Chapter 41, Day Nine: The Hidden Dragon Should Not Be Used
Ouyang Rong has received many letters recently.
Among them were classmates from the academy, former teachers, local officials from his hometown of Nanlong, and even a classmate who passed the imperial examination in the first year of the Jiushi era. If he remembered correctly, he had only toasted this classmate with his neighbor at the Xingyuan Banquet, and he had forgotten what he looked like.
These old friends all sent letters to exchange greetings, reminisce about their past friendship, and make plans to get together again in the future. At the very end of each letter, they would all briefly mention that they had a little connection with a wealthy family in Longcheng County and hoped that Brother Lianghan would take care of them.
Is this reasonable?
That makes sense.
Ouyang Rong put down the letter, chuckled, casually tossed the stack of letters into the trash can beside him, and got up to leave the study.
The plum blossoms outside the study were shedding their petals, a truly delightful sight. The plum blossoms in Longcheng bloom late and wither late as well.
Ouyang Rong picked up a pale pink plum blossom petal from his shoulder, grabbed a pot of wine, and hummed a "hometown tune" as he went out.
He was actually in a good mood because he hadn't received any letters from his mentor Xie Xun or the Inspector Shen Xisheng, and a few days ago, Ouyang Rong had already mentally prepared himself to receive their letters.
When Ouyang Rong arrived at the government office, he soon led a large group of officials and yamen runners to the outskirts of the city to see him off.
Yesterday he ordered Qin Heng and the other soldiers of the Zhechongfu to return to the Jiangzhou camp, and the soldiers left today.
At the ten-mile-long pavilion south of the city, Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes, poured himself a cup of wine, and gestured to Qin Duwei and other soldiers.
"General Qin, I am not very talented in literature, so I will not recite any poems to evoke emotions. I wish you all a safe journey and thank you for your hard work these past few days."
"Your Excellency is too modest," Qin Heng shook his head.
"Oh, and please also deliver a letter to Inspector Shen for me."
Ouyang Rong took out a letter and handed it over, which Qin Heng accepted without asking any questions.
After everyone finished their farewell drinks, they broke off willow branches to bid them farewell.
The young captain of Jiangzhou's military command, who had only taken a few steps on horseback, suddenly turned his horse around and said to the young county magistrate who was calmly watching them leave from the pavilion behind:
“Magistrate Ouyang, there is something I have always been puzzled by. That night, when I saw you carrying a head out of the storeroom, I could tell that you really wanted to lead your men to confiscate the property. But why didn’t you go later?”
"General Qin also wants to confiscate their property?"
Qin Heng, who was usually taciturn and capable, nodded without hesitation, "These local bullies and tyrants, even if you raid a hundred houses a day, it wouldn't be enough to satisfy your hatred. They deserve to die."
"General Qin is a man of strong character."
"Isn't Magistrate Ouyang the same?"
"Then why didn't General Qin confiscate their property?"
"I regret that there is no military order. But Magistrate Ouyang can issue the order."
“I can give the order, but I am not a general who can simply lead the charge and draw his sword at will.” Ouyang Rong paused, then said seriously, “I am the magistrate of a county.”
Qin Heng was silent for a moment, then raised his crimson riding whip and pointed it at the relief camps in the fields, shouting:
"Magistrate Ouyang, this humble general led his soldiers out of Jiangzhou City at night, passing through Xingzi, Hukou, Jishui and several other counties. Along the way, your county is the place we have seen where the refugees are least hungry, the disaster situation is best controlled, and the officials are the fastest to act... You have done a great job as the magistrate of this county!"
"Magistrate Ouyang, until we meet again!"
Qin Heng laughed loudly, turned around and cracked his whip, leading three hundred armored cavalrymen to ride away, raising a cloud of dust three feet high.
Ouyang Rong was slightly taken aback, then smiled and shook his head before leading the officials behind him back to the county government office.
...
"How many a fight?"
"Sixteen coins, sir, this is top-quality tribute rice from Qianshan..."
