After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 153: Chapter 154: Seems Illogical, Yet Makes Perfect Sense

”That’s how it should be. The commoners aren’t our problem anymore.” Hee Chunhua had already gone above and beyond by remembering to bring along over a hundred villagers during the crisis. Their subsequent resettlement was naturally a matter for Wuliu County to handle; it didn’t have a single copper coin’s worth of connection to him, the Governor of Xiazhou.

”So this meal from the Wuliu County Magistrate is a thank-you banquet. A Gentry Hex has invited us to rest at his estate for the night. Father and Mother have already gone to wash up and change. We shouldn’t be late either.”

So, while he’d been dead asleep, Hee Chunhua had not only led the convoy through Qianteng Town and reached Wuliu County, but had also already smoothed things over with the County Magistrate and the others.

’His old man really has a lot of energy,’ Hee Lingchuan thought, yawning again.

The carriage had already stopped at the entrance of Gentry Hex’s home. Two young servants came forward to greet them, leading the two brothers to a quiet courtyard.

The two washed up there. Nanny Qian brought over new clothes and had them change out of their old ones. Hee Lingchuan’s clothes, in particular, were stained with blood, spattered with mud, and torn in several places. You didn’t even need to get close to smell the strong, coppery stench.

Just as Nanny Qian was about to help the brothers tie up their hair, there was a knock on the door.

Hee Lingchuan opened the door and was surprised to see Zhu Xiu’er.

Zhu Xiu’er had long since cleaned herself up and changed into a set of Madam Ying’s clothes. They say clothes make the woman; her skin, once dark and ruddy, now seemed different. Dressed in fine brocade, much of the village girl’s rustic air had faded, replaced by a hint of a calm and quiet demeanor.

Perhaps this was her true nature, one that her hard life had not yet managed to grind away.

She gave Hee Lingchuan a slight smile. ”You don’t have many servants, so I’ve come to help Nanny Qian.”

Hee Lingchuan, being easy-going, stepped back to let her in. ”You’re staying here too?”

’He wasn’t sure how to address Zhu Xiu’er. Miss? Madam?’

”Yes, Madam Ying insisted,” Zhu Xiu’er said, holding up a wooden comb and motioning for him to sit. ”But the people of Wuliu County, including the County Magistrate and the owner of this Hex Residence, do not know of my origins.”

Hee Yue added, ”Father has issued a gag order to the entire escort. This matter is not to be spoken of. Miss Zhu will travel north with us, and to outsiders, she will be introduced as our cousin.”

Hiding what happened to Zhu Xiu’er? It was more than that. They were even hiding the existence of Zhu Xiu’er herself, to prevent harmful rumors from spreading back to her family. Hee Chunhua and his wife’s actions could be said to be extremely considerate toward her.

As Zhu Xiu’er worked to untangle the knots in Hee Lingchuan’s hair, she said, ”This is a debt of gratitude that Xiu’Er can never hope to repay. From now on, whatever the Hee Family asks of me, I will not dare to refuse.”

”You’re being too serious. Heaven helps those who help themselves; we were merely acting in accordance with its will,” Hee Yue said. He then asked her, ”Are you sure you won’t join us for the banquet? It would be fine for you to go as our cousin.”

Zhu Xiu’er smiled. ”I won’t go. It’s better for me to keep a low profile, and I can get some more rest.”

Hee Yue was slightly surprised to hear the lightness in her voice and see the spark in her eyes. She looked completely relaxed.

’This ”cousin” of theirs really seemed to have been born anew.’

Once they were ready, the two brothers went to the Hongtai Restaurant for the banquet.

...

The banquet was a joyous affair for both hosts and guests.

Hee Lingchuan walked out with a satisfied burp. The lamb belly stew here was fragrant, tender, and flavorful—truly cooked to perfection. All the officials of Wuliu County had come, accompanied by more than a dozen local gentry.

They escorted Hee Chunhua’s family all the way to their carriage at the entrance of the Hongtai Restaurant. As the carriage pulled away, Hee Lingchuan could still see their enthusiastic smiles.

