"That's how it should be. Civilians were never our responsibility anyway." In the crisis, He Chunhua had not forgotten to flee with more than a hundred villagers; he had already done everything duty and conscience required. The subsequent task of resettling the villagers back in their homes naturally fell to Wuliu County, having not a single copper coin's worth of business with him, the Chief Administrator of Xiazhou.
"So the county magistrate's dinner is also a banquet of thanks. A local squire named He invited us to spend the night at his manor. Father and Mother have already gone to wash up and change. Let's not be late either."
So while he had been sound asleep, He Chunhua had not only led the party through Qianteng Town to arrive at Wuliu County, but had also established good ties with the magistrate and the others.
The old man truly has boundless energy. He Lingchuan yawned again.
The carriage had already pulled up before Squire He's manor. Two young servants came out to greet them, leading the two brothers to a quiet courtyard.
As the two washed up, Qian-ma arrived carrying clean clothes for them to change out of their old ones. He Lingchuan's clothes in particular were stained with blood and spattered with mud, riddled with several tears, and reeked of a foul, bloody stench before anyone even got close.
Just as Qian-ma was about to help the brothers tie up their hair, someone knocked at the door.
He Lingchuan opened it and saw, to his surprise, Zhu Xiu'er.
Zhu Xiu'er had long since tidied herself up and changed into one of Madam Ying's gowns. Fine feathers truly made fine birds. Her complexion had originally been dark and ruddy, but clad in brocade and silk, much of her peasant rusticity faded away, giving way to a calm, gentle elegance.
Perhaps this had been her true nature all along, never entirely worn down by hardship.
She offered He Lingchuan a slight smile. "You have few servants with you, so I came to lend Qian-ma a hand."
He Lingchuan did not stand on ceremony. Stepping back two paces to let her in, he asked, "You're staying here as well?"
He was not quite sure how to address Zhu Xiu'er—Miss, Madam?
"Yes, Madam Ying insisted." Zhu Xiu'er raised a fine-toothed wooden comb and gestured for him to sit. "However, the people of Wuliu County, including the magistrate and the master of this He manor, know nothing of my background."
He Yue chimed in, "Father placed a gag order on the entire troop; no word of this may leak out. Miss Zhu will travel north with us, and to outsiders, she is simply our cousin."
Concealing what Zhu Xiu'er had endured? More than that: concealing Zhu Xiu'er's very identity, lest after she returned to her clan, damaging rumors here would slowly spread. The treatment given by He Chunhua and his wife could truly be called exceedingly generous.
As Zhu Xiu'er untangled the knots in He Lingchuan's hair, she said, "This debt of gratitude is one Xiu'er can never repay, even if I ground my bones to dust. If the He family ever has need of me in the future, I will never refuse!"
"You put it too strongly. Heaven helps those who help themselves; we merely acted in accordance with the natural order of things," He Yue replied. "Are you truly unwilling to join us for the banquet? Going along as our cousin would be quite fine."
Zhu Xiu'er smiled. "I won't go. The less I show my face, the better, and I can also rest a bit more."
Hearing the lightness in her voice and seeing the spark in her eyes—a look of complete ease—He Yue felt a faint wave of surprise.
This "cousin" truly seemed reborn.
Once they finished grooming, the two brothers headed to Hongtai Restaurant for the banquet.
...
The feast was a convivial affair where hosts and guests thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
He Lingchuan walked out belching with satisfaction. The restaurant's stomach-wrapped mutton was stewed until tender, fragrant, and bursting with flavor—a true testament to the chef's culinary skill. All the officials of Wuliu County had attended, joined by over a dozen local squires.
They escorted He Chunhua's family all the way to their carriage at the entrance of Hongtai Restaurant. As the carriage pulled away, He Lingchuan could still see the radiant smiles on their faces.
