Great Tang Idyll - Chapter 126

The wind blew cold outside the courtyard, while the burning charcoal warmed the house. The curtains floated in splendid colors, and a brush hung by the book.

In an elegantly decorated room, the red charcoal fire kept the cold outside, and the faint smell of incense made everyone feel sleepy.

Magistrate Jia sat on a mat with a small table in front of him, complete with tea and snacks. There were also several types of fruit that looked tempting, though he didn’t know how they had been kept fresh, nor what they tasted like.

Beside Magistrate Jia were two small tables, each with a person sitting behind it. Behind them was the upper part of a chair with armrests.

The three of them sat silently for a while, as though waiting for someone else to speak first. After finishing a pot of tea, Magistrate Jia couldn’t hold back any longer and spoke up first. “It’s a foregone conclusion that we’ll punish the Zhang Manor. I wonder how Official Han and Official Yuan plan to divide the Zhang family’s belongings?”

Magistrate Jia didn’t want to waste too much time. He planned to get a good night’s sleep to clear his mind for the journey tomorrow. If he set out from here, he’d reach that place by around noon.

Official Han, head of the Han family and holding an honorary official title, glanced at the head of the Yuan family and said, “Official Yuan has contributed a lot this time, so Official Yuan should speak first.”

Seeing that neither was willing to start, Official Yuan pondered briefly before saying, “If there’s nothing else in the Zhang Manor, there should at least be money. They made quite a lot from Little Luoshui. We should split this money equally among the three families. What do you both think?”

“Agreed,” Official Han replied. “There’s certainly plenty of money there. Magistrate Jia, act quickly tomorrow and convict them before anyone can intervene. After all, we’ve prepared thoroughly.” Official Han wasn’t too concerned about the money; he knew the real value lay in their techniques.

Magistrate Jia was a bit reluctant. After his mishap in the water, the Zhang family had taken 13,000 strings of coins from him, and he’d also spent 6,000 strings buying goods from them to distribute freely. He felt he was entitled to 19,000 strings in compensation, but mentioning this would reduce the other two families’ share. So, he only said, “I agree. They should also have a place at Little Luoshui where they store money. That place should become like their manor. Official Yuan, let’s discuss the other matters. There are also the residents from both manors. Once their master family is doomed, they’ll need to find a new master.”

After Magistrate Jia spoke, the two fell silent, each thinking about the same issue. They wanted to take in these residents to increase their manpower, yet worried they’d remain loyal to their original masters and cause trouble. Additionally, taking in the residents would mean giving up other assets to Magistrate Jia, which neither wanted. The residents seemed more of a burden than an asset.

Official Han waited, as Magistrate Jia had directed the question to Official Yuan, leaving him to speak first. Official Yuan cursed inwardly, then said, “These residents belong to Sanshui County, after all. If we take them in, they’ll still work locally. It’s unsuitable for either Official Han or myself to take them. Magistrate Jia, how about you take them? Meanwhile, we’ll split the warehouse items, livestock, and poultry.”

Magistrate Jia hadn’t expected the residents to be passed back to him. He thought about it and agreed: if the Sanshui County residents didn’t face disasters, they were unlikely to leave. But 800 people couldn’t be worth all the items in the warehouse. There had to be many valuable items like white fungus, wood fungus, livestock, and food, worth tens of thousands of strings of coins. All combined, it seemed he’d be at a disadvantage. And ultimately, these residents would likely be assigned elsewhere by the manor or the Imperial Court.

“That’s not appropriate,” he finally replied. “The residents wouldn’t belong to me. Let’s set this aside. The three of us should share everything in the manor equally. Official Yuan, let’s discuss the techniques. I plan to take the wharf at Little Luoshui. We know there are three techniques: hatching chicks, increasing food production, and fungus cultivation.”

Official Yuan shook his head. “Not just three. There are also techniques for making liangpi, vegetable oil, chili sauce, and other seasonings. Plus, they’ve developed a winter vegetable-growing method they gave to the higher-ups. That method benefits the people, so it might be best to involve Magistrate Wen. Initially, we only planned to give him money, but it seems a technique might ensure his support. He could even charge the Zhang Manor with an additional crime—say, harassing the people of Huayuan County. We could also mention the Han Manor’s straw-burning incident. As for the manure incident in my manor, that won’t work since my people willingly accepted the bait, and we couldn’t find the seller of the feed.”

“Yes, that’s a good plan,” Official Han agreed, appreciating how offering a technique to Magistrate Wen could shield them from pressure from above.

Magistrate Jia only now realized the Zhang Manor had more techniques than he’d thought and that the value of their assets should be recalculated. Surely, there had to be more they hadn’t used.

