Bone-Returning Seed (Part 3)

A heavy rain last night made this afternoon even more muggy.

The cicadas in the trees were chirping hysterically. I leaned back in my bamboo chair, gazing absently at the hollyhocks in the yard.

It's been a full day since Huai Xu left the inn. Yesterday's slap, delivered with all my might, still leaves my fingertips slightly numb. I can't imagine how swollen her face is now, or how much her heart aches.

"Qingcheng!"

I snapped back to reality and looked towards the door. Wang Yunhui and Liu Xingjian walked in together. I quickly stood up to greet them: "Madam Wang, Mr. Liu."

“Qingcheng,” Wang Niangzi said, taking my hand, “the people from your inn haven’t been to Yanziping for a while, and I’ve been feeling uneasy about it. When I asked Lao Liu, he was also a little puzzled, so we came together to take a look.”

"I ran into Feng Qiao outside just now. The boy looked very haggard. He said that Huai Xu had moved to the prefectural government office yesterday. What happened? Why didn't you tell us?"

“Yes,” Liu Xingjian chimed in. “Qingcheng, you said that neighbors should help each other, and the refugees in Yanziping have often received your care. When you encounter difficulties, you should also think of us. If we can help in any way, we will do our best.”

"You two are very kind, and Qingcheng thanks you. It's not that I deliberately concealed it, but this matter came on fiercely and was caused by the deep-rooted customs within the southwestern barbarians. The exiles in Yanziping are all Han Chinese, and it's not appropriate to involve everyone in this, both morally and logically." With that, I told you all about Huaixu's encounter with the "returning bone seed".

After hearing my words, Wang Yunhui was filled with righteous indignation: "How can such a despicable custom exist in the world! Old Liu, listen to this, how is it any different from forcibly abducting women?"

Liu Xingjian said with a somber expression, "The ultimate meaning of marriage customs is the propagation and survival of the clan. The marriage customs of the four barbarian tribes in China are different. Open places are mostly peaceful, while closed places are mostly tyrannical."

"To resolve the conflict at its root, we must develop the border areas and enrich the people, and promote education to change customs and habits. But this is a long-term plan and cannot be accomplished overnight."

I nodded and said, “Mr. Liu’s words are spot on. In fact, in recent years, Han and Liao people have lived together in Nanguang, and the practice of ‘returning the bloodline’ and forcing marriage has become rare. Although Mahu was controlled earlier than Nanguang, it is burdened by its rugged terrain and cold weather all year round, and its bad customs and bad habits have become more deeply ingrained.”

Wang Yunhui said, "Okay, okay, you're both right. But there's one thing I disagree with."

"Qingcheng, you say this is a mundane matter among the barbarians, but Fengqiao is our Han people. Isn't the Jimi Prefecture also Song territory, and aren't the barbarians also Song people?"

“There is no law in the imperial court that prohibits intermarriage between Han and non-Han people. They are in love and you, as an elder, approve of this marriage. Why should these backward customs interfere?”

"We at Yanziping cannot stand idly by in this matter!"

“My wife is right,” Liu Xingjian said, turning to me. “Qingcheng, you don’t need to worry about implicating us.”

"The garrison soldiers at Yanziping have weapons, and the villagers have farming tools, all made of iron; while the Yi people at Mahu are bound by the prohibition against copper and iron, and their weapons are mostly made of bamboo and wood. In terms of equipment, we have the advantage."

"In terms of fighting spirit, although the Dong people are brave and fierce, we Han people are not necessarily unable to defeat them. The Han people seem peaceful and do not like fighting, which is due to the fact that our ancestors have always valued agriculture and enjoyed farming."

"The bottom line for Han people is their family and homeland. If these two things are threatened, their inherent courage will be ignited, and they will have no fear of any powerful foreign tribe."

Wang Yunhui pulled me aside and said, "If Prefect Wei's mediation still fails to quell this matter, you should immediately take Huai Xu and Feng Qiao to Yanziping."

"What's there to fear if it's a fight to the death? Which of these exiles didn't survive by the skin of their teeth? We haven't even settled the score with them for trampling the chickens we fed them, and they still have the audacity to try and steal our people?"

