After the New Year, the county office reopened, and the ongoing waterworks projects resumed without delay.
The Huang family took the county’s procurement of building materials very seriously. They even sent their own workers to assist the county laborers in quarrying stone and felling timber. The embankments along the Minyin River were visibly reinforced, and by the start of the year, stonework along the irrigation channels had already reached the outskirts of Qiqiao Village.
Qiuyang County’s climate was mild, and spring arrived earlier than in most regions. By the end of January, even trees stripped bare in late autumn were budding fresh shoots, and the early-blooming plum trees were already flowering, reaching for the sunlight with an urgent energy.
During the holiday break, with the weather warm and gentle, Du Heng decided to visit the village to inspect the construction of the water channels and waterwheels, and then stop by the Huang family’s quarry to check on the stone gathering.
Looking at his two children, now visibly rounder from the holiday feasts—especially Dancai, who had grown heavier than his older brother—Du Heng chuckled. Since the break was leisurely, he thought it a good opportunity to take them for a walk, letting them burn off some of their festive indulgence.
The county streets still carried the residual excitement of the New Year. Pedestrians moved about, and horse-drawn carts ambled slowly through the town. Chengyi and Dancai leaned eagerly against the rolled-up blinds of the carriage window, watching the bustling scene outside.
Qin Xiaoman wanted to bring the children inside and have them sit properly, fearing that if they stayed at the window, they would beg for every little item and treat they saw. But Du Heng, understanding their temperaments, had already made a clear rule: if they fussed to buy anything in the market, the trip to the village would be cut short. The children agreed—they would just watch and enjoy the spectacle, without buying anything.
“Papa! Papa! Stop the carriage!”
Du Heng had only just settled into the ride when he heard Chengyi’s voice. He raised an eyebrow. “I thought I told you not to buy anything? Don’t you want to go to the village?”
Dancai quickly pointed outside. “That man looks so pitiful! Let’s give him some money—Dancai’s New Year money!”
Du Heng and Qin Xiaoman looked toward the street and saw an elderly man begging, ragged and worn. Amidst the neatly dressed townsfolk enjoying the New Year festivities, he seemed even more pitiful.
Du Heng signaled the carriage to stop, letting the children, guided by servants, approach and offer charity.
Qin Xiaoman sighed as she watched the children place a handful of copper coins into the man’s bowl. Soon, several others gathered to beg as well. “Trade in the county has grown livelier than when we first arrived, yet the beggars remain everywhere,” she murmured.
Du Heng knew this, of course. The county had many pressing affairs, and not every problem could be solved at once. Still, the homeless without land or employment needed to be addressed. Though their presence was only a minor inconvenience to the town’s appearance, they required proper settlement.
“One thing at a time,” he said.
Upon entering the village, the children were ecstatic. The air smelled of spring soil and fresh winds.
Dancai ran excitedly along the embankments, occasionally plucking a blossoming white plum flower to tuck into Chengyi’s hair, and then dashing off into the newly sprouted green fields to catch grasshoppers no larger than a pinky finger.
Qin Xiaoman, somehow producing a paper kite, helped them launch it into the gentle spring breeze. The father and two sons ran across the open fields, flying the kite together in joyful harmony.
Just as Du Heng was about to grab the kite string himself, a county worker came rushing over.
“There’s a troublemaker at the quarry. Master Huang heard you were here and suggests you come see for yourself.”
Du Heng’s brows tightened. He spoke briefly to his servant, then hurried with the worker to the quarry.
“Master Du has arrived!”
Du Heng had intended to inspect the quarry anyway. The village was close by, and it took only a few minutes to reach. As he dismounted, the usual noise of the stone yard immediately fell silent.
Several men were detained, kneeling before him. “What happened here?”
Huang Wenguang reported, “Last night, these men sneaked into the quarry, intending to ignite explosives stored in the sheds and destroy the newly quarried and polished stone slabs. Fortunately, the patrolling workers caught them in the act.”
