Chapter 133

Xiao Tianmu shook his head and said, "I am a blind man; who in the army would be willing to take in a blind man? I have lived here for over twenty years, a native of Qingyun."

Hu Xiaotian laughed and said, "How did you and Elder Brother Zhou meet?"

"He saved my life!" The answer was simple, yet it well explained why one would risk helping Zhou Batian.

Hu Xiaotian also said, "Are Jia Dewang and Jia Liu also members of the Tiger Head Camp?"

Xiao Tianmu said, "Jia Liu is, but Jia Dewang is not. Jia Liu followed my elder brother fleeing from Seal Wolf Valley and is temporarily hiding in Red Willow Village."

Hu Xiaotian said, "I heard Elder Brother Zhou say that his purpose in staying here is to wait for a chance to take revenge?"

Xiao Tianmu said, "In the battle at Seal Wolf Valley, the brothers my elder brother led were almost completely wiped out by those bandits; only six survived. Apart from my elder brother who went to prison to evade capture, the rest are hiding within Qingyun County."

"Why not flee from here?"

Xiao Tianmu said, "If he fled, he would never wash away the injustice on his body for the rest of his life. My elder brother has always regarded his soldiers as brothers; this time, even if he must stake his life, he will take revenge!"

Hu Xiaotian said, "After all, he is a commander of the Tiger Head Camp, worried that others would discover his whereabouts, so he came up with the idea of hiding in a prison cell; you handle the outside, and once you obtain any important news, you try to relay it to him."

Xiao Tianmu said, "In Qingyun, it is not difficult to get into prison; Xu Qinglian is insatiably greedy, never missing any chance to extort and blackmail. If a person's eyes are fixed only on money, they will overlook many other problems."

Hu Xiaotian recalled the earlier lawsuit involving Jia Liu and Jia Dewang, and a faint smile appeared; the two had willingly endured many beatings to pass along news. Had I not spotted the flaw, the scheme would still have worked.

Xiao Tianmu said, "I have heard that Lord Hu's current situation is somewhat unfavorable."

Good news stays indoors, bad news spreads far and wide; Xiao Tianmu also heard that this newly appointed magistrate, for forcing the people to donate money to repair Qingyun Bridge, has become as hated as a street rat that everyone shouts at.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Upon arriving in your esteemed locality, I am unfamiliar with the people and place. Naturally, I will encounter those who seek to harm me; they will try every means to frame me, causing me to lose the people's favor first."

Xiao Tianmu said, "Five taels of silver per household—if truly carried out, I do not know how many families would be driven to ruin!" He slowly shook his head and added, "I cannot believe that someone as clever as Lord Hu would make such a foolish decision."

Hu Xiaotian said, "I have already drafted the notice; it will be posted soon to clarify this matter for all the people."

Xiao Tianmu chuckled and said, "Blocking the people's mouths is harder than blocking a river; once the dike breaks, it is difficult to plug that gap. You do not understand Xu Qinglian's character; though he is merely a lowly ninth-rank official, he is well versed in the arts of power and is an expert at extortion, blackmail, and profiteering."

The speaker meant no harm, but the listener took it to heart; although Xiao Tianmu was speaking of Xu Qinglian, the phrase "a mere ninth-rank" shook Hu Xiaotian's heart—such a lowly post is looked down upon by the common folk, yet Hu Xiaotian also realized they were not deliberately targeting him.

Xiao Tianmu said, "Xu Qinglian in Qingyun bears the epithet 'Heaven is high three feet.' Since taking office he has imposed arbitrary levies and violent extortion, seizing by force. The people of Qingyun have suffered terribly at his hands. Before Lord Hu arrived in Qingyun, there was a Magistrate Yang who was relatively upright; unable to tolerate the misdeeds of these corrupt officials, he argued with them on principle, only to be continually sidelined by them. He went to Xiezhou Prefecture to lodge a complaint, but found no recourse. Finally, overcome with anger, he fell ill and vomited blood. In last autumn's flood season of the Tongji River, despite his illness he went to the riverbank to inspect, but accidentally fell into the floodwaters; to this day his body has not been found. A folk rumor says that Magistrate Yang was pushed in by someone."

Hu Xiaotian, upon hearing this, could not help but feel righteous indignation. I said, "In the past I only thought Xu Qinglian and his ilk were merely greedy beyond measure, never imagining they would dare to plot murder."

Xiao Tianmu said, "Xu Qinglian has deep roots in Qingyun's officialdom. Not long after Magistrate Yang's death, unfavorable talk about him arose. Using the pretext that Madame Yang, during her mourning period, was consorting with an adulterer, they slandered Magistrate Yang's reputation, led three teams of bailiffs to ransack the Yang residence, and dug up two jars of silver ingots from the courtyard where Magistrate Yang had been staying. Madame Yang could not bear the humiliation and hanged herself that very night. Their son, Yang Lingqi, had been on his way to the capital for the examinations when he heard of his parents' double death and turned back to seek justice, but before he could return to Qingyun he vanished, and to this day there has been no trace of him."

Hu Xiaotian angrily said, "These scoundrels, do they really think there is no heavenly principle or law?"