Liu Xingjian nodded: "Who says otherwise?"

Xingtian wields his axe and shield, his fierce will unwavering. (Note 1)

Looking at the couple before me, whose combined age exceeded one hundred, I felt a deep respect and, holding their hands, smiled and said, "Qingcheng will certainly obey."

Wang Yunhui laughed and said, "That's more like it. Don't treat us like outsiders anymore!"

Liu Xingjian said, "Qingcheng, don't worry. I'll go back and tell Xu Shan and the others to make preparations and start training as soon as possible."

After seeing Wang Yunhui and her husband off, the gloom that had been building up in my heart for days was completely swept away, as if the clouds had parted and the sky had cleared.

I sat down and asked Lin Zhong for some wine. He came over and poured me a full glass. I drank three glasses in a row, thoroughly enjoying myself. I asked him to refill it, but he refused. I cursed at him a couple of times and then took my glass away.

Two days later, Luo Erying arrived at the inn.

"Yingzi, what brings you here?"

Luo Erying held my hand and said, "Aunt Qing, Brother Feng Qiao, I've been staying with Sister Huai Xu at the prefectural government office these past few days. She's fine, so don't worry."

"How is the Prefect?"

"Prefect Wei and Shi Yu went nowhere during the day and only returned at night. The lights in their room stayed on all night. Aunt Qing, he asked me to come and find you, so that you can set off immediately to the prefectural government office."

"Let's go!"

He rode to the prefectural government office, where Wei Ji was waiting for him in the side hall.

After not seeing him for only three days, I was quite surprised: "Lord Wei, what happened to your eyes?"

Wei Ji said, "It's alright. The candles in the yamen have run out, and the lamp oil is getting hard on our eyes. I urgently need to summon Qing Niangzi because I have something important to discuss."

"Please speak, sir."

"I have invited Prefect Song of Xunzhou to discuss matters here in a moment. The topic will naturally be related to wedding customs. Time is short, so I will not repeat it here. You can listen in from behind the screen so that you can have a general idea."

"I will leave it to you, sir." I turned behind the screen, and not long after, Shiyu came to report.

"Lord Song Ninghai has arrived."

"Please come in quickly!"

Just then, footsteps approached, and Wei Ji said, "Prefect Song, please have a seat."

Song Ninghai did not respond, and seemed to even hummed.

"Prefect Song, please try our Junlian yellow bud tea."

The lid of the teacup tapped lightly against the teacup until it fell to the ground. Song Ninghai finally spoke up: "Prefect Wei, could you please stop bothering me? Regarding this matter of marriage customs, I already made my stance clear to you in Xunzhou the other day. It's not that I, Song Ninghai, am unwilling to help, but that I simply cannot help you."

“Prefect Song, you must not underestimate yourself. You are the local official of Xunzhou. If even you cannot help, then who can?”

"Wei Ji, don't try to put me on that act, I'm not buying it!" Song Ninghai said excitedly. "I've been walking on thin ice in Xunzhou for almost three years. If I can endure another year and get a second-class rating in the civil service evaluation, I can be transferred away from here."

“I’m not like you. My wife, children and elderly parents are all in Xunzhou. How can I go against those local barbarian chieftains? These barbarians have done plenty of things like storming government offices and killing officials!”

“I don’t want to repeat the mistakes of Prefect Du. Let me be frank with you, scholars like you and me can’t control them. These barbarians need to be dealt with by Xiong Tu—Lord Xiong.”

"Oh? In Prefect Song's opinion, how will Prefect Xiong handle this matter?"

"He first sent troops to post notices in various villages and hamlets, ordering that members of the clan who had followed the custom of 'returning the bone lineage' for marriage within the past three years should immediately register at the government office. They were given ten days to register, and those who failed to do so would be beheaded. When the people were gathered together, they were asked whether they were there voluntarily or under duress. If they were there voluntarily, they would be spared, but if they were under duress, they would be charged with kidnapping women, the wives would be sent back to their parents' homes, and the husbands would be exiled to the frontier."

"Then what?"

