Chapter 139: The Servants' Riot

In Wan'an County, Zhao Fusheng had been resting for a whole month.

It was now the seventh day of the ninth month. The heat had faded, replaced by a comfortable, crisp autumn breeze.

This was the most leisurely and comfortable time Zhao Fusheng had experienced since her rebirth into the Great Han Dynasty.

Over the past month, the gold promised by the gentry of neighboring Baozhi County had been arriving in batches.

With the funds in place, the work of repairing roads and rebuilding storefronts in Wan'an County was proceeding methodically.

Xu Yachen and the other four local gentry members and wealthy merchants, who had promised to move their entire households to Wan'an County, had already sent a portion of their assets and were currently inspecting residences.

The ordinary people, having survived peaceful times, temporarily overcame their fear and gradually stepped out of their homes.

Because the Demon Suppression Office had been hiring a large number of hands to renovate buildings recently, some peddlers even summoned the courage to carry shoulder poles into Baoding Road, attempting to hawk their wares.

The area in front of the yamen gate gradually regained a bit of vitality.

Zhao Fusheng sat inside the yamen, surrounded by Magistrate Pang, the secretary, the Fan brothers, Zhang Chuanshi, and others.

In addition to them, Wu Shaochun, who had survived the Dog-Head Village incident, was also present.

He had been gravely injured during the doppelganger ghost case, but later survived thanks to Zhao Fusheng officially recruiting him into the Demon Suppression Office. After half a month of recuperation, once his condition stabilized, the Wu'an Town authorities sent him into the county, formally incorporating him as a servant of the Demon Suppression Office.

Having experienced the doppelganger ghost case, witnessed his mother's death with his own eyes, and brushed shoulders with death, Wu Shaochun had become much quieter. Having entered the Wan'an County Demon Suppression Office for nearly half a month, he rarely spoke, mostly following quietly behind Zhao Fusheng.

In the main hall, Magistrate Pang said cheerfully:

"The method the adult suggested last time was brilliant. Following the great ghost mausoleum case in Wan'an County this time, the county yamen has established thirty odd-job positions, paying each person seventy wen per month. Now these people show up the moment they are called, eliminating the inconvenience of having to scramble for temporary help whenever something comes up."

Zhao Fusheng nodded.

Her peripheral vision fell on Wu Shaochun, who was standing quietly behind her.

Ever since he entered the Wan'an County Demon Suppression Office, Wu Shaochun had maintained this demeanor. The death of his mother had dealt him a heavy blow.

Although he escaped death in the Dog-Head Village ghost case, the doppelganger ghost had left terrifying marks on his body.

Most of the skin on Wu Shaochun's body had been peeled off, and the resulting scars left after healing robbed him of his previous delicate appearance. Coupled with his taciturn nature, many servants in the yamen were somewhat afraid of him, making him appear even more reclusive.

"Shaochun, suppose someone has an annual income of 840 wen. If it were you, would you do it?"

Intending to prompt Wu Shaochun to speak, he replied without hesitation as soon as she asked:

"If the adult tells me to do it, I will!"

Good lad! Zhang Chuanshi imperceptibly shot Wu Shaochun a glare, dragged his stool forward by an inch, and eagerly chimed in:

"If the adult tells me to do it, I'll go too."

Whether it was the Dog-Head Village ghost case or the runaway ghost mausoleum, both events had fully exposed the old man's cowardice and greed for life.

He was lazy and afraid of death, and Zhao Fusheng did not believe he actually wanted to work, but she did not expose Zhang Chuanshi. Instead, she smiled and said, "I'm not talking about my orders, but an annual salary of 840 wen. Would you do it?"

"Then I wouldn't."

Zhang Chuanshi's head shook like a rattle-drum as he bent his fingers to calculate:

"Working oneself to death for a whole year and only getting 840 wen? No, I won't do it. Back then when I ran a coffin shop, I could make several hundred taels of silver a year—"

"Several hundred taels?"

Zhao Fusheng sat up straight in surprise and glanced at the old man.

Then, as if realizing something, she leaned back into her chair:

"That's ill-gotten wealth."

"How could that be..."

Zhang Chuanshi said with a guilty conscience.

Clearly, he also remembered his first encounter with Zhao Fusheng.

Had it not been for his carelessness that time, leading to Zhao Fusheng seizing his weakness and dragging him into the Demon Suppression Office, he would still be living a carefree life somewhere.

"Hahaha."

Zhao Fusheng chuckled, ignored him, and turned back to look at Wu Shaochun:

"Would Shaochun do it?"

Wu Shaochun thought for a moment. "If Dog-Head Village hadn't been haunted, I would have—"

"My mother was saying just two years ago that my father died early and didn't leave me much money."

When he mentioned his mother, his expression shifted slightly. His numb gaze gradually changed, revealing a hint of pain:

"When she was alive, she frequently inquired about maidens in neighboring villages and asked about bride prices."

Back then, Wu Shaochun's mother was extremely frugal, renowned in the village for her stinginess. She would pick up discarded rotten vegetable leaves whenever someone in the village threw them out.

