In the Years When I Was a Father

Chapter 50: Strict Father in Ancient Times (7)

At this moment, in Liuyun Stronghold.

“Big Brother, they’ve sent another new prefect down from above. From what I see, this one doesn’t look like an easy character!”

Tian Lao’er, with a broadsword strapped to his waist, swaggered in, his loud voice echoing through the hall.

Sitting at the main seat, the Liuyun Stronghold leader, Xie Yun, appeared much more refined. Although one could tell at a glance he was a martial arts master, his demeanor carried a certain scholarly general’s elegance.

Xie Yun was reviewing the information his men had gathered on Qi Sheng and asked, “Did you see the man himself? What about his family and servants?”

Tian Lao’er scratched his head and replied, “There were too many soldiers escorting him this time, so I didn’t dare get too close. But I did take a good look when he was riding alone — from afar, he looked like quite the figure!”

He chuckled twice and continued, “As for his family and servants, there were six carriages in total. I tailed them for a while to figure things out. Looks like two of the carriages carry his womenfolk, one has what I think is his son, and two carriages are loaded with luggage. About twenty servants all told.”

“Twenty? That’s not too many,” Xie Yun said, carefully studying the documents again without speaking further.

Unable to figure out what Xie Yun was thinking, Tian Lao’er asked, “Boss, are we really not going to do anything now? Once he settles down in Ningzhou, it’ll be a lot harder for us to move against him!”

Xie Yun shook his head, his voice low and deep, “Hold steady for now. Let’s see what kind of person he truly is. If he turns out to be like the last corrupt official, I’ll personally take his head.” Tian Lao’er was dissatisfied: “Why would they randomly send someone new here anyway? A good official like Lord Chen didn’t even get rewarded or promoted, and now they’ve sent in some outsider who knows nothing about the situation! Those damn court officials only ever cover for each other, never thinking about us common folk!”

Xie Yun lowered his eyes and said, “Lord Chen was indeed a good man, but sadly, he was mediocre in ability. He served as magistrate of Lin County for eight years — loved the people like his own children — yet he never managed to change Lin County’s poverty. Just for that alone, he wasn’t fit to be promoted to prefect.”

Tian Lao’er looked puzzled and asked, “Is loving the people not enough? The others are worse than him!”

Afraid Tian Lao’er would act rashly, Xie Yun explained patiently: “I sent someone to investigate. Rumor has it that within ten years, this Lord Qi elevated Pingzhou — once a lower-tier state — to a level rivaling the wealthy canal cities. Seven of those ten years, he was just a county magistrate.”

Seeing Tian Lao’er still confused, Xie Yun added, “Meaning that Lord Qi only took three years to get all the common folk in Pingzhou living good lives. If these rumors are true, then the court sent him here for the sake of Ningzhou’s people.”

Tian Lao’er was skeptical, arguing, “There’s no such thing as good officials nowadays! I bet it’s just some scheme to make himself look good. Wasn’t there a guy before who acted all loving towards the people, but behind the scenes he was bullying men and stealing women, committing all sorts of evil? Bah, just another fraud!”

Xie Yun frowned, but still gave a firm order: “Whether he’s a good official or not, we’ll find out soon enough. For now, we rest and watch. Make sure all the brothers stay put and don’t act rashly!”

All the stronghold leaders who had been quietly listening immediately acknowledged the order. Even Tian Lao’er, despite his dissatisfaction, had no choice but to obey.

Because of Xie Yun’s orders, the entire Liuyun Stronghold became quiet and disciplined. Although some leaders weren’t as farsighted as Xie Yun, none of them wanted to openly clash with the government, so they all chose to lie low.

However, over at Qingmu Stronghold, second only in power to Liuyun Stronghold, things were much more chaotic.

“Boss, we have to give that damned official a good scare now, so he won’t dare throw his weight around later!”

“Yeah, Boss, if Liuyun Stronghold’s cowards won’t do it, we will! We have to show him who’s boss!”

