Chapter 251: Human Hearts

The busy summer season is the happiest time of the year for farmers. Though it’s hectic, seeing the golden wheat brought from the fields to drying grounds and storage sheds brings a sense of peace. Farming in this region relies heavily on the weather—good fortune if the weather is favorable, but all efforts go to waste if there are floods, droughts, or locust plagues. Thus, although some people criticize the government’s harsh crackdown on the White Lotus Sect, a tangible harvest is what truly matters. It would be foolish to put down the sickle and go argue with the authorities at such a time.

Especially those villagers who were released under the pretense of blind obedience now have every household burning incense. After all, escaping a grave crime is no small blessing. Old Yang from Zihedian couldn’t stop marveling at his nephew Xu Er’s good luck and often nagged his son Yang Gouer about it. With half of his wheat already harvested and the skilled craftsman Liu Da coming to discuss planting soybeans next, he shifted his focus.

“Planting soybeans now means harvesting them in late autumn, missing next year’s wheat harvest. What will we plant then?”
“Next year, we’ll naturally plant sorghum or cotton,” Liu Da said cheerfully, looking at the golden wheat grains in the sieve. “Don’t worry, I won’t cheat you. Let me ask you—if you plant wheat year after year, the yield won’t increase, and you’ll need more fertilizer. By planting soybeans in between, you save fertilizer, earn money from soybeans, and enrich the soil—winning twice over! Others harvest two crops in two years, but you can harvest three!”

Though Old Yang had farmed all his life, he wasn’t rigidly bound by tradition. He found it reasonable. But since taxes were paid in wheat in summer and millet in autumn, he couldn’t help feeling resentful. After all, he still had two acres of uncultivated land, which he could use however he wished. But in five years, when taxes were due, he would have to plant wheat, kapok, or mulberry trees as required by the government.

“There’s another way to make money—raising silkworms,” Liu Da said. He now carried more weight in Zihedian Village than the local elders, gaining confidence. “I’m not talking about domestic silkworms that eat mulberry leaves, but mountain silkworms. Our Qingzhou Prefecture has many mountains and slopes, which are hard to utilize normally, but mountain silkworms work well there. As long as there are trees like oak, toon, Chinese elm, or oak, you can raise them and reap big profits without clearing land.”

“Ah, indeed! Brother Liu, you’ve really reminded me!”
Old Yang slapped his thigh, his face breaking into an uncontrollable smile. “You must hurry and suggest this to Lord Xiao Zhang. We have plenty of barren mountains here, which are perfect for raising silkworms. By the way, Brother Liu, do you know how to raise silkworms?”
“I’m just a half-baked expert—knowing a bit here and there. If we need expertise, Lord Xiao Zhang should look for some skilled people.” Though he spoke humbly, Liu Da still showed pride. “But it seems Lord Xiao Zhang is also interested in these barren mountains. He said we can plant jujubes, pears, persimmons, walnuts… In short, Qingzhou Prefecture has so much mountain land—it’s a shame to waste it!”
As the two old men were chatting animatedly, the cloth curtain outside was gently pulled back. A pretty girl brought in two large bowls of herbal tea on a wooden tray. Old Yang grabbed one bowl and drank it down in a gulp, while Liu Da stared at her for a while before sighing. “Xi Er, your voice has healed now. It’s not right for you to accompany me around all the time. If you don’t go back, your grandfather must be worried.”
“Uncle Liu, Lord Xiao Zhang already sent a message to my grandfather. But all he sent was a brief reply and didn’t even come to see me. Even if I go back, will the people in the village still accept me?” Xi Er set the tray on the wooden table and then said with a bitter smile, “I don’t want to go back and listen to those gossiping words. If Uncle Liu doesn’t need my care, I’ll just find a job at the government office or somewhere else.”
“You girl are so stubborn. As a woman, you have so many ideas!”
Liu Da shook his head helplessly, not knowing what else to say. Old Yang, on the other hand, tilted his head and stared at the girl who always followed Liu Da around, feeling somewhat tempted. Just as he was thinking secretly, the cloth curtain was suddenly flung open in a rush. It was none other than his nephew, Xu Er, who rushed in in a few steps.
“Uncle… Uncle, something bad has happened!”
Old Yang put down the porcelain bowl in his hand, wiped his hands on his clothes, and then stood up to ask, “What’s wrong? Is someone fighting over farming tools or land? Or is someone getting into a fight and getting hurt… Wait, could it be that trouble has arisen again in that association you were in before? Why can’t these people keep quiet?”

