The Slender Waist-Chapter 95 - 75: Caught Off Guard

The position of Village Chief was not an easy one to hold, and it was inevitable that trivial disputes would arise in the village. Feng Yun did not get angry, nor did she pay any heed to the man’s ranting but only regarded those headmen with a detached look.

One of the headmen, named Yang Daniu, came forward, pointing at the man and scolding him.

"Zhang Erbing, don’t be ungrateful! War has left the land barren, and which village within miles doesn’t lack grain? Moreover, these farm tools were all purchased by the Lady Village Chief from Shiguan County. If you have the means, your family does not have to rent them, no one’s forcing you."

When a headman spoke up, the others nodded in agreement.

"Where is it accepted to take advantage of something and not pay for it?"

"The fields are our own, but the grain won’t grow by itself."

Seeing that someone had taken the initiative, Feng Yun chose not to say more and instructed them with a few words before turning to head home.

By evening, ten headmen had come to the estate one after another.

They were either illiterate or barely recognized a few characters, and couldn’t write much, relying solely on their mouths to speak.

Fortunately, with only ten households in a she, it was still possible to remember everything.

Feng Yun then had Xing Bing send for his eldest son.

Xing’s eldest son was fourteen this year, with a burly and nimble look reminiscent of Xu’s, the brightest learner in the estate. Seeing his neat handwriting, Feng Yun said:

"When you have time, go help Brother Alou with errands. Learn well, and you can become the deputy steward of the estate."

This motivated the young boy, his cheeks flushed with enthusiasm, his writing even more upright and proper.

Feng Yun smiled, waiting until they had finished speaking before asking Yang Daniu.

"How many members does the Zhang family have, where is their ancestral home, and when did they register as locals?"

Honest by nature, Yang Daniu, when questioned by the Lady Village Chief, thought she was holding a grudge and planning to settle scores later. His dark face immediately flushed red with embarrassment as he scratched his head.

"They’ve been here for two or three days. The family is not small; they have about seven or eight brothers and nephews who are all strong and at their prime. Their elderly parents are still alive, too, and they are the best labor force in our village, but they arrived late and were allocated land near the mountain, which is poor soil. The Zhang family is very dissatisfied, and they got into a quarrel with the Sun family yesterday over building a couple of thatched huts..."

Feng Yun slightly furrowed her brows.

For a family with seven or eight strapping adults to be alive and well in such times was a miracle in itself, yet they dared to behave rudely in Huaxi Village. Did they fail to see Changmen’s troops, or did they underestimate the skilled warriors from General Pei’s Imperial Guard Camp?

"Keep a closer watch Uncle Yang, and feel free to report any matters to me."

The decree issued by He Qia was beneficial to most common people; anyone living in Andu could register and be allocated land, allowing them to settle down and live happily.

However, there would inevitably be those who would fish in troubled waters and try to stir up trouble...

One had to be vigilant.

Yang Daniu quickly acknowledged the instruction, exchanged looks with the other headmen, and then asked with eagerness:

"Lady Village Chief, are you serious about being able to buy the iron farm tools you mentioned today?"

After contemplating for a moment, Feng Yun nodded.

"Wait for the good news. Huaxi Village will definitely become the number one village in Andu County."

The headmen left cheerfully.

Early the next day, Feng Yun took people back to the General Residence.

During the last cleanup of the residence, she had gathered all her books, as well as the books and materials of Andu County left by Feng Jingteng, and placed them in Changmen Academy, reserving a special room for them.

This included old books left by her mother, Lu Sanniang, brought from Tai City.

The true distinction of a noble family lay in their "knowledge" – their monopoly over higher learning allowed them to remain at the top of society. The scope of this knowledge was all-encompassing; Feng Yun’s "Essential Techniques of Agriculture" was just one of the books in her collection.

Feng Yun instructed Xiaoman to brew a pot of clear tea and spent the better part of the day in the study. The papers in front of her were filled with characters and symbols that Xiaoman couldn’t understand.

"Miss, what is this?"

"’Extensive Records of the World’"

"Oh."

"And what is this?"

Feng Yun looked where Xiaoman was pointing and felt a warmth in her eyes.

"Essential Techniques of Agriculture."

The books had been left by Lu Sanniang.

It was less that Feng Yun knew much but rather that Feng Yun’s mother, Lu Sanniang, was a genius. Although she was no longer alive, she had left Feng Yun many treasures. Unfortunately, in her previous life, Feng Yun had been engrossed in romantic love and did not take her mother’s teachings to heart. Now that she recalled her mother...

Regretfully, the memories were all blurred.

Xiaoman didn’t notice the change in the lady’s expression and giggled:

"’Essential Techniques of Agriculture’ teaches people how to farm, but what about ’Extensive Records of the World’?"

Feng Yun glanced at her, "Next time the master teaches, don’t be lazy. Follow them and listen, don’t be an ignorant fool."

While the lady’s words were not very polite, Xiaoman did not feel offended but rather pleased; it meant the lady treated her as one of her own.

To outsiders, the lady was certainly polite.

But Xiaoman was not particularly keen on reading, pouting slightly.

"Reading is for the nobility. Servants like me don’t need to recognize those characters; I can never remember them. I just want to serve the lady well; let those who want to enlighten their eyes do so."

