Chapter 153 Entering the Mountains

Chapter 153: Into the Mountains

Lin Congrong's expression was as calm as water, and naturally someone from the Lin family's connections stepped forward to refute in a measured tone, "The local villagers don't even have fields to till; how can they afford to buy land when they can barely feed themselves?"

This man held an official rank of fourth rank. Wu Wei disdained to argue with him, and instead had his followers speak in accordance with his wishes.

"Your Majesty, the reason the Lingnan region is barren is that most of the mountain stockade villagers are unruly, fierce in custom, and resistant to civilizing influence. The shortage of farmland is only one factor; if we distribute land to them evenly, it will only further encourage their wild nature."

"Your Majesty, I second the proposal."

"Your Majesty..."

After several rounds of debate, Lin Congrong finally spoke up: "Your Majesty, perhaps we could reach a compromise. The people face difficulties in reclaiming wasteland, but taxes must still be collected. Grant the farmers of Heshan County a three-year reprieve, and begin levying taxes after that period."

Unexpectedly, Gou Zhengfang of the Censorate also stepped forward from the very front: "Your Majesty, I believe Lord Lin's reasoning is sound. Since Lord Wu says that all land under heaven is the emperor's land, then under that emperor's land are all the emperor's subjects. Your Majesty has always been benevolent and magnanimous—how could you mistreat your own people?"

Truly a master of rhetoric; once he said this, who with any sense would dare to contradict him? Even Wu Wei fell silent.

The emperor on the throne, his gaze exuding inscrutable authority, swept over the ministers below, as if seeing through everything, but held back. After a long silence so profound that you could hear a pin drop, he slightly lowered his chin and said in a deep, solemn voice: "Approved."

——

On the twenty-second day of the third month, a courier traveling day and night delivered the court's dispatched documents to Song Tingzhou's desk, but by this time the county magistrate—who had already tossed aside his crutch—was not in the county office.

Chief Clerk Qiao, who had recently been buried in work at the Chief Clerk's office, had grown quite pale. Upon receiving the official document, he immediately rode out to the nearest village to find Song Tingzhou, who was laboring in the fields.

At that time, Song Tingzhou was leading the villagers in reclaiming wasteland. In truth, there was hardly any wasteland left to reclaim in Heshan. The villages near the county town could still scrape together a dozen mu of wasteland, but most of Heshan's villages were surrounded by mountains or crisscrossed with rivers; reclaimable wasteland was scarce, far from enough to distribute among the villagers.

Song Tingzhou stood at the foot of a repaired terrace on the mountainside, dressed in coarse cloth work clothes, feeling the ridges he had personally built with stones, and explained to the dozens of village heads he had gathered: "When building terraced fields, look for places with good soil suitable for cultivation, preferably near mountain springs or water sources for irrigation. The ridges must be built solidly, or they will collapse if a flood comes from the mountains. This concerns your family's food supply, so you must make it clear to the villagers when you return."

A middle-aged village head, with solid muscles and a booming voice, patted his chest to guarantee: "Rest assured, Your Honor, we won't be careless." Having lived in the village for so many years, only a few had ever seen a county magistrate. When first called, they were reluctant and even fearful, not knowing what this new magistrate intended. In their eyes, the county magistrate was important but seemed more like a figure in operas; it was the landlords who truly exerted pressure on them.

Later, seeing with their own eyes that Song Tingzhou had no official airs, and though his expression was stern, he patiently taught them step by step to clear rocks and weeds, gradually turning low hills into fields, a feeling of sincere admiration arose from within.

Song Tingzhou looked down and patted the wet soil on his trouser legs. "That's good." To be a village head, one must at least be the most authoritative person in the village, able to rally the villagers.

He was about to say more when Chief Clerk Qiao's shout came from the path at the foot of the mountain: "Your Honor! Your Honor! The court's official document has arrived!"

Song Tingzhou's heart clenched. Even though he had sent a letter to Lin Congrong several days before arriving in Heshan County, he still feared many unforeseen events: what if the letter hadn't reached Lin Congrong, or if the other party hadn't grasped the meaning between his lines? Would Minister of Rites Wu Wei, being narrow-minded, remember this insignificant figure and throw a wrench in his plans?

He had been inspired by Meng Wan's words and had begun teaching the villagers to build terraced fields. If that didn't work, he would have to rely on his authority as magistrate to think of other measures. After all, Wan'er's side was progressing smoothly; the villagers of Hongshan and Hongni had been stabilized.

