Chapter 166: Reunion (2)

Le Wuya pulled Wen Renyue along, eagerly dragging him off to try a bowl of yellow croaker knife-cut noodles.

This was a delicacy he'd recently discovered, and he'd been itching to share it with someone when Wen Renyue came knocking.

Tongzhou was prone to autumn rains, and just as the two took their seats, a fine drizzle began to drift down from the sky.

Soon, the streets of Tongzhou, once bustling, quickly thinned out.

Since arriving in Tongzhou, Le Wuya had kept his head down and bided his time, focusing all his energy on throwing wrenches into Wei Yixian's plans. Unlike in Nanting, he didn't roam the streets or hold court.

As such, the noodle stall owner had no idea who he was, just treating him like some cheerful young rich kid.

Seeing a regular show up with a new face, the owner greeted them warmly, and soon two steaming bowls of knife-cut noodles landed on the table.

Wen Renyue took a few bites and couldn't help but smile.

Le Wuya nudged him: "What are you smiling about?"

"I'm smiling 'cause I've been away from home so long, this southern noodle tastes like nothing to me now." Wen Renyue took out a small bottle of dark yellow chili sauce and placed it on the table. "This is that new chili sauce from the shop in Nanting. They only made a little, and I grabbed some before I left..."

Le Wuya, not thinking twice, scooped out a big heaping spoonful: "Yellow chili sauce—now that's something you don't see every day."

Wen Renyue knew he went for anything out of the ordinary, and said gently, "I heard it came from Danzhou. Folks saw the weird color of the peppers and wouldn't touch 'em, so there was still a good bit left by the time it got to Nanting. The sauce shop owner bought the whole lot and made some for his regulars, just for kicks."

Le Wuya stirred the chili sauce into his steaming soup and took a big slurp.

The next second, Le Wuya was coughing up a storm.

He blinked, and one big tear plopped right out.

Wen Renyue jumped and grabbed his arm: "What's wrong? What's wrong?"

Le Wuya looked at Wen Renyue through tear-blurred eyes, unable to speak.

Wen Renyue never expected that his rare attempt at gift-giving would turn out like this. Panicked and worried, he hollered for a big cup of cold tea and poured it straight down Le Wuya's throat, then whipped out a handkerchief and hurriedly dabbed at his tears.

Le Wuya hadn't figured the chili would be that fierce, and to top it off, a bit of chili skin got stuck in his throat, making him miserable. He didn't feel any better until he'd downed several big gulps of tea.

"You traveled all this way—are you trying to burn me to death with that stuff?" Le Wuya, never one to take a loss, threw a fit the second he caught his breath. "Come on, are you trying to kill me?"

Wen Renyue knew he was just blowing off steam, not really suspicious, so he took the blame without a fuss: "How could I ever?"

Le Wuya was half amused, half annoyed, and pushed his luck by smacking Wen Renyue twice on the back: "Didn't you even taste it yourself?!"

Wen Renyue said carefully, "No, they only made a little. I was scared it'd go bad on the long trip, so I had them seal it up tight before I brought it."

Le Wuya knew he meant well, and gave him a teary-eyed glare: "And they call you Ming Juren—you're hopeless!"

Wen Renyue's heart melted at that look, and he patted him down while wiping his tears: "I'm dumb, I'm dumb."

Once he'd caught his breath, Le Wuya stared at the bowl of noodles, the broth now a golden yellow, and couldn't bring himself to eat another bite.

"Thrift at home, no wasting." Wen Renyue reached over to trade bowls. "I'll take this one."

Le Wuya kicked him under the table: "I don't want an aide who can't talk tomorrow."

He tapped the table: "Half for you, half for me."

They split the noodles down the middle, and though they were still blazing hot, at least they were bearable now.

Le Wuya's temper blew up fast and fizzled out just as quick, and he happily slurped his noodles, eyes crinkled into crescents.

Seeing him like that, Wen Renyue smiled too: "Brother Gu, all happy again?"

"What makes you think I'm happy?" Le Wuya's eyes and brows were practically glowing with glee as he leaned in. "...You dumb Juren Master, trying to read my mind?"

Wen Renyue stared at him without blinking, a soft, pretty blush creeping up his cheeks.

Le Wuya pointed at him: "See, you can't take the heat either—your face is all..."

Wen Renyue ducked his head: "Brother Gu, no talking while eating."

Le Wuya held back his rowdy streak and forced himself to behave, but he still toyed with the little chess-piece jade pendant hanging on Wen Renyue's chest, utterly delighted.

In his past life, he'd taught archery and riding and been respected as a master, but had Xiaoliu and Xiaoqi not been unfortunate enough to become princes of a fallen dynasty, they would never have had the chance to fight on the battlefield—at most, they might have shown off their skills during imperial hunts.

Even if Le Wuya felt a sense of accomplishment, it had its limits.

In this life, he had taught and produced a Jieyuan.

Wen Renyue's natural aptitude wasn't bad, but he, as the teacher, deserved no small share of the credit!

At this thought, his invisible fox tail swished back and forth, occasionally curling up with pride.

The shallow, ostentatious look in his eyes—if Old Tiger Yuan had seen it, he would surely have scolded him with a laugh, calling him "a little whelp getting too big for his britches again."

Wen Renyue ate his noodles with quiet refinement, occasionally glancing up at him.

Le Wuya's eyes were sharply pointed at the corners, and his gaze rippled easily, carrying a dazzling brightness that was hard to look away from.

Wen Renyue lowered his head in a daze, smiling to himself.

