Chapter 12: Taking the Initiative

  Ding Tingxun was burning incense and paying respects to his ancestors when he heard Liu Shiyi's tearful plea. The incense sticks in his hand almost fell to the ground. He hastily finished reciting the prayer, inserted a tall incense stick into the censer, and then composed himself enough to walk out of the main hall, leading the attendants into the second gate, where the ancestral temple's side chambers were located, which was where important matters concerning the Ding clan were discussed.

  Although Ding Tingxun had experienced countless storms throughout his life, the danger of this matter was too great today, so great that it could let the mighty Ding family be removed from the list of aristocratic families overnight. He was already old, with a family and business to take care of, a wife and children to support, and the burden on his shoulders was getting heavier and heavier, making him unable to withstand such a blow. After entering the house, he was forced to drink a cup of ginseng tea, and only then did his pale face regain some vitality.

  Seeing the servants on both sides were all panicked, as the master of the house he couldn't show weakness in front of his subordinates. Ding Tingxun suppressed his shock and calmly called in the man who reported the news, first asking about his son's injuries. He was told that Ding Chengzong had only broken both legs due to a horse carriage accident and was not in danger of losing his life. Only then did he ask about the robbery of the grain carts.

  This time, the young master of the Ding family, Ding Chengzong, escorted 200 grain carts to Guangyuan. The Ding family's grain transportation and sales business had long been done smoothly. Although there were some mountain bandits along the way, the Ding family had already established connections over the past decade or so. Each time they sent some silver as a gesture of goodwill, those bandits wouldn't bother them either.

  On the one hand, this was because the Ding family had built up a good reputation over the years. On the other hand, it was also because during this time, the wealthy families' private guards and even ordinary servants would practice martial arts during their free time to serve as militia. Two hundred grain carts required thousands of people to escort them, and even if there were bandits with a large following, they might not be able to take on a militia force of thousands. Furthermore, the Ding family was transporting military rations, so if they were to provoke the authorities into surrounding and attacking them, it would be a losing proposition. Bandits and robbers also wanted to survive and make a living, so who would want to cause trouble for themselves? Therefore, over the past decade or so, the Ding family's grain transport business had been very smooth, without any major incidents.

  Despite this, Ding Chengzong had already calculated the route in advance and set out more than ten days earlier, transporting grain ahead of time. Originally, it was a foolproof plan. Ding Chengzong and his father were equally cautious by nature, and although they were familiar with the road, they still exercised extreme caution along the way, whether it was stopping to eat or camping overnight, not becoming complacent just because they had traveled this route before. But who would have thought that even with such caution, something unexpected happened.

  That day they left Shenze Town and continued on their way, now only a day and a half away from Guangyuan City. West of Shenze Town was a vast expanse of salt alkali land, several thousand mu in size, with soil that looked like both black sand and pond mud. This kind of soil could only grow reeds, so the surroundings were exceptionally desolate.

  Ding Chengzong had sent a fast horse ahead to scout the road, but this was also a normal arrangement. Such a large area of land was desolate and full of reeds, with no signs of human habitation, so they didn't expect any danger. Unexpectedly, it was right here that they encountered a band of robbers.

  The bandits seemed to have already explored the route and time of their journey, and when they had just walked halfway, thick smoke came rolling in, and someone had set fire to a reed thicket. At first, Ding Chengzong thought it was a wildfire, and he ordered people to hurry forward, but the front carriage soon fell into a dug sand pit that blocked the road, and only then did they realize they were ambushed. The robbers swarmed in immediately afterwards. Having been smoked by fire and smoke, with red eyes and tears flowing, the entire caravan was dragged into a long dragon-like grain team, and it was impossible to take care of both ends at once, being cut off by the bandits into pieces.

  Ding Tingxun was asking about the situation when Mrs. Lu rushed in, wiping away tears with a handkerchief: "Father, how is Chengzong doing? I heard he was seriously injured, and it's so cold outside, what can be done? Father, Chengzong absolutely cannot come to any harm!"

  Mrs. Lu Shao's name is Lu Xiangwu, and her father was also a prominent scholar in Ba Prefecture. Today, the Ding family is holding an ancestral worship ceremony, and this young mistress is dressed very elegantly, with a slender figure as smooth as jade, wearing a fox-fur-trimmed brocade padded jacket, and a skirt with eight pleats made of Xiang River silk, without any head ornaments, her raven-black hair styled neatly, her pretty face filled with sorrow and tears, just like a lotus flower floating on the surface of the water, pure and beautiful, evoking sympathy.

