Chapter 259: Beggar

Chapter 259: Beggars

When torrential rain hit Xiwu Prefecture, Song Tingzhou had not yet left the Lingnan region. Accompanied by a large group of subordinates, he had just rendezvoused with the Provincial Administration Commissioner and others.

Tao Ba looked up at the overcast sky. "Sir, we should find a place to settle down. The weather doesn’t seem too favorable."

Rain was common in Lingnan, and everyone was well accustomed to the unpredictable weather, and none of them looked surprised. The highest-ranking officials of Lingnan finally found a small town just before the heavy rain hit. Unexpectedly, the inn in the town was surprisingly busy.

"This is a newly opened inn. In the past two years, many merchants have been traveling this way. The one inn in town couldn’t handle all the travelers, so two new ones were opened," the innkeeper said cheerfully.

Who wouldn’t be happy with booming business?

Their group was too large. None of the three inns in town had enough vacant rooms, so they had to arrange for some subordinates to stay at the inns while the Provincial Administration Commissioner and a few of his men stayed at the government post station.

"Jingxing, won’t you join us at the station?" the Provincial Administration Commissioner asked, having a very good impression of Song Tingzhou—perhaps because he saw his skill and potential, and wanted to get in good with him early.

Regardless of the reason, the Commissioner was very polite to Song Tingzhou.

Song Tingzhou, despite his outstanding achievements, did not act arrogantly before his superior. He explained respectfully, "Your Excellency, my husband has also opened a post station here. I will take the County Magistrates from Xiwu Prefecture there to relieve the overcrowding here."

The Provincial Administration Commissioner suddenly realized. "Is that the Shijian Relay Station? I’ve heard of it. In that case, go ahead. We’ll set out together tomorrow morning."

In principle, court audience required local principal officials—namely, the Provincial Administration Commissioner, Surveillance Commissioner, Prefect, Subprefect, and County Magistrate—to report to the capital every three years for performance evaluation and assessment.

Deputy officials, such as the Assistant Prefect, Vice-Prefect, and Deputy Magistrate, were not required to attend. Local military officers also did not participate in the civil officials’ court audience system.

However, Lingnan was a special case. Previously, with a group of elderly county magistrates, a single trip to the capital for an audience could be fatal given their age and health. Moreover, Lingnan was remote and had poor administrative results. Sometimes, court audiences were held every six or nine years, or even skipped entirely, since there was little worth reporting to the imperial court.

It wasn’t until Song Tingzhou became a county magistrate that this changed. In six years, there were two court audiences, and the Provincial Administration Commissioner’s office had received official notices from the Ministry of Rites.

But not all prefects in Lingnan were required to attend. For example, the prefects of the notorious Qinzhou and Leizhou Prefectures were ordered by the Provincial Administration Commissioner not to leave their posts.

These matters were beyond Song Tingzhou’s concern. He hadn’t wanted to go anyway, and the bad weather only worsened his mood. His handsome, cold face seemed to be covered with a layer of frost.

The Shijian Relay Station was built in the center of the town. Meng Wan’s reasoning was that if it were in a county town or prefectural city, building the station near the city gate would facilitate transportation. But small towns were more vulnerable to bandits, so it was safer to be in the town center.

"Sir, I’ll knock on the door." Na Tuo, lanky, reported to Song Tingzhou, dismounted and knocked on the door. Since he was one of Meng Wan’s men, often transporting goods, many of the workers at Shijian Relay Station were transient, and many recognized Na Tuo.

With Na Tuo leading the way, the group entered the station smoothly. Although the Shijian Relay Station was not an official government station specializing in transmitting letters and documents, it could still host imperial officials; however, it also had private guest quarters reserved by Meng Wan.

Song Tingzhou, along with his three county magistrates and a few subordinates, settled down simply. Almost as soon as they put down their luggage, the light drizzle outside turned into a downpour.

Xue Sheng brought back a bucket of warm water for Song Tingzhou, but by the time it reached the room, at least half of it had been mixed with rainwater.

