Tie Ci said: “Li Zhi? Tong Rushi? I was just wondering where you two had gone, only to find you here.”

During the last flood release, she had seen Li Zhi and Tong Rushi apparently being rescued by someone, so she hadn’t worried much about them. She hadn’t expected them to arrive at the River Administration Office ahead of her.

Tong Rushi maintained his usual aloof demeanor. Li Zhi smiled: “That night Brother Tong rescued me. After we reached shore, we caught cold and rested at a local villager’s home for several days. Hearing that you helped close the embankment that day and were received by the Xiao family, we didn’t want to disturb you, so we came for practical training first. The River Administration Office happened to be short-handed recently, so the county office assigned us here.”

After a few hurried words, someone called for the river workers to assemble at the embankment. The two left hastily. Wanting to see how the dredging was done, Tie Ci followed along. The embankment was packed with people—all conscripted civilians and fishermen, barefoot and bare-headed in the rain. At a single command from above, they jumped into the river water, using shovels to dig river mud and carrying it away in baskets once full.

After watching for a while, Tie Ci asked in surprise: “Digging the entire river by manpower? Why not use dredging boats?”

The River Administration Office Deputy Director was startled, not expecting this young master to be knowledgeable, and hurriedly answered: “The dredging boat was damaged in a collision before and hasn’t been repaired yet.”

Tie Ci asked again: “What about iron dredges, iron dragon claws, river rakes, clearing men, river dragons, and iron brooms? Dredging boats don’t necessarily need to be official vessels—conscripting fishermen’s boats and providing repairs and compensation for any damage afterward would work too.”

The Deputy Director was speechless for a moment. A man nearby walked over, with kind eyes and a hearty laugh: “Young master, those who don’t manage households don’t know the price of rice and firewood. Sanbai River has swift currents and rugged terrain, and Haiyou region always has much rain in summer. The embankments need repair almost yearly. The water management silver allocated by the court is barely enough, leaving us stretched thin. Often we have to advance our own silver. Fortunately, the Xiao family is philanthropic, contributing money every year to care for the upper and lower reaches of Sanbai River. The dredging tools you mentioned—we have them all, but many are damaged. The Xiao family is currently having them repaired at a shipyard together, and they’ll be usable soon.”

The Deputy Director bowed to the newcomer: “Director.”

Tie Ci then knew this was the River Administration Office Director—an eighth-rank minor official wearing a simple blue cloth robe, looking like an ordinary farmer. He was indeed humble, not taking offense at Tie Ci’s earlier questions. Smiling cheerfully, he took her hand and pointed to the common people densely covering the embankment: “The Xiao family is charitable, and the people know gratitude. Hearing about the river dredging, young and old all came to help.” He continued: “That day when the embankment broke, though we rescued it in time, many downstream households were flooded and temporarily can’t live there. These people all need proper settlement. Though we’re short-handed here, this is all water and mud work that would wrong Young Master Ye. Perhaps Young Master could handle the disaster victim resettlement instead.”

Tie Ci smiled: “You, Director, personally take the field—how could I, Ye Ci, a mere commoner, be so precious? I couldn’t, I couldn’t.”

The two smiled at each other like slippery fish. Suddenly someone called for Tie Ci. Looking carefully, she recognized one of the nearby villagers who had helped close the embankment that night. She immediately rolled up her pants and went into the water. Looking down, she saw that because people had been soaking their legs in water for long periods, some had already begun to rot. Frowning, she asked the young villager: “How much money do you get per day for being conscripted to dig the river?”

“Money? What money?” the villager said. “Our houses were all flooded. Coming to dig the river gets us three hot meals a day and a shed for you and your family to stay temporarily. What money would we ask for?”

“Didn’t you get any in previous river digging?”

“We dig every year, but usually it’s the water territory upstream near the Xiao family. We’ve never been paid. Everyone around here are the Xiao family’s tenants and servants—who would dare offend the master family? When the master family is lenient during rent collection, everyone has an easier year. As for the dredging boats you mentioned to the Director earlier—anyway, there’s free labor, so why spend money on those things?”

