Jizhou.

Li Chi stood with one hand resting on the city wall and looked out at the fields spreading beyond it. Countless common people were out in the countryside harvesting grain — a sight that was quite something to behold.

The day before, Li Chi and Luo Jing had concluded their agreement. Today, Li Chi had ordered all able-bodied residents of the city to go out and bring in the harvest.

From fourteen to sixty years of age — men and women alike — anyone who felt they could work was to go.

For every person who participated in the harvest, regardless of gender: the grain collected would be delivered to the granary, and payment would be made on the spot. Half went to the granary; the other half the people kept themselves.

This announcement hit the city’s residents like some potent medicine. They poured out through the gates and into the fields in droves.

In a time of upheaval like this, nothing settled the heart more than having grain at home — not even silver could bring that kind of reassurance.

Watching the people work with such energy and spirit, Li Chi let out a slow breath. When common people feel they have something to look forward to, they settle down.

“What’s the plan from here?”

Mister Yan asked Li Chi.

“I’ve already sent someone back to bring Liu Yingyuan’s father here,” Li Chi said. “He has spent years as an official in Jizhou — his temperament is measured and careful. Once he arrives, he can oversee the civil governance.”

He looked at Mister Yan. “The autumn grain harvest is only the first step. After that, we need to prepare for sowing winter wheat. I intend to distribute grain seeds to each household.”

Mister Yan said, “Distributing grain seed to the people? That will be enormously complicated to manage. Jizhou has so many residents — if you’re distributing seed you’ll also need to allocate land. Do we have enough hands?”

“We’ll have to make do,” Li Chi said. “I need the people of Jizhou to remember that the Ning Army was good to them. Besides, it all depends on how you use people.”

He looked out at the city below and said, “Mister Yan, you and Liu Yingyuan’s father will work this out together. Let me lay down two main points.”

“Go ahead,” Mister Yan said.

“First: allocate land in units of one hundred households. Every hundred households works one thousand mu of land together. When the summer harvest comes in next year, half the yield goes to them.”

“Second: from every hundred households, select twenty to thirty able-bodied young men and form a civilian militia. In busy seasons they farm; in slack seasons they train. They are responsible for protecting their own farming land — how they organize that protection is up to them.”

Mister Yan’s eyes lit up: “In that case, we don’t actually need to expend much manpower or resources ourselves. We only need to mobilize the people.”

Li Chi gave a nod of agreement. “Hand the farming back to the people. The more land they work, the more they keep for themselves.”

“Under the old arrangements set by the court, they had to turn in about sixty or seventy percent of what they grew — and then the local levies on top of that. Out of a hundred jin of grain, they were lucky to keep ten for themselves. We give them half.”

Li Chi exhaled slowly. “Even when we eventually leave Jizhou and return to Yanshan, people here will still carry goodwill for us in their hearts.”

Mister Yan said, “When we come back to fight for Jizhou again, the people will line the roads to welcome us home.”

“As for trade and commerce,” Li Chi said, “you and the others can work out the details — it comes down to: no taxes, no rent.”

Mister Yan nodded. “Understood.”

“Once civil governance is settled,” Li Chi continued, “everything else becomes simpler. Get the grain in the ground, get the people ready for winter — and then Old Tang can use this winter for training.”

Mister Yan smiled. “A year and a half really is rather short. If we had three or four years of peace to work with, we could be rolling in wealth.”

Li Chi gave a slight shake of his head. “Never mind three or four years — the court itself may not have three or four years left.”

He turned and headed down from the city wall. Mister Yan followed.

As they walked, Li Chi said, “First things first — establish who holds authority here. Let the people know who is in charge. We’re not court-appointed officials, so let’s not run things according to the court’s way.”

He smiled. “Mister Yan will serve as chief administrator of Jizhou. Liu Yingyuan’s father and Jiang Ran will serve as your deputies — one handling civil governance, the other training the civilian militia. Mister Yan coordinates everything from the center.”

