Chapter 31: Governing the Realm (Part 4)

Chapter 31: Governing the Realm (Part 4)

Le Wuya had anticipated various developments in the capital, so he was not anxious.

Since there was still no word from Tonglu yet, he first focused on his own backyard.

To smoothly implement various matters, he needed the help of the Village Elders and Village Heads.

Nanning County had ten *li*, each consisting of one hundred and ten households, from which two Village Elders who were respected for their virtue were chosen, along with several Village Heads, forming a little self-governing community.

The Village Elders handled everyday stuff like marriages, fights, and land disputes; only cases of theft, robbery, murder, or difficult-to-resolve neighborly disputes were reported to the government.

These "Village Elders" were not necessarily old; as long as people listened to what they said, anyone of any age could serve.

Basically, the Village Elders were just a bunch of small-time landlords and rich folks in Nanning County.

They were well-established in Nanning, their influence spreading far and wide, and they were as thick as thieves with Deputy Magistrate Sun, forming a tight-knit clique that nobody could break into.

Previously, Wenren Yue had repeatedly summoned the Village Elders for meetings, but Deputy Magistrate Sun clung to that connection and didn't want Wenren Yue to get anything done.

So the Village Elders either called in sick or nodded along but then did jack shit when they got home, and behind their backs they'd gossip that Wenren Yue's policies didn't work, that he lacked popular support, and that he was inferior to the previous magistrate.

And those "discussions" always found their way around.

In less than six months, Wenren Yue was the well-known pushover of the whole area.

Fortunately, after Le Wuya took over, he pulled off a hell of a comeback.

After a night trial, these Village Elders were like they'd taken a beating without a sound, and they all tamed up real quick.

Therefore, when Le Wuya summoned them this time, their "family matters" had vanished, their "long-standing illnesses" were miraculously healed, and even those with a slight cold endured their coughs to attend.

It had snowed hard the day before, and the Village Elders braved the wind and snow to come, spanning young, middle-aged, and old, packing the room.

The room was warm with charcoal fires, a tea stove bubbling away, steam lifting the lid, and tea scent filling the air.

Yet few laughed or chatted; everybody had a worried look on their face.

Once everyone was there, Le Wuya showed up last, making his entrance last.

With a beaming smile, he greeted them, "This tea is excellent—a gift I scrounged from the Prefect. Everyone, please have a taste."

The stiff mood in the room vanished, and everyone started heaping on praise.

In the midst of the harmonious atmosphere, Le Wuya slowly swept his gaze across the room and said in his usual warm, gentle tone, "There are a few new faces here."

Everyone smiled, though those who had repeatedly made excuses to avoid him could not hide their stiff expressions.

As everyone's hearts gradually rose to their throats, Le Wuya said, "No matter. I'm bad with faces. We haven't had many chances to meet, so I haven't matched names to faces yet. There's plenty of time; no need to hurry."

The ones who'd been calling in sick let out a sigh of relief.

Whether true or false, the magistrate's words suggested he wasn't going to hold their past disrespect against them.

This time, Le Wuya called them together to take care of two main things.

First, since Master Chen had served as a Village Elder and was now rotting in prison waiting to die, a replacement was needed.

Second, they had to divvy up some jobs.

The first thing was straightforward.

One *li* had two Village Elders; Manager Zhu Changrong of a cloth shop could handle miscellaneous affairs, and he would oversee the election of a new Village Elder, with the results submitted to the government for review and filing.

Manager Zhu was overflowing with thanks and poured out a stream of flattery.

As he spoke, Le Wuya listened with a smile until Manager Zhu ran out of steam and went dry in the mouth, then motioned for him to sit.

"Two days ago, the emperor's vermilion decree came down," Le Wuya said, taking a hot sip of tea as if it were no big deal. "Chen Yuanwei's sentence has been changed to death by dismemberment."

At the words "death by dismemberment," the Village Elders' faces went stiff.

Le Wuya understood the emperor's temperament well.

The emperor cared most about his reputation among the scholar-officials, and when faced with cases that allowed him to show off his 'love for scholars', he'd be overjoyed.

At the very least, it had to be a death sentence, and he'd never let the condemned die easy.

Le Wuya had initially proposed execution by beheading, deliberately leaving room for the emperor to put his own stamp on it.

First, it would not make Le Wuya seem overly cruel.

Second, Chen Yuanwei could be used to maximum effect.

For instance, to scare the shit out of this bunch of troublemakers.

Le Wuya let out a sigh. "A pity. Chen Yuanwei made a wrong move at the wrong time and painted himself into a corner. Turning back is not easy."

