In the Years When I Was a Father

Chapter 51: Strict Father in Ancient Times (8)

After the banquet dispersed, Qi Sheng returned to the rear courtyard to rest. The local officials of Ningzhou, those who lived nearby, went home, while those farther away stayed overnight in the rear hall of the yamen.

“Lord Chen, what do you think of our new prefect? What’s his background exactly?” asked Liu Xu, the magistrate of Yangshui County, who had just been fervently advocating for making an example by executing the captured bandits.

Chen Wenbing also frowned and replied with some frustration, “I already said this plan wouldn’t work. Not only did we fail to gauge Lord Qi’s attitude, but we also ended up casting the Ningzhou commoners in a bad light. If Lord Qi really gets angry and executes those men we captured yesterday, the ones who’ll suffer most are the people of Ningzhou!”

Liu Xu felt scornful in his heart. If that really happened, it would give him the perfect excuse to accuse and push out this outsider. After all, it should be locals like them who manage Ningzhou.

However, on the surface, he smiled and tried to placate, “Well, Lord Qi hasn’t issued any orders yet. If he really is that petty, then the sooner we know, the sooner we can prepare for the people’s sake.”

Chen Wenbing wanted to argue further but, thinking it over, felt Liu Xu’s words weren’t entirely wrong. Not wanting to say more, he waved his hand and took his leave.

Qi Sheng’s appointment as the new prefect sparked widespread discussion among everyone in Ningzhou—from officials to the common folk. Especially distressed was Liu Laoda, the leader of Qingmu Village, who now deeply regretted not going to prison in place of his second and third lieutenants.

“Brother Liu, we don’t even know if Huzi is alive or dead now. If that damned official kills him, what’s left for us widows and orphans? How are we supposed to survive? Boohoo…”

“Zhuangzi, I beg you—please save Dongzi! You two grew up together as brothers. If anything happens to Dongzi, this old woman might as well be dead too! Heaven help us…”

The wives and mothers of the second and third lieutenants came crying and pleading before Liu Laoda after hearing of their capture. Other relatives of those who had also been taken away rushed in to beg as well. Liu Laoda sighed and said again, “They are my brothers. Of course I’ll try to save them. But they’re already locked in the yamen prison. The scouts I sent said those soldiers haven’t left the compound at all. If we act rashly, we’ll lose even more brothers.”

But the affected families wouldn’t listen to Liu Laoda’s explanations. They kept crying and screaming about how their men and sons were being tortured and would surely die.

Unaware of all the wailing and grief at Qingmu Village, Qi Sheng slept soundly. The next morning, he went to the administrative office of the yamen and ordered the six clerks to compile and present all the documents related to Ningzhou’s affairs.

Looking at the towering stack of files, Qi Sheng was speechless. “How much silver is left in the treasury? And how much grain remains?”

The clerk in charge of the household records stood up and replied, “Reporting to my lord, there are 50,000 taels of silver and 30,000 shi of grain in the treasury.”

Qi Sheng continued, “How much land was confiscated during the recent crackdowns? If divided evenly among households, how many mu per household?”

After some thought, the clerk replied, “Reporting to my lord, I’ve checked the numbers. If distributed evenly, each household would get about one mu.”

Qi Sheng frowned. So little. How could farming families feed themselves with just one mu?

He shook his head but didn’t dwell on it. Solutions could always be found. Over the next few days, Qi Sheng poured over the gazetteers of each county in Ningzhou, compiling detailed data on their resources and specialties.

“Madam, I’ll be conducting field inspections in the coming days. Please take care of the household. If anything comes up, go to Wei Qianhu or Assistant Magistrate Hou. I’ve already given them instructions.”

As Qi Sheng was being dressed by Madam Wang, he casually shared his plans.

Madam Wang grew anxious upon hearing this and said, “My lord, Ningzhou is so unstable right now. If anything needs verification, just send someone. Why go in person?”

Qi Sheng chuckled, “What, should I cower in the yamen just because of a few bandits? Don’t worry, dear. The Xiong brothers are skilled fighters, and I’ve also got dozens of soldiers with me. Nothing will happen.”

The six Xiong brothers were personal guards Qi Sheng had trained and selected back in Pingzhou. For this trip, he brought four of them along just to be safe.

Madam Wang knew how important public duty was and dared not argue further, but she couldn’t help feeling worried.

In their early years of marriage, he had been rigid and unemotional, and she had always treated him with great respect—almost reverence. Now that their children were grown and married, he had become gentle and considerate. While she still respected him, her feelings had evolved into something more tender. Just a few days ago, she had even felt a touch of jealousy over how much attention he paid to Madam Liu. Thinking about it now, she was embarrassed—imagine! She was already a grandmother and yet still acting like a young jealous wife!

Madam Wang watched with some worry as Qi Sheng left the residence. Seeing that Madam Liu was also visibly concerned, she said, “Let’s go back. The master is a man of great integrity and courage. He’s never been afraid of these petty villains. We just need to take care of things at home and wait for his return.”

Madam Liu bowed respectfully and replied, “Yes, I understand.”

