Chapter 261: Gossip About Prince Ying

The brazier was burning with white atractylodes. Both Yan Lao’er and Yan Yu recognized the scent.

It was one of the herbs prescribed by Doctor An.

The father and son quickly stepped over the threshold.

Though the method looked crude, it was an ancient and effective way to ward off filth and disease.

But further ahead, they dared not proceed.

The group of constables accompanying them also stopped at that point.

They asked someone to call for Doctor An from Huimin Hall.

The one who came out was the father of the young Doctor An.

His face was covered with the same type of mask, and his brows carried a trace of weariness.

Doctor An first thanked Yan Lao’er for delivering the letter, then asked, “This fellow countryman looks unfamiliar. May I ask what connection he has with my son?”

“Young Doctor An is currently treating patients in Crouching Tiger. I was the one who brought him there from Yongning City…” Yan Lao’er explained the situation. “He specifically asked me that if I had the chance to meet you, I must deliver this letter. If writing a reply is inconvenient, a verbal message would do.”

Doctor An quickly scanned the letter, reading several lines at a glance.

Then, without pause, he read it a second time.

His furrowed brow relaxed slightly, then tightened again.

“Is what my son wrote true? Has the epidemic in Crouching Tiger really improved?”

Yan Lao’er nodded. “Yes, that’s right. Young Doctor An also said that once things settle in Crouching Tiger, he’ll head to Gufeng…”

Doctor An murmured thoughtfully, “He mentioned that in the letter as well. He also said you have the prescriptions he wrote. May I take a look?”

Yan Lao’er did indeed carry them with him.

Not just the previous ones, but also the new ones Young Doctor An had recently written.

It was for convenience in purchasing herbs.

After a moment’s thought, he pulled the prescriptions out and placed them on the ground.

Doctor An: …

The nearby constables were half amused, half exasperated. You treat us like this, but even Doctor An too?

Honestly, it wasn’t necessary. Not everyone needed to be treated equally.

One of the constables picked up the prescriptions and handed them to Doctor An.

Doctor An didn’t mind. His attention quickly focused on the sheets in his hands.

He flipped through them faster and faster.

“These… these prescriptions!”

Some of the dosages were extraordinarily high. Under normal circumstances, if he saw someone prescribing like this, he’d be so angry he’d lose his appetite.

But right now, with someone here to corroborate that the situation in Crouching Tiger City was improving, it meant…

These prescriptions were working.

“The patients in Crouching Tiger City really recovered using these formulas?” he asked again, uncertain.

“It wasn’t just the medicine. Young Doctor An also had them separated and quarantined properly…” Yan Lao’er glanced in the direction of Gufeng City and began describing in detail all the measures taken in Crouching Tiger City.

Doctor An asked them to wait a moment, then hurried off.

Yan Lao’er and Yan Yu led their ox and, putting on a show, tied Sanbao to a tree a bit further away.

While they waited, the group of constables somehow procured rice and grain, set up a pot, and began cooking porridge. They even kindly invited the father and son to join them.

Yan Lao’er was about to decline when Yan Yu tugged at his sleeve.

They were being offered food out of goodwill. Refusing outright would seem rude.

But truth be told, they were reluctant to share a pot with others.

Gufeng felt unsafe in every direction these days.

After some thought, Yan Lao’er rummaged through the basket they’d brought and pulled out some crispy fried fish.

“Homemade. Just a little something to go with the officers’ meal.”

Then he took out two bamboo tubes, gave one to Yan Yu, and kept one for himself. Smiling, he explained, “When we travel, our family worries, so they pack us plenty of food and soup. It doesn’t keep long, so we’ll eat our own to avoid spoilage.”

The constable who had invited them laughed.

He grabbed a crispy fish, popped it into his mouth, and the more he chewed, the tastier it became.

“You two are something else. So scared, yet you still came out here? Wouldn’t it be better to stay home…”

“Besides looking for someone and delivering a letter, we were also hoping to buy some herbs and grain to take back,” Yan Lao’er admitted honestly.

“Coming to Gufeng to buy medicine and grain? You’ve come to the wrong place,” said a round-faced constable, who had pulled down his face covering. He poked at the firewood to make the flames burn higher and spoke casually.

“Well…” Yan Lao’er said awkwardly, lowering his voice. “Gufeng was just on the way. We’re actually heading to…”

It seemed the leader of the constables glanced at him and said mildly, “You’re heading to Changping, right? If you follow the river, you’ll get there in about half a day. Going there is easy enough, but coming back might be difficult. Especially if you’re carrying goods on a raft.”

He didn’t mention that their travel permit didn’t include Changping.

Some things were better left unspoken. Everyone understood without needing to say it aloud.

Seeing that he wasn’t being questioned further, Yan Lao’er relaxed and his expression eased.

