nucmednet Chapter 350 The storm subsides
Chapter 350 The storm subsides
Liu Ye thought for a while and felt that Sun Yuanhua's words made sense. Whether to kill or not this stubborn former magistrate was just a matter of his decision. Since keeping him alive would still be of some use, letting him go was not an option.
Liu Ye glanced at the expressionless Shimazu Chiyo, wondering if there was some kind of karmic cycle at play. He'd just spared this Japanese girl, and she'd dealt with the assassin the very next minute. It seemed good deeds were indeed rewarded. Since he'd let the professional assassin go, letting this amateur one go too—good things come in pairs! He waved his hand: "Since Mr. Sun has pleaded for him, I'll give you face and let him go."
Lu Gengyu stood there, stunned. He had come prepared to die for the assassination attempt, but he never expected it to end like this.
Sun Yuanhua, exasperated, whispered a reminder: "Why don't you hurry up and thank the general for sparing your life?"
Liu Ye waved his hand, indicating that he didn't care whether the former magistrate was grateful or not. Then he said to everyone, "This kind of thing must not happen a second time. General Street must be kept away from all unauthorized personnel, and the entire Lingao must strictly investigate people of unknown origin. This assassination attempt used the identity of a beggar as a cover. Speaking of which, I just don't understand, how can there still be beggars in Lingao? As long as you have hands and feet and aren't stupid, you can support yourself by farming or doing manual labor. How can you be reduced to begging on the streets to survive?"
Lu Gengyu was lost in thought when he heard this and subconsciously interjected, "Making a living is not easy for ordinary people. Is Lingao some kind of paradise where everyone has food to eat and clothes to wear?"
Liu Ye gave him a disdainful look and didn't bother to answer.
Sun Yuanhua explained on their behalf: "The taxes of Lingao, Chengmai, and Danzhou counties are all collected and paid by the Qiongzhou military. The 'hidden fields' registered under the names of wealthy households have all been investigated and uncovered, increasing the acreage available for grain collection several times over. Moreover, special privileges have been abolished, and gentry pay taxes on an equal footing. The government completes the tax collection effortlessly, while ordinary people only need to pay two shi of grain per mu, keeping the rest for themselves. Now, people in these three counties only need to cultivate five mu of land to support their entire family, and cultivating ten mu will leave them with surplus grain. Life is much better than before. Especially in Lingao, families with able-bodied members can work in factories, and women can work in textile and clothing factories to supplement their income, earning more than in Chengmai and Danzhou. As the general said, as long as people have hands and feet, there should be no beggars in Lingao."
Lu Gengyu was dumbfounded. The government had completed its tax collection task, and the people were living in peace and prosperity. Wasn't this the state of affairs he had longed for most when he was a county magistrate? He never imagined it would be achieved under the rule of the villain he had once seen. It turned out that Liu Ye wasn't just an arrogant and domineering warlord who only knew how to seize power; he had also done so much for the people. If he had managed to assassinate Liu Ye this time, plunging the people of Lingao and the other two counties back to the state of misery they had endured a few years ago, wouldn't he have become a sinner? Thinking about this, he broke out in a cold sweat, filled with remorse.
Liu Ye ignored what Lu Gengyu was thinking and continued, "Now that the Bofu Port has opened a customs office, there are more and more people coming and going in Lingao County, and the situation is more complicated. We can't manage it according to the previous laissez-faire approach of the county government. We must adopt a completely new management model. Mr. Sun and Mr. Yan, please stay and discuss this matter with me. Li Fu, please call the county magistrate as well. The rest of you may leave for now."
After Liu Ye finished speaking, he entered the South Garden. Except for Sun Yuanhua and Yan Guang, who stayed behind, the rest of the people dispersed.
Lu Gengyu stood frozen in the street, the corpses of his followers lying at his feet, unsure of what to do. Sun Yuanhua sighed and said to him, "I'll have someone properly bury your followers' bodies. If you have nowhere to go, stay with me for a few days."
Lu Gengyu had no better idea, and in addition, he had great respect for the former governor who had saved his life, so he nodded and agreed: "Thank you for taking me in, Mr. Chuyang."
Back at Nanyuan, Liu Ye was unsure how to accommodate Shimazu Chiyo, who had just distinguished herself, and her Japanese samurai. After much thought, he instructed the servants to clear out a few rooms in the front courtyard of Nanyuan for Shimazu Chiyo and her men to use temporarily. Of course, Shimazu Chiyo herself would have the privilege of living in a room by herself. He then cleared out a plot of land on General Street to build them a courtyard.
He said to Shimazu Chiyo, "You've done a great job today, which is a bit of a surprise to me. You've put aside everything that happened before?"
Chiyo Shimazu bowed her head and said, "Chiyo is now your retainer. It is my duty to share the burdens of my lord. Most of the things that happened in the past were related to the Shimazu family. Now, apart from this surname, Chiyo has little to do with the Shimazu family anymore. There is nothing I can't let go of."
"It seems this tough, hot-tempered woman harbors deep resentment at being 'abandoned' by her father and brother," Liu Ye thought. "But that's alright. At least she won't be 'physically present but mentally absent.' Today's performance proves that Shimazu Chiyo is actively embracing her new role. At least I don't need to be too wary anymore. I'll slowly cultivate their loyalty through achievements and rewards."
"There isn't a suitable place for you to stay right now, so you'll live in this garden for the time being. You can move there once the houses are built. As for you, will you live in the same courtyard as your samurai or will you have a separate residence built for you?"
Chiyo Shimazu shook her head: "Chiyo has no official duties, and it would be unworthy for her to have a separate residence. According to Japanese custom, we are the personal guards of our lord and should live in the lord's residence. However, I think this garden does not have a wall separating the inner and outer courtyards, which may offend the women and be disrespectful to our lord. Let them move out and wait to accompany and protect our lord when he goes out. I will live here and protect our lord and the women morning and night."
Liu Ye was very satisfied with her answer; she not only understood her place but also considered things very carefully. It wouldn't be convenient for a group of men to live in Nanyuan all the time, especially since there were women in the household. However, Shimazu Chiyo, being a woman herself, didn't experience any gender barriers living in Nanyuan.
“Very good, we will do it your way. Don’t worry, as long as you and your subordinates do your best to fulfill your duties, I will not treat you unfairly, whether it is in terms of titles or salaries.”
Shimazu Chiyo bowed in gratitude: "Hai, thank you, my lord."
After arranging for the group of Japanese samurai, Liu Ye, Sun Yuanhua, and Yan Guang went to the council hall to discuss how to manage Lingao in the future.
"We've kept you two gentlemen here because we want to hear your opinions," Liu Ye said bluntly. "The original Lingao had a small population, and with too many other things to do, we didn't have time to consider these issues. Now that the customs office has been established, the floating population has increased several times over, and it's a mixed bag. We can no longer let things run wild."
Sun Yuanhua and Yan Guang strongly agreed, especially after the assassination attempt that occurred today, which served as a wake-up call for a scholar who was able to carry out such an assassination at close range.