The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 918 - 896 - Not Reconciled

Chapter 918: 896 Chapter Not Reconciled

Old Master Guan struggled as he said, "I, I have been dreaming of the pancakes and noodle soup from my hometown recently, I want to go home and have a look..."

A sigh escaped the official from the Prince’s estate, "Rest assured, my lord, I will definitely relay this to the Prince. What about Dalang and the others..."

Old Master Guan said with difficulty, "Grandchildren will have their own fortune. I have relied on the Prince for many years and already feel guilty in my heart, how dare I ask for more? Once they return and fulfill the three years of mourning with me, they will go and forge their own futures."

Next to them, County Magistrate Tang nodded, "Well said. Recently, Old Master Guan asked me about the education at the four city gates in the capital. If Dalang and Erlang wish to take the examinations in the future, they can come to me for a recommendation letter."

Old Master Guan’s eyes lit up slightly. Succeeding in the examination for the four city gates was not his concern, what mattered to him was the opportunity to leave the quagmire of Yizhou City.

The official from the Prince’s estate laughed, "Old Master Guan is placing great hopes on Dalang and Erlang. I will report this to the Prince."

Finally, Old Master Guan felt the tension ease slightly. He glanced at County Magistrate Tang, and then looked at his son, lifting his hand slightly, but it drooped down before he could grasp his son’s hand.

Old Master Guan’s eyelids grew heavier, and in the moment before they shut completely, his mind was filled with many thoughts, recalling many events from the first half of his life.

He was a bit unwilling to let go. In his youth, he had entered the capital seeking fame and fortune but caused offence. By chance, he met the Prince of Yizhou and was appreciated enough to become an official in his estate.

The Prince of Yizhou had shown him kindness and he had always been grateful, dedicating himself to the Prince’s service since joining his estate.

When titles were being distributed, the Prince, being younger than the previous Princes and lacking achievements at court, gained favor from the previous Emperor through his, Old Master Guan’s, strategies and plans, thus securing the rich part of Shu land.

Upon arriving in Yizhou City, the royal court, needing funds from constant wars, only managed to construct the Prince’s estate and many items were missing, not to mention prized plants and flowers. He had hustled, drawing the local gentry into several profitable business ventures to financially support the entire estate...

He thought, although he could not bring prosperity to all the common people in the realm, he could still help the Prince manage Yizhou well, contribute to the country, the people, and his lord; his life would not have been in vain.

Who could have known the Prince was quietly preparing to seize the throne?

With the former Crown Prince severely ill and without a legitimate heir, and both the second and third princes vying for power, the young Prince of Yizhou, lacking military accomplishments unlike the previous four Princes, seemed to be just a spectator...

This in itself was nothing; if the former Crown Prince passed away, the Prince of Yizhou, like the second and third princes, were legitimate sons and naturally entitled to compete. However, the power struggle was quickly settled when the second prince ascended the throne rapidly, stabilizing the realm.

Old Master Guan had not anticipated that the Prince still wouldn’t let go and seemed to avoid him when he visibly disapproved, maneuvering in layers.

By the time he found out, money for canal work had been embezzled, troops were being raised, and he had even contacted many high officials in the capital, stirring their dissatisfaction with the Emperor...

Old Master Guan was not foolish; in fact, he was quite self-aware.

He had met the current Emperor, the former second prince.

Compared to his own Prince, that man truly emerged from a world of fierce battles and bloodshed, not only a military genius but also a sovereign genius!

Even if his rise had involved some unsavory events, with military power in his hands and numerous supporters, how could they possibly wrest the throne from him?

At that time, with the realm just stabilized and border defenses still uncertain, not to mention the high officials, even Old Master Guan himself did not wish to stir trouble again.

Thus, after hesitating for over a year upon finding out, he still couldn’t resist revealing the matter to the only somewhat incorruptible official in Yizhou City—Doctor Ji from Shu County.

Regrettably, the matter was not kept confidential, and the situation was worse than they imagined. From commanders to local minor officials, all had been roped in by the Prince of Yizhou; they had no idea where the leak had come from, but the fact that Doctor Ji held evidence of the Prince’s rebellion had been exposed.

First the He Family father and son disappeared, Bai Qi sensed the danger and immediately fled with his people, only managing to send them a note.

However, no one managed to escape, all the knowledgeable and inadvertently involved people died.

Since Bai Qi and his group died, he had lived in constant fear, watching the Prince of Yizhou inspect the palace, he didn’t even dare to fall ill for fear of arousing suspicion. Each day, he lived in fear of his life, his family’s lives, and even more so of the precarious Keiwei Canal.

Four years ago, when Keiwei Canal collapsed with a roar, he felt it was better to be dead than alive.

Now, he had finally died, but he could not let go.

Old Master Guan’s eyes welled up with a tear, his eyelids half-drooped, as if about to close, but they did not.

Guan Dalang, seeing his father motionless for a long time, couldn’t help but reach out to check his breath, only to feel no breath at his nose, even the temperature had dropped; he paused then cried, collapsing in front of the bed, shouting, "Father—"

Doctor Ji hurried forward to check and after feeling the pulse, declared, "Old Master Guan has passed away—"

Suddenly, the room filled with crying.

County Magistrate Tang stood at the back of the crowd, watching the people inside cry, genuine or fake, he sighed softly and helped the Guan family manage the aftermath.

Once Old Master Guan was dressed in funeral clothes and properly arranged, County Magistrate Tang and the staff from the Prince’s mansion offered incense to Old Master Guan, consoled Guan Dalang, and left as it was getting dark.

County Magistrate Tang, rather freely, invited the Prince’s staff to walk with him, lamenting along the way, "With Old Master Guan gone, it will be hard to find another chess player of his caliber."

Old Master Guan’s chess skills were also famous in Yizhou City; the Prince’s staff sighed along.

County Magistrate Tang asked the Prince’s staff, "With the busy spring season, it has been a long time since I last visited the Prince, is he still in good health?"

"He is healthy, healthy," the Prince’s staff replied, "the Prince has recently been indulged in poetry, often inviting talented individuals from Shu to write poems, his mood is quite good, however, with Minister Guan’s passing, the Prince is probably heartbroken."

"Yes, the Prince has always been a lover of talents," County Magistrate Tang praised absentmindedly, "especially considering his twenty-year friendship with Old Master Guan."

"Yes, the Prince has always treated Minister Guan with great kindness."

The two chatted idly as they returned to Yizhou City, then they parted ways, one going back to the prince’s mansion and the other to the County Governmental Office.

County Magistrate Tang quickly returned to the County Governmental Office, directly pulling out the county’s map to look at, and after staring at it for a while without finding the place he was looking for, he pondered for a moment, then called over an old official and asked, "The other day, I vaguely heard about a place called Dongxi Village selling good land, do you know where Dongxi Village is?"

"Are you looking to buy land?"

County Magistrate Tang laughed, "I personally have no such intentions, but my wife wants to manage some properties, saying that I don’t know how many years I’ll be here, and it’s not good to always ask my family for money."

"That would indeed be a good idea to manage some properties," the old official pondered then shook his head, "I’ve never heard of Dongxi Village, could it be it’s not in our county? If it’s outside our jurisdiction, then it’s too far, hard to manage."

County Magistrate Tang laughed and nodded, "That won’t do, we need to buy land closer; never mind, I’ll look again later to see if there’s anything suitable."

Once the old official left, County Magistrate Tang pondered for a while and called Mingli in, "Send someone quietly to inquire about a place called Dongxi Village, remember, don’t make a fuss, just ask privately, just find the exact location."

Mingli complied.