At the same time, inside the Cangwu County yamen, Magistrate Zhou Qiyuan was calmly lying on a rocking chair in the backyard, sipping tea.
It was Phoenix Dancong, harvested just last month, the king of Oolong teas.
Beside him, on a celadon plate, delicate pastries were arranged. A single plate containing these five pastries cost one tael of silver, something ordinary commoners could never afford.
Hearing footsteps, Zhou Qiyuan didn’t even open his eyes and asked calmly, “Did they all die?”
County Vice Magistrate Wu Kun walked up, first gave a bow, and then said with undisguised gloating: “The road leading to Qingzhu Village has been blocked. Currently, our people cannot get through.”
“However, that mudslide also affected the neighboring Qingmei Village, and that village suffered heavy losses, let alone Qingzhu Village?”
Wu Kun’s face was plastered with smiles, entirely in a flattering manner: “If everyone in Qingzhu Village is dead, we’ve scored a major achievement! Who doesn’t know that His Majesty hates those exiled criminals the most!”
Believing he had successfully fathomed the sacred intent of the emperor as well as the mindset of his superior, he spoke in an extremely smug tone.
Zhou Qiyuan slowly opened his eyes and looked at Wu Kun with a steady gaze.
Wu Kun’s smile gradually stiffened.
Zhou Qiyuan sneered, reached out to pick up his teacup—the tea was still steaming—and slowly poured it right over Wu Kun’s head.
The hot tea left Wu Kun’s scalp stinging numbly. The water streamed down his cheeks, and tea leaves clustered on top of his head, but he didn’t dare move.
He only bared his teeth and kept smiling.
Zhou Qiyuan was very satisfied with Wu Kun’s understanding of current affairs. He put down the teacup and said indifferently, “Don’t ever say such things again. As for the deaths of the people in Qingzhu Village, this magistrate is deeply saddened.”
“Remember to write a grief-stricken memorial for this magistrate and send it to the capital in a couple of days.”
Having said that, perhaps finding it amusing himself, the corners of his lips curved upward.
He lay back down on the rocking chair and began to rock gently.
Wu Kun cast a cautious glance at Zhou Qiyuan, then hurriedly kowtowed in response: “This subordinate obeys! This subordinate takes his leave.”
Zhou Qiyuan waved his hand, and Wu Kun backed away out of the backyard like a eunuch.
As soon as he stepped out the front door, his back instantly straightened. He raised a hand to brush the tea leaves off his head, a flash of hatred burning in his eyes.
He was merely a magistrate of the seventh rank; what emperor-like airs was he putting on in front of him? Once he climbed higher than him sooner or later, he would make him pay!
In the span of a short hallway, he had already tidied up his expression and appearance.
When he emerged and saw Chief Clerk Lin Wenbin waiting for him, he lifted his chin slightly.
Lin Wenbin was twenty years old this year, a ninth-rank chief clerk, and a native of Cangwu County.
With an anxious look in his eyes, he hurried forward: “Vice Magistrate Wu, what did the magistrate say? Now that the rain has stopped, should we hurriedly dispatch people to rescue the villagers of Qingzhu Village?”
Wu Kun looked at Lin Wenbin as if he were an idiot.
This youngster was smart, but how could he be so foolish in his dealings with the world? The imperial court’s abhorrence of Qingzhu Village was plain for everyone to see, yet he alone still treated them like ordinary villagers.
He rolled his eyes: “Chief Clerk Lin, don’t say I didn’t warn you. The people of Qingzhu Village got what they deserved. If you don’t want to fall out of favor with the magistrate, don’t say such things to his face.”
“Go do your work.”
Lin Wenbin watched Wu Kun’s retreating back as he strode away, biting his lips while a fierce internal struggle raged in his heart.
He didn’t understand. The people of Qingzhu Village were also the subjects of Cangwu County; why wouldn’t they go save them?
Lin Wenbin stood in place for a long time, then finally gritted his teeth and strode away from the yamen.
Throughout the day, the men cleared away the silt and logs from the dozen or so households halfway up the mountain, and dug out quite a bit of earth below the surrounding slopes according to the drainage ditches Su Nianyuan had drawn.
Heavy rain was the one thing Lingnan was never short of.