Du Heng noticed the ringleader kept his head bowed. He lifted his chin slightly, and the county soldiers holding him grabbed his jaw and forced him to look up.
Recognizing the face, Du Heng frowned. “Yong Er?”
“Released just a few months ago… and yet, are your hands itching again? Can’t stay still, or do you mean to reform and serve at the quarry?”
Yong Er glared, avoiding Du Heng’s eyes. Twice he bumped into the iron plates, and his mood soured; he had no defense.
“Why are you causing trouble at the quarry?”
Yong Er remained silent. The soldiers twisted his arms, making him wince. He gritted his teeth. “I just can’t stand it! All this coming and going, all this waterworks construction… the explosions and rumbling keep me awake!”
“How dare you speak so insolently in front of me!”
The soldiers increased the pressure on his arms.
Seeing sweat bead on Yong Er’s forehead and no truthful response coming from his mouth, Du Heng waved his hand. “Take him back to the southern jail. Put him in the innermost cell—it’s well soundproofed, so no one will be disturbed by his noise.”
Yong Er opened his mouth, but could not argue. He was escorted away in silence.
Once the crowd dispersed, Huang Wenguang approached Du Heng. “Master, I suspect Yong Er was acting under someone’s orders, but he is tight-lipped. I could not pry any information from him.”
Even without Huang Wenguang’s words, Du Heng had already deduced the situation. A mere local thug would not attempt to destroy the quarry for no reason. Having been detained previously by the county, he would not act so recklessly for revenge alone.
His actions clearly targeted Huang Wenguang. The waterworks required quarried stones to be cut and polished into slabs and pedestals, demanding considerable labor. If Yong Er destroyed the finished stone, it would inevitably delay construction, and Huang Wenguang would bear the responsibility when the county demanded accountability.
Fortunately, Huang Wenguang had approached the county’s procurement cautiously, fully aware that some families would not let him work in peace. Even without direct conflicts of interest before, tension had existed; now that stakes were high, vigilance was all the more necessary.
He strengthened patrols, and sure enough, troublemakers were caught.
Du Heng said, “Keep a close watch here. The county office will conduct a formal review in due course.”
“Yong Er has been caught!”
Wei Hongming received the news while bickering with Yun Qingwen at his residence.
Time had passed—both were over twenty, youth and vigor long gone. Yun Qingwen looked around at their peers, many already with children of their own. Years earlier, she had suffered complications in childbirth, her health damaged, and during the years of peaceful coexistence with Wei Hongming, she had spent most of her time recuperating.
After moving to Qiuyang County, Wei Hongming revealed his true nature. His pride often caused quarrels with his husband, and when Yun Qingwen tried to scold or warn him, he would return to his family’s home to intimidate her. At first, this method worked, and she would reconcile. Over time, repeated attempts lost their effect. Wei Hongming grew indifferent, and the Yun family could no longer tolerate her disruptions.
The Yun family had never fully approved of the marriage. Yun Qingwen’s impulsive ways—acting first and reporting later—had strained relations. Though she had achieved her goal in marrying, she refused to settle into a proper household. Her constant quarrels drew the attention of neighbors, bringing shame to the Yun family.
Even after years of marriage, she had borne no children. Her family gradually grew resentful. At the start of the year, she returned home intending to reconcile with Wei Hongming and secure a child, but she found he had taken a new concubine. The household already had seven or eight children with this concubine, not counting the other women in the inner chambers. Her anger flared instantly.
Entering the hall, she saw Wei Hongming reclining on the soft couch. Years of luxury had taken their toll—his youthful scholar’s poise gone, his body soft and round, his once sharp features now bloated, almost grotesque. Beside him, the concubine, a former street performer, fed him peeled grapes, laughing coquettishly.
Yun Qingwen’s disgust and fury boiled over. All thoughts of reconciling or securing a child vanished, and she began smashing cups and dishes.
