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Ch19 - Revitalization
When he left the main residence, Tian Chang didn’t return home directly. He took a turn and arrived at a small out-of-the-way courtyard. It was separated from the Liang Estate’s servant quarters by only a single wall. It was a prime napping spot for slacking layabouts.
As expected, he found two men slumped on the ground inside. Tian Chang quietly walked up behind them and coughed, “Wang Hu, Wang Bao, sleeping on the job again?!”
The two hopped to their feet and put on lackadaisical grins upon seeing Tian Chang. Wang Hu said, “So it’s you, Retainer Tian! You scared us to death there. What business have ya got here in the main residence?”
These Wang brothers were Tian Chang’s eyes and ears in the main estate and were quite chummy with him. Tian Chang chuckled, “I’ve just come over from the master’s and happened to hear some news I wanted to share with you two.”
The Wang brothers were somewhat confused. Tian Chang was a petty old man who never did anything that didn’t benefit him directly, why would he voluntarily leak information to them? Wang Bao cleared his throat and asked doubtfully, “It’s not good news, I’m guessing?”
Tian Chang stroked his long beard, “It’s not necessarily bad news for you two. You should’ve heard by now that the master wants to establish a militia and has brought a whole gaggle of Jie into the estate.”
That news had already made the rounds last night, of course they knew. Wang Hu asked, befuddled, “What’s that got to do with us?”
“Oh, it has a lot to do with you!” Tian Chang’s expression soured, “How much grain do you think is left in this estate? If he’s mustering up a militia, does he need a separate guard anymore? I’m afraid you lot will be out of house and home.”
There weren’t many guards, only six or seven people in all. The Wang brothers had muddled around for years before managing to gain some street cred in the estate. If the guards were dismantled, wouldn’t they go right back to being nobodies?
Wang Hu panicked, “How can that be?! The estate’s huge, there’s gotta be people patrolling right? Retainer Tian, didn’t you try to talk reason with the master?”
Tian Chang sneered, “If I were capable of reasoning with him, how could he have been deceived by that lowly slave, Yan Sheng?”
Wang Bao, who had slightly more brains, asked, “Then what if we two join the militia? He’s gotta give us guards a chance too, right?”
That was exactly what Tian Chang was waiting to hear. He patted his beard, “Just recently, the master said that he’d exempt the land tax of everyone who’d put up a fight against the bandits; and he’s told ah-Liang to spread the news. I’m afraid the real militia will get even better treatment.”
Tian Chang was speaking doublespeak, but Wang Bao understood his meaning. So he wanted them to be his insiders in the militia! If they could establish themselves in the militia and curry favor with the leader, then they could keep doing as they pleased in the estate!
Wang Bao instantly started racking his brains. He pretended to be reluctant, “But how’m I and my brother supposed to come out on top of all those savage Jie?”
“Well, there’ll still be other men from the estate. Those Jie are all newcomers, no friends, no allies. They won’t have the guts to throw their weight around. The moment someone stands up out of the crowd, those peasant farmers will fall in line like sheep.” Tian Chang cackled, “The master must’ve been scared silly to establish a militia so hastily. If the person he’s picked can’t control the troops, he’ll have to find someone else for the job.”
That was exactly what Wang bao wanted to hear. He looked meaningfully at his older brother, who finally laughed and said, “So it’s like that! Thanks for the tip Mister Tian, us brothers have got a plan for the future now.”
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.
Tian Chang sneered inwardly at their cockiness. He wasn’t counting on them to take control of the militia, only to stir shit up. After all, tearing things down was easier than building them up. If the militia failed before it ever got on its feet, and the four workshops were all at odds, it’d leave him as the only one holding the whole estate together. Then, that sickly invalid would have no choice but to obey him.
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As expected, Liang Feng didn’t even look away from his scrolls while he received the cup and took a sip. LĂŒzhu sighed quietly. She was just about to refill incense censer when Liang Feng suddenly asked, “What fragrance is this?”
LĂŒzhu blinked “It’s dayflower fragrance with some sandalwood powder. Is it too strong, master? Should I replace it with snowbush fragrance?”
