Free Web NovelChapter 8: Chapter 6: Official Soldiers of Zheng
「Time passed.」
Half a month went by in a flash.
The day after their wedding, Wei Tu and Xinghua were already back at work, busying themselves inside and outside the Li Mansion without slacking in the slightest.
They were even more diligent than before.
Their diligence did not go unnoticed by Eldest Granny Li. Every few days, Mrs. Li Tong would praise them, her words making it clear she was quite satisfied with the marriage she had arranged.
Compared to Wei Tu, Xinghua had changed considerably. She used to sneak bits of meat from the kitchen, but after her marriage, she had completely changed her ways.
If a portion of meat shrank to seven taels after being cooked, she would bring all seven taels straight to the dining table in the inner residence, without playing any tricks or sneaking a bite.
Sensing that Mrs. Li Tong’s satisfaction with her was at a ten-year high, Xinghua cautiously approached her in the afternoon to pay her respects. She then mentioned that she and Wei Tu were hoping to take leave to visit their families back home.
"The books say that to be overly attentive for no reason means you’re either a scoundrel or a thief..." Mrs. Li Tong was in her sitting room sewing a shoe sole, the hemp rope making a soft rasping sound as it passed through the layered cloth. She glanced up at Xinghua and said this with a smile.
Although the words were harsh, when paired with Mrs. Li Tong’s gentle smile, more than half of Xinghua’s nervousness in front of her mistress melted away.
"I’ve seen all the work you’ve been doing. Don’t worry, I won’t find someone to replace you before you get back."
Mrs. Li Tong promised.
"Thank you, Eldest Granny," Xinghua said, her face full of gratitude.
"There’s one more thing..."
Xinghua hesitated for a moment, then steeled herself and brought up her plan for Wei Tu to rent farmland from the Li Mansion and work as a tenant farmer.
As soon as winter was over, they could start planting wheat, beans, and rapeseed in the fields.
By then, it wouldn’t be easy to find an unclaimed plot among the Li Mansion’s farmlands.
"Brother Wei won’t neglect feeding the horses..." Xinghua added, her head bowed, when Mrs. Li Tong didn’t reply.
She knew she was asking too much.
No matter how capable one person was, they couldn’t do the work of two.
Juggling farming and feeding the horses—if he did a poor job at either, the Li Mansion would suffer a loss.
Furthermore, the Li Mansion was located in the County Town. For Wei Tu to rent land for farming while still feeding the horses, he could only lease the Li Mansion’s riverside plots near the town.
Unlike the arid hillside plots, the riverside land was all top-grade, premium farmland.
Even with minimal tending, it could still yield a bountiful harvest during a drought.
"As for renting the land, we’ll talk about it after you and Wei Tu get back from visiting family..." Mrs. Li Tong neither refused nor agreed.
"Yes, Eldest Granny."
Xinghua left the inner courtyard feeling utterly dejected, her head hung low.
「That evening.」
After Wei Tu heard Xinghua’s account, he comforted her, "Since Eldest Granny didn’t outright refuse your request, she must be considering it. It’s just that as the mistress, she can’t agree to two of your requests at once."
He left the rest unsaid.
Mrs. Li Tong had good reason. Indulge the servants too much, and sooner or later, they’ll take a mile for every inch you give.
The fact that the Li Mansion was so orderly and that the servants both respected and feared Mrs. Li Tong was proof that she was a mistress who knew how to run a household.
"If she doesn’t agree this time, there’s always a next time. Just ask a few more times. Once Eldest Granny softens up and feels she’s made her point as the mistress, she’ll agree..."
Wei Tu offered his perspective.
Even if it didn’t work out.
’In five years, once my Health Cultivation Technique is perfected and I enter the Qi Sensing Realm, the little bit of money from renting land will be trivial anyway.’
’As it is, nourished by the warm current flowing through his limbs, he could already generate eighty to a hundred catties of force with a swing of his arms.’
