In the thirty-second year of the Zhenhe era, Emperor Long’an, who had been muddleheaded and gravely ill for years, died in Chang’an.
The third prince, Prince Qi, seized the opportunity to rebel. He had the Crown Prince and several ministers overseeing the government executed, then successfully ascended the throne himself, changing the era name to Longsheng.
By then, two hundred years had passed since the founding of the Daning dynasty. Conflicts were erupting throughout the court and across the realm, and crises lurked everywhere. Northern China was suffering from severe drought, Jiangnan was plagued by floods, and the northwest had descended into rebellion. Only Lingnan remained untouched by it all, poor but peacefully so.
As a low-ranking constable in Leyuan County, Jiang Huan heard little about what was happening beyond his immediate surroundings. He did not know whether the former Crown Prince who had been killed had been a good man or a bad one, nor did he know whether the emperor who had successfully seized the throne would become a ruler capable of restoring the dynasty to prosperity.
Those things were simply too far removed from him.
At the moment, he was standing beneath the shade of a tree. When he noticed several elderly convicts staggering along on unsteady feet, he rose and led them back to rest.
Once they reached the shade, Jiang Huan handed them two bowls of rice porridge diluted with extra water.
The old men accepted them nervously.
“Thank you, Officer.”
Jiang Huan looked away awkwardly.
Once the porridge touched their lips, the men seemed to come alive again. They exchanged glances, a trace of bitterness reflected in each other’s eyes.
They had once been surrounded by honored guests in their own homes. Now, they were grateful beyond words for a single bowl of rice porridge.
Jiang Huan had been transported to Daning for more than half a year now.
In his previous life, his family had been poor, but his parents had given him more than enough love—enough to make him naturally optimistic and broad-minded. During his final year of high school, both of his parents died of illness, and Jiang Huan decided to devote himself to medicine.
Unfortunately, he had only completed his first year of university when an accident brought him to the Ning Kingdom.
His original body was also named Jiang Huan. He was seventeen years old and looked almost exactly like him. He had originally been the pampered youngest son of a tea merchant in the capital region, but after his father died, his elder brother drove him out of the family home. Not only did he receive none of the family fortune, he was also secretly murdered.
After Jiang Huan transmigrated into this world, he inexplicably acquired a peculiar ability: every day, he had an inexhaustible supply of plain rice porridge.
Unfortunately, the ability was utterly useless.
He wasn’t planning to rebel, so what could he possibly do with so much rice porridge? If he took it outside, people might suspect him of being some kind of monster. But hiding it away felt like a terrible waste.
Besides, having food was meaningless if he did not have a life with which to eat it. If he stayed there, he feared he might have to die all over again.
Just when he was growing desperate, the imperial government began recruiting constables to serve in Lingnan.
Jiang Huan could read and write and knew how to keep accounts, so he was selected without difficulty and joined the large contingent heading south to Lingnan.
Truthfully, Jiang Huan had already begun regretting his decision along the way. But he had come this far, and turning back halfway was hardly an option.
This was Leyuan County, north of Shaozhou in Lingnan. Its registered population was only thirty thousand. Most of the remaining inhabitants were convicts exiled here by the imperial government.
Leyuan County had not originally been called that. Its name had been changed to avoid violating the new emperor’s name taboo.
But changing the name had made little difference. It remained a desolate frontier that everyone avoided—a barbaric wilderness plagued by miasma.
Jiang Huan had spent half a year traveling here. After arriving, he suffered from severe acclimatization problems and was sick for a long time. He had only barely recovered a little over a month ago.
Now, he had finally become reasonably familiar with the people and affairs of the county office, and he had begun to believe that he could make a decent life for himself in this strange world.
Their County Magistrate Zhang had once offended a powerful noble and been demoted to this remote place. Over the years, he had worked diligently, but he had never managed to rise again.
Ultimately, it was because Leyuan County was simply too remote and too poor. Most of Magistrate Zhang’s policies produced little visible effect.
There was, however, one benefit. Thanks to Magistrate Zhang’s efforts, most of the local people had learned to speak the official language.
