Chapter 499: A Strong Start but a Weak Finish?

These past few days, Tian Jiao had been pondering: before the Governor Heifu set out to inspect the counties, he hosted a banquet for himself and the prominent magnates and wealthy households of Jimo City — what was his intention?

Heifu had been in office nearly half a year. Tian Jiao had few opportunities to deal with him directly, but through his own spies and retainers, he kept a constant watch on this Governor's every move.

If he had to describe the impression Heifu gave him, Tian Jiao would say he was a capable official, and one fond of stirring things up. In half a year, he had accomplished more than his predecessor had in five.

At the very start, Heifu supported the old Jiang Qi clans, opened public academies to encourage Confucian scholars and literati to enroll, and recruited the Agriculturalists into Jiaodong. He had laid out plans among the nobility, the scholars, and the farmers on three fronts — a far-reaching design that sent chills down Tian Jiao's spine.

But three feet of ice does not form in a single day. Half a year on, the results of these efforts were not as great as imagined: the old Jiang Qi clans had been weak for too long and were hard to prop up enough to contend with the deep-rooted and sprawling Tian branches. Though the public academies had opened, the first cohort of trained disciples was small, and most were green youths, hard to entrust with heavy responsibilities. As for the Agriculturalists? Though the "Song of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms" had spread far and wide, the common folk only believed what they saw with their own eyes; they would not trust the authorities until they witnessed the fields that used the new methods yield a larger harvest in the autumn.

On top of that, the authorities had recently undertaken road repairs and the construction of a traveling palace for the Emperor, leading to a temporary shortage of funds and grain. All sorts of projects had to be suspended, and the grain rations for the commandery office's minor clerks could only be issued at half.

Governor Heifu pinned his hopes on the two gold mines discovered in Huang County and Ye County, but those mines were in remote locations, difficult to excavate. Stable production would have to wait until the following year.

Therefore, before his inspection tour, he invited Tian Jiao and the others and actually proposed that the wealthy households take the lead in donating grain in exchange for Qin dynasty noble ranks. Though his attitude remained tough, in truth, Tian Jiao could glimpse the helplessness and concession behind it...

Heifu even said to Tian Jiao after a few extra cups of wine: "All clans in the commandery should be regarded with equal weight." He then began earnestly inviting Tian Jiao's family to send its sons and younger kin into the public academy. Judging by this, had the Governor finally recognized reality and understood that without the various Tian branches, Jiaodong could not be governed?

This inspection tour, according to Heifu's own words, was also to go to each county and urge the wealthy households to donate grain, to help the authorities through this difficult period.

"As long as the authorities have need of us local magnates, there is nothing to worry about." This was Tian Jiao's experience.

But he was habitually paranoid and always felt there was something amiss. Thus, for days he had been mulling this over, while also ordering his men to keep a close eye on the inspection procession. He had to know exactly what that Heifu was doing along the way.

Just then, his younger brother Tian Jian walked in, his face alight with pleasure. "Elder Brother, have you heard? That case in Chunyu — the plot to assassinate the Governor and incite rebellion — has been closed!"

"Closed! So quickly?"

Tian Jiao was stunned. "Didn't the Governor previously say he would pursue it to the very end? For that, he did not hesitate to launch a massive crackdown in Chunyu, killing many people and exterminating their three clans, and cramming the jails full of suspects."

"I thought the same. Who would have guessed it would be all thunder and no rain? Perhaps it's because the investigation led nowhere."

Tian Jian told him that Heifu had ultimately pinned the crime on a band of youxia in Chunyu County, but those men had already died resisting arrest during the county's crackdown on crime earlier that year.

Tian Jian laughed. "I told you long ago, that visitor from Han is famously meticulous in his schemes. Even if the deed fails, he will never leave a loose end. Not to mention our family had no part in this matter — even if we had, the Governor and his dogs could never get a hold of any evidence!"

"Let us hope so..."

Tian Jiao nodded. Although this case had nothing to do with his family, if the investigation had gotten to the root of it and discovered that the Ye County Tian branch was the mastermind behind this affair, Jiaodong would likely have been drenched in a storm of blood!

As long as no major incident occurred, the various Tian branches had the capital to drag things out and wear them down.

Seeing the assassination case wrapped up hastily, and the new policies in Jimo also showing signs of being abandoned, Tian Jiao formed a new assessment of Governor Heifu. He thought to himself:

"I can only hope he truly is a man who starts strong but finishes weak!"

"My Lord Governor, this case could absolutely have been pursued further. Why wrap it up so hastily?"

At the same time, Heifu's party had long since left Chunyu County, but Cao Can, who was in charge of catching bandits and maintaining public order, was still unwilling to let it go. Those villains were illiterate pavilion conscripts and fishermen — how could they have the audacity to plot the assassination of a Governor? Someone had to be scheming behind the scenes. If he had been sent to assist Gong Ao, he could definitely have pulled up the radish and brought out the dirt with it!