Xiao Tianmu said, "Although I have never held office, I know that the character 'official' consists of two mouths; it all depends on what you say, not whether you are right, but how you speak and how others speak. Since ancient times, the officialdom has been the most ruthless place—those who follow you prosper, those who oppose you perish. Lord Hu, upon arriving in Qingyun, has everywhere displayed an posture of opposing Xu Qinglian; from now on he must be careful."

Hu Xiaotian not only felt no fear, but burst out laughing: "It seems you have also investigated me."

Xiao Tianmu said, "Since you are so interested in our affairs, we naturally ought to pay more attention to you."

Hu Xiaotian said, "What have you found out? Tell me, I'd like to hear."

Xiao Tianmu clasped his hands and said, "You came from the capital, it is said you are the son of a certain Eastern Sea salt merchant, a wealthy family, generous in spending, with two attendants beside you; that Miss Murong possesses superb martial arts and is responsible for your safety. After arriving in Qingyun, you did not immediately go to the county office to take office, but instead visited incognito; two days ago you even posed as a doctor and saved the second son of the Wan family, Wan Ting Sheng."

Hu Xiaotian clicked his tongue and sighed, "It's a pity you don't go into intelligence work."

Xiao Tianmu was startled by the words, wondering what espionage work meant; he continued, "Although you have only been in office a few days, you and Magistrate Xu Qinglian are clearly at odds. Yesterday you went to inspect the Tongji River; it appears our magistrate has already entrusted you with the task of repairing Qingyun Bridge. Overnight, the entire populace of Qingyun County learned that you, the new magistrate, intend to have each household contribute five taels of silver for the bridge. Is your situation perhaps a bit difficult?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "It is difficult a bit, but not yet to the point of having no way out."

"A visible spear is easy to dodge, a hidden arrow hard to guard against!"

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "When soldiers come, the general blocks them; when water comes, earth dams it."

Xiao Tianmu said, "What is your purpose in coming here?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "The current Qingyun county office is to me like an iron plate; if I were to kick it head-on, I might hurt my own foot."

Xiao Tianmu said, "Do you truly intend to take root in Qingyun?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "To take root in Qingyun one must find a suitable piece of land." He rose and said, "Your courtyard is so large, yet I do not know how the soil is." This statement was tantamount to tactfully extending an olive branch.

Xiao Tianmu said, "Do you think this Qingyun soil can grow a towering tree, sufficient for the people of Qingyun to shelter from wind and rain and enjoy cool shade?"

Hu Xiaotian confidently replied, "Absolutely no problem!"

Xiao Tianmu said, "Do not underestimate your opponent; the breaking of Qingyun Bridge is no coincidence."

"Why would the horse bandits of Tianlang Mountain build a dam on the upper reaches of the Tongji River, and why must they destroy Qingyun Bridge?"

Xiao Tianmu said, "Qingyun Bridge is the sole route within Qingyun County leading to Xiezhou and Xizhou."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Is there not also a water route? Seventy li downstream lies Yongji Bridge."

Xiao Tianmu said, "The flood season is approaching; the water level of the Tongji River keeps rising, the current becomes turbulent. Upon entering July, to ensure the safety of the river stretch, all boat traffic will be completely banned—thus the Yongji Bridge in Yongji County becomes the only option. Any caravan or traveler must pass through here."

Hu Xiaotian said, "If the Tianlang Mountain bandits chose to strike on this stretch, they would surely not fail. But destroying Qingyun Bridge… could they intend to act within Yongji County?" Thinking this, Hu Xiaotian's heart gave a start: why would the bandits deliberately avoid Qingyun? If a robbery occurred within Qingyun territory, these officials could not escape responsibility; the first to be blamed would be Magistrate Xu Qinglian. Could it be that Xu Qinglian is colluding with the Tianlang Mountain bandits?

Xiao Tianmu smiled meaningfully and said, "In fact, you have already figured it out."

Hu Xiaotian said, "What exactly is the important thing that would make them go to such trouble?"

Xiao Tianmu shook his head and said, "I don't know either, but something that could motivate the Tianlang Mountain bandits to mobilize in such force certainly is not trivial; for us it might be an opportunity for revenge, and for you it could also be a fine chance to take root in Qingyun and weed out the undesirables."

Hu Xiaotian's visit to Red Willow Village this time was truly fruitful; from Xiao Tianmu he basically clarified the cause of the Qingyun Bridge explosion, and more importantly, Xiao Tianmu revealed to him that someone within Qingyun's officialdom is colluding with the Tianlang Mountain bandits—a matter of great consequence.

Before Hu Xiaotian departed, Xiao Tianmu said, "Navigate carefully for a long voyage; sir, in all matters prudence is best."

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "When the boat reaches the bridge, it will naturally go straight; thank you for the reminder, Scholar Xiao."

The notice to clear Hu Xiaotian's name has long been delayed; in fact, Hu Xiaotian had already braced himself for this, as Xu Qinglian's clique would not easily let slip an opportunity to deal with him. Now within Qingyun's officialdom he can only fight alone; no matter how strong one's abilities, they are ultimately limited, and often one must rely on external aid. Joining forces with Zhou Batian is merely the first step; to quickly establish a firm foothold in Qingyun, one must also unite the local powerful financial cliques, and the person Hu Xiaotian can think of is Wan Boping.

Fourth update, this chapter is an extra chapter for the alliance leader Maomao Chouchou, alliance leader v5, Zhangyu thanks the brothers for their full support!