“Marquis Yun, thank you for your kind intentions, but this old man can hold on. Right now refugees have filled up the area around the construction site. If we don’t find them livelihoods, disaster will brew sooner or later.”

“Master Guan, this city construction and refugee settlement is a long-term process. We’ve only just begun—the troublesome matters are still ahead. You already look like you’re about to collapse. How can you persist to the end? Developing the Liang Lakes was your initiative in the first place. If you ruin your health now and fall on the road forward, unable to see the fruits of your labor, how regrettable would that be? Dongting Lake is already a place extremely rich in food resources—there won’t be any idle people.”

“Building embankments, reclaiming fields, burning mountains to plant crops—there’s endless work to be done. The Academy’s main department has already established work procedures for the refugees. Don’t worry, they’ll soon come to Yuezhou for practical training. There will be people to help you accomplish all this. When the new city is established, the surrounding agriculture must also begin to flourish—this is inevitable. The three-season rice brought from Lingnan, though it’s impossible to grow three seasons here, growing two seasons is still no problem. The rice seeds have already been transported here. Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture who will teach the people how to cultivate seedlings are also traveling downstream. Right now, planting one season of late rice is still possible.”

Toward this old man, Yun Ye’s feelings were complex. He couldn’t say he liked him, nor could he say he disliked him, but a person willing at any time to dedicate his life to his ideals must be accorded at least basic respect.

Seeing that Yun Ye already had methods to respond to the crisis, Guan Tinglong bowed in salutation and withdrew, following soldiers to the fleet on the lake where he could rest properly for a while.

“Cui Yan, are you clear about your responsibilities?” Yun Ye asked Cui Jiu after seeing Guan Tinglong leave.

“This student is clear. Lead the newly arrived refugees to clear wasteland and plant crops, collect food, build housing, and simultaneously test the three-season rice’s growth conditions in the Liang Lakes.”

“Since you know, go do it. These days be careful of your own safety. When going out, you must have guards accompanying you. Yuezhou is not safe.” Yun Ye said to Cui Jiu with deep meaning.

Professional people doing professionally appropriate work—this was an attitude toward getting things done. Yun Ye absolutely would not manage how three-season rice was planted, how houses were built, how farmland should be planned, or how people’s lives should be arranged. These were local officials’ responsibilities. They always had their own methods. Even if Yun Ye could do ten times better than them, he absolutely wouldn’t do it, because the gains wouldn’t justify the losses. Back when he had rashly offered suggestions for building Wanmin Palace, he was ridiculed by Gongshu Jia for several days before recovering. Since that was the case, why expend extra effort? Drinking and making merry with those wealthy people from big cities—that was his real work.

Exchanges among the wealthy were always so intimate. Upon meeting, a box of small gifts was indispensable. Though in a remote, impoverished place, the banquet on the great ship was still extremely luxurious with everything one could want. Maids with tinkling ornaments and beautiful faces, deep red grape wine splashing into glass cups, adding two crystalline ice cubes—drinking it refreshed heart and spirit. Rare that these people could actually find ice. Yun Ye sat alone at a table. The delicacies on the table included land and water delights, fine dishes from north and south gathered together. Yun Ye estimated that for this gathering, the host had truly spared no effort.

The giant vessel slowly sailed across the lake surface. Colored lanterns hung high, the sound of strings and bamboo drifted melodiously. Some raised wine cups and sang loudly, others hummed quietly. Victory in drinking! The host’s hospitable urgings to drink were unceasing. When wine warmed spirits, the family’s singing girls danced gracefully, twisting their waists, repeatedly throwing their long colored sleeves to favored gentlemen. Between their brows and eyes was full of melancholy. The prefect marquis didn’t appreciate romance, still discussing the majestic scenery of the north with the host.

Among those seated were bold ones who removed caps and loosened clothing, wielding giant brushes to record today’s grand occasion on zhang-long white silk. Others tuned their pipa themselves, not following musical scores, wanting to create their own elegant tunes. Most interesting were those with shallow alcohol tolerance, chasing after singing girls, wanting to use their embroidered shoes as drinking vessels…

When the host struck the cloud board once, instantly all sounds ceased. A model of the new city’s geography was brought up—this was today’s main course. Those making records threw their brushes into the lake, those playing music laid their pipas aside. The romantic figure who had already caught a singing girl and was groping her released the beautiful woman who went limp like mud, eyes flashing with keen light—where was there half a trace of drunkenness?

The prefect marquis was drunk, laughing and slapping the model saying it was poorly made, the proportions wrong—how could the new city be so small? Everyone joined in the teasing, imperceptibly exaggerating the land their families wanted to purchase. The prefect marquis agreed to everything one by one. When agreeing, his wild attitude was fully exposed, dividing up the new city’s land like dividing up cattle and sheep. The accompanying clerks’ faces turned ashen, repeatedly advising the marquis that today he was drunk and should discuss this matter tomorrow, but they were rebuked on the spot and could only leave resentfully.

Land documents were issued one by one by the greatly drunk prefect marquis. Gold and silver were delivered on the spot. Though the clerks wept bitterly, they examined the gold and silver without any negligence—this was the only thing the marquis could account for to the court.

When the banquet ended and guests dispersed, only the prefect marquis remained lying among gold coins shouting excitedly, wanting to sleep covered in gold coins tonight. The giant vessel disappeared into the night, leaving only lingering fragrance of powder and rouge.

