"Didn’t you go earlier to mediate? How come they’ve been arguing for so long?"
Ji Yangzong said, "They dispersed when it started raining later. After the rain stopped, they came out to check the crops and started quarreling again."
Ji Taoyu said, "Before, the You family still kept a low profile. How come that Sun niangzi is acting so arrogantly now, openly undercutting the villagers like this?"
"Scholars value their reputation. Has she really decided to throw caution to the wind?"
Ji Yangzong shook his head and sighed: "After You Erlang’s hand was crippled, the family took in and sheltered many small merchants, likely amassing some wealth. Perhaps fearing criticism for losing a scholar’s integrity, they kept a low profile for a while."
"But you were away on trade and wouldn’t know, at the start of spring plowing this year, a new prefect took office, and the officials in the prefectural yamen underwent a major reshuffle."
This new prefect was said to be an official who welcomed talent generously. Shortly after taking office, he had already recruited and employed many people, earning a reputation for recognizing and utilizing capable individuals.
Privately, Ji Yangzong heard from some of the replaced officials that most of the clerks the prefect could reassign in the yamen had been swapped out for his own people, while the original officials were often dismissed for failing various performance evaluations.
It was said that as long as one brought something valuable to pay respects to this prefect and won his favor, they could secure some visible benefits.
Ji Yangzong dared not comment recklessly, unsure whether it was true or just resentful talk from the dismissed officials who had failed their evaluations
But when Ji Yangzong went to the prefectural yamen to handle affairs and encountered You Lingxiao, the prefect treated him with exceptional courtesy. Only then did Ji Yangzong believe the rumors.
A scholar like You Lingxiao, who had long been "unappreciated," naturally seized the opportunity to cater to the new prefect’s preferences once he understood his temperament.
"No one knows what methods he used, but the prefect took him under his wing, saying heaven envied his talent—though his right hand was crippled, his will was unyielding, and he had mastered writing with his left hand, making him a rare talent, and so on… Rumor has it he’s even being considered for the position of auditor."
Though the position of auditor was unranked, it at least meant working in the prefectural yamen. In a prefecture like Tongzhou, the benefits were hardly insignificant.
"Seeing her son regain favor, Sun niangzi naturally became emboldened again. The other branches of the You family also tried, overtly and covertly, to reconcile, but Sun niangzi was dead set against it. Over the past few months, there’s been no shortage of quarrels. The arguments were so brazen that the other You families couldn’t save face and stopped approaching her."
Otherwise, they’d still be siding with You's mother today. The true colors of the You family’s various branches were each more unsightly than the last.
Ji Taoyu was also surprised, he hadn’t expected You Lingxiao to have such luck.
"If he’s won the prefect’s favor and has merchants under his patronage providing tribute, why doesn’t he buy property in town instead of staying in the village to expand his house?"
"Who knows what he’s scheming."
Ji Yangzong sighed, feeling weighed down just talking about these matters.
It wasn’t just the You family that troubled him—he was worried about the prefect and officials. If those governing Tongzhou were of such character, the common people would surely suffer greatly in the coming years.
With the poor weather this year and the heavy taxes imposed by the court, it was hard to see any hope for better days.
Huo Shu’s expression was also grave. He had remained silent, as if calculating something.
When they returned home, Huang Manjing was still cooking. With several more mouths to feed, the cooking workload had increased significantly compared to before.
Ji Taoyu washed his hands and went to help.
Huo Shu returned to his room first, then went to the quarters where Uncle Fan and the others were staying.
It had rained most of the day, leaving little to do, so they had stayed indoors instead of wandering outside.
When Huo Shu entered, he saw the men sitting cross-legged by the kang, with hemp ropes and bamboo strips scattered on the floor.
"Brother, you’re back!"
Huo Shou jumped down from the bed.
Huo Shu picked up a bamboo strip and examined it. "Making bows?"
Uncle Fan said, "Just passing the time twisting hemp ropes since we had nothing else to do."
"It’s not yet harvest season, so there’s not much work. With so many of us, we finish tasks quickly. Idling around the house feels awkward."
Huo Shu set down the sharpened bamboo strip. He understood what Uncle Fan meant.
Originally, he had planned to send some of them to clean up the shop in town today, but Ji Taoyu’s mishap had delayed things.
After returning from the You family, he had reconsidered his plans for the shop.
The old comrades from the north were all skilled in archery and bow-making. The shop didn’t necessarily have to sit idle, they could open a bow workshop instead.
He calculated that a trade trip from the south to the north would take at least three to four months, allowing for no more than two trips a year.
The winter months had the worst road conditions and highest risks, so they had to be avoided.
Even if they set out in the second month and returned to Tongzhou in the sixth month, there wouldn’t be much time to rest before leaving again in the seventh month to make it back by the eleventh month for the New Year.
But it would still be rushed. The seventh month was the peak farming season, making it hard for farmers to spare time for trade.
Going out in the first half of the year and staying in the village for the second half—one trip a year would be most suitable.
But this way, there would be a lot of idle time. For the farmers who had sworn allegiance with them, it was fine—they could just return to their own homes without needing to worry.
However, Uncle Fan and the others had too much free time with nothing to do. But if they opened a workshop, this problem would be solved, and the shop wouldn’t just sit empty, only used for living and storing goods.
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