Considering Yun Xi's injury, Qi Rong deliberately slowed down their journey. By the time the two of them reached Lingchuan, seven days had passed.
Since Qi Rong, the chief supervisor in charge of building dams and bridges, was absent, his subordinates were left leaderless, and the project couldn't start. The news that Qi Rong was not in Lingchuan couldn't be concealed either. Coincidentally, this gave some opportunists a handle.
Li An was the supervisor personally appointed by Emperor Qi Hong. Although nominally his authority was subordinate to Qi Rong's, in fact, he was the core official of this dam - building and bridge - construction project.
Although of mediocre intelligence, he was very good at currying favor with the powerful and flattering superiors, which won him the emperor's favor. Therefore, the emperor entrusted him with this important task that was beneficial to the country and the people!
Since the emperor announced the list, Li An, as a rising star in the court, had been the talk of the town in the capital. Officials were busy flattering him privately, and even the two princes praised him, which contributed to his arrogant and conceited personality.
However, there was one person who didn't take him seriously at all, and that was Prince Xian, Qi Rong!
Qi Rong even mocked him publicly on several occasions, making him lose face, and Li An harbored a grudge against him!
So, after learning that Qi Rong had left Lingchuan without permission, Li An immediately reported this to the emperor. The day after he sent the letter, Qi Rong and Yun Xi arrived in Lingchuan.
In front of Qi Rong's temporary residence in Lingchuan, just as the two got off the carriage, Li An was already waiting at the door.
He had secretly sent people to investigate and confirmed that Qi Rong was indeed not in the Lingchuan government office. To prevent Qi Rong from sneaking into the yard, Li An had been stationed here for days.
All this was to catch Qi Rong red - handed!
As soon as Yun Xi was carried off the carriage by Qi Rong, she suddenly saw several court officials in official uniforms sitting in front of a square table outside the courtyard gate. This sight immediately made her frown uneasily.
Even if she was slow - witted, she could tell that these people were ill - intentioned. It seemed that Qi Rong's dereliction of duty had been exposed!
Just as Yun Xi was thinking this, Li An, who was leading the group, took a sip of tea and said in a sarcastic tone:
"Your Highness Prince Xian really has good taste! You put the imperial order aside but don't forget to chase after a beauty. We can't match you!"
After Li An finished speaking, he looked at his colleagues sitting around. The ones who had been chatting merrily just now all hung their heads and didn't dare to echo.
They didn't dare to offend Prince Xian Qi Rong. They knew there would be no good end!
Seeing that no one responded, a look of embarrassment flashed across Li An's face. He spat on the ground secretly and sneered in his heart:
A bunch of timid cowards!
Looking at Li An, who was in his thirties, Yun Xi poked Qi Rong's arm and whispered:
"Who is he?"
She didn't have much impression of the court officials. She just hoped that this person wasn't too difficult to deal with.
Under everyone's noses, she wanted to get out of Qi Rong's arms, but Qi Rong hugged her tightly as if no one else was around. He just raised his eyebrows and glanced at Li An, then sneered:
"He's my newly promoted watchdog. Doesn't he look quite presentable?"
Qi Rong's voice was slightly raised, loud enough for everyone present to hear clearly.
Li An was well - known as a toady. Many upright officials in the court had long disliked his sycophancy and arrogance, but they didn't dare to offend him openly. Hearing Qi Rong's words, some people couldn't help but cover their mouths and snicker.
They completely forgot that Li An was petty - minded and good at making things difficult for others.
Li An's originally smug face turned green. He glared at everyone, then slapped the table and stood up, shouting angrily at Qi Rong:
"Qi Rong, don't go too far!"
"I reported your dereliction of duty to the emperor yesterday. You have disgraced the imperial order and delayed the project. Just wait for the imperial edict and punishment!"
Li An was so angry that his face turned red. He threatened Qi Rong confidently.
Others were afraid of Qi Rong, but he wasn't!
It was said that serving the emperor was like being beside a tiger, and fortune could be sought in danger. He had been in the emperor's favor for so many years, and it wasn't without reason. He naturally had a good understanding of the emperor's will!
Although Qi Rong was a member of the royal family, his situation was no better than Li An's. There was always a sword hanging over his head. It seemed that the emperor was now relying on Qi Rong, but in fact, he had never relaxed his vigilance against him.
Once the emperor found out that Qi Rong had any ill intentions, he would surely execute him!
In the face of Li An's outburst, Qi Rong looked calm. He slightly curled his cold lips and said:
"Sure enough, a good dog. It barks quite loudly." Then, Qi Rong said to the guard outside the courtyard gate:
"Reward him a bone later."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The guard looked at Li An, whose face had turned as red as pig liver, with a sneering look. And Qi Rong picked up Yun Xi and walked straight into the yard.
Li An had thought he would see Qi Rong in a panic, but instead, he looked unconcerned. Seeing Qi Rong about to leave, Li An was extremely angry and shouted at his back:
"Qi Rong, aren't you afraid of the emperor's wrath and having your head chopped off?!"
In response to Li An's shouting, Qi Rong didn't even turn his head:
"Before asking me this question, see if your letter can leave Lingchuan."
"What do you mean?"
Li An was confused. Then, after seeing the memorial that Qi Rong's guard handed to him, his face suddenly showed shock.
"Qi Rong, you're so bold! You dare to cover up the sky with one hand and intercept the memorial I presented to the emperor?!"
As soon as Li An said this, not only did Yun Xi's heart skip a beat, but all the officials present also looked at Qi Rong in astonishment: Was this man crazy?
Even though he was a prince, he couldn't overstep the imperial power. If the emperor found out about this, it would add another charge to his dereliction of duty!
Yun Xi couldn't help but subconsciously grab Qi Rong's arm tightly. She was really afraid that if Qi Rong continued to be so arrogant, his already thorny path would become even more dangerous!
Meeting Yun Xi's anxious gaze, Qi Rong suddenly smiled.
As if to reassure Yun Xi, he deliberately stopped at the courtyard gate, turned around, and looked down upon the officials haughtily, saying:
"Three days from now will be the grand ceremony in Lingchuan to offer sacrifices to the Dragon God. Before that, no one is allowed to start work without permission! If anyone causes trouble and harms the dragon's aura during this period, they will be executed on the spot!"
Qi Rong's voice was clear and resounding, making all the officials present change their expressions!
Offer sacrifices to the Dragon God?!
The several people looked at each other. They had only focused on completing the project before the flood season and didn't know that there was such a ceremony in Lingchuan.
Now that Qi Rong mentioned it, they suddenly remembered that they seemed to have heard some rumors before, but they had never investigated.
Since it was a project to build water conservancy facilities, it was natural to seek favorable timing and geographical conditions. No detail could be overlooked. Such an important event as offering sacrifices to the Dragon God couldn't be taken lightly, because if something went wrong, no one could bear the responsibility!
Li An's face turned alternately green and white. He seemed not to have recovered from the shock yet. Qi Rong gave him a cold look and suddenly said:
"By the way, Li An. I heard that four strong men are needed to carry the dragon cauldron during the sacrifice to the Dragon God. As an official personally appointed by the emperor, you're the sturdiest among us. So I've decided that you'll represent the officials on this mission!"