He had long grown accustomed to such warmth back in Blackwater City, but seeing it on the faces of officials from an unfamiliar place was quite novel. The local officials they had encountered on their journey from Blackwater City to Wuliu County had all been polite, but none had ever been this attentive.
Mm, perhaps 'fawning' was more accurate.
"Whew, Dad, what kind of favor did you promise the magistrate to make his face bloom like a flower?"
"When I submit the memorial on suppressing the bandits to the capital, I'll mention him in passing, saying he promptly comforted the victims and pursued the remaining brigands." He Chunhua was exhausted after a busy day and night, leaning against the carriage interior with his eyes closed to rest.
He Lingchuan chuckled. "Did he actually pursue them?"
"Those mountain paths will still require Wuliu County to clear them several times to ensure no stragglers linger. Many died in Desheng Town and Xianling Village, and the matter involves the rebel army. If handled poorly, the magistrate's official hat would sit rather precariously," He Chunhua smiled faintly. "With a good word from me, his merits will outweigh his faults. Naturally, he has every reason to thank me."
Madam Ying, on the other hand, wondered aloud, "How does a single Wuliu County have so many officials?" From the magistrate and the county vice-magistrate to the registrar, the chief constable, and all the runners and bailiffs underneath, there were easily over thirty people. "Master, your former Prefect's Yamen didn't even have that many hands."
"You have a keen eye, my dear." Madam Ying loved wearing fresh flowers, so He Chunhua pointed to the red rose pinned at her temple. "A single blossom has twenty-five or twenty-six petals, and if you count the sepals, it's more than that."
"And those are just the ones with official standing," he gave a low scoff. "There are far more without official rank."
He Lingchuan knew that what his father called 'official standing' meant formally established quotas. In truth, an ordinary county had very few officially sanctioned posts—seven or eight at most. Yet Wuliu County had thirty to forty all told; the excess were all supernumerary personnel. Tax collectors, patrolmen, census registrars, school administrators—all sorts of miscellaneous posts. Without them, the county yamen simply could not function.
He Yue frowned. "From what I saw, Wuliu County isn't prosperous. How can they afford them?"
Earlier, when the carriage entered Wuliu County, his elder brother—thoroughly drained after fighting for his life all day—had done nothing but sleep soundly. He Yue, however, had observed everything along the road.
Wuliu County was no different from any other rural backwater; if anything, it looked even poorer and sparser.
"There are at least twenty or thirty candidates-in-waiting in this county," He Chunhua leisurely unpacked the tricks of the trade for him. "All bought with silver. The prominent families gain prestige, the treasury gains silver—everyone is happy."
Among so many off-the-books positions, some were indeed recruited locally by the yamen to handle business, while others were purchased through donations from local gentry—commonly known as buying office. They bought sinecures to add a veneer of gold to their faces.
"This place isn't far from Woling Pass and must have suffered considerable fallout from the war between the imperial forces and the rebels. The people's livelihoods have inevitably withered. Now that finances are tight, do you expect the county government to tighten its belt and suffer alongside them?"
He Yue blinked. "The commandery doesn't intervene?"
"How could the commandery not know? It's merely an established customary practice. Whenever the commandery or the county runs out of money, they naturally find a workaround." He Chunhua chuckled, patting He Yue on the shoulder. "My boy, you are still too young. Serving as an official is a profound craft." Though his second son was brilliant, he was only fourteen after all, and had yet to grasp the worldly ways of men.
Listening to this, He Lingchuan also found it rather surreal.
When the county faced financial strain, their solution was not to streamline administration and cut spending, but to sell off offices for silver, bloating the government apparatus even further.
It seemed absurd, yet it made complete sense.
Speechless, He Yue waited a long moment before asking, "Why didn't anyone from the Garrison Command come to the banquet? I heard some of them have already returned to Qianteng Town."
"That's likely Commandant Zhao rushing back early to report," He Chunhua answered without hesitation. "The Garrison Command wants to memorialize the court as quickly as possible."