Han Cheng and Qian Sheng stamped their feet and wailed. With rage reaching their crowns, they pointed at the greatly drunk marquis wanting to rebuke him, but discovered the marquis’s eyes were bright as stars, gazing at the departing giant vessel with a sinister and terrifying expression. Could there be another mystery? Thinking of their own previous experiences, their whole bodies kept trembling. Only then did they remember—if the departed wealthy merchants were a pack of hungry wolves, this one was definitely a fierce tiger roaring proudly in the mountain forests. Seeing the marquis look at them, they hurriedly bowed their heads and bent their waists, not daring to speak.

“Archive the gold and silver. Mark all the sold land one by one. Seven parts of the gold and silver go to the public accounts, three parts enter the prefect’s office, waiting to be used as compensation for those people.” Yun Ye took the water flask from Liu Jinbao’s hand, rinsed the wine smell from his mouth, and was about to leave.

“My lord, why do seven parts go to public accounts and three parts to the prefecture? Isn’t it too little? Your subordinate already knows you don’t plan to give them the land, but openly defaulting on debts like this—neither state law nor human sentiment can justify it.”

Han Cheng and Qian Sheng knew Yun Ye absolutely wouldn’t do this, but racking their brains they couldn’t figure out how the prefect could swallow this gold and silver before everyone’s eyes. They could only hope their superior would explain a bit.

“Don’t you worry about it. The new city’s land prices are about to fall sharply again. Suspend city construction. All personnel go reclaim wasteland. Tell these refugees that whoever reclaims wasteland owns it. As long as they register with the government office, they’re exempt from taxes for three years. This is an opening the court has given refugees. Guanzhong’s refugees are like this, and Yuezhou’s refugees should be the same.”

Han Cheng and Qian Sheng looked at each other in dismay but didn’t dare ask questions. They could only do as Yun Ye instructed. Since the foundations were already complete, what remained was naturally to begin leveling the means of survival—fields. This had been discussed long ago. Why did the marquis bring up old matters again?

Returning to the prefect’s residence, Li Chengqian hadn’t slept yet. He looked at Yun Ye full of anticipation, wondering how much gold and silver he’d managed to fleece from these wealthy households this time.

Yun Ye held up four fingers, then drew cool water from the well to wash his face. Li Chengqian forcibly restrained himself, only his uvula trembling violently in his silently gaping mouth.

Seeing Yun Ye finish washing, he attentively delivered the teapot to Yun Ye’s hands, saying quietly: “The money’s obtained—now what do you plan to do? If we simply embezzle it, they probably won’t agree. It’ll be very troublesome then, and you won’t be able to withstand it.”

“Yuezhou is about to have a great battle. Fifty thousand water bandits, claiming to be one hundred thousand, will come surging into Yuezhou city. Yun Ye has few soldiers and weak generals, can only retreat three stages, yielding before the bandits’ momentum to plan for later advantage.”

“Is it necessary for you to play it this big? For four hundred thousand silver coins, making people’s lives miserable isn’t worth it. Although the water bandits’ commander is your strategist and his subordinate bandit generals are my father’s spies, once bandits enter Yuezhou city they’ll lose control, burning, killing, and pillaging without restraint. The losses will be too great.”

“You tell me—I need to demolish Yuezhou and merge it into the new city. How do I demolish it? The people there are unwilling to leave. Do you want me to order my subordinates to take clubs and go door to door threatening demolition? There will always be people unwilling to leave their homes. They have the courage to resist the government because the government must be reasonable and has no way to deal with them. But they don’t have the courage to resist water bandits, because water bandits don’t reason—they’ll rob their wealth, rob their wives and daughters, and tear off their heads to kick around like balls.”

“So this is the quickest method. I’ll defend the city in Yuezhou. When I can no longer hold it, then I’ll retreat. Before that, I’ll implement scorched earth tactics, have a fierce battle with the bandits in Yuezhou, completely destroy Yuezhou. This way no one will disagree with merging Yuezhou into the new city. The people will be grateful for the government’s actions. The people’s hearts can be used!”

“Just for demolition? If we reason with them, explain the compensation clearly, wouldn’t that be fine? Tang people are simple and honest—they’ll definitely understand the court’s difficulties.”

“Forget it. Your father is unwilling to kill even death row prisoners, let alone these common people. Tang people also have a fierce side. I don’t want to face it—this way is more convenient. Besides, if the water bandits have no crimes, how can we make them do hard labor? Good people all need to go plant crops, grow vegetables, raise chickens, pigs, and sheep, making reserves for the new city’s future. Who will do the hard labor? Only water bandits. I estimate we’ll ultimately catch thirty to forty thousand able-bodied laborers. With them, our new city can be built in the shortest time. Only strong people would become water bandits. By the same logic, they’re also the best laborers. Working under the whip, they’ll definitely work hard. It won’t be long before I return to Chang’an to continue teaching. Who has time to stay by this mosquito-infested puddle?”

Earlier at the banquet he’d only focused on drinking—his collar was covered in vomit, very uncomfortable. Yun Ye removed his outer robe, instructing his own cook to bring two bowls of whistle noodles. Li Chengqian definitely hadn’t eaten either. Their family was all like this, constantly trying to win people’s hearts, as if waiting to eat together would make others grateful. Yun Ye very much disliked this trait. As expected, Li Chengqian hadn’t eaten dinner. One large bowl of whistle noodles wasn’t enough to fill him—he called for another bowl.