As evening approached, having eaten only some wild vegetable soup at noon, the men had long been starving by the time they returned, and they sat down on the ground one after another.
An enticing aroma wafted through the air, causing everyone to open their eyes wide and look toward the kitchen.
Mother Hu led two wooden buckets out, while Huzi carried a large basin of bowls, his face brimming with smiles.
Mother Hu shouted loudly, “Today’s staple food is yam and wild vegetable porridge, and there’s also a stir-fried mushroom dish. Line up for food!”
The aroma was simply too enticing, and the thirty-some men scrambled to their feet, vying to get in line for food.
Mother Hu frowned. Suddenly, a stick was thrown right in front of her, and the sound startled the crowded men.
Raising their gaze, they saw tiny little Su Nianyuan standing there, flanked by two bodyguards: Su Jiancheng and Lin Shoufeng.
The stick that had just been thrown belonged to Zhao Qingzhu, while Zhao Qingming held another one in his hands. The two brothers grinned wickedly as they looked at the crowd.
Su Nianyuan said in a crisp voice, “Everyone, line up obediently.”
Her gaze shifted to Li Si, who was hiding in the middle of the line, and the corners of her mouth curled up: “Uncle Li Si didn’t do any work today, did he? No food for you.”
Li Si grew angry again and stepped out, wanting to reason things out.
However, Zhao Qingzhu and Zhao Qingming took a step forward and raised their eyebrows slightly: “Hmm??”
Li Si: “Fine, I won’t eat then!”
Fuming with anger, he turned around and huddled in a corner, drawing circles on the ground with his backside facing outward.
He felt wronged!
He wanted to cry!
He had been beaten up, his whole body hurt like crazy, and he hadn’t eaten lunch either—how could he possibly have the energy to work in the afternoon? They were all bullying him!
Seeing Li Si’s fate, the rest of the crowd felt a lingering fear, but also a sense of fortune.
Good thing they hadn’t acted up earlier; otherwise, wouldn’t they just be standing there smelling the food and swallowing their saliva right now?
They had never eaten yams before. In their bowls, the porridge was milky white, mixed with green vegetable leaves, topped with a spoonful of stir-fried mushrooms. With a single bite, warmth spread through their entire bodies.
A shared thought arose in everyone’s minds.
This kind of life didn’t seem so bad after all.
There was no need to ponder why their family had been exiled, nor when they would be able to return to the capital.
As long as they obeyed orders and worked, there was food to eat once the work was done, and they could sleep right after eating.
Once their minds were emptied out, the quality of their sleep seemed to improve quite a bit.
Su Nianyuan also received a bowl of yam porridge. The yam had been mashed into a paste, and after boiling, it had a special fragrance.
Her gaze, however, fell on the faces of these people.
As for the villagers of the exile village, Su Nianyuan didn’t think a tiny bit of money could make them risk their lives. Many of them had experienced wealth and luxury before; even with her current head-money of ten wen, saving for a full month would only amount to seventeen taels.
What they needed was a goal and an order.
To put it bluntly, after being treated like beasts of burden for too long, upon returning to the exile village without anyone to arrange their work, their morale had completely scattered.
Look at them now—aren’t they all quite united?
Sitting together to eat, chatting, and laughing, they seemed to have forgotten the pain of losing their loved ones.
Su Nianyuan finished her porridge in large gulps, then scooped up another bowl and walked toward Li Si.
As she cut across the middle of the open ground, everyone’s attention was drawn to her.
Hearing the commotion, Li Si turned back and saw Su Nianyuan, his eyes lighting up.
Did the little village chief feel sorry for him? Did she want to bring him food?
Li Si swallowed hard. The little village chief truly was a good kid; from now on, he would definitely stop speaking ill of the village chief’s family behind their backs. He would just do whatever they told him to do—anyway, he was a lone man now.
How is any way of living not a way of living?
Watching Su Nianyuan walk closer and closer, Li Si broke into a ingratiating smile and reached out his hand, waiting for Su Nianyuan to place the bowl right into his palms.
Then, the very next second, Su Nianyuan looked straight ahead, walked right past Li Si without a second glance, and headed into the guest room.
Li Si: ……