“Someone else is the current Prefect of Yingtian!”
Yan Xianzhi hesitated for only a moment before putting these troublesome thoughts aside.
What mattered was making an effort. If she could save Feng Yuan’s life, there was no reason she could not save Xiangling as well.
Just then, Daiyu came looking for Yan Xianzhi to chat. Yan Xianzhi put away the letter, and the two sisters talked for a while. When Daiyu mentioned the scenery outside the boat, a rare smile appeared on her face.
“This pavilion boat is truly magnificent. When you stand on it and look at the people on the shore, they all seem no bigger than your fingers.”
“The boats on the river look just like toys arranged on an antique display shelf.”
Yan Xianzhi grew interested.
Before transmigrating, she had traveled by boat, but it had only been an ordinary sightseeing vessel. This was her first time aboard something as magnificent as a pavilion boat.
This vessel had been built at the shipyard of the Zhen family in Jiangnan, although its owner was not a member of the Zhen family.
As the saying went, one should travel in comfort even if one lived frugally at home. When Madam Lin had begun making arrangements for the journey to the capital, she had never intended to make things difficult for herself.
Living in the capital was expensive. The Lin family’s influence was concentrated around Gusu, while the Yan family’s ancestral home was in Songjiang. Both families had stronger connections in the southern regions, and they had relatively fewer old friends and relatives in the capital.
The more this was the case, the more Madam Lin intended to make a grand entrance.
She would establish an impressive presence from the outset, lest some ignorant people look down on the Yan family.
Ultimately, Madam Lin had been angered by the Jia family’s servants.
Yan Xianzhi and Daiyu sat inside the pavilion for a while before walking outside together to admire the scenery from the railing.
The boat was tall and luxurious, and both Yan Xianzhi and Daiyu occupied the uppermost floor. Whether people looked up from below or down from above, they could not make out anyone’s features clearly.
Thus, neither of them wore a veil or a bamboo hat with a curtain as they leaned against the railing and admired the river scenery on both banks.
Daiyu’s gaze fell upon the boats in the water. Smiling, she pointed out several vessels to Yan Xianzhi.
“Sister, those are the boats I traveled in when I came here. Looking at them from so far away, they really do seem tiny.”
Yan Xianzhi took a closer look and was left speechless.
The servants of the Rong household had certainly gone to great lengths to find several such dilapidated covered boats!
She truly could not understand it. The Rong household was already in such a state, yet its servants still had the nerve to complain that the people and belongings prepared by the Yan family were not respectable enough.
If they wanted to put on airs, they should at least have the means to back them up.
Their own household was already so shabby, yet they still had the nerve to call others poor and shabby?
Yan Xianzhi took Daiyu’s hand.
“Looking at such tiny things is hard on the eyes. Let us go back inside and sit for a while.”
When Madam Lin had explained the arrangements for the journey to the capital, she had omitted the part about driving the servants away. She had simply told Daiyu to stay by her side while the servants from the Rong household followed behind in their own boat.
Therefore, Daiyu knew nothing about the unpleasantness that had occurred a few days earlier. She had boarded the Yan family’s pavilion boat without a care in the world.
As for how Wu You’s wife would manage to row her hired covered boat fast enough to catch up, that was not something anyone else needed to consider.
When they returned to the cabin, Danmo had already brought in some fresh tea and pastries.
“When the boat stopped for a rest earlier, this servant went ashore and bought some fruit. It may be a little rustic, but it is fresh. The two young ladies can have a taste.”
Four plates of refreshments had been placed on the table: one of mulberries, one of cherries, one of oranges, and one of milk pastries.
Daiyu had always suffered from a weak stomach and spleen. Madam Lin had consulted a physician to help regulate her health before the journey, but it would still take time for her to recover. She therefore tasted only a little of each fruit, though she ate an entire milk pastry.
Yan Xianzhi’s attention was drawn to the mulberries. She picked one up between her fingertips but did not eat it. Instead, she rolled it between her fingers until they were stained purple, then suddenly set the fruit down as though she had just come back to her senses.
Seeing this, Daiyu asked in surprise, “Sister, what are you thinking about?
Why are you so lost in thought?”
Yan Xianzhi had gone from thinking about the mulberries to recalling the poem Meng from the Book of Songs, and from there her thoughts had returned to Xiangling. She sighed.
