Because the monarch had also sent gifts, dignitaries from the capital sent representatives even if they did not attend in person.
Likewise, those able to come here for the Jeweled Tree King's jubilee were all dignitaries from various regions.
He Lingchuan scratched his head. The Jeweled Tree Kingdom certainly had a great many "dignitaries." He recalled his father's prefecture; from top to bottom, officials and clerks combined probably numbered under thirty, each working at full capacity.
Nothing could be done about it—they were poor.
Though recruitment would surely expand later.
Right now, there were over nine thousand officials here. He could hardly imagine how many officials and clerks each prefecture in the Jeweled Tree Kingdom had, let alone the commanderies, counties, and townships.
Moreover, the vast majority here were humans, every one of them smartly dressed.
Evidently, when it came to governing localities and handling administrative affairs, humans were still the most adept.
After sitting down, Second Master Shi began chatting with the distinguished guests around them.
Those permitted entry here belonged to either officialdom or the business world; making one more friend meant one more avenue in the future.
He Lingchuan lifted his cup and took a sip of tea. It moistened his throat and generated a sweet aftertaste, rivaling the Jasmine Dragon Pearls given to him by the Marquis of Songyang. It must have cost a pretty penny.
Jasmine Dragon Pearls was premium private tea gifted by the Marquis of Songyang, yet the tea served here was provided to every single guest.
Beside him, two officials were talking. "This is tea from our Wuqing, known as mist tea."
"I know. I'm from Ganzhou Prefecture. Several million jin of mist tea are sold abroad every year, though of course not of this high a grade."
"Oh, what a coincidence! I'm from Ganzhou Prefecture too!"
The two exchanged pleasantries and gossiped about their chief officials.
He Lingchuan popped a crispy broad bean into his mouth and asked them, "You're from the same prefecture, yet you didn't know each other?"
An official said, "From the way you ask, you don't seem to be from the Jeweled Tree Kingdom?"
He Lingchuan smiled. "Indeed, I'm not."
"I'm from the Northern Office of Ganzhou."
The other said, "I'm from the Southern Office of Ganzhou. We're fifty li apart and usually don't work in the same place. How could we know each other?"
"A single prefecture is divided into north and south?" He Lingchuan was slightly surprised. "May I ask how many people are in the northern and southern offices?"
"Our Northern Office has an authorized quota of three thousand three hundred and twenty."
"The Southern Office has fewer, around twenty-eight hundred."
So Ganzhou Prefecture had over six thousand one hundred officials in total? With his limited experience, He Lingchuan could not help clicking his tongue. "How many commanderies are under Ganzhou?"
"Eight commanderies and a hundred and two counties." The official sighed. "The trivial affairs pile up like mountains; not a day goes by where we can finish them all."
He Lingchuan made a quick calculation. Xiazhou governed six commanderies with a total of ninety-eight counties. Yet the number of officials in the Xiazhou prefectural administration did not even amount to one percent of Ganzhou Prefecture's in the Jeweled Tree Kingdom!
Seeing He Lingchuan's shock, the other official cleared his throat lightly. "Ganzhou is considered small. Zizhou even has Eastern and Western offices."
A single prefecture was so large it had to be split into northern, southern, eastern, and western offices? "Zizhou has over ten thousand officials?"
"Naturally," the official said with a smile. "Whenever New Year provisions are distributed, Zizhou is always the liveliest. If you queue up late, you have to wait from morning till night."
He Lingchuan's eyes shifted. "Since there's so much work, do the prefectures hire extra hands on assignment?"
The so-called "assigned hands" meant outsourcing.
The Xiazhou prefectural office only had thirty-odd officials and clerks. Even when He Chunhua dragged his younger son in to volunteer, there was still far too much paperwork to handle. As a result, non-confidential tasks were outsourced—the prefectural government spent money hiring outsiders to do them.
These people drew no official stipend, being supplementary labor hired by the prefecture; even runners and carriage drivers were paid this way.