He took a few steps forward and sat on the ground like the constables.

“This trip is just to test the waters. We don’t know how far Changping is, or whether we’ll be able to buy medicine or grain. I figured since Changping is close to Gufeng, their supplies might be similar to Yongning City’s—probably already requisitioned. If we can get grain, that’s enough. We’ll figure something out for the herbs…”

One of the younger constables snorted. “Then you’re dead wrong. We can’t requisition medicine from Changping. They’re holding onto it to sell at high prices. Even grain costs more there than in other places. If you’re going that far, you’d be better off heading upstream to Longxing.”

“Longxing? Yeah, I went there!” Yan Lao’er said quickly. “Just got back not long ago. Longxing’s too far though, so I figured Changping was closer. Plus, it’s near Linhai, with a port and docks. No matter how you look at it, it’s got to be better than a few backwater border towns like ours, right?”

“You folks just registered in Guanzhou, so you don’t know the inside scoop. The big official in Changping isn’t your average guy—he’s from the Capital, with deep roots. Since he took office, he’s barely set foot in our Yongning City. Probably doesn’t even know which direction the Prince’s manor faces…”

“Shi Shu! Watch your mouth!”

“Boss, I…” The young bailiff started to protest, but one glare from the squad leader shut him up. He lowered his head and fell silent.

But Yan Lao’er wasn’t ready to let the topic go.

Gossip involving the Prince and a high-ranking city official? You couldn’t even find that kind of news if you went looking for it.

Only the bailiffs from the Prefectural City, who knew a lot of people and had wide connections, could get wind of such things.

“Well, that’s just not right,” Yan Lao’er said indignantly. “My brother, my family, our whole village—we came here for the Prince. We’re from Qishan Prefecture, and you think about it, we walked all the way here. The road was long, the weather dry, and it was hard enough just finding food and water. The whole journey… sigh! It was rough, really rough!

Why’d we do it? Because of the Prince’s reputation. Back in Qishan Prefecture, we’d already heard about his virtue and kindness. Even if Guanzhou was colder and farther away, we still came. We figured, with a good man like him leading us, we’d be able to build a better life.”

Yan Lao’er was full of passionate praise.

Then he added, righteously indignant, “So how could that bigwig in Changping act like that? Guanzhou is the Prince’s fiefdom, and his rank is higher, right? He’s supposed to report to the Prince, isn’t he? What’s the word for it… performance report? Yeah, that’s it. Shouldn’t he be telling the Prince how things are going in Changping? If nothing else, he should at least go pay his respects once in a while.”

At that, an older bailiff couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Pay respects? That guy’s as arrogant as they come. He’s terrified of being associated with our Prince. But I heard from a neighbor whose relative works in the Prince’s manor that the Changping official is actually related to the Prince.”

“Related?!” Yan Lao’er’s gasp and shocked expression clearly delighted the old bailiff.

The elder continued dishing out the gossip. “Didn’t expect that, did you? Who’d believe it if you said it out loud? But it’s the truth. Otherwise, why would he be so special? Just look at the others—like the officials in Gufeng City or your own Crouching Tiger City. All of them were appointed by the court, and they all hold the Prince in high regard, treating him with utmost respect. None of them act like that guy…”

The squad leader gave a timely cough, and the older bailiff cut himself off.

But the glint in his eye didn’t fade. He kept winking at Yan Lao’er.

Yan Lao’er responded with an exaggerated series of facial expressions, clearly savoring the juicy gossip.

Yan Yu was completely hooked, hanging on every word. The story had stopped right at the best part, and it was driving her crazy.

This was gossip about Prince Ying of Guanzhou’s own territory!

Ah! Let it come even harder!

“Our official in Crouching Tiger City is truly a good man. Otherwise, how could we have ended up settling there? Magistrate Tian explained the registration process for each city to us openly and honestly, didn’t hide a thing. We thought he was sincere. Then we heard he tightened his belt to rebuild the city walls and kept the Northern Rong out. Didn’t let them get in at all…

There’s a lot of wasteland in Crouching Tiger too. We finally chose a spot near the river, with mountains and water, close to Yongning, Gufeng, and Crouching Tiger—real convenient.

Magistrate Tian was well-prepared too. The resettlement grain was measured out fairly, full weight and portion. Three months’ worth. Everyone in our village was deeply grateful.”

Yan Lao’er felt they’d really lucked out. They’d been chased into Guanzhou through Crouching Tiger City, and by sheer accident, ended up settling in a great place.

Not that Crouching Tiger City was perfect.

The key was the people. The man in charge was wise and kind. With someone like that leading, Crouching Tiger City was bound to thrive.

From the way Magistrate Tian handled things, he was clearly an excellent official.

They were blessed.

“Magistrate Tian’s reputation has reached us in Yongning City too. You were right not to stay in Gufeng. That much is clear.” The older bailiff pointed into the distance.

