Miao Chu

Chapter 169 Reputation
The matter of recruiting laborers to dig canals and dredge rivers was not under Song Miao's jurisdiction, so she naturally could not speak on it lightly.

Han Li wasn't there at the moment, so after a moment's thought, she said, "Don't rush, wait for my news."

After saying that, he first called in Dabing and Aunt Ma, and assigned them the tasks at the official post station.

With these nearly thirty more people, it would take a lot of effort just to prepare lunch. The kitchen would definitely not have enough ingredients. So she explained what dishes to make and how to make them. Then she said to Dabing, "I'm going to the yamen. I might not be back by lunchtime. You take Fourth Sister with you, and Aunt Ma can help out. If it's not enough, you can call others to help. Just be careful not to clash with Chef Zhang's time and affect the other officials and guests' meals."

He was then instructed to make purchases according to the appointed time.

Having followed Song Miao for so many days, Dabing had already received several special training sessions from her. Now, he finally had the opportunity to take the lead in preparing meals for twenty or thirty people on his own. Moreover, with Aunt Ma and Zhang Si Niang helping out, he was immediately filled with fighting spirit and readily agreed.

Song Miao wasn't in a hurry to leave. She took out paper and pen and carefully asked Zhang Si Niang about Wang San Lang's whereabouts and the situation of laborers in the city.

Although Zhang Si Niang only spoke of people and events around her, as long as the information is carefully filtered, it can still serve as a reference—it is more reliable than what the clerk Qian Zhongming said.

Aunt Ma, who had been listening nearby, held back for a long time before finally finding an opening to interject, "Oh dear, if you had said so earlier, young lady, not only Xiao Wang, but even my husband at home could have come and helped!"

He hurriedly added, "Even without subsidies, this is still legitimate labor service. If we are conscripted, we will still have to go. If the river is truly dredged, there will be less flooding in the future. We all rely on the water for our livelihood. Although it is called service, it is actually for our own survival! What does it matter if we get more money or less money!"

Song Miao knew that these words were mostly just nice words, but there might be some sincerity in them.

Everyone has a family to support. To be willing to come and help even if it costs less money is truly rare and precious.

She asked Aunt Ma and Zhang Si Niang, knowing that many of the women and aunts who had come from outside were in similar circumstances. She then went out to ask everyone if they had any such laborers around them.

As soon as these words were spoken, although the intention was not directly stated, everyone in Manshaiping guessed that there might be another job opening. Immediately, one by one, they threw down their planes and knives and stood up, fearing that Song Miao would not see them.

Everyone was talking about their own family members, including not only their husbands but also their brothers-in-law and uncles. Others were talking about their nephews and nieces, their brothers, and even their fathers, who, although a bit older, had worked as blacksmiths for several years and were incredibly strong, stronger than any of the younger men. Almost everyone responded to these claims.

Song Miaowen understood the specific situation of everyone, and recorded everything, including where each laborer lived. She also made it clear that she was not in a hurry to recruit people, but was just asking first, and told them not to rush back to tell her.

Having roughly figured out the details of the place, Song Miao folded the paper filled with notes and took it with her, heading straight for the Huazhou government office.

Upon arriving at the destination, she first asked the guard to come inside and announce that she was looking for someone.

After waiting for a moment, Kong Fuyang hurriedly came out. Upon seeing Song Miao, he asked, "Young Miss Song, what brings you here? Is something urgent?"

Song Miao led him aside, and seeing that no one was around, she briefly explained what she had found out that day. She then handed the recorded paper to him and whispered, "I know that Young Master Han is currently recruiting laborers in Weizhou. However, the journey is long and arduous, requiring both water and land travel. The recruited people can only serve as supplements, not as the main force. The purpose is simply to force the state government to conscript laborers."

"If we can gather the manpower of these prefectures without relying on the clerks of the government, wouldn't that be a kind of pressure? At that time, the prefectures will recruit their own people, and Young Master Han will also bring people. Wouldn't it be more convenient to walk on two legs than to hop on one leg?"

Kong Fuyang was just listening at first, but as he listened, he unconsciously straightened his back and his expression became serious. When he read Song Miao's report, his heart pounded even harder. He thought to himself: Zheng Yan is not here, and Wu Gongshi is a technical officer. Although the roads are not fully open in the past two days, some people and things from the capital have arrived one after another. He is already too busy to take care of anything else, just arranging people and materials, digging the river and setting up the sluice gates.

—This is truly the time for me to step forward and make a decision. With such a good opportunity, and with Miss Song practically feeding me, if I don't open my mouth and eat, I'm afraid I'll regret it in my sleep for the rest of my life!

Thinking of this, he immediately said, "What the stall owner Song said is absolutely right! Please sit for a moment, I will go and report to Magistrate Cen to get a legitimate recruitment order, and ask for some more people to set up stalls in the streets and alleys to recruit people!"

As he spoke, he led Song Miao into the back office, told her to sit down, and then left excitedly.

