Chapter 107: Wanjin Magistrate
Yuan Ye wrote a letter to Niwa Nagahide, Maeda Toshiie, and others, asking them to help find Endo Chiyo’s aunt. These local powerful families had intricate relationships, making them suitable for such a search. He then arranged for Endo Chiyo and her servant to stay as guests, and subsequently stopped focusing on them, turning his attention back to advancing his plans.
A little over half a month later, the charcoal kiln, soy sauce workshop, and Yuan Ye’s laboratory were initially completed. The Yuan Ye Family regained its ability to generate income, no longer being in a state of only expenditure.
Another half month passed, and the dyeing workshop was also initially completed. They began experimenting with dyeing some easily collected dye samples, such as blue and black, though the current yield was not yet large.
Endo Chiyo stayed in the Wanjin camp, watching this scene with curiosity, feeling it was a method of pioneering she had never seen before. No one here was engaged in any work related to planting, allowing precious spring plowing time to slip away. The wasteland remained untouched, and most people were continuously bringing in various raw materials and then continuously shipping out novel goods. The rhythm was strange, yet it possessed a unique vitality.
The number of people in the camp was also increasing. Each time a team returned from an outing, they would bring back a few or a dozen more people. These lost individuals were quickly fed a full meal, then assigned to construction teams to begin doing arduous tasks like building houses, digging ditches, and felling trees.
The camp’s management was even stricter. It seemed everyone in the camp was clearly instructed on what time, where, and what tasks they should be doing. Everything was interconnected, as if an invisible whip was constantly lashing them, making them rush about, even eating meals as if racing against time. It was far from the casual freedom of a typical village, where one went to the fields purely on instinct.
Even she, as a guest, had been subtly reminded of her activity range. Many areas were off-limits, and she could only occasionally gaze at them from afar.
She stayed there idly for over a month, watching large numbers of crude and unsightly houses rise, watching smoke billow from various places and never cease day and night, and watching people being continuously acquired, with the camp becoming increasingly crowded with busy figures.
Only then did Yuan Ye seem to remember her again and sent someone to invite her. Upon meeting, she immediately noticed Yuan Ye’s very serious expression, instantly giving her a bad premonition.
As expected, as soon as she sat down, she heard Yuan Ye say apologetically, “I’m sorry, Miss Chiyo, but I have to deliver some bad news. Your aunt… passed away from illness at the end of last year.”
Endo Chiyo was stunned for a moment. She wasn’t particularly sad or upset, as she had never met this aunt, and it was impossible to claim a deep emotional connection. However, finding such a result after searching made her feel a bit dejected. After a moment of silence, she softly asked, “Then my aunt’s family…”
“There’s no need to worry about that. Everything else in your aunt’s family is fine. Your uncle, Lord Yamauchi Iuemon, and your two elder cousins are currently serving the Iwakura Oda Family. I can send someone to escort you there.” Yuan Ye had just received the reply. In the modern era, a few phone calls could accomplish this in half an hour, but in ancient times, correspondence took over a month. However, as long as the matter could be resolved, a little delay was acceptable.
After he finished speaking, he waited for a moment but didn’t hear Endo Chiyo express her thanks, so he asked curiously, “What’s wrong, Miss Chiyo? Are there still any issues?”
He felt he had done everything he could, and had done it perfectly, leaving no room for criticism. Endo Chiyo hesitated for a moment, then seemingly made a decision and suddenly asked him, “Lord Yuan Ye, this may be presumptuous, but… may I live on your territory?”
“Live here? You’re not going to your aunt’s family?”
Endo Chiyo gently shook her head. “Since my aunt is no longer here, then… there’s no need for me to go there anymore.”
Yuan Ye was surprised for a moment, then suddenly realized. She had been desperate before, unable to even afford food, which led her to seek refuge with relatives. But now the situation had changed. She held fifty kan in cash and would receive another thousand kan in remuneration next year, making her a rare sight of a minor wealthy woman in Owari. It seemed there was indeed no need to beg for food at her relatives’ house, who knew what the situation there was like.
In this light, it was better for her to stay here. Staying here, even with her considerable wealth, would pose no threat to her personal safety, which could be considered a wise choice.
However, currently in Wanjin, besides A Man and A Qing, two retainers forcibly assigned by Oda Nobunaga, and thirty temporary followers borrowed from the Oda Family, there were no outsiders. Even with the constant influx of people, they were all acquired family retainers with personal ties to him, standing at opposite ends of the feudal loyalty chain.
If he suddenly took her in, she would become the first freeman here.
However, that was also fine. More residents were good, and it could invigorate the economy in the future!
As for Yamauchi Kazutoyo losing his wife… Yamauchi Kazutoyo could find another one! Finding a wife wasn’t difficult!
Yuan Ye was not inherently harsh. Understanding why she suddenly wanted to stay, he had no objections and said with a smile, “Of course! If you like, you can certainly stay. Hmm, when we sell land in the future, you can buy a plot for yourself. We have no restrictions on that.”
