Chapter 127: Starting the Work

The Wuyin Army was eventually stationed in a village near Jincheng called Qingmei. The village was only about five or six miles away from the northern city gate, and it took no more than a quarter of an hour on horseback to get there. Whether entering the city or staying on standby, it was an ideal location.

Qingmeizhuang had once been a prosperous place. When the refugees tried to enter Jincheng but were blocked at the gates, they began to harass nearby villages and towns. Since Qingmei was the closest village to the city, it suffered greatly. Many villagers died or fled, leaving behind only an empty shell of a village.

After arriving, Pear Blossom arranged for the Wuyin Army to occupy the existing houses. When the housing was insufficient, they chopped down trees from the nearby mountains to build new barracks.

She separated the medical clinic, dining hall, dormitories, and training grounds, making it easier for the Wuyin Army to establish a long-term presence in the area.

Additionally, thirty people were sent into the city to manage the daily operations of the government office and maintain public order within the city.

Following Dong Yun’s previous instructions, eight fixed patrol points were established in the four cardinal directions. Each point is staffed with ten officers responsible for guarding and patrolling their respective areas.

Once any signs of bandit or refugee activity are detected, the patrol team will take swift action—capturing when possible. If the situation is complex, a messenger will quickly return to Qingmeizhuang to report, and the commander will personally deploy additional personnel for arrest or extermination operations.

As a result, the villagers, who had been stuck in the village for over two months, finally dared to venture outside.

In the official office, Dong Yun was arranging tasks.

Murong Jiutian and his daughter, Xia Xunyan, Zeng Guangjin, and several new clerks were present. Pear Blossom, accompanied by Dalinzi, came to attend the meeting.

Dong Yun said, “There are three most urgent tasks at hand. The first priority is to completely eradicate the remaining bandits and refugees. Pear Blossom, this task is entrusted to you. Lead the Wuyin Army to thoroughly search bandit strongholds like Eagle’s Nest Ridge and Baihu Villa. Not a single threat should be left. Burn down all their lairs and eliminate their hiding places. At the same time, be vigilant of these bandits hiding in the homes of villagers and continuing to harm the people.”

Pear Blossom immediately agreed.

“The second task is the settlement of refugees,” Dong Yun turned to Xia Xunyan and said, “Ah Yan, you’re in charge of organizing and arranging the settlement of the refugees, with Guangjin assisting with the paperwork. Pear Blossom, you will also need to pull a team from the Wuyin Army to work with Ah Yan, as well as local leaders, to help settle the refugees, complete household registrations, and manage the allocation of land.”

Everyone agreed in unison.

“The third task concerns food. Yinzhou, located in a central position along the Huangtou River, has seen a majority of northern refugees flow into the southern and eastern Tuo regions. As the core county of this area, Jinyang has suffered the most damage from the refugees, and now both the city and the villages are facing severe food shortages.”

Dong Yun said, looking at Murong Jiutian, “Lord Murong, having lived in Jinyang for a long time and being highly respected, you have influence with many merchants and wealthy families. Therefore, the responsibility of gathering food falls on you.”

Murong Jiutian nodded, showing no intention to decline.

“Also,” Dong Yun continued, “The government office is short-handed. Although we’ve posted a recruitment notice, if the city lord could recommend any individuals of good character, it would certainly be a great help, especially for assisting with household and land registrations to expedite the settlement of refugees.”

Murong Jin quickly interjected, “Sister, you haven’t assigned me any tasks yet! I can help Ah Yan with the refugee settlement.”

Dong Yun glanced at her and replied, “You have other tasks.”

“What tasks?”

“Since last year, the entire county has been affected by disaster. It will take at least one or two years to recover, but we still need to pay the state taxes, and we can’t burden the people further. We must find alternative solutions.”

Murong Jin’s eyes twinkled as she asked, “Are you asking me to do what I did before, robbing the Qianzhuang to get silver?”

Murong Jiutian immediately turned to look at his daughter with a questioning gaze.

Murong Jin suddenly remembered she hadn’t mentioned this to her father and stuck out her tongue.

Dong Yun scolded, “Every day you think of such crooked ways! We represent the government now, not a bandit gang! Is there no other way than plundering?”

Murong Jin muttered, “In the past, when the government was short on money, it squeezed the people. Now, you not only refuse to raise taxes, but want to lower them. How can we raise money this way? The only option left is to rob the rich and help the poor!”