“No need. You can take away the censer.” Liang Feng put down his scroll and sighed.
He really wouldn’t have guessed unless he looked, and what he saw nearly gave him a heart attack. Last year the Liang Estate had spent almost fifty thousand coins on fragrance alone. Not to mention all the face power, skin creams, accessories, shoes
 the cost of all those luxury goods probably totaled up to over three hundred thousand, even though there weren’t even any women in the Liang household, which only consisted of him and his son. On top of that, last year, the output of the fields, mulberry arboretum, poultry, livestock, and workshops added together was only barely worth two hundred thousand. They were clearly living beyond their means and eating into their capital!
No wonder Tian Chang said that the Liang Estate couldn’t make ends meet. It seemed that upholding the facade of a noble house really was that expensive. If they kept spending like this, then forget the militia, even the servants and serfs were going to starve.
It looked like reducing his expenditure was his top priority. In the future, they’d be making their own paper. They could forego most of the fragrance; mugwort would suffice, it could even repel mosquitoes and kill germs. As for clothes, he could just use the ones he had already. He only had to put up a front when receiving guests or going out. Still, it wasn’t a long-term solution. People would eventually notice and turn up their noses at them. Just like how, in his previous life, having a million-dollar car was a status symbol among rich brats. No one cared if you drove an off-roader once in a while, but if all you had were Hyundais and Hondas, you could forget about hanging out with the elites.
He still needed to acquire financial resources.
Liang Feng massaged his aching forehead. What would be the most profitable endeavor to pursue? He only had some basic knowledge of wine brewing, enough to make some ethanol for medical use. But, thanks to the drought, grain was in short supply. If they had surplus grain, it’d be wiser if they ate it than if they drank it. Similarly, when it came to steel and blast furnaces, he was only familiar with the basic concept. Without any skilled professionals on hand, it wasn’t a problem he could solve by throwing money at it.
He really needed experts! But how did one recruit experts in this day and age?
LĂŒzhu was so startled by her master suddenly telling her to remove the censer and frowning in displeasure that her hands were slightly shaking. Had he found something wrong with the ledgers?
After a while, Liang Feng finally spoke, “Tell ah-Liang to come see me.”
LĂŒzhu immediately got a servant to notify ah-Liang, who arrived shortly after and asked, “Do you have orders for me, master?”
“Take this ledger and take inventory of the storehouses. See if everything lines up.”
Liang Feng had skimmed through the books and hadn’t seen a single uppercase number. Perhaps they hadn’t been invented yet. “Lowercase” numbers, though, were too easy to adulterate. He wouldn’t find anything simply looking through the ledger, so he may as well send someone to check the storehouses. Still, he didn’t expect Tian Chang to slip up that easily.
He sent LĂŒzhu to find the storehouse key and give it to ah-Liang and added, “For the next few days, keep an eye on Tian Chang’s whereabouts. Take special note of any head craftsmen he happens to be in contact with.”
With ah-Liang’s experience, albeit meager, in information gathering, he understood his master’s intent, “Don’t worry master, I’ll watch that old geezer’s every step!”
“Don’t let him notice you. How’s recruitment for the militia going amongst the farmers?” Liang Feng asked.
Ah-Liang reported, “Aside from those servants who’d fought off the bandits before, there’s about a dozen serfs who also want to join the militia.”
“Excellent. Tell those who wish to enlist to report to the main residence at five a.m. tomorrow. They’ll begin training alongside the Jie,” Liang Feng nodded.
“All of them?” Ah-Liang asked in confusion. With the kind of benefits the militia offered, there’d definitely be bad apples mixed among the recruits. What if they ruined the master’s plans?
“I have ways to test them of course.” Liang Feng waved him away, “That’s all for now.”
After ah-Liang left, Liang Feng slowly got up and walked to the door. Yiyan was still there, standing rigidly and staring straight ahead. His patience far exceeded that of most new soldiers.
Liang Feng observed him for a moment before saying, “Yiyan, lend me your support; I’m taking a stroll through the courtyard.”