"And then?" Song Ninghai scoffed. "Then they rebelled. Who cares? Lord Xiong commands the Changning Army. These mere rebels can be wiped out."

"Prefect Song, please stop joking. I invited you here today to ask you to summon the leaders of the Mahu tribe to this council."

"No, no!" Song Ninghai refused outright. "Aren't you just stirring up trouble? None of the seven tribes of Mahu are easy to mess with, especially that Dong guy. His ancestors had the merit of offering horses to the emperor, so why would he take a petty official like you or me seriously?"

"All that's needed is for Prefect Song to come forward and invite the heads of the seven major clans to my place. I will discuss the marriage customs with them, while Prefect Song can simply stand by and watch."

"What a joke! You think you can stay safe by just standing by and watching? When those barbarian chieftains go berserk, even if you're reduced to ashes and buried in the ground, they can dig you up and scatter your ashes!"

Two figures were faintly overlapping on the screen, presumably Wei Ji patting Song Ninghai on the shoulder as they spoke.

"Brother Song, please do me this favor."

The figures separated abruptly, and Song Ninghai's voice was tinged with helplessness: "Alright, alright. I'll give it a try. If it works, great; if not, oh well."

"Why don't you ask Lord Xiong for help with this? You were both on the same list of successful candidates. If you go to him, you'll give him a perfect excuse to carry out the purge. He'll gain military merit, and you'll solve your problem. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"

Wei Ji laughed and said, "I'll only look for you, not him. He was on the same list as me, but he got a higher official position. Why would I give him military merits so that he can get a promotion? I won't do that."

"Alas." Song Ninghai sighed. "Brother Wei, I am more than ten years older than you and arrived in the southwest several years earlier. Since we are both officials in a remote prefecture, I have to remind you of some things."

"You're a Beijing official from the Ministry of Works. You come to this uncivilized land, and you can easily repair bridges and pave roads. You'll be loved by the local barbarians and achieve good results. After three to five years, you'll get a top ranking in the civil service evaluation and be reinstated."

"You insist on stirring up a hornet's nest regarding wedding customs. In doing so, you'll only end up putting in a lot of effort and getting nothing in return. If you cause trouble, do you want to grow old and die here?"

The two figures overlapped again.

Wei Ji said in a light voice, "Thank you for the reminder, Brother Song. Junlian has beautiful scenery, no less than that of Jiangnan. It would be a pleasure to grow old and die here."

"Are you crazy?!"

Footsteps sounded, indicating that the two had gone out together.

A moment later, Wei Ji returned and took my hand, saying, "If Prefect Song offended you in any way just now, I hope you won't take it to heart, Madam Qing."

I quickly waved my hand: "It's alright. The Dong family of Mahu is all-powerful. Not long after Prefect Song took office in Xunzhou, he was beaten by the local natives. This matter spread throughout the 'southwest half'. Although he harbored resentment, he never colluded with Xiong Tu to vent his personal anger. It is already quite remarkable that he could do this."

Wei Ji continued, “Tomorrow at noon, at the State Garden meeting, I have already arranged for the five clan chiefs of the Nan Guang tribe and two other elders of major clans to come. If things go smoothly on Prefect Song’s side, the seven clan chiefs of the Ma Hu tribe will also come.”

"Both the maternal uncle and paternal aunt are parties involved in the matter. Huai Xu's maternal uncle will definitely be present. Huai Xu's biological mother has passed away. Since you have adopted her, you will be present as the maternal aunt. Go back and sort out the reasons for adopting Huai Xu and the important time points so that you can respond at the meeting."

I nodded: "Understood."

Wei Ji then took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to me, saying, "This is a letter from the supervisor of the exiles. Go to Yanziping and give it to Zhang, the 'military officer,' and make sure to take Liu Yu with you tomorrow."

I reached out and took it: "Okay."

Wei Ji asked, "Huai Xu is resting in the guest room. Shall I have Shi Yu take you there to see him?"

"No need. I'm afraid she'll cry again when she sees me, and that would throw everyone into a panic. I feel much more at ease with Luo Erying by her side." I took Wei Ji's hand. "Thank you for the arrangement, sir. Qingcheng, let's go back to the inn first."