Yan Lao’er followed the direction of his finger and sighed inwardly.

Since they assumed he’d come from Gufeng to Crouching Tiger, he didn’t bother correcting them. Let them think what they wanted.

Why they’d entered Guanzhou through Crouching Tiger was something best left buried. Not a word should be mentioned.

Yan Lao’er said sincerely, “Honestly, I think what we’ve done in Crouching Tiger is pretty solid. Gufeng should take a page from our book. Maybe… maybe things would get better.”

He couldn’t guarantee it, but as long as he could say something helpful, he would.

“Too bad we don’t have a say in things. You know what we’re here for? Gufeng’s seriously short on manpower. That’s why they transferred us in—just to collect corpses.”

Yan Lao’er: …

“They’re that short-handed? They don’t even have people to carry the dead?” Yan Lao’er was stunned.

How bad did things have to be? Was the whole city sick or something?

This… this was serious!

“We’re definitely short on people, but as for why they sent us to do this… heh. Like a kid without a mother, it’s a long story,” the older constable said with a chuckle, jabbing at the firewood a few more times until the pile was a mess.

The round-faced constable silently gathered the scattered firewood back into a heap.

The atmosphere was a little gloomy.

Yan Lao’er and Yan Yu exchanged a quiet glance.

Did they offend someone?

Got exiled out here?

The head constable caught the look between the father and son and gave a small smile. “Your boy looks pretty sharp.”

“He’s got a decent head on his shoulders. As for me, I’m no good. He studied a bit with his uncle and learned to read a few characters,” Yan Lao’er said carefully.

“Oh? So he’s preparing for the exams?”

“My older brother and my nephew are both taking the exams next year. Since we’re on the topic, forgive me for asking more, but I heard that once someone passes the county-level exam and becomes a Xiu Cai, they can study at the Prefectural School. Is it true that studying there is better than in our county school?” Yan Lao’er asked.

“Absolutely,” the head constable replied without hesitation.

“Crouching Tiger, Longxing, and Fengming—those three border towns—don’t even have proper county schools. No instructors, no structure. Studying there is no different from staying home and teaching yourself.

Don’t be fooled by us rough types. Every time the Provincial Examination comes around, we take turns working the exam halls. We’ve seen plenty and picked up a few things along the way.

There’s a lot of nuance to it.

Even though we don’t have many Scholars in Guanzhou, someone still passes the Xiu Cai exam every year. But the Provincial Examination only happens once every three years. And how many actually make it to Juren? Most Xiu Cai who fail the first time aren’t willing to give up. They try again in the next cycle, and the one after that, and the one after that…”

The round-faced constable chimed in, “And those Xiu Cai who don’t study at the Prefectural School? Even fewer of them make it to Juren.”

“Wait, why are you asking about the Juren exam? Don’t tell me… your brother and nephew are both Xiu Cai?” the younger constable asked in surprise.

“No, no!” Yan Lao’er waved his hands quickly. “My brother has the Xiu Cai title, but my eldest nephew hasn’t even started taking exams yet. He has to begin from the bottom. They’re both testing next year—one in spring, one in autumn. If he’s lucky, maybe he and his father can take the Provincial Examination together…”

He paused at the thought, then smiled. “Father and son entering the exam hall together—that’s not unheard of, right?”

“If both father and son pass the Provincial Examination, that would be quite the story,” the head constable said with a touch of solemnity.

They had only known that the elder Yan brother was a Household Registrar in Crouching Tiger City and a Scholar, but hadn’t realized he was actually a Xiu Cai.

A Xiu Cai from another prefecture!

Compared to other places, passing the exams in Guanzhou was relatively easier.

Whether they liked it or not, it was a fact that Scholars from Guanzhou couldn’t quite measure up to those from wealthier prefectures.

“Heh! Our magistrate in Crouching Tiger City even said he wanted my eldest nephew to study at the county school. He was going to personally tutor him too. But who could’ve predicted that plague would spread from Gufeng to our city? That put a stop to any plans for schooling. Otherwise, with Master Tian’s guidance, Heng’er would’ve had a much better shot.”

“Your older brother’s a Xiu Cai, and your nephew sounds promising too. So when you said earlier that you’re no good at studying… were you just being modest?” the older constable asked.

Yan Lao’er quickly replied, “Don’t get me wrong! I swear on my life, I was being completely honest. All the brains in my family went to my brother, my eldest nephew, and this kid of mine. Me? I get a headache just looking at a book. Read too much and I start dozing off. I just wasn’t born with the talent for studying!”

He was quick to make fun of himself.

The group burst into laughter, though they weren’t entirely convinced.

Seriously? The older brother’s so accomplished, the nephew’s no slouch, the son’s clever too… and only he’s the odd one out?

(End of Chapter)