Xia Xunyan, who had been listening, finally spoke up, “During the reign of Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang, the land tax was one fifteenth, and even in times of war, it never exceeded one tenth. Later, during the reigns of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing, taxes were further reduced, even down to one thirtieth or one fiftieth. With such low tax rates, the national treasury should not have had much money. However, historical records show that during these times, the treasury was overflowing with copper coins, so much so that the strings used to tie the coins broke. Do you know why?”

Murong Jin quickly answered, “It must be because of light taxes and reduced labor, allowing the people to rest and open up more land, which made both the country and the people wealthier.”

Xia Xunyan shook her head, “If you calculate simply, reducing from one tenth to one thirtieth means that to maintain the same level of tax revenue, the amount of cultivated land needs to triple. Even if the national expenses remained unchanged, more than three times the land would need to be opened up for the treasury to be replenished. However, the land area of the Han Dynasty didn’t expand, so clearly, this additional wealth didn’t come from land taxes.”

Murong Jin’s curiosity was completely piqued, and she eagerly asked, “So where did this extra money come from?”

Murong Jiutian, who was skilled in battle but knew little about economics, also looked at Xia Xunyan with interest.

Zeng Guangjin even opened his newly arrived notebook, preparing to take notes.

Xia Xunyan replied, “It’s simple—business. The lords boiled salt, smelted iron, and minted coins. Whatever business was profitable, they did.”

Zeng Guangjin asked in confusion, “But aren’t these industries all controlled by the government?”

Xia Xunyan nodded, “In the early Han Dynasty, there was no monopoly. The government didn’t restrict these industries, and anyone with the ability could run them. The state only collected taxes. Now, Jinyang is self-governing, and its situation is somewhat similar to the early Han, so we can approach it in the same way. Of course, we’re not limited to salt, iron, and tea businesses; we can expand into other profitable fields.”

Dong Yun continued, “We not only need to engage in these businesses, but we also need to act quickly. While the city is still in a state of desolation, we can purchase shops and raw materials at low prices, and take advantage of the current low labor costs to quickly start production or businesses. This will allow us to accumulate wealth in the shortest possible time.”

“It’s not just the common people who benefit from the exemption of land taxes, it can also drive the prosperity of the whole society and further stimulate the economy. When people have surplus grain, they can choose to sell it for money to improve their living standards, or they can use it to buy oxen, farm tools, etc., to further expand the scale of production.”

“Once the whole thing is revitalized, the demand for consumer goods such as iron, salt, sugar and wine will increase significantly, the business of restaurants and teahouses will also become more and more prosperous, and even opera troupes can flourish. In this way, how can you be afraid of not making money?”

The two of them sang in harmony, which stunned the other few people. After listening, they couldn’t help but twinkle in their eyes.

Murong Jin, even more eager to try, rubbed his hands together and said, “Sister, just give me the order! I can do anything!”

Dong Yun smiled, “With such a capable sister, I naturally have to make good use of her.”

…
That night, Murong Jin took Stone and Wood and transported the more than 20,000 taels of gold and silver that they had robbed from Fulong Qianzhuang to the government office. They entered through the back door and carried it into the other remaining house.

Murong Jiutian also sent 5,000 taels of deposits.

Coupled with the gold that Dong Yun brought with her, it amounted to about 36,000 taels.

This was all their assets, and this money would be used as the entire capital for the economic revitalization of Jincheng.

But at the same time, they also faced a major problem: in October, they had to pay the fixed tax quota for Jincheng this year to the court, a total of 25,000 taels.

This was the prerequisite for requesting the title of self-governing city lord.

For a dilapidated city, this was undoubtedly a huge sum of money.

When Murong Jiutian wrote to the emperor to request the title of city lord, he also stated in the memorial that bandits and refugees had invaded this year, leaving the city in ruins, and requested a two-year tax exemption. However, the imperial decree came down, not only was there no two-year tax exemption, but this year’s taxes also had to be paid on time.

This was clearly forcing the Murong family to use their own savings to pay the taxes of a county to the national treasury.

The vicious intent was appalling.

But the imperial decree had been issued, so they could only comply.

Murong Jin couldn’t help but sigh, “If we hadn’t robbed the money from Fulong Qianzhuang, we wouldn’t have been able to raise the amount required by the court. But now, we only have 11,000 taels left. This money really doesn’t last long.”