Sitting at the head of the hall, Liu Laoda, the burly leader of Qingmu Stronghold, frowned hesitantly and asked, “Is Xie Yun really planning to do nothing? That’s not like him. Could he be trying to trick us?”

The second-in-command sneered, “That pretty boy? He’s just scared. Boss, forget about him. We should kill that damn official outright — let the court know the people of Ningzhou aren’t so easily bullied!”

The third-in-command agreed, “Exactly! Ningzhou should be run by our own people, not some outsider. Even if it were Lord Chen, it’d be better than this stranger!”

Others echoed their agreement, making Liu Laoda increasingly frustrated.

After dealing with Xie Yun many times before, Liu Laoda knew the man was a deep schemer. His current silence made Liu Laoda hesitate.

After a long while, Liu Laoda finally said, “Let’s wait a few days. It’s harvest time now. Let’s go home and gather the crops first.”

The men grumbled, “What crops? After killing those damn officials and corrupt merchants, we scraped together a little silver, but our fields have been lying fallow ever since. Looks like they really don’t want us to live!”

Liu Laoda snarled, “Whatever fields we have, harvest them. Otherwise, how are we supposed to survive the winter — drinking cold wind? Move it! Quit blocking the way!”

Hearing this, the men reluctantly scattered, though the second and third leaders exchanged a look and quietly slipped away together.

Meanwhile, just ten miles from the next relay station, Qi Sheng, not intending to stop again, ordered everyone to press on and rest at the station.

But before he could finish giving the order, he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness.

The soldiers nearby also staggered and fell one after another.

“Hahaha, Second Brother, we did it!”

But before the Third Leader could celebrate, he heard the Second Leader shout in alarm.

“…Third Brother, be careful, they’re tricking us!”

The scene descended into chaos. By the time the people from Qingmu Fort were all bound tightly, Qi Sheng finally walked over to take a closer look.

The officer accompanying him, Wei Qianhu, said, “My lord, these two are the Second and Third Leaders of Qingmu Fort nearby. They’ve been committing crimes for years. Shall we take them back for interrogation or execute them on the spot?”

Qi Sheng stepped forward and asked, “Why did you come? To rob or to kill?”

Pinned firmly to the ground, the Third Leader, who was tightly bound, spat disdainfully and said, “For scum like you, killing you would be enforcing justice on behalf of Heaven, and robbing you would be redistributing wealth!”

Qi Sheng chuckled, “Not bad, you’re even a bit cultured!”

Seeing his disrespectful attitude, Wei Qianhu stepped forward and kicked him hard a few times, yelling, “Behave yourself! The lord is merciful for sparing your miserable lives for now. If you dare be rude again, we’ll torture you right here and now!”

The Second and Third Leaders showed no fear and instead started cursing Qi Sheng loudly. Infuriated, Wei Qianhu grabbed a whip and lashed them fiercely.

Only when they were beaten to the brink did Qi Sheng motion for Wei Qianhu to stop. “Leave it for now. We’ll interrogate them properly once we reach the yamen.”

Wei Qianhu accepted the order, tied up the group from Qingmu Fort securely in a line, and led several soldiers ahead to clear the way.

Once inside the carriage, Liu Shi and Qi Xiuli, who had been riding in the rear, also came over. Seeing Qi Sheng enter, they looked at him worriedly.

Qi Sheng reassured them, “It’s fine, just a small scuffle. Once we reach the next post station, we can rest properly. From there on, it’ll be towns and cities — no one will dare cause trouble again.”

Seeing his calm demeanor, the two relaxed. However, glancing at the tied-up bandits at the back, they couldn’t help cursing under their breath, “These blind fools! No wonder Ningzhou is so poor — it’s all their fault!”

Qi Sheng shook his head and closed his eyes to think. Things were more serious than he had imagined. These people dared to attack government officials openly, showing their deep hatred for the imperial court. It made him wonder — what was the common people’s attitude in Ningzhou?

Thinking back to when he left Pingzhou, with people kneeling for miles to see him off, and now this… Before even taking office, he had received such a “grand welcome.” It seemed there was much work to be done!

