Transmigrated into a female county magistrate during a famine, leading her country to prosperity

It is the hour of You.

The capital city of Shangjing, which had been cloudy for quite some time, finally cleared up at 4 p.m. today.

The sunlight at the hour of You is a little slanted, but not too yellow, and it feels warm on people.

Countless carriages stopped at the Suzaku Gate. Officials dressed in various official uniforms got off the carriages, exchanged greetings, and walked towards the palace in groups of two or three.

The Vermillion Bird Gate was illuminated by the sun, and before the officials even entered the palace, they began to flatter the Empress Dowager spontaneously: "Even the heavens have to give face to our Empress Dowager. Everyone, how long has it been since the sky was this bright? And it's the Hour of the Rooster."

"It's really strange. A few days ago, it seemed like God was mad at me. Not only did it get dark early, but it was also gloomy all day long."

“Maybe it’s true…”

The officials were walking and chatting, and Ji Benchang accurately found Yue Zhenchuan in the crowd.

"Master Yue!"

Yue Zhenchuan ignored him.

"Master Yue!"

Ji Benchang jogged to catch up.

Yue Zhenchuan walked faster.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Ji Benchang panted, grabbed the other person's sleeve, and held him back, "Let's talk for a while."

Yue Zhenchuan knew what he wanted to say, "There are too many people here, don't talk."

"Let's go through the small door!" Ji Benchang pointed to the small door that no one was going through, "There's no one over there."

The Suzaku Gate is open, and being able to walk underneath is a symbol of power. Who would want to go through the small gate?

But Yue Zhenchuan still turned a corner.

When the officials saw them leave, they exchanged glances secretly.

As soon as the two of them arrived at the small gate, Ji Benchang opened the door and said, "Master Liang should have told you, right?"

Yue Zhenchuan hummed in his throat, "I haven't found anyone yet."

Ji Benchang knew that he hadn't found the person, so he frowned and asked, "What are you going to do today?"

Yue Zhenchuan also frowned: "What should I do?"

"All officials know that Lord Shen will attend the banquet!" Ji Benchang glanced at all the officials and whispered, "Lord Shen is now considered a member of your Ministry of Works, but this person did not come. If Your Majesty does not make it clear, how will you explain it?"

Yue Zhenchuan was silent for a moment, "I haven't thought about it. It's just an excuse, it doesn't matter what. What's important is where did the person go, and who... did such a cruel thing."

That day, Liang Fu suddenly appeared at the door of Yue Mansion with a haggard face, and he knew something had happened.

But he didn't expect it to be so serious.

Later, Liang Fu also said that in recent months, he had been following Lord Shen to tinker with some objects, many of which were extremely exquisite and important.

Yue Zhenchuan understood what Liang Fu meant.

What matters is not the exquisite objects, but the people who make them.

If she can make one kind, she can also make a second, a third, and even countless kinds.

But now, the person is gone.

For this reason, he had been blocking the gate of Dali Temple every day these past few days, putting pressure on the three officials, hoping to catch the villain as soon as possible.

But the people captured that day were gone alive, and those people had no markings on their bodies, and seemed to be wandering around the world. Therefore, there was little progress, and they could only wait for the people who went to Jingzhou to investigate to come back.

Thinking of this, Yue Zhenchuan sighed, "Anyway, after you go in, don't talk or say too much. The three departments have been very active in recent days, and the officials seem to be indifferent, but in fact they have shifted their attention. In addition, Liang Fu and Shen Xingjian returned to the capital alone, and many people have made speculations... Let's hide it if we can."

"Hide" actually means "deceive oneself and others" in another sense.

Ji Benchang also sighed, "Lord Lin and Lu Manzi should be here, I wonder if they have found the person. Earl Yongning didn't come either... Alas, seeing that the business of Tongan County has just started to gain momentum, but the backbone is missing, what do you think about His Majesty..."

"Don't talk nonsense!" The two of them were walking further and further away, and Yue Zhenchuan didn't want to talk any more with such a loudmouth.

"How can I not say it?" Ji Benchang stepped onto the stairs and turned back to say, "In the past, His Majesty was very happy at the Queen Mother's birthday banquet, but these days, His Majesty has not even seen me..."

He is His Majesty's favorite, Lord Ji!

Lord Shen disappeared, and as a result, he, the "money bag Ji Aiqing", also fell out of favor.

Really annoying.

"It would be fine if no one mentioned it tonight." Ji Benchang added, "If someone is blind enough to ask about Lord Shen, today's banquet...I'm afraid it will be difficult to end."

More and more officials gathered around the two of them, and he finally shut up after he finished speaking.

Yue Zhenchuan thought about Liang Fu's words and was silent for a while: "Finding someone is important. If there is still no news after today's matter, I will also send someone to look for him."

"Are you crazy?" Ji Benchang frowned and whispered, "Your Majesty suppressed the news to lure the person in the dark. You took the initiative to find the person. Aren't you pushing yourself to the forefront?"

He also thought about looking for the person, but he was just a money manager and was afraid of leaking the news, so he was powerless.

"Which is more important, the safety of the people or the unfounded rumors?" Yue Zhenchuan disagreed with his words. "No matter what, as long as the people are still alive, everything can turn around."

Starting from the Suzaku Gate, the entire palace was decorated with lights and colors, creating a festive scene.

But the two of them saw a dark tide surging as the red silk fluttered.

......

Yongshou Palace.

The Empress Dowager's birthday banquet was hosted by the Queen and the Ministry of Rites, and the Yongshou Palace was solemn and lively.

Palace maids and eunuchs in uniform stood on both sides of the palace gate to welcome the officials. After the gate of Yongshou Palace was opened, officials from the Great Zhou Dynasty entered on their own, while officials who were granted permission could bring their families in.

The officials who were allowed to bring their families into the venue all held their heads high and had beaming faces.

When others asked him about it, he only said lightly, "I dare not refuse your grace."

In a word, the other officials were jealous.

Foreign envoys were led into the venue by officials from the Honglu Temple and the Ministry of Rites after the officials from the Great Zhou had taken their seats.

As for foreigners, their appearance and dress always aroused curiosity, and many officials looked towards the door frequently.

The sun was setting in the west, and the Yongshou Palace was illuminated by the orange-yellow dusk. The palace servants had lit the lanterns early, and the firelight danced with the sunlight, making the atmosphere in the palace even more tense.

There are three main seats in the hall, the Queen Mother sits in the middle, the Emperor sits on the left, and the Queen sits on the right. However, these three seats are currently empty. The Emperor will only come to the hall after the guest seats are filled.

Precious flowers are placed in the four corners of the hall. As people come and go, the corners of their clothes flutter, emitting a refreshing fragrance.

After the civil and military officials took their seats, they all began to look for someone quietly.

"Isn't the guy from Tong'an County coming? How come it's already past the middle of the evening hour and we haven't seen him yet?"

"Logically, that person is of the sixth rank and cannot attend the banquet. Even if His Majesty grants permission, his seat... shouldn't be too close to the front, right?"

As they spoke, everyone looked towards the end of the table.

The Sixth Rank Officials' Participation in the Banquet was originally a gift from the Emperor. If one were to take a seat above someone else...

Isn’t the emperor’s favoritism a little too obvious?

While everyone was talking, an official looked around and whispered to someone he knew: "Don't look for him anymore. I heard...they can't come."