Exhausted from a poor night’s sleep and another night in the abandoned temple, Ming Tan visibly wilted. Despite her fatigue, she only rested for two hours before accompanying Jiang Xu to the coastal fishing village early the next day, seeking information about recent sea conditions around Tonggang.
Ming Tan had previously analyzed Tonggang’s port development challenges. Broadly speaking, they were twofold: Tonggang’s extreme poverty and lack of basic infrastructure, and the unpredictable, perilous sea conditions.
The former could be addressed with sufficient government funding and support – transforming a backwater wasn’t insurmountable. The latter was the key to determining whether Tonggang could become the next Lingzhou Port.
Tonggang’s poverty was pervasive, uniform from town to village. The seaside fishing village was dilapidated, reeking of brine. Under the merciless sun, Ming Tan’s face burned even behind her veil.
Jiang Xu had studied Tonggang’s local chronicles. Though never prosperous, it hadn’t always been this destitute. Tracing back two dynasties, the decline began during Emperor Taizong’s reign when Tonggang’s sea wall fell into disrepair and collapsed.
A breached sea wall was significant for salt-producing regions, but for a small place like Tonggang, it barely registered. Local officials reported it perfunctorily, and without follow-up, the matter was forgotten.
After the breach, storm surges during rainy seasons flooded inland. Seawater contaminated once-fertile farmland, leaving it saline and barren. Widespread famine followed.
That famine during Taizong’s reign forced Tonggang’s youth to seek livelihoods elsewhere, leaving only the elderly behind. Tonggang visibly decayed.
To this day, Tonggang’s sea wall remains unrepaired, breaching every few years. Provincial officials ignored Tonggang, deeming it too remote and sparsely populated to warrant even road repairs.
Given these circumstances, it was no wonder the place remained mired in poverty.
Jiang Xu and Ming Tan inquired about several households in the fishing village. At the mention of going to sea, all shook their heads, insisting it was tantamount to suicide due to the fierce waves.
Some villagers eagerly shared tales of those lost at sea.
One spoke of a local man who left to earn money at sea and never returned. After years without a word, his wife remarried in a neighboring village and bore a son. When a storm washed up ship debris, she recognized her former husband’s belongings and wept bitterly.
Such sea tragedies were once commonplace but had decreased. Those still dreaming of maritime fortunes now sought opportunities in Lingzhou. Those remaining were mostly the elderly, women, children, and the idle, scraping by on fishing and hunting.
The hunter’s wife, Liu Sao, had mentioned these things briefly. Ming Tan patiently inquired further about specific sea conditions.
But when asked about this, the villagers could only give vague descriptions – lightning, thunder, surging waves capsizing fishing boats in an instant. Terrifying, they said.
Ming Tan, seemingly struck by a thought, changed tack: “Auntie, how long has your family lived here?”
The woman pondered, then replied eagerly, “My maiden family is in the next village, my husband’s is here. Both family graveyards are up the mountain. We’ve been here for generations!”
Ming Tan nodded thoughtfully.
As they continued towards the village’s rocky shore, Ming Tan analyzed: “Though they all say the sea is treacherous, with floods every few years, they’ve lived here for generations. Perhaps the conditions aren’t as severe as they claim.
“Doesn’t Lingzhou Port face storms too? Lord Yu even used that to appeal to you for sympathy. But when I was in Lingzhou, I gleaned from the magistrate’s wife that with experienced crews, accurate weather forecasting, and well-built ships, sea voyages aren’t insurmountable.”
Jiang Xu acknowledged with an “Mm,” and then gazed out to sea from the rocks. “The flooding is due to the breached wall. Coastal areas often face such disasters. Without sturdy embankments, Lingzhou Port would suffer similarly. The question is whether it’s mere flooding or ‘haiyi’.”
“Haiyi?”
Jiang Xu explained: “Haiyi disasters are beyond human control. Historical records show they’re often triggered by earthquakes. If this area is prone to haiyi, it’s unsuitable for a port regardless of other factors.”
Ming Tan had never heard of haiyi but gathered it was akin to a massive sea flood. She nodded, somewhat understanding.
“Before settling on Tonggang, I considered other coastal towns, some geographically superior. However, their local chronicles recorded earthquake precursors. Historically, areas that have experienced earthquakes are likely to face them again. Long-term, they’re unsuitable for ports. Tonggang lacks such history, and our observations here confirm that.”
The distant sea was a murky gray-blue, the shore filthy with dead fish belly-up, their stench mixing with the salty air. Though the sky was clear, the endless gray-blue seemed to tinge even the heavens with gloom, as if something ominous loomed overhead.
Noticing Ming Tan’s prolonged silence, Jiang Xu turned to find her staring at him.
“What are you looking at?”
Ming Tan, her small face tense, suddenly said seriously, “I’ve noticed something.”
“What?”
“You didn’t refer to yourself as ‘this prince’ just now.”
“…”
“When you don’t say ‘this prince,’ you suddenly seem much more approachable.” Ming Tan’s serious expression gave way to playfulness. Imitating Jiang Xu’s posture, she stepped forward lightly and deliberately clung to his arm.
“This prince is young. Why should I need to be approachable?”
“Are you young? Let me count… you’re one, two, three, four, five…” Ming Tan started counting on her fingers.