The next morning, they set out early from the post station. Around noon, they reached a nearby town and planned to take a proper rest.

Although it was called a town, shops were sparse and pedestrians were few. Qi Sheng was a little puzzled.

Wei Qianhu, more familiar with the situation, explained, “My lord, many lands in Ningzhou were previously controlled by wealthy landlords, merchants, and corrupt officials. Several months ago, multiple bandit uprisings broke out. Enraged, the landlords would rather leave the land fallow than hire people to farm. Now it’s already October — apart from harvesting a little from their own small plots, the common folk are busy planting fast-growing radishes and vegetables or foraging wild greens to survive the winter.”

Qi Sheng understood and sighed inwardly at the hardships of the people here. Ningzhou already had little arable land, most of which was concentrated in the hands of the rich. Now, with government and bandits both wounded by mutual strife, the ordinary folk could barely collect enough food for winter.

Qi Sheng stayed silent, lost in thought. During lunch, there was another incident — the Second Leader, despite being bound, almost escaped. Seeing Wei Qianhu looking hesitant and stammering, Qi Sheng immediately guessed the truth.

Collusion between civilians and bandits — or perhaps these “bandits” were simply ordinary folk forced into crime!

Qi Sheng felt a headache coming on. The local folk customs were indeed fierce. Yet, he also comforted himself — after all, such fierceness was born from the struggle to survive. It was understandable.

Although he tried to sympathize, Qi Sheng had no mood to linger. Urging the group forward without rest, they finally arrived at the Ningzhou Prefectural Yamen by the time the evening drum sounded.

At the gate, officials who had been waiting for hours welcomed them with bows. After exchanging formalities, Qi Sheng entered and took his seat at the banquet prepared for him.

Once seated, a clerk stood up to denounce, “My lord, you traveled thousands of miles to get here, only for these unruly bandits and wicked commoners to dare ambush you! In my humble opinion, we must kill a few as an example, to show that imperial authority must not be challenged!”

Many others chimed in, agreeing noisily. Having long suffered from lawlessness, these powerless minor officials hoped to leverage the arrival of the new prefect to finally retaliate against the bandits.

Qi Sheng only smiled without commenting, watching them complain about the wickedness of the local populace and the bandits’ countless crimes.

Amidst the clamor, one official — his temples already graying — stood up and cupped his hands, saying, “My lord, I am Chen Wenbing, magistrate of Lin County. I beg to offer a word.”

Qi Sheng waved his hand casually, “No need for such formality, Lord Chen. Today’s banquet is for comrades to enjoy a good drink together — we’ll dispense with the ceremony.”

Encouraged, Chen Wenbing continued, “My lord, I have a different opinion. I believe the current stalemate between officials and commoners should be handled cautiously. Most of the so-called bandits are merely desperate locals forced by circumstances. Though they cause trouble, they rarely harm innocents. If we execute them rashly, we may stir greater resentment among the people. It would be better to show leniency, to let the people see your lordship’s benevolence.”

He had barely finished speaking when someone sneered, “Lord Chen, why are you always speaking up for these lowly folk? If it weren’t for your soft heart and failure to discipline them properly, maybe you’d have been promoted long ago instead of suffering in Lin County for eight years!”

Chen Wenbing flushed with anger and shame — not only did the man expose his sore spot in front of everyone, but it might also influence Qi Sheng’s view of him.

Qi Sheng swirled the wine in his cup, smiling as he said, “This official has just arrived, unfamiliar with the land and the people. I must not act rashly. But rest assured, I will remember all your suggestions. Once I have properly understood the situation in Ningzhou, I will make the appropriate decisions.”

He then raised his cup and said warmly, “Come, my lords, let’s not discuss official matters further tonight. Let us drink freely and enjoy ourselves!”

Everyone had different thoughts in their hearts, but since their superior had spoken, none dared say more. They raised their cups and began chatting about Ningzhou’s beautiful mountains and rivers instead.