Seeing him rushing around in quick succession, Song Miao was somewhat uneasy.

Having traveled together and spent so many days together, she felt that although this young master Kong was very intelligent, he was still somewhat naive and impetuous, perhaps because he had fewer opportunities to deal with mundane affairs, and his actions were ultimately a bit rough.

In the past, he led the work by breaking things down into smaller parts and focusing only on the small details. With Young Master Han reminding him, even if a small mistake occurred, he could easily patch it up.

But now that he's suddenly setting up such a large operation, and judging from his intention to establish many locations, and given that Magistrate Cen isn't someone who can keep people in check, just thinking about those twelve cooks who were picked from who-knows-where yesterday, he knows that asking him for people will only lead to trouble, not good.

She was secretly worried for the other party, and taking advantage of the free time, she also mentally sorted out the personnel recruitment matters.

After waiting for a long time, Kong Fuyang finally came out with a brisk pace. When he saw Song Miao, he waved a document in his hand and said happily, "Prefect Cen agreed. Qian Zhongming didn't cause any trouble. He just said that he would immediately arrange for people to be recruited in various streets and alleys. There will be six points in the prefecture, with two patrolmen assigned to each point. It seems that after yesterday's incident with the cooks, he was afraid of trouble because he knew he was in the wrong!"

Seeing his reaction, Song Miao couldn't help but say, "Qian Zhongming is a senior official who usually manipulates Prefect Cen like a ball. He kept delaying our conscription, and yesterday he sent those hooligans to get rid of us. But suddenly he seems so easy to talk to. Young master, you should be more careful."

Kong Fuyang laughed and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Song! I'm not stupid. I've already taken precautions. Fortunately, Zheng Yan left me some people this time. I plan to assign one student to each stall, and I will also keep an eye on the largest stall myself, and patrol all the other stalls. I have other arrangements as well. In short, I will make sure they don't dare to do anything underhanded!"

He added, "It's better to prepare for this sooner rather than later. I'll urge them to set up the stall in a bit. You can have people spread the word so that anyone interested can find the village head to register, or find out the location and register at the stall!"

Seeing his confidence, Song Miao stopped arguing. However, upon returning to the official post station, she remained somewhat wary.

She called Zhang Si Niang and Aunt Ma aside, first telling them about the yamen's agreement to recruit laborers, and then said, "I can't say much to others. You two know about the cook yesterday. Everyone in the yamen has their own thoughts. Even if they agree, they may not be reliable."

"We're not in a hurry. Why don't we ask one of you to help find out if there are any problems? We don't want things to turn out to be mutually beneficial but end up dragging you down with us, that would be troublesome!"

At this point, Song Miao glanced at Zhang Siniang, then at Aunt Ma, and finally said to the two of them, "To put it bluntly, whether it's the officials or students in the Water Conservancy Bureau, I'm just passing through. Once the business is done, no matter who I fall out with, I can simply return to the capital. But you and Siniang have lived here for generations. If you offend someone powerful and end up failing to resolve the situation..."

These words laid everything out in their entirety, clearly analyzing the pros and cons. Aunt Ma, listening with a hint of nervousness, said, "Thank you for your advice, young lady. The official in charge of the yamen these days is a high-ranking official surnamed Qian. He has seen several prefectural officials come and go over the years. I'll find someone to ask him—it just so happens that Sister Xia's cousin is the village head, one of our own, so it'll be easier to talk to him."

But she immediately comforted her, saying, "Don't worry, young lady. It's fine under normal circumstances, but now everyone is struggling to make ends meet. No matter how powerful you are, you should at least leave us some food, right? Even a rabbit has two teeth if you push us too far!"

After saying that, Aunt Ma didn't dare to delay. She went to the drying ground and called out the oldest girl, Sister Xia, and hurriedly left with her.

Meanwhile, it had been quite a while since Aunt Ma and Aunt Xia left. Inside the Huazhou prefectural government office, several clerks stood outside the room of clerk Qian Zhongming, and half a day had passed without them having a chance to enter. Inside the room, Qian Zhongming's expression was visibly grim.

Three people stood below. The one on the far left, observing the situation, quickly said, "Don't worry, Chief Kong. The instructions have already been given. The village heads all know how to handle it. We don't need to worry about it."

This time, Qian Zhongming didn't just wash his hands of the matter like he had done before. Instead, he pressed for details: "What are they planning to do?"

The clerk said, "I asked them one by one, and they all know that it's not good to use force this time, lest they find out later and implicate you, sir."

“Those village heads are all shrewd people. One or two of them don’t need to be taught at all; they’ve already come up with the same idea—it’s a proper method—whoever signs up, they say that their name is already on the conscription list, and once it’s all collected, they’ll report it to their superiors.”

"If we encounter a single household that is not required to perform the service this time, we will set up another service, and we will do this several times. People are not stupid, and they will know not to provoke us."

Qian Zhongming pondered for a moment before nodding and instructing the clerk in the middle, "Of course, we should talk to them properly first, but if we encounter someone who is blind to the danger and insists on digging the river, we can't just let them cause trouble. You should find a way to lock them up first. We can't let anyone cause trouble at this critical juncture!"

