The Living Yama (Part 11)
Most of the fine horses of Wumeng that could be used for riding in battle came from Shimen Fan. However, the internal war among the various tribes of Shimen Fan had lasted for more than half a year, and the number of horses coming from the direction of Niu Guanghe had decreased sharply, with fine horses being less than one in ten.
To ensure the supply of warhorses, the imperial court issued an edict setting quotas for fine horses for the Tea and Horse Bureau and the southwestern prefectures, with punishment for those who failed to meet the quotas. As a result, the markets in each prefecture guarded the incoming fine horses as if they were the apples of their eyes.
Following the direction indicated by the constable, they had not gone far when they heard a cacophony of voices.
A familiar voice, speaking fluent Wuman dialect, said, "If you think the prices here are too low, you might as well go to Luzhou and take a look. Luzhou has military horse farms with a large quota of fine horses, and the official market prices there might be higher."
"Big Brother, let's just take the horse to Luzhou and sell it!"
"Luzhou... is still a bit far."
"It's not that far. The nearest market, Meiling, is 320 li away from here, which is a three-day journey by horse."
"Hey, big boss, wanna go?"
"Let me think about it some more."
Faced with a non-existent language barrier, I can hardly imagine how much of the mule caravan's chatter he actually listened to... My temples were throbbing, and I pressed my temples, wanting to turn around and leave.
Just then, another familiar voice rang out: "How dare you!" Yang, the steward, rushed out from the side, grabbed Xiong Tu's collar with both hands, and shouted angrily, "You spies from Meiling! In broad daylight, you dare to come to my Yuezhou market and try to steal my fine horses! Speak! Did He Quan send you?!"
He Quan was the chief clerk of the Tea and Horse Bureau stationed at the Meiling border post. Hearing that He and Yang were originally colleagues who shared a room but had a long-standing feud, they were each sent to the border by their superiors. Although the two old officials rarely had the opportunity to meet again, their performance competition was even greater than before.
Xiong Tu helped Yang, the steward, up and said, "My lord, please calm down. I was just passing by and saw them hesitating here, so I went up and chatted with them for a few words. I was not acting on anyone's orders."
"Hmph!" Manager Yang grabbed Xiong Tu's collar and wouldn't let go. "I heard everything you said! Don't pretend with me! You never pass by earlier or later, you just choose to pass by on market days."
"Let me tell you—there are only two kinds of Han Chinese in the border markets who can speak fluent Yi language: one is a skilled tea and horse trader; the other is a border market judge. I've never seen anyone like you in Yuezhou. Tell me honestly, which border market are you from? Why did you come to Yuezhou to try and steal my man, Mr. Yang's, talent?!"
Xiong Tu helped Yang, the steward, up with a wry smile: "My lord, I am neither of the two types of people you just mentioned. I was really just passing by."
Manager Yang, still holding him and glaring at him, said, "I don't believe it!"
"I wonder, sir—how can I possibly gain your trust?"
"It would be best to have someone you know act as guarantor."
The caravan leaders were dumbfounded, standing there silently, while the crowd around them grew larger and larger.
Seeing that the archers from the patrol office were about to come this way, I pushed through the crowd and called out with a forced smile, "Steward Yang, let go."
Manager Yang looked bewildered and released his grip, saying, "Does Lady Qing know this person?"
I coughed lightly and said, "Yes."
Manager Yang stood beside me, looked at me, then at Xiong Tu, and said angrily, "Qing Niangzi, do you really know him?"
"He is a friend of mine—" Seeing that the old man's face did not look too good, I quickly added, "a friend who has been in the border region for many years. Recently, he passed through Yuezhou and heard that the market was lively, so he came to visit."
"I see." Manager Yang glanced at Xiong Tu, reluctantly cupping his hands in greeting. "It seems there was a misunderstanding!"
Xiong Tu smiled and took his hand, saying, "Your Excellency is wise."
The caravan members swarmed around, chattering, "Manager Yang, you have no idea how chaotic Shimen is right now! It wasn't easy for us to get here! You have to give us a higher price!"
"Exactly! If you don't join, we're going to Luzhou instead!"
"Gentlemen, gentlemen, everyone's having a tough time!" Manager Yang said, spreading his hands. "The price I offered you is the highest in the market. Before you came, I had already bought one horse, and the weighing record and receipt can be verified. It's not that I'm unwilling to lower my price, but if I give in to you, where is the fairness of the market? If everyone follows suit and raises their prices, this business will be impossible!"
"What does other people's justice have to do with us? I can't stand your Han Chinese grand theories, all that beating around the bush and talking nonsense. So, are you going to add it or not? Give me a straight answer!"
"Add more money!"
"Add more money!"
"Oh dear—" Manager Yang was exasperated by their clamor and turned to me, saying, "Qing Niangzi, you understand the gravity of the situation, so why don't you try to persuade them for me?"
I crossed my arms and laughed, “Fellow officers, listen to me. Indeed, there are military horse farms in Luzhou, and the official market might offer higher prices for fine horses than in Yuezhou.”
"However, the journey to Meiling is mostly through mountainous terrain, and with the recent heavy rains, the round trip will likely take several days. I see you also brought Yunnan black tea. If you take it to the border of Lizhou now, you can get a good price. But later, when Sichuan black tea from Pingshan comes to market in large quantities, the tea you carried all this way will probably be discounted."
"If you calculate it from both sides, it's not much different in terms of money. By selling the horse now, we can save on fodder in Meiling, avoid the risk of the horse getting sick on the way, and more importantly—finish this trip as soon as possible so we can get home to our wives and kids sooner, right?"
