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Ch20 - Undercurrents
Even though he’d barely done anything that morning, Liang Feng was utterly spent. It wasn’t just that his body felt heavy, there was a kind of restlessness gnawing at him from inside. He hastily finished breakfast and sent Yiyan to take stock of the weapons left in the storehouse. He’d planned to transcribe a few sections of the Diamond Sutra before resting, but just as he lifted his brush, someone came to report outside his door.
Liang Feng frowned and said to Lüzhu, “Go check who it is.”
Lüzhu scurried to the door and returned with a strange expression on her face, “Master, it’s young master here to see you. He came by last night, but you were already asleep.”
Liang Feng stilled, only just remembering that he had a cheap son. Paying respects every morning was likely a commonplace formality in this era. The image of that tiny face puffy and red from tears surfaced in his mind’s eye. He nodded, “Send him in then.”
LĂźzhu bowed and left to convey his orders. Shortly thereafter, the sound of light footsteps pattered from the outer room.
“Greetings, father.” Still dressed up as neatly as a mini adult, Liang Rong entered. He brushed aside the hem of his robe and kneeled to Liang Feng.
“Come, sit over here.” Liang Feng was unused to being kneeled to, much less by such a soft little bun. He gestured to the child to sit by his side. He asked, “Lüzhu told me that you visited last night?”
Liang Rong nervously but earnestly replied, “Yes, father. I came too late yesterday to fulfill formalities….”
“It’s alright,” Liang Feng smilingly interrupted the child’s self-recrimination. He was still so young his breath smelled like milk; there was no need to be so rigid. “I have yet to recover, so you don’t need to come every day, else you might get sick as well.”
With how weak his body was, it’d be all too possible for him to catch a cold and infect Liang Rong with it as well. The child mortality rate in this era was ridiculously high; he didn’t want to take the risk.
Liang Rong’s eyes widened at his words. After a good while, he bit his lips and asked subduedly, “Are you very sick, father? I’m not afraid of getting sick, I want to stay and help you, father….”
With how small he was, could he even carry a medicine bowl? Liang Feng bemusedly said, “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Rong-er. There are servants attending to me. Getting sick is no laughing matter.”
“But it’s only if I’m here to look after you that you’ll get better. Back then, I was too little to look after grandmother. Now that I’m grown up, I want to do my duty to you, father.” The more he spoke, the more choked up he became. Tears swelled up in his eyes; he couldn’t have looked more sincere and earnest.
Just where’d he learn that from? Was it from one of those absurd folktales like the ice fishing one? Liang Feng was utterly speechless. He turned to look at the nursemaid standing behind Liang Rong.
Zhaoyu said quietly, “I’ve told the young master before that the old madam’s death wasn’t his fault, that his father was merely overcome by a fit of anger and wasn’t really accusing him of being unfilial. But the young master has a stubborn temperament and didn’t believe me….”
Liang Feng: “……”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“Dad,” Liang Rong sniffled, the teardrops finally rolling down his face, “I was afraid you didn’t want me too, dad. Can’t your sickness get better any faster?”
“It will get better. I’ve already seen an excellent doctor; I’ll be healthy in no time. Fear not, Rong-er.” The child had a deathgrip on his sleeve as if he was afraid he’d disappear. Liang Feng’s heart melted. Lüzhu handed him a handkerchief which he used to carefully wipe Liang Rong’s face. He patted his head again, “You must be happy and joyful, that way I’ll get better quickly. If you’re sobbing all day, won’t I be even more worried?”
Those words had an instant effect. Liang Rong blinked away his tears and nodded determinedly, “Okay, I’ll be good!”
“There you go,” Liang Feng carefully let out a breath. He addressed Zhaoyu, “I trust Rong-er is faring comfortably?”
It was the first time that Zhaoyu had heard her master inquire about the subject. With a hint of joy in her eyes, she respectfully answered, “The young master didn’t sleep as much as usual, but he’s in good spirits still. His living needs are all fulfilled according to the estate’s standards.”
“In the future, add some sheep’s milk and chicken’s eggs to his diet. Take him out to walk more often as well, so he’s not stifled indoors all day,” Liang Feng instructed.
