves. On the battlefield, this kind of talk would destroy an army's morale! I'll tell you the truth: The contents of the court's warehouses are limited. Many flood victims are at risk of starving and freezing to death during the oncoming winter. Aside from the fact that you'll have no farmers, and thus no crops next year, discontent among the people will breed unrest. At that point, your family will be the one in trouble!"
Here it comes, the assembly thought. After all that beating around the bush, Censor Rong finally got to the point. Of course he hopes to squeeze the landlords for food and money. But why would we relinquish these so easily? The court may still step in and spare us the trouble.
Li Shisi spoke again, giving voice to what everyone was thinking. "You're wrong, Censor Rong. If that happens, we can simply leave!"
The man named Ding sighed. "Censor Rong. Of course we wish to support our hometown. But while we possess the heart, we lack the means!"
Others chimed in as well. "That's right! We can't even save ourselves—how can we be expected to save others?"
"That's enough!" Huang Lüe finally spoke. "Over the past two years, Guangqian Commandery has established a policy of donating food to the official granaries in return for tax reductions. Thanks to this, we could support ourselves in the face of small setbacks. Unfortunately, the current flooding is a major disaster. The imperial court has provided grain, but it also requires contributions from its citizens. As with the previous two years, we will continue to offer tax reductions for those who donate food. However, we need everyone's input on what these reductions should look like. Let's discuss this matter openly and share our ideas."
Everyone exchanged glances, but it was the persistently annoying Li Shisi who spoke up once more. "Magistrate Huang, we've told you already. It's not that we're unwilling to donate—we simply don't have food to spare. Even if the court waives a decade of taxes, we have nothing to contribute!"
Rong Qing felt tonight's meal was one of the most miserable experiences of his life.
He'd thought he had a grasp on the situation in Guangqian County. Tonight, he'd planned to make a strong impression in his new role and maybe even show off in front of Cui Buqu, hoping to put a dent in that impressive aura. But he hadn't anticipated the obstacles he faced at every turn. Not only were the landlords uncooperative, even the officials of Guangqian County displayed little enthusiasm for his cause.
Who had sent him those two anonymous paintings? Rong Qing had hoped to use the banquet to ferret out a clue or two, but the responses from the officials and landlords had put him on the back foot.
Cui Buqu had remained silent the entire time. He's probably laughing at this farce, Rong Qing thought glumly. His spirits sank even lower, and without realizing it, he reached for his wine cup more frequently.
It was true Cui Buqu thought Rong Qing too inexperienced; he felt the man had been led around by the nose all night. But his attention wasn't truly focused on him.
Li Shisi's initial behavior had led him to suspect his new acquaintance was Feng Xiao in disguise. Changing one's age and appearance wasn't particularly surprising—Qiao Xian could do it too. They themselves had engaged in a game of disguise back in the Western Khaganate. Li Shisi was flashy and ostentatious, just like Feng Xiao.
But when Li Shisi raised a toast to County Lieutenant Wu Yi, a spontaneous look of obsequiousness had crept over his face, and Cui Buqu's confidence had faltered. Feng Xiao had never displayed such humility and submission toward anyone in Cui Buqu's experience.
That Feng bastard acted careless and never took anything seriously, but deep down, he was immeasurably proud. He looked down on everyone who wasn't him, so asking him to act humble or submissive toward anyone was an impossible task. Li Shisi was therefore merely Li Shisi. He couldn't have anything to do with that Feng bastard.
Cui Buqu frowned and lowered his lashes. It was the first time he'd been confused about his own suspicions.
He had left the city without a word. Even if Feng-er noticed his absence, he couldn't have located him so quickly, let alone chased after him and created an entirely new identity by the time Cui Buqu arrived. So why did Cui Buqu feel so full of doubts? Why did thoughts of Feng-er linger in his mind, no matter whom he encountered?