Chapter 2239 - Ouyang Xi

Peng Shou'an was practicing calligraphy when he heard the jailer's summons. He started; the brush slipped from his fingers, leaving a large blot on the paper.

"What is it...?" He forced down his nerves and asked.

"The new County Magistrate wants to see you. Tidy up and go with Section Chief Luo."

Hearing it was the new County Magistrate, Peng Shou'an relaxed—and felt a flicker of excitement. So the new magistrate meant to employ him! He hurried to straighten his cap and smooth his robe, composing a solemn, dignified mien. "Please lead the way."

The jailer cursed inwardly: Starving pedant! But with the County Magistrate summoning him, who knew—maybe he would be "Consultant" again before long. He dared not slight him. With a fawning smile, he said, "This way, Your Honor."

Peng Shou'an gave a slight nod and paced out in measured steps. Seeing Luo Yiming, he hastened to bow:

"Section Chief Luo, your student pays his respects..."

"Skip the pleasantries. The County Magistrate is waiting." Luo Yiming saw the old man looking surprisingly hale—nothing like the "half-dead with despair" figure who had been locked up. This old fox sure can survive!

Still, the fellow had his uses now; he couldn't be too rude. And since Bi Da was a young woman, he had better warn Peng so the old man wouldn't blurt out something inappropriate in his "astounded alarm."

He briefly explained the new County Magistrate's situation, then cautioned, "The Council's customs are not like the Ming's. Do not comment!"

"Your student will keep it in mind." Peng Shou'an heard this and his earlier eagerness sank by half. Inwardly he grumbled that Director Huang must be possessed—since ancient times, a woman running a household meant the roof would cave in. Yangshan might only be a minor county, but the magistrate was still a "lord of a hundred li." Putting a woman in the post was unheard of!

In peaceful times, if Director Huang insisted on such nonsense, so be it—as long as she had one or two capable advisers, a female magistrate could sit back and let the county run itself without major disaster. But Yangshan was ablaze! Even if he, Peng Shou'an, were made magistrate, he wouldn't know how to clean up the mess—let alone a young woman! Such trifling! This Great Song was doomed!

If he were in Lingao, he would probably go "remonstrate" with the Council. But standing at the jail door, he remembered he was half-prisoner, half-retainer. He calmed his agitation: Worry about yourself first! Let him just see what bewitching charms this female magistrate possessed to have so befuddled Elder Huang that she could steal such a lofty post.

Arriving at the County Magistrate's office, he saw her seated at a desk, working. From behind, she looked thin and slight—almost like a child!

"County Magistrate Bi, Consultant Peng is here."

Bi Da looked up. Before her stood a man in his fifties, dressed in Ming clothing, with the air of a fusty Confucian pedant—much like the dull tutors she had seen at the Jasmine Pavilion in Lingao. She nodded. "Mr. Peng, please sit."

Peng Shou'an saw that this woman was young indeed, dark-skinned—just a young girl! He was startled: she looked hardly different from a scullery maid back home! He even forgot his annoyance at her failure to rise and greet him.

Bi Da said, "Mr. Peng, I am the new Acting County Magistrate, Bi Da."

Startled as he was, Peng Shou'an remembered his manners. He half-bowed. "I am Peng Shou'an, currently serving as Consultant to this county."

Bi Da studied him. "Mr. Peng, you know the situation. I won't waste words. Our position in Yangshan is very difficult; we urgently need to open a new front. I just arrived—I'm unfamiliar with local conditions. As our Consultant—and a former Ming county magistrate—you must know Yangshan as well as anyone. I'd like to hear your views."

In the past, such an invitation would have had Peng Shou'an showing off. But Wang Chuyi's disaster had scared him witless. He dared not "offer counsel." He only mumbled that he was "dull" and "too old and useless"—refusing to utter a single useful word.

Bi Da grew impatient. She knew Peng Shou'an was afraid of repeating his mistake. She said sincerely, "Mr. Peng, I know you have reservations. But we all know you meant no harm. You and County Magistrate Wang both wanted to govern Yangshan well and earn the Council's trust! Besides, you're only a consultant—any policy errors are the responsibility of us administrative leaders. So don't hold back. Say whatever's on your mind."

Luo Yiming was inwardly startled: This Bi Da has a lot of nerve! Not only was she taking full responsibility, she was explicitly saying Wang Chuyi's failure wasn't Peng Shou'an's fault—a verdict only the Council could render. Ordinary Elders wouldn't dare speak so casually.

