Secretly determined
The road was through mountains and dense forests, but fortunately they finally arrived at Ding County. Seeing the small town with some signs of human life, Jingwan almost burst into tears. She hadn't come here for a long journey; she had come to escape from disaster. She even felt a little deceived by her cousin.
Lu Chang knew he had made a mistake, and he had learned his lesson this time. When he was an official in Pingdu, there was an official who would rather die than be exiled to Lingnan. At that time, he thought it was an exaggeration, but now he realized that it was not an exaggeration at all.
The mountain dweller led them to Ding County, took the money, and left. Before leaving, he looked at the young man before him, who had an extraordinary bearing but was somewhat weary from the hardships of the mountains and rivers, and said to himself with a self-deprecating smile, "The five prefectures of Lingnan are not connected to each other, and the counties within each prefecture are also like separate kingdoms due to the mountains. If the five prefectures could build official roads to allow people to travel in and out, that would be a truly fortunate thing. But... alas... what a pity! What a pity!"
He sighed twice, expressing his regret, and left.
They stayed at the inn that night. The waiter brought hot water, and Jingwan sat on the bed while Lu Chang sat on a small stool and held her little feet, gently wiping them with a towel dampened with hot water until her little feet were clean. Only then did Jingwan retreat back to the bed.
She hadn't been in bed for a long time. Although it was as hard as if she were lying on two planks, she closed her eyes contentedly because she could lie flat on her back.
My cousin is lazy, so I naturally have to be more diligent, bringing her water, wiping her face, and arranging her luggage.
The person on the bed didn't move at all. After a while, Lu Chang could hear that her breathing was getting heavier. He went over and saw that she was sleeping soundly, but her sleeping posture was not good. Her head was tilted to the side and her limbs were spread out. She must be extremely tired and didn't even have a dream.
Lu Chang sat quietly on the edge of the bed watching her, holding Jing Wan's hand, immersed in tracing her sleeping face.
The journey to Dingxian was truly arduous, with sleeping outdoors and enduring harsh weather being commonplace, but if given another chance, he would still bring her here.
No matter how difficult the road ahead, I finally feel at ease, and I regret even more how incredibly stupid I was back then.
When they parted ways in the capital that year, everything had changed when he returned. She had found someone she loved and had long since escaped the torment of their past relationship. This was enough to make him regret it for the rest of his life. He knew that such a thing could never happen again, and it seemed that he could only feel at ease if he kept her under his watchful eye every day.
A mosquito landed on her smooth little foot, and Lu Chang quickly shooed it away, then quietly left after putting down the mosquito net for her.
Dingxian County is not a large town; a carriage can travel around the entire town in half an hour. The newly built school is located next to the government office in the town. When Lu Chang arrived, the school was almost completed, with only some workers inside finishing the details. Standing beside him, giving instructions, was Fang Huai, who was telling the workers to make the windows more secure.
This year, the weather has been kind to us; there haven't been any storms. In previous years, every month in July and August would bring a storm strong enough to blow the eaves off. Human strength is limited; we can only do our best to ensure every little detail is secure.
Lu Chang approached him and asked, "You have to decide on such a small matter as whether a window is sturdy. Isn't that exhausting?"
Fang Huai didn't turn his head, still staring at the workers installing the windows, and only replied, "Not tired, not tired. You have to pay attention to the small things!"
After he finished speaking, he realized something was wrong. The voice of the person who came was very familiar. When he turned around, he saw Lu Chang standing behind him. He quickly walked over and bowed.
Lu Chang looked around the school and saw that it was already taking shape. He admired Fang Huai even more. He was indeed working for the people of Wei. When Fang Huai asked him why he had come to Dingzhou, Lu Chang said, "Come on, let me treat you to a drink!"
Fang Huai was not a pedantic person, so he naturally agreed.
The two sat in a restaurant. Lu Chang poured Fang Huai a cup, and the man opposite him picked up the cup with both hands and drank it all in one gulp.
Lu Chang smiled and asked, "Is two thousand taels of silver enough?"
Fang Huai did the calculations carefully, and after a while said, "We've used most of it now, and the remaining half is enough to sustain the academy for three more years."
"But what if your academy has no students returning in less than three years? What will you do then?"
Lu Chang had read the documents Fang Huai had recorded. Several schools had closed down because no students were enrolling. The root cause was that the people were so poor that they couldn't even fill their stomachs, so how could they have the time and money to send their able-bodied men to school and waste their time?
Fang Huai also had experience, and now that he had enough money, he was naturally confident: "I have set aside a special amount of silver. If any children are willing to study at the school, their families can receive one tael of silver per month! If they can persist for a year, the amount of silver will be increased. The longer they stay at the school, the more silver they will receive."
Some families with many children, upon seeing the official document issued by the government, were naturally happy to send their children who were not yet able to work to study, which was also a way to earn money for their families.
They're practically begging people to come and study here!
Lingnan is known for its strong liquor, but Lu Chang wasn't used to it and only took a small sip each time. Looking at the ambitious scholar in front of him, he asked softly, "Sir, you hold a thousand taels of silver but refuse to part with a single drop. Do you know that you have already offended all the officials in Jinning City, and some have even gone to the governor to impeach you for embezzling the silver donated by merchants?"