Mister Yan gave a small laugh. “Becoming an official all of a sudden feels a little strange.”

Li Chi laughed along. “Get used to it. You’ll hold something even larger later.”

“Leave that to the young ones,” Mister Yan said. “I’ll stay at your backs and do whatever I can.”

“Mister Yan,” Li Chi said, “that’s a little shameless, if I’m being honest. Categorizing yourself as ‘no longer young’ — a touch thick-skinned, don’t you think? Look at yourself — who wouldn’t believe you were twenty?”

Mister Yan let out a sudden laugh.

“As they say, flattery of every kind will find its mark. A well-placed compliment is its own endless pleasure.”

“Oh please,” Li Chi said.

Back at the military governor’s residence, Li Chi ran into Tang Pidi coming back in through the entrance. Li Chi grinned. “Handsome man, you’re returning — where were you off to?”

Tang Pidi gave him a flat look and walked on, saying as he went, “When you say something flattering out of nowhere, you’re always up to something.”

“Nonsense,” Li Chi said. “I’m practicing. Mister Yan just told me I have a talent for compliments.”

“Why are you practicing that?” Tang Pidi asked.

“So the next time someone compliments me,” Li Chi said, “I can judge whether they’re as good at it as I am, and feel suitably unimpressed.”

“You’ve come down with something too,” Tang Pidi said.

Li Chi noted Tang Pidi’s expression of disdain and immediately felt that his flattering skills could stand some improvement — barely enough to get a laugh out of Mister Yan, nothing more.

He stopped at the entrance, turning it over in his head. Against an opponent of Tang Pidi’s caliber — what was the right approach?

Tang Pidi walked a few steps and turned around. Seeing Li Chi still standing there in a daze, he called back, “Are you coming or not? Handsome man.”

Li Chi broke into a wide grin and scurried after him.

He thought to himself: see? Worked perfectly. Damn, that worked brilliantly. Feeling great.

Tang Pidi glanced back at him again, sighed, and continued walking. “I’m starting to think the one who’s actually come down with something is me.”

“What do you mean?” Li Chi asked.

Tang Pidi seemed to be talking to himself: “In a certain sense, you are a complete idiot. And I… have adapted to you.”

Li Chi burst out laughing.

He followed Tang Pidi in, still laughing, until Tang Pidi turned and shot him a look: “What are you laughing at?”

“Handsome man,” Li Chi said.

“Get lost,” Tang Pidi said.

“Come on, handsome man,” Li Chi said.

Tang Pidi sighed. “Do you think I’m actually like you? However strange I may be, I’m not going to become like you — just this once. Handsome man. One time only. Don’t push it.”

“Got it!” Li Chi said happily.

They went through the gate one after the other, and as they entered, they saw Gao Xining and the other young women all standing just inside — staring at Tang Pidi and Li Chi with thoroughly peculiar expressions.

Tang Pidi lowered his head and quickened his step.

Li Chi, unbothered as ever, walked in with a smile, waved at Gao Xining, and called out, “Call me handsome man.”

Gao Xining waved back and called, “Oh, handsome man over there — are you calling for me?”

Li Chi’s step became practically a skip.

He went waving over toward Gao Xining. Gao Xining waved back at him, and as she did, murmured under her breath, “Marrying this thing is going to be entertaining.”

Back inside the governor’s residence, Li Chi found himself feeling hungry. Old Lady Wu was not with him — she had stayed back at the Yanshan camp.

It was not quite mealtime, and asking someone to cook felt like an imposition, so Li Chi thought he would go find something himself.

He went to the small kitchen and looked around. All he could find were some eggs — nothing else that was easy to work with. So he took two and headed back to the study.

The study had a small brazier for heating tea — he could set the eggs to boil there while he dealt with paperwork. That way neither task would interfere with the other.