Dong Yun snorted coldly, “He said we have to pay in October, so we have to pay in October? There’s no such good thing!”

Murong Jin widened her eyes and looked at her, “Sister, are you thinking of defying the imperial decree?”

Dong Yun shook her head, “This money has to be paid, but it needs to be delayed for a while. Delay it until next spring, what can he do!”

Murong Jin: “Uh… won’t the emperor revoke my father’s title of city lord?”

“If he revokes it, who will take over this mess? Besides, he just appointed the city lord a few months ago and wants to revoke it, changing his mind at will, isn’t that a joke? Now the court is spreading rumors about the serious bandit problem in Yinzhou, if he doesn’t mind being overwhelmed, he can go ahead and do it!”

Dong Yun stood with her hands behind her back, “When my father was still alive, there was only my mother in the palace, and he often talked to her about the affairs of the previous dynasty, saying that the prefect of Xinzhou had a good track record of completing his tax collection tasks every year, always ahead of schedule and always exceeding the quota, it seems that the people under his rule are wealthy, the previous tasks were too light, next year we should increase the quota… As for Hanzhou, they are dragging their feet and can’t even raise enough, it seems they are really poor, then we should give them a few more months.”

“A crying child gets the milk, if you don’t cry a few times, he really thinks your father’s family is rich and wants to force him to use his own property to subsidize the national treasury.”

Murong Jin giggled, “It’s so good to have my sister strategizing.”

Dong Yun sighed again, “Although we can delay it, this is only a stopgap measure, we still need to find a way to make money. Only by revitalizing the money and goods of Jincheng will we not be hindered everywhere.”

Seeing that it was late at night, she sent a few people back to rest.

She and Pear Blossom also went back to the mansion together.

Now that they had Cui’er and Fei’er, they no longer needed to do their daily chores personally, but as long as Pear Blossom was around, Dong Yun’s personal affairs were all taken care of by her personally, and she didn’t want to rely on anyone else.

Cui’er and the others had been rescued by Murong Jin since they were young, and their loyalty was beyond doubt. They were more cautious than other maids.

They already knew the relationship between Dong Yun and Pear Blossom when they came, and when they saw the two of them together, they knew to stay away and not disturb them. They prepared the water and quietly left.

The large bathtub could fit two people. Dong Yun leaned against the side of the tub, breathing heavily.

The movements on the surface of the water swayed up and down because of Pear Blossom’s movements, occasionally splashing water, overflowing the tub.

Until she finally went limp, Pear Blossom finally hugged her out of the bathtub, wrapped her in a large towel, and walked towards the bedroom.

After putting her on the bed, looking at the woman with flushed cheeks in the candlelight, the thoughts that had just subsided ignited again. She made her lean against the pillow and sit on the edge of the bed, kissed her lips, and then bent down, lowering her head to tend to the other mouth that was dripping with sweetness below.

Although Dong Yun had great ambitions, she had to eat one bite at a time, and things had to be done step by step. These details had to be considered, and tough bones had to be chewed, especially with a severe lack of manpower and funds, the pressure was still there.

The more pressure she had, the more she wanted to release it. A few days ago, when she first arrived at the government office, the affairs were complicated, and sometimes she would be busy until late at night. Plus, she was not used to the new place, and she hadn’t thought about that aspect at all.

Now she had finally settled down completely. Although things were progressing slowly, she at least had a general plan in mind and had started to implement it step by step. Everything was gradually getting on track. Tonight, Pear Blossom just teased her a little, and she couldn’t help herself. When she took a bath, she pulled her into the bathtub.

She hadn’t done it for too long, her body was sensitive, and as soon as they got down to business, she quickly reached her peak. After going back and forth twice, she couldn’t take it anymore, her body trembled and she couldn’t help but moan softly.

Luckily, Pear Blossom cared for her, helping her clean up, dry her hair, and then cuddling her as they lay down together.

The weather in May and June had already turned to summer, and the heat was starting to rise. To prevent mosquitoes, thick curtains had to be drawn, which made the room somewhat stifling.

Even Dong Yun, with her cold constitution, couldn’t stop sweating after the intense physical activity, let alone Pear Blossom, who was already radiating heat.

However, Pear Blossom was younger than Dong Yun, and after enough physical activity during the day, she could fall asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow, no matter how hot it was.

But Dong Yun, being more thoughtful and worried about many things, took a little longer to fall asleep. With the heat, she had some difficulty.

