Chapter 175: Linjiang County, Speculating on Yin Dwellings

The tenth month brought the harvest; in the blink of an eye, autumn had ended and winter had begun.

This day, the area outside Linhe Ward was exceptionally lively. The Prefect of Jinmen Prefecture, various officials of Linhe, and even the chief officials of nearby counties had all arrived before the city gates.

Ever since the construction of the city walls began in Linhe, there had been rumors that the imperial court intended to promote Linhe Ward to a county seat and establish the Linhe ferry terminal as a new ward. However, the nation's fortunes had been unstable over the past two years; following the passing of Emperor Longping and the ascension of the new Emperor, this matter had been shelved.

It was not until after this year's autumn examinations that Emperor Jingxing suddenly issued a decree, deciding to promote two locations to county status: one was Linhe Ward, and the other was the long-dormant Wanshou Township.

Although Wanshou Township was geographically convenient—bordering the White Water to the south and connecting to the capital region to the north—its local population was far from that of a county. The only thing worth mentioning was the characteristic that Wanshou Township had many long-lived residents.

People in the streets joked that the longevity stars from all twenty-four counties of Jinmen Prefecture combined did not equal those of Wanshou Township.

By all logic, if this were its only trait, Wanshou Township would not be enough to be promoted to a county. But the current Emperor Jingxing brushed aside all objections, claiming that this place was once visited by the late Emperor and was a place where the earth's dragon veins flowed; thus, it should be promoted to a county to foster its prosperity.

The world believed it to be true, but only Xu Qing was unconvinced.

This dog of an Emperor probably felt his recent years were unlucky and believed he had committed too many evil deeds in the past, so now he wanted to fill his inner emptiness with these meaningless gestures.

After all, the tomb of the former Crown Prince, Zhao You, was still standing in Wanshou Township.

A Crown Prince who was honored in life, the current Emperor's own elder brother, was buried in a "rural" backwater. When the dog Emperor dreamt at midnight, he likely feared his elder brother would come seeking an explanation.

At this moment, outside what was yesterday Linhe Ward and is now Linjiang County.

A crowd of officials and wealthy gentry were craning their necks at the city gate, waiting to welcome the new County Magistrate.

Just at this juncture, the crackling sound of firecrackers suddenly erupted not far from the city gate. The crowd looked toward the sound and saw a fair-faced young man standing next to the bulletin board. After setting off the firecrackers, the young man shouted—

"The Xu Family Shop on Jingxia Street warmly congratulates Linhe Ward on its promotion!"

Xu Qing knew the occasion and understood it wasn't appropriate to shout his shop's name, so he simply set off a string of firecrackers and said he was the Xu Family Shop. The locals who knew the situation naturally understood what the shop on Jingxia Street was about, while the officials sitting high in the halls rarely understood; this was a form of encrypted advertising.

Officials from other counties who had come to observe the ceremony didn't understand the nuance and thought the local people were truly enthusiastic. Some uninformed officials even smiled at Xu Qing.

Only the local officials who knew the situation on Jingxia Street had strange expressions. Captain Dong, who recognized Xu Qing in the crowd, had his face change drastically. Today was a joyous day; don't bring disaster to me, no matter who you harm!

Captain Dong waved his hands frantically and glared at Zhao Zhonghe, who, having no other choice, took long strides toward the bulletin board.

"Chief Zhao, congratulations! From now on, the patrol office will be the county government office, and Chief Zhao will be a county chief!"

One does not strike a smiling face. Zhao Zhonghe, who had intended to pull a long face, raised his eyebrows and glared, finally saying in a muffled voice, "Brother Xu, let's be proper; don't mess around. Today is a joyous day. If you're happy, just stand to the side and watch, but don't show off that dead-person shop of yours!"

"That won't happen! I know the situation. Chief Zhao, rest assured, I'll go stand to the side right now and won't say another word!" Xu Qing promised, patting his chest.

After Zhao Zhonghe turned and left, Xu Qing chuckled and slipped into the crowd, disappearing.