The rain grew heavier, and thunder rolled across the sky. Na Tuo, sharing a room with Song Tingzhou, muttered in the Yao language, "I hope it stops by tomorrow morning, or we won’t be able to board the boat."

After washing up, Song Tingzhou sat at the table writing a letter. He shifted his gaze to the window upon hearing the words.

The wooden window frame rattled noisily in the wind. If the Shijian Relay Station hadn’t been newly built, Song Tingzhou would have worried it might collapse.

He carefully placed the completed letter into an envelope and had Xue Sheng deliver it to the station manager, to be sent along with the goods heading toward Xiwu Prefecture the next day.

The room had only a single brazier of charcoal fire, and the damp, cold wind seemed to be everywhere. What troubled him most was the relentless rain outside.

The rain was too heavy. It had not stopped since nightfall, persisting from the deep night into the following morning. The sound of rain stubbornly pounded against the windows, as if trying to stretch the long night infinitely.

"Sir, the Commissioner sent word that we should travel despite the rain; otherwise, the roads will be even worse later," Tao Shi said, clad in a straw rain cape, running from the front yard. He was soaked from head to toe, with rainwater pouring into his boots.

Song Tingzhou looked up at the dim, gray sky and replied, "Alright. We’ll follow the Commissioner’s arrangements."

Tao Shi and the others had the station staff buy several cloth bags of baked flatbread from shops outside. Their luggage also contained lotus root starch and canned goods. After a brief rest, the group hurriedly set off again.

But the journey was slow, and the rain showed no signs of abating. Fortunately, the cement road from the Shijian Relay Station extended all the way here, allowing them to proceed smoothly.

Song Tingzhou sat inside the carriage, which also contained Magistrate Wang of Heshan County, Magistrate Wei of Shakeng County (who replaced the convicted Hu Ti), and Magistrate Feng of Heiye County (who succeeded Li Sui’an after his retirement, to fill the vacancy).

Except for Fei Jing, who was still holding on in Deqing County, the other three counties had been thoroughly purged by Song Tingzhou himself. His reputation as the "Living Yama of officialdom" was so strong that the three newly appointed magistrates were all on edge, terrified of displeasing their superior.

With the rain relentless, many pieces of luggage had been stuffed into the carriage, forcing the three men to squeeze in with Song Tingzhou.

In the past five or six days, their superior had spoken to them fewer times than he had fingers on one hand. His icy face bore not a trace of a smile, keeping them from daring to chat casually.

"Magistrate Feng," Song Tingzhou suddenly spoke.

Magistrate Feng, half-asleep, was nudged by Magistrate Wang and stammered, "Your… your subordinate is here."

Song Tingzhou asked in a deep voice, "Has the water conservancy system in Heiye County been reinforced with lime and stone powder?"

Even though his mind was groggy, Magistrate Feng instinctively replied, "Reporting to you, Sir, since assuming office, I have strictly followed your orders. Over the years, all major and minor dams in Heiye County have been reinforced with lime and stone powder. Ditches and diversions have been dug near villages along the rivers."

Magistrate Feng might have average abilities and lack strong opinions, but his greatest virtue was obedience. He immediately carried out every order Song Tingzhou gave.

Satisfied with his answer, Song Tingzhou then asked Magistrate Wei of Shakeng County, "How are the dams in Shakeng County?"

Magistrate Wei knew well how his predecessor, Magistrate Hu, had been convicted—and that was before Song Tingzhou became prefect!

So he replied respectfully, "Please rest assured, Sir, all dams in Shakeng County have been reinforced. I have also given strict orders regarding the mines: under no circumstances should the convicted officials’ status be used to ignore adverse weather. In case of danger, work must be halted first, and people evacuated down the mountain."

"Good." Song Tingzhou’s expression softened somewhat.

