EMHTC -Chapter 78 The Possibility of Officials Exchanging Gifts of Cured Meat

The Prefect of Xinghua naturally knew that the locals revered Mazu.

But he hadn’t anticipated this much devotion.

Even as he was crammed into a prisoner’s cart and sent off to the capital to await execution after the autumn trials, he babbled incoherently like a madman: “Praying is normal! I pray to Wenchang Emperor during New Year’s, to the God of Literature before the imperial examinations. I donate a ton of incense money with utmost sincerity! If you asked me to swear that I didn’t lie and that I’d never rise in rank again if I lied, I’d swear it without hesitation!”

The Prefect of Xinghua couldn’t understand.

But it didn’t matter anymore.

Xu Yanmiao noticed Liang Rui drafting a memorial, likely reporting on the incident.

Liang Rui, aware of Xu’s presence, broke the silence first: “As an official of the court, you were nearly harmed. Now that you’re safe, it’s only natural to report it.”

Xu Yanmiao muttered a low “Ah,” before adding, “It was reckless of me at the time. I caused trouble for everyone, even forcing troops to come to my rescue.”

Liang Rui shook his head. “You only wanted to save people.”

No one else could have delayed the soldiers long enough. Even with eloquence, the villagers would have prioritized the river god’s sacrifice. Only someone like Xu Yanmiao, exploiting the villagers’ own chaos, could have bought enough time.

Just then, a Ministry of War clerk entered. “Lord Xu! The woman you rescued is asking for you.”

Xu Yanmiao immediately stepped out. As soon as he left, the clerk turned to Liang Rui. “Shall I send this by 600-li urgent courier as well?”

Liang Rui paused, set down his brush, and blew on the ink to dry it. “When Xu Yanmiao first encountered trouble, I already sent someone to report it to the capital. By now, that courier should have covered over a hundred li and switched to a second horse. In just a few days, the message will reach the capital. If this second memorial were sent via regular horses, it might arrive to find His Majesty already on his way to Fujian in a panic.”

This, of course, was an exaggerated joke, but Liang Rui dared not take any risks.

Thus, even the peace-reporting memorial was dispatched via 600-li urgent courier. The two would likely arrive in the capital only a few hours apart.

Exiting the yamen, Xu Yanmiao saw the woman standing beneath the eaves of a street corner. She wore no makeup. Although there had been no rain in Fujian, a breeze stirred the air. Under the eaves, the homeowner had thoughtfully hung a string of wind chimes that jingled melodiously.

The woman’s voice of gratitude soon drowned out the wind chimes. Seeing that she might go on forever, Xu Yanmiao quickly interrupted her.

“Now that this matter is over, where do you plan to go? As I recall, your contract of servitude has already been taken from the brothel keeper and handed to the Prefect of Xinghua?”

Otherwise, the prefect wouldn’t have dared escalate things to such a dangerous extent.

Now that the Prefect of Xinghua had nearly cost himself his life, Liang Rui had stepped in, annulled the woman’s servitude contract through the government, and granted her freedom.

“I plan to head to the capital,” the woman said softly. “To visit the sisters I once knew in the brothel and secretly bring them some medicine. After that… perhaps I’ll look for a household hiring female workers without requiring a servitude contract. I could stay there for a while.”

Listening to her story, Xu Yanmiao learned that she wasn’t a native of Fujian. The Prefect of Xinghua, wary of disputes with local prostitutes, had specifically redeemed a woman from the capital. The distance and isolation ensured that even if something happened to her, no one would ever know.

The woman before him, stripped of makeup, had a pale face devoid of color. Her wrists, visible under her sleeves, were alarmingly thin. Though still a minor, her demeanor exuded an aged and weary air, a stark contrast to her youth.

Thinking of where she’d come from, Xu Yanmiao was blunt: “As a young woman, it’s not safe for you to enter a brothel alone. I’ll go with you when the time comes to make sure they don’t detain you.”

Caught off guard by his words, the woman froze. Once she processed what he’d said, tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks. She bowed deeply to Xu Yanmiao and said, “Thank you, my lord. Your great kindness is something I can never repay. In the next life, I shall bind grass and carry rings to repay you.”

Five days later, two couriers arrived at the capital, their deliveries separated by only half a day.

This allowed the court of Da Xia to experience the extremes of sorrow and joy in quick succession. Though they had speculated that Xu Yanmiao was unharmed—after all, five days was enough time for him to have succumbed if he were gravely injured—there was always that lingering what if.

What if Xiaobaize (Xu Yanmiao’s nickname) had suffered severe injuries and had been clinging to life these past few days?

“Thank goodness…”

The elderly emperor repeatedly reviewed the second memorial, his worry and anger dissipating into laughter despite being in the midst of a grand court assembly. “Ministers, look here! This Xu Yanmiao truly is a blessing to the nation. On a mere trip to Fujian, he uncovered a significant threat to the local populace!”

He then had the memorial passed down by a eunuch for others to read.

However, when the emperor said “ministers,” only the top-ranking officials of the second and third ranks could actually see the document. Many local officials were left scratching their heads, craning their necks to catch a glimpse while quietly speculating.

Who exactly was this Xu Yanmiao to be called a national blessing? He must be exceptionally favored by the emperor!

When these officials eventually left the capital and returned to their posts, they hadn’t even caught a glimpse of the legendary Xu Yanmiao. This sparked exaggerated rumors in the provinces, and centuries later, it became fodder for bizarre historical anecdotes.

By the time Xu Yanmiao and the others returned to the capital, it was already late January.

In court, the emperor graciously praised them, sighing dramatically: “You’ve all worked so hard. For the sake of Fujian’s calamity, you couldn’t even spend the New Year with your families…”

【Does that mean we’ll get vacation time?!】

The emperor: “…”

That familiar sensation of being abruptly stumped.