Yan Liulang interrupted, "Are other rice shops charging the same price?"
"This is the price for everything, no cheating the young or old."
"Give me two bushels."
"Alright, thank you for your patronage of thirty-two coins."
At the rice shop in the bustling city, Yan Liulang paid for a bag of rice and turned to leave.
As they walked, the blue-clad constable clearly sensed that the town and its surroundings had become much busier and more vibrant, with a more lively atmosphere.
The sails on Butterfly Creek are like a forest, and there are many more boats coming from outside than usual. The laborers at Penglangdu Wharf are busy but short-handed, so wages need to be raised and people need to be recruited from the refugees outside the city.
Shops in the East and West markets that had closed down due to the disaster gradually resumed business, and temples and buildings were being renovated and repaired throughout the county, with everyone working enthusiastically.
In recent days, a young county magistrate's numerous official documents promoting commerce and industry, along with his vigorous promotion of the Dragon Boat Festival, have become the hottest topic among wealthy residents, ordinary citizens, and refugees from the suburbs of Longcheng.
Everyone in the streets and alleys was talking about it. They heard that the county magistrate would personally attend the Dragon Boat Festival and give a speech, and that the county government would also award the winning dragon boats with real money and subsidize some active merchants.
In fact, dragon boat racing was a grand event during the Dragon Boat Festival in previous years. The people of Wu and Yue were superstitious and regarded dragon boat racing as an important event to pray for good weather and a bountiful harvest in the coming year, so they naturally participated enthusiastically.
Furthermore, the performance evaluation of county magistrates by the state usually includes whether the magistrate has successfully changed local customs and traditions, a task that previous magistrates had to undertake. However, it is truly rare to see such a strong effort from a young magistrate like the one currently in charge, especially after the devastating floods in Yunmengze, when all the counties were struggling to cope.
As soon as the news spread, Longcheng County became very prominent throughout the entire Jiangzhou region, both upstream and downstream.
Moreover, Yan Liulang knew that this was just the beginning. The people who had come now were merchants and wealthy households from nearby counties, and many more tourists and wealthy businessmen were yet to come.
This is the advantage of well-developed water transport. Only Jiangzhou was affected by floods, while the surrounding prefectures were 'rich and peaceful', and could be reached by boat.
However, the young magistrate said that this was both a good thing and a bad thing, and that the door should be locked... Yan Liulang was a little confused about this, but since the magistrate did not elaborate, he did not ask any further questions.
Just now, Yan Liulang had just returned to the county government office with rice when he ran into Ouyang Rong and his group who were returning from outside the city.
"Magistrate, the price of rice in the East Market..."
"Let's go inside and talk."
"yes."
The two arrived at the back room, and before Yan Liulang even sat down, he began to report on everything he had observed in the county town, including today's rice prices.
"Only sixteen coins a dou?"
Ouyang Rong took a sip of tea, then immediately put down his cup upon hearing this, clearly displeased.
"So cheap, who do you think you are? People outside might think that we Longcheng people can't afford rice."
Yan Liulang's lips twitched, and he couldn't help but say:
“Your Excellency, sixteen coins a dou is practically robbery. I just paid for rice without a word and didn’t even haggle. The shopkeeper looked at me like I was a fool and laughed. This is the most basic price for rice. Even if the price increases by one coin per dou, it will be a huge problem.”
Ouyang Rong seemed not to hear, rolled up his sleeves, grabbed a handful of snowflake-like, icy white rice from the bag, stared at the "trickling stream" of rice falling through his fingers, and muttered:
"No, it's not high enough. It needs to be raised further. It should be at least twenty coins per dou before the Dragon Boat Festival. Our county needs to give those grain merchants a little shock in Longcheng."
Yan Liulang: "..."
Your Excellency, if you're being kidnapped and coerced by the grain merchants, just blink twice.
Yan Liulang hesitated, but Ouyang Rong spoke first and gave the orders.
