Chapter 36: Old Grounds
Returning to the old place, Qinghe felt a complex mood.
In her previous life, she established the Pei Family Army in Changping County, suppressing mountain bandits and taking in refugees, managing it for over ten years. This Changping County Town was destroyed by warfare three times and rebuilt multiple times, eventually becoming her main base.
At this time, Changping County Town still retained its original appearance. The dilapidated city gate, the listless gate soldiers, the mottled streets, the numb-faced common people—everything showed the imperial court’s weak and lax power in this place.
Even the county office was built dozens of years ago and had hardly been repaired. Behind the rundown gatehouse, the main hall was still fairly spacious and presentable.
County Magistrate Wang, dressed in his official robe with a flushed face and somewhat dazed and scattered gaze, was very polite in attitude: “Captain Sun, Guard Gao, and this Miss Pei, please sit… hic!”
A thick smell of alcohol came with the hiccup.
The chief clerk and county captain beside him all looked perfectly calm, clearly accustomed to it.
Qinghe looked at the drunk County Magistrate Wang and felt nostalgic and fond.
This was also an old acquaintance.
Fifty-two-year-old County Magistrate Wang believed in “governing by non-action.” He had been county magistrate in Changping County for seven or eight years and basically never left the county town. With mountain bandits rampant in Changping County and magnates acting arrogantly, County Magistrate Wang ignored it all, drinking every day in the back office, at least two sessions a day—he was an old drunkard.
Surprisingly, County Magistrate Wang’s reputation as an official was not bad. After all, he was not greedy for money nor lustful, did not seize common women nor excessively bully the common people. The countless fine wines he drank every year were secretly supplied by the mountain bandits and magnates.
Back then, when Qinghe rose in Changping County, County Magistrate Wang was the quickest to kneel, handing over the official seal promptly and leaving with a cart of fine wine. Qinghe took over a complete county office without much effort.
Captain Sun had been in the barracks for twenty years and was well-informed, so he was not surprised.
Only Guard Gao frowned slightly, thinking that a local county magistrate drinking heavily every day was truly improper.
Captain Sun politely stated the purpose of their visit and, following Qinghe’s previous idea, asked County Magistrate Wang to allocate a piece of empty land north of the Yan Mountains for the Pei family members to settle.
After Qinghe presented Prince Zhangwu’s handwritten letter, the tipsy County Magistrate Wang sobered up considerably and readily agreed, ordering the chief clerk to register it and affix the official seal.
The exiled Pei Clan had now formally reported at the Changping County Office, passing through the official channels.
Next, County Magistrate Wang sent a capable confidant to lead the Pei family members to the settlement. This Secretary Li with his two wisps of goatee beard was greatly startled upon seeing the Pei Clan female dependents.
Secretary Li suddenly turned to look at Captain Sun and carefully confirmed: “Captain Sun, these are all Pei family members?”
Changping County had previously taken in several batches of exiled families of convicted officials. Which one was not full of misery and in tattered clothes? These women before him had rosy complexions and excellent spirits, riding fine horses—how did they look like they had suffered exile?
Captain Sun nodded calmly: “Indeed.”
Secretary Li glanced at Guard Gao from the Eastern Palace and seemed to understand.
It must be that the Eastern Palace had taken care of them along the way.
Guard Gao said nothing.
In any case, he had said nothing. Whether it was County Magistrate Wang and the others or this Secretary Li before him, their wild thoughts were their own business.
Leaving the county town, they headed north all the way. From the official road to small paths where directions were unclear, from the sun high in the sky to dusk falling.
Secretary Li stopped before a village and pointed with a smile at the scattered large patch of thatched huts: “From now on, this will be Pei Family Village.”
“These houses are all empty; repair them a bit and tidy them up, and they can be lived in.”
He pointed again at the endless wasteland to the east and west: “This used to all be arable land where grain was grown, and it all belongs to the Pei family now.”
He pointed once more at the endless mountain range to the north: “The mountains are not very safe; better to go there less.”
Then, he cupped his hands in farewell and quickly left.
Even this was for the sake of Guard Gao and Captain Sun’s face. Otherwise, for exiled families of convicted officials, who would personally lead the way to settle them and give them a ready-made village and land.
The Pei family members looked at the desolate village with complex expressions.
Pei Yue’s innocent voice rang out: “Are we going to live here from now on?”
“Yes,” Qinghe said with a beaming smile and light voice: “This is our home.”
In her previous life, at the beginning of the exile, the Pei family had also settled here. But at that time, there were no ready-made thatched huts, nor such a large plot of land allocated to her.
They still had over a hundred horses, sharp various weapons, and two carts of grain.
Right, and several adult men.
Qinghe smiled and instructed: “Pei Jia, Pei Yi, you two first go into the village to scout the way and light a few torches.”
These two refugees who had been gathered ate their fill along the way and were utterly devoted to Qinghe. They insisted on changing their surnames to Pei to show their loyalty and follow Sixth Sister Pei forever.
So Qinghe gave them these two new names.
Pei Jia and Pei Yi eagerly agreed.
Wu Xiuniang led people to tidy the houses, Mao Hongling led people to make a fire and cook, Pei Yan led people to settle the fine horses, Pei Yun took inventory of the belongings, and Pei Xuan and Pei Feng were responsible for taking good care of the group of cousin brothers and cousin sisters.
Under Qinghe’s arrangements, everything was orderly, without the slightest chaos.
It was so late; they definitely could not leave.
Captain Sun picked a thatched hut and called the big soldiers to eat dinner and rest.
Of the fifty big soldiers, twenty-nine had died in battle, and several seriously wounded ones had also died one after another. The square-faced big soldier who had lost his right arm and suffered excessive blood loss unexpectedly survived and was helped down from the cart, staggering into the thatched hut. He leaned against the earthen wall and slowly sat down with effort.
That night, each person got a dry biscuit; fortunately, there was a bowl of hot rice soup.
Captain Sun was preoccupied, ate a few bites hastily to fill his stomach, and stared blankly at the starry sky.
The square-faced big soldier shuffled over and hesitantly said something in a low voice.
Captain Sun glanced at the square-faced big soldier and stood up: “Come with me to see Sixth Sister Pei.”
Qinghe was not surprised at Captain Sun’s arrival: “Captain Sun, please sit.”
Captain Sun cleared his throat and said in a low voice: “Sixth Sister, I have a request. Fang Datou lost an arm and can no longer serve as a soldier or draw military pay. His parents are dead, he has no relatives at home, and no place to go. He wants to stay in Pei Family Village; please take him in, Sixth Sister.”
Fang Datou had already knelt down and kowtowed three times, thud thud thud. After losing his right arm, his body uncontrollably tilted to one side, and when he tried to stand, he fell to the right.
A hand steadily supported him: “Careful!”
A familiar girl’s voice sounded by his ear.
Fang Datou’s dark face flushed red, as if scalded by boiling water: “Thank you, Sixth Sister.” Then he hurriedly said: “I can no longer wield a blade in battle. But I learned to raise horses in the barracks. There are over a hundred horses in the village; from now on, I will specially feed and tend the horses for Sixth Sister! Please take me in, Sixth Sister!”
“I don’t eat much; two meals a day are fine. If grain is short, one meal is okay.”