He was long used to this kind of enthusiasm in Black Water City, but to see it on the faces of officials in another region was still a novelty. On their journey from Black Water City to Wuliu County, the local officials had been polite, but none had been this obsequious.

’Hmm, perhaps fawning is a more appropriate word,’ he thought.

”Well now, old man, what kind of favor did you do for the County Magistrate to make him beam like that?”

”When I report the matter of suppressing the rebels to the Capital City, I’ll mention him in passing. I’ll say he was prompt in consoling the victims and pursuing the remaining rebels.” Having been busy for a full day and night, Hee Chunhua was tired too. He leaned against the carriage wall, resting with his eyes closed.

Hee Lingchuan was amused. ”Did he pursue them?”

”Wuliu County will have to clear those mountain roads a few more times to ensure no rebels are still lurking. Many people died in Desheng Town and Xianling Village, and it’s all related to the Rebel Army. If this isn’t handled properly, the County Magistrate’s position will be unstable.” Hee Chunhua chuckled. ”If I put in a good word for him, his merits will outweigh his faults. Of course he has to thank me.”

Madam Ying, however, found it strange. ”How can one Wuliu County have so many officials?” From the County Magistrate and Deputy Magistrate to the Chief Clerk, Arrest Officer, and right down to the constables, there were over thirty people in total. ”My lord, even your old Governor’s Mansion didn’t have this many staff.”

”My dear wife, you are very observant.” Madam Ying liked to wear fresh flowers, so Hee Chunhua pointed to the red rose at her temple. ”A single flower head needs twenty-five or twenty-six petals. And if you count the calyx, the number is even greater.”

”And those are just the official positions,” he huffed. ”There are even more unofficial ones.”

Hee Lingchuan knew that the ”official positions” his father mentioned referred to the official government payroll. In reality, the number of official posts in a county was very small, no more than seven or eight at most. But Wuliu County had a motley crew of thirty or forty; the extra ones were all off-the-books personnel. There were tax collectors, patrols, census takers, school organizers—a whole variety of roles. The county couldn’t even function without them.

Hee Yue frowned. ”I didn’t think Wuliu County was very prosperous. How can it afford to support them all?”

Earlier, when the carriage had entered Wuliu County’s borders, his older brother, who had been exhausted after a whole day of fighting for his life, had been fast asleep. Hee Yue, however, had been observing their surroundings the entire way.

Wuliu County was no different from any other small rural town, and perhaps even a bit more desolate.

”There are at least twenty more ’candidates’ in this county,” Hee Chunhua slowly explained the scheme to him. ”These positions are all bought with money. The wealthy families gain prestige, the Treasure Vault gets silver. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

Among those numerous off-the-books positions, while some were hired by the county to get work done, others were sponsored by wealthy local families. This was commonly known as buying a post—obtaining a sinecure to add a bit of luster to one’s name.

”This place isn’t far from Woling Pass, so it must have been greatly affected by the war between the government and the rebels. The people’s livelihood has inevitably suffered. With finances tight right now, do you think the county officials are going to tighten their own belts and endure hardship?”

Hee Yue blinked. ”The prefecture doesn’t intervene?”

”How could the prefecture not know? It’s just one of the unwritten rules. Whenever the prefecture or the county runs out of money, they naturally find a way to be ’flexible.’” Hee Chunhua chuckled and patted Hee Yue’s shoulder. ”Child, you are too young. Being an official is a profound art.” Although his second son was intelligent, he was only fourteen and had yet to experience the complexities of the human heart and the ways of the world.

Hee Lingchuan listened, also finding it all rather surreal.

The county’s finances were tight, but instead of streamlining the administration and cutting expenses, their solution was to sell off positions for money, making the Government Office’s staff even more bloated.

’It seemed illogical, and yet, somehow, perfectly logical.’

Hee Yue was speechless. After a long moment, he asked, ”Why didn’t anyone from the Zhechong Prefecture come to the banquet? I heard some of them have already returned to Qianteng Town.”

”That’s most likely Captain Zhao wanting to rush back and report,” Hee Chunhua said without a second thought. ”The Zhechong Prefecture needs to report this matter to the Royal Court as soon as possible.”