The room was quiet for a long time before some hesitant murmurs of agreement came out.

Every new official brings new changes. Wenren Yue had failed to light that fire, but Le Wuya lit it himself, roasting everyone until they were sweating buckets.

Le Wuya decided to seize the moment and push forward three big projects.

He had refined his plans over the past few days.

For some matters, he wasn't going to pay for out of his own pocket anymore.

Take building latrines: he could have the Village Elders take charge. The government would provide the land and blueprints, with separate facilities for men and women, free of land fees. Each latrine would be taxed five coppers per day, which would bring in over a thousand coppers a year to the yamen.

Waste would be collected every day and sold wholesale to farmers.

Even if every household raised pigs, it wouldn't be enough to fertilize the fields. Landlords often had to hire people to go out and collect dung for fertilizer.

This approach saved labor and money on fertilizer.

Although Nanning County had few farmlands of its own, the waste could be transported in loads to neighboring counties, which was a decent way to make money.

Some people might think dealing with shit is beneath them, but Le Wuya did not.

How the hell could making money be shameful?

Moreover, the streets would be clean, the people's lives more convenient, and the Village Elders would save money—both face and substance would be preserved. Why not?

The Village Elders mulled over the matter and realized there was indeed profit to be made.

Naturally, they agreed.

Le Wuya had just wrapped up this topic and was about to get to the second matter when Ming Xiangzhao—formerly Wenren Yue—arrived at the opportune moment, holding a letter. "Magistrate, a letter from the capital has arrived."

The mere mention of "the capital" was enough to spark endless speculation, without him needing to say more.

Le Wuya let out a surprised "Oh!" and stood up, glancing around before warmly beckoning Deputy Magistrate Sun over. "Deputy Magistrate Sun, I’ll go reply to the letter first. You take over and explain the rest."

Deputy Magistrate Sun was caught off guard: "Me?"

Le Wuya nodded matter-of-factly. "It’s about the pond embankment project we discussed."

Deputy Magistrate Sun: "..."

With a flick of his sleeve, Le Wuya trotted off cheerfully, leaving Deputy Magistrate Sun seething with resentment.

Deputy Magistrate Sun silently cursed every ancestor of the Wen Ren family.

So the money-making projects, he gets to announce; the ones that make people angry, I have to announce, right?

Casting a sidelong glance, Deputy Magistrate Sun spotted Clerk Luo nearby.

He knew this man had recently gained the county magistrate’s favor.

Somehow, Wen Ren Yue had bewitched Clerk Luo, who had shed his previous neutrality and become almost a staunch ally of Wen Ren Yue’s.

Gritting his teeth, Deputy Magistrate Sun relayed the magistrate’s plan.

In short, each village was responsible for building the pond embankments, and the magistrate had already drawn up a blueprint. They had to follow it exactly, with no shortcuts; any shoddy work would be pinned on the village elders and village heads.

At this, the smiles on the village elders’ faces dimmed noticeably.

Someone asked, "Deputy Magistrate Sun, is the government not putting up any money?"

Deputy Magistrate Sun replied, "Some places need two or three embankments. The magistrate says he’ll provide some subsidies. But the bulk of the funds, each of us will have to find a way."

Building pond embankments wasn’t too difficult—they had no shortage of manpower, just some material costs.

But since it brought them no benefit, they weren’t keen on it.

Someone ventured tentatively, "Deputy Magistrate Sun, could you talk to the magistrate? I think we have enough water already. This project is a waste of labor and money."

Once someone started, another quickly chimed in, "Working in winter is tough—it’s too cold. Tell the magistrate to postpone it." Maybe if they dragged it out, he’d forget.

Deputy Magistrate Sun certainly wasn’t about to take the lead in front of the magistrate, but he had to keep up appearances: "Alright, I’ll give it a try."

Just then, Le Wuya returned.

"Where were we?" he said as he sat down. "Was someone about to come and see me about wasting labor and money and postponing the work?"

The room fell utterly silent.

Everyone swallowed hard, wondering if the young magistrate had ears that could hear everything.

Le Wuya stretched out his legs and leaned back in his chair, a relaxed and elegant posture. "Speak up, everyone. No need to be shy."

When no one responded, he directly called on, "Deputy Magistrate Sun, no one has asked you to plead with me on their behalf, have they? If no one speaks now, there’s no need to bring it up in private."

Under the gaze of over a dozen pairs of eyes, Deputy Magistrate Sun had no choice but to steel himself and speak: "Magistrate, the authorities just collected a round of taxes this year. Let the people rest and recover for a while."

