The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror-Chapter 25 - 21: Fortuitous Blessing

"Fortune allows one to encounter danger and expend some of it to turn disaster into safety or mitigate impending calamity, even disperse the ominous Qi Fortune before it manifests."

"Consuming ten strands of fortune can yield an opportunity within one's own range of Qi Fortune."

Xu Qing realized the wonders of fortune; the next question was how to acquire it.

"It can't simply be about doing good deeds every day."

"The only good deed I've done recently is probably the charitable release of a desperate vagabond attempting to assault me."

Xu Qing carefully analyzed his recent actions, wanting to know which ones might help to nurture fortune.

"A family that accumulates good deeds will have an abundance of blessings; since it's fortune, doing good deeds should be the closest method of obtaining it."

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Xu Qing then had an idea.

This year's prefectural exams are in June, and the college exams are at the end of July.

Now, there is still over half a month before the prefectural exams.

Preparing for the exams should not hinder him from doing other things.

As a student who is expected to become a scholar, he was already seen as having a promising future.

Therefore, the weight of his words now, compared to before, is entirely different.

...

...

"Young Nephew Xu Qing, pays his respects to Uncle Dong of the world." Xu Qing greeted Dong Dahai, the chief weigher at the County Government depot.

"I dare not accept such honor, I dare not. Someone, bring tea, the best tea."

After some polite exchanges, Dong Dahai and Xu Qing were seated, host and guest, and he asked, "What brings Young Brother Xu to see me?"

Dong Dahai knew if it were Historian Li with business, there'd be no need to send a nephew with a bright future to pass the message, so it must be Xu Qing himself seeking him out.

Xu Qing: "Young Nephew wishes to set up a slightly larger chicken coop and is short of some capital; I'd like to invite Uncle Dong to invest."

"Chicken coop?" Dong Dahai thought it was something significant, but it turned out to be chicken farming. He waved his hand: "That's a small matter, why invest? Nephew, how much do you lack? I will lend it to you."

Though he said he would lend it, he surely had no intention of asking for it back.

Xu Qing smiled faintly and explained his idea.

Dong Dahai said, "To raise chickens like Nephew plans, indeed, it requires quite a bit of capital, and it'll need a lot of manpower. Now, in South Zhili, there is no shortage of manpower due to overpopulation. The key is, can Nephew's method of raising chickens really make them grow faster and yield more meat?"

Xu Qing: "This matter has already been verified by myself and my aunt."

He continued: "For large-scale chicken farming, disease prevention and water sources are critically important, hence the location must be carefully chosen, and experienced workers are needed."

This era already had specialized chicken farms, and even the technique of castrating pigs was relatively mature.

Dong Dahai: "For this matter, I can be of help."

Xu Qing: "Additionally, as a younger brother aspiring for the Imperial Examination, business, after all, is trivial and should not be personally managed, so it's better if Uncle openly invests. However, this chicken farming technique can be said to be discovered unintentionally in ancient texts, and I can gift it to Uncle. After the chicken farm expands, I only hope that it can donate some cured chickens in Xu Qing's name to the poor students in county and folk schools to supplement nutrition. Also, employ some of the dispossessed poor to work at the farm."

"This is indeed a charitable act." Dong Dahai understood Xu Qing's intention immediately.

A scholar has a significant influence on public opinion, and there will always be scholars emerging from such schools who, having received such favor, would naturally speak well of Xu Qing.

The dispossessed poor are relatively easy to manage.

Many powerful local gentry do just that.

They take advantage of famine years to buy up land, then make those people their tenants. Using their own power to evade obligations, the rents the tenants pay are less than the taxes collected by officials previously, and they might even have to thank the gentry.

Moreover, when poor people lose their land, their lives often become shattered, and having a meal at such times, how could they not feel grateful.

On the other hand, regardless of Xu Qing's intentions, he is ultimately doing good deeds.

Dong Dahai knew that once a scholar gained recognition, let alone commoners, even these small lackeys of the Government Office inherently looked down on them.

The country's public opinion always forbade officials from competing with people for profit.

What is a civilian?

A scholar who hasn't become an official is truly a civilian.

Xu Qing obviously is different from the scholars he commonly meets.

Of course, it could also be because he's still too young and actually believes in the philosophy of setting one's heart for the heaven and earth, and establishing a destiny for the living people.

Having agreed on a plan with Dong Dahai, Xu Qing then visited the abode of the Guo brothers.

"This beggar is named Little Millet, as for him, he refuses to disclose his own name no matter if he's dead or alive," Guo Zhuang said.

A black intermediary, a thug who attempted to commit violence, was released, but release doesn't mean they couldn't be recaptured.

Xu Qing still needed them; he walked over to the middle-aged man and slowly spoke, "You can't say your surname, but you can surely tell your given name, right?"

"Fu, as in the fortune of blessing."

Xu Qing smiled and said, "Meeting me is indeed your good fortune. From now on, you will take my surname and become my house slave, how does that sound?"

"Ah," the middle-aged man was quite surprised.

Xu Qing: "What, you don't want to?"

"It's not that, I nearly assaulted you, why would you want to keep me by your side?"

"First, it's better to make use of someone than to punish them; I have a business matter, and I need someone to be my eyes and watch over it for me. Second, I have something on you, which makes it easy to control you. Third, it seems you're at the end of your rope," Xu Qing spoke softly.

"My hometown still has my wife and children."

"If you perform well, I'll help you get them back later. If they are no longer there, I'll help you start a new family," Xu Qing spoke indifferently.

"Xu Fu greets his master."

"Call me Young Master."

"Yes, Young Master."

Xu Qing then had Xu Fu sign a slave contract. As for Xu Fu's past involvement with the Lotus Sect as a civilian, that was not an issue at all. Since the Court had already decreed that civilians who were coerced into joining the thieves and then proactively left them are not to be held accountable.

Because if every civilian with the slightest connection to the Lotus Sect were captured, the chaos could never be settled.

It would only cement people's resolve to rebel.

To suppress and pacify, of course, the focus is on pacifying.

Xu Qing then approached the beggar named Little Millet.

Little Millet quickly knelt and kowtowed, "This lowly one wishes to become the Young Master's house slave."

Xu Qing: "..."

He had seen those with a spineless attitude, but never one as spineless as this.

But he was a beggar after all; if his spine weren't soft, he wouldn't be begging.

He spoke indifferently, "I'll give you an opportunity: get rid of Old Third Du, and you can take his place, specifically to gather information for me."

"Eh..."

Xu Qing gave Guo Zhuang a meaningful glance.

Guo Zhuang kicked Little Millet away, "Get lost. Either you come back a person, or leave a corpse outside the city at Yizhuang."

Little Millet scrambled away, covered in dust, then he realized, "Yizhuang."

He hurriedly ran towards Yizhuang outside of the city.

Guo Zhuang: "Young Master, Guo Li is already at Yizhuang, just waiting for this little beggar to take care of Old Third Du and absorb a group of beggars under Old Third Du."

Xu Qing: "These days have been troubling for Elder Brother Guo and Second Brother Guo. Once the court examination is over, I'll find a way to have Elder Brother Guo assume the position of an arrest officer."

Guo Zhuang's eyes couldn't help brimming with tears, he knelt down on both knees, and swore to the heavens: "This lowly one, Guo Zhuang, is willing to walk through fire and water for the Xu Family for generations to come!"