A faint chill crept up Eunuch Lan's spine.
Only now did he truly understand that salt smugglers were nothing like the ordinary officials he dealt with in the capital. Before coming to Shanxi, he had only heard vague rumors. Now that he was standing on this harsh land himself, he finally grasped the brutal truth. Without real ability, without real nerve, no one could survive here.
Even though he had brought along a group of his own trusted enforcers, the numbers were laughably small. If Xing Honglang truly decided to deal with him, it would be effortless. He would not even have time to cry out.
Eunuch Lan cleared his throat, his voice turning cautious and strained. "Ahem… well… there's really no need to inspect the salt villages, is there? They're all more or less the same anyway."
Xing Honglang raised an eyebrow, her gaze sharp. "Oh? Not going to see them? Then you'll be missing the worst of it. In the last salt village, there were piles of bleached bones. After the rebels slaughtered the people, the corpses were left right there. Now, when dusk falls, the whole village glimmers with eerie will o' the wisps."
Eunuch Lan's face went pale. He coughed twice in panic. "Cough, cough. It's enough for this official to hear about such things. There's no need for me to see them in person."
Thus, the group returned to the Hedong Circuit.
Xing Honglang produced a ledger, one specially prepared in advance by the middle school graduates of Gao Family Village, students whose strongest subject was mathematics. Every entry, from inventory to shipments, was recorded with astonishing clarity and precision, far cleaner and more detailed than the original ledgers kept by the court.
It looked impeccable.
Unfortunately, it was entirely fake.
With Eunuch Lan's limited learning and shallow understanding of administration, he could not detect any flaw at all. After scrutinizing it for a long time, he found only one problem. The salt output from Xie Lake had dropped sharply.
Compared to its peak years, production had almost been cut in half.
Eunuch Lan let out a long sigh. "The Emperor is short on funds. The war against the Manchus demands enormous military expenditure, yet the salt output of Xie Lake has fallen so badly. What are we to do?"
Xing Honglang answered calmly, "The only solution is to recruit a large number of salt artisans. But Shanxi is engulfed in war and chaos. Where would we find the people to recruit?"
Eunuch Lan fell silent.
Xing Honglang extended her hand and quietly placed a piece of exquisite jade into his palm.
Eunuch Lan weighed it once, instantly sensing its value. His expression changed at once, as if the clouds had parted. "Since that is the case, then there is truly nothing to be done. The salt tax from Xie Lake will have to remain as it is for now. This official will report the matter to the Emperor and consider suitable measures."
Eunuch Lan was easily dealt with.
Xing Honglang returned to the main hall, only to find Dai Jun'en still seated there, showing no intention of leaving.
It seemed the poet governor still had something on his mind.
She stepped forward. "Does Your Excellency the Governor have further instructions?"
Dai Jun'en let out a long, weary sigh. "General Xing, this old man did not come today merely to escort a eunuch. There are also military matters I wish to discuss with you."
Xing Honglang replied, "Discuss with me? Shouldn't Your Excellency be speaking with General You Shilu, the Regional Commander of Shanxi?"
Dai Jun'en shook his head slowly. "The imperial troops… they are difficult to speak with."
Xing Honglang raised her brows slightly.
Dai Jun'en continued, his voice heavy. "Those men slaughter innocent civilians to claim merit and fabricate battle reports. It has become commonplace. Every one of them is a rogue soldier. This old man cannot command them at all. The previous Governor of Shanxi, Xu Dingchen, was dragged down precisely because of these same rogue troops."
For a moment, Xing Honglang did not know what to say.
"Come," Dai Jun'en said. "Let me show you some secret reports this old man has received."
He took out a thick stack of letters.
Xing Honglang opened them and read. One report accused Deng Qi, the Regional Commander of Sichuan, of allowing his troops to plunder and rape civilians in Hebei. Another described how Zuo Liangyu killed innocent people to claim merit, submitting the severed heads of commoners as bandits. A third letter detailed how Zhang Zongheng, the Supreme Commander of Xuan-Da, framed Xu Dingchen, shifting all blame for the failed suppression of bandits onto him.
