In the seventh year of Minghe, Du Heng was serving as the prefect of Xijiang Prefecture.
Xijiang had a mild climate. The temperatures in winter and summer were not extreme, and all four seasons carried the feeling of spring. It was highly suitable for living, and the population of Xijiang Prefecture was especially abundant.
The streets and villages were all bustling with people coming and going.
The common people lived and worked in peace, enjoying leisurely lives. The local gentry and wealthy households were reasonable and well-mannered, and the officials also led very leisurely lives.
Having been accustomed to rushing about in Qiushou County, fighting with the local gentry and developing construction projects, and being used to rising early and staying up late in anxiety and worry, Du Heng suddenly arrived at such a leisurely place and, for a time, truly felt somewhat at a loss.
There was no need for him to personally hear cases; the Assistant Prefect naturally handled the judgments. Construction had already been made comprehensive by the officials before him who had pursued political achievements, leaving him with nowhere to begin. As for education, both literary and martial studies were already being developed together and progressing prosperously.
When he went out, the common people asked after his well-being, while the local gentry and wealthy families were courteous and restrained…
After coming here without realizing it for more than half a year, Du Heng had not done a single thing of any significance. It was practically like retirement.
He had heard that the previous prefect had governed here for three years after taking office, and without accomplishing anything particularly great, had been transferred back to the capital to take up an official position.
As long as one did not cause trouble, after staying in such a peaceful prefecture for a few years, one could almost always be transferred to the capital. It could be said to be a reserve position for a capital official, coming here to serve as prefect as a transition.
Du Heng felt that he was still relatively young and could struggle for another couple of years. Starting his retirement this early seemed rather unfavorable for his future development. It really did wear away a person’s will.
A sin, a sin.
Du Heng went looking for something to do and issued an order for public toilets to be constructed in the prefectural city and all the county towns.
However, the edict had been issued in April, and all the counties immediately responded to the call and began construction. By July, the projects were already completed.
Things had been done far too quickly. Du Heng had originally thought that the local authorities were merely perfunctorily responding to him, the new prefect, so he brought people on an inspection tour of the county towns. Unexpectedly, all the places had been constructed very well.
The main reason was that Xijiang Prefecture had a large population, with abundant and inexpensive labor. Whenever a county wanted to undertake a construction project, it did not take much money to gather a large number of laborers to work, so naturally the projects could be completed quickly.
It was only after nearly a year, following the autumn harvest, that Du Heng finally discovered one of Xijiang Prefecture’s shortcomings.
The advantage of having a large population was that labor was cheap. Whenever something needed to be done, one only had to call and everyone responded.
The disadvantage was that there was only so much land. Everything that could be opened up and cultivated had long since been done. Yet in this era, the maximum grain yield was only two or three shi per mu.
The yield was not high, while the population was large. The grain produced within Xijiang Prefecture was insufficient to eat and had to be purchased from outside. Once transportation costs were added, rice naturally became expensive. One shi of rice cost around 1,500 to 2,000 wen, five or six hundred wen more expensive than in Jintuan Prefecture, where they had lived before.
Du Heng could now see that the major problem that needed to be solved was grain production.
He looked through the records. In fact, previous generations of officials had also discovered the problem and made improvements.
For example, fertilizing the land and expanding farmland—everything that could be done had already been done, but the results were not optimistic.
Du Heng pondered that working on the land itself probably would not bring about much improvement. The only thing he could do was try to see whether the crops themselves could be improved.
After flipping through the records, Du Heng discovered that it was already time to leave the office. Unless there was something urgent, the officials of the prefectural government would not work overtime.
Leaving work on time, attending banquets and social gatherings—this was the basic daily life of the prefectural officials.
Du Heng had never particularly liked socializing and entertaining guests, but he discovered that the higher one rose, the more social engagements there were, and the more importance was placed on personal connections and human relationships. A great deal of information needed to be exchanged at elegant gatherings. Since there was not much to do at the prefectural government office, he naturally had to adapt to circumstances and slowly get used to it.
However, no matter how much he adapted, he did not have the energy to attend such gatherings every day. After being rejected many times, his subordinates had developed some private complaints.
He also closed the ledger and left work on time. If he stayed late and worked overtime, his subordinates would be too embarrassed to leave and would have to stay and work overtime as well. By then, they would certainly be even more dissatisfied with him, the prefect, in private.
There was nothing important to do anyway, so naturally there was no need to drag everyone else down.
Du Heng leisurely returned to the official residence. Just as he reached the entrance, he heard several childish voices.
“Dan Ce, why don’t we go practice spears at the martial arts school this afternoon? I saw you use that spear technique last time. It was so impressive. Do it for us again.”
“The teacher assigned so much homework. Are you waiting to hand in blank papers and get hit with the ruler?”
“Tomorrow is a rest day, and we don’t have to go to the academy. Do we really have to write our homework today? Your writing is good, and you memorize books quickly. Other people can’t memorize an essay even after reading it ten or twenty times, but you can recite it fluently after reading it three times. Why are you in such a hurry to finish some homework?”