Judging by the state of the original’s body, the Liang family wasn’t too good at properly nurturing children. The kids in his family had been all snot-nosed brats, always bouncing off the walls and kicking up a fuss, unlike Liang Rong who was so well behaved he seemed almost stuffy. It’d be good for him to go out and play more often.
“I understand, master!” Zhaoyu instantly bowed.
Liang Rong understood what he meant as well. He clenched his little fist as he looked adoringly at his father. He only wished he could grow up faster so his father wouldn’t have to worry anymore.
Not knowing how to raise a child, Liang Feng only managed another few words of consolation. Zhaoyu, seeing that her master was somewhat overwhelmed, considerately led Liang Rong away. Liang Feng rubbed vaguely aching temples as he watched the child totter away, looking back at him every other step. Being a cheap father really wasn’t easy after all. Still, who could ignore such a well-behaved little kid?
“Master, why don’t you take a break,” Lüzhu asked worriedly at seeing her master’s tired expression.
Unable to push on, Liang Feng finally took his medicine and went to bed. He slept like a log, and by the time he woke up, Yiyan had already returned from the storehouse, bringing several sabers and a few longbows.
“These are barely usable anymore,” Liang Feng concluded upon seeing the rusty weapons. He shook his head, “Are the bows still working?”
Yiyan picked one up, nocked an arrow, and let it loose, hitting a tree dead center. A few leaves rustled to the ground. He plucked at the bowstring and replied, “It’s a bit worn, but it’ll be fine after some repairs.”
Liang Feng used to be an excellent shooter; he could tell that Yiyan’s arrow had been shot with remarkable accuracy and force. Unfortunately, even if he wanted to learn archery, he wasn’t able to draw a bow. Liang Feng mused, “If you could shoot with such precision using either hand, it’d be quite a trump card. You’d have a large advantage in real battle.”
Liang Feng wasn’t just pulling it out of his ass, there was a precedent in the police force. There was one policeman, who in the middle of an arrest, took a heavy injury to his right hand. When the criminal had let his guard down, he suddenly whipped out a gun with his left hand and killed him with one shot. Such was battle; having one more means of defense meant having one more chance at survival. Not to mention that troop formations had to conform to standard, having random left-handers scattered in the array would cause unnecessary disorder. Yiyan had to start practicing with his right hand.
Yiyan nodded forcefully then picked up a saber, “My lord, what about these sabers?”
“You all aren’t ready for swords and sabers yet. I’ve already arranged for the woodshop to craft spears. Once they’re finished, it’ll be time for you to practice formations for real,” Liang Feng answered.
“Will spears really be useful?” All the soldiers Yiyan had seen had been armed with sabers. What threat could wooden spears pose?
Liang Feng chuckled, “Of course they’re useful. It is the king of weapons, the ruler of the battlefield. I’ll teach you thoroughly when we have them on hand. As for tomorrow’s training, the best method would be to …..”
Liang Feng casually began teaching Yiyan how to train an army.
※
At sunset, food and wine were spread in preparation, surprising the two who’d come to attend the meeting.
“All this meat and wine, why, what’s the occasion Retainer Tian?” Sitting by the low table, Head Craftsman Wu grabbed a pot of wine and sniffed it rudely. “Ol’ Jiang, this’s good wine from the commandery capital! C’mon you’ve gotta drink some more of this!”
The man who’d been called Ol’ Jiang chuckled gleefully, popping some salted beans into his mouth. He smacked his lips as he savored the taste, “I’m guessing someone’s gettin’ antsy now that the master’s back, eh?”
Tian Chang didn’t react to the two craftsman’s jabs. He poured himself a cup of wine, “You two manage workshops, so you might not have heard the news spreading amongst the farm workers. The master’s really at it this time, exempting taxes, throwing out rewards, and scrounging up a militia. He even made me hand over the account books so he could personally audit them!”
The two craftsmen had heard about the first part already, but hadn’t taken it to heart as it didn’t concern them. But the second part was different. Audit? The clothworks and clayworks were the two most important crafts in the estate, earning nearly a hundred thousand each year. Especially so for the clothworks, which had seamstresses skilled enough that they could peddle their wares in the commandery capital. The clayworks hadn’t been raking in nearly as much because of the wars, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t been getting their hands dirty as well. If there was an audit, neither of them was able to wipe their asses clean.