Before he finished speaking, someone’s shovel apparently went off target and swung toward him, nearly cutting off his shin. Fortunately, Tie Ci was quick-eyed and grabbed the shovel. The outspoken villager turned pale with fright and immediately lowered his head without another word.

Tie Ci looked up at the person wielding the shovel—a large man with a fierce face, mixed in the crowd but hardly moving his shovel. In his fleshy face, a pair of vicious eyes darted about everywhere, looking like a rampaging crab. Seeing Tie Ci holding the shovel, he reached out for it. Tie Ci slowly handed it over. As the large man took the shovel, he said: “Young master with your delicate skin, you shouldn’t come contaminate yourself with this muddy water. Otherwise, if you slip and fall, wouldn’t you be covered in mud soup?”

Tie Ci nodded very earnestly: “You’re absolutely right.” Then she thrust the shovel handle forward viciously.

The large man screamed and suddenly bent like a shrimp, toppling headfirst into the muddy water. The young villager seized the opportunity to step on his face.

Tie Ci’s laughter rang out: “Oh my, how did you slip first?”

The young villager took out his anger with that step but didn’t echo Tie Ci’s words. Bending his back, he was about to move to another area when Tie Ci, looking around the circle, called him back: “I find you all familiar. I remember your village was the first to rush to the embankment that night—a young man with an injured leg brought the news. Now I see you’re all here, but where is he? Is his leg injury still not healed? I’ll bring some medicine to see him.”

The villager stopped and after a long moment said quietly: “You won’t be able to see him anymore.”

“Hmm?”

“He had an abscess on his leg and died yesterday.”

Tie Ci was stunned. The villager had already walked away. Someone came down from the embankment shouting that meal time was ready, and the villagers she knew from that area immediately scattered.

Tie Ci could only climb back up the embankment, walking and thinking about how that young man had only had an external leg injury that didn’t seem serious that day—how had it become an abscess?

Looking up, rolling clouds covered the sky, pressing down gloomily overhead. This weather showed no signs of improvement.

Ahead, they were serving meals. She went to look—thick porridge, baskets of steamed buns, and ginger soup to ward off cold. The cooks watched over the pots, saying this was prepared by the Xiao family. Everyone held their bowls with endless gratitude.

The River Administration Office Director and Deputy Director came over again with beaming faces, swaying as they walked. But Tie Ci didn’t want to deal with them and turned to walk down from the embankment.

Walking out of everyone’s sight, on the road back to the River Administration Office, she summoned hidden subordinates from the Nine Guards and had them look at the embankment again.

Sure enough, the Nine Guards soon reported: “Later, soldiers from the Inspection Office came, but they didn’t go down—they took on inspection and supervision duties. The white steamed buns in those baskets were only the top layer, which the soldiers ate up. Below were black flour buns, but everyone seemed unsurprised and ate them with relish. In the afternoon, river digging sped up. They were driven back into the river without even a quarter-hour rest. The cleared silt wasn’t used for embankment construction either—it was carted to the Xiao family’s fields for composting.”

“Truly making the most of everything,” Tie Ci said. “Then what are they using for embankment construction? Wouldn’t buying other materials be more expensive?”

“They say earth embankments can’t withstand Sanbai River’s rampaging water, so they’re building stone embankments.”

Tie Ci didn’t believe this. People who took earth for composting would spend money on stones for embankments?

After thinking, she ordered the Nine Guards to investigate the recently deceased villager. The Nine Guards accepted the order and left.

Returning to the office, Gu Xiaoxiao was still bent over his work. Taking advantage of the empty room, Tie Ci quietly gave him a meaningful look.

Gu Xiaoxiao looked up, saw it was her, and his eyes brightened.

Tie Ci whispered: “Any gains?”

Gu Xiaoxiao said: “I know all about the national fishery taxes from the Ministry of Revenue. Sanbai River Administration Office’s fishery tax definitely has problems. But the current accounts they’ve given me show no irregularities—they should be fake. We need to find the real accounts. Also, I privately asked local fishermen. Local fishery taxes are collected mainly in kind, but when reported to the court, they’re converted to money. The in-kind collections are cooked iron and raw hemp, plus small amounts of fish bladders, feathers, and such—quite a large quantity. But when converted to silver, the amounts clearly don’t match.”

