Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 765 - 480: Western Front

Chapter 765: Chapter 480: Western Front

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....

Several white clouds leisurely drifted across the azure sky, beneath which lay a lush landscape as dark as ink.

A muddy cypress path meandered out from between the verdant and majestic mountain ranges of Jingjiang Prefecture, with merchant caravans strolling along it, flanked by endless paddy fields.

The sound of horse hoofs was crisp, the wheel ruts leisurely.

A young man sat in a luxurious carriage, gazing leisurely at the scenery outside the window.

This route was not one of Dayan’s extensive network of official roads but a pathway connecting various villages and hamlets.

His gaze dropped to the well-organised, dark brown road below.

The material used to construct this path must have been ’black mud’.

’Black mud’ was classified as a level D building material in government records, not very expensive, and far inferior to the level A green mud bricks used for the main roads connecting cities throughout the land, but if it were placed in these rural fields...

Having left the capital to travel for four years, besides Jingjiang Prefecture, he had not seen such extravagance in any other place.

Other than the territories around the capital, the countryside between provincial cities was either filled with neglected and crumbling gray mud roads or riddled with potholes and nearly impassable dirt tracks.

Thinking this, the young man, in the prime of youth, chuckled and shook his head, his gaze leisurely taking in the idyllic scenery of fields and mountains beyond the window.

After watching for a while, the youth with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes suddenly spoke in a firm and gentle voice:

"Steward Nie, what do you think of this place?"

His voice was soft, yet it clearly reached the ears of the coachman in front.

The coachman, who donned a wide-brimmed hat to shade himself from the sun, was also a handsome young man, albeit with a somewhat delicate demeanor, dressed in luxurious clothing made from fine fabrics.

After hearing the question from the young master inside the carriage, Steward Nie remained silent for a moment before replying softly:

"Even without army patrols on the road, there is no sign of demonic disturbances or bandit calamities here, and the trade routes are unobstructed, the people live in peace, and the joy of work and farming is shared..."

"This state of Jingjiang Prefecture should reflect the era of great peace and prosperity that Your Highness envisions in your heart."

"......"

Hearing this response, a hint of a smile unconsciously flickered across Li Yaoxuan’s dark pupils.

An era of great peace and prosperity...

Indeed, the state of Jingjiang Prefecture was what he envisioned for an era of peace and prosperity.

As his thoughts wandered, the smile at the corner of Li Yaoxuan’s lips turned complicated.

He thought about what he had seen and heard during his journey away from the capital.

Jingjiang Prefecture represented the peace and prosperity he envisioned, but what about the entire Dayan Territory?

Perhaps... it was half and half?

There was prosperity, but not peace.

Dayan’s national power was indeed great and flourishing, but the land was riddled with endless demonic and human calamities, with common folk dying unjustly at every moment.

The countless villages destroyed by Demonic Beasts, the countless people slaughtered by bandits, the grassroot powers hollowed out by the Sects, all reminded Li Yaoxuan that the foundations of Dayan were gradually rotting away.

His fingertips tapping on the window ledge paused as Li Yaoxuan softly inquired:

"Such scenery, apart from the Jingji region, I truly haven’t seen in a long time, Nie Changping. Does Jingjiang’s prefect have a patron at the Imperial Court?"

Hearing these words, Steward Nie immediately understood the intentions of the person behind him, yet instead of answering, he countered with a question:

"My lord, do you intend to recruit him?"

Li Yaoxuan, looking at the picturesque rural scene outside the carriage lattices, where farmhouses stood orderly and farmers enjoyed their work, narrowed his eyes:

"Having left Di’an for four years, we have seen many bandits and Demonic Beasts on our travels, as you well know. Jingjiang Prefecture doesn’t have a military garrison, yet the prefect here has managed to achieve so much, which is no simple feat. If I wish to ascend to that position, the pieces I currently hold are far from enough to contend with the Crown Prince."

Hearing this, the delicate-looking young man hesitated, carefully choosing his words before softly reminding:

"Your Highness... the prefect of Jingjiang Prefecture has been replaced five times in the past three years."

"....."

With those words, the somewhat lavish carriage fell into a brief silence.

No explanation was necessary; Dayan’s system of inspecting officials was to review every three years, and a place that had changed prefects five times in three years spoke volumes.

Sects.

A faint, hardly noticeable sigh flickered in the depths of Li Yaoxuan’s eyes as he raised his hand to rub his brow.

His current status within the Imperial Family was very precarious.

Although he hadn’t officially established his own government office yet, his hesitation when questioned by the Emperor at that banquet four years ago had allowed the Crown Prince to see through his thoughts.

Staying in Di’an City, where political factions were already clearly divided, relying on his current power would only lead to a slow death.

Thus, he had chosen to leave, to travel the world in search of external support.

For four years, he had managed to win some people over and bring some forces under his command, but none of them were sufficient to propel him to the throne or to support his somewhat unrealistic ambition.

After entering Jingjiang Prefecture, everything he saw made him greatly admire the local prefect.

Now, it seemed that the tranquility here was not due to the local official but rather the Sects...

But he,

He did not wish to rely on those Sects to rise to power.

In some of the county towns today, the county magistrates sent by The Imperial Court had become mere figureheads while the "lords" in the town were the true rulers.

Of course, these lords were mere pawns; the Sects behind them were the true puppeteers.

If he relied on the Sects to rise to power, the situation would continue to deteriorate.

"Knock...Knock...Knock..."

Long, slender fingertips tapped on the window sill again as Li Yaoxuan looked at the farmers working in the fields, wearing sincere smiles on their faces, and he sighed lightly:

"The state of Jingjiang Prefecture is probably what those Sects want to see in the future..."