Craftsman Wu blanched and pressed, “You really gave over the books?”
“Did I have a choice? He’s the head of household after all,” Tian Chang replied coldly.
“Dimwit! That’s just like handing over your confession of guilt! What if the master punishes us for this?” Craftsman Jiang was starting to panic as well.
Tian Chang watched the two panic as he leisurely sipped his turbid white wine. He smiled uncaringly, “It’s just a ledger – that’s not even the worst of it. Now that the master’s been scared witless by bandits, he’s dead set on setting up a militia. We all know how much money that’ll take, if the master’s too hard-up he might even close the clayworks or tell the clothworks to cut back on production…. haha that would be troublesome indeed.”
Originally, the workshops were set up to provide for the estate’s requirements. If the master was planning to cut costs, the clayworks and clothworks really might be ordered to lower their output. They’d be in dire straits then, as their illicit earnings would be choked off. And they could forget about living as comfortably as they had been.
Craftsman Jiang’s expression soured as he lowered his cup, “Isn’t there anything we can do, Retainer Tian? You’ve got such a good opportunity now that Yan Sheng’s dead, are you really gonna let those Jie barbarians rile up the master?”
“Keep in mind that it was the master who had Yan Sheng caned to death.” Tian Chang sneered, “They say it’s because Yan Sheng took advantage of the master’s sickness to pocket some money for himself. You think he’s going to trust us lowly subordinates right now?”
He had a point; once bitten, twice shy after all. With Yan Sheng as a precedent, that noble might just see them all as poisonous vipers now. Tian Chang, as a retainer, could leave whenever he wanted to, but they two were honest to god serfs. If the master smelled anything fishy, he could strip their craftsman status away with a single order. Then they could forget about making money, they’d be fearing for their lives!
Craftsman Wu heard his subtext as well, “Whaddya mean by this, Retainer Tian? You planning to make an example out of our two workshops?!”
“Of course not!” Tian Chan flicked his sleeve and said haughtily, “I invited the two of you here today to discuss how to face this problem. We’re all on the same boat here, and we’ve known each other for decades already, are we just going to sit by while the estate’s being turned upside down?”
They couldn’t tell how sincere he was, but, as craftsmen, they lacked the ability to influence the master. The two craftsmen met each other’s eyes; Craftsman Wu laughed, “So you’ve got a plan then, brother Tian?”
“It’s simple. The master’s just summoned Craftsman Liu today, if he summons the two of you as well, you can bring all your problems before him. For example, brother Wu, you can just say it’s been a difficult year and the clayware hasn’t been selling well in the commandery capital, business is slow and none of the shops are stocking up on new inventory. It’s not even a lie, really. And once he’s had a taste of hardship, the master will change his mind in a month or two.”
“But the workshop’s profits over the last few years are all recorded in the ledgers, aren’t we screwed if the master really does audit them?” Craftsman Wu asked.
“Haha, don’t worry brother Wu, I’ve already fixed it up. Not only won’t he find any clues, it’ll even prove how much your workshops have been struggling. He can’t really spend the time to add up all the numbers after all,” Tian Chang laughed unconcernedly.
The thing these nobles hated most was being poor. The master might not believe him if he said there wasn’t any money, but if these head craftsmen also went and complained that they were short on cash and the ledgers backed them up, then Liang Feng, that wastrel, would probably start squirming in his seat. And it didn’t count as a falsehood either, the two workshops would just have to stop dealing under the table and start slacking off. They’d just have to grin and bear it.
Tian Chang had guessed their bottom line correctly. The two craftsmen exchanged a look. Craftsman Wu raised a cup in toast, “Brother Tian, you’ve certainly hit on a topic near and dear to us. It really isn’t easy to get by these days; since the master’s back we’ll be sure to tell it like it is.”
Craftsman Jiang chuckled as well, “Don’t forget about our troubles once you’re chief supervisor again. Our workshops handle lotsa responsibilities, we’ve gotta depend on some help from the estate.”
Those were their conditions then. Tian Chang laughed, “You two are too kind! It’s only too bad I can’t do more for the estate. I only hope the master stops with this foolishness soon, or he’ll be letting down all our good faith.”
The three looked at each other and burst into guffaws. Tian Chang raised his cup, “Drink, drink, don’t let good wine go to waste….”