Thinking of this, Song Tingzhou slowed his pace considerably and tried to make his tone as calm as usual. "Did you bring the official document?" he asked Chief Clerk Qiao.

Chief Clerk Qiao took out the document wrapped in cloth from his bosom. "I've brought it. Please take a look, Your Honor." He handed it to Song Tingzhou, quietly observing his attire, and couldn't help but feel admiration in his heart.

They all say one is like a father to the people, another understands the people's hardships, but in reality, they all put on official airs. Which county magistrate could do as his lord did—personally working in the fields and teaching villagers to reclaim wasteland? It was pretty much unheard of.

After receiving the document, Song Tingzhou quickly scanned it. Only after obtaining the desired result did he let out a sigh of relief, and then began to examine it carefully.

Since most of the village heads of Heshan County were present, he simply informed them of this news first.

Three years of tax exemption—the village heads became even more excited. They couldn't think far ahead, but in the near term, if they acted quickly, they could still make this year's harvest. And since they wouldn't have to pay land tax, only the poll tax, they might even save some grain to exchange for copper coins.

Everyone happily brought the news back to their villages. Song Tingzhou returned to the county office and, without time to wash up, first had Chief Clerk Qiao draft a notice so he could stamp it with his official seal, then had the runners put it up on the wall outside the county office.

After doing all this, Song Tingzhou finally returned to the rear office to wash up and change clothes.

The new residence behind the county office was not yet finished, but the two small courtyards on the open ground between it and the Miao family were almost built. The Miao family had a lot of people and kids; as the kids got older, they each needed their own room, so Meng Wan had given them the two-entrance courtyard to live in.

Their own belongings were stored in one of the small courtyards in the middle. Chang Jinhua had been going over to organize things whenever she had free time these days, but most of the time she was at home making children's clothes and quilts. At the moment, she was taking down the dried laundry with Bi Yun.

It rained a lot in Heshan; on a rare sunny day, the first thing was to air out clothes and bedding.

Seeing that Song Tingzhou's sleeves and trouser legs were covered in mud, Xue Sheng immediately went to the kitchen to heat water for him.

Meng Wan came out wearing loose clothing, a style Song Tingzhou had never seen before. The top was a blue long-sleeved jacket with front buttons, but unlike the wide and long beizi, this top was just long enough to cover the crotch. The lower garment was a pair of loose trousers, uniform in width from top to bottom, looking like a skirt or pants when walking, appearing comfortable and cool.

Seeing him examining, Meng Wan spread his arms so he could get a good look. "What do you think? Mother made them new for me."

Song Tingzhou nodded approvingly. "Not bad."

Taking all the clothes in his hands into the house to be folded later. Chang Jinhua said, "Wan'er said he wanted clothes and trousers that are easy to move in, so I made two sets following his instructions. I gotta say, they look really sharp. Tomorrow I'll make some like that for Bi Yun and myself."

Wearing trousers, Meng Wan felt comfortable no matter how he sat or stood. He followed Song Tingzhou into the room, hearing him say: "The court's official document has arrived. For the next three years, the people of Heshan can reclaim wasteland tax-free for three years."

Meng Wan opened the wardrobe to find a change of clothes for Song Tingzhou. "That's reasonable. All dynasties have had such provisions. The people will actively reclaim land for their fields. I'll rent land and stimulate some livelihood. We'll see how next year goes. But there's no rush; we have three years to plan slowly."

Song Tingzhou took the bathtub out from the corner. Hearing his words, his movements paused almost imperceptibly. "Are you really going to go with me to Hongshan Village? How about I go alone? It'd be enough to just bring Qin Jiao."

"No, you have your official business, I have my personal matters. They must not be mixed together, lest we leave any leverage for others to harm your official career. We must be cautious in everything." Meng Wan was now nearly four months along; he was young and healthy, and had been well cared for recently, with no major reactions. Moreover, everything is difficult at the start; he would have to watch carefully to feel at ease. Otherwise, with six hundred mu of land and seven or eight hills, he dared not slack off.

Seeing that he couldn't persuade him, Song Tingzhou stopped trying. After all, he also had to go to the villages to inspect the people's livelihood, so it would be fine to go with Meng Wan and keep an eye on him.

After his bath, he changed into casual home clothes and began packing luggage with Meng Wan.

They too had grown up in small villages, knowing that bringing too much silver was useless; rice, flour, and grains were the most practical. Bedding and pillows, toiletries, change of clothes, and finally a few bags of polished rice and a jar of lard that Chang Jinhua had rendered.