“A few days ago, I sent someone out to make a purchase, only to encounter a dishonest seller. He had already taken my money, yet he sold the goods to someone else. Now I have neither my money nor the goods.”
Daiyu exclaimed, “How could such a thing happen in this world? Why didn’t my sister report him to the authorities?”
Yan Xianzhi shook her head.
“You do not know, Daiyu. The local magistrate is a thoroughly corrupt and unreasonable man.”
That wretched Jia Yucun was a man who looked human but had no humanity. Even if she sent Liu Escort to file a complaint, Jia Yucun would probably only try to smooth things over!
Qingyun lifted the curtain and entered the cabin. She bent down and whispered beside Yan Xianzhi.
“Miss, Mr. Jia Yucun is outside requesting an audience with Miss Daiyu. He would also like to ask for your instructions. What would you like to do?”
At that moment, she saw her young mistress give an unusually startled jerk.
“Who?”
Qingyun was bewildered. She had no idea which part of her report had frightened her mistress, so she quietly explained, “It is Miss Daiyu’s tutor, Mr. Jia Yucun.”
Yan Xianzhi felt awkward for a moment, as though she had been caught speaking ill of someone behind his back.
But she quickly recovered and instinctively slapped the table.
Of course! Daiyu had only just arrived in the capital, and Jia Yucun had not yet been reinstated. The current Prefect of Yingtian was someone else!
Yan Xianzhi immediately brightened. Heaven had not completely closed off every path. Jia Yucun was a deeply treacherous man who pretended to be loyal and upright. He absolutely could not be trusted. But since he was not yet the Prefect of Yingtian, there was still room to maneuver.
She told Daiyu that Jia Yucun had requested an audience, then used the excuse of avoiding an unrelated man to leave the cabin. Taking advantage of the opportunity, she called Danmo over.
“Who is the current Prefect of Yingtian?”
Danmo was taken aback and asked in surprise, “Miss, what has happened to you? Why are you suddenly asking about this?”
“The Prefect of Yingtian is none other than our Yan family’s close family friend, Master Ping of Luoyang!”
One sentence reminded Yan Xianzhi of something, and her eyes lit up.
Of course!
She had forgotten once again that she had transmigrated into a world that combined several novels!
The world before the events of Dream of the Red Chamber began was the very world in which she had lived for thirteen years!
The current Prefect of Yingtian was none other than Ping Peilun, the son of Ping Ruheng and Leng Jiangxue, the other leading couple in Pingshan Lengyan.
After the original story ended, the Yan and Ping families had naturally become close family friends. Shan Dai and Leng Jiangxue had even considered arranging a marriage between their unborn children, but both women later gave birth to sons, so the idea was abandoned.
Ever since Yan Xianzhi could remember, Uncle Ping had frequently visited their home. Naturally, her own father also visited the Ping family often.
Later, however, both men had been assigned to distant posts, and opportunities to meet had become less frequent.
Yan Xianzhi knew that Uncle Ping was serving in Yingtian Prefecture. Her father had mentioned a few days earlier that his term was also coming to an end.
However, Yan Xianzhi had not yet grown accustomed to connecting the world she inhabited with the world of Dream of the Red Chamber. In her mind, Uncle Ping was Uncle Ping, and Jia Yucun was Jia Yucun. Even though the two men were technically successive holders of the same office, she had never connected them.
Judging by the timing, Uncle Ping was still in office.
Yan Xianzhi could barely contain her grin.
The Yan and Ping families were as close as one family. There was no doubt that Uncle Ping supported His Majesty, just as her father did.
His Majesty was worried about finding an opportunity to suppress the aristocratic clans, and the Xue family had conveniently handed Uncle Ping such a useful handle. How considerate of them!
Although Feng Yuan had not died, Xue Pan’s crimes might not necessarily cost him his life. Still, some things might seem insignificant when weighed casually, but once placed on the scales, they could become too heavy for anyone to bear.
The kidnapper had sold the girl to three different families. Who she truly belonged to was something that should have been discussed and settled properly.
Feng Yuan might have been an ordinary commoner, but no one from the Yan family had even spoken yet. And here was Xue Pan, snatching people and resorting to violence. Who did he think he was?