Yet now, Heifu had arbitrarily closed the case in a slapdash manner, and without any explanation, dispatched Gong Ao to Linzi to "handle some business." But what exactly that business was, Cao Can had no way of knowing.

"After nearly half a year of investigation, it was finally discovered to be nothing more than local ruffians stirring up trouble. Pursuing it further would only bring unrest to the region."

Heifu, however, put on an air of indifference, as if everything was under his control. After putting Cao Can in full charge of the convoy's security, he pointed with keen interest at the small walled town ahead and asked Wei Yang beside him:

"This county is called Xiami. Do you know the reason for that?"

Wei Yang scratched the back of his head and said he did not know.

"Did we not pass through Gaomi just a few days ago?"

Heifu said, "The river beside this road is the Jiao River, anciently called the Mi River. The Mi River flows through Jiaodong; the terrain is high in the south and low in the north. Thus, the hilly upper reaches are called Gaomi — High Mi — and the plains and beaches of the lower reaches are called Xiami — Low Mi!"

Only then did Wei Yang suddenly understand. Chunyu County, which they had just left, lay between the two Mi's.

Heifu asked him again, "Although the top three great cities of Jiaodong are Jimo, Ye County, and Gaomi, the importance of Xiami is no less than those three. Do you know why?"

This time, Wei Yang finally managed an answer. "Is it because Xiami is near the sea and produces salt?"

"Indeed."

Heifu said, "The ancients said: Chu has the gold of the Ru and Han rivers, Qi has the salt of the Quchan shores, and Yan has the boiling brine of Liaodong. These three states became wealthy by these means. This Quchan salt is right here in Jiaodong! At the places where the Wei River, Jiao River, and Ji River enter the sea."

Thus, Xiami was also the place in the entire commandery with the richest pickings. Of Jiaodong's twelve salt works, seven were in Xiami, producing half the commandery's salt every year. But in recent years, output had been declining day by day, which was making the Director of the Finance Section so worried his hair was about to fall out.

From what Heifu had ordered his men to secretly inquire, the waters of Xiami were exceptionally deep. The public salt industry was languishing, while private salt was rampant...

However, they did not head straight for the seashore, but instead drove into Xiami City.

The Magistrate of Xiami County was named Zhou Gao. Hearing that the Governor was inspecting the counties, he had long since led his subordinates to wait at the Ten-Li Pavilion. That night, he had prepared a banquet in the county seat to welcome Heifu and wash the dust from his journey.

Qin law stipulated that when minor officials traveled on business, their meals were to be provided by the pavilions along the route, with different grades of food supplied according to the official's status. For example, a Clerk on business travel received half a dou of polished rice per meal, a quarter sheng of sauce, a mallow soup, and was supplied with scallions and chives. If the person held a noble rank, those of the rank of Grand Master or higher were served fish. The official's attendants received half a dou of coarse rice per meal; slaves received one-third of a dou. Every expenditure of the pavilion was recorded on file and submitted to the county each month for the accounting clerk to tally and review, ensuring no one dared embezzle public grain.

But the higher the official rank and noble title, the looser the constraints. For a high official of the two-thousand-dan rank like Heifu, a banquet awaited him wherever he went.

However, the welcome banquet in Xiami County was laden with large fish and meat, the wine was the finest local brew, and the dancing girls were alluring, their waists slender and graceful. The scale was considerably higher than in Gaomi and Chunyu, the two counties they had passed through earlier.

Even Heifu's attendants were enjoying food that exceeded the legal stipulations. The Xiami Magistrate's intent to curry favor could not have been more obvious...

But Heifu did not find it strange. After having someone test the dishes for poison, he accepted it all with pleasure.

Throughout the banquet, he kept asking the Xiami Magistrate about his meritorious service during the conquest of the Six Kingdoms. It turned out he was a former subordinate of Wang Jian, had also participated in the campaign to destroy Chu, and had earned the noble rank of Gong Dafu. He was an old campaigner. The fact that he could be assigned to a prosperous place like Xiami as an official indicated he had some backing...

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the Xiami Magistrate even hinted that the maidservants and dancing girls at the banquet could warm the beds of the Governor and his key advisors and subordinate officials...

"No need. I have one more matter to ask you about."

Heifu waved a hand, dismissing everyone and the dancing girls, leaving only a few retainers standing guard outside the door with swords.

The Xiami Magistrate, somewhat uneasy, asked Heifu for instructions: "May I ask what matter the Governor wishes to inquire of this humble official?"

Heifu, however, drew a letter from his sleeve and smiled. "Magistrate of Xiami, during my inspection tour, someone reported that you take bribes, turn a blind eye to private salt, and line your own pockets. Is this true?"

(End of chapter)