A look of understanding dawned on Hee Yue’s face. ”To compete for credit?”

”Yes. When it comes to a major event like dispatching troops to quell a rebellion, whoever reports it to the Royal Court first might be the first to reap the benefits.”

”These are all standard tactics,” Hee Chunhua said dismissively. ”This Zhechong Captain hasn’t had a change of post in years. If he doesn’t earn some merit soon, he’ll probably die of old age in this backwater.”

Hee Lingchuan, however, exclaimed, ”If the County Magistrate here and the Captain from the Zhechong Prefecture are both rushing to send reports, aren’t you worried they’ll steal your credit, Dad?”

Seeing his son’s indignant expression, Hee Chunhua just smiled faintly. ”What is mine will naturally remain mine.”

With a plan already in mind, he could naturally remain unperturbed by honor or disgrace.

Then, he asked about what happened to Hee Lingchuan after he fell off the cliff.

”It’s a long story.” Too much had happened, so Hee Lingchuan could only give a vague account. ”I fell into a hole at the bottom of the cliff, which happened to be the Crocodile Demon’s nest. There, I rescued a near-death Wu Shaoyi. He was grateful for my help and, figuring he had nowhere else to go, he decided to accept our offer of amnesty!”

Speaking of which, he just remembered. ”Right, where is Wu Shaoyi?”

”Resting in another residence, under special guard,” Hee Chunhua said, praising his eldest son. ”You did a good, a beautiful job, recruiting Wu Shaoyi!”

Hee Lingchuan didn’t have much to hide, so he recounted the subsequent events one by one, but he omitted what he had gained in the Immortal Cave, saying only that there was nothing inside.

Hee Chunhua looked out the window. The carriage had returned to the Hex Residence. ”Time to get out. My dear, you go rest first. I still have things to discuss with the boys.”

Madam Ying nodded and went with Nanny Qian to change her clothes.

Hee Chunhua led the two brothers through the backyard to the woodshed. ”I’ve borrowed the woodshed from Mr. Hex. It’s quiet.”

This residence couldn’t compare to their lavish manor in Black Water City. The backyard had a few acres of vegetable plots and a dozen or so chickens. The advantage was that it was spacious and there were few people.

The woodshed was in a remote corner and rarely approached, but a light was on inside. As Hee Chunhua and his sons drew near, the door opened, and Zhao Qinghe stood in the doorway.

Hee Lingchuan followed them inside and saw a man kneeling in the woodshed, claiming to be one of Lui Yao’s confidants.

This was the fellow Zhao Qinghe had caught today in the small woods near Zhumapo. The man had a streak of bad luck; not long after escaping from Lui Yao’s side, his fine horse had accidentally fallen and broken its leg.

Hee Lingchuan asked, puzzled, ”What do you want with this guy?”

”He claims to know many of the Rebel Army’s secrets and is confessing in exchange for lenient treatment.”

Hee Chunhua had barely nodded before the captive hurriedly began to speak:

”After the great defeat at Woling Pass, the morale of the Rebel Army shattered. General Lui managed to gather over a thousand men with his remaining authority, but he didn’t lead them well. Every day, everyone worried about where their next meal would come from and whether they’d be surrounded by government soldiers, but General Lui just got dead drunk day in and day out.”

”Once, we passed through a town where there was a rich family surnamed Zhao. His manor had more livestock and grain than they could eat, and his gold, silver, and valuables were piled up like small hills. The family offered everything to the General, begging only that we spare their lives. The General agreed at the time, but that night, after drinking too much, he took a liking to Old Zhao’s young grandson, seized him, roasted him, and ate him, even praising how tender he was. Old Zhao died of rage that very night.” He gave a bitter smile. ”After that, the local authorities issued a Wanted Command for us, and the government soldiers pursued us relentlessly, as if they were possessed, exhausting us completely. It was only then that we found out—that Old Zhao had actually been a high-ranking official who had just retired to his hometown the year before last. The local Governor would have been in deep trouble if he hadn’t tried to capture us.”