Le Wuya looked around the room. "Is that what you all think?"

Among the village elders, more than half didn’t see the point of building the embankment.

But seeing opposition arise, they kept their mouths shut.

Wen Ren Yue, having been inseparable from Le Wuya since delivering the letter, now stood behind him.

If it had been him in this situation, his heart would surely be pounding.

Yet, as they sipped their tea and left him hanging, Le Wuya remained unruffled, simply looking at each one in turn.

Wen Ren Yue followed his lead and did the same.

Watching calmly, he was surprised to find that some were willing to meet Le Wuya’s gaze, while others kept their heads down, avoiding any eye contact.

It seemed... the former might be easier to win over?

Le Wuya, while guiding Wen Ren Yue behind him, slowly picked his target—someone to make an example of.

Soon, he made his choice.

"Manager Zhu, are you willing to take on the work?"

Manager Zhu jolted.

Previously, he had shared management of a village with Master Chen, but Master Chen made all the decisions. Manager Zhu was a village elder in name only.

Now that Master Chen had fallen, the magistrate was willing to promote and trust him, even putting the selection of the next village elder in his hands. He was more than happy to show his merit before the magistrate.

Since he hadn’t yet established himself, clinging to the magistrate’s coattails seemed the safest bet!

Steadying himself, he cupped his hands and replied, "Magistrate, I have no problem with it."

"Good." Le Wuya gave a slight nod of approval. "Since you’re willing, I have an important task for you."

Manager Zhu’s eyes lit up. "I'm at your command!"

Le Wuya said, "The county recently has plans for land reclamation. There’s two hundred mu of abandoned walnut groves on the southern hill, and I’ve been at a loss for someone to tend them. Stay behind later, and we’ll play a game of chess."

The other village elders resented Manager Zhu for being a turncoat, showing off to curry favor. But who would have guessed the magistrate truly had rewards to hand out!

That two hundred mu of ruined walnut groves had been coveted by many.

The previous magistrate had lost face over the walnut planting and had kept that land tightly in his grasp, refusing to let anyone have it.

But the new magistrate was clearly different from the previous one.

As long as you went along with him, he gave generously and freely!

The others, having missed out on this windfall, couldn’t help but feel bitter.

Many shot angry looks at the two village elders who had spoken out against the plan.

Standing behind Le Wuya, Wen Ren Yue took note of where their gazes fell and understood even more.

Manager Zhu was nearly stunned by this sudden gift from heaven. He quickly stood up, beaming, and said, "Thank you, Magistrate!"

"I plan to grow a variety of things and try some clever methods—maybe plant some flowers and herbs." Le Wuya rested his chin on his hand. "Can you manage it?"

Manager Zhu knew in his heart that while he was decent at dyeing and selling cloth, switching to farming on short notice would be beyond his abilities.

Moreover, his own stomach was only so big; if he tried to swallow up all two hundred mu of land in one go, he wouldn’t be able to show his face in Nanting County.

He had gotten a golden ingot, so he had to leave a little of the edge for others to nibble on.

With this in mind, he reported, "Your Honor, I'm a cloth trader by trade. Reclaiming land isn't my strong suit—I'll still have to rely on you and the other elders for help."

Once Manager Zhu opened his mouth, the other village elders eagerly chimed in: "Your Honor, I have enough manpower here!"

"I have three or four gardeners at home, and their skills are decent!"

That was two hundred mu of land!

Though nobody knew what the magistrate was planning or whether it would succeed, they had to grab their share first!

Le Wuya waved his hand nonchalantly: "Alright, I see it now—you're all like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each with your own special trick. Don't just talk big. Once the embankment is repaired, I'll inspect it and take a look at those people you mentioned. Don't let your boasts be as loud as thunder while the people you send are good for nothing!"

Now the village elders understood: to get the sweet dates from the magistrate, they'd have to take a beating first.

But they could also see that sticking with the magistrate paid off.

If he really had a carrot to dangle, they'd be happy to be his donkeys.

After sending off the group of hungry local elders, Le Wuya played a game of Go with Manager Zhu. He beat him soundly while also laying out his plans for developing nut carving and ornamental walnuts.

Manager Zhu was in the cloth business—he knew nothing about land reclamation, but he'd know all the traveling craftsmen from all over.

As for other matters, like planting flowers or tea, those were none of his business, so Le Wuya didn't go into detail.

Le Wuya asked, "When you go back, if the other village elders ask, what will you say?"

Manager Zhu thought a moment and caught his drift.

The county magistrate wanted him to keep his cards close to his chest for now, to make the carrot even more tempting.