In-kind meant local specialties and processed fishermen’s catches, like dried fish, fish bladders, feathers, fish oil, and local products like the abundant white hemp here. Cooked iron was also in-kind—all necessities for shipbuilding.

Converting to money meant taxes paid as cash, silver, or copper coins.

So where did this hemp and iron go? The River Administration Office certainly had no use for it. The Xiao family?

Tie Ci knew the Xiao family also grew hemp, but they had always been restrained in their actions, never forming a large enough scale to attract attention. After all, hemp was related to shipbuilding—if the Xiao family grew too much hemp, it would inevitably make people suspicious, not to mention massively collecting cooked iron. But if the Xiao family was manipulating fishery taxes, having tens of thousands of fishing households along the Jing River’s upper and lower reaches deliver hemp and iron to them—that would be no small matter.

Haiyou bordered Pinghai Bay. If one set sail across the bay and sailed with favorable winds, it was only two days to reach Shengdu directly.

Did the Xiao family truly have such treasonous audacity, or were they just making preparations both ways?

Gu Xiaoxiao suddenly said happily: “Yesterday I met that merchant I told you about before—the one I helped secure business division rights. His family also has a stone business and is willing to donate a batch of stones to help build stone embankments locally. Sanbai River was once managed using water-束沙 (water bundling and sand flushing) methods in the previous dynasty, then the course changed to flow three li outside Dongming County city. But looking at it now, earth embankments and bamboo lattice dams can’t stop Sanbai River water from rushing from the old route to the Jing River mouth. The flow path impact problems are endless, so stone embankments must be built. Originally I proposed this, but the River Administration Office and county office weren’t enthusiastic. I contacted that merchant and got his stone donation, so the local county office had nothing to say. We’ll personally supervise building the stone embankment more solidly. In the future, if the Xiao family wants to break embankments, it won’t be so easy, and they won’t be able to ask the court for money every year on this pretext.”

This was naturally good. Tie Ci said: “That’s a traveling merchant from outside, right? Though well-intentioned, you should be cautious.”

Gu Xiaoxiao said: “Merchants value profit. Even when donating, they want benefits. That outside merchant has great wealth but local merchants band together to exclude outsiders. Having suffered enough, he wants to curry favor with the court to carve out his own territory instead of always being at others’ mercy. I hinted that I have connections in the palace, and he immediately started flattering me. Ultimately he doesn’t want much—just hopes the palace will bestow a plaque and have an inner palace official deliver it. Then he can establish a firm foothold locally.”

“That’s a small matter. When merchants serve the country, the country should naturally reward them. When the materials arrive, have someone go to the palace to find Little Bug. When that merchant delivers the stone materials, you should also make a big show of it.”

“Then it’s settled.”

…

Deep in the night, Ah Si quietly sat up, checking the snoring people around him. Ah San had his back to him and raised his hand to signal all was well.

Ah Si stepped on the bed edge, stepping over the people of various heights, and quietly went outside.

He made no sound, but the wooden door was old and decrepit—it creaked when pushed, carrying far in the silent night.

Ah Si stopped, yawned, and leaned against the door waiting, pretending to be sleepy-eyed going out to relieve himself.

Hearing continued snoring behind him, Ah Si confidently went out.

Next door, Meihua, who had been sleeping peacefully, quietly opened her eyes.

Xinghua slept by the door. She got up and poured a small bottle of oil on the hinges. When Meihua got up to push the door, it made no sound.

She went out and saw Ah Si walking to the wall, unbuttoning his pants as he walked.

Meihua followed expressionlessly.

Night insects chirped from beyond the wall.

It was already autumn, yet these insects lived so vigorously.

While urinating at the wall base, Ah Si reached out and moved aside a brick in the wall.

The switched medicine package was hidden behind the wall brick. He had specifically waited until this midnight hour when no one was around, using the excuse of relieving himself to come get the medicine.

His fingers had just touched the medicine package when he suddenly heard subtle movement behind him.

Ah Si immediately withdrew his hand and turned around, only to see a pale face with vacant eyes floating toward him.