Jiang Huan knew Magistrate Zhang only through the stories told by his partner, Feng Jing.
Feng Jing was from Nanyue. His father had died when he was young, leaving him as the sole breadwinner for his seriously ill mother and younger sister.
Feng Jing loved digging up gossip, though Jiang Huan had no idea how much of what he said was true. After all, Jiang Huan’s current position was too lowly for him to have much contact with the county magistrate and the others.
The person they dealt with most often was the constables’ headman, Zhang Mu.
Just as Jiang Huan raised his head, he saw Feng Jing approaching while carrying a birdcage, cursing all the way.
Feng Jing looked honest enough, though his skin was so dark it seemed to shine.
He hung the birdcage from a tree and complained indignantly, “That damn Zhang Mu! He buys a parrot but can’t be bothered to raise it himself, so he makes me do it. What do I owe him?”
Jiang Huan reached over and poked at the bird’s wings twice.
“With a bird this beautiful, isn’t he afraid you’ll accidentally kill it?”
“How clever he is! He can’t raise a bird himself, so he forces someone else to do the work. If I keep it alive, he’ll turn around and give it to Magistrate Zhang as a birthday present. If it dies, he’ll make me pay him for it!”
Just thinking about Zhang Mu’s shifty, ratlike face and devious nature made Feng Jing want to tear the man into pieces.
Jiang Huan didn’t particularly like Zhang Mu either. The man had plenty of faults, but he wasn’t exactly evil.
They had barely cursed him a couple of times when a shout suddenly came from behind.
Jiang Huan leisurely straightened up.
Feng Jing, meanwhile, immediately broke into a broad smile.
“Well, well, Headman, what brings you here today? Come to supervise us?”
They weren’t working in the city. There was little miasma there, but this place was wilderness, where the mountains and forests were crawling with insects. Sometimes they even encountered swamps.
If Jiang Huan and Feng Jing hadn’t been so unlucky, they wouldn’t have been assigned here to supervise convicts clearing wasteland.
Zhang Mu glanced at his parrot before saying, “Another batch of convicts has arrived. You two didn’t know?”
“That’s a major matter! If you hadn’t come to tell us, we wouldn’t have known at all. We’ll go help you right away.”
Feng Jing nodded and bowed obsequiously.
“You two still have a lot to learn.”
Zhang Mu took the opportunity to put on an impressive display of authority. He raised his short, thick hand and stroked the little mustache along his cheeks, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.
He felt that he was becoming quite as impressive at lecturing people as Magistrate Zhang.
If only he could wear the county magistrate’s robes one day…
Tsk. He didn’t dare imagine how imposing he would look.
“You’re absolutely right,” Feng Jing eagerly agreed.
Zhang Mu was just about to praise him when he caught sight of Feng Jing’s face and instinctively shut his eyes.
How could a person possibly be this dark?
It only made Jiang Huan standing beside him look even more like a little white poplar.
Jiang Huan silently watched the show from the side.
Zhang Mu loved taking credit and especially enjoyed being flattered. Feng Jing, on the other hand, was petty and loved shifting blame, but he was exceptionally fond of flattering people.
Unfortunately, he was never quite able to flatter anyone properly.
Still, weren’t these two simply made for each other?
Every time Feng Jing tried to make a good impression, he somehow managed to mess it up.
This time was no different.
He stuck so closely to Zhang Mu as they walked that after only a few steps, he accidentally stepped on the back of Zhang Mu’s heel.
Zhang Mu’s face twisted in pain.
Jiang Huan nearly laughed himself sick.
Zhang Mu was already irritated. He took a breath, gathering himself to scold Feng Jing—
Only for that breath to come out from somewhere much lower.
Pffft.
The sound was remarkably loud.
Along with the unmistakable odor came an indescribable wave of embarrassment.
Zhang Mu was furious.
Feng Jing looked even more innocent.
Silence fell all around them.
After a long while, Zhang Mu gave a powerless, icy laugh.
Watching his expression, Feng Jing inexplicably blurted out, “Sorry, Headman. That fart was mine!”
