Even before stepping through the gate, He Lingchuan heard a clamor of clinking and banging.
The He residence was crawling with people—unloading furniture, knocking down courtyard walls, hauling materials—all in full swing.
This was Madam Ying carrying out her renovation and remodeling plan. Constrained by a tight budget, she personally oversaw and vetted every step of the process. He Yue had originally suggested waiting until late spring—two months later—to begin, which would have saved a substantial sum, but his mother's aesthetic standards had decisively rejected that.
It was so ugly she couldn't stand it for a single day!
The compound wasn't as large as their old home in Blackwater City. Construction on the west side was plainly audible from the east, leaving no peace anywhere. He Chunhua and He Yue spent their days at the official offices, leaving He Lingchuan unable to cultivate at home. He had no choice but to idle about town eating and drinking. Even the sharp-eared rock wolf, Lu Xin, had once suggested, "Why don't we go rent a room at an inn?"
Fortunately, after wandering about all day until the sun had nearly set, He Lingchuan returned to his courtyard, took a bath, and emerged to find the work had stopped.
Like their employer, the laborers had to go home for dinner.
The He father and son had also returned. Having bathed and changed, the family gathered around the dining table.
He Lingchuan glanced at the table in surprise. "Huh? We're having steamboat today?"
"What steamboat?" Madam Ying smiled. "This is called gudong soup. The locals in Dunyu love it."
In the center of the table sat a thin-walled iron pot divided into inner and outer rings, both broths bubbling and gurgling. Spread across the table were various raw ingredients—cured or sliced meats, along with a few dishes of pickled vegetables and fresh greens.
Fresh greens were hard to come by in this season, even Napa cabbage.
To He Lingchuan, how was this any different from hotpot?
He sat down, swished a few slices of meat in the broth, and dipped them in the sauce. The first bite was savory and spicy—unexpectedly delicious.
He Yue kept his eyes fixed on him. Seeing him swish slice after slice without pausing his chopsticks, he looked distinctly disappointed. "Brother, how does it taste?"
"Great." He Lingchuan wolfed down the meat, his voice muffled around mouthfuls. "If you don't eat, there won't be any left."
"It isn't spicy?" The broths in the inner and outer rings looked almost identical, but the inner ring was packed with chili peppers. When He Yue had taken a sip earlier, he had nearly spat it right back out.
It was intensely numbing and fiery!
He Lingchuan had spotted the floating Sichuan peppercorns and chilies long before. What of it? It was just a super-simplified version of a spicy red broth, missing only that signature slick of red chili oil.
In his past life, whenever he had run out of money toward the end of the month, he could scarf down a whole bowl of rice with nothing but a jar of yellow lantern chili paste.
After coming to this world, he had hardly tasted any spice at all, and he still hadn't gotten used to it during his first half year.
In fact, he still wasn't used to it even now.
With that mouthful of familiar spice hitting his tongue, he nearly wanted to tilt his head back and roar at the sky.
On the surface, however, he kept his composure. "It's fine. Don't you think it has a great kick?"
"It does." Though his tongue stung, it was surprisingly invigorating. Apart from He Lingchuan, the other three members of the He family mostly dipped into the clear outer broth, only occasionally braving the spicy inner ring to avoid overwhelming their palates. "Pity I don't dare eat too much of it."
He Lingchuan put down his chopsticks, slipped outside for a moment, and returned carrying a large bowl, which he set on the table.
"Here. Whenever it gets too spicy, shove some into your mouth."
The three of them looked over. It was a large bowl of powdery snow!
Madam Ying asked with some concern, "Where did you dig that up?" If the rascal dared say he had scooped it off the ground, she would beat him until even she couldn't recognize him.
"From the trees in my courtyard." He Lingchuan wasn't stupid. "Renovations haven't started on my courtyard yet, so no dust has drifted over there. It's perfectly clean."
Only then did their minds rest at ease. They took spoons to scoop up some snow, and sure enough, it instantly dampened the fiery heat on their palates.
He Chunhua finally asked, "Any movement from the Li family today?"
"Yes." While swishing meat, He Lingchuan recounted how Li Shuang had come to bribe him.
"I've been to the Xiangpu Ji here in Dunyu." Madam Ying had the most say in such matters. "Their goods are decent. The shop assistants said crowds only surge around the changing of seasons and festivals—the year-end, Lantern Festival, Shangsi, the Winter Clothing Festival. The rest of the time, they just break even."
He Lingchuan said indignantly, "Trying to buy people off with that petty amount—who does he think he's looking down on?"
"Li Shuang hopes the authorities will delay taking his father into custody for a few days." He Chunhua took a sip of glutinous rice wine. "He wants to buy time for the Li clan to send word to the capital. Once Minister Li applies pressure from above, Li Rong might not have to be jailed at all."
"A clever calculation, but he takes everyone else for fools," He Yue said with a smile. "That kind of money must never be accepted." Otherwise, the Li clan would simply report it to the minister, exposing the new Chief Administrator of Xiazhou for taking bribes.
He Lingchuan took a bite of snow, savoring the cool, refreshing feeling in his mouth. "Li Rong's trip to the lockup is set in stone. Should we throw Li Zhi in there as well? It shouldn't be hard to find fault with him, and we could confiscate that hundred and fifty thousand taels of bail money while we're at it."
The moment he arrived in Dunyu, even a prodigal like him had come to feel the pinch of being strapped for cash.
"No rush," He Chunhua said leisurely. "Leaving him dangling in suspense, racked with worry day and night, is the only way to keep the Li clan cooperative. The front line demands money and grain, while we need men, and all of that hinges on the four great clans. They are the snake's head; if they don't step forward and yield ground, the smaller clans beneath them won't genuinely contribute."
