Royal Gold Magistrate

On the way back, the sky started to drizzle non-stop.

Once we left the boundaries of Taoyuan County, the road to the capital turned exceptionally muddy.

The carriage carrying Emperor Jing frequently got stuck in the mud, and Guo Tianyang had no choice but to silently assist the coachman in pushing it out.

However, things got even more frustrating for Emperor Jing once they reached the outskirts of the capital.

The place was chaotic, crowded with people and vehicles, and everything was jumbled up.

Their carriage was caught in traffic jams over and over again.

The coachman kept arguing with the people in front, while Emperor Jing sat inside growing more and more irritated.

Guo Tianyang kept quiet, his head bowed.

Suddenly, the carriage jolted violently, and they heard the coachman scream from outside.

Guo Tianyang quickly leaned out to see what had happened, only to find the carriage sinking into a mud pit and the coachman having fallen off, unable to hold on.

Half his body was stuck in the mud as he kept complaining, hand on his forehead.

“This wretched place! I should’ve stayed in the county!”

The scruffy troublemakers around them laughed loudly at his misfortune.

Guo Tianyang frowned and urged the coachman to stand up and keep moving.

Here, unlike in Taoyuan County, there was hardly any order.

The coachman agreed verbally but struggled to rise, possibly due to an injury from his fall.

The laughter nearby grew louder.

Feeling helpless, Guo Tianyang suppressed his frustration and stepped out to help the coachman up.

Back in the carriage, just as they were about to set off again, Emperor Jing suddenly said,

“There’s no need for the carriage, let’s walk the rest of the way.”

“Master, it’s still raining outside. You’ll get soaked,” Guo Tianyang responded.

Emperor Jing pointed outside and argued, “Would riding actually be faster than walking? Look at all these bumps and pits. We’d be lucky to get back by tomorrow.”

“Coachman, you can head back now.”

After giving the order, Emperor Jing handed twenty taels of silver to Guo Tianyang.

The coachman was thrilled and thanked them profusely before driving off.

Guo Tianyang was left speechless, watching the carriage drive away, his thoughts drifting back to Taoyuan County.

Their roads were so well-maintained! Why was their town so tidy!

It was unbelievable that the capital of the Jing Dynasty, as its heart, could be in such a sorry state!

Even though they were not far from the inner city, the road ahead was still winding and messy, with sewage running all over.

Locals seemed carefree, tossing garbage and waste right at their doorsteps, allowing it to mix with the rainwater.

A group of children played in the rain without a care, chasing each other and splashing the dirty water.

The air was thick with a foul smell.

Emperor Jing looked towards the nearby inner city, his eyes filled with deep worry, and sighed heavily.

“I thought that after unifying the world and implementing kind policies, cutting taxes, people’s lives would improve. Now I see how naive that was. I’m far less effective than a small town magistrate. Ridiculous, truly!”

Guo Tianyang quickly reassured him, “Your Majesty, you rule the entire world. How can one county compare?”

Emperor Jing stayed quiet, then after a moment continued walking towards the inner city.

It took them fifteen minutes to reach the inner city. By then, Emperor Jing was drenched, his boots caked with mud.

Guo Tianyang, who was also carrying twenty catties of tea leaves, was out of breath, cursing the miserable conditions all the way.

Once inside the inner city, they finally breathed easier. Guo Tianyang immediately said, “Your Majesty, there’s a post of the Imperial Guards nearby. I’ll arrange a carriage; the road ahead will be much smoother.”

Emperor Jing nodded, surveying the still muddy surroundings.

He gazed at the disarray before him and fell into deep thought again.

……………..

Meanwhile, Li Yansong, the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, was going through official documents, while the other ministers were engaged with their tasks, reviewing issues raised by Qian Gu, the Minister of Justice.

Just then, a junior official burst into the Cabinet.

He appeared urgent, pulling out a red envelope from his waist.

“Prime Minister Li! There’s news from His Majesty!”

All the ministers looked up in surprise.

Li Yansong stopped his pen and quickly stood up to take the envelope, his face lighting up. “Gentlemen! His Majesty has returned to the palace!”

The Grand Scholars Zheng Qiao and Zhang Dongxiang were overjoyed at the news.

The Emperor had finally returned! He had left a note and disappeared from the palace, leaving the Crown Prince in charge, who had been neglecting his duties!

This troubling time was finally over! And much sooner than they had expected.

Li Yansong turned to the junior official and instructed, “Quickly tell the messengers from Hengjiang Prefecture they can return.”

The official nodded and rushed out.

Li Yansong joyfully announced, “Gentlemen, I’m going to see His Majesty. Who’s coming with me?”

Zheng Qiao and Zhang Dongxiang eagerly nodded, “We are!”

They rushed to the study where Guo Tianyang was already waiting at the door.

“Please come in, gentlemen. His Majesty has been waiting for a long time,” Guo Tianyang welcomed them.

The three exchanged looks and thanked him, “Thank you, Lord Guo.”

They then proceeded into the study.

Inside, Emperor Jing’s desk was covered with documents.

The three had planned to express their concerns, but the sight stopped them short, exchanging surprised glances.

Finally, Li Yansong broke the silence, “Your Majesty! Why did you leave without informing us? The ministers were extremely worried.”

Emperor Jing continued writing without looking up.

“I just needed to step out for a bit.”

“Look at these documents. How has the Crown Prince been managing? What have the ministers been doing?”

His tone was calm yet pointed.

Li Yansong was momentarily speechless, his earlier complaints dissipating.

Zheng Qiao hesitated, “Your Majesty, these past days, the Crown Prince… has not been attending to his duties…”

“And where has he been? What has he been doing? As senior ministers, shouldn’t you have overseen this?”

Emperor Jing’s voice carried a trace of irritation.

“Your Majesty, it’s not that we didn’t try… we just couldn’t do much. You weren’t here, and the Crown Prince spent his time building a garden for tigers and leopards, focusing on his health there.”

“And besides…”

Zhang Dongxiang, always quick to speak, grew more agitated as he talked. The other ministers couldn’t calm him down and listened with growing discomfort.

Emperor Jing’s expression darkened further…