At the third quarter of the Chen hour (8:45 AM), the new County Magistrate was still on the way to Linjiang.

In a secluded spot not far from the city gate, Xu Qing rode a five-colored horse, with the Bai Yun-ascended Armor Horse Talisman already pasted on the horse's legs.

"Old Gu, this is the best time to handle the relief grain. You and I must seize this opportunity!"

Gu Zixu's whiskers trembled with excitement. Ever since its Gray Immortal Hall was destroyed by the officials' schemes, it had been thinking of revenge every moment.

Now that the time to vent this anger had arrived, how could it hold back?

"Rest assured, Sect Master! I have already moved the grain from the relief granary to the old residence over the past few days. What is currently in the relief granary is nothing but chaff and dry grass collected after this year's autumn harvest."

Xu Qing looked down at Gu Zixu and said, "Mount up. Today, we must tidy up the loose ends before the new County Magistrate arrives!"

A zombie and a rat rode the five-colored armor horse, and in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the two arrived outside the grain storage.

Gu Zixu performed magic to clear the way, and Xu Qing followed closely behind. About half an incense stick later, thick dust and smoke suddenly rose from the granary where the relief grain was stored, followed by a fierce, unparalleled fire dragon that soared into the sky, sweeping from the head of the granary to the tail. The granary officials shouted that a fire had broken out, but the fire was already raging, and even with everyone's desperate efforts to extinguish it, it was to no avail.

In Linjiang County, Xu Qing returned to Jingxia Street several times.

In the rat den dug out beneath the mortician's shop, there was now an endless amount of grain stored.

Xu Qing took out the Mountain and River Map. He saw that the once lush and green map had turned into a golden and white expanse, looking like mountains of grain piled up during the golden autumn season.

It was just that the space in the Mountain and River Map was limited; Xu Qing could only transport twenty percent of the grain at a time, and this was the final transport.

At the beginning of the Si hour (9:00 AM), outside the city gate.

On the distant official road, bailiffs held placards and sticks to clear the way. In the middle of the procession, the words "Avoid" and "Silence" were vaguely visible on the placards.

In front of the neat and solemn procession, there were also "road-clearing servants" beating gongs to open the path.

According to the regulations of the Yong Dynasty, civil and military officials of the imperial court had to beat gongs to announce their presence when traveling.

Governors traveled with thirteen gong strikes, provincial officials with eleven, Prefects and Assistant Prefects with nine, and county-level officials with seven.

Hearing the seven strikes of the gong, the crowd knew that the new County Magistrate had arrived.

The crowd lined up to welcome them. The Prefect of Jinmen, who had come to observe the ceremony, patted his big belly and smiled at the official sedan chair that had stopped.

The former Linhe Ward was already a place flowing with wealth. Now that it had leaped to become a county seat, the profits would likely multiply several times over.

Prefect Wang of Jinmen was very willing to lower himself to build a good relationship with this new County Magistrate.

However, when the sedan chair was set down, the person who stepped out was not a County Magistrate wearing seventh-rank official robes, but a scholar in white holding a folding fan.

The Assistant County Magistrate and the Captain looked at each other. Who is this? The County Magistrate in the intelligence report wasn't this young.

Looking at the scholar's waist, he was also carrying a sword of extraordinary quality.

Assistant Magistrate He stepped forward to inquire, and the scholar looked around at the officials waiting at the city gate, saying something shocking: "I am not the County Magistrate. The County Magistrate arrived at the seat of government two days ago. I am just a commoner from the mountains whom the Magistrate met by chance on the road. The Magistrate and I hit it off immediately, which is why he let me ride in his carriage."

Assistant Magistrate He and Captain Dong were shocked, hurriedly recalling if they had done anything out of line in the city over the past two days.

Prefect Wang had a look of displeasure on his face, but before he could speak, he heard the sound of copper gongs again not far away.

"To celebrate the arrival of the County Magistrate, starting today, the Xu Family Shop on Jingxia Street is half-price across the board! If introduced by friends or family, there will be gifts! If you come early to the shop, even if you're just looking around, you can receive free eggs!"