His left hand rested beneath the table, clutching his handkerchief.

On the handkerchief were a few faint marks—Le Wuya's tears.

When the handkerchief had grown warm in his grip, he released it, folded it neatly, and tucked it back against his chest.

...

Le Wuya's joy lasted only two days.

On the third day, facing Wen Renyue, who was confiscating his little storybook, Le Wuya finally exploded: "Give it back!"

"Today, while Assistant Prefect Mu was reporting, you were secretly reading it tucked under your papers. I know you won't neglect your duties—that I understand—but if someone were to discover you, what would that look like?" Wen Renyue said calmly. "I'll hold onto it for you for now. You can read it when we get home."

Le Wuya pursed his lips, quite unconvinced: "The plot is at a critical moment—let me finish this section and I'll stop. Give it back now."

Wen Renyue shook his head with firm principle: "No."

Seeing him about to leave, Le Wuya jumped onto his back and poked at the ticklish spots on his waist: "Yes or no? Yes or no?"

Wen Renyue, suppressing his laughter, carried him in circles around the courtyard: "Get down, Brother Gu, this is improper."

Le Wuya knew exactly how much Wen Renyue valued propriety and decorum, and grinned mischievously: "You say I'm improper—then you can be improper with me!"

Zi Yongshou turned through the moon gate, saw this scene, and shrank back in fright, clutching his documents and hurrying past in the shadows beneath the eaves.

Since he had been restored to his post, he had followed Le Wuya's arrangements and worked under him.

Having been confined in Le Wuya's cellar for some time and personally witnessing the entire process of Wei Yixian's downfall, Zi Yongshou was well aware of Prefect Wenren's shrewd and ruthless methods.

He both admired and feared him, and this showed in how he worked diligently like an ant—never saying more than he had to, and always hugging the shadows as he walked.

"Hey!" Le Wuya, sweating, was riding piggyback on Wenren Yue and hailed him, "Zi Yongshou!"

Zi Yongshou, seeing that his attempt to avoid them had failed, stopped abruptly and bowed deeply. "...Sir."

"I just remembered something. There's a good doctor who comes to see me every six months," Le Wuya said, leaning on Wenren Yue's shoulder, afraid he might fall off. "When he comes, I'll get him to check on your younger brother."

Zi Yongshou stood there stunned for a long moment, his lips trembling slightly. He said nothing, only bowed deeply to him once more.

Then he scurried off like a mouse fleeing a cat.

Le Wuya asked Wenren Yue in confusion, "Am I really that scary?"

Wenren Yue had spent considerable time with Le Wuya, seen many people and events, and was by nature considerate and gentle. He'd unknowingly picked up a real knack for reading people.

"He doesn't know how to thank you," Wenren Yue said mildly. "Let's just see how hard he works from here on out."

Le Wuya made an "oh" sound, remembering that Zi Yongshou was the kind to grind away like an old workhorse. He figured he'd just leave him be and asked instead, "Hey, should we go see your dad?"

Wenren Yue fell silent.

Le Wuya hugged his neck and swayed. "We're not far from your hometown. I've got an official post, so I can't leave my area of duty, but you can write a letter in your own hand and deliver it personally to your father. Fill him in on how I've been doing. How about that?"

Wenren Yue's thoughts got all jumbled from the swaying. "I..."

Le Wuya kept coaxing him, step by step: "Look, we've done so well for ourselves! I got promoted, and you passed the examination. Don't feel like you've let your dad down. I'll have Old He go with you to deliver the news. If the old man wants to come see me, Old He can come back and let me know. I'm a great actor—I can pull it off without a hitch. What do you say?"

He smiled brightly. "What do you say?"

Wenren Yue began to warm to the idea. "...That... would be wonderful."

Le Wuya hopped off his back and took off running. "Then I'll have Hua Rong prepare the paper and ink for you!"

Wenren Yue stood there for a moment, thinking about family matters, then suddenly looked down at his chest and realized—Le Wuya had taken the opportunity to sneak back the little storybook he had confiscated. He didn't know whether to laugh or get mad.

...

Le Wuya, having seen his friend, was so elated he was hopping around like a kid on a sugar rush. Meanwhile, Qi Wuhu, who had just taken up his post in Yunliang County, had a whole different set of worries on his mind.

Qi Wuhu was a more straightforward guy by nature. When Le Wuya said Tongzhou was peaceful, he genuinely believed it was peaceful.

It wasn't until he arrived at Yunliang County with his official credentials in hand that Qi Wuhu, by gently prying information out of the County Magistrate, learned of the earth-shattering changes that had taken place in Tongzhou Prefecture after Wenren Mingke took office!

Qi Wuhu gritted his teeth, both pained and indignant: the little punk had kept his lips sealed, not a single honest word out of him—like he'd come to Tongzhou just to kick back and have a good time!

The County Magistrate, though, had his own schemes and was deeply wary of this Wenren Mingke.

As an Assistant Prefect who had been entrenched in Tongzhou Prefecture for so many years with deep roots, he never expected that a new official not yet thirty years old would burn his whole operation to the ground in one stroke!

The County Magistrate reasoned that since Magistrate Qi had been sent by Prefect Wenren, he must be on close terms with the Prefect.

If he could curry favor with Magistrate Qi, wouldn't that be a good opportunity for him?

Little did he expect—speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

The very next day, a messenger arrived at Tongzhou Prefecture.

Prefect Wenren had decreed: first the prefecture, then the county—the deputy officials were to report to the prefectural office for questioning!