“There are two additional techniques,” he added. “One for making firecrackers and another for popped rice. The sugar-making technique went to Zhou Xihu. There might even be more, so let’s clarify now; otherwise, any new techniques could be hard to split.”

Hearing this, Official Yuan and Official Han both looked stunned. Reflecting on it, they realized it was fortunate they’d started making a move early. Another two or three years, and the Zhang Manor might have soared beyond reach.

“I want the people from the main courtyards of the Zhang and Wang main houses,” Official Yuan and Official Han said simultaneously.

The two exchanged a glance and smiled, both aware of the other’s intentions. The techniques hadn’t appeared on their own; someone must have created them. If they could capture that person, there might be more techniques to uncover. Each technique was like a hen that laid golden eggs.

After they spoke, they laughed, though soon regretted it. Magistrate Jia wasn’t a fool; he had been focused on revenge, but now, hearing them, he understood what they truly valued.

Reaching this point in the discussion, the three men found it hard to continue. Items could be divided, and techniques split, but how could they divide the people? The techniques seemed to have originated from one person. Even if they shared all the techniques, keeping that person would be a lasting advantage.

The more Official Yuan thought about it, the more troubled he felt. He finally said, “Let’s set this issue aside until Magistrate Wen arrives. Huayuan County isn’t like your Sanshui County, with 700 bailiffs. They only have 300, some of whom were recruited temporarily.”

“There are quite a few residents at the Zhang and Wang estates. We must act swiftly. If we capture the master families first, the residents won’t dare resist. Otherwise, things might escalate, and hundreds could die. If that happens, we won’t be able to leave, and Magistrate Jia might have to devise a plan to relocate people.”

Once the Zhang and Wang families were in custody, the 700 bailiffs would be easier to manage. “It’s not like they’d dare come to Huayuan County’s jail to retrieve them—that would be close to rebellion.”

“Huayuan County’s jail? Why should they be locked up in Huayuan County? If they’re to be held, shouldn’t it be in Sanshui County? There’s no reason for Huayuan County’s bailiffs to come here for arrests,” Magistrate Jia responded, thinking about the person who had come up with so many techniques. Under no circumstances should they end up in someone else’s hands. Who knew what the others might do to find out who that person was?

Official Yuan saw through Magistrate Jia’s concerns. Taking a sip of his now-cool tea, he replied, “So Magistrate Jia wants them locked in Sanshui County’s jail? And which bailiff would guard it? You don’t even trust Song Yang, believing he may have colluded with the Zhang family, which is why you handed him that letter. If there’s no collusion, the bailiffs should all be at Little Luoshui.”

Magistrate Jia struggled to answer. Apart from his own family, he trusted no one in Sanshui County. Even though Song Yang had always been respectful and obedient, he still took precautions.

At this point, Official Han interjected. “How about this? Once those people are arrested, the three of us and Magistrate Wen can escort them to the capital. The people in the manor and Young Master Jia can handle things from there. Without a support structure, the bailiffs of Sanshui County will be easier to control. By the time we send those people to the capital and return, they’ll be obedient. What do you think?”

“Alright, let’s go with Official Han’s plan,” Official Yuan agreed.

Magistrate Jia hesitated. If something happened in Sanshui County, he should report it to the Prefecture first. He couldn’t just escort them directly to the capital. After a moment of deliberation, he gritted his teeth and said, “Fine, I’ll agree too, but I’ll have someone send a report to the Prefecture. Let’s act here first. If the Prefecture asks questions, we’ll have an explanation.”

With his agreement, the other two felt relieved. They had feared Magistrate Jia might back out, leaving them no pretext to proceed. With their plans in place, the three stopped drinking tea, moved to another hall, and ordered the servants to bring wine and food to enjoy a good meal.

Magistrate Jia’s only lingering concern was his son. He worried his son wouldn’t arrive in time or that something might go wrong. So he asked Official Yuan to send someone to meet his son, ensuring he’d receive some credit. Otherwise, he’d have no excuse for his absence.

As night fell, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan felt sleepy and wanted to rest. Just then, three horses galloped in from outside, heading directly to the Zhang family’s main house.

Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were startled when they saw the speed and markings on the horses. They were “eight hundred li” horses, bred to cover vast distances, and they charged straight into the house.

As soon as the two entered the courtyard, Steward Zhang relayed the message from the newly arrived bailiffs.

“So shameless! Good. This time, I won’t need to take the initiative to drive them out. Make the arrangements immediately,” Zhang Xiaobao declared furiously, resolved to deal with Magistrate Jia once and for all.