Jiang Huan burst out laughing, then hurriedly lowered his head.
He really hadn’t meant to.
Zhang Mu drew a deep breath and shot Jiang Huan a warning glance.
That fellow had never shown him even the slightest bit of awe.
As for Feng Jing…
Forget it.
Before the idiot could say anything even more outrageous, Zhang Mu hurried off.
Feng Jing rubbed his nose, feeling deeply wronged.
He had already admitted it. What more did the man want?
Jiang Huan teased him, “Next time, just praise him. Tell him, ‘As expected of the headman—even your farts smell better than other people’s.’ Maybe then he won’t be angry.”
Feng Jing looked suspiciously at Jiang Huan.
Why did he feel like Jiang Huan was pulling his leg?
Having enjoyed the spectacle, Jiang Huan cheerfully continued on his way.
Watching those two clowns every day was surprisingly entertaining.
By the time they reached the county office, the constables responsible for escorting the convicts were handing over the documents to the clerks.
The convicts had to have their identities verified and their paperwork signed before they could officially be entered into the exile register.
These exiled convicts were not registered under the same household system as ordinary commoners. After arriving, they were also required to perform two years of labor.
In other places, they might be assigned to reclaim farmland, boil salt, guard the frontier, and so on.
Here in Jiang Huan’s jurisdiction, however, their only task was clearing wasteland.
Jiang Huan cast a sympathetic glance at the convicts huddled in the courtyard.
The truly heinous criminals would have been executed on the spot. They would never be sent here.
Those who were exiled to this place were either victims of political struggles, officials convicted of bribery and corruption, or unfortunate people whose crimes could have been judged either lightly or severely.
Most of the people delivered today were dressed rather well. They had clearly come from wealthy backgrounds.
After a while, the clerk completed their exile registrations and officially handed the group over to Zhang Mu.
The moment the handover was complete, Zhang Mu immediately ordered Jiang Huan to take them away.
The place was already chaotic enough. If all that noise disturbed their County Magistrate Zhang, it would be troublesome.
Once Feng Jing was out of Zhang Mu’s presence, his courage returned. He leaned toward Jiang Huan and whispered, “I always feel like Zhang Mu is keeping an eye on you. He doesn’t want you meeting Magistrate Zhang.”
Their Magistrate Zhang was fond of promoting good-looking subordinates.
Unfortunately, Zhang Mu was an ugly man. Sharing the same surname as their magistrate did him no good.
But Jiang Huan was different.
Feng Jing dared say that there wasn’t a single person in all of Leyuan County who looked better than him.
Sword-shaped brows and bright, starry eyes, a handsome face as flawless as jade—surely that description had to be meant for their Jiang Huan.
A handsome man would still look striking even dressed in coarse hemp clothing.
Feng Jing simply enjoyed working alongside him.
Jiang Huan merely replied, “Don’t talk nonsense,” while keeping his attention on the group of convicts.
They walked forward with numb expressions, dragging their feet as though even lifting their legs had become difficult.
Jiang Huan knew it might not be exhaustion.
It could be the dampness settling into their bodies.
He had been like that when he first arrived, too.
Nearby, a young clerk was leaning against the wall with Zhang Mu. Their laughter drifted into Jiang Huan’s ears.
“Have to admit, that little woman has a frightening face, but her figure is pretty good.”
Zhang Mu frowned.
“Behave yourself. How many women who make it all the way to Shaozhou alive are easy to mess with? Besides, our magistrate doesn’t allow female convicts to be made into official courtesans. If you cause trouble, no one will protect you.”
“Got it, got it.”
Jiang Huan turned his head.
The clerk’s gaze was still fixed on the young woman ahead. His eyes were dark and sinister, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue as it waited for the right moment to strike.
The girl looked only about sixteen.
Her face was covered in scars. She kept her head lowered and said nothing, completely unaware that someone was watching her.
Jiang Huan suppressed the disgust rising in his heart and quietly stepped forward, blocking the man’s line of sight.
He led all the convicts out of the county office as quickly as possible and moved them to the wasteland outside the city.