Madam Ying chimed in, "How is the front line? Didn't the Xunzhou army break through Baichegang and march south? Could they attack Dunyu?"
"Not so soon. Dunyu is closer to Xiazhou's southern border than the north. Even without obstacles or ambushes, it would take Xunzhou cavalry riding hard a day and a night to reach Dunyu from Baichegang," He Yue replied. "That is precisely why the four great clans are still clutching their purse strings tight and refusing to cooperate."
Madam Ying fumed, "Disaster is at their doorstep, yet they still cling to their wretched money!"
"If Nian Zanli's main force ever advances toward Dunyu, they will simply evacuate south in advance. The flames of war won't touch them either way; at most, they'll lose some property."
He Yue sighed. "No matter the era, it is always the poor who suffer most."
"The Zhan clan was already thinking of leaving, but seeing me take office, they held back to see whether I can hold the line," He Chunhua said slowly. "These gentry calculate every penny, assuming that since a war is being fought on the front lines, the national treasury ought to supply the funds and grain. They think it has nothing to do with them, and they won't open their purses until the very last moment. It was like this in Qiansong Commandery, and it is like this in Xiazhou. The old spirit of 'Baichegang,' where soldiers and civilians stood as one, has long since vanished."
Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to expend so much effort reining in the Li clan.
Madam Ying glanced left and right. Seeing that the servants were all standing at a distance, she said softly, "It might sound improper to say, but I'm rather glad Old Master Li passed away when he did."
"If that old man were still around, the four great clans would be as hard to crack as a turtle shell," He Yue said with a chuckle. "Now, we can pick them off one by one."
Li Rong would soon be sent to the lockup.
A place like that—tsk. Although it was merely a temporary detention cell for suspects, the conditions were even worse than a regular prison. Filthy and squalid went without saying; people had been bitten by fleas in there, broken out in violent chills, and succumbed to the illness. Even if the Li clan greased the runners' palms, could Second Master Li, accustomed to fine clothes and rich food, endure such an environment?
Li Zhi was only out on bail awaiting trial. Two months later, when the case went to court, he would have to join his brother behind bars. To secure leniency, he would have to cooperate fully with Chief Administrator He. After all, he couldn't put all his eggs in Minister Li's basket; who knew what kind of temper Chief Administrator He had? What if he was entirely impervious to influence?
Then there was Li Shuang. His generational standing was too junior. Once both elders were imprisoned, if he wanted to seize power in the Li clan, he might well have to rely on official backing. Moreover, before Li Zhi went on trial, he would surely arrange his own successor—and that successor definitely could not come from Li Rong's line.
The sprawling Li clan would see plenty of drama over the next two or three months.
What He Chunhua feared most was their unity against outsiders. Things playing out as they did today was the ideal outcome.
Before that old man Li Zhao passed away, he had probably still been scheming about how to trade blows and wrestle for power with him, hadn't he?
Ha, naive.
How could he ever give the old man a chance to match wits with him?
"The enemy in the north is an enemy to all of Xiazhou," He Chunhua murmured thoughtfully. "There is much that can be made of that."
The Xunzhou army entering Xiazhou's territory was not merely a geographic development; it was a major breach in the psychological defenses of the people of Xiazhou.
Everyone, including the four great clans, felt a sense of crisis.
In danger lay opportunity; handled properly, danger could become an advantage.
He Yue's expression grew serious. "What are your thoughts, Father?"
He Chunhua spoke with absolute resolve: "I have just taken office. The first battle must be a victory!"
Whether he reformed domestic administration, reorganized the military, or disciplined a few prominent clans, no matter how grandly he acted, it would amount to nothing more than stirring up trouble in his own backyard.
In common parlance, acting tough at home.
At best, it would make the local gentry and prominent clans fear him without respecting him.
Only by facing an external power and winning could he, as the newly appointed Chief Administrator, truly establish a firm foothold and build authority in Xiazhou.
Only then could his subsequent plans unfold across the board.
This battle—this single victory—was far too crucial. It required meticulous planning.
"Xiazhou's troops are of mediocre caliber, whereas Nian Zanli's forces have spent years defending the north against demons, honed through relentless battle," He Chunhua said, shaking his head. "In a head-on confrontation, our chances of victory are slim."
Battles had to be fought step by step, just as food had to be eaten bite by bite; he was not discouraged.
If the Xiazhou troops were easy to lead, this lucrative post wouldn't have fallen into his lap in the first place, would it?
He Yue could not help saying, "The conscription orders have already gone out, but the response has been poor."
"Nobody wants to enlist and go to war; that isn't surprising. Conscription isn't something one can simply avoid because one wishes to." He Chunhua raised a brow slightly. "What concerns me is that the registered population differs vastly from the actual number of residents. This was especially glaring in Ru County. When I went there specifically to investigate, the registered households numbered only around fifteen hundred, but when I questioned the local elders, there were at least thirteen thousand people in Ru County. Then there is Guazhou: during the Fire-Leaping Festival last summer, the natural riverbed plaza in Guaxiang, which holds three thousand people, was packed to the brim. Yet the registered households in Guaxiang numbered only two hundred and thirty."
"A thousand tangled threads must be untangled one by one." Having eaten too much spice, his nose had turned red. He Chunhua wiped it with a towel. "We'll take it slowly. I only hope Heaven grants me a little more time."
He Lingchuan could not resist piping up, "Dad, is there anything I can do?"
He was growing bored out of his mind with nothing to do day in and day out.
"Good boy, you're growing sensible." He Chunhua patted his shoulder with gratification. "Don't rush. An opportunity will come soon enough."
Chapter 225