Others sometimes looked down on her, and when tempers flared, they would quarrel.

"I knew she had a hard time. When I was young and foolish, I went running goods a few times. When my mother found out, she beat me with a big club, saying that was not an honest living and that getting caught by the imperial court meant getting your head chopped off—"

Er Fan wore a cold expression.

Zhang Chuanshi also remained unimpressed by Wu Shaochun's misery.

In times like these, everyone had a difficult life. Aside from facing ghosts and disasters, one also had to deal with all sorts of troubles in daily life.

Wu Shaochun usually didn't talk much, and only said a few more words when mentioning his mother who died at the hands of fierce ghosts. Seeing that the others were not interested, he wisely shut his mouth.

Just as he was about to turn away, blink, and hold back his sorrow, he heard Zhao Fusheng say:

"Huanggang Village?"

Her words startled Wu Shaochun, halting even his attempt to blink away his tears. Surprised, he asked:

"How does the adult know?"

"You mentioned it twice."

Zhao Fusheng looked at his surprised face and said:

"I wanted to ask what kind of business you were doing in Huanggang Village back then, but the timing wasn't right."

Coupled with the havoc wreaked by the doppelganger ghost, her memories and cognitive perceptions had been repeatedly reset, causing her to forget to ask again.

Later, when she remembered, the ghost case had been solved, Wu Shaochun was severely injured, and Zhao Fusheng had been constantly busy, leaving no opportunity to bring it up.

After Wu Shaochun arrived at the county Demon Suppression Office, Zhao Fusheng could see that he remained depressed in spirit and had not proactively spoken about Dog-Head Village. Now that he brought it up himself, she smoothly asked:

"What kind of trade were you running in Huanggang Village?"

Her question instantly dispersed all of Wu Shaochun's sorrow.

He showed a look of embarrassment and panic, instinctively glancing at Magistrate Pang sitting nearby.

"The adult was asking about income..." he muttered under his breath.

"Pfft."

Zhang Chuanshi couldn't help laughing.

Zhao Fusheng looked at him with a smile: "We're just chatting anyway, I ask about whatever comes to mind. We can talk about work later, tell me about running goods in Huanggang Village."

"Alright."

Wu Shaochun nodded helplessly.

Through this interruption, the grief in his heart was mostly dispelled.

The affair of Huanggang Village was not particularly glorious for him; it was a capital offense. But now that he had joined the Demon Suppression Office, and Magistrate Pang of the county was also an honored guest of the office, even if this past were spoken aloud, Magistrate Pang would at most scold him and could not possibly arrest him to have his head chopped off.

Thinking this, Wu Shaochun regained his courage and said:

"Adult, there is a barren mountain behind Huanggang Village. It is said that decades ago, during a massive rainstorm, a flash flood occurred in the mountain, submerging many houses in the village. While rescuing people and digging out household property, someone dug up gold and silver jewelry, said to have been washed down from the mountain."

The moment money was mentioned, everyone perked up.

Wu Shaochun continued:

"After that, the villagers could no longer be bothered with disaster relief; they swarmed into the brush and discovered many ancient tombs in the mountains, though nobody knew what year they were buried. There were many burial objects in these tombs, so the people of Huanggang Village often sneaked into the wilderness to dig up graves."

Moreover, the Great Han Dynasty explicitly prohibited digging up people's ancestral graves; anyone caught would face severe punishment.

What the people of Huanggang Village were doing was forbidden. After unearthing burial objects from the tombs, they had to find a way to offload them, converting these unseen dead items into money.

Thus arose the practice of running goods.

When the villagers dug up valuable treasures, they had to figure out how to transport them to other places, sell them to the wealthy, and exchange them for cash.

However, times were hard, and bandits were everywhere.

These bandits were almost entirely composed of desperate and vicious outlaws entrenched in the mountains and forests, routinely wayfaring ordinary folks and passing travelers under the mountains, becoming a major scourge in the prefectures and counties of the Great Han Dynasty alongside ghost disasters.

Although the villagers of Huanggang Village desperately tried to conceal the appearance of numerous ancient tombs behind their mountain back then, people in the village had money, and flaunting wealth was inevitable. This naturally attracted the prying eyes of interested parties.

Therefore, whenever the people of Huanggang Village went out, they traveled in groups.

Especially when shipping out goods, they had to hire a large number of skilled villagers to ensure a safe journey.

"I saw that my mother used to worry about me marrying a wife. When I was young and ignorant, I ran goods a few times before my mother beat me back."

What the people of Huanggang Village committed were grave crimes.

Aside from tomb robbing, there was also private trafficking of goods. The origins of this silver were unknown, and it evaded taxes from local yamen; getting caught meant certain death.

"Actually, my mother worried too much. Even if she hadn't beaten me, I wasn't planning on following them anymore after those two times."

Recalling the past, Wu Shaochun looked rather dispirited.

Magistrate Pang wore an awkward expression upon hearing of such a trade.

