The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 772 A mere county magistrate? Who cares? The Shen family is about to change course! (Seeking double monthly votes)
"The Shen family is truly... destined for an end."

The young master of the Shen family, dressed in mourning clothes, led his clansmen and servants to slay the pirates and reclaim the people and cargo. To the common people, or even the county magistrate, this event elicited only a casual "oh," a simple praise of Shen Le's personal prowess.
However, for prominent families in the county with a long-standing family tradition, what they admire is the Shen family itself.

This family was originally unknown, merely a farming household that migrated from the north. However, whenever the family faced a crisis, someone would always step forward, turn the tide, and even elevate the family to a higher level.

This is the kind of fortune that every aristocratic family dreams of! After the patriarch falls, and when it seems like there's a shortage of talent, someone is able to step forward in time and take up the mantle of the family!

Moreover, they broke the deadlock in such a violent way—after a group of the family's core forces were wiped out, they pulled together new recruits, wounded soldiers, the old and the young, and stood up with their swords drawn in a dignified manner!

This method is the most troublesome... If you dare to take action against them, they will really fight back!
"Fortunately, that youngest son still has to observe three years of mourning..."

The head of the Zhou family in Wuxing held a thin piece of paper with faded writing in his hand, sighing repeatedly. Three years of mourning meant that for three years one could not hold office, could not participate in the evaluations by the Zhongzheng official, and even could not appear in formal occasions—

Leading troops to fight this battle is one thing, but wearing mourning clothes to join the army to avenge his father is a filial act worthy of being recorded in history and commended wherever he goes.

However, in officialdom, one step behind leads to another. By the time that young man had finished observing mourning and was eligible to seek an official position, the positions he could have secured in the prefectures and counties had already been taken...

"Send someone to make some connections and fill that vacancy for county magistrate as soon as possible." He picked up the bowl of strong tea, which contained rice flour, perilla leaves, ginger, cinnamon, orange peel, and jujube pulp, took a careful sip, and placed the bowl on the table.
"Delay it if you can. If we let these people get ahead, well..."

Last time, an unknown family suddenly became a powerful clan at the county level; if things don't go according to plan this time, who knows when the Shen family will rise to the county level and be on equal footing with them!
Fortunately, the position of county magistrate could only be appointed by the prefect... After three years of mourning, one had to wait for the official to come, then seek another official position, and climb the ranks step by step, which would take at least five or six years.

Five or six years is enough time for the powerful clans in the county to calmly lay out their plans and weave a tight net!

Their actions quickly impacted the Shen family. The three cargo ships returned to the Shen family home, where they comforted the sailors, treated the wounded, reported their achievements to the county authorities, and held a grand funeral. A month later, Shen Le received the latest news:

"Sanlang, I'm afraid I won't be able to fill the official position in my clan."

"Oh? What's wrong?"

Shen Le put down his teacup, rubbed his hands together, and smoothed out the reddened area on his palm. After his triumphant return, although he was young, of lower generation, and still observing mourning, he was already the de facto head of the family.

All household affairs, regardless of size, were decided by him. Even after the death of the father of this body, the selection of a replacement for the county magistrate required his approval.

"After we returned, we sent the captured pirates, their heads, and the official documents praising our achievements to the county government, requesting that A-Zhao be appointed as the county magistrate. The magistrate initially agreed readily and was willing to speak on our behalf..."

Shen Le listened intently. According to the imperial decree, the positions of county magistrate and county commandant were appointed by the prefectural governor, rather than being decided by the county itself, in order to maintain central control over the local area.

In reality, the powerful families in the county had already tacitly divided up the official positions below the county magistrate, or rather, these officials could not perform their duties without the approval of the powerful families in the county.

The Shen family lost a county constable. Logically speaking, as long as they can prove that their family's military strength is still intact, it shouldn't be difficult to send someone else to fill the position...

"However, the prefect is still not coming down. We asked around at several places, and we heard that a powerful family in the prefecture is involved and wants the position..."

The clan elder who reported to him glanced at his face with some trepidation. The money, Shen Le approved; the resources, Shen Le approved; the military merits, all were concentrated on the one with the highest probability.

If people can't be pushed forward, then the result will be that they are incompetent.
"It's nothing," Shen Le smiled slightly. He stood up, turned around twice, placed his hand on the table, and looked north.

"If we can't fix it, we can't fix it. The world is going to be in chaos. Next, it won't be a county lieutenant, a county magistrate, or a prefectural magistrate who can hold us back!"

"This……"

The elder's face turned deathly pale. "The world is about to descend into chaos"—what a terrifying statement...

