Chapter 193: Guidance

After Sun Yuanhua finished his inspection, it was nearly the end of the year again. Chen Xin distributed the remaining combat rewards to the soldiers and also handed out New Year's money. The entire military system was in high spirits. Liu Minyou was equally busy calculating the performance of each department and issuing year-end bonuses. Unsurprisingly, the best performer was the counterfeit money workshop — they had few workers but excellent returns, with profits reaching twenty thousand taels this year. The two weapons factories came in second. The other workshops and retail stores had been established later, so their bonuses were slightly smaller, but they still delighted the workers beyond expectation.

As the New Year approached, Wendeng Camp, as usual, left behind a duty unit. Those with families went home, and those without took leave on their own. The settlement households in Weihai organized their own temple fair. The increase in income greatly boosted their spending power. Merchants from the garrison town flocked to Mazi Er Dun to sell New Year's goods. Some theater troupes and street performers also came, drawn by the reputation. The number of shops in the fort increased further. Except for the absence of gambling dens, the entire atmosphere was even livelier than the previous year.

The original Mazi Dun existed in name only. Ever since the combat soldiers smashed up the place once, those dun residents no longer dared to oppose this rising power. As the new settlement fort grew more prosperous, many people from the old Mazi Dun also went there to do temporary work. The estrangement between the two sides was quickly erased by economic ties. More and more military households from Weihai defected, heading to the new settlement fort at Wendeng Camp, hoping to receive land in the future. Faced with this population drain, Yang Yun did not dare to complain. His tea shop was tottering under the impact of the general store, and Wang Yuanzheng's grain shop was in the same situation. He had no choice but to consider switching to a different trade.

Taking advantage of the holiday, Liu Minyou and Chen Xin each held wedding banquets for taking concubines. Liu Minyou's was naturally Li Ranzhu. Chen Xin took the chamber-filling maid Juxiang into his household. Happy events were also unceasing in the various forts and settlements. Many soldiers and officers of Wendeng Camp were busy getting married.

Amid the crackling of firecrackers, the fourth year of Chongzhen arrived. On the morning of New Year's Day, Chen Xin followed the yearly customs — dropping gold, eating dumplings, and so on. After finishing, he sat properly in his study, waiting for his subordinate guard officers to come pay their New Year's respects. The chattering voices of a group of women rose in the courtyard. Zhao Xiang poked her head in, saw Chen Xin, stuck out her tongue, and said, "Little master, we're all going to the temple fair. Are you coming?"

Chen Xin smiled and shook his head. "I'm not going. Remember to pray at the temple and ask Guanyin to grant us a son next year."

Zhao Xiang let out a snort of laughter, rolled her eyes at him, and left. The courtyard soon fell quiet, leaving only the sound of Hai Gouzi stamping his feet outside the study door. Chen Xin leaned back comfortably in his cushioned recliner, his mind completely blank, savoring a rare moment of peace alone. The distant firecrackers and clamor seemed to belong to another world.

The door made a soft sound. Chen Xin did not open his eyes. Guests would be announced. Anyone entering on their own was either a personal guard or a maid. He heard the person gently add charcoal to the brazier and replace the incense in the censer. When setting down the lid, it landed a little too heavily, producing a clink. The person seemed to let out a long, startled breath.

Chen Xin opened his eyes slightly and saw Xiao Jiahua tiptoeing out. He still felt somewhat guilty toward this woman and rarely had time to speak with her normally, so he spoke up. "Miss Xiao, why didn't you go to the temple fair?"

Xiao Jiahua thought he had just woken up. She turned to look at Chen Xin and curtsied. "Replying to the Master, I don't care for such bustle. Today the Lady and the maids have all gone out, so I stayed behind to look after things."

"It's New Year's Day. Miss Xiao, go relax today. I can handle these things myself. Find a few close sisters or friends, go see the temple fair, buy some rouge and powder — things at the fair are cheaper than usual."

"I have no friends. The courtyard is quiet and peaceful, better than outside."

Chen Xin sat up straight and pointed to the chair opposite him. "In that case, sit down. Let's talk."

Xiao Jiahua pointed at herself, looking somewhat incredulous. Chen Xin tilted his head. "Why so formal? Where has that bold, forthright temper of yours gone?"

Xiao Jiahua lifted her chin, sat down across from Chen Xin, and placed the tray in her hands on his table.

Chen Xin smiled at her. "That's more like it. We don't have so many rules here."

Xiao Jiahua gave a snort. "My lord, that's not true. There are many rules in this household, and a great many of them were made just for me."

Chen Xin made a puzzled sound. He had almost never set any household rules, nor had he ever scolded anyone at home. A moment's thought told him it must be Zhao Xiang deliberately making things difficult for Xiao Jiahua, and the reason was still that thing he had done back then.

He did not pretend ignorance. He nodded and said, "I've put Miss Xiao in a difficult position. If anything truly goes too far, tell me, and I will admonish them."

Xiao Jiahua lowered her head. "What use would that be? You're usually not here. They're the ones running things anyway."

Chen Xin sighed and changed the subject. "I've been home more lately, but I still haven't seen you each time."

