Chapter 29: Composed Response

  Liu Dahua's mansion is on Nan Zhi Da Jie Street.

  The residences of government officials are not overly ostentatious, after all, their salaries are limited. If they had luxurious mansions covering many acres, it would be hard to explain. The governor, vice-governor, and other high-ranking officials are not locals, besides, their living quarters within the yamen are quite good, so they wouldn't buy residences in the prefectural city.

  In such cases, the officials' residences were very ordinary civilian houses, and wealth was not displayed.

  At the appointed hour, Su Tiancheng arrived punctually at Liu Dahua's mansion.

  Liu Zhongji waited at the door and saw Su Tiancheng's porter carrying a pole behind him, looking somewhat surprised.

  After entering, Su Tiancheng found that this was a quadrangle courtyard, the area was not very large. In the city of Fu, there were many such residences, including ordinary people's homes, all living in quadrangle courtyards. It seems that Liu Dahua is quite low-key.

  Right in front is a small courtyard, followed by the main hall.

  Liu Dahua is sitting in the main room.

  Today is December 2nd, a rest day.

  It's already the end of the year, and there aren't many things going on in the government offices either. Ordinary people still need to celebrate the New Year, and the festive atmosphere is very strong during this period. From the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month to around the 20th day of the first lunar month, it's almost a month-long celebration.

  In recent years, however, farmers have suffered many disasters and bandits have caused trouble, making life difficult.

  "Junior greets uncle."

  Liu Dahua is older than Su Huawen.

  Of course, Su Tiancheng didn't need to kneel down and make a bow with his fists, after all, he was a Shengyuan.

  "Hehe, Kunyuan, I'm getting too old for this."

  Liu Dahua didn't stand on ceremony and naturally accepted Su Tiancheng's visit, as he was a senior.

  "Kunyuan, you and Quanzi are classmates. I should have invited you to the mansion long ago. Zhongji often goes to the Su Mansion to disturb them. As they say, 'coming but not going is impolite.' Today, it's said that I'm inviting you, but in fact, it's Zhongji who's inviting you."

  "The junior does not dare, actually the junior should have come to visit uncle long ago."

  "Haha, good, you have such an idea, very good. You and Zhong Ji are classmates, and you should come and go more often. I heard from Zhong Ji that you've already started reviewing your lessons, preparing for next year's imperial examination."

  "For a period of time, I haven't been reviewing my lessons, and recently when I flipped through the books, I felt somewhat unfamiliar with them, so I'll take another look."

  "Hmm, I believe you will definitely be able to attend high school."

  After chatting for a while, Liu Dahua stood up and left.

  "Kun Yuan, follow me to the study."

  The study in a family's home is generally a very important place, where major events are discussed, including some high-ranking officials of the imperial court. Although there is a reception hall in the mansion, when it comes to discussing important matters, they still go to the study.

  This time, Liu Zhongji did not follow him to the study.

  As soon as Su Tiancheng sat down in the study, Liu Dahua spoke up.

  "Kunyuan, there have been some rumors circulating in the imperial city recently. I've also heard them and feel a bit curious. I was thinking of asking you about it. If it's convenient for you, please share your thoughts. If not, then never mind."

  "Although uncle asked, junior will definitely answer truthfully."

  Liu Dahua didn't speak up immediately, but instead looked at Su Tiancheng with a smile on his face, though his eyes were somewhat sharp. He had been in the government for many years and had seen all sorts of people, but this Su Tiancheng had left a deep impression on him from the moment he entered the hall. He was neither arrogant nor humble, his speech was elegant, and he conducted himself with courtesy. For a 17-year-old young man who wasn't born into an official's family to have such poise was truly not simple.

  "Hehe, I'll just say it straight out."

  "I heard that you gave grain, coarse salt and seeds to the tenants of the Su family. I find it quite strange and don't know why you would think of doing such a thing. After all, the Su family's tenants are not many, with only about 500 mu of land, which is not a big deal. In recent years, farmers have suffered from disasters, and the court is aware of this. Last year, there was a great famine in Yan'an Prefecture, Shaanxi Province, and the court even exempted taxes. Pingyang Prefecture was slightly better off, but it also suffered heavy losses, and taxes could not be collected normally. The officials sent out to collect taxes were also complaining bitterly, and the prefectural governor was very worried."