"Don't bring Xue Sheng. Only Mother and Bi Yun will be left at home; someone should stay to keep an eye on things." Meng Wan sat on the bed packing clothes, watching Song Tingzhou bustling around the room.

Song Tingzhou emptied the bathtub and scrubbed it clean. By the end of March in Heshan, the climate was already similar to May in their hometown of Changping. Meng Wan liked to be clean and bathed every day, so it was convenient to bring his own bathtub.

Hearing Meng Wan's words, he disagreed: "Xue Sheng stays home, but Bi Yun should still go with you. Otherwise, you won't have anyone capable by your side, which will be inconvenient."

Meng Wan thought for a moment. "You're right. You will have to return to the county office midway. If we're not together then, I'll need someone by my side when I come and go. Bi Yun coming along is good."

Early the next morning, the family hitched the cart. Meng Wan asked Chang Jinhua, "Mother, are you sure you won't come with us? Then only you, Chu Ci, and Xue Sheng will be at home."

Chang Jinhua was resolute. "You both are going to do serious work. It's not far away. Why would I go and make trouble?"

Meng Wan walked to the door and got onto the carriage. "Then we're off. If you get bored at home, have Xue Sheng hitch the cart and come find us. It's a three-day journey to Hongshan Village."

Chang Jinhua pulled Chu Ci out to see them off. "You be careful outside. Don't push yourself too hard and get tired."

Meng Wan stuck his hand out of the carriage window and waved. "I know!"

The old woman, the child, and Xue Sheng watched the carriage fade into the distance. Chang Jinhua murmured, "Let's head inside. Without Da Lang around, cooking will be way easier."

The carriage traveled for less than two days and arrived at Luyun Town. The road was relatively flat. The runner leading the way was the fourth Tao brother, who'd been in a lawsuit with the Tong family before. His family had eleven brothers; besides the eldest, second, and third who remained in the village, the other eight had all filled positions as runners in the county yamen.

After drinking a few sips of water, Meng Wan recovered somewhat. He now finally understood how Chang Jinhua and Qin Jiao looked half-dead when they got seasick.

"Since it's just ahead, I won't get back in the cart. Let's walk into the village."

Song Tingzhou felt so bad for him; if he weren't afraid of bumping his belly, he would have carried him into the village. How could he refuse such a small request?

Tao Si led his brothers into the village first to notify the village head to prepare a place for Song Tingzhou and Meng Wan to stay temporarily. Qin Jiao slowly drove the ox cart behind the couple, watching them talk from time to time, their posture intimate and inseparable, as if there was no room for anyone else.

As they walked, Meng Wan pointed at the mountain ridge in the village and said to Song Tingzhou, "Look at the terrain of Red Mountain Village. This peak here is too high and steep, not suitable for planting crops. But this one over there is just right, though it's covered in lush vegetation, with many trees. If we want to clear it, it'll be quite a major undertaking."

Song Tingzhou looked at the tall mountain Meng Wan had pointed out, seeing another side. "This mountain is indeed too steep, with two large gullies that can easily accumulate falling rocks. During the rainy season, the falling rocks and broken stones might be washed down, endangering the nearby fields, houses, and villagers."

Meng Wan nodded in agreement. "Then we should plant more trees, which can help hold back some of the mountain floodwaters and debris."

"Exactly. We also need to clear the weathered and broken rocks." Song Tingzhou thought about settling Meng Wan in first, then having the village head organize people to clear the rocks, and planting trees in the spring when all things come back to life.

Every household in Red Mountain Village was built against the mountain. The houses were all wooden, with no courtyard walls, only bamboo fences.

As they walked into the village, the village head, who had just returned home the day before, came to meet them with a few strong men from the village.

These honest village folk, upon hearing that Song Tingzhou was the County Magistrate who had told their village head to build terraced fields, were curious and respectful. They tried to kneel and bow to Song Tingzhou, but he stopped them. Then they eagerly helped them settle in, carrying luggage down from the ox cart.

Only the village head's house had greenish-gray tiles on the roof. Except for the Tong family, all other households had thatched roofs.

The village head had many children and grandchildren. To free up a room for Song Tingzhou, Meng Wan, and the others, everyone squeezed together a bit more, leaving one room empty. Bi Yun shared a room with a few of the village head’s young sons, while Qin Jiao went to stay with the Tao brothers at their home.

Meng Wan thought to himself that they would be staying for a while, and it was inconvenient to always be squeezed in. It would be best to build two more rooms, or if there were any abandoned houses, they could refurbish them quickly.