“What do you think you’re doing? How are you any different from the street-woman outside?”
“And you, calling me a street-woman! Look at yourself—what a disgraceful sight!”
They traded vulgar insults until the concubine, frightened by the scene, shrank back and left. Just as a fight seemed imminent, the steward rushed in.
“If not for urgent matters, today you would each get a slap! Now, get back to your quarters!”
“I never wanted to see your face anyway!”
They parted, still seething.
Wei Hongming took a while to calm down and asked the steward about the incident. Already annoyed by Yun Qingwen’s behavior, he now grew angrier upon learning how recklessly matters had been handled.
“This Yong Er… two months in prison, and his mind must have rusted. So careless, and he even got caught—that’s exactly what he deserved!”
The steward, understanding this was said in anger, replied, “Fortunately, Yong Er keeps his mouth shut. Huang Wenguang interrogated him thoroughly but got nothing. And though he was confined in the southern jail, he’s long been a frequent visitor there.”
Wei Hongming exhaled. “He may be tight-lipped, and I know he has done many tasks for me over the years. What I fear is that the young county magistrate might suspect the Wei family.”
“What can he do even if he suspects something? There’s no evidence.”
Wei Hongming narrowed his eyes, snickering. “True. Even if the young magistrate listens to Huang Wenguang and has doubts about the Wei family, what can he actually do?”
A few days later, the county office issued an official announcement. The waterworks project was proceeding steadily and efficiently. The Huang family had not only assisted diligently but had also captured the individuals attempting to sabotage construction.
The county praised the Huang family highly, granting them the right to cultivate fifty acres of uncultivated land south of the city. This served as encouragement for other local gentry to follow the Huang family’s example and contribute to the county’s projects.
The county’s leading families, long aware of the benefits of cultivating good relations with the office, were still surprised by the magnitude of the reward.
In spring, the Huang family began recruiting laborers to cultivate the newly granted land. Aware that the first two years of yield on the uncultivated plots might be poor, they arranged with the county to share the harvest fifty-fifty.
Many laborers formerly under the Wei family, tired of oppression, abandoned them immediately to work for the Huang family, content to cultivate land with a fifty percent share rather than continue under the Wei family with barely ten percent.
The Wei family had never considered laborers as human beings; given any alternative, they would leave. With this new opportunity, many fled. Within a short time, one-quarter of the Wei family’s labor force had left, and those who remained were bound by debts and thus could not easily escape.
The county also encouraged the resettlement of beggars and homeless people. Any leading family willing to provide food and shelter could receive the right to cultivate corresponding uncultivated land. Before the first harvest, the produce would be shared fifty-fifty with the Huang family. Families interested had to undergo county assessment to qualify.
Naturally, the gentry weighed the benefits. Land was the foundation of livelihood. Who wouldn’t want more land under their control? Even though Qiuyang County was vast and sparsely populated, without the county’s decree, ordinary people could neither buy nor claim land. Now, with a long-term opportunity like this, many capable households were eager to try their luck.
Naturally, the first to act were the families already on friendly terms with the Huang household. After the county office’s evaluation, several of them received rights to cultivate portions of the uncultivated land.
At the same time, many laborers flocked to the newly available plots. Those previously under large estates, with tightly controlled harvest shares, saw their workforce drain away.
With spring planting imminent, laborers who had once been tightly bound suddenly stood firm. Many of the county’s major landholders grew nervous, scrambling to recruit workers again.
Yet, the laborers—and even the resettled vagrants—now had alternatives. Under such strict share arrangements, who in their right mind would deliberately enter a worse situation? There was simply no way for the landholders to find new labor easily.
The county mandated that any allocated land had to be cultivated and planted that year. Landholders already short on labor now faced the very real problem of insufficient hands for spring sowing.
One by one, the Wei family and other prominent households went to Wei Hongming to discuss solutions.