Everyone had known that life in Shaozhou would be difficult.
None of them had expected it to be this miserable.
Each day, they were given barely enough food to keep from starving to death.
On top of that, the authorities required every person to clear twelve mu of wasteland each year.
If they had been assigned elsewhere, perhaps it would have been bearable.
But this was Lingnan.
The miasma here was terrifying. At its worst, it could take a person’s life.
The farming tools provided by the county office were also exceedingly crude. Expecting people to clear twelve mu with such equipment was nothing short of a fantasy.
Their living quarters were even more primitive.
They consisted of temporary wooden shelters, and at night, they could only rely on bundles of thatch to keep themselves warm.
Was this even a life fit for human beings?!
Jiang Huan knew the conditions were terrible, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Who told them to have been exiled here?
Holding his register, he efficiently assigned everyone their quarters.
The houses here had been built in clusters. Married couples lived in the middle, while single men and women were housed on either side.
There were plenty of buildings, but there had been so many convicts exiled here over the past two years that the quarters were nearly full.
Among this group, very few were actual criminals.
Most were family members of officials from the Luoyang area.
When Prince Qi rebelled, things had not been handled properly. The men capable of holding their families together had all been killed, while the remaining family members were collectively exiled to Lingnan.
They had enjoyed comfortable lives for too long, so their present misfortune naturally felt all the more unbearable.
And now they saw that the people supervising them—Jiang Huan and the others—were all young.
Clearly, these were not the ruthless constables they had imagined.
Several of them exchanged glances.
They silently decided that once they had recovered a little, they would make some trouble and see just how easy this young man was to handle.
Feng Jing blinked, inwardly delighted.
Wonderful! So many new people had arrived.
Later, he could have them make some handicrafts for him and secretly sell them to earn a little extra money.
Heh heh.
Free labor was still labor.
Why was he so clever?
Jiang Huan, meanwhile, was thinking about how they would need to build more thatched huts in a couple of days.
Judging by the situation, quite a lot of convicts had been exiled to Shaozhou this year.
This time, they had to build the huts properly.
They would be living in these houses for several years. How could they afford to be careless?
One day, Jiang Huan would rebuild his own home, too.
He would build a beautiful house with a little courtyard.
Life might be hard, but one still had to put care into making a life for oneself.
No matter where you lived, you still had to live.
Once the living arrangements had been settled, Jiang Huan sent everyone back to their rooms to put their things in order.
It was already late in the day. They would rest for one night, and after breakfast the following morning, they would begin clearing the wasteland.
After night fell, Jiang Huan also rested in a thatched hut.
He stayed relatively close to the women’s quarters so that, should anything happen, he could get there in time.
He slept fitfully and woke once in the middle of the night.
Then he heard a noise near the window.
He nudged Feng Jing.
There was no reaction whatsoever.
That fellow slept more soundly than a pig.
Worried that someone might have sneaked into the women’s quarters to cause trouble, Jiang Huan hurriedly threw on his clothes and went outside to investigate.
But the noise was actually coming from the woods behind the thatched huts.
Jiang Huan picked up a wooden stick and followed the sound as quietly as he could.
If it was that clerk, he was going to beat the hell out of him!
Tree shadows swayed in the darkness, while dim moonlight filtered through the branches, casting an eerie glow.
Jiang Huan drew a deep breath.
He could sense that the person was already close.
He climbed over a small earthen slope and slowly raised his head amid the rustling sounds.
What appeared before his eyes was a woman with her hair hanging loose, floating in midair—
A corpse.
“…!!!”
Jiang Huan’s heart stopped.
He instinctively turned and ran, only to collide with a tree trunk in his panic.
With a dull thud, he was knocked unconscious.
At least he had no reason to be afraid anymore.
Xie Chiying had only just found a suitable tree.
She untied her belt, fastened a stone to it, and threw it over a branch before tying a secure knot.
She was preparing to put an end to her ridiculous life.
She had just hanged herself when she heard a tremendous noise.
Xie Chiying’s heart tightened.
Gripping the belt, she wondered—
What the hell was that?