This practice had not been invented by He Chunhua; it had existed long before.
Outsourced workers naturally earned far less than those on the official payroll.
The official nodded. "Of course we do. Without those extra hands, how could the work ever get done?"
Administrative work was outsourced, yet the prefecture still supported over six thousand official personnel? As He Lingchuan was marveling, the man looked at him askance. "Does little brother have some grand insight?"
He Lingchuan chuckled. "I was just marveling at your country's abundant treasures and talent. Running such a vast realm is no easy feat, yet the populace remains so affluent." The Jeweled Tree Kingdom was prosperous; otherwise, how could it support so many officials?
An official did not work as a lone commander. They had to be provided with subordinates, food and drink, and carriages and horses when traveling.
Firewood and charcoal in winter, iced drinks in summer; if not given in kind, they had to be converted into silver.
A whole staff incurred expenses at every turn.
The two resumed their chat. Second Master Shi tugged He Lingchuan's sleeve and lowered his voice:
"I once had business in Ganzhou Prefecture. For a private matter smaller than a fart, I had to get twelve stamps from start to finish. Heh, a specialty of the Jeweled Tree Kingdom. Routine matters are processed quickly, but anything out of the ordinary drags on endlessly!"
He Lingchuan asked curiously, "Other demon kingdoms aren't like this?"
"I've been to nine demon kingdoms in total." Second Master Shi shook his head. "The Jeweled Tree Kingdom has the most government personnel by far. In any case, they can afford it, so no one else needs to worry their heads over it."
He Lingchuan had sharp eyesight. From a distance, he spotted Grand Preceptor Sha standing in the main hall with a solemn expression, conversing with someone.
The covered veranda was built along the lake. Once seated, He Lingchuan only had to lean forward slightly to be poised directly over the water.
Looking down from his vantage point, the lake water was crystal clear. One could almost see the intertwined roots on the lake bed, where countless fish and shrimp sheltered in peaceful harmony.
He Lingchuan gazed at the colossal tree in the lake.
In other words, its root system had firmly locked down the entire lake bed without leaving a single gap?
How did such a silent sacred tree converse with people on ordinary days?
He Lingchuan was even more curious about how the Jeweled Tree King fought enemies.
The Thirteen Demon Kings of Beijia were all renowned great demons who had risen by strength. As the oldest among them, the Jeweled Tree King must possess extraordinary methods to maintain long-lasting peace and stability in this kingdom.
Just then, the usher was announcing the arriving envoys: one moment it was "The envoy of the Xuluo Kingdom arrives," the next it was "The envoy of the Chiyan Kingdom arrives." He Lingchuan listened with keen interest.
For the Jeweled Tree King's jubilee, the other demon kingdoms had all dispatched envoys to offer congratulations. It was said that the envoy from Xuluo Kingdom, located in the northwest of Beijia, had set out forty days earlier to arrive on time.
Among the envoys from each nation, some were humans and others were demons, but they generally looked dignified and imposing. After all, as ambassadors representing their nation's stature, they could not appear weak in bearing.
That was how demon kingdoms were: a walk down the thoroughfare could bring you face-to-face with all sorts of strange creatures.
When He Lingchuan turned his head, he happened to hear the usher shout, "The envoy of the Shanyu Kingdom arrives!" Subconsciously glancing over, his gaze narrowed:
Among the delegation from Shanyu Kingdom, there was actually a giant white python!
Its body was snow-white with ringed markings, striking to behold.
Yet this python bore quite a resemblance to the deputy envoy of Eling Kingdom, the one slain by Fu Shan.
No wonder he had almost mistaken it.
He Lingchuan found the demon king of Shanyu Kingdom rather amusing: while the realm was famous for producing birds of prey, a serpent demon had been appointed as envoy.
Of course, this giant python looked perfectly healthy; evidently Fu Shan had not yet gone after it.