Wei Hongming, reviewing the county’s early-year announcements, felt his anger strike deep. The magistrate had clearly anticipated the labor situation and coordinated with the Huang family. Now the county’s move was meant to regulate labor and crop yields.
“You need not fear. Not all your laborers have left. Give the remaining ones more land; they’ll still plant. Survive this year’s difficulties, and it will pass.”
“But laborers can only work so many days and cultivate so much land. If the share is too high, the sowing period will be tight, and the autumn harvest will suffer. The losses will fall on…” A minor landholder trailed off, lowering his voice. “The Zou family is small; they can’t bear the losses like the Wei family. They can only rely on a few fields to make ends meet…”
It wasn’t opportunism, just realism. Compared to the Wei estate, their losses would be unsustainable.
Hearing this, Wei Hongming was furious but forced a gentle tone. “So what do you propose?”
“Then reduce the shares given to laborers,” one suggested. “Otherwise, we simply won’t be able to recruit anyone. Spring arrives early here; we must secure workers quickly.”
Seeing Wei Hongming’s growing scowl, the minor landholders fell silent.
Wei Hongming realized that the young county magistrate had won. All of the county office’s early-year moves had aimed to overturn the old labor share rules, forcing large landholders to lower the percentage given to laborers. Otherwise, recruitment would fail.
“You’ve already agreed on a course of action. Why come to me? Do it yourselves.”
United by self-interest, the landholders would now disperse. Wei Hongming understood he could no longer control them. Pushing too hard risked backfiring; a single family might be manageable, but many at once were dangerous. The Wei family had already lost much support from the Yun household.
What infuriated him most, however, was that these reductions in labor share forced him to lower his own as well. Previously, the Wei estate had benefited from local conditions: most of Qiuyang County’s laborers received higher shares than the imperial regulations allowed. This tolerated the estate’s control and maintained order. Once other households lowered their shares, the county’s standard would shift to four-six or five-five, making the Wei estate’s previous arrangement conspicuously excessive.
Laborers dissatisfied with the share would appeal to the county office. Previously, collective complaints went unpunished, but any lone grievance would now be dealt with swiftly.
After the crowd dispersed, Wei Hongming’s rage boiled over. Tables and chairs in the hall bore the brunt of his temper. “Du Heng is truly skilled. No wonder he ousted that old Jiang! I underestimated him!”
Meanwhile, Du Heng, having observed that households across the county were quietly lowering their harvest shares, was in his study at home writing letters to former classmates and senior brothers from Bai Rong Academy, exchanging news of life since leaving the academy.
“It finally couldn’t hold out,” he said. “Fortunately, the Huang family acted as the opening. Otherwise, it would not have been so easy to implement.”
Qin Xiaoman chuckled. “Today I went to buy vegetables and saw far fewer beggars on the street.”
Du Heng smiled. “They’ve already been registered and resettled. Able-bodied laborers have been selected first; there are still many elderly, weak, and disabled. But whatever can be settled now will be, and after spring sowing, we’ll see what remains. Then the county office can arrange for the rest more easily.”
Previously, the population of vagrants had been too large for the county office to manage.
Qin Xiaoman laughed. “Most of the vagrants are resettled. When the reviewing officials arrive in a few days, the county will make a better impression.”
County officials were formally reviewed every five years for appointments, but informal evaluations occurred annually. Provided no major error or extraordinary merit occurred, there would be no change in the five-year period. These assessments generally considered harvest yields and tax collection, along with an official’s reputation—much lighter than the full five-year selection.
Because autumn harvests were busy, most reviews happened in the following year, before spring planting, when the previous year’s taxes and yields were recorded. It was the quietest period for the county, making it ideal for evaluation.
Du Heng hadn’t resettled the vagrants merely to please the reviewers—it was coincidental timing. But, naturally, doing good for the people while earning official recognition was a perfect dual benefit.