Hearing this, Prefect Wang frowned. Why was someone else grabbing the gong and shouting?

"Assistant Magistrate He, what kind of business does this person do? Why are they so enthusiastic?"

Sweat beaded on He Yuanli's forehead. He didn't know much about the Xu Family Shop, but he had heard of Jingxia Street. How could he explain this?

Assistant Magistrate He looked at Captain Dong, who was waving his hands frantically with his hands behind his back.

"My lord, don't mind him. That person is a local merchant. Perhaps because Linhe was promoted to a county seat today, he is too happy and made a rude gesture."

Under the bulletin board, Shopkeeper Xu, who was losing money to gain popularity, was being criticized and educated by Private Secretary Tang and Chief Zhao.

Xu Qing nodded repeatedly, promising that there would never be a next time.

Finally, Tang Zhou looked at the copper gong in Xu Qing's hand, which was tied with a white cloth strip, and his eyelids twitched wildly.

When officials travel, the gongs held by the road-clearing servants are tied with red silk ribbons. Why did you tie yours with white mourning cloth?

"This gong..."

Xu Qing hurriedly laughed: "It's a tool for funerals. I was in a hurry to get the gong from the shop and forgot to change the red cloth. It doesn't matter, Private Secretary, don't worry about these details."

"..."

"Hurry back! Don't be so conspicuous! Be careful not to anger the new County Magistrate and have him give you dozens of heavy blows; then you'll be obedient!"

Xu Qing nodded repeatedly, but he didn't take it to heart. He still had the status of a Licentiate, so he had some leverage even when seeing officials. He probably wouldn't be beaten; at most, he would just be warned a few times.

After Tang Zhou and Zhao Zhonghe left, Xu Qing put away his tools and walked into the city, humming a little tune.

With these two conspicuous events today, anyone would think he had been in Linjiang the whole time and would never imagine he could return so quickly between the prefecture and the county, and even set a fire in the relief granary along the way.

Wandering all the way to the agency, Xu Qing hadn't even entered when he saw a passerby with an unusual temperament inquiring about something from a clerk.

"May I ask, young man, the girl outside selling herself is..."

The clerk said, "You mean that little girl? She isn't from our agency. Our Fourth Master set a rule long ago not to engage in human trafficking."

"Then what is she doing?"

"She needs silver! What else could it be? I heard this girl is a refugee who ran over from Yaozhou. Now her elder family member has a sudden illness and urgently needs silver for treatment, so she ran here to sell herself!"

The clerk was also helpless: "There are many guests coming and going at the agency door. The girl refuses to leave, and we have no choice."

The man nodded, and when he left the door, he happened to bump into Xu Qing, who was bending over and talking to the girl.

Chen Guangrui watched the fair-faced young man, seeing the other party secretly stuff something into the girl's hand, then rise leisurely and continue humming a tune toward the agency.

As the two passed each other, Chen Guangrui nodded to the other party, but the latter, relying on being taller, glanced at him without responding.

This young man...

Chen Guangrui shook his head and turned to look at the yellow-faced girl who was preparing to leave.

"Girl, don't be in such a hurry to leave. I have a few questions for you..."

The yellow-faced girl looked at the person in front of her with some timidity, answering in a low voice.

"You say you are fourteen? With your appearance, how can you be fourteen... That's right! I heard there was a disaster in Yaozhou, and now there is a war. People like you who are starving must not grow as fast as children from ordinary families."

"I heard your family is seriously ill? How about this, I have some broken silver here; take it to treat your family..."

The yellow-faced girl waved her hands to refuse. Seeing this, Chen Guangrui asked strangely: "Since your family is seriously ill, treatment should be the priority. Why do you refuse the money? Are you not afraid of delaying your family's life?"

The yellow-faced girl held her breath for a long time before finally saying: "I already have the money for the treatment. I cannot take this money."

Chen Guangrui remembered the "street loafer" youth from just now and realized: "Was it the person just now who gave you the money for the medical treatment?"