The clerk hurriedly replied, "Don't worry, Clerk Kong, I will definitely handle this matter well!"

Qian Zhongming glanced at him expressionlessly and said, "If it weren't for the idiot you brought in causing so much trouble, we wouldn't be doing this to fix things today!"

He then asked, "You'd better really handle this properly—how were those people from yesterday dealt with?"

"Those two troublemakers received fifty lashes as a warning, and the rest were also properly disciplined..."

As he was speaking, Qian Zhongming narrowed his eyes and suddenly interrupted, "What do you mean by 'dealing with them properly'? You let them go?"

The clerk hesitated for a moment, but still forced a smile and said, "Actually, we didn't leave any evidence this time. There were quite a few people, and we can't lock them all up..."

However, before he could finish speaking, something flew rapidly toward his face.

He couldn't react in time and had no chance to dodge. Although he turned his head to the side, he was still hit hard on half of his face. Something heavy and hot hit him, followed by a crisp "smack".

The man's scream of agony rang out almost simultaneously with the cracking sound. He crouched on the ground in pain, covering his face with his hands, but he could no longer cry out in pain. He could only call out "Kong Mu" and say, "I know I was wrong! I know I was wrong!"

As he spoke, he looked up and saw Qian Kongmu staring at him with eyes like a venomous snake. He suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, and the last half of his apology got stuck in his throat, unable to be uttered.

Qian Zhongming stepped forward, stepping over the spilled hot tea and broken pieces on the ground. He grabbed the man's hair, pulled his face up, and said, "You've got some nerve! You took fifty strings of cash and dared to release him without my knowledge. Do you think I'm some kind of vegetarian bodhisattva just because I burn incense once a month?"

After saying that, he slammed the man's head heavily to the ground.

The man was so dazed by the blow that he saw stars, but he couldn't care less about anything else and hurriedly begged for mercy, "Mr. Kong, Mr. Kong, I was just about to offer you that money as a token of my respect... This was truly an accident, please forgive me..."

Qian Zhongming ignored him and instead said to the clerk on his right, "Go and clean up this mess. Find a pretext to throw them all into prison. Don't leave any loose ends."

The man hurriedly agreed and left without daring to stay any longer.

The man on the ground was still begging for mercy, saying, "Clerk Kong, I know I was wrong. I acted foolishly and lost my mind..."

Qian Zhongming pulled him up, wiped the bloodstains from the man's face with a handkerchief, and said, "What do you mean by 'petty person'? You and I are both government officials, serving the country and the court. How can we act so undignifiedly?"

The official was so frightened that he dared not move.

Qian Zhongming added, “I have a bad temper; I come quickly and I leave quickly—you go out with me first and sort things out, and return the money to the person, so that we don’t get caught.”

The clerk, unsure of the situation, was chased away by the man's words and hurriedly left.

As soon as the man left, Qian Zhongming's face darkened. He said to the only remaining clerk in the room, "Keep a close eye on this recruitment. There can't be any more mistakes!"

The clerk replied, "Don't worry, everything has been explained. I just went to check out the stall myself. The location is excellent. Although there are a few students with him, they're all greenhorns and easy to deal with. Once they've been guarding the stall for a couple of days and swatting flies for a few days, they'll know to back down on their own!"

Qian Zhongming nodded and said, "I have always trusted you to do things. It's just that Fang Da can no longer be used. Once this matter has passed, send him to Pingdingshan to guard the mine and find some opportunity to settle things once and for all."

***
At the official post station, just as it was about to be late afternoon, Aunt Ma and Aunt Xia rushed back.

The two of them went to find Song Miao together.

"Dog said this matter is difficult to handle. He was instructed by his superiors not to get involved in this recruitment of laborers, nor to promote it to people in the streets and alleys. Even if someone comes to ask him, he has to find a plausible excuse to brush them off."

Upon hearing this, Song Miao immediately said, "He is the village head and a relative, so let's not put him in a difficult position. Let's think of another way..."

Before she could finish speaking, Aunt Ma across from her suddenly revealed a sly smile and said, "Young lady, don't be in a hurry. He has to work, and we can't make things difficult for him, but we also need to eat!"

He added, “It’s not good to register at the village head’s office, nor is it good to register at the stall. There must be other places to register, right? Young lady, do you need any workers? It’s all about hiring people to do the work. Whether you work for me or for the yamen, it’s just a different title. The pay is the same, right?”

Song Miao immediately understood.

She raised her voice and said, "Auntie is right. I need to build a shed in the west of the city. This is a huge project, and I will need at least two thousand laborers. I would like to trouble you to help me set up ten tables outside the official post station."

　Thank you so much for the unexpected gift of the peach blossom fan, and thank you to readers 20250807121324424 and 154564240894328 for the lucky charms you each sent me :)

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　　Thank you everyone! ^_^
　　(End of this chapter)