There was no need to ask about Heshan County. Even during his term as magistrate there, dams were reinforced annually, rivers branched, and ditches deepened. Moreover, Magistrate Wang was the most capable among the four county magistrates, requiring less worry than Deqing County. Barring any accidents, Magistrate Wang would likely receive a promotion after this court audience.

Fei Jing of Deqing County was dull-witted. He could only grasp one out of every three instructions, committing minor errors constantly but no major ones. Promotion was difficult, yet demotion didn’t seem warranted. He was the biggest headache for Song Tingzhou.

Song Tingzhou didn’t trust Fei Jing with Deqing County’s dams, so he personally went there to oversee repairs.

Even though everything within his jurisdiction was arranged properly, he still felt uneasy.

Tao Shi, driving outside, couldn’t hold out any longer and had Tao Ba take over. During the brief pause, Song Tingzhou took out a white candle from the carriage, lit it with a fire striker, and placed it on a small wooden box in the middle of the carriage.

The dim yellow flame illuminated one side of his sharply defined profile. Orange was a warm color, but on Song Tingzhou’s face, it transformed into a silent, intangible sense of pressure.

He frowned slightly, his brow never fully relaxing. It was obvious to anyone that he was worried.

After nightfall, the group found a sheltered spot to rest. Barring any surprises, they would have to sleep in the carriages for the night.

Tao Shi brought a few bottles of canned goods and baked flatbreads into the carriage. The rain was too heavy to start a fire, so they had to eat cold food. "Sir, we should reach Ganzhou Prefecture within the next couple of days."

"Yeah." Song Tingzhou took a dry flatbread and gnawed on it. He never ate well on the road; every trip made him lose weight.

Tao Shi, more talkative and cheerful than his brothers, chattered on, "Once we reach Ganzhou Prefecture, we can take a boat. The farther north we go, the lighter the rain seems. I wonder what the situation is in Ganzhou, if the boats can sail smoothly... Hey? Sir, where are you going? To take a leak?"

Song Tingzhou got out of the carriage with an umbrella and headed straight for the carriage ahead. As if after long deliberation, he spoke calmly through the window to those inside: "Your Excellency, I wish to return."

"What?"

—

In the winter of the thirty-first year of Qisheng’s reign, heavy rain fell for over half a month. After two days of respite, it continued with intermittent drizzle and gale-force winds.

The post station had already been suspended by Meng Wan, so no more fruit was being delivered to the Zhen Guan Workshop, and the workers there had also been given leave by Meng Wan.

Half of them were very happy—they had earned enough money this year and could consider it an early year-end holiday. The other half were reluctant, feeling bad about the idle time; working at the workshop meant earning wages, while going home meant washing clothes, cooking, and being a housemaid.

Tang Jinshuang was the last to leave the Zhen Guan Workshop. He had to ensure that all workers had departed, except for a few who were childless and had voluntarily stayed behind to keep watch.

Oh, and there were nine foreigners from Luzon who were the workshop’s long-term regulars. They didn’t have to leave; rice, flour, oil, and grain were left in the workshop, and someone would bring them a few catties of meat and bones every now and then.

The post station wasn’t completely closed either, just like the workshop, with two people left on duty. Yu Yandong gave a few quick instructions and then hurried out of the city to pick up Tang Jinshuang.

“Jinshuang, come on, get in the carriage,” he said, having his servant drive the carriage over.

The two huddled under a single umbrella, and after getting in the carriage, their clothes were inevitably a bit dampened from the rain.

“Has Mother agreed about your female cousin’s matter?” Tang Jinshuang asked.

Yu Yandong grinned. “Whether Mother agrees or not doesn’t matter—Father has agreed anyway. The girl just passed the imperial exam and became a scholar, and how many scholars has the entire prefectural capital produced this year? Forget our cousin, even my own sister wants to marry one!”

Unless Yu’s female cousin was a fool, she wouldn’t trade being a scholar’s wife for being her merchant cousin’s concubine. Even if Madam Yu wanted her to marry Yu Yandong, the girl herself wouldn’t agree.