“None of them!” Xu Er angrily snatched Liu Da’s bowl of herbal tea, which he hadn’t had time to drink yet, and gulped it all down in one go. Only after that did he wipe his mouth and say, “I just returned from Qingzhou. I heard that Lord Du, the governor, was captured by the Jinyiwei and is to be taken to Beijing! And that’s not all—I heard even Lord Xiao Zhang…”
“What happened to Lord Xiao Zhang?”
Seeing the three people in the room ask this question in unison, Xu Er was slightly stunned. But without further thought, he explained, “This morning, I went to the city to sell vegetables. My mother said we should properly thank Lord Xiao Zhang, so I went to the government office. By chance, I saw the Jinyiwei officers leading Lord Du onto a carriage right at the main entrance. The onlookers said someone filed a false complaint in front of the emperor, which is why Lord Du was taken to Beijing. It seems Lord Xiao Zhang was also implicated and is to be summoned to Beijing for questioning.”
Old Yang was confused. “Didn’t you all hear that no one escaped from Xieshipengzhai, and the government troops achieved a complete victory? If we think it through, this should be considered an achievement, not a crime. Why would they be implicated for no reason?”
Xu Er couldn’t help but recall the twenty lashes he received at the government office. Back then, he thought it was unjust. Now, compared to losing his head, it seemed almost trivial. So, faced with Old Yang’s question, he stammered for a while before saying dejectedly, “I heard it’s because Lord Xiao Zhang released us after the trial.”
“What a disaster! It turns out it’s you fools who caused this!”
Old Yang beat his chest and sighed heavily. He no longer had the heart to discuss soybean cultivation or silkworm breeding with Liu Da. He quickly sent the anxious Liu Da and Xi Er out. When he returned to the house, he found his son Yang Gouer had finished his work and was talking with his nephew. He simply sat sulking at the door, too preoccupied to even pay attention to their family dog wagging its tail.
“Uncle, I know I was wrong at first, but back then… weren’t there many people who believed it?”
“If it weren’t for meeting some kind people this time, you would have lost your head. What’s the use of knowing you were wrong? Lord Xiao Zhang released a large number of people, and Lord Du arrested and released many others. If they had been ruthless, you would all have died by now! That Buddha Mother was amazing at first, but after everything happened, she disappeared without a trace!”
Xu Er’s face turned red. Then he simply asked directly, “So, uncle, what do you think I should do?”

“Sigh!” Old Yang really couldn’t answer this question. All he could do was clench his thick palm into a fist and pound it against the dirt wall, then let out a long sigh. “I don’t know what Lord Du is like, but since he was the one who proposed those good policies like providing seeds and oxen for those who reclaimed land, he must be a good official. As for Lord Zhang, there’s no need to say more—he’s done many good deeds since taking office. Why can’t he stay in office? Just now, Uncle Liu mentioned several ways to make money through farming. I really hope Lord Zhang can stay!”
As he spoke, he stood up straight and then turned to his son and nephew, saying, “Find out the right day. If Lord Zhang really has to return to the capital, we must go see him off.”
While some people here were sighing in regret, others were cheering over this sudden news. Tang Sairen never expected that Bin Hong would not hide in the many mountains of Qingzhou Prefecture but instead hide in the Stone-Lifting Shack Fort she had kept for useful purposes. She also never expected the officials to go to such extreme lengths as to burn down that fort and two nearby stone forts using fire and cutting. But the cruelest of them all was Du Zhen. If not for his lightning-fast attacks, she wouldn’t have had time to react and could only watch helplessly as their strongholds in the surrounding areas were destroyed one after another.
“It would be best if that dog emperor killed them all—that would really satisfy me!” Tang Qingshuang paced back and forth in the room several times before suddenly stopping and looking at her cousin. “Third sister, everyone is waiting for us now! You won’t let us rescue those brothers who are in prison, nor will you allow us to operate in the countryside. If this continues, everyone will lose trust in us! The authorities will keep pressing forward step by step; we’ll have nowhere to retreat!”
“How could Bin Hong know about the Stone-Lifting Shack Fort? How could the weapons we stored be hidden in the Han Prince’s manor? And since when does our White Lotus Sect need to deceive people to join us?”
Tang Sairen fired off three questions in quick succession. Seeing Tang Qingshuang frozen in shock, her gaze suddenly became extremely sharp. “Only those closest to me know about the Stone-Lifting Shack Fort. That means someone has leaked the information! As for the weapons stored in the Han Prince’s manor, it can be blamed on ignorance, but I think someone is colluding with the people in the prince’s household! As for deceiving people to join… Those sect leaders are solely focused on expanding their own power and have completely forgotten our principles! If even our own sect isn’t stable, how can you say others are waiting for us to lead them?”
“Third sister!”

“Go find Yue Changtian!” Tang Sair took a deep breath, not even glancing at Tang Qingshuang’s shocked expression. “The third matter has nothing to do with him, but he happened to be aware of the first two. Other than him, I really can’t think of anyone else who could have revealed the secrets involved.”
Sure enough, Tang Qingshuang staggered out and returned in less than fifteen minutes, her delicate face completely pale. Under Tang Sair’s intense gaze, it took her a long time before she managed to say, “Brother Yue… Brother Yue is missing.”