He Yue seemed to understand. "Competing for credit?"
"Indeed. When it comes to a major affair like mobilizing troops to suppress rebellion, whoever reports to the court first is likely the first to reap rewards."
"These are all routine maneuvers," He Chunhua said dismissively. "That garrison commandant has been stuck in his post for years without promotion. If he doesn't seize some merit now, he'll likely die of old age in this barren corner of nowhere."
He Lingchuan let out an "Aiya!" and said, "Both the magistrate here and the commandant of the Garrison Command are scrambling to submit memorials. Aren't you worried, Father, that they'll snatch the credit away from you?"
Seeing his son's indignation, He Chunhua merely smiled faintly. "What should be mine will remain mine."
With absolute confidence, one could remain unfazed by honor or slight.
Then, he asked about what had happened to He Lingchuan after he fell off the cliff.
"It's a long story." Too much had occurred, so He Lingchuan gave only a vague summary: "I fell into a fissure beneath the cliff, which happened to be the crocodile demon's lair. There, I rescued Wu Shaoyi, who was hanging on by a thread. Deeply moved by my kindness and realizing he had nowhere else to go, he simply agreed to accept royal amnesty!"
Speaking of this, he suddenly remembered: "Right, where is Wu Shaoyi?"
"Resting at another residence under dedicated guard." He Chunhua praised his eldest son, "Securing Wu Shaoyi's surrender was well done—magnificently done!"
He Lingchuan had nothing else to hide and recounted what followed, though he omitted his gains in the immortal's cave dwelling, claiming there had been nothing inside.
He Chunhua glanced out the window; the carriage had returned to the He manor. "Time to get down. Madam, you rest first. I still have matters to discuss with the boys."
Madam Ying nodded and left with Qian-ma to change.
He Chunhua led the brothers across the rear courtyard toward a woodshed. "I borrowed the woodshed from Old Master He. It's quiet."
This manor could not compare to their lavish residence in Blackwater City. Several mu of the rear courtyard had been turned into vegetable plots, and a dozen chickens were being raised. Its only advantage was that it was spacious with few people around.
The woodshed was isolated and seldom visited, yet it was currently lit. As soon as He Chunhua and his sons approached, the door opened, revealing Zhao Qinghe standing at the entrance.
He Lingchuan stepped inside and looked. A man knelt on the floor, claiming to be a confidant of Lu Yao.
This was the fellow Zhao Qinghe had captured earlier today in the small grove by Zhumapo. He was unlucky as well; shortly after fleeing from Lu Yao's side, his steed had accidentally broken a leg before he could get far.
Curious, He Lingchuan asked, "Why bring this man here?"
"He claims to know many inside secrets of the rebel army and is confessing in hopes of leniency."
As He Chunhua nodded, the captive hastened to speak:
"After the crushing defeat at Woling Pass, the righteous army lost heart and scattered. Relying on his lingering prestige, General Lu gathered over a thousand men, but he failed to lead them properly. Every day, everyone worried about where their next meal would come from and whether government troops would surround and destroy us, yet General Lu was dead drunk around the clock."
"Once, we passed a town with a wealthy family named Zhao. Their estate had more sheep, cattle, and grain than they could ever eat, and their gold, silver, and valuables were piled high like a hill. The entire family voluntarily offered everything to the general, pleading only that we spare their lives. The general agreed at the time, but late that night, having drunk too much, he took a liking to old man Zhao's little grandson, seized him, roasted him, and ate him, praising how tender the boy was. Old man Zhao dropped dead of rage that very night." He offered a bitter smile. "After that, the local authorities issued warrant after warrant for our arrest, and the soldiers chased us relentlessly like madmen, running us ragged. Only then did we learn—alas!—that old man Zhao was originally a high-ranking official who had just retired to his hometown the year before last. The regional governor couldn't possibly account for it without capturing us."
Chapter 148