With subordinates handling the routine matters and neither sowing season nor autumn harvest currently at hand, there was nothing of great importance requiring attention in the Prefecture Office. Officials like Fang Zhiyuan and Qian Tong, who excelled above all at taking it easy, had long since claimed illness and shut themselves away behind closed doors. With meals delivered directly to their bedside by dedicated attendants, all they had to do was open their mouths—truly devoted hedonists.
Earlier, out of a sense of collegial concern, Zhao Yan had gone to check on them, only to uncover their little ruse. The pair claimed they were too sick to get out of bed, yet their complexions were healthier than anyone's. Seeing their rosy faces, Zhao Yan could only feel he fell short himself; their acting was as atrocious as it was enthusiastic, but Zhao Yan couldn't even be bothered to call their bluff. After all, he wasn't counting on them to share any of his burdens—as long as they didn't stand in his way as stumbling blocks, that was enough. Besides, they were his immediate superiors, and he could not simply ignore what they said.
Living in such harmony would have to do for now.
Chapter 401