“Then, Lord, may I work for you?” Endo Chiyo seemed to have considered these matters before and immediately pushed her luck with a new request, her face full of anticipation. “I saw Miss A Qing working for you before. I wonder if I could?”
After her family was destroyed, she wandered from Higashi-Ōmi to southern Owari, deeply aware that the current era was one of turbulent times. In such times, stability was hard to find, and if war broke out again, valueless people would inevitably be abandoned, even those with money. Therefore, working for Yuan Ye became a good choice.
He was honest and trustworthy, of upright character, and quite capable. Most importantly, based on her observations over the past month, he appointed personnel very casually, not caring whether they were male or female.
The cold-faced girl named A Qing by his side, and the group of little maidservants led by Yayoi, were often assigned to specific tasks, such as inspecting and registering new arrivals, or checking the quality of completed work.
She felt she could do it too, perhaps even better than them, and be more valuable. As long as she had her own value, no matter what happened to the Yuan Ye Family in the future, she would at least not be casually abandoned and would still have protection.
Her face was full of anticipation, her eyes even showing a hint of eagerness. Yuan Ye was slightly surprised, not expecting someone so young to be so bold as to apply for a job directly. However, he was a pragmatist and truly didn’t care much about gender; as long as they could work, he wouldn’t mind anyone, let alone men and women. Moreover, he was indeed short of literate personnel right now, otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent A Qing, Yayoi, and the others out to be foremen.
He immediately became interested and his enthusiasm increased by three points, asking, “Then it is truly my honor. What skills do you possess, Miss Chiyo?” If she wanted to work in the inner quarters, that was out; he had no shortage of maidservants there, and was currently in need of laborers.
“I am literate, have a basic understanding of arithmetic, and can dye cloth.”
“You understand arithmetic and can dye cloth?” Yuan Ye was surprised for a moment. Being literate was normal; even if a samurai daughter didn’t receive formal education, she would still learn to read and write. However, arithmetic and dyeing cloth were clearly not things a young girl should be learning.
Endo Chiyo’s expression turned slightly somber. “My mother… was in poor health. For several years, I managed the household, so I taught myself some arithmetic. Also, our village produced a lot of indigo, so I… occasionally led people in dyeing coarse cloth and secretly sold it to traveling merchants to supplement our household expenses.”
So that’s how it was. Hardship truly could temper a person. It was no wonder she would later hold the financial reins of the Yamauchi family and even influence their family’s stance; she was so capable even from a young age!
Yuan Ye looked at her with admiration, but didn’t immediately believe her. He drafted a document for her to write and gave her two arithmetic problems, asking her to roughly calculate the area of a piece of land and estimate the amount of earth to be excavated for a water channel, as well as the personnel and time required.
Although Endo Chiyo didn’t know what a job interview was, she understood its importance. She perked up, sat at the low table, and diligently completed the “test,” checking it over several times.
Yuan Ye took it and his eyes lit up slightly. He found she had excellent handwriting, far superior to the night school students like A Man, A Qing, Yayoi, and the Momoi Brothers. Her calculation ability was also quite good; even without an abacus, she solved the rather complex application problem purely through mental calculation.
For this era, it was quite rare. She could be considered a professional talent, surpassing many legitimate samurai.
Yuan Ye’s attitude instantly became more amiable. Looking at the answers, he nodded repeatedly, “Good, good!” Then, after a slight pause, he seriously said to her, “If you don’t mind, Miss Chiyo, you will serve as the Wanjin Magistrate from now on. How about an annual salary of ten kan of currency?”
Wanjin Magistrate was a position he created himself. It was essentially an administrative official in charge of miscellaneous affairs, and this position was currently vacant. A Man was still recovering from her injuries and lying down. A Qing was too cold-tempered and had grown up following A Man, a mischievous child full of schemes, developing a personality that disliked making decisions, only acting on orders, so she couldn’t do it either.
The Momoi Brothers and Yayoi had limited abilities and knowledge, lacking decisiveness and thus unable to take on the role. Maeshima Shichiro was currently busy being a “transport captain,” traveling to collect raw materials and deliver goods, and had no time.
As for the two retainers sent by Oda Nobunaga… they were untrustworthy. Their limit was being foremen; it was inconvenient to let them participate in too many important matters.
Therefore, Yuan Ye had been managing all sorts of miscellaneous tasks himself before, and was already overwhelmed. Now that Chiyo had suddenly appeared, she could be assigned general miscellaneous duties. After all, she had managed the Endo family before, and even if the scale was small, she was at least an experienced talent.
Whether she could do it could be assessed first. If not, she could be removed. After all, they were truly short of personnel right now.
Yuan Ye made his decision. Endo Chiyo hadn’t expected that by merely trying to inquire, Yuan Ye would actually accept her and offer an annual salary, essentially recruiting her as a subordinate official. He even granted her significant authority as magistrate, demonstrating extraordinary trust.
For a moment, her heart seemed to skip a beat, feeling something sprout within her chest. She was momentarily emotional, but her self-control was excellent. She immediately calmed her emotions, showed Yuan Ye a proper smile, bowed, and said, “Thank you so much, Lord Yuan Ye. I will work hard and will never betray your trust!”