Though he was still sick, he couldn’t spend all day shut indoors. The courtyard was a rather suitable place to take a walk; it was spacious, flush with trees and flowers. Yiyan was by Liang Feng’s side in a flash, supporting him by the arm. Yiyan’s forehead had a faint sheen of sweat from standing for so long, but he didn’t look tired at all. On the contrary, the light in his eyes glimmered like the keen edge of a honed sword.
The results were not bad at all. Liang Feng asked, “Today’s training wasn’t too difficult, I hope?”
“It was nothing,” Yiyan answered. He thought for a while before he quietly asked, “Is there something bothering you, my lord?”
“Oh? What makes you say that?” Liang Feng asked in reply.
“That Tian geezer disrespected you, my lord!” Even though Yiyan had been standing outside the whole time, he’d paid attention to everyone he’d seen and everything they’d said. Of course he noticed how disingenuously Tian Chang spoke.
“He’s opposed to me threatening his interests,” Liang Feng replied blandly.
“But everything here is yours, my lord, what right does he have to be opposed?!” Yiyan seemed even angrier; his hand tensed slightly on Liang Feng’s arm.
“The larger the holdings, the more people you need to manage it. Over time, they’ll start to believe that they have the right to the things that pass through their hands and the power to administrate them. They’ll put up a struggle the moment the head of household tries to take these things away.”
“How dare he! I’ll kill him!” Yiyan’s killing intent was roused by Liang Feng’s words. How dare an old geezer like him try to browbeat his lord?! How could he let this stand?!
Liang Feng asked rhetorically, “And then? You’ll be my new accountant and supervise the estate’s affairs? If every problem could be solved by a sword, then there’d be no more problems in the world.”
Yiyan was rendered mute. Those were beyond the scope of his experience and knowledge. But he pondered a while and suddenly said, “If you were healthy, my lord, he surely wouldn’t dare to be so brazen!”
“Being healthy alone wouldn’t be enough. Only one who knows the workings of the estate and controls the military can dominate the playing field. This is true of factions small as a household and large as a nation.” Only those who reigned over both the political and military sphere could lead a country. That was why discipline was so important, and had to be enforced persistently. Liang Feng had always known this, but because he’d never gone into business or politics, he’d never understood it so thoroughly as he did now.
Yiyan didn’t fully comprehend his words, but he knew what “controls the military” meant, “I will lead the militia well for you, my lord!”
“Correct. Your responsibility is to lead the militia. As long as I’m here, there’s no need to worry about anything else. Just remember: don’t be reckless. Only upon receiving orders from me are you permitted to act,” Liang Feng bade.
“I’m willing to die for you, my lord!” Yiyan had said that phrase many times already, but never had he been so resolute.
“It’s not enough to die for me, rather, you should be willing to live for me. To become strong for the sake of this estate and the people in it, so that they may live as well,” Liang Feng spoke, in part to Yiyan and in part to himself. He was no longer a wispy ghost that might fade at any moment. The hundreds of people in the estate, who would have to depend on him in order to survive the coming storm, were enough to motivate him to keep on going.
Perhaps that was the reason why he’d chosen to enter the police force. To him, wealth and power were so insubstantial compared to the ability to use his own hands to help those who desperately needed it.
Yiyan’s breath quickened. He hadn’t expected to hear such words, and couldn’t have imagined that he’d have such great expectations laid upon him. His lord had never treated him as an inferior barbarian. He trusted him, taught him, encouraged him. Without deception, without reservations. It was the first time that Yiyan had met anyone like him. Was it because his lord was blessed by buddha?
A mysterious feeling of dread came upon him. Yiyan gritted his teeth and replied, “I can do it.”
That answer was like a stubborn child’s. Liang Feng chuckled, “I believe you can.”
Liang Feng was already sweating from the few measly steps he’d taken. He stopped and sighed, “It looks like I’ll have to take it slow. Let’s return.”
The author has something to say:
Uppercase numbers didn’t appear until the Tang Dynasty and weren’t widespread until the Ming Dynasty. So it was really easy to alter account books before the Tang, and auditing them wasn’t any use either. That problem has to be solved at the source =w=