Yan Xianzhi hurried back to her room and wrote a reply to Liu Escort. She also wrote a letter to Ping Peilun explaining the situation. Then she instructed Qingyun to send someone to deliver the letters to Yingtian Prefecture at the next stop.
Jia Yucun was still at least half a month away from reaching the capital, and the position of Prefect of Yingtian would not become vacant for some time. By the time Jia Yucun took office, everything would already have been settled, leaving him no opportunity to cause trouble.
Yan Xianzhi’s letter to Ping Peilun did not escape Madam Lin’s notice.
However, by this point, Yan Xianzhi no longer wanted to hide the matter.
When Madam Lin asked her to explain what had happened, Yan Xianzhi steeled herself and insisted that she had dreamed about it.
“Mother, I dreamed of a young lady from a respectable family. She was lovely, but she had been kidnapped and suffered terribly. When I woke up, the dream felt so real that it did not seem like an illusion. That was why I sent Liu Escort to investigate. I never expected that such a girl would really exist.”
“I originally intended to buy her back and return her to her family. I had already paid the money, but the kidnapper had sold her to three different families. I have spent a considerable amount of money and still have not brought her back. Surely I am allowed to ask Uncle Ping to help settle this dispute?”
Madam Lin frowned hesitantly.
“If things really happened as you say, then there is nothing inherently wrong with that. It is just…”
Yan Xianzhi clung to her mother’s arm and pleaded coquettishly.
“Mother, there is no need for all these ‘buts.’ Do you not trust Uncle Ping’s character? If I were in the wrong and still dared to ask him for help, would he not scold me severely?”
Ping Ruheng’s temper had never been particularly mild, and Ping Peilun was even more straightforward. He was scrupulously impartial in public and private matters, and he could not tolerate even the slightest wrongdoing.
His Majesty appreciated his integrity, but was also troubled by his lack of tact. Since Ping Peilun had made enemies throughout the imperial court, His Majesty could only send him to serve elsewhere. He had even deliberately assigned him to Yingtian Prefecture in Jinling, where the aristocratic families had deep roots and intricate connections.
The intention was twofold: to keep these lawless clans in check and to temper Ping Peilun’s character.
No one knew how much Ping Peilun’s temperament had changed, but the aristocratic families of Jinling had certainly suffered under his uncompromising rule.
Want to bully others through family influence?
Ridiculous! Did the Ping family of Luoyang have anything to fear from you?
Want to use money to pave the way?
Unfortunately, Ping Peilun’s maternal family, the Leng family, was a respectable merchant family that had even received an imperial merchant license a few years earlier. If you wanted to buy your way through, did you have more money than they did?
Want to exclude and suppress him?
His Majesty would simply make sure that no one harmed his incorruptible prefect.
When His Majesty appointed Ping Peilun as Prefect of Yingtian, he had already made up his mind. Even if he could not uproot the aristocratic clans completely, he would use Ping Peilun like a steel blade to stab several bloody holes in them. He wanted to make them suffer, even if it did not kill them.
Almost at the same time that Ping Peilun received Yan Xianzhi’s letter, Liu Escort received his own and immediately took Feng Yuan to file a complaint.
The complaint drummed as Feng Yuan and Liu Escort jointly pleaded their case.
“How can such a thing happen in this world? We both paid money for the girl. We were not making unreasonable demands. Yet the Xue family forcibly seized her and even ordered their men to attack us. Where is the justice in this?”
In the courtroom, Ping Peilun pondered for a moment.
Under ordinary circumstances, he would not have paid any attention to someone like Yan Xianzhi writing to ask him to adjudicate a case.
The problem was that he knew not only the Yan family but also the man being accused in the complaint.
This Xue family young master was a thoroughly despicable person. He threw his weight around at home and bullied men and women alike outside.
The only reason he remained safe was that the Xue family was willing to pay compensation.
They would throw hundreds or even thousands of tales of silver at the victims until the latter agreed to withdraw their complaints. Once the victims withdrew their accusations, Young Master Xue would be safe again.
In the eyes of this young master, it seemed that only he, his mother, his younger sister, and his relatives counted as human beings. Everyone else in the world was no more than turnips and cabbages, existing solely for his enjoyment.
Ping Peilun refused to indulge such a rotten habit. He drew a court summons slip from the bamboo cylinder.
“Guards, bring the defendant, Xue Pan, into the courtroom!”