Since Pear Blossom now shared the bed with her every night, she was well aware of Dong Yun’s sleeping patterns. After soothing her to sleep with a fan, Pear Blossom finally put the fan aside and lay down, closing her eyes and falling asleep instantly.

The next day, the government office was busy early in the morning, with everyone in their respective positions.

The office had a public kitchen, and recently, three cooks had been hired to manage the meals for everyone in the office, from Dong Yun to the clerks and officers. Meals were provided in the public kitchen every day, with special requests only made if needed, such as when Cui’er would prepare extra dishes.

Pear Blossom had just left the office when Dagen arrived with a cart carrying apricot flowers. The cart also held several large baskets of eggs, each wrapped tightly in straw.

The guards at the gate, two young men from He Village, recognized Dagen and smiled as they helped unload the cart.

When they saw the eggs, Dagen hurriedly reminded them, “These eggs are for the master and the assistant official. Be careful not to break them.”

The two men, who had originally been heading toward the kitchen, quickly turned and made their way to the back courtyard of the office to hand the eggs over to Cui’er and Fei’er.

After bidding farewell to her father, Xinghua was led to the office of Xia Xunyan, who was buried in a pile of bamboo slips and books.

When Xia Xunyan saw her enter, his previously stern face softened into a smile.

He waved at her and said, “Come, from now on, work here with me.”

Xinghua felt overjoyed, blushing as she walked toward him.

On the side, Murong Jin, seeing the closeness between them, couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous and muttered, “Xia, I’ve been running around for you for so many days, and you’ve always had a stern face. But the moment she arrives, you’re all smiles. This kind of favoritism is really disheartening.”

Xia Xunyan replied indifferently, “You’ve been working for the office, not for me.”

Murong Jin, not satisfied, retorted, “But I’ve been working with you! Where else will you find such a good partner? I’ve done all the heavy and tiring work.”

Xinghua quickly spoke up, “I can do the heavy work too!”

Murong Jin pretended to reach for her head, “Adults are talking. What are you butting in for?”

Xinghua pouted, “I’m not a kid.”

Xia Xunyan pulled Xinghua over, saying, “Don’t mind her.”

He then instructed the guard at the door, “Take her to the back house to drop off her luggage and let Yuer arrange for her to stay in the side room of my quarters.”

Upon hearing this arrangement, Murong Jin’s face twisted with displeasure. But remembering that she had failed to handle a letter matter properly before and had earned some resentment from the woman, she knew this situation was of her own making. Now she could only watch as Xia Xunyan treated others better than herself.

Meanwhile, Pear Blossom, after leaving the city in the morning, led the remaining 60 members of the Wuyin Army to sweep through the Baihu Bandits’ strongholds and the Eagle Nest Ridge base.

The dozen or so strongholds of the Baihu had long been abandoned, and the surrounding area was silent and deserted. After months, the places were overgrown with weeds and in ruins.

Pear Blossom immediately ordered the strongholds to be set ablaze to prevent any future resurgence of banditry.

Nearby villagers, seeing the flames rising from the mountains, gathered and discussed.

“Judging by this, it seems impossible for the bandits to rise again.”

“Who knows? As long as the pressure from above continues, the bandits can’t be completely eradicated.”

“The current city lord is Murong Jiutian of the Longwei Dart Bureau. He’s said to be righteous and fair, quite different from the previous county officials. For us common folk, it might be a good thing.”

“Let’s see.”

“By the way, the woman leading the cleanup this time is named Pear Blossom. She’s Murong Jiutian’s apprentice. When the Eagle Nest Ridge bandits besieged Jincheng, she led 200 men to assist the defenders, killing several bandit leaders and even taking down the notorious Ghost with her own hands.” One person told the story in vivid detail.

“A girl actually killed Ghost? That must be a lie. I don’t believe it!” A burly man’s eyes widened.

“What’s there not to believe? Just ask any of the defenders; they’ll tell you. Why would anyone lie about such a thing? Is it really so hard to admit that a girl is strong?” Someone quickly countered.

“Exactly,” others chimed in.

“I heard that the assistant official has ordered the setting up of inspection points throughout the county to ensure the safety of the people. Those soldiers are all under Pear Blossom’s command.”

“Her people? That explains why I haven’t seen any local thugs or bandits on the road lately. It’s a lot safer. If that’s true, it’s a huge blessing!” A woman clapped her hands in excitement.