Everything could wait till after the embankment was done.

So he chuckled and replied, "Your honor's Go skills are unbeatable; I'm no match for you."

Le Wuya laughed and clapped him on the shoulder, sending the already beaming Manager Zhu into an even wider grin.

This lesson from Le Wuya was meant for one person alone.

After Manager Zhu floated off looking delighted, Le Wuya grabbed his new student, Wenren Yue, and asked, "Get it?"

Wenren Yue nodded obediently: "I understand. Win over one faction, split another, entice them with profit—that's how you get things done."

Le Wuya was satisfied and wanted to pat him on the back of the head, but since he was too tall, Le Wuya had to stand on tiptoe: "You're worth teaching."

Wenren Yue ducked his head at the pat and asked, "But feeding a tiger meat—how long can that last?"

Le Wuya laughed heartily: "Stick with me, and there's plenty of meat to go around!"

He pulled Wenren Yue along: "Come on, treat me to some steamed pork with rice flour!"

Wenren Yue was dragged out the door before he realized he was the one footing the bill.

He admitted honestly, "I haven't gotten my monthly pay yet."

Le Wuya jingled the pouch at his waist: "Isn't this your money?"

As the two were horsing around at the yamen gate, a flower seller at the opposite corner of the entrance lowered his gaze.

His gaze was faint, barely noticeable, but it clung to that person's smile and figure like a shadow.

The way he walked, the way he looked at people—he really resembled him.

The two spies had captured his manner perfectly.

A little girl ran to the flower seller's side, pointing at the Jing tribe's specialty Jade Butterfly flowers in his carrying pole: "Flowers! Flowers! Mama, flowers!"

Le Wuya looked over at the sound and saw a flower seller in a bamboo hat showing the flowers to the little girl. Most of his face was hidden, only his chin showing, his lips curved in a warm, radiant smile.

Wenren Yue followed his gaze: "Want some flowers?"

Le Wuya: "Yeah."

Wenren Yue went over.

The flower seller snapped off a small branch and tucked it behind the little girl's ear.

The mother and daughter thanked him and left.

When he looked up, there was Wenren Yue.

Wenren Yue: "Excuse me, ten No-butterfly Flowers, please."

The No-butterfly was the earliest bloom of the Jing tribe, named because it looks like a butterfly but blooms before the butterflies appear.

The flower seller asked, "You recognize this flower?"

Wenren Yue noticed the flower seller's easy posture, clearly that of a young man, so when he spoke, Wenren Yue was startled.

His voice was low, but not steadily calm—instead, it had a cold, proud edge.

Wenren Yue bent down to pick the flowers: "Yes, I recognize it."

When he was young, his father had spent a string of cash to buy a few branches of this flower, joyfully bringing them home, saying they were his father's favorite as a child.

In Jiangnan, this flower was called "Emei," because its petals were small and delicate, like a woman's fine eyebrows.

"No-butterfly" was the common name used by the Jing people.

But Wenren Yue didn't say much; he just silently selected the flowers.

The flower seller: "Are you from the Jing tribe?"

Wenren Yue: "No."

Flower seller: "Picking flowers for him?"

Wenren Yue followed his gaze and saw Le Wuya standing by a small stall, idly studying a rattle drum.

The flower seller suddenly asked, "Who is he to you?"

Wenren Yue frowned.

He felt the question was rude.

But it was his nature that even when others were rude, he couldn't be rude back. So he replied, "My friend."

"These flowers aren't suitable," the Flower Seller said. "You recognize it, but do you know what it signifies?"

Seeing Wen Renyue's puzzled expression, the Flower Seller added, "The 'No-butterfly Flower' blooms before all others, even before the butterflies arrive. If a lover can't wait to give flowers to his beloved, he picks these."

Wen Renyue froze, a blush spreading across his cheeks.

...Indeed, that was not quite appropriate.

He thought, these flowers are for Brother Gu. If I go back empty-handed, he will throw a fit again.

He said, "It's fine. I'll take these. How much?"

The Flower Seller stared at him fixedly through the dappled light cast by his bamboo hat, then uttered three words: "No charge."

Wen Renyue looked confused.

Then the Flower Seller continued, "You two are not suited for each other."

Wen Renyue looked taken aback.

He was quite taken aback by the man's rudeness.

After a moment, Wen Renyue counted out three copper coins and stood up.

Their shadows overlapped and seemed to crush each other on the sunlit winter street, as if engaged in a quiet struggle.

He offered a polite smile. "That's none of your business, is it? And who are you to him?"