Chapter 237: County Magistrate of Heiye County

Chapter 237: The County Magistrate of Black Leaf County

The grain A Mu had stolen came cheaply to them; Meng Wan took two hundred jin of coarse rice and handed it to Manager Liang of the courier station, instructed him to give out porridge as charity the next day to build goodwill for the station and gain a good reputation.

During the day, he had paid double the price for the rice; though it wasn't refined rice, it was acceptable, so he chalked it up as a small loss.

As for the remaining five cartloads of grain, Meng Wan had Lei Bao take two carts back to the Yao people's camp to distribute among his brothers at Fengtong Village.

Using stolen goods to benefit himself—these were bait to show the Fengtong villagers his capabilities.

The other half was taken directly to the county office, where he had Na Tuo release Magistrate Li imprisoned in the dungeon.

"Could we first let the brothers from our villages withdraw from Black Leaf County, and then I'll stay and go with you to meet Magistrate Li?" Na Tuo asked Meng Wan.

He had realized things were not as simple as he had imagined. The three villages—Zhuang, Yao, and Miao—had long been subdued by the Yu Kingdom; they were insignificant to the imperial court, no more than a large band of outlaws.

This time they had taken Black Leaf County by surprise. If they held out any longer, they might bring disaster to all the Yao people in Xi Wu Prefecture.

Na Tuo looked resolute. "If the magistrate wants to kill or punish, let it all fall on me. I was the one who messed up; my Yao brothers are innocent."

Na Tuo might be simple-minded, but he was loyal to his friends. Meng Wan looked at him approvingly. "Since you're worried, have them take the grain and withdraw first."

Further words were useless; no matter how much Meng Wan reassured him, Na Tuo wouldn't be at ease. Only by having all the Yao people withdraw from the county could Na Tuo feel safe going with him to see Li Sui'an.

Na Tuo was a straightforward man; he didn't play games with Meng Wan. He immediately had Lei Bao and the others lead their villagers out of the city.

"Wait for me. Once I see them off, I'll come find you. The idea to attack the city was mine; if anyone dies, I'll be the first."

"I'll go with you to the county office too!"

"Don't leave me out, Na Tuo! Wait for us!"

"Right! Wait for us!"

Na Tuo outwardly agreed with Lei Bao and the others, but as soon as they left, he hurried with Meng Wan to the county office without delay.

"How dare you!"

"Imprisoning an imperial official—even with nine heads, you wouldn't escape punishment."

Li Sui'an, the county magistrate of Black Leaf County, gesticulated in his crumpled official robe, his graying beard a mess on his face. He was furious, his complexion sallow—clearly his three days in the dungeon had been hard.

"Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law! Stop scolding and look over there," Zhang Baolin whispered beside him.

Li Sui'an didn't yet know that his brother-in-law had been out enjoying himself these three days, even mingling with the group that had imprisoned him. If not for his wife's nagging, he would have long despised Zhang Baolin.

He snapped impatiently, "Look at what? Arrest them all at once! These barbarians! I will put them to severe torture and then submit a memorial to the imperial court!"

"Oh, what grand airs Lord Li puts on!" Meng Wan said sarcastically.

Li Sui'an just wanted to go home, wash up, and sleep soundly in his comfortable bed. Then he would write to the prefect and have the garrison troops arrest all those savages.

He turned his head and first saw Meng Wan, who seemed to glow white in the night. "Who are you? A young unmarried man out at midnight in the county office? Go home at once!"

After scolding Meng Wan, he suddenly saw Na Tuo standing like a wooden post beside him. Terrified and angry, fearing being thrown back into the dungeon, he shouted, "Someone! Quickly, arrest this Yao barbarian and throw him in jail!"

As the yamen runners surrounded them, Na Tuo's tense face relaxed. Let his own life buy peace for his Yao village.

"I am the master of the Shi Jian Courier Station. My home is a bit far, in the prefectural city. How about seeing me off, Lord Li?" Meng Wan stepped forward a couple of paces, standing in front of Na Tuo, speaking with a half-smile at Li Sui'an.

"The master of Shi Jian Courier Station?" Li Sui'an felt the name was familiar. After a moment of thought, he suddenly realized—wasn't Shi Jian Courier Station run by the prefect's husband!

His brother-in-law Zhang Baolin had seen him before. Li Sui'an turned his head and saw Zhang Baolin signaling him frantically, his eyes nearly popping out.

Realizing what he had just said, Li Sui'an shuddered. He made a deep bow with clasped hands.

"This subordinate pays respects to Meng Fulang. Forgive me, Meng Fulang. I am old and have been in the dungeon for days, tormented by those Yao men. My vision was blurred; I failed to recognize you."