A masterstroke, solving everything once and for all. Yu Yandong preened in front of his own husband.

Tang Jinshuang paid him no mind. The rain had let up a bit, so he lifted the carriage curtain to let in some air. “Oh?”

“What’s wrong?” Yu Yandong heard his exclamation and leaned over, half-hugging him to take advantage.

Their carriage had just left the Zhen Guan Workshop. Under the pavilions that Meng Wan had built outside the workshop, seven or eight ragged beggars had gathered, resting in two separate ones, including some children.

Tang Jinshuang pointed outside. “Two beggars showed up the day before yesterday, and this morning I saw they still hadn’t left, and now there are six more.”

After saying this, he fell into an awkward silence for a moment, worried that Yu Yandong would think he lacked compassion, so he added, “Maybe later we can buy some flatbread and buns in town to give out, or adopt those little beggars?”

But Yu Yandong interrupted him, his expression as if facing a great enemy, “Absolutely not!”

His serious expression made Tang Jinshuang confused. “Huh?”

Yu Yandong spoke plausibly and with self-righteousness, “When Meng Fulang trained the managers of our post station, he said that when you see pitiful people, first think about how much better off you are compared to them. If you truly feel compassionate after realizing your advantage, then it’s fine to help. But you must never take strangers in lightly…”

He went on and on, listing all the potential dangers that Meng Wan had warned them about, fearing that the post station would attract malicious scammers.

Tang Jinshuang had been worried that Yu Yandong might think he wasn’t gentle or considerate enough, but now it turned out this guy was even more guarded than he was!

He silently put his hand under his chin, closed his mouth, and listened to Yu Yandong’s final conclusion.

The other man said earnestly, “If you feel sorry for them, we can buy some buns and have Chengwang deliver them. But you must not show up easily. What if they target you, jealous that you have such a good family and such a handsome husband, and deliberately cling to you?”

Tang Jinshuang’s mouth twitched, unsure whether to laugh or cry. He wondered how much longer he could maintain his gentle demeanor around Yu Yandong before he couldn’t help but punch him.

When the couple went to the Song residence to report to Meng Wan, Tang Jinshuang secretly told him about this little episode.

Meng Wan caught the sweet smile curving his lips, realizing he wasn’t truly angry—it was probably just a bit of couple’s fun.

But the matter of the beggars that Tang Jinshuang mentioned filled Meng Wan with unease. After Tang Jinshuang and Yu Yandong left, Meng Wan took an umbrella and headed out with Chi Yu, straight to the government office.

Song Tingzhou was away, so the Assistant Prefect and Vice-Prefect were in charge, and it was incredibly hectic at year-end. However, when the Prefect’s Lord showed up, everyone still received him courteously.

“I don’t mean to disturb the gentlemen’s work, but the rain has been too heavy this year, and I’m worried about the levees and rivers in the prefecture.”

Vice Prefect Du’s family was close to the Song family, and his husband had a good relationship with Meng Wan. Vice Prefect Du smiled and said, “My Lord, rest assured. The levees in Xiwu Prefecture are inspected by the Prefect every year, and they were just checked this past June. Even with the heavy rain this year, there is absolutely no problem.”

Meng Wan felt a bit more at ease. He knew that by coming to the office to ask questions, some old-timers in the office would mock him behind his back, but he didn’t care.

“The weather this year has been truly bad. I ask the gentlemen to be extra diligent. Although the post station is not shipping goods now, it remains very fast for transmitting letters between counties.”

No one dared to say they didn’t use the Shijian post station; the Shijian post station was faster than sending their own messengers, running day and night with guaranteed quality. Unlike Luo Jining, who had come to Xiwu Prefecture and gotten no useful information, they knew how Meng Wan had overhauled the post station at its founding, upgrading all four counties simultaneously.

They exchanged glances, then all bowed with clasped hands in a respectful salute. “My Lord is too kind. It is this official’s duty.”