When the world descended into chaos, the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, and warlords vied for power, resulting in countless deaths and desolation. The Shen family survived only because their ancestor possessed the ability to foresee the future and moved the entire family to the shores of Dongqian Lake.

Even without major chaos, a single campaign against the Yue tribes, conscripting soldiers and requisitioning grain, would be enough to make the family feel as if they were facing annihilation.

One expedition to Yizhou required the requisition of ships and sailors from the family, and it took the family a full ten years to barely recover...

"San...Sanlang, what are you saying..."

"It's unspeakable, unspeakable." Shen Le smiled and shook his finger. If the family were in the Central Plains, in Luoyang, they would be packing up and running away by now, and if they didn't run, disaster would befall them.

But now everyone is in Jiangnan, or even in remote places like Jianye, but in the remote Mao County. What's there to be afraid of?

The chaotic troops are too numerous to handle!

Seize this opportunity, and your family can achieve leapfrog development!

“Go talk to the magistrate again. If you can’t give me an official position, at least give me something else.” He tapped the table, pulled over a piece of paper, and the clan elder hurriedly came over to help him grind ink.
"We can't let all these pirates go unpunished, can we? There should be rewards and compensation, right? Give them land, grain, money and silk. If the county magistrate doesn't have any, give him some other official position!"

Those sons my late father took out who died fighting for their country, let their families fill the vacancies!

"These are all easy to arrange..." the clan elder nodded repeatedly. The soldiers, yamen runners, and clerks in the county—these are all easily filled; it's a matter of the county magistrate's brushstrokes.

"The county magistrate was already somewhat apologetic for not being able to get the county lieutenant to agree to the matter, and he had made quite a few promises..."

"Also, the family needs to change its approach in the next few years." Shen Le continued, outlining future developments:

Originally, it was planned to use the position of county magistrate as a base, which would facilitate many things. Now that the position has been lost, some practices will need to be adjusted somewhat:

"First, we must treat our children well and cultivate good relationships with our tenants. The Shen family received their great help during this great calamity; they are the foundation of our family and we must nurture them well!"

From today onwards, the family will open a lecture hall. All males aged six to fifteen must come to learn calligraphy, painting, and martial arts! Tenants will have half their rent waived, and males selected to learn martial arts will be exempt from one mu of rent tax for each selected male!

"Oh, this costs so much money..." The elder's beard trembled with worry. Shen Le continued without hesitation:
"Secondly, the family business shifted. The porcelain industry was reduced by two-thirds, retaining only the best craftsmen and the best kiln, producing only high-quality products;
The brewing industry was scaled back, and all the grain was saved; oxen were purchased and lent to tenant farmers, land reclamation was rewarded, lakes were enclosed for duck farming, and pig sheds were built for pig farming!

Open more salt pans, buy more seafood, and make more salted fish! In short, in the next three years, fill up my warehouses and feed my people!

Seeing Shen Le's obvious readiness to make a big move, the clan elder was truly terrified. Shen Le sighed and clapped his hands:
"Forget it, let's call all the elders over, and I'll tell them myself!"

He spoke at length, from the situation in the north, to the emperors who rose and fell like a revolving lantern, and then to the various anthropomorphic behaviors of the Sima family. After finishing, he asked with a stern face:

"When in history did such an emperor and such a world appear? What always follows such a situation?"

This long passage left the elders pale-faced, swaying and trembling, almost sliding off their chairs to the ground:
"This...this...the world is really going to descend into chaos..."

"When the world descends into chaos, the most important thing is to have a knife in your hand." Shen Le's eyes gleamed, and he raised his arm, slashing down with his palm:
"Repair the fortified villages, store up our reserves, and train our troops! While there's still time before chaos erupts, we must solidify our strength into a single, unified force!"

Having said this much, half of the clan elders were completely convinced and obediently followed his orders. The other half remained skeptical, especially the white-haired uncle, who shakily rose and, leaning on his cane, moved to stand before Shen Le:

"Sanlang, war is dangerous and perilous... Our Shen family is small, we can't afford to die, we can't afford to die!"

"Don't worry, Uncle." Shen Le smiled broadly.
"There are only so many men, and not many tenant farmers either, so of course I wouldn't rashly send them to the battlefield. In fact, these men are there to protect themselves, not to fight—"

"Just do as I say, and I'll take care of the future!"

The entire Shen family sprang into action as if whipped. They appeased the tenant farmers, educated their children, and restructured their business—

Shen Le personally arranged the curriculum, assigning scholars and veterans from his family to teach the children of his clan and tenant farmers. After finalizing the teaching materials and class schedule, he immersed himself in the workshop, personally adjusting the direction of the lessons.