He walked back carrying the two eggs, turning them between his hands as he went, and came face to face with Yu Jiuling heading out.

“Where are you going?” Li Chi asked.

“Old Tang just sent me to the granary,” Yu Jiuling said. “I’m going to keep watch this afternoon while the people bring in their grain. Too many people — liable to get into fights.”

Li Chi nodded. “Be careful.”

Yu Jiuling’s eyes fell on the two eggs in Li Chi’s hands. His mind must have gone momentarily blank, because he just asked without thinking:

“Rolling those around?”

Li Chi looked at him. Yu Jiuling bowed his head and bolted.

As he ran, he called back over his shoulder, “Those things don’t polish up well anyway.”

Li Chi glanced around the courtyard. His eyes landed on a clod of dirt half hidden under a flower bush. Yu Jiuling sensed that things had taken a bad turn, and picked up his pace.

Back in the study, Li Chi had barely sat down when Zhang Yuxu came in from outside, looking as if something was weighing on him — his expression decidedly grave.

“What’s the matter?” Li Chi asked.

“There’s been something on my mind for the past two days,” Zhang Yuxu said. “I can’t tell if it’s right or wrong. I’ve been going back and forth in my head over it, unable to decide.”

Li Chi had been about to set the eggs to boil. Zhang Yuxu’s words made him forget that entirely. He sat there, turning the eggs in his hands, and asked, “What is it? Tell me.”

Zhang Yuxu’s gaze lingered on the two eggs. His expression grew uncertain. Li Chi quickly explained: “I’m not rolling them.”

Zhang Yuxu gave a nod. “Rolling them is fine.”

“I’m not!” Li Chi said.

“No need to get worked up about it,” Zhang Yuxu said.

Li Chi sighed. “Just tell me what’s been on your mind. Never mind the eggs.”

Zhang Yuxu sat down across from Li Chi, exhaled heavily, and said, “It’s not something I’ve only just started thinking about — I’ve been turning it over ever since we came back from the western frontier.”

He looked up at Li Chi, gathered his thoughts, and continued: “What Fang Yuzhu and the others were doing in the northwest — building up the Eastern Tomb Way — they really were deceiving the common people. And yet those people truly believed that the Eastern Tomb Way could bring them blessings and protection.”

He asked Li Chi, “If I told you right now that I want to use that approach — would you think I’m the same kind of person as Fang Yuzhu?”

Li Chi’s brow furrowed slightly. A moment later, he understood what Zhang Yuxu was getting at.

“You want to use the influence of the Dragon-Tiger Mountain school,” he said, “to give the common people something to revere.”

Zhang Yuxu nodded. “I just came back from outside. You’ve already issued the decree dividing the grain with the people — but it’s chaos out there. Fighting everywhere. People scrambling and brawling.”

“I went out of the city to look. Outside the walls, it’s all disorder. I came back inside, and it’s the same. They have no reverence, no faith — nothing to hold them to order.”

“I want to preach the Way in Jizhou,” Zhang Yuxu said.

“You may,” Li Chi said.

Zhang Yuxu blinked. “You don’t think there’s something improper about it?”

“Nothing improper at all,” Li Chi said. “Fang Yuzhu used deceit. You use persuasion. They look similar on the surface, but what comparison is there between the Eastern Tomb Way and Dragon-Tiger Mountain?”

“Fang Yuzhu’s purpose was to exploit the common people. Your purpose is to restore order among them.”

Li Chi smiled. “Don’t overthink it. You carry righteousness in your heart — what you walk is the righteous path.”

Zhang Yuxu rose to his feet, suddenly animated: “I really can do this?”

Li Chi nodded. “You can, handsome man.”

Zhang Yuxu’s eyes went wide. He grinned from ear to ear, turned on his heel, and headed out: “You keep rolling those. I’m going to find Peng Shiqii and work out how to go about this.”

“Rolling… your grandfather…” Li Chi muttered.