His nonchalant tone betrayed an undisguised provocation, enough to thoroughly offend the person before him. Anyone with a strong temper would have smashed their wine glass and launched into a tirade against Lu Chang!
But who is Fang Huai? If he really cared about these rumors, he wouldn't have persisted in his mission to promote education until today.
In fact, he was aware of his colleagues' greedy nature. The two thousand taels of silver had long been coveted. When he learned that a merchant was willing to donate to support education, officials came to him to curry favor, wanting to get a share of the profits.
From site selection and land purchase to every brick and tile used in the construction of the school, officials in charge could embezzle funds at every point that required money.
Fang Huai refused, saying, "Every expense is recorded in the accounts and approved by Lord Pei before any money is given. If you are looking to make money, please go elsewhere!"
Thus, he successfully offended officials of all ranks once again. When asked to do something, everyone waved their hands and refused, but Fang Huai was stubborn and insisted on taking on any task himself.
He finished his drink and asked Lu Chang directly, "Oh? Does that mean you've come to ask me for money too?"
Before Lu Chang could reply, Fang Huai repeated, "Two thousand taels of silver, not a single penny will be spent on the school and the students. If you want money, please look elsewhere!"
Such righteous indignation made the young man opposite him burst into laughter. Lu Chang picked up his wine glass and drank the strong liquor in one gulp.
September was hot, and after drinking the wine, his chest felt even hotter. But only he knew what was about to burst forth from beneath that burning sensation.
Fang Huai's earlier comment about asking for money was just a quick remark. He knew that Lu Chang had some status in Pingdu. Pingdu was a place where people could easily scatter gold everywhere. Two thousand taels of silver was just a drop in the ocean for people in the capital. It wouldn't be worth traveling thousands of miles to this remote place to find him for such a small amount.
Furthermore, I am quite familiar with this young man. Judging from his style, he is quite skilled with his pen and is an outstanding person. All matters, big and small, that pass through his hands are handled with clarity and appropriateness, showing that he has the talent to govern the world.
Just as he was thinking that his words had been too radical, he heard Lu Chang ask him, "I see that the officials are not cooperating with you, sir. I wonder what kind of skill you have used to manage the school so well?"
Fang Huai didn't have any special skills, but after thinking about the hardships he had endured over the past few months, he felt much more respect for the people who had helped him.
When the officials in Chaozhou were unwilling to affix their seals, he would go and plead with them every day. When they were unwilling to provide workers, he would take out his own money and recruit workers from the common people.
“In the past, most of the money given to the workers was embezzled by officials, leaving them with barely enough to eat. But I dared not take a single penny and paid it all to the people in full. With more money, everyone worked happily, and when they were happy, they did their jobs properly. However, not all officials were without conscience. There were a few talented young people who, like me, had no real power or status, but they were willing to do their part for their hometown. With everyone’s help, things became much simpler.”
"All things can be accomplished by the people!"
After much thought, he realized that this was the only thing he could say to Lu Chang.
Lu Chang remained silent for a long time, but in his heart, he repeated the phrase "all depend on the people" over and over again. Long ago, someone had said something similar to him:
"The court may be incompetent, but the people deserve it!"
The voice resonated in his heart like a sacred bell. He gently set down his wine cup, clasped his hands in a respectful bow, and said, "Sir, your righteousness will surely be remembered for eternity!"
A trip to Dingxian is worthwhile, but for someone like Jingwan who came with the intention of traveling far away, she doesn't know what's worth it. She just feels that the mosquitoes here are bigger than elsewhere, so big that she can see every pattern on their bodies.
Although it was already autumn, the weather was still three degrees hotter than in Jinning City. After spending several days secretly investigating among the people, Lu Chang had achieved his goal and did not want to stay any longer. He took Jingwan and prepared to leave.
Fang Huaishang couldn't leave, but he still came to see them off. "Sir, have you asked some mountain people to lead the way? If not, I have a few reliable villagers here."
Lu Chang declined his offer, but the mountain villager who brought them there was willing to take them back, so there was no need to look for anyone else.
Fang Huai knew that Ding County was surrounded by mountains and difficult to enter or leave. Even locals often got lost unless they were extremely experienced. Before parting, he specifically instructed Lu Chang not to go south when passing through Dafeng Ridge.
"The dense forest to the south is teeming with miasma; you can't see a person within five steps. Nine out of ten who enter will die. Remember this, sir!"
Once they were out of the city, the mountain people were not waiting there. Instead, a man in his thirties came over and said that his uncle was seriously ill and that he had been specially sent to lead them out of the city. After he finished speaking, he showed Lu Chang the package that the mountain people had brought with them to prove that it was true.
The package contained a knife, flint, and other items for going into the mountains, which were indeed brought by the old mountain villager when we arrived.
Lu Chang didn't think much of it and left Ding County with Jingwan.
Once you get past Dafengling, the road becomes easier, but this mountain is the only difficult part; it took a long and arduous journey to reach the halfway point.
After resting for another night in the forest, the mountain people led them on their way.
They were walking on a path commonly used by locals, a path frequented by people, and where wild beasts rarely appeared unless they were extremely hungry.
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