Feng Yun laughed, too lazy to scold her again, and tapped her fingers on the map at the location of the fortresses.

"It’s time to pay a visit to Tu Fort Master."

Through the "Extensive Records of the World," Feng Yun had researched all the information about the fortresses surrounding Andu County.

This included the Tu Family Fort.

Over a hundred years of upheaval and chaos had wrought disorder in the land, resulting in countless large and small fortresses emerging across the north and south.

Some were clan powers, some were joint efforts of the local people.

The smaller forts housed only dozens of families, while the larger ones held up to a thousand or even several thousand households.

They united with the purpose of defense and avoiding war and chaos.

In his previous life, Pei Jue implemented the Equal-field System in Andu County to replace the fortress chieftains and their dominion. As the system spread to each county, people had their private lands, leading to the decline of some fortress powers.

However, in the life where she lived, regardless of the region, the local powers existing in the form of forts were always a hidden concern and trouble for the Imperial Court.

The Tu Family Fort mentioned by Ren Rude was the largest in the area and had existed across several dynasties.

When the Beiyong Army attacked, both large and small forts accepted the new dynasty.

The master of the Tu Family Fort also requested the title of a general, effectively submitting to Jin Country. They didn’t care who was the Emperor, as long as their interests were not interfered with; they would remain autonomous.

Xiaoman observed the young lady’s bright eyes and couldn’t help but get excited.

She had heard about the forts but had never been to one.

"Miss, should we prepare any gifts to take with us?"

Feng Yun thought for a moment, "I will prepare them myself."

Xiaoman saw the young lady go back to reading and writing with a pen on paper, not mentioning what gifts to prepare, and was at a loss.

"You may leave now."

Feng Yun suddenly lifted her head.

"Have the kitchen prepare a box of pork rind cakes, and find a jar of tea to take with me, I will visit Mr. Ren at the Yuqian Teahouse later tonight."

Xiaoman was puzzled.

The young lady and Mr. Ren had agreed to visit the Tu Family Fort together in three days, so why visit him today?

Moreover, the "later tonight" mentioned by Feng Yun was not at dusk but in the dead of night when the streets were empty, and everyone in the residence had gone to bed; only then did she leisurely bring her Jian Shui guard, Qiu Tong, to leave through the side gate.

The small donkey cart was ready.

Among those accompanying her were Xing Bing and the brothers from the Ge family.

Feng Yun got into the carriage and looked back as she lifted the curtain. Seeing Ao Qi hidden in the corner, she knew he would follow and nodded to Xing Bing.

"Let’s go!"

Her choice to visit the Yuqian Teahouse in the dead of the night was to catch them off guard.

Xiao Cheng was most adept at scheming and playing dark tricks; she behaved in the exact opposite way to keep him guessing for his entire life what Feng Yun really wanted, what she would do...

If Xiao San had the ability to place eyes around her, then she had ways to blind those eyes.

Feng Yun looked forward to the sight of confronting the Zhang brothers from Huaxi Village at the Yuqian Teahouse with a smile on her lips.

But joy turned to sorrow; just a street away from Mingyue Alley, the road leading to the city gate suddenly echoed with the sound of galloping horses.

Feng Yun had just grown uneasy when the horse swiftly approached, blocking the donkey cart.

"Great General," Xing Bing’s voice called out.

Feng Yun pulled back the curtain to see the tall man in light armor on the horse, taking a moment to come back to her senses.

What was Pei Jue doing in Andu City at this time?

Caught at night by him, Feng Yun hesitated for a moment.

"General, are you returning to the General Residence?"

"Mhm," Pei Jue’s lips slightly pursed, "What are you up to, venturing out of the residence so late at night?"

Feng Yun frowned, "The residence is stuffy, I just wanted to stroll."

Pei Jue didn’t say anything, he rode up beside her and extended a hand, "Get down."

Feng Yun looked at him and made no move.

Pei Jue: "Didn’t you want to stroll? Get down."

Feng Yun really wanted to say no, to tell him to get lost, to not interfere with her business.

But the city’s guards nearby were watching, and further refusal might cause an even bigger scene, alerting the people in Mingyue Alley, which would not be good.

"Yes," Feng Yun responded.

Daman pulled back the curtain, and Xiaoman helped her down from the donkey cart.

Feng Yun clasped her hands together and bowed to Pei Jue, just as she was about to speak, a gust of wind blew by her ear...

Seeing Pei Jue pull the reins and lean down, his long arm caught around Feng Yun’s waist. With a swift leap, when she reopened her eyes, Feng Yun was already held in front of him, seated securely on the horseback.

"Yah!"

The great black horse galloped away.

In a flash, they vanished from everyone’s sight.

Xing Bing and the others didn’t even have time to react and could only awkwardly face each other, along with Zuo Zhong and others, all dumbfounded, looking at one another, not quite grasping the situation.

"Brother Xing."

"Brother Zuo."

"Shall we go back to the General Residence for a drink?"

"...Sure."

The group made their way back to the General Residence, joking and laughing.

In the dark night, the young man who watched his uncle ride away, however, had tears welling up in his eyes, his heart pounding so fiercely that it nearly burst from his chest...