Where Immortals Once Walked

“That’s how it should be. The commoners aren’t ours to manage anyway.” In the end, He Chunhua had done more than enough. He had risked his life to shepherd over a hundred villagers to safety. The matter of resettling them back home naturally fell to Wuliu County, and not a single copper of it concerned him, the Governor-General of Xia Province.

“So tonight’s banquet, prepared by the County Magistrate of Wuliu County, is really a feast of gratitude. A local gentleman, surname He[1], even invited us to lodge in his large estate. Father and Mother are already there, bathing and changing. We shouldn’t be late either.”

So while he himself had been snoring away, He Chunhua had already marched the column past Qianteng Town, brought them to Wuliu County, and even made the proper courtesies with the county magistrate.

Father’s stamina is seriously boundless. He Lingchuan yawned again.

The carriage had already halted before Gentleman He’s residence. Two manservants came out to receive them and guided the brothers into a quiet courtyard.

There, they washed up. Nanny Qian soon arrived with fresh clothes, urging them to shed their tattered ones. He Lingchuan’s garments in particular were a sight. They were stained with blood, splattered with mud, riddled with holes, and reeking so strongly of iron that one need not come close to smell it.

Nanny Qian was just about to tie up their hair when someone knocked on the door.

He Lingchuan opened it only to find Zhu Xiu’er standing before him.

She had long since washed and changed, now dressed in one of Madame Ying’s gowns. Clothes really do make the woman. Her skin was still darkened and her cheeks still red, yet with silks and brocades about her, the peasant air seemed to fade, revealing instead a calm, demure bearing.

Perhaps this was her true nature, surprisingly still not worn away after years of hardship.

She offered He Lingchuan a faint smile. “Since you’re short on servants, I came to help Nanny Qian.”

He Lingchuan stepped back to let her in. “You’re staying here too?”

He truly did not know how to address her. Am I supposed to call her Zhu Xiu’er, Miss Zhu, or Lady Zhu?

“Yes. Madame Ying insisted.” Zhu Xiu’er raised the wooden comb and motioned for him to sit. “But no one here, whether it even be the county magistrate or the master of this estate, knows anything about my origins.”

He Yue added, “Father has already issued a gag order to the whole army. This matter must not be spread. From now on, Lady Zhu will travel north with us. To outsiders, she is our cousin.”

They were not only hiding her ordeal, but also hiding her very existence. This way, when she returned to her family, no malicious rumors could follow her. He Chunhua and his wife were being remarkably generous.

Zhu Xiu’er began loosening the knots in He Lingchuan’s hair. “For this kindness, I could never repay you, not even with my life. Whatever the He Family commands of me in the future, I will never dare refuse.”

“You overstate it. Heaven helps those who help themselves. We only followed the natural course.” He Yue smiled and then asked her, “Are you sure you won’t attend the banquet with us? It wouldn’t matter if you came along as our cousin.”

Zhu Xiu’er shook her head with a light laugh. “Best if I don’t show myself too much. And truthfully, I could use the rest.”

Her voice was relaxed, her eyes were bright, and her whole being seemed unburdened. He Yue felt a jolt of surprise. This “cousin” truly looked as if she had been reborn.

Once they had finished getting dressed, the brothers went to Hongtai Tower for the banquet.

* * *

The banquet was lively, and hosts and guests were equally delighted.

He Lingchuan walked out, rubbing his belly in satisfaction. The local stuffed mutton was stewed to perfection—tender, savory, rich in flavor. The officials of the entire county had come, joined by more than a dozen gentlemen.

They escorted the He Family all the way to Hongtai Tower’s carriage porch. As the carriage rolled away, He Lingchuan could still see their beaming faces.

Such warmth was nothing new to him in Heishui City, but from out-of-town officials, it was novel. Along the road from Heishui City to Wuliu County, every local official had been courteous, but none so effusively hospitable.

In truth, “fawning” was a better word.

“Father, what did you give that magistrate to make him grin like a blooming flower?”

“When I submit my report to the capital about the brigand suppression, I’ll make sure to mention him. I’ll say he comforted the victims and promptly hunted down the stragglers.” He Chunhua had been running on fumes for a full day and night. He leaned back in the carriage and closed his eyes.

He Lingchuan snorted. “Hunted down? Did he really?”

“Those mountain passes behind Wuliu County still need to be swept a few more times to be sure no brigands remain. Desheng Town and Immortal Spirit Village both lost countless lives. And since this was tied to a rebel uprising, if mishandled, the magistrate’s position might not be safe. But with my endorsement, his merits will outweigh his faults, so of course he’s grateful.”

Madame Ying frowned in puzzlement. “But how does a small Wuliu County have so many officials? From country magistrate to deputy county magistrate, to registrar and constable, all the way down to yamen runners or constables. There seemed to be over thirty of them in total. Even your old commandery administrator’s office didn’t have this many staff.”

“My wife is observant.” He Chunhua smiled at her careful eye. Madame Ying liked wearing fresh flowers, so he pointed at the red rose tucked by her temple and said, “Even a single blossom needs twenty-five or twenty-six petals to make up its disk. And if you count the calyx as well, it’s even more than that.”

He gave a light chuckle before continuing, “Those with titles are already many. As for those without titles? Even more so.”

He Lingchuan understood well that what his father meant by “those with titles” was those with proper appointments. In reality, a county’s official staff was tiny, and there were typically no more than seven or eight posts at most. However, Wuliu County apparently had thirty to forty men in all. The extras were likely then all off the books, whether it be the tax collectors, patrolmen, census clerks, or education officers. Without them, the county’s day-to-day operations would grind to a halt.