The sincerity of her words moved Peng Shou'an. In all his years in office, he had never met an "official" who spoke so plainly. "It is not that I am being evasive," he said. "Truly, my wits are scattered—when County Magistrate Wang treated me as a trusted adviser, I devised strategies for him, hoping to help him pacify Yangshan and earn a fine future. Who knew that a scholar's empty talk would doom the state? The County Magistrate walked into a trap, lost soldiers and officers, and was gravely wounded—his life still hangs by a thread. I am too ashamed to live; how could I produce any 'views'..."

Bi Da saw the old man speak with feeling, tears glistening in his eyes. He is at least sincere. She soothed him. "Don't get upset. We are all in the same boat in Yangshan. The situation is extremely difficult; we urgently need to break through. You know local conditions better than anyone—we still need your help."

Peng Shou'an wiped his face. "If you ask me to devise strategies again, I cannot comply. But anything about people and affairs in Yangshan that I know, I will tell you everything, holding nothing back. If there is any errand you wish to send me on, I will exert myself to the utmost."

Luo Yiming silently cursed the old fox for being slippery; Bi Da didn't mind. She asked, "Very well. I'd like to know about the influential gentry and magnates in this county—those with good reputations."

"That is easy." Seeing he wasn't being asked to propose schemes, Peng Shou'an relaxed by half. He had served here for years; he knew the gentry and magnates like "fish know water."

After a moment's thought, he said, "The foremost figure among the county's gentry is Ouyang Xi."

The Ouyang family had lived in Yangshan for generations. Ancestors had held office; the family had produced scholars for several generations running—a true eminent lineage. In Ouyang Xi's generation, he himself had no degree and was technically a commoner. But his son, Ouyang Da, was a juren from the Tianqi era. So the Ouyang family commanded considerable influence locally.

"What is his reputation in the county?"

"Elder Ouyang is known for public-spirited generosity. He has done much for the county. Take the 'Han Gong Reading Terrace'—Ouyang initiated its restoration..."

Bi Da nodded. She knew Ouyang Xi was exactly what the cadre-training Elders called a "local worthy." Of course, when the Elders used that term, they always did so with a kind of mocking disdain. Internally, how to regard local worthies was a frequent point of contention—debates that sometimes spilled into the classroom. Overall, the Council was skeptical and distrustful of local worthies.

"His public spirit can't just be about restoring a reading terrace?"

"That was a major undertaking. As for lesser things—building roads and bridges, disaster relief—Ouyang has done plenty." Peng Shou'an, who had gotten along famously with the Ouyang family during his tenure, had often relied on their help to settle difficult official business. Naturally, he returned the favor with various "considerations."

"Where does he live?"

"The Ouyang family's old residence is in the city, but when the Yao unrest started, they moved the whole household to their fortified village in the countryside."

"Does he have militia? About how many?"

Peng Shou'an couldn't quite read what this woman was after. He grew a bit flustered. "About... perhaps... two or three hundred..."

Bi Da noticed his sudden hesitation and found it odd. A moment's thought made it clear. She said gravely, "Mr. Peng! I'm asking about his household because you said he is 'public-spirited' and 'upright and honest.' I won't hide it from you: our situation in Yangshan is dangerous. We need the support of influential local families. This is critical. Tell me what you know—don't conceal or exaggerate."

Peng Shou'an nodded repeatedly, thinking: This woman does have some insight! If the Elders didn't send reinforcements, these few people could never break the deadlock. Winning Ouyang Xi's support was indeed a sound strategy.

But he had once suggested the same idea to Wang Chuyi. Wang Chuyi had agreed with him—yet had not adopted it. Peng Shou'an had been puzzled for a long time before he understood: the Council had always been lukewarm toward local worthies.

Who would have thought that what Wang Chuyi dared not do, this woman would dare! Peng Shou'an was both impressed and secretly alarmed: Had the situation in Yangshan deteriorated so far that the Council would stop at nothing?

He steadied himself. "His militia are not many in number—only about a hundred. But the family has many sons and nephews, plus many long-term and tenant laborers. In an emergency, they could arm five hundred in no time."

"Quite a lot." Bi Da asked further, "Has the Ouyang family done anything to provoke public resentment?"

Peng Shou'an pricked up his ears. The Council placed great weight on popular sentiment—a critical issue. He thought a moment, then chose his words carefully. "As I said, the Ouyang family has always been public-spirited; their family discipline is strict. There is no great resentment against them. However, they are a large clan—three or four hundred males—so it is inevitable that some members are less than exemplary. And a clan of such stature cannot help but act high-handedly at times. Please bear that in mind, County Magistrate."

(End of Chapter)