"Juxiang assigned me to the kitchen."

"The kitchen? So you're in charge of cooking and stir-frying now?"

"No. Just carrying water, chopping firewood, tending the fire, and helping them wash clothes."

Chen Xin frowned. His courtyard originally had male servants to do these physical labors. He had not expected Juxiang to deliberately assign them to Xiao Jiahua. He immediately smiled again. "You don't need to do this work anymore. These are all men's tasks. How can we make a woman like you do them?"

Xiao Jiahua showed a faint smile at his words, but it was still entirely different from her former brashness. Chen Xin had wanted to ask about her marriage prospects, but he recalled what he himself had done, combined with Xiao Jiahua's own personality. Now, he heard that Xiao Jiahua's reputation in the fort was extremely poor, and no one dared marry her. Yet keeping her at home like this, ostracized by Juxiang and the others, also made him feel guilty.

"Miss Xiao, would you be willing to go out and do some work? The kind with a monthly wage."

Xiao Jiahua raised her eyes to look at Chen Xin. After a long moment, she asked, "Does my lord wish to drive me away?"

Chen Xin hurriedly waved his hand. "Of course not. I mean you could take a job, just... just like Li Ranzhu. Work during the day, come back to stay at night, and have your own monthly wage."

Xiao Jiahua let out a relieved breath and immediately agreed. "I want to go to the general store. It's all women there. I hear there's a Wang Erya inside — a real expert at work and business, even Li Ranzhu can't compare to her..."

Chen Xin interrupted in a low voice. "Miss Xiao, look. It's fine for me to call her Li Ranzhu. You must call her Lady Liu, or Madam Liu. Otherwise, she'll sooner or later hold a grudge against you. When year-end evaluations come, she'll deduct a few points from you. Sometimes a few points don't matter. But sometimes, those few points can determine your future position. You must do your work well, but you must also conduct yourself well. Women are generally a bit narrow-minded. When dealing with a female proprietor like Li Ranzhu, the simplest rule is: you must praise her husband. Once she has children, praise the children. That's even more effective than praising her directly. People like Wang Erya are different — she only looks at results. If you follow her, you must speak less and do more. If you make a mistake, don't try to argue. Go correct it yourself as quickly as possible. When Wang Erya and Li Ranzhu disagree, for someone like Wang Erya, smoothing things over is useless. You must side with Li Ranzhu. Why? Because she is Liu Minyou's wife, and Liu Minyou is the head of civil affairs. You have one advantage no one else can match: you are Li Ranzhu's neighbor. When you go to work every day, you must go together with Li Ranzhu. Wait right at her door. When Master Liu passes by on his way out, he'll see your face and grow familiar. And the commute is also a chance to build rapport. On regular holidays, you can also drop by to visit, bring small gifts — nothing too expensive. She has suffered hardship. Describe your own suffering as worse than huanglian — before I bought you, of course."

"Also, the shop is full of women. Most of them love to gossip. At such times, you must speak well of others. If you can't say anything good, then don't speak at all. These words spoken behind people's backs will eventually reach their ears. But you must remember who is on bad terms with whom. If there's someone inside with roughly the same ability as you, then discreetly pass along that person's backbiting to Li Ranzhu. She'll most likely deduct her points. As long as you do your work well and conduct yourself well, promotion is certain in the future. Once promoted, you'll have subordinates. What is the essence of management? Making others do what you want them to do. There are many methods. The difference between good and bad lies in..." Chen Xin spoke volubly while pulling over a sheet of paper and using a charcoal pencil to draw a diagram of interpersonal relationships.

Xiao Jiahua listened quietly, occasionally looking up at Chen Xin. Later, her eyes, glistening bright, fixed on Chen Xin's face, her whole face glowing.

Happy times are always short. Several gander-like voices called out in the courtyard. The main officers of Wendeng Camp had come in a group to pay their New Year's respects. Chen Xin looked at Xiao Jiahua. "Did you understand?"

"Ah? Yes, yes, I understand. Smooth things over."

Chen Xin did not notice Xiao Jiahua's answer. The officers were waiting for his audience. He hurriedly said to Xiao Jiahua, "I'll arrange this matter. After the New Year, go report to Li Ranzhu. Remember, first learn to be a person, then do the work. If there's a truly unsolvable problem, come directly to Wendeng Camp to find me."

Hearing the officers approaching the study, Xiao Jiahua stood, curtsied to Chen Xin, picked up her tray, and opened the door, ushering the officers in. The group of officers noisily paid their New Year's respects to Chen Xin. Xiao Jiahua hurried out the door, followed the covered corridor to the woodshed in the rear courtyard. The moment she shut the door, she leaped into the air with a "Ha!"

Liu Minyou, with Li Ranzhu, mingled in the temple fair crowd. Behind them was the ever-present foolish monk, impossible to shake off. He did not wait at home for people to pay respects like Chen Xin did. He simply had someone leave a table at the door with paper and brush on it, letting those who came to pay respects register themselves. He himself took Li Ranzhu to the temple fair.