Dan Ce let out a breath. “My father watches me memorize books and practice calligraphy every night. Where would I have time to slack off? Let’s go to the martial arts school tomorrow during the day. You should finish your homework early today too.”
Only after hearing this did Du Heng walk over.
Several little boys, their green and tender figures shooting up like spring bamboo shoots, saw Du Heng in his official robes.
They hurriedly stood in a row.
“Greetings, Magistrate Du.”
“Hello, everyone. Did the academy dismiss you so early today?”
“Yes. The teacher wasn’t feeling well today, so he let us leave school early.”
Du Heng responded, “Then come into the residence and play for a while before going home.”
“Thank you for your kindness, Magistrate Du. We will go home and practice our writing first. Tomorrow we will invite Dan Ce to go to the martial arts school.”
“That is good too. Go home and finish your studies properly. Playing together tomorrow will be just right.”
Watching the several tall little boys carry their book chests and bid farewell, Du Heng finally patted Dan Ce’s head.
“You’re quite self-disciplined.”
Dan Ce raised his chin and looked at Du Heng. “It’s not because I saw Father coming home that I said that. I’ve always been sensible, you know.”
Du Heng smiled and scratched the tip of Dan Ce’s nose.
“Such a good boy.”
“On the way home just now, I saw some foreign merchants. They had quite a few unusual things. I bought some little trinkets to see if Big Brother would like them.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Dan Ce tossed something round and lumpy, shaped somewhat like a little taro, into the air. A moment later, it landed back in his palm.
Du Heng’s brows twitched.
“What did you take? Let me see!”
Seeing that his father seemed rather excited, Dan Ce hurriedly handed the little taro-like object to Du Heng.
“The foreign merchant said that if it is planted, it can sprout and bloom. Big Brother likes growing flowers, so I thought it was interesting and bought one.”
Seeing Du Heng examine it seriously, he could not help asking, “Father, what exactly is this? Do you recognize it?”
Holding the smooth, round potato, Du Heng hurriedly asked, “Where are the foreign merchants? Quickly, take Father to see them!”
Dan Ce was somewhat puzzled, but he obediently led Du Heng to the foreign merchants’ stall.
On West Street, more than a dozen men dressed differently from the people of the Central Plains had joined together and set up a long stall.
They sold an enormous variety of things: spices, cosmetics, rare treasures and antiques, flower and plant seeds, and all sorts of other goods. The merchandise was arranged in a disorderly fashion, allowing people to freely pick through it. There was quite a bit of the fun of panning for gold.
Merchants’ caravans frequently traveled through a prefectural city like Xijiang Prefecture, but foreign merchants with exotic customs were still relatively rare. Once they set up their stalls and displayed their goods, many people came to browse and purchase things.
“Did you sell this?”
The foreign merchant looked at Du Heng, dressed in official robes, handing over a potato. Then he saw the handsome little boy beside him. His legs went slightly weak, and he did not know how he should answer.
Just before this, a group of young scholars had passed by the merchant stall. The foreign merchants had gone on a sales pitch, and the children had chosen quite a few things.
The little boys did not know how to bargain. Whatever price the merchants named, they paid.
Merchants were crafty, and they certainly would not worry about cultivating repeat customers.
They had boasted that the flowers, when fully bloomed, were like the pure moonlight and as luxuriant as the summer night sky. One small potato had cost the child thirty wen.
They had not known that the little boy was the son of an official. Now the official had come looking for them. If the official became displeased, they might be driven out.
“Greetings, my lord.” The foreign merchant greeted him in a strong foreign accent and hurriedly picked up another potato. “Does the young master like them? I can give him two more.”
Du Heng looked at the burly man with a curled, protruding beard, who was deliberately avoiding the subject. He guessed that the man had taken advantage of the child.
He had done business himself before and understood these little tricks better than anyone.
However, he had not come here to argue over a few dozen wen. As a dignified prefect, if word got out, it would inevitably become a laughingstock.
“How many of these do you have left?”
The bright official robes made the foreign merchant dare not lie deceitfully. He could not figure out Du Heng’s intentions either, so he answered cautiously, “Replying to Your Excellency, one box. Only one box.”
“Truly only one box?”
“Yes. Western goods. There aren’t many.”
Du Heng said, “This official will take them all.”
The foreign merchant’s already cow-like eyes widened.
“Take them all?!”
Before he had even finished speaking, another foreign merchant slapped him.
“If His Excellency wants them, give them all to His Excellency! Don’t waste words!”
“Good, good.”
That afternoon, back at the residence, as everyone watched the time grow late—those who should have left the government office had already left, and those who should have finished school had also finished—neither Magistrate Du nor Qin Erbao had returned.
Qin Xiaoman furrowed his brows and was just about to send someone to see what was going on when he saw a servant carrying a large box filled with things that looked somewhat like taros.
Father and son returned together.
“What is this?”
Qin Xiaoman had farmed for more than ten years, yet this was the first time he had ever seen such a strange thing.
