Chapter 382: Someone wants to trap His Highness Duke of Qin (2/2)

“So, you father and son pair aren’t planning to hand out the grain?” Long Feiye asked as he turned to face Official Nanguo with his frigid, emotionless pupils. The latter felt a cold chill down his back before he ducked his head with a heart full of fear. He had always heard of His Highness Duke of Qin as a cold, ruthless, vicious man. He would never show mercy to anyone for any reason. Now that he’d seen the man for himself, he was even starting to regret agreeing to Official Yu’s proposal.

But there was no turning back now. An arrow once shot could not be taken back. “This humble official doesn’t dare! What Your Highness ordered, this official shall do his utmost to fulfill. I wouldn’t even hesitate to go through fire and water!” Official Nanguo hastily expressed his views.

“Then go on,” Long Feiye said as he looked out the window. “It’s getting late.”

As Official Nanguo peered at His Highness Duke of Qin’s icy profile, he almost felt an urge to give up right then and there. But for the sake of his life and that one last chance for hope, he braced himself and went on with the sham. Feigning an awkward expression, he said helplessly, “Your Highness Duke of Qin, there are 23,000 registered citizens of the city. If every person gets two jin of grain, then I’ll need at least 40,000 jin. Gathering such a sum is hard enough in seasons of plenty, to say nothing of these troubled times!”

“So what you’re saying is, your lordship’s causing difficulties for you father and son pair?” Long Feiye asked coldly. By his side, Han Yunxi sat calmly drinking tea while watching him bully the man.

Official Nanguo broke out into cold sweat from fright. He quickly explained, “This official wouldn’t dare, wouldn’t dare! It’s really too much grain for this official and I’m left incapable of action! May Your Highness Duke of Qin have clear judgment!”

“So what you’re saying is, your lordship was tricked by your son?” Long Feiye asked next.

Han Yunxi nearly spat out her tea at the words. Meanwhile, Official Nanguo was so terrified that he fell to his knees with a loud thump. “My son wouldn’t dare! Your Highness has misunderstood! My son doesn’t know the difference between Heaven and Earth and spoke wildly, thus offending Your Highness. This official will pay in his place, so may Your Highness Duke of Qin disregard the slights of small men! Spare my son this once.”

Finally, Long Feiye turned back again to meet him squarely with his eyes. His tone was stern, “Nanguo Mingde, the 20,000 some odd citizens of this city are all expecting their grain. Now you’re telling your lordship you can’t give them any. Why don’t you teach your lordship how to explain that to them as well!”

Official Nanguo fell silent, not knowing what to say. Han Yunxi took this chance to sigh softly. “Your Highness, it’s really impossible for Official Nanguo to offer up all that grain. As chenqie sees it, let’s do as Nanguo Jun suggested and have them pay with their lives. If two lives can calm the anger of 20,000 citizens, hehe, I’d say it’s worth it.”

Official Nanguo’s heart shook at these words. He had been considering how to retreat just then, but now he was firmly on Official Yu’s side. He quickly cried out, “Your Highness have mercy! Have mercy! This official will go get the grain right away, this official will definitely try his best!”

Once he left the inn, Official Nanguo found it much easier to breathe. He had only come to put on a show at most. Of course he’d go to transfer the grain; otherwise, how was his playacting to continue? Tonight, South Ning Prefecture would hold a show worth watching!

Long Feiye and Han Yunxi stood shoulder-to-shoulder at the window as they watched Official Nanguo’s retreating form.

“Your Highness, that senior provincial official wouldn’t be stupid enough to really transfer the grain, would he?” As far as Han Yunxi knew, a senior provincial official was a high-ranking post. Nobody who climbed that high could be anyone simple.

Long Feiye didn’t answer, but muttered to himself, “Where are all the disaster victims?”

South Ning City was the heart of South Ning Prefecture. They had traveled over half of its lands while coming down from the north, but had yet to see large crowds of disaster victims anywhere. News of the grain distribution at sundown should have spread by now, but more famine victims had yet to show up at within the city.

That’s right…what is going on?

1. Yu (于) – a surname also found as a term in a sentence after a verb or an adjective. It could mean a variety of things: in/on/at, toward/to, (yielding) to/onto, with regard to/concerning, from, than, or by.

2. Qinwang (亲王) – as referenced in an earlier story arc, qinwang is a title for prince of the first rank. (Qinwang Rong would be another example of a person sharing this rank in the story). Long Feiye is referred to as the Duke of Qin because that is one of his other titles (秦王, or qinwang with a different ‘qin’ character). The reason he is not referred to as Prince Qin in the story is to 1) avoid overlap/confusion with the crown princes/imperial sons as he technically outranks them, and 2) to save the title of “prince” for plot-relevant points later in the novel.

3. Mingde (明德) – “illustrious virtue, highest virtue.” Yeah, I’m feeling the irony here too.