After presenting their gifts, the delegation took their seats in the rear hall. He Lingchuan distinctly noticed they were surrounded by more guards.
After receiving intel from him, the authorities had intensified their search for Fu Shan on one hand, and certainly bolstered protection for Shanyu Kingdom's envoys on the other.
If an allied envoy were assassinated on their territory during the Jeweled Tree King's eight-hundredth jubilee, it would be an utter humiliation.
Right now, Baiyun Residence appeared festive and joyful, but in truth security was airtight. If anyone dared to stir up trouble here, they would likely be hacked into mincemeat in an instant.
He Lingchuan had not encountered anyone from the Grand Preceptor's Manor all day, so he did not know whether Fu Shan had been captured.
Yet in his heart, he had a feeling that the fellow was as resilient as a cockroach and would not be caught so easily.
Naturally, his attention was now focused on the giant tree; security was someone else's headache.
Nearby, officials were constantly chatting about local and bureaucratic trivialities. He had not been listening closely, but then two of them mentioned a familiar name:
Hong Chenglüe.
He Lingchuan's interest was piqued. Stepping closer, he cupped his hands. "Are you gentlemen speaking of General Hong?"
"We are." The two looked back to see a youth of seventeen or eighteen, unfamiliar to them. "And you are?"
He Lingchuan produced his token. "I came from the Grand Preceptor's Manor to attend the ceremony."
Their attitude instantly turned warm. "Pardon our lack of deference!"
What He Lingchuan showed was the silver-inscribed plaque specifically crafted by the Grand Preceptor's Manor for this ceremony. It was both a transit pass and an invitation; anyone who received it was a distinguished guest of the manor.
"My family has ties with General Hong. I heard he came out of retirement after many years to fight in the Yuan Kingdom. May I ask how General Hong is doing lately?"
"That's exactly what we were discussing," an official said. "Hong Chenglüe was reinstated by National Preceptor Shuangye to support that surrendered general on the Yuan Kingdom's northern front. What was his name again, er, Xun..."
"Governor of Xunzhou, Nian Zanli?"
"Right, right, Nian Zanli!" The official nodded repeatedly. "They say the enemy was thoroughly routed in that riverbank battle, with the Yuan army suffering over thirty thousand casualties."
Nian Zanli had unleashed that monstrous flood, washing away Zhao Pan's military camp and destroying the Yuan army's morale; it would have been strange if they hadn't lost. Even now, He Lingchuan could not fathom how such a heaven-defying feat had been accomplished.
That had gone far beyond human capability. If battles could all be fought like that, wouldn't Beijia be invincible and without rival across the world?
His throat felt a bit dry, and he gave a slight cough. "And then?"
"The Yuan Kingdom was probably scared out of their wits. They sent envoys to negotiate peace with Nian Zanli, but that man Nian executed every envoy they sent," the official said. "I heard fighting has also broken out in western Yuan. They're pressed on both fronts."
"How far has Nian Zanli advanced now?" Remembering the new home Madam Ying had meticulously arranged, He Lingchuan's heart tightened. "How far is he from Dunyu, the capital of Xiazhou?"
"You know Xiazhou's capital?"
"Yes," He Lingchuan nodded. "I went there once with my family. It's a nice place."
Zhao Pan, as commander-in-chief, had to take the blame for the devastating defeat at the Han River, but He Chunhua had also been on the frontline back then, leading the elite forces of Xiazhou Prefecture.
When victorious, everything went smoothly; but in defeat... in defeat, everything turned against you.
The foundation He Chunhua had built earlier and the prestige he had painstakingly established among the soldiers and civilians of Xiazhou would inevitably suffer heavy blows.
Recruiting soldiers, collecting grain, raising money—every task would become that much harder.
Of course, what was most terrifying was the iron hooves of the northern enemy steadily encroaching upon the territory of this Chief Administrator of Xiazhou.
Under such circumstances, what could He Chunhua do to defend southern Xiazhou and hold Dunyu?
Chapter 388