Du Heng patted one or two baskets of potatoes.
“This is a good thing. Just wait and see. Xiping Prefecture’s grain production will depend on these little lumps.”
A few days later, Du Heng summoned several village heads from the prefectural city to the prefectural government office.
“Today I have summoned you all here to look at the Western seeds purchased from the foreign merchants. They have a very high yield and are easy to grow.”
The village heads looked at one another.
They stared at the round lumps in the baskets, not even knowing whether they were meant to be eaten or merely viewed, and were rather curious about what their prefect intended.
“There were only two baskets that could be purchased from the foreign merchants, so there aren’t many. My intention is that villages that are willing can take some back and plant them in the village.”
The village heads were greatly alarmed when they heard this. They could not believe the prefect would say something so unreliable, yet they did not dare say so. They looked at Du Heng somewhat awkwardly.
“If you have something to say, say it directly. There is no need to hide it.”
“My lord, it is not that this humble citizen is being difficult or unwilling to follow Your Excellency’s arrangements. It is simply that the village has only so much land, and the land held by the village households is already tight. Even if this humble citizen agrees to the matter, I am afraid that when it reaches the villagers, no one will be willing to take land out to plant these Western goods.”
“Yes, yes. Hongshou Village is the largest village under our prefecture, and even their land is insufficient. The land in our villages is even less sufficient.”
Listening to the waves of evasive refusals, Du Heng understood what everyone meant.
“This official also understands everyone’s difficulties. Xijiang Prefecture is good in every way, except that grain is expensive. If the yield of edible grain could be increased, it could also ease the difficulties of the common people somewhat.”
Du Heng explained some more of the advantages of potatoes. The village heads listened attentively, but in the end, no one expressed any willingness.
Du Heng sighed. He could not force the farmers. Their crops were growing well, and they paid their land taxes on time after every autumn harvest. Naturally, the government could not force farmers to do anything.
“What did Magistrate Du summon the village heads for today? His Excellency seemed to be in rather poor spirits.”
“I heard he bought some Western goods and wanted the villages to plant Western seeds, but the village heads refused.”
“Although the people of Xijiang Prefecture aren’t especially wealthy, they can still get by. Grain being expensive and having to buy it from other prefectures isn’t something that started only today or yesterday. Why stir things up for no reason?”
“The Assistant Prefect should be understanding. Whenever a new official takes office, he always wants to accomplish something to show as a political achievement.”
“The idea is good, but ultimately he is still too young. He’s just stirring things up. If he steadily completes his five-year term, as long as he commits no major offense, promotion will be ordinary enough.”
“After all, he came from being a successful candidate in the provincial examination. Coming from a small place, his horizons are somewhat limited. He only knows how to work through physical labor and does not understand socializing and adapting.”
Du Heng did not know how his subordinates, who normally greeted him with courteous smiles, viewed him in private.
The matter had not been settled, and he dragged his feet as he returned to the official residence.
Qin Xiaoman saw the man lying on the soft couch with his hands behind his head. He stepped forward and slapped his hand.
“You came home and still haven’t taken off your official robes.”
Du Heng lazily spread out his arms. Qin Xiaoman grabbed his sleeve and smoothly removed the official robes.
He took them to hang on the clothes rack nearby and brushed the dust off them with a feather duster.
“No one wanted your Western taro, huh? It’s all wilted.”
Du Heng waved his hand.
There were not many potatoes altogether. He had not even been willing to make a portion for his family. He had treasured these crops beyond measure, yet unexpectedly, other people treated them like worthless rubbish.
“That is normal. If I were still buried in the fields farming, and land was scarce, I wouldn’t be willing to plant some Western goods I had never even seen before either.”
“Farmers depend on their land for food year after year. How would they dare take risks casually? The village heads are genuinely thinking about the farmers. Don’t be angry.”
“I’m not angry. Promoting a new kind of food was never going to be easy. Deep-rooted ideas aren’t easy to change. It’s just that if everyone is unwilling to plant it despite being encouraged to do so, then we’ll have to spend even more effort working on it. Let’s take it slowly. I don’t blame everyone either.”
Qin Xiaoman turned his head and glanced at him. He wanted to say that being an official leisurely wasn’t quite nice enough? Why bother with all this? Wouldn’t it be comfortable to teach the children to write essays every day?
But he did not say it aloud. He knew that at Du Heng’s age, he would not be content with this.
Two days later, Du Heng searched through the entire prefectural gazetteer and found a piece of wasteland east of the prefectural city. Because it was too barren and contained too much sand and stone, no farmer was willing to take it over.
The land was not large, only about two or three mu.
Du Heng thought that there were not many potato seeds in his hands to begin with, so this land would be enough. Since the common people were unwilling to plant them, he would first establish a trial plot.
In the spring of the following year, the wasteland had already been opened up by the prefectural laborers and was ready for planting.
There were more than three mu of land in total. Du Heng personally brought people into the fields, rolled up his sleeves, and energetically began planting again, guiding them in the cultivation of potatoes.