Li Ranzhu managed the general store in perfect order. A later hire, Wang Erya, was very capable. The two of them quickly straightened out the general store and established excellent trust among the settlement households. The first time Liu Minyou met Wang Erya was at the old Wendeng Camp, and through that, he also learned of Xu Yuanhua's little schemes. He was deeply impressed by Wang Erya's performance that day, and Li Ranzhu also highly valued this assistant. It was said that Wang Erya did not even rest during the Spring Festival, forcing the clerks at every shop to continue on duty.

Li Ranzhu, however, could not bear to miss the holiday with Liu Minyou and took leave under the pretext of their marriage. Today she accompanied Liu Minyou to the temple fair. They ate various snacks along the way. Many people on the road greeted them. Both of them also served as instructors at the school and managed civil affairs, so the settlement households held a heartfelt affection for them. They returned the greetings all along the way. It was always at moments like these that Liu Minyou felt the year's hard work was truly worthwhile. By the roadside, some settlement households had set up their own dice-game stalls. Quite a few people were gambling there, though the stakes were small. Constables constantly came by to check. Wendeng Camp did not prohibit prostitution in the settlement forts, but all forts banned gambling houses. Only during the Spring Festival were small-stakes games like dice allowed by the roadside.

The two of them also played a few rounds at one gambling stall. The settlement households all recognized them, but everyone was a novice, so they couldn't let them win even if they wanted to. As a result, Liu Minyou and Li Ranzhu lost five rounds in a row. Losing interest, they continued forward to the Guanyin Hall. This hall was built by the settlement households themselves, contributing labor and materials. A long line formed outside the door. Many newly married craftsmen and soldiers were also inside, all bringing their wives to pray for children. A few constables and garrison provosts stood around. Liu Minyou also obediently queued at the very back. When it was finally their turn to enter, Li Ranzhu knelt reverently and prayed in a low voice for Guanyin to bless them with a child this year. Liu Minyou did not really believe in such things in his heart and merely went through the motions, but deep down he still hoped they could have a child soon.

They went to buy more New Year's goods, and when they returned to their residence, they found Xu Yuanhua waiting at the door. The moment he saw Liu Minyou, he came up and said, "My lord, on the road from Wendeng to Weihai, tax posts have been set up at all three bridges. Every bridge is collecting taxes, including on our Wendeng Camp goods."

"Who set up the tax posts?" Liu Minyou asked in surprise. The Wendeng area had always been very poor. Previously, tax posts were only set up on the roads from Wendeng to Ninghai or Laiyang county towns. There had never been any on the roads from Wendeng to the various garrisons.

"They say it's people from Prince Heng's Palace."

"Does the military side know?"

"I haven't heard."

Liu Minyou hurried to Chen Xin's courtyard next door. When he reached the study, Chen Xin was leisurely counting gifts. Seeing the New Year's goods Liu Minyou was carrying, he chuckled. "Brother Liu is too polite. Why bring things when we're next-door neighbors? Put them down, put them down."

Liu Minyou looked at his hands — he had forgotten to put the New Year's goods away. He pursed his lips and had no choice but to drop them on Chen Xin's table. He said hastily to Chen Xin, "Tax posts have been set up on the Wendeng to Weihai road. They're collecting taxes from us."

Chen Xin, while unwrapping a paper parcel, said, "Mm, I know about this. Sun Yuanhua mentioned it. We can't afford to offend a prince's palace. Let them set it up."

Liu Minyou said angrily, "Then why didn't you say so earlier? And if this tax keeps being collected long-term, the amount won't be small. Where exactly is this Prince Heng's fief?"

"Prince Heng's Palace fief is in Qingzhou."

"Then how come they're collecting taxes all the way in Dengzhou?"

Chen Xin set aside the unwrapping and had Liu Minyou sit down. "He's been short lately. Besides, there aren't many princes nearby. We're lucky he hasn't seized our land. He must have noticed Wendeng is a bit more prosperous now, with goods coming and going frequently, and got envious. From now on, bulk goods will all go by sea. Let them collect a little, just as a token gesture. When Sun Yuanhua mentioned it at the time, I wasn't too willing either. But he gave us ten thousand jin of saltpeter and tens of thousands of jin of iron. Calculate it — it's not a small amount. We shouldn't be at a loss."

Liu Minyou did a rough calculation. Saltpeter was the most expensive, around two qian of silver per jin, far more expensive than copper, and it was the most critical component of gunpowder. Tens of thousands of jin of iron were also worth several thousand taels of silver. He said nothing more.

Chen Xin smiled. "Not a loss. Lord Sun has it hard too. He looks like a high official, but in reality, there are plenty of people below him he can't afford to offend. We should help where we can. Isn't doing things all about compromise?"

Liu Minyou sighed. "Why is it that as soon as Wendeng Camp shows a little improvement, everyone wants to take a bite as if it's Tang Monk's flesh?" Then he hastily paid his New Year's respects and left.

Chen Xin saw him out. Returning, he gleefully unwrapped the paper parcel Liu Minyou had brought. He glanced at it and cursed, "Why is it all sugar cakes? That's way too stingy for a New Year's visit."