Chapter 127: Chapter 97: Han Fei!! The Prefectural Governor Arrives! Sha Village Shaken!!! (Part 3)
Li Si’s expression shifted slightly before he forced a smile. "Wang Wen, the eldest son of the current Left Chancellor. I didn’t expect he would also come to see Brother Han."
"I never thought he held such a status. It seems I have underestimated him," Han Fei said with a light smile.
"Brother Han," Li Si began, "since I am at court and you are willing to pledge loyalty to the Great King, I will certainly speak on your behalf. Wang Wen is the son of Wang Wan, who is the leader of Qin’s Old Nobility. They have always regarded outsiders as thorns in their side, so you must not have too much interaction with them. Since you have already decided, Brother Han, then I shall take my leave first to report to the Great King. Consider this pot of wine nonexistent. I take my leave."
Having said this, Li Si picked up the poisoned wine, slowly stood up, and walked toward the prison exit.
"Then I am greatly indebted to you, Brother Li," Han Fei said with a look of gratitude, watching Li Si depart.
Once Li Si was out of sight, the feigned, accommodating smile on Han Fei’s face instantly vanished. At that moment, he rummaged inside his robes, and the silk fabric Zhao Feng had given him appeared in his hand.
Be careful of Li Si. Indeed, I must be careful of Li Si. He actually wants my life, so much so that he would personally deliver poisoned wine to my door. If it weren’t for Zhao Feng’s warning, I might not have been on guard against him at all. Moreover, just now when I offered to surrender to Qin, a murderous intent flashed in his eyes. He truly wants me dead. A once inseparable friend has become like this. Power... it can truly change a person so. Han Fei thought, his heart sinking.
Although Li Si had hidden it well, his panic was unconcealable. Han Fei had also seen the murderous intent that appeared when he heard of his intention to serve Qin. Otherwise, Han Fei would never have mentioned Wang Wen’s existence. He had brought him up specifically to make Li Si hesitate to act recklessly, fearing the consequences. It was clear that Han Fei had succeeded.
「Outside the prison.」
Seeing Li Si emerge, Yao Jia immediately hurried over to greet him. "Tingwei, how did it go?"
Looking at Yao Jia, no matter how unwilling Li Si felt, he was now resigned. "Han Fei is willing to surrender to Qin and submit to the Great King."
"What? He wants to submit to Qin?" Yao Jia’s expression changed, and he quickly lowered his voice. "The imperial prison is under your control, Tingwei, and I am in charge here. Why didn’t you just...?"
As his voice fell, Yao Jia made a throat-slitting gesture, his meaning perfectly clear: deny Han Fei the chance to surrender.
"Wang Wan’s son has already seen Han Fei, and Han Fei has already told Wang Wen of his willingness to surrender to Qin," Li Si said with a sigh. "Now that Han Fei wishes to surrender, it is exactly what the Great King desires. If he died right after I went to see him, what would the Great King think? And Wang Wan would definitely not pass up the opportunity to suppress me."
"I am in charge of the imperial prison, but I don’t recall seeing Wang Wen visit, sir," Yao Jia said, looking surprised.
"Heh heh." Li Si sneered. "Wang Wan is no ordinary individual. Arranging for someone to enter the imperial prison would be a trivial matter for him." He had no doubt about Han Fei’s words.
"Then what should we do? Are we just going to watch as Han Fei becomes your enemy one day, Tingwei?" Yao Jia said, unwilling to give up.
"Han Fei and I were classmates, after all. We can’t be considered enemies. From now on, you shouldn’t dwell on the past. Today in court, I secured an opportunity for you to perform a meritorious service. As long as you complete it, the Great King will certainly reward you generously," Li Si said.
Hearing about a chance for merit, Yao Jia’s eyes lit up. "Thank you, Tingwei!" he said promptly.
「Shaqiu County, Sha Village!」
Outside the village entrance, hundreds of Prefecture Soldiers escorted more than a dozen carriages as they approached. The lead carriage carried passengers.
Hearing the commotion, the villagers outside immediately hurried back into the village to report to Wu Lizheng.
"Village Chief! The Government Office sent people!"
"There are so many of them!"
"More than when they came to distribute the Annual Salary last time!"
"Maybe the Prefectural Governor himself is coming!" a villager shouted excitedly.
Hearing this, Wu Lizheng also hastened toward the village entrance. When he saw the grand procession outside, he was stunned. There were even more people than last time—not only Prefecture Soldiers but also many servants and over a dozen carriages. This was clearly an important affair.
Just then, Chen Fen, the Commander of Five Hundred Prefecture Soldiers who had distributed the Annual Salary that day, rode his horse swiftly up to Wu Lizheng.
"Village Chief, the Prefectural Governor has arrived," Chen Fen said with a smile as he dismounted.
Wu Lizheng’s expression turned serious. As the chief of a small village, the highest-ranking official he had ever seen was a County Governor; he had never even met the County Magistrate. A County Governor serves as the scribe and deputy to a County Magistrate. The Prefectural Governor, however, was ranked even higher than a County Magistrate. He was the true high official of Shaoqiu County, holding authority over its administration and laws. The extent of his power was immense. For a humble Village Chief to meet the Prefectural Governor was practically impossible.
"Are they here to deliver the Annual Salary to the Zhao Family?" Wu Lizheng asked immediately.
"Precisely," Chen Fen replied with a smile. "General Zhao is a general of our Qin and has earned unparalleled military achievements for the state. It is only natural that the Prefectural Governor would come to pay his respects. In fact, it’s not just the Prefectural Governor; all five county magistrates of Shaoqiu County have come. Besides the Annual Salary, they have all prepared generous gifts for General Zhao."
"Then I’ll immediately go and ask Zhao Feng’s mother and sister to come out and greet them," Wu Lizheng said at once. He now realized that this occasion was even grander than he had imagined. The Prefectural Governor and all five county magistrates from the five counties of Shaoqiu County had arrived.
That boy Zhao Feng has truly made something of himself for so many high officials to come here. Wu Lizheng thought to himself.
Chen Fen promptly spoke up. "There is no need for that, Village Chief. The Prefectural Governor has given specific instructions not to have General Zhao’s family come out to greet them. This visit is a courtesy call, nothing more. The Prefectural Governor will personally visit their home. He is also here to proclaim a Royal Edict of gracious reward."