  Su Tiancheng listened very carefully. It would be better to say that Liu Dahua was not asking questions, but rather expressing some kind of meaning or reminding himself to pay attention to certain things.

  As soon as Liu Dahua finished speaking, he immediately opened his mouth and replied.

  "Uncle, I indeed distributed grain, coarse salt and seeds to the tenant farmers. Fortunately, all the seeds were sown in time and didn't delay the farming schedule, so there's still hope for next year. As for why I did this, it was also out of helplessness."

  "How can I put this?"

  Liu Dahua immediately became serious, the smile on his face disappeared, and Su Tiancheng actually replied like this, I don't know what he means.

  "The younger generation mainly thinks about the future, last month, I went to the tenant's house and saw that there was no more grain at home, and the fields were not cultivated. If this continues, it will be a disaster. The tenant has fallen into such a state, on the surface, it seems like they have encountered a calamity, which doesn't seem to have much to do with our family. But if I don't take care of it, I'm afraid more and bigger troubles will arise in the future."

  "What kind of trouble will appear?"

  "The tenants of the Su family, although not many, are really starving and have no food to eat. They either wait for death or think of other ways to find something to eat. The most frightening thing is that they become confused and do things that are against morality. In the first half of the year, bandits from Shaanxi had already invaded Pingyang Prefecture. If these tenants were deceived into joining the bandit troops, wouldn't it cause great trouble for the prefecture? By giving them food and seeds, I can let them focus on farming with peace of mind, not only maintaining stability in their households but also alleviating pressure on the prefecture."

  "Haha, well said! However, it seems like you still have something on your mind, go ahead and say it, don't hold back."

  "I, a junior, have the audacity to say that in Pingyang Prefecture, there are many wealthy households. If these wealthy households can do this, even if they only take out some grain, stabilize the tenant farmers and prevent them from becoming desperate, it would be a significant achievement. The farmers in various counties have also suffered disasters. If there are kind-hearted rich merchants who can take out some silver to relieve the farmers and help them get through the disaster, I believe that if bandits invade Pingyang Prefecture again, these farmers will rise up to fight against them, which would be a great relief for the prefectural government."

  Liu Dahua's eyes became deeper, but he didn't make any comments.

  "Haha, this is the second thing. Leventon went to Su's mansion and discussed some things with you. I also heard some rumors. I don't know if these things are true or not. That Master Lei, being your elder, shouldn't have gone to Su's mansion. Your respected father has already arrived at Taiyuan Prefecture City."

  "Director Lei did indeed come to the mansion, but Director Lei is a senior, coming to the mansion to find a junior, also thinking of advising the junior. The junior just had some views on Director Lei and didn't dare agree, said some thoughts, nothing as mysterious as what's being spread outside."

  "It seems this thing is true, you're quite bold."

  "Uncle, it's not that I'm bold, but since Old Master Lei is a senior, I have no reservations and say whatever comes to mind. I believe that with justice, one can roam the world."

  Liu Dahua's expression became somewhat unpredictable.

  The conversation didn't last long, Su Tiancheng spoke concisely and to the point, without beating around the bush. For some questions, he provided detailed explanations, while for others, he glossed over them. For example, when Liu Dahua asked about why Lei Wentong came to the Su residence, including his own evaluation of Lei Wentong, these were very sensitive topics. Lei Wentong had been in Pingyang Prefecture for many years, with a certain status and position, it was impossible to say that he had no connection whatsoever within the officialdom.

  Su Tiancheng's caution piqued Liu Dahua's interest.

  Su Tiancheng did not answer the question, and Liu Dahua did not pursue it either.

  While having dinner, Liu Dahua toasted Su Tiancheng and urged Liu Zhongji to do the same. He specifically asked Liu Zhongji to interact more with Su Tiancheng in the future, as they were classmates and could exchange ideas and discuss together to improve themselves mutually.

  Having seen such a scene, Su Tiancheng became even more convinced of his own judgment. It seemed that Liu Dahua was not thinking of inviting himself to dinner, but behind him, there was the master of the Fu Mansion.