Once back in her own courtyard, she saw her son looking sullen and scolded him, “Your father is going out on official business. Besides, Ningzhou is currently plagued by ruthless bandits—it’s dangerous everywhere. The master didn’t take you because he didn’t want you to suffer. And yet you dare show him a long face? You little rascal, you’ve grown quite bold!”

Qi Xiuli curled his index finger and brushed it against his nose, thinking how his mother seemed to be siding more and more with his father lately.

He felt wronged. His father had clearly promised him he could go. Besides, he had spent the past few years training in martial arts with Brother Xiong and the others—he was confident he could protect himself if they encountered bandits. Yet his father still firmly refused to take him.

Madam Liu raised her brows and, seeing her son’s aggrieved look, scolded him further: “Still not convinced? Your father spoils you too much these days. If this were a few years ago, you’d have been beaten black and blue by now! If you’ve got nothing to do, go back and study. If your progress falls behind while your father is away, you can expect a round of punishment when he gets back!”

Facing his increasingly fierce mother, Qi Xiuli hurriedly bowed and took his leave. Since he couldn’t go out, he might as well behave and study properly at home.

Although his father’s temper had mellowed considerably over the years, Qi Xiuli’s memories of getting caned as a child were still vivid. When it came to academics, he didn’t dare test his father’s limits.

A month passed before Qi Sheng returned. The trip had gone relatively smoothly. Apart from occasionally being followed, no bandits had shown up at all. This puzzled Qi Sheng—he’d thought the people from Qingmu Village would surely attempt an ambush along the way.

What he didn’t expect was that the “spy” left at the government office—Chen Wenbing—had inadvertently helped him.

Over his years in Ningzhou, Chen Wenbing had gotten to know a few of the big bandit leaders. After quietly checking in on their current situation, he found that although they were being forced to work, they weren’t being abused or tortured without cause. In fact, as long as they behaved and worked honestly, they were fed well.

Chen Wenbing concluded that the new Prefect Qi must be a kind-hearted man. Feeling reassured, he secretly passed a message to the people of Qingmu Village, urging them not to take any extreme actions.

Leader Liu of Qingmu Village had never really wanted to provoke Qi Sheng. Now, seeing that his brothers were safe and even getting three square meals a day, and with the families no longer causing an uproar, he instructed everyone to remain calm and wait.

Once Qi Sheng returned, he didn’t rest. He had already come up with an improvement plan during his journey, so as soon as he entered the office, he immediately gave orders to his subordinates.

Liuyun Village

“Boss! That official just issued a new notice!” The third-in-command of Liuyun Village shouted excitedly as he returned with the latest updates on Qi Sheng.

Xie Yun put down the letter in his hand and signaled for him to speak in detail.

Seated below him were the second-in-command, Tian Lao’er, and the fourth-in-command, both looking curious. After tailing Qi Sheng for a whole month, they were eager to know what this new prefect was planning.

The third-in-command, clearly pleased by the news, said, “Prefect Qi issued two announcements this morning. First, they’re recruiting locals to build roads—thirty wen per day, and two full meals included! Second, Ningzhou residents can now bring surplus wild goods and herbs to the prefect’s office to exchange for rice. Boss, isn’t that great news?”

Before Xie Yun could reply, the hot-tempered Tian Lao’er blurted out, “Thirty wen a day and two full meals?! Is that even real?”

Xie Yun was also surprised but asked calmly, “Did it say which roads are being built?”

The fourth-in-command answered, “Yes, two of them are the official roads to Xuzhou and Yanzhou. Everyone knows those roads haven’t been maintained for years—many trade caravans avoid Ningzhou because of how bad they’ve gotten. The other six roads lead to various towns and villages. I wrote down their names here.”

Xie Yun took the note and carefully read through the names of the counties and towns each road passed through. Only then did he feel somewhat reassured. The roads indeed fell within Ningzhou’s territory, meaning Prefect Qi had done his homework.

Seeing no one respond to his earlier outburst, Tian Lao’er grew anxious and said, “Is this for real? Don’t let them make us work and then refuse to pay. They say nice things now, but even getting two bowls of thin porridge would be a stretch.”

Before becoming a bandit, Tian Lao’er had done odd jobs for landlords and wealthy merchants due to lack of farmland at home. Back then, he earned only ten wen a day and got just one meal of watery porridge. He had endured bitterly because he hadn’t yet reached a desperate point. Even so, his wages would often get docked for bogus reasons.

Xie Yun knew his brothers well. Despite their current fierce exteriors, they had once groveled before landlords just to survive. At heart, they were simple folk who only wanted a steady life. It was the cruel world that had driven them to desperation.

Xie Yun said, “It’s probably not a lie. He made the announcement to the entire population of Ningzhou. If he goes back on his word, his reputation is finished.”

Tian Lao’er, tempted by the idea, asked, “Then boss, do you think we should…”

Seeing all his brothers staring eagerly at him, Xie Yun chuckled and said, “If you want to go, go. Just be sure to see for yourselves whether this Prefect Qi is a man of his word!”

Hearing the boss give the green light, the brothers cheered. The eager ones quickly changed into coarse clothes suited for farming. With their innocent smiles, no one unfamiliar with them would ever guess they were bandits.