Chapter 53: Wandering Beggars (I)

No matter how chaotic the capital became, it was irrelevant to Nanting, a border region.

A spring rain ushered in spring in Nanting County.

The three troublemakers, before they could have feces splashed on their doors by neighbors, rushed to the yamen, hurriedly confessing their true feelings:

They had been blinded by foolishness, failing to understand the benefits of road construction; now, as if a veil had been lifted, they finally understood the magistrate's deep love for the people.

They begged the magistrate to forgive their past ignorance and let them go, like a fart in the wind.

The speed of Nanting's road repairs far exceeded Le Wuya's expectations.

After weeding out the troublemakers, the whole of Nanting united. Neighborhood by neighborhood, able-bodied men worked diligently, even willingly putting in extra effort beyond their required hours.

One day, Le Wuya saw a young woman with a child in her arms, walking back and forth in front of her house, stepping deliberately on a stretch of newly laid stone slabs to ensure the edges were even and smooth.

A man with a broken arm stood by the door, gazing fondly at the pair. When he looked up and saw Le Wuya, he hurried around the stretch of road and rushed over: "Magistrate!"

It was Hu Wu, who had worked together with Le Wuya to handle Coroner Shang.

Le Wuya stopped and glanced at the mother and son behind him, smiling: "What, found a home?"

Hu Wu was originally a silver-tongued man, but now his face grew hot, stammering: "I... I..."

After a long "I," he sighed sweetly: "All thanks to you, sir."

Le Wuya: "What about your brother?"

"After we parted from you, my brother and I became shop assistants at a Chen family lacquerware workshop in the east of town."

Hu Wu tugged at his tied sleeve and began to chatter: "Look at me, a cripple. Before, when I roamed outside with my big brother, both legs worked fine and I could get around easily. But now that I need to settle down and make a living, I can't do it anymore. I just help my brother out, handing him things. The boss's daughter, Mistress Chen, her husband was a drunkard. He got into a fight after drinking and was beaten to death. Mistress Chen returned to her maiden home as a widow, with a child in tow, which was quite inconvenient. Over time, the Chen family took me in as a son-in-law. You can call me Chen Wu now."

Seeing him full of energy and speaking with a smile, Le Wuya knew he was living a happy little life.

Le Wuya leaned forward: "Why are the mother and child the only two walking?"

Chen Wu let out a sigh: "My wife and her oldest son, their weight is just right. I'm no good—too heavy, and I walk lopsided."

Even so, he showed no shame or self-pity. Proudly pointing, he said: "Look, she steps so neatly, all even and tidy. By tomorrow morning, when the road hardens, walking here will be smoother and flatter than anywhere else!"

Mistress Chen had finished her work.

Seeing Le Wuya and her husband both looking at her, she was shy and dared not approach, so she curtsied from a distance.

Le Wuya waved his hand: "Go home quickly."

Chen Wu acknowledged, nimble on his feet, and in a few strides, he hurried back under the eaves to his door.

Chen Wu was truly overjoyed.

A few months ago, he had been a beggar, never knowing where his next meal would come from, living in constant fear of being discovered as a deserter.

Now, he had a family, a wife and child, his brother had a steady job, and a new road had been built in front of his house. Life was full of promise.

Just as he reached his wife, he turned back and called out: "Magistrate, can you ask me that question again?"

Le Wuya's heart stirred; he understood the man's little scheme and called out: "Found a home?"

Chen Wu laughed heartily, hoisting his wife and child up with one arm, spinning them around joyfully: "Yes, I have!"

Mistress Chen was both surprised and delighted, freeing a hand to playfully punch his shoulder, yet she leaned on his shoulder, trustingly and affectionately.

Le Wuya shook his fan and walked away briskly.

Recently, good things had been happening frequently in Nanting.

The day after Le Wuya hung the portrait of the Seventh Prince in his study, Prefect Lyu learned of it.

Prefect Lyu, who had been sitting securely, expecting Le Wuya to offer bribes, now began to have doubts.

He had just had his secretary warn him, and now this fellow Wen Ren had hung up the portrait—what did he intend?

Was it a gift from a noble patron, or was he bluffing by painting it himself to intimidate me with fake backing?

Before long, Prefect Lyu's worries vanished.

Another imperial envoy arrived from the capital.

This time, it was an imperial edict.

The emperor deeply praised Wen Ren Yue's efforts to overturn the verdicts for the licentiates, bestowing a complete set of writing implements from Huzhou on him, urging him to use his brush as a sword to serve the people and achieve new feats.

The eunuch delivering the edict, Wu Shuang, was experienced, having traveled far and wide delivering countless decrees.

He knew that many minor officials never got to see the emperor's face. Faced with such unexpected favor, some wept profusely, others babbled incoherently. He had to maintain an air of imperial grace while keeping a friendly demeanor, to avoid making the officials panic and lose composure, which would be unseemly.

To his surprise, Magistrate Wenren was extremely methodical.

He burned incense, set up an altar, sent emissaries to welcome him, received the edict, and gave thanks—every step was perfectly timed, as if he were long accustomed to imperial decrees. He was neither humble nor arrogant, and exuded a calm, open dignity.

Yet he was not one of those obstinate officials who ignored human relations. He held himself upright, and the gratuity he offered was just right.

Giving a gratuity to the eunuch delivering the edict was also an art.

Too little was rude, too much would be out of place and invite suspicion of corruption.

Wu Shuang had seen it all: officials who gave nothing, and those who flattered excessively, gifting deeds to dozens of acres of land and shops.

Magistrate Wenren gave three months' salary, which fulfilled the courtesy, showed sincerity, and was within his means.