Among the officials of Shanxi, scarcely two could be called clean.
She reached the final two letters.
One praised the White Pole Soldiers for their strict discipline, stating that they never harmed a single civilian.
The other reported that Xing Honglang led her troops with exceptional conduct, maintaining harmony between soldiers and civilians, helping the common people resolve their difficulties, and distributing grain to relieve suffering, surpassing even the White Pole Soldiers.
Xing Honglang frowned. "So Your Excellency already knows everything."
Dai Jun'en nodded. "Yes. This old man even knows about your little performance just now, using fake salt villages to deceive Eunuch Lan. To the southwest of Xie Lake, new salt villages have appeared, their output several times higher than before. Such tricks can fool a simpleton fresh out of the palace, but they cannot fool an official who truly wishes to govern."
Xing Honglang's hand instinctively moved to the hilt of her saber.
Dai Jun'en sighed softly. "But this old man did not expose you. You have aided the people of Puzhou, and again the people of the Hedong Circuit. The silver spent on relief is no small amount. If you had not diverted some of the salt revenue, how could you have done all this?"
Xing Honglang's grip slowly relaxed.
"These salt funds," Dai Jun'en continued, "were used on the common people. If Eunuch Lan had gotten hold of them, they would have ended up entirely in his private coffers. Ah. This old man is old and forgetful. Many things I have just seen, I will forget in a moment. I only know how to write poetry now. I cannot suppress bandits either. Sitting in the position of Governor of Shanxi, I am probably only meant to wander around, leave behind a few verses, and then be dismissed in a year or two."
With that, Dai Jun'en stood up. "General Xing, take good care of the people. This old man will be leaving."
He staggered out.
Just then, Eunuch Lan walked back in. "Your Excellency the Governor, what were you discussing with General Xing just now?"
Dai Jun'en exclaimed, "Oh. I've suddenly thought of a poem."
His household guard immediately stepped forward and presented writing tools.
Dai Jun'en scribbled a few lines rapidly, then crumpled the paper and tossed it aside. "No, no. Terrible writing."
He turned back to Eunuch Lan. "Where were we in our conversation?"
Eunuch Lan replied hesitantly, "We… weren't discussing anything just now."
Dai Jun'en nodded thoughtfully. "Ah, yes, of course. Speaking of which, this old man has just taken up the post of Governor of Shanxi. What am I supposed to be doing now? The Emperor instructed this old man to… to do what, exactly?"
Eunuch Lan's voice shot up several octaves. "He instructed you to suppress bandits!"
Dai Jun'en blinked. "Oh? So it was bandit suppression."
He turned to Xing Honglang, who had followed them out. "General Xing, this old man has no idea how to suppress bandits. I only know how to write poetry. So this heavy responsibility, I will entrust it to you."
Xing Honglang clasped her fists. "Your Excellency the Governor, rest assured. Leave it to your humble subordinate."
Dai Jun'en shakily climbed into his carriage. His guards surrounded it, and they set off toward the city gates. From within the carriage came his aged voice, calmly reciting,
"Amid blossoming halls, autumn light still gleams,
West wind sways, a Daoist heart at ease.
Since ancient souls have slipped from sight,
How many Double Ninth days knew cold mist and rain?"
A guard asked softly, "Master, that poem was wonderful. Shall I bring your writing tools?"
"No need," Dai Jun'en replied. "That poem is this old man's masterpiece. I won't forget it. Oh, right. What was I just discussing with Eunuch Lan? I've forgotten again."
The guard whispered, "Eunuch Lan said he would go on an outing with you another day to compose poetry."
Dai Jun'en chuckled. "Good. Very good."
The governor's carriage slowly headed north, toward Taiyuan, where the governor's yamen stood, a place the rebels would casually besiege from time to time.