"Liu Lang sent someone to spread a message first..."
After he gave him some careful instructions, Yan Liulang nodded hesitantly and left. However, he had only walked out of the door for a short while when he returned to the main hall. This time, he was followed by a tattooed man.
"Your Excellency, look who's here!"
Ouyang Rong, who was still deep in thought, fiddling with the white rice, looked up and asked in surprise, "Ah Shan?"
"Thank you so much for saving my life, sir."
Liu Ashan knelt down and kowtowed directly in the corridor outside the door.
Ouyang Rong quickly stepped forward to help him up.
"You don't need to kneel before me. You survived because you're lucky; it has little to do with anyone else," he sighed. It was the truth; to pull through was truly a tough person.
Liu Ashan ignored him and continued to perform the kowtow with utmost respect.
However, Ouyang Rong, who had been quite busy lately, then said something that embarrassed him.
"Brother Ashan, what brings you here? Is something wrong at home?"
Liu Ashan's expression froze for a moment. "Didn't the master tell me to come to the county office to see him after I recovered from my injuries?"
Ouyang Rong realized it too late, and only then did he come to his senses.
The casual remark made that day was remembered by the sick man.
His old face flushed slightly, but he said calmly:
"Yes, yes, Brother Ashan has come at just the right time."
He paused again and asked, "I remember you were a government slave. Where did you work before?"
Liu Ashan immediately replied, “Guyue Sword Shop. Our family were laborers. We were previously considered lowly people under the jurisdiction of the county government. Later, the Liu family of the West Bank was appointed by the Emperor as Imperial Sword Envoys, and we laborers were assigned to Guyue Sword Shop to work as long-term laborers for the Liu family.”
Ouyang Rong nodded and immediately asked Yan Liulang, "Can a government slave like Ashan be redeemed?"
Yan Liulang was taken aback, and after thinking for a moment, he said:
"It's possible, but there's no need to waste money. Magistrate, you can find an excuse and simply issue a document to transfer Brother Ashan back to the county government. Serving the county government is serving Magistrate, isn't it? There are countless such craftsmen at the Guyue Sword Shop. The Liu family won't bother with Magistrate over a mere government slave..."
“No need,” Ouyang Rong interrupted directly. “Although I am poor, I have some savings. I will use them to redeem Brother Ashan first.”
Even Yan Liulang and Liu Ashan didn't quite understand why Ouyang Rong was so insistent on redeeming himself and gaining his freedom, because in the Great Zhou Dynasty, sometimes those who served as private slaves for powerful and wealthy families did not fare any worse than ordinary people.
Ouyang Rong then inquired about the price again, asked the two to wait a moment, and returned to his study in the Melu Garden to retrieve some money.
Last time, he took ten strings of cash from his aunt, but the fundraising banquet at Yuanming Tower only cost him a little over two strings of cash. This was probably because no foreign dancers or hostesses were invited to the banquet, or the restaurant owner gave him a "limited-time discount".
As for the 650 strings of cash "paper and pen money" donated to him by the local gentry and wealthy families, he donated it all to the county government.
Even so, the nearly eight strings of cash he had left was a huge sum for an ordinary person.
Ouyang Rong picked out a few copper coins, stuffed them back into his pocket, and handed over the remaining seven strings of cash.
Liu Ashan waved his hand in alarm, "Master, I don't need that much money to redeem myself."
Ouyang Rong shook his head, "Then redeem your sister or mother as well. However, seven strings of cash may not be enough. But redeem as many people as you can first, and use the remaining money to purchase household items."
Liu Ashan smacked his lips.
Ouyang Rong waved his hand, "Go on, go with Liu Lang to handle the formalities. After you're redeemed, come back to me. Consider it working for me. I heard you're a good swimmer, and I happen to be short-handed here. I'll need Brother Ashan's help in the future."
Looking at the sincere smile on the young magistrate's face, Liu Ashan nodded vigorously, said no more, and turned to follow Yan Liulang out the door.