Meng Wan laughed cheerfully. "Oh, Magistrate Li, you sure talk a good game. It's clearly your fault, yet you have the nerve to play the victim here?"

Though he was smiling, everyone could see the coldness in his eyes. Li Sui'an thought Meng Wan was upset about his earlier rude words, but Zhang Baolin knew Meng Wan was annoyed by his brother-in-law's incompetence as an official.

He poked Li Sui'an quietly, hoping to make him behave properly. Seeing him still grinning shamelessly, he poked him a second time.

Li Sui'an couldn't hold back. "What are you doing!"

"It seems Lord Li has a different opinion on what I said?" Meng Wan shot a cold glare, and Li Sui'an actually met his gaze.

"Meng Fulang, you said to release these Yao men? Please forgive me, but I cannot comply. They imprisoned me for three days! They occupied the county office, locked up the yamen runners, and controlled the city gates, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving. I will definitely report them to the prefect's desk! To the Court of Judicial Review! To the Imperial Court in Shengjing!" Li Sui'an's voice grew louder, as if he had suffered great injustice.

Meng Wan clapped his hands nonchalantly, nodding in approval. "Fine! Lord Li, go write that memorial now. Write about how, as a neighbor of Fengtong Village, you knew about the serious internal conflict among the Yao but didn't report it to the prefectural city. Then write about how, utterly unprepared, you let a mere six hundred Yao men overrun the county, terrifying the people and allowing grain prices to soar."

"That memorial should reach my husband's desk in a few days, right? No need to go all the way to the Court of Judicial Review; at the fastest, a new county magistrate for Black Leaf County will replace you within a month. By then, you'll be imprisoned and your property confiscated."

"Oh, and one more thing," Meng Wan added kindly. "After writing the memorial, Lord Li, be sure to remind your wife to pack up any valuable items and hide them well. Otherwise, you might not even have the silver for a simple coffin."

Li Sui'an couldn't get a word in. With each sentence from Meng Wan, his face turned paler. By the time Meng Wan mentioned the coffin, he flopped onto the ground, utterly disheveled, pathetically trying to grab Meng Wan's leg.

Xue Sheng stepped forward. Seeing his fragile state, he didn't use force but pushed him aside with his foot. "How dare you!"

Meng Wan bent down slightly, his face regaining a smile. "Magistrate Li means well, but you were too rash. It's good that you just returned from inspecting the dungeon—you should rest at home for a few days."

He pointed to the three carts of grain outside the county office. "The Yao people have also left three carts of grain as a sign of friendship for the people. Please, Your Honor, set up a porridge stall tomorrow to feed the poor in and out of the city."

Li Sui'an was utterly terrified. At his age, he no longer sought promotion, but at least he wanted to retire with his head still on.

"Yes, yes. Tomorrow, I... no, today I will have a stall set up. Porridge will be distributed at dawn."

"Lord Li is always reliable. Then I'll take Na Tuo with me?" Meng Wan asked tentatively.

Li Sui'an's face was bitter, wrinkles all bunched together. "Na Tuo is a free man; he may go wherever he wishes."

Meng Wan's expression went cold as he turned away. What kind of "parent official" is this?

Then again, Lingnan being remote, the imperial court was reluctant to exile truly talented scholars to Lingnan. Any truly capable person wouldn't have stayed as county magistrate for decades. Stuck in the same post for decades, with no real skill, they'd turned into seasoned old loafers who dodged all responsibility.

When even the roots are rotten, you can't just guide it along—you have to uproot the rotten vegetation entirely and plant something new.

Meng Wan returned to the courier station and fetched his two carriages, without disturbing the workers in the back warehouse. He told only Manager Liang.

"Let's go. Catch up to Lei Bao and the others quickly, or those big fools might go back to the county office to surrender."

They traveled by night. The only pity was that the two children had to sleep in the carriage; A Yan fell asleep the moment his head touched the pillow.

Na Tuo held his tongue for a long time, then finally asked, "Why was that county magistrate so polite to you?"

At this point, Meng Wan no longer needed to deceive Na Tuo. He took a palm-sized jade token from his chest. "See this? It's the official medallion of the Xi Wu Prefect."

Na Tuo was illiterate and didn't know what the token was for, but he had heard the term "prefect" from Li Sui'an and knew that was a much higher official.

"You're the magistrate's husband!"

He was surprisingly quick to catch on for once, and Meng Wan nodded in acknowledgment. "Yes, but don't tell anyone else for now."

Na Tuo didn't quite understand. "You're on the same side as the officials, so why didn't you just let them arrest me earlier? And why did you let Lei Bao and the others go?"