After presenting Wu Shuang with many local products from Nanting, on the day of Wu Shuang's departure, Magistrate Wenren also presented him with a pair of comfortable, expensive shoes:

With a smile, he said: "The journey is long and arduous, sir, your shoes must be worn. With a good pair, you will surely rise steadily."

This flattery hit Wu Shuang right in the sweet spot.

He arrived smiling and left smiling, having been entertained perfectly by Le Wuya. He felt thoroughly comfortable, unable to find a single fault.

On the road back to the capital, Wu Shuang eagerly began mentally composing the praises he would sing for Magistrate Wenren before the emperor.

The day after Wu Shuang left, the secretary placed two more jars of fine tea on Le Wuya's desk: "Magistrate, this is Mingqian Longjing sent by the Prefect. He said you've probably finished the two jars you had, and he recently acquired a new batch. If you like this flavor, you're welcome to pick more from his place."

Le Wuya beamed with delight and graciously accepted: "Oh, I shouldn't! When our local big-leaf tea is harvested, I must send some to Prefect Lyu for him to try something fresh."

The secretary remained silent.

He couldn't help but recall what his second uncle had said about Magistrate Wenren: "He's a demon!"

The secretary didn't know much about the other officials.

So what kind of person was the Prefect, then?

He was a man so stingy—a porcelain rooster, an iron crane, a glass rat, a glazed cat—that not a single hair could be plucked from him.

For such a man to come running to bribe a subordinate was a miracle you'd never see in a thousand years.

Le Wuya couldn't care less about whatever schemes his superior or secretary might have.

He smiled as he calculated: with this turn of events, he didn't have to hand over those two forged paintings.

Though it meant losing a hundred taels of silver, it saved him from the crime of tricking his superior—not a bad trade-off.

As the Qingming Festival approached, official matters in the county kept piling up.

The busier things became, the more Le Wuya's talents shone through.

He could handle multiple tasks at once, handling relations with both bosses and underlings, overseeing finances, settling lawsuits, promoting agriculture, and encouraging commerce.

In just one morning, Le Wuya settled four lawsuits and began clearing old backlogged cases by year.

He worked Secretary Zhang so hard that he ran ragged, leaving him no time to curry favor with Deputy Magistrate Sun—all he could do was dance attendance on Le Wuya.

Around noon, Wen Renyue knocked on his study door.

He got straight to the point: "Brother Gu, something is off in the county."

Le Wuya looked up and, seeing the thin figure behind Wen Renyue, broke into a smile. "Hey, you've grown taller again."

It was the little beggar Hua Rong, whom he had saved with a bowl of rice gruel.

Earlier, Hua Rong had been tasked with delivering food to the miners who had gotten out of the Xiaofu coal mine.

Later, as the miners came and went, Hua Rong—hardworking, quick, and decent-looking—had turned into a young gatekeeper overnight.

Soon after becoming a gatekeeper, Hua Rong had helped host the imperial envoy Wu Shuang during his recent visit to Nanting.

After a crash course in etiquette, he now acted just like a proper little grown-up.

He answered crisply, "Thanks to your good fortune, Your Honor!"

Wen Renyue had been somewhat anxious, but upon seeing Le Wuya, he felt eighty percent calmer, and spoke more calmly: "Your Honor, another batch of wandering beggars entered the city gate today."

The bustling road construction had attracted not only traveling merchants and craftsmen but also wandering beggars.

These beggars, often homeless and landless, posed risks if not properly settled: they could spread disease, ruin the county's looks, and increase the likelihood of theft and robbery.

Le Wuya, however, zeroed in on a different word: "'Another'?"

"Yes," Wen Renyue replied. "My mother often works outside. Four days ago, she mentioned seeing more beggars on the streets. I watched for a day, and it was true. The day before yesterday, I waited half a day at the bookstore south of town. In that half-day, seven beggars entered through the southern city gate."

Le Wuya waited for him to continue.

Nanting was a convenient spot; seven beggars passing through the city was not unusual.

Wen Renyue added, "...The crucial point is, though they entered separately, they clearly knew each other and were in cahoots. The first to enter found quiet spots and waited. Once all seven had gathered, they ducked into an alley together and disappeared."

Le Wuya fell into thought.

At this, Wen Renyue looked at Hua Rong.

Wen Renyue had written letters for the miners, and Hua Rong had delivered their meals, so they had become acquainted.

Hua Rong quickly jumped in: "Your Honor, yesterday Scholar Ming asked me to investigate. You know, I used to be a beggar, so I changed clothes, dirtied my face, found a group of beggars, and blended in."

"They said someone had told them Nanting was a good place, and with the road construction, they could settle there and make a living."

Wen Renyue knew that wandering beggars were pitiable.

But with his extensive reading and experience assisting Le Wuya with official duties, he understood that a kind heart wasn't enough; he needed a sharp eye.

Pitiful as they were, once in the city, they brought hidden risks—hard to arrest, hard to kick out. What was there to do?

If mishandled, Brother Gu's reputation as an official would take a hit.

Just as Le Wuya was pondering a solution, another visitor arrived at the Nanting post station.

A carriage stopped at the entrance.

Guo Guzi lifted the curtain slightly and reported softly, "County Princess, those two beggars we encountered on the road are indeed heading to Nanting."

Her elder brother, Brother Guo, said worriedly, "Should we inform the Magistrate? Those two beggars watched us the whole way. If not for our numbers and firearms, we might not have kept the camellias safe."

A cool voice came from inside the carriage: "They didn't act; they only watched. We can't charge them with attempted robbery."

Guo Guzi probed, "Then..."

"Go into the city and tell the Magistrate of Nanting that the camellias have arrived. Also inform him of what we saw on the road. Don't mention I'm here."

"Let's see how this Magistrate of Nanting deals with it."