Manager Yang bowed to me repeatedly, saying, "What Lady Qing said is absolutely right!"
"Big Brother, how about we just give up and stop this nonsense?"
"Yes. My mother's eyesight is poor, and my younger brother and sister-in-law are still young. They are all looking forward to my return as soon as possible!"
"Fine! I'll go!"
Yang, the steward, was so happy that his mustache stood on end. He trotted over to the horse handler, snatched the reins from his hand, and shouted, "Follow me! Everyone, follow me!"
The crowd dispersed.
Xiong Tu walked towards me with a smile: "Yesterday, Qing Niangzi said—I am your friend, so why have you become a 'friend of a friend' today?"
I turned and walked away, saying, "You asked for it!"
Xiong Tu followed and said, "No wonder Ji Zhou, despite the pressure from the prefectural officials, did his best to recommend Qing Niangzi as the market judge at the prefectural meeting. Her handling of the situation just now truly shows her exceptional talent."
I waved my hand and said, "Go back to your Luzhou as soon as possible, and stop causing trouble here."
Where did I cause trouble?
I glanced at him and said, "If you don't mind the embarrassment, I'll go and call them over right now—to properly pay their respects to you, the Prefect!" With that, I strode towards the scales.
Xiong Tu chased after me for a few steps and grabbed my arm: "Hey, don't go!"
I stopped abruptly, turned around, and glared at them angrily.
He suddenly released her, raised his hands, and took two steps back, saying, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you. Qing Niangzi, it's a waste of your talent to keep you here. Why don't you come with me to Luzhou? There's the largest horse market in the southwest there. I'll give you an extra 30% of the commission. How about you become the judge of my Luzhou border market?"
I frowned and said, "I don't care about being a judge or earning commissions. I'm here only to help Lord Wei."
"Then...why can't you come and help me?"
"You know perfectly well why I'm asking this." I smiled slightly. "You've cultivated your career in the Southwest for ten years; Lord Wei has only been here alone for a few months. Helping you would be adding flowers to brocade; helping Lord Wei would be providing charcoal in the snow."
"Qingcheng was born and raised in Nanguang. There are very few officials like Lord Wei who are so considerate of the people's plight. Helping him is helping myself, as well as helping my fellow villagers and relatives."
Xiong Tu was silent for a moment, then sighed softly, "Yes, I have been in the Southwest for ten years. In these ten years, I have met many people and experienced many things, but the time that has truly made me happy is the past month or so that I have spent with you all at the inn. Speaking of which, I envy Ji Zhou. How fortunate he is to have made friends like Qing Niangzi and Mr. Liu as soon as he arrived in the Southwest."
I chuckled and said, "As long as you don't mind that we Nanguang Liao people are fierce and lazy, you can come and visit us often when you have free time."
Xiong Tu bowed and spoke sincerely: "I was blinded by hatred in the past and have always been prejudiced against the border people and other ethnic groups. In fact, what the Han people desire is also what the Liao people yearn for. The unification of China and the barbarians lies not only in the territory, but also in the hearts of the people. From now on, I will definitely cultivate goodness and suppress evil, and no longer favor the Han over the barbarians. I hope that Lady Qing will not hesitate to remind me."
I returned the gesture with a single fist salute: "Your Excellency possesses great magnanimity and lofty aspirations. Qingcheng awaits your arrival."
Not far away, a bailiff called out, "Lady Qing, Steward Yang wants to see you for tea!"
"Coming!" I replied, then turned to Xiong Tu and asked, "Would you like to have some of the old man's tea?"
Xiong Tu waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no!"
I laughed and said, "Then you can wander around, but don't try to poach anyone. Manager Yang is not someone to be trifled with."
I came to the weighing platform alone. Manager Yang brewed me some Yunnan black tea. After drinking a few cups, I listened to the chatter of the traveling chefs and learned that the southern part of Luo Kingdom was suffering from an autumn drought, and the Liuchong River had even dried up. The northern part was also hit by a locust plague, and the people in the lower reaches of the Yongning River abandoned their land and fled to Yanzhou in the Song territory.
To make matters worse, just last month, the Luo family's chief patriarch died suddenly without leaving a will, and more than twenty uncles and nephews with inheritance rights have already turned into a mess fighting over the leadership position.
Everyone sighed: In another year or two, the Luo Kingdom will probably end up like the Shimen Fan, resorting to cannibalism... Amidst the sighs, there was also relief—fortunately, twelve years ago, the sparsely populated and impoverished Nan Guang was brought under the control of the Song Dynasty, and amidst the bloodshed, it was still able to live in peace in a corner.
After noon, many of the out-of-town caravans that had come to the morning market dispersed. Those who came for the afternoon market were mostly local villagers from nearby villages, bringing their accumulated mountain goods to exchange for daily necessities such as coarse silk and porcelain.
Previously, several peddlers from Nanxi who set up stalls were very cunning and traded inferior silk for the animal hides of the Dong people. When Magistrate Yang found out, he sent men to confiscate the unscrupulous merchants' goods and drive them away. From then on, there were no more major disputes over small-scale bartering in the market.
Seeing that the weighing platform was quiet, I said goodbye to Manager Yang, took out some rice cakes from my pocket, and ate them as I walked back.
As I approached the entrance to the market, a long, drawn-out neighing of a horse came from behind me, and I quickly moved to the side and stood still.
"Thud—" Xiong Tu spurred his horse to block my path, his tone seemingly displeased, "Qing Niangzi, you didn't even call me when you went back."
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