Jiang Xu couldn’t help but look at her. “You think this prince is old?”
“I didn’t say that. You’re a prince, but you shouldn’t falsely accuse people. Besides, I wouldn’t dare complain. Everyone says marrying Prince Beiding was marrying up for me. Even if I had some tiny complaints, I’d naturally keep them deep in my heart.”
“This prince is far too indulgent with you.”
He lowered his gaze and pinched the back of Ming Tan’s neck.
“Don’t! It tickles!” Ming Tan tried to dodge.
But Jiang Xu’s hand easily followed, not stopping until she begged for mercy, tears in her eyes.
…
They spent until noon in the fishing village, intending to return to town for a meal. But Ming Tan was parched, so Jiang Xu led her to a random house to ask for water.
Most fishing village families were simple folk. Asking for water was no trouble, and the woman who opened the door agreed readily, even inviting them in to rest: “What brings you two here? The midday sun is fierce, you must be overheated. Come in and sit.”
Ming Tan was indeed dizzy from the sun, her feet aching. Thinking a brief rest and further inquiries wouldn’t hurt, she entered with Jiang Xu.
Unexpectedly, upon entering, the previously warm and friendly woman turned and shouted at someone inside: “Can’t even kneel properly! I swear, this child needs a beating!”
Ming Tan was startled by the sudden harsh voice, her heart skipping a beat.
The woman, remembering her guests, quickly turned back with a forced smile: “I’m sorry you had to see that. My child is misbehaving. Please, sit anywhere. I’ll fetch you some water.”
Ming Tan nodded, still shaken, and sat with Jiang Xu on the earthen kang.
She surveyed the room.
If the hunter’s home at the foot of the mountain was poor, this was truly destitute. Strictly speaking, only three walls remained – the western wall had collapsed, crudely covered with an oilcloth.
In the eastern corner knelt a small, thin child, presumably the woman’s disobedient offspring.
“Here’s your water.”
Ming Tan accepted with both hands, quickly thanking her: “Thank you, auntie.”
She was too thirsty to care about the bowl’s condition, but after just half a sip, the woman turned and shouted again: “You worthless man, off to that filthy brothel in town again?! Gone all night, think you’re something special? If you’re so capable, why don’t you just die there and never come back!”
Ming Tan nearly choked.
She caught her breath and managed another half sip, discreetly tugging Jiang Xu’s sleeve, ready to leave.
But suddenly, she heard the woman berating the man who had just stumbled in: “We’re about to send our child out begging, and you still have the gall to visit brothels? Are you even human?!”
Send out begging?
Ming Tan instinctively glanced at the small child huddled in the corner.
She hadn’t seen it before, but now that the child had turned, she recognized one of the children from last night at the temple.
The child was also peeking at them, seemingly recognizing and fearing retribution for last night’s events.
Ming Tan felt uneasy.
She had wondered what kind of parents would heartlessly send their children to beg and swindle. Cold-blooded? Selfish? But this woman, welcoming even to strangers, clearly wasn’t devoid of kindness.
Leaving the house, Ming Tan asked dejectedly, “Husband, when Tonggang is no longer poor, will they truly have better lives?”
Jiang Xu paused. In his view, it wasn’t certain. The real fear wasn’t poverty, but the bone-deep resignation and acceptance of the status quo. However, seeing her despondent, he replied, “They will.”
Ming Tan, already having her answer, caught up with Jiang Xu and said as they walked, “In time, when the port opens and the town prospers, scholars will come to establish schools. Then these children can gain knowledge and understanding. When they grow up, they can either stay to develop the area or leave to experience broader horizons. Either way, things will surely improve.”
Jiang Xu was slightly taken aback.
He hadn’t considered such distant prospects, but her words made sense. Indeed, education was the fundamental way to change the town’s poverty.
He stepped forward, took Ming Tan’s hand, and calmly repeated as if making a promise.
“They will.”
—
After three days in Tonggang, they finally began their return journey. Ming Tan, remembering her earlier words, didn’t complain once, even when exhausted.
While she could endure hunger and lack of sleep, what Ming Tan found unbearable was going three days without bathing.
By the third day, she dared not get too close to Jiang Xu, fearing he might detect unpleasant odors and forget the once fragrant and immaculate fairy she had been.
Jiang Xu couldn’t understand her fussiness. As they left Tonggang, sharing a horse, she suddenly said she didn’t want to sit in front.
After much questioning, she reluctantly whispered, “I haven’t bathed in three days. I don’t know if I smell.”
“This prince hasn’t bathed in three days either. If we smell, we smell together,” Jiang Xu said, unconcerned.
“How can it be the same? You’re a man, there’s such a thing as ‘smelly men,’ but not ‘smelly women.’ Who wants to smell with you!” Ming Tan retorted without thinking.
“…”
After a moment’s impasse, Jiang Xu suddenly said, “Come up. I’ll take you to bathe.”
“…?”
“We won’t reach the next town tonight, will we?” Ming Tan hesitated.
With Tonggang’s terrible roads, they couldn’t gallop, and she vividly remembered their makeshift night at the mountain’s foot on the way here.
“We won’t make it. I’ll take you to a hot spring to bathe.”