After a pause, the emperor, his tone tinged with weariness, said: “In that case, for the next two or three days, you may return home to reunite with your families. There’s no need to attend court or handle government affairs. Once you’ve rested, resume your duties.”

The Minister of Justice’s eyes suddenly widened.

“!!!”

The emperor, a notorious miser when it came to granting leave, had actually given them a holiday! Even though it wasn’t a long one, it was still a holiday!

The emperor was absolutely right—Xu Yanmiao was indeed a blessing to the nation!

Liang Rui bowed deeply to express his gratitude.

He also felt relieved that he was no longer the naive rookie he had once been.

He recalled how, back when he had first entered officialdom and was still inexperienced, his superior had expressed sympathy for their department’s hard work and offered them some time off. Back then, in his foolishness, he had earnestly declared that he didn’t feel overworked and that he wanted to dedicate himself to serving the people. He even suggested that the holiday be given to his colleagues instead.

At the time, he had naively assumed that his colleagues also wanted to work for the public good since none of them went home. He’d even been delighted by their shared sense of purpose. Later…

Liang Rui paused, skipping over the part where his colleagues had set him up in retaliation, leaving him clueless as to what he’d done to offend them.

Meanwhile, Xu Yanmiao outwardly appeared calm, politely expressing his thanks. However, inwardly, he was ecstatic and nearly bursting with joy.

After granting the holiday, the emperor moved on to rewards, as merit should always be recognized.

The Minister of Justice had no room for further promotion in rank, so his accomplishments were recorded toward a future ennoblement.

For Liang Rui, the Clerk of the Ministry of Justice, his contributions didn’t quite qualify him for a promotion yet.

“Gao Huachun, Clerk of the Ministry of Revenue, is hereby promoted to Langzhong of the same ministry.”

“?!”

Princess Wanshou felt her breath catch.

“Gao Huachun” was her full name, but to hear it spoken so formally, solemnly, and tied to an official promotion—this was a first.

Not as “Lady Gao,” not as “Princess Wanshou,” but as…

Gao Huachun!

“The Clerk of the Ministry of War, Lian Hang, is hereby promoted to Yuanwailang of the Ministry of War’s Carriage Division.”

A jump from the ninth subordinate rank to the fifth subordinate rank?!

Lian Hang felt momentarily stunned, as though struck hard in the chest.

Promotions in the court often involved dramatic leaps. There had even been cases of clerks directly jumping to become prefects of a region. Still, experiencing such a leap personally left him dazed.

He knew well that other clerks were still grinding their way up the ladder. His predecessor as Clerk of the Ministry of War had taken nine years to earn a promotion. How long had he been in his position?

Lian Hang glanced sideways at Xu Yanmiao, fully aware of who had made his rapid promotion possible.

“The Clerk of the Ministry of Personnel, Xu Yanmiao, is hereby promoted to Yuanwailang of the same ministry.”

“Additionally—”

Xu Yanmiao blinked.

【Additionally…?】

The emperor looked at him with a subtle shift in his expression and added,
“…he is also appointed as Shizhong.”

Xu Yanmiao couldn’t hide the surprise on his face.

The title Shizhong was an honorary position, one that carried no real power on the surface. But in modern terms, it was akin to being the emperor’s personal secretary—a role of immense prestige.

In other words, even the prime minister would think twice before offending a Shizhong. After all, they were constantly in the emperor’s company and could easily sway the emperor’s opinion with a casual remark.

Xu Yanmiao could feel many eyes fixed on him.

He could sense their confusion, which mirrored his own.

【Why was I made Shizhong?】

【Was having me review memorials not enough?】

The officials: “!!!”

Their internal thoughts echoed his words. After repeating them a few times in their minds, they collectively gasped.

To the emperor, it seemed… Xu Yanmiao was no longer just a revered figure to be venerated from afar.

When had this happened?!

This level of favor—it had to come from genuine affection and closeness, didn’t it?

Some senior officials weren’t surprised, though. They understood that, whether for good or ill, catching the emperor’s attention was already half the battle. The other half depended on timing, opportunity, and personal connections.

In stories, a ruler might show love by finding a scapegoat for their beloved. But in reality, an emperor, who held supreme power, would shower their favorite with the best.

History had proven this time and again.

In the distant past—a certain emperor split his authority in half to share it with the empress.

Even further back—another emperor outright declared he would pass the throne to his male favorite.

Closer to now—one emperor created a new position solely for his cherished minister, elevating them to “second only to the emperor,” forcing even the prime minister to bow to them.

And more recently—an emperor, hearing accusations of treason against his beloved prime minister, simply turned to the accused and said, “Handle it yourself.”

In short…

The officials silently dug through historical precedents for guidance.

Should they start showing deference to Xu Yanmiao before the emperor formally declared his favor? Or should they first figure out what Xu Yanmiao liked and work to build rapport?

—Xu Yanmiao’s position was sensitive. Technically, they shouldn’t approach him. However, ignoring a favored minister would seem odd, especially since the emperor’s appointment of Xu Yanmiao as Shizhong was an implicit acknowledgment that others could interact with him.

Still, they needed to tread carefully.

What did Xu Yanmiao like, anyway?

Watching other people’s drama?

That didn’t seem like a good starting point. Next.

Complaining about the emperor being stingy, frugal, and harsh on officials?

Uh, no. Moving on.

Eating meat?

It was currently the New Year season, so most households likely still had plenty of preserved meat.

Wait—were they really going to send him preserved meat as their first gift?!

The officials collectively pictured their servants politely delivering a calling card, leaving behind preserved meat, and stating which official’s household they represented.

The mental image left them in shock.