The yellow-faced girl's voice trembled: "Don't tell anyone else. The benefactor said that wealth should not be exposed, and others shouldn't know."

Chen Guangrui was speechless. After the yellow-faced girl left, he turned his head to look at the agency again, stroked his beard, and nodded.

Inside the agency, Xu Qing was chatting with Fourth Master, who was playing Pai Gow on the couch. At the table, Fifth Master Huang had a worried look on his face, not knowing if it was because his cards were bad or because he was troubled recently.

"Shopkeeper Xu, you went to the city gate; did you see the newly arrived Magistrate?"

Xu Qing shook his head: "I'm just a poor Licentiate; how could I get close enough to see clearly? Besides, didn't Fifth Master and Fourth Master not go either?"

Li Fourth Master smiled upon hearing this: "Fifth Master and I didn't go because we don't get along with some people. If we went, we might just cause trouble. When those people leave, Fifth Master and I will naturally go to pay a separate visit to the Magistrate."

Agency merchants are, in the end, merchants. These days, the status of merchants is far inferior to those gentry with land. If Li Fourth Master and Fifth Master Huang were to put on a thick face and crowd in, they would likely only be behind those gentry, and if they were seen by old enemies, they might even be mocked.

Rather than that, it's better to hide and be quiet.

"Sigh, I don't know what kind of person this Magistrate is; it's really worrying."

Li Fourth Master looked at Fifth Master Huang, who was frowning at his cards, and laughed: "Old Fifth, your luck isn't very good today."

After finishing the round of cards, Li Fourth Master had someone add fresh tea and asked: "Shopkeeper Xu is a very busy person. You don't usually come over for no reason. You must have something to ask me today."

"Sigh, it's nothing major. Chatting with Fourth Master and Fifth Master is the major thing; everything else is just a minor detail, not worth mentioning."

Fifth Master Huang looked Xu Qing up and down and suddenly laughed: "I think it's eight out of ten that Shopkeeper Xu came over to see if Fourth Master is still alive. If he's out of breath, he can just take him back and bury him."

"Get lost! Nothing good ever comes out of your mouth!"

The few of them bickered and chatted. When he felt the time was right, Xu Qing finally said: "Fourth Master, I heard there are a few pieces of wasteland not far west of Linjiang County that haven't been sold yet..."

Fifth Master Huang spoke first: "You mean that piece of land? That land isn't very good. There are no households around, and crops won't grow. If it weren't for that, it wouldn't have been Fourth Master's turn to collect it."

Xu Qing looked at Li Fourth Master: "Fourth Master, if I want to buy those pieces of wasteland..."

Li Fourth Master understood Xu Qing's idea, but he still advised: "Brother Xu, now that Linhe Ward has become Linjiang County, the price of land in the city will definitely rise. Even good land outside the county town can be sold for a good price, but that wasteland in the west is different."

"That broken land doesn't grow crops, and it's too remote for houses or residences. Even if Linjiang County becomes prominent in the future, it might not be worth much."

Xu Qing didn't say much. The land west of the city was indeed a bit remote and not suitable for houses for the living, but if it were for yin dwellings...

Linhe was transforming into Linjiang County, and the population would definitely multiply several times in the future. The city walls in the west hadn't been completed yet, and looking at it, it seemed they would need to expand by several miles.

At this time, others were only thinking about doing business for the living, but Xu Qing had already thought about speculating on yin dwellings and doing business for the dead in the future.

He had already planned that he wouldn't sell the new graveyard for much, and would even sell it for a bit less than the market price, but with one condition: the owner of the yin dwelling must have the funeral ceremony conducted by the mortician's shop.

And this funeral ceremony was a service included with the purchase of the yin dwelling, never charged twice.

While Xu Qing calculated how to make his business bigger and stronger, he discussed the purchase of the land with Li Fourth Master.

Yin dwellings were the most important piece of the puzzle in the funeral industry, and he had to make plans in advance.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 176 =====