He Yue frowned. “Wuliu County isn’t exactly prosperous. How can they afford so many?”

When the carriage first entered county territory, his older brother had been dead asleep, exhausted from the day’s ordeal. He Yue, however, had watched carefully along the road. Wuliu County looked no different from any other rural backwater place. If anything, it looked even poorer than most others.

He Chunhua explained lazily, “This county has at least twenty alternates on payroll, all of which are bought positions. The gentry get face, the treasury gets silver, and everyone walks away pleased.”

Some of these alternates or extra men had been hired by the magistrate out of necessity. Others were “donated” by local gentry for so-called purchased offices. It was a way to gild one’s face, a vanity post that came with no real power but a great deal of honor.

“Wuliu County lies close to Woling Pass. The county has been battered again and again by the wars between rebels and the royal court. Naturally, the people have suffered, and the treasury’s been drained. When times are hard, do you think officials will tighten their belts and suffer along with the commoners?”

He Yue blinked. “Doesn’t the commandery step in?”

He Chunhua snorted. “Well, the commandery surely knows about this, but they treat it as a petty irregularity. When the coffers run dry, both commandery and county have their so-called flexible measures.” He chuckled, giving his younger son’s shoulder a friendly pat. “Boy, you’re too young. Being an official is an art in itself.”

Though clever, He Yue was only fourteen. He had yet to taste the subtleties of worldly dealings.

Listening on, He Lingchuan could only marvel. The county’s solution to bankruptcy was not austerity, but bloating its bureaucracy even further by selling offices. It was illogical on its face, yet in its own twisted way, it was perfectly logical.

He Yue finally broke his silence. “Why didn’t those from the local militia garrison show up at the banquet? I heard some of them already returned to Qianteng Town.”

“Commandant Zhao most likely rushed back to make his report,” He Chunhua said without even having to pause to think. “The local militia garrison must get word to the royal court as fast as possible.”

He Yue asked knowingly, “Are they competing for credit?”

“Exactly. Suppressing rebellion is a matter of great import. Whoever gets the report to court first stands to reap the rewards.”

He Chunhua said airily, “This is all routine. That commandant has been stuck in this backwater place for years. If he doesn’t snatch some merit now, he’ll die of old age in obscurity.”

He Lingchuan, however, exclaimed, “But if the county magistrate and the commandant of the local militia garrison both rush to claim credit, aren’t you worried they’ll steal yours, Father?”

Hearing this, his father only smiled faintly and said, “What is mine will remain mine.”

Then, He Chunhua shifted the topic. “Now, tell me. What exactly happened after you fell from the cliff?”

“That’s a long story.” Far too much had happened. He Lingchuan decided to keep things vague and said, “I landed in a cave beneath the cliffs, which turned out to be the den of the crocodile monsters. It just so happened that Wu Shaoyi was there, half-dead. I saved his life, and then, grateful for the favor and with nowhere else left to go, he agreed to accept amnesty.”

At that, it struck him, and he asked, “Wait, where’s Wu Shaoyi now?”

“He’s resting in another house under guard.” He Chunhua nodded approvingly. “Bringing Wu Shaoyi over to our side... That was well done, and beautifully handled.”

He Lingchuan recounted the rest of what had transpired, though he glossed over his gains inside the immortal’s cave abode, claiming that it had been empty.

By then, the carriage had rolled back into the He Estate’s borrowed quarters. He Chunhua looked out the window and then spoke to Madame Ying, “Time to get down. You and Nanny Qian go change and rest. I’ll speak with the boys.”

Madame Ying nodded and left.

He Chunhua then led his two sons through the rear courtyard to the woodshed. “I borrowed this from Mr. He. I wanted a quiet place to talk.”

This estate was no grand mansion like their home in Heishui City. The rear courtyard held a kitchen garden and a few dozen chickens. It was crude, but spacious and private.

The woodshed stood apart, rarely visited, but tonight its lamp was lit. As the three approached, the door swung open, and Zhao Qinghe appeared.

Inside, a man was kneeling on the floor. He claimed to be a confidant of Lu Yao.

Zhao Qinghe had caught him in the small forest close to Horse-Mounting Slope earlier that day. He was quite unlucky. Before he could run far from Lu Yao, his horse had ended up breaking its leg.

He Lingchuan blinked and asked, “Why bring this man here?”

“He says he knows a lot about the rebel army’s internal situation, and he offers confession in exchange for leniency.”

He Chunhua had barely nodded when the captive rushed to speak, “After the disaster at Woling Pass, the Righteous Army fell apart. General Lu scraped together a thousand men by force of reputation, but he never led us properly. We lived in fear of the next meal, of being surrounded by the royal court’s troops, while he drowned himself in wine. One time, we passed through a town. A wealthy household of the surname Zhao owned an estate there, with more cattle and grain than they could eat in a lifetime, as well as gold and silver piled high as hills. The family offered everything to the general if only he would spare their lives. The general agreed.”

The captive paused for a moment before continuing, “But that night, drunk again, the general took a fancy to Old Man Zhao’s grandson. He dragged the boy out, roasted him over the fire, and praised him for being tender. The old man choked to death on the spot. After that, warrants flew across the province. The soldiers hunted us like mad dogs, hounding us to exhaustion. Only then did we learn that the old man had once been a high official and that he had only just retired the year before. The local provincial governor himself couldn’t let such a case pass without action.”

1. This He (何) is different from He Lingchuan’s surname 贺. ☜