’Once the Health Cultivation Technique is perfected, his physical condition will be far better than it is now.’
’With that kind of physique, after practicing some martial forms and studying a few books on strategy, his best option would be to take the Military Examination and strive for the title of Martial Scholar or even Martial Scholar. His fallback would be to become a Hospital Martial Master, a guest of honor in a wealthy household.’
The Military Examination in Zheng Country was based on the principle of "martial skill first, strategy second."
’As long as one’s martial skill was proficient, they could still earn a title in the Military Examination even if their knowledge of strategy was lacking.’
"Alright. When we get back, I’ll ask Eldest Granny a few more times." Hearing Wei Tu’s incisive analysis, Xinghua was not only amazed but also overjoyed.
...
「At first light the next day.」
Wei Tu and Xinghua packed their belongings, left the County Town in the predawn darkness, and headed for the countryside.
Wei Tu’s ancestral home was Wei Family Village, in Changming Town of Qingmu County.
The journey from the County Town to Changming Town was about twenty-some li on the main road, followed by another seven or eight li of mountain trails.
Halfway along the main road, they came across a mule cart heading their way. Wei Tu and Xinghua paid a few silver coins for a ride.
By the time they reached the end of the main road, it was only 12:45 PM. There were still about four hours until dark.
Xinghua wanted to save money by not staying at the inn and just continuing on the mountain path all the way to Changming Town.
"The weather’s cold, and the tigers and wolves are so hungry they’re coming down from the mountains. It’s too dangerous to be on the mountain path at this hour if you can’t make it home before dark."
The cart driver was a warm-hearted man, and upon hearing the couple discussing their trip home to visit family, he immediately chimed in with a warning.
"Besides the wild animals, there are bandits in these mountains... If it was just your husband traveling alone, it might not be a problem. But with a woman along, those men won’t show any mercy."
After parking his cart at the inn, the driver spat a thick wad of phlegm onto the ground and added another word of warning for Wei Tu and his wife.
It pays to listen to good advice.
Xinghua saw that plenty of people were staying at the roadside inn, none of them looking particularly wealthy. She relented, took out some silver coins, and rented a basic room.
「That night.」
The two of them slept fully clothed.
Around the fourth watch of the night, Wei Tu woke up, a habit from his years of tending horses.
Just then, he heard the faint, frantic sound of horse hooves outside.
Wei Tu went to the window and pushed the shutter open a crack.
Soon, by the bright moonlight, he spotted the source of the hoofbeats several hundred meters away.
It was a troop of several dozen cavalrymen wearing helmets and crimson leather armor. The lead rider held a banner embroidered with the word "Zheng."
’Zheng Country’s Official Soldiers?’ Wei Tu was surprised.
Cavalrymen were a rare sight among the Official Soldiers; he had only seen them a few times, even in Qingmu County Town.
For them to appear outside the inn now, there had to be a reason he wasn’t aware of.
Just as Wei Tu was observing them, the sounds of fighting erupted from within the ranks of the dozens of Official Soldiers. After about ten minutes, the clamor gradually died down.
A short while later, the cavalrymen rode off one by one, disappearing down the main road.
Left on the ground were the bodies of several Blademen, their Hengshan blades still in hand.
’Were the Official Soldiers suppressing bandits?’
Wei Tu guessed.
’Could there be a famine somewhere? Is that why there are bandits now?’
There were two kinds of bandits: those who were born evil, common highwaymen, and those who were good people forced into banditry by famine.
Blademen had run rampant through Qingfeng Prefecture, their numbers peaking during the Red Dragon Uprising in the 15th year of Qing’an. In some of the hardest-hit areas, three out of every ten households had men who were Blademen or bandits.
’I hope this doesn’t spread to the County Town. When a disaster gets bad enough, desperate people turn into bandits and attack towns and forts. When that happens, it’s the Servants from the big households like us who get conscripted into the militia...’