Ouyang Rong watched the two leave, pondered for a while at the door, and turned back to deal with official documents. At this moment, he caught a glimpse of a figure in red rushing towards him from the distance along the corridor.
In no time, she rushed to his side.
Ouyang Rong silently stepped back, seemingly afraid that his junior sister would violate the rules and bump into him while carrying the ball.
Just the day before, Xie Lingjiang had been calling Ouyang Rong "Senior Brother" like a curious little follower, but now her eyebrows were furrowed, and she glared at him, questioning him:
"Master... Brother Lianghan, why did you deregulate grain prices? Do you know that grain prices in the county have now risen to sixteen coins per dou? I've heard rumors that the county magistrate's family is secretly selling grain, which is why he deregulated prices to line his own pockets. Is that true?"
Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow.
But my first thought was... my junior sister looks quite cute when she's angry.
...
"You mean, on the night of the audit, after the magistrate beheaded a clerk, he didn't immediately lead troops to confiscate his property. Instead, he sealed the storeroom and stopped auditing the accounts. Two days later, he even sent people to attend an apology banquet for the thirteen families in the city? And these past few days, he's been saying he wants to join forces with the local gentry to hold a Dragon Boat Festival? And today he even sent the soldiers from the Zhechong Prefecture back?"
The Su family mansion, back garden.
After listening silently to the chubby-faced maid's inquiries, Su Guo'er couldn't help but confirm with her again.
“That’s right, miss.”
Cai Shou nodded like a chick pecking at rice, but the little maid's focus was clearly not on the same wavelength as her mistress's. She added in a low voice:
"Miss, I never expected that the new magistrate, who looks so handsome and like a weak scholar, would actually kill someone with his own hands."
"Yes, I really didn't expect this..." Su Guo'er murmured.
Cai Shou's eyes sparkled. "Hmm, just like the deadly scholar in historical novels, dashing and debonair, yet every move is lethal."
Su Guo'er didn't even lift her eyelids. Seeing this, Cai Shou didn't want to make a fool of herself and continued to apply plum blossom makeup to the middle of her brow as she pondered.
The chubby-cheeked maid held a vermilion brush, and the more she painted, the more she felt that her mistress's pretty face was so beautiful it was almost unfair; even she, a girl, was somewhat moved.
It's a pity that the young lady doesn't smile most of the time, lacking the coquettish charm of a young woman. She often stays alone, either looking coldly or frowning.
A fortune teller once came to the manor and told the master and mistress that the young lady's intelligence was too great and that she should think less and do more of the leisurely things that young ladies do.
Raising a raccoon dog and applying plum blossom makeup are among the leisurely pleasures.
The story of this plum blossom makeup is quite coincidental. Two years ago, the young lady was resting under the eaves when a breeze blew a plum blossom onto her forehead. Perhaps it stayed on her skin for too long, or perhaps the plum blossom's color faded and stained her skin, leaving a faint red plum blossom-shaped mark on her forehead that couldn't be wiped away. It added a touch of alluring softness to her normally aloof face. That evening, the master and mistress saw it and were delighted, so they instructed the young lady to keep it and to wear plum blossom makeup often…
“It’s like he’s become a completely different person, this is…” Su Guo’er whispered: “The ninth line, the dragon soars too high and regrets it.”
Cai Shou, who was applying makeup to her, looked slightly dazed.
"Huh, what do you mean?"
Su Guo'er gently brushed her aside, her slender figure rising from the bamboo chair. Holding a book to her chest, she strolled around the garden. After a while, she narrowed her eyes and whispered:
"I misjudged it before."
Cai Shou became increasingly confused.
The plum blossom-adorned young woman, fond of philosophical discussions, ignored the clumsy maid and casually opened the "Book of Changes" in her bosom. Her slender finger lightly touched a certain page and line, and she murmured:
"So now it's... the ninth day of the month, a time for 'hidden dragons should not be used.'"
(End of this chapter)
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