Meng Wan had Huang Ye and A Xun look after A Yan inside the carriage while he sat on the driver's seat of the cart and spoke to Na Tuo, who was riding on horseback beside him. "Because from your very first sentence, you were wrong. I never side with the officials—I stand with the common people. Now that I live in Yu, I am a citizen of Yu, and you and Lei Bao are the same. We belong to the same nation. Arresting you would do me no good at all; on the contrary, it would break the hearts of the Zhuang and Miao people."

Na Tuo only half understood Meng Wan's words, but he could sense the sincerity behind them. This young man was genuinely trying to help the Yao people, and he decided to trust him.

"Will you come back to Fengtong Village with me?"

Meng Wan shook his head. "No, we have to go to Yanlin Village first. I promised Lan Duo I would help rescue the Yao people of Pingtian Village."

Hearing this, Na Tuo's admiration for Meng Wan grew even more. Without hesitation, he said, "I can help too."

Meng Wan was in dire need of extra hands. He pulled a bottle of fruit juice from the carriage and tossed it to Na Tuo. "Thanks a lot, then."

"For me?" Na Tuo caught the beautiful glass bottle, surprised and flattered. Beneath the delicate bamboo weave, the slender bottle held a golden liquid that looked incredibly tempting.

Seeing Na Tuo's look of pure admiration as he gripped the bottle with one hand, reluctant to drink it, Meng Wan urged, "The juice inside won't keep long. Drink it up—this is from my family's workshop. Next time you come, I'll give you a few more cases."

Na Tuo, a burly and sturdy man, was really moved by a simple bottle of juice. Why hadn't he thought of that earlier? If he had just hauled a few carts of bottled juice to the Yao village, he would have been welcomed with open arms by the entire tribe!

Meng Wan climbed back into the carriage, lay down on his pillow, and tried to rest, though his mind was cluttered with various thoughts, making sleep uneasy.

Along the way, they regrouped with Lei Bao and the others. These headmen were indeed loyal—after settling their people, they had actually turned back to look for Na Tuo. If they hadn't run into them on the road, they would have had to go all the way back to Heiye County to rescue him again.

"You can't all go with me to Pingtian Village. At least half of the headmen need to return to Fengtong Village to take charge of matters," Meng Wan said the next morning before they set off again, addressing Lei Bao and the others.

Lei Bao was confused. "Why? Aren't you going to Pingtian Village to save people? Wouldn't more people make things easier?"

Meng Wan explained it clearly to them. "I'm guessing that the people from Yanlin Village who incited you to attack the county were hoping you'd fight until both sides are worn down with the Heiye County officials—or better yet, have the officials deal with you. Then they could take over Fengtong Village in one fell swoop. By now, their people might already be on their way to your village."

"What!"

"Then we have to go back!"

"We can't be away—there are no headmen in the village!"

The men exclaimed in shock, and even Na Tuo looked uneasy.

Clearly, the Yao villagers had no experience with long journeys and hadn't prepared any food or drink. Fortunately, Meng Wan had left them three carts of grain, so they were now resting and cooking porridge.

Huang Ye borrowed two ladles from the group, but since the Yao people were far too many, there were no bowls to go around—they used large leaves from the roadside to serve their porridge.

Meng Wan ate the drop soup Huang Ye had made from a small bowl. "Don't worry. Fengtong Village is a big settlement, so Yanlin Village surely never expected you to take the county with just six hundred men. And remember when A Mu went to steal the grain?"

Na Tuo and the others nodded in unison.

A Yan sat beside Meng Wan, who spooned the egg white from his own bowl and gave it to him. "That was probably instigated by Yanlin Village. They were worried about running out of food on the march to attack Fengtong Village, so they convinced you to raid the county and had A Mu deliver the grain. Since the grain never arrived, they won't bring a large force, or they'll have to find another way to secure food before attacking your village. So for now, there's no need to worry."

Hearing this, Na Tuo and the others relaxed considerably.

Na Tuo began instructing his fellow headmen. "Lei Bao, Dongshan, Shipan… all of you go back to the village. If the people from Yanlin Village show up, fight them!"

Meng Wan nearly choked on his hot soup. "No, no, no—don't fight."

Everyone turned to look at him.

Meng Wan wolfed down the food in his bowl, then wiped A Yan's mouth with a handkerchief.

"If they try to storm the village, sit outside and weep. Call them out for using your wives and children as leverage, and say you can't fight back because you're afraid they'll kill the elderly, women, and children at Fengtong Village."

"And until Na Tuo gets back, don't go out of the village to face them directly, understand?"