He was a scholar with a natural streak of loftiness in his temperament. Although he knew that most people in the Demon Suppression Office belonged to the dregs of society, hearing Wu Shaochun openly mention such illicit dealings still filled him with disdain.

Yet, constrained by Zhao Fusheng's status, he forced himself to endure.

"Why?" Zhao Fusheng did not look down on him because of Wu Shaochun's actions; she asked curiously:

"Was the pay not enough?"

This past was not fit for polite society.

The reason Wu Shaochun spoke of it publicly was purely because Zhao Fusheng pressed him, and she was his savior.

He had expected to face scorn upon speaking out, and Magistrate Pang and the others indeed seemed uneasy just as he predicted. But to his surprise, Zhao Fusheng did not look down on him at all, speaking to him as casually as if making small talk.

Wu Shaochun felt somewhat strange inside, and instead scratched his head in awkward perplexity.

As soon as this gesture was made, Zhang Chuanshi instantly felt an itchy prickling sensation deep in his scalp.

The memory of the excruciating pain of being skinned after the doppelganger ghost case was solved resurfaced in his mind. His expression shifted, and he hurriedly scolded:

"Wu Shaochun, stop scratching your head."

"..."

Wu Shaochun immediately stopped his hand, his expression turning slightly as well, before answering: "Actually, the pay was enough. They gave eight hundred cash for a single trip."

Generally, the farther such business went, the better, as it made it harder to trace the origins. Going on one trip and returning took a total of two or three months, netting eight hundred cash.

"Calculated that way, the income is decent. So why did you stop after just two trips?"

Following his description, Zhao Fusheng made a quick calculation and figured out that making such a trip while covering one's own food and lodging meant all the cash was pure profit. If one could hold onto their pouch and make two or three trips a year, they could earn over two taels of silver.

That was no small sum.

Wu Dajing had mentioned that his family had a total of over twenty laborers. Through a year of hard farming and odd jobs during leisure time, they could earn thirty taels of silver a year.

However, just paying taxes for Wu Dajing's family consumed over twenty taels of heavy cash, leaving very little after a year of grueling labor for the whole family.

Moreover, that money had to sustain the young and old of the household. Even so, Wu Dajing's family was considered relatively well-off among the elderly surviving in Dog-Head Village—as could be seen from the unpatched cyan garment he wore that day.

A goods runner like Wu Shaochun could earn over two taels of silver per person annually, and this silver was tax-free, making the amount quite substantial.

"Those people aren't good people—" Wu Shaochun choked out after holding back for a long time.

"Not good people?"

This answer exceeded Zhao Fusheng's expectations.

Fan Bisi spoke up at this moment:

"Among those who travel outside, what good people are there? These people dare to dig graves, smuggle goods, defy imperial laws, and even hire people to fight bandits. I'm afraid they wouldn't hesitate to commit murder and arson."

He seemed to have a deep understanding of human nature.

After he said this, no one else made a sound, and even Wu Shaochun wore a default expression of agreement.

His reaction actually startled Zhao Fusheng for a moment:

"I see."

The past of Huanggang Village was not glorious or respectable, and Wu Shaochun did not wish to dwell on it, so he said:

"If I had known back then that the county offered a job paying seventy wen a month, I would have broken my head to get in. My mother definitely would have thought the ancestral graves of the Wu family were puffing green smoke—"

Mentioning his deceased mother made him want to smile, but as he spoke, tears began to stream down his face.

While people in the room were talking, a loud crash of a heavy object slamming down suddenly came from outside, followed by someone shouting:

"Zhuang Laoqi, are you trying to start a fight?!"

"So what if I am? Who told you to stand behind and scare people—"

The sound of a crowd arguing drifted into the room, as if people outside had broken into a fight.

Zhao Fusheng turned to look outside the door. Seeing this, Fan Bisi took the lead in standing up, frowning as he said:

"It's probably the newly hired odd-job laborers getting into a dispute. I'll go take a look."

The Demon Suppression Office yamen had only recently been re-established, and everything was waiting to be rebuilt. Many positions had yet to find suitable personnel, and most of the miscellaneous chores within the yamen fell under Fan Bisi's management.

While everyone was talking, people were fighting outside, making him feel that he had lost face, and he constantly worried that Zhao Fusheng would reprimand him for failing to strictly manage his subordinates.

Just as he was burning with irritation and preparing to go out and discipline these people, Zhao Fusheng said:

"Since we have nothing to do, I'll go take a look too."

Hearing her say this, Magistrate Pang and the others all stood up as well.

Stepping out of the main hall and looking through the spacious, clean courtyard, they saw a crowd surrounding the storefront opposite the entrance.

The odd-job laborers who ought to have been working were gathered around, as if two people were arguing in the center while others tried to pacify them, but the two arguing showed no intention of letting up.

Zhao Fusheng walked at the front and stepped out through the gates of the Demon Suppression Office. Outside, the argument grew increasingly fierce, looking as though it might turn into a brawl.

Zhang Chuanshi shouted:

"Such immense audacity! The adult has come out, and you still dare to slack off!"