“I heard from the troops stationed at the inspection points that they are still recruiting. If anyone wants to join the army, they can go to Qingmeizhuang (Qingmei Village) at the North City Gate to sign up. The city lord has allocated a large plot of land for training the Wuyin Army, and they’ll be incorporated into the Jincheng guard. They’ll be well-fed and even get a military stipend.”

“Is that true?”

“If it is, I’ll go!”

“My family’s almost out of rice; if they’re feeding people, why not go? Let’s go, let’s go! We’ll sign up together!”

“Are you accepting women? We want to go too!”

“Yes, I saw the notice outside Zhuangzi’s gate; it says no gender restrictions. But can you read? Why do you want to squeeze into the army camp? The government office has already posted a notice asking literate people to take the exam, and if you pass, you might even become a clerk in the six departments.”

“Does the government office accept women?”

“Why wouldn’t they? The assistant officials are women, and even the daughter of Lord Murong works there. In my opinion, right now is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you women!”

“Ah, then what are we waiting for? Let’s go, while it’s still early, let’s head into the city and take a look.”

Pear Blossom had no idea what the common people were discussing. After burning down the Baihu Villa stronghold, she led her men without pause toward Eagle Nest Ridge.

Just as they arrived, her system in her mind activated.

“Host, there are over a hundred bandits hiding at the Dongling Mountain. Below the cave, there are thousands of stone grain and some gold, silver, and jewels.”

Pear Blossom’s spirits were instantly lifted.

No need to say, this was the wealth of Ghost, accumulated through his days of pillaging. If they had successfully attacked Jincheng that day, they would have hauled this wealth into the city. But now, with everyone dead, there was no one left to enjoy it.

Coincidentally, her sister had been worrying about money and food these past days, and this wealth would be perfect to win her sister’s favor.

Thinking this, Pear Blossom’s grip on her big knife tightened with excitement.

Just as she was about to give an order, she saw her subordinates charging into the valley without hesitation. She quickly shouted to stop them: “There are still remnants at Eagle Nest Ridge. Send someone to scout the situation first.”

Every time they carried out a mission, she always led by example. With the system at her disposal, she could always gather accurate intelligence, making their operations successful. This made things easier for them, but relying too much on her wasn’t good for her subordinates.

The team quickly sent out five people to gather information. They soon focused on the Dongling Mountain.

Following the clues, they quickly located the entrance of the cave.

More than twenty bandits guarded the entrance, while the rest searched the mountain for other possible exits to prevent anyone from escaping.

After a thorough search, they indeed found a concealed exit at the foot of the mountain.

After setting up an ambush, they launched the attack, prying open stones to block the cave entrance with burning firewood. The bandits inside, choked by the smoke, were forced to escape through the exit, only to be captured by the waiting troops.

Nearly a hundred bandits were disarmed and bound, driven back to Jincheng, followed by a large convoy carrying grain.

The common people along the way stopped to watch, cheering and applauding.

The soldiers of the Wuyin Army were thrilled, walking proudly with their heads held high, basking in the glory.

Murong Jiutian received the news and, with Mrs. Jiang and the others, arrived early at the city gate to await their return. Dong Yun also made a rare appearance.

The crowd cheered and celebrated at the city gate.

When Dong Yun, dressed in a blue robe and white skirt, appeared, the noisy crowd suddenly quieted as she alighted from the carriage.

At first glance, she appeared graceful and dignified, causing people to feel admiration. On a second glance, one noticed the stern authority in her expression, instilling respect.

Soon, the crowd became lively again, clearly discussing the female assistant official.

Murong Jiutian, seeing only his little disciple, couldn’t help but express his growing fondness and praised her.

Pear Blossom responded humbly but couldn’t help but glance toward Dong Yun. When she saw Dong Yun looking at her with a smile, her ears burned, and she quickly turned her head, avoiding eye contact.

But her mind kept replaying the image of last night, and her face flushed red with embarrassment.

Mrs. Jiang, seeing her like this, thought she had been sunstruck and said to her husband, “It’s so hot today, why are you saying so much? Hurry and let these children go back to rest.”

Murong Jiutian had to stop praising her and then announced the main business: “Tomorrow, we will distribute porridge at the East City gate. Those who can’t get a meal can come and line up to get some porridge.”

The crowd cheered, and they gradually dispersed.