From coarse, grayish-yellow porcelain, to smooth, lustrous celadon, and then to pristine white porcelain, three kilns were reduced to one. Output decreased by two-thirds, but profits more than tripled!
Raising ducks and pigs, explaining in detail how to clean pigsties, how to isolate sick pigs to prevent a mass die-off, and how to castrate piglets;

The blacksmith shop improved the steel-casting method, improved the water and oil used for quenching, and optimized production efficiency.
Finally, he spent most of his time at the shipyard.

"The previous modifications to the sand barges were just for emergencies, minor alterations. Now, I'll teach you how to build a bigger, more stable ship! Keep up the good work, and by the end of the year, I want to see at least three new ships!"

"Are you kidding me...? Such a big ship, we could only build two a year before..."

"It's alright! With me here, if you all do as I say, and we still can't finish building it, it's not your fault!"

In any case, everything is proceeding according to plan.

When the news of the change of reign title and the news of his death arrived at the same time—when Emperor Hui of Jin, the famously mentally challenged emperor who knew "this is the blood of Ji Shizhong, do not remove it," finally passed away, three sand ships sailed north together!
"The Shen family is off to do business again."

"I wonder how much money we can make this time... Sigh, they're not buying from outsiders this time, so we can't get on their bandwagon..."

"There's nothing we can do. The family head was really too harsh last time. If you ask me, we all handled the goods together, so we should all share the responsibility if something goes wrong. We shouldn't all be asking the Shen family for compensation!"

"And it happened during someone's funeral... That's just too much..."

Several prominent families in the county were abuzz with discussion, while those in the prefecture were a step too late in receiving the news. The three sand barges entered the Yongji Canal from the shipyard, then the Yongjiang River from the Yongji Canal, and finally set sail from the Yongjiang River to the sea, heading directly north.

Instead of taking inland rivers or land routes, we'll bypass those scattered islands in the open sea and head straight for Shandong!

Chaos has begun in the north. Even just coming ashore to replenish food and water, one can sense the sporadic tension and the smell of gunpowder.

Three Shen family sand barges cleaved through the waves, finally anchoring in a secluded harbor north of Lianyungang. Shen Le personally led the expedition, but remained out of the way, instead instructing his clansmen to switch from sea to land, heading straight inland.

Less than two hundred li away lies Langya County, the territory governed by the Langya Prince's Mansion!
They sell tea, fine cloth, and some low-end porcelain. The caravan leader, Shen Yue, is Shen Le's cousin; he is a calm and capable man.

While fulfilling his duties as an ordinary merchant, he also used various connections to send rare brocades and porcelains into the hands of officials under the Langya Prince's court and relatives of the Langya Princess's family.

"I dare not ask for the favor of important people, I only hope to be able to do a small business peacefully in this area..."

The brocade was alright, but a set of white porcelain cups inside truly caught the eye. The glaze was lustrous, like silver or snow, and the shape was simple yet exuded an extraordinary air.

Even someone completely unfamiliar with porcelain would be immediately struck by the quality of this piece. Without Shen Yue needing to say anything, he was escorted, layer by layer, to the Langya Princess's maternal home, where he was summoned by a low-ranking steward.

"Are there any more porcelain pieces of this quality? His Highness's birthday is next month, and we need to find two decent birthday gifts..."

Shen Yue understood immediately, but his face was full of sorrow:

"This kind of exquisite work isn't something you can just make at will... I'll go back and urge the workshop at home to see if the master craftsman can step up his efforts..."

A month later, the Shen family's fleet headed north again. This time, they brought a complete set of white porcelain teapots, cups, and bowls, as well as the Shen family's finest brocade and tea, humbly requesting a favor:

"If we can do our best to show our filial piety to Your Highness, it would be the result of our ancestors accumulating good karma for eight generations!"

During the handover, another clerk in official robes quietly appeared. While inspecting the goods, his gaze swept across the list, lingered for a moment, and he spoke in a flat, seemingly casual tone:
"The family has recently taken a great liking to the elegance of this porcelain, but unfortunately, the journey to Jiangdong is long and transportation is difficult."

The patriarch was right!

Shen Yue was deeply shaken, but his face remained calm. He simply bowed and said, "It is an honor for the Shen family to serve the Prince's Mansion in any way. If you do not mind the products of Jiangnan, the Shen family's boats may be able to contribute in some small way!"

(End of this chapter)