"Handing over local power to them entirely, they would help my Imperial Family govern and maintain the welfare of these commoners. In time, the people would only recognize the Sect’s immortal masters and not the sovereign of Dayan."

He muttered softly, a glint of deep light flashing in Li Yaoxuan’s eyes as he suddenly asked nonchalantly:

"Do you know which Sects are located here?"

Hearing this, Nie the manager gripped the carriage handle a bit tighter. Having followed since his youth, he was very clear that the Prince must be angry at this moment. After a brief deliberation, he replied truthfully:

"The Xiaoshui Sect, the Wujimen, and the Kuixingshan, Your Highness, you can’t possibly want to..."

"What can I, a mere Prince, do?"

Li Yaoxuan’s smile remained mild at the corner of his lips, interrupting Nie the manager’s words:

"If for the sake of the Sects in this area, I expose the strength I hold in my hands, how would I then compete with the Crown Prince for the world?

"Moreover, if I were to eliminate these several Sects, causing the reemergence of Demonic Beasts and bandits, the commoners here would resent me instead, which is not conducive to winning the hearts of the people."

The young man with his soft features fell silent for a while before probing tentatively:

"Then, what is it that you want to do...?"

"I want to see for myself how these Sects have managed to thoroughly turn the Imperial power of Jingjiang Prefecture into theirs, step by step."

Li Yaoxuan’s response was straightforward:

"Along the way, I have seen villages empty, I have seen local government offices vacated, but I have yet to see a Prefecture land being controlled by Sects."

"Moreover,

"I am also curious as to why there has not been any news on this matter of Jingjiang Prefecture’s Imperial power being emptied for so long at The Imperial Court!"

...

...

...

Sunlight poured like a waterfall, and the noon of early autumn was still scorching hot, with the shrill cries of cicadas resounding throughout the bustling Jingjiang Prefecture City.

The luxurious carriage came from the official road, gradually approaching from afar, passing the thick and majestic millennial city gates of the Prefectural City, passing the bustling commercial streets, and finally stopping in front of the imposing Jingjiang Prefecture Government Office.

The summer days in the Lingnan basin were humid and hot, but the pedestrians and merchants on the streets were still incessant. The luxurious carriage, and the red, sweaty, one-horned Demonic Horse in front of it, caught the gazes of many passersby.

Word was conveyed into the Government Office and, in less than a quarter of an hour, a middle-aged man dressed in a scarlet official robe hurried out from within the Government Office.

Standing before the carriage, after straightening his official robe and his hair graying at the temples, the middle-aged man disregarded the gazes of the people on the street and knelt down in front of the carriage, declaring loudly:

"The Prince has come for inspection, your servant has failed to welcome you from afar, please forgive my offense."

His voice, buoyed by the power of Origin Qi, spread so that pedestrians and merchants in front of the Government Office could all hear it.

For a moment, the entire street fell silent.

After a brief silence, a rustling sound of robes arose as the pedestrians and merchants knelt down in a slightly flustered manner. After a few breaths, there was no one standing on the entire street.

In the Dayan Territory, even though the local power had been thoroughly emptied by the Sects, as long as you haven’t rebelled, the identity of a Prince was still of noble birth.

Without hurrying to get out of the carriage, Li Yaoxuan peered through the cracks of the window lattice at the kneeling Prefecture magistrate of Jingjiang and the commoners on the whole street, a thoughtful gleam flashing in his eyes.

"Eunuch Nie," he called.

After a few moments of silence, Li Yaoxuan’s calm and graceful voice sounded.

Following this voice, Eunuch Nie quickly stepped down from the leading carriage, opened the wooden door of the carriage, and stood by with his head bowed and eyes downcast.

Descending from the carriage amidst the kneeling crowd and under the gaze of no one, Li Yaoxuan walked down slowly, straightened the wrinkles on his robe, and asked softly:

"Prefect Qing, what are you doing?"

He had come privately, yet the Prefect was making such a public display. Was he trying to send a message to certain people?

The kneeling Prefect Qing, as if he didn’t understand Li Yaoxuan’s question, still replied with respect:

"Your Highness has come to inspect, and your servant has failed to meet you outside the city, please forgive me."

Hearing these pretentious words, Li Yaoxuan looked at the man deeply, his words filled with implicit meaning:

"Prefect Qing, you are indeed considerate. With your achievements in governance and the commoners living in peace and happiness, there is no need for such grand gestures."

His voice was very soft, but the Prefect Qing, who had long been in office, instantly grasped the Prince’s implication in his words.

This was not praise, but accountability.

After all, he knew better than anyone else what the current state of Jingjiang Prefecture was like, being the Prefect who had been sidelined.

Realizing this, Prefect Qing’s lowered eyes showed no significant panic.

He paid obeisance to the other party simply because he was the son of the current emperor, as well as the jade token that represented the emperor’s will.

Prefect Qing continued to reply solemnly with respect:

"It’s my duty, all within my responsibilities."

Having said this, he stood up in accordance with the form, extending his hand in a gesture towards the inside of the Government Office:

"Your Highness, please."

"...."

Watching the Prefect’s actions, Li Yaoxuan felt no anger, only a bit of amusement.

The Prefect’s fearless demeanor seemed as if he wasn’t worried about being blamed by The Imperial Court at all.

It appeared as though he was doing it on purpose.

With thoughts flashing through his mind for an instant, he came to an understanding.

This man was indeed a master at playing dumb,

the anomalies within Jingjiang Prefecture could not be changed overnight by human effort, and after all, it was a place where the people lived in peace and prosperity.

If he reported this situation to the emperor after returning to the capital, at most, the Prefect would be demoted to another place to hold office.