  Ding Tingxun was indeed preoccupied with his thoughts, and when this young daughter-in-law suddenly burst in, he was somewhat displeased. He furrowed his brow and sternly shouted: "This is a place for discussing family matters, what are you doing here? Chengzong is my son, can't I take care of him myself? Get out and wait!"

  Lu Xiang rushed in, now being publicly scolded by her father-in-law, her expression suddenly became somewhat embarrassed, and a flush of red appeared on her previously calm face.

  "Milady, don't be anxious, Master is gathering everyone to discuss a solution, isn't he? Milady, please wait for now, there will be a way."

  Waiyuan Executive Liu Shiyi persuaded Lu Xiangwu to leave, and then said: "Old master, being anxious is not a solution. This is the life-and-death turning point of our Ding family. You must come up with a plan immediately, so that everyone can work together to get through this difficult time."

  Ding Tingxun gradually calmed down, took a deep breath and picked up his son's letter to read again: "Father, I am unfilial, the military rations were seized, causing a great disaster for the Ding family, which cannot be redeemed even with death. I hope Father will not think of me when you see this letter, but quickly resolve this calamity as soon as possible."

  "This time, the military rations were stolen, and there are some suspicious circumstances. I was transporting grain from Ba State to Guangyuan, and the official roads, mountain roads, main roads, and small roads intersected and replaced each other, with many possible routes that could be taken at any time, making it difficult to predict. However, the bandits somehow knew the route and timing, set up an ambush, and I suspect there must be a traitor among my entourage. The militiamen under my command were also very brave, but despite being prepared, they still suffered heavy casualties. The leader of the bandits was shot in the left eye by me, and in his anger, he set fire to the grain. My horse-drawn carriage was startled and ran into the wilderness, overturning and breaking both of my legs. I returned slowly, so I sent a trusted fast horse back to hurry you, Father, to transport military rations to Guangyuan again at all costs. If the military rations do not arrive soon, great disaster will befall the Ding family..."

  The handwriting was a bit sloppy, but after the son's sudden change and severe injury, he could still think so carefully, really not disappointing his many years of training. Thinking of this, Ding Tingxun felt a little comfort in his heart.

  "Master... you should come up with a plan." Li Shouyin, the head of the long workers, also said anxiously. The head of the long workers and the tenant farmers were all equivalent to the executives of the Ding family. The Ding family rented out their land for farming, but they didn't need the master himself to go to the fields to supervise. These heads of the long workers and tenant farmers had a group of people under them, managing those common households with strict discipline. As a result, these executives were quite favored by the master, when the Ding family ate meat, they drank soup. Nowadays, in the local area, they are also considered small landowners with some status. Their fate is closely tied to that of the Ding family, seeing the Ding family on the brink of disaster, how can they not be anxious?

  Ding Tingxun took a deep breath, slowly raised his head and instructed in a word-by-word manner: "Liu Ming, you will make an inventory of all the grain stored in the Ding family tonight, leave aside the seeds, pack up the rest and transport them to Guangyuan. However, I'm afraid that only our current stockpile is not enough, after making the inventory, you will immediately enter the city at night, today is New Year's Eve, Ba State has no curfew, after entering the city, you will buy out all the grain from various rice shops and transport them back, also bring back all the grain prepared for sale in our own store."

  "Yes!" Liu Ming stood up and hastily responded.

  "Liu Shi-yi, have all the usable carriages and horses from our Ding family's estates, as well as those from other villages and farms, brought here tonight. Then go to the city and rent every available carriage from the stables and footmen, and have them sent back to me immediately."

  "Yes!"

  "Chen Feng, Yang Ye, Li Shouyin..." Ding Tingxun's expression softened a bit as he bowed to these several foremen and tenant heads: "Everyone, the Ding family is now at a critical juncture of life and death. I have an important matter to entrust to you all, please immediately mobilize your men to help me hire all the able-bodied Dings from the surrounding villages. It's a long way for everyone to travel on New Year's Day, but I won't treat them unfairly - one day's work will be paid as three days', and there will be rewards after the task is completed."

  "Master Dong, you're too kind. I'll definitely do my best to help the Ding family through this difficult time." Chen Feng and Yang Ye quickly stood up and bowed their hands.

  Ding Tingxun nodded, a sickly flush rising to his face. He clenched his fists and pursed his lips, saying: "In this world, there's no hurdle that can't be overcome. This time... I'll personally take charge, and we must get the grain to Guangyuan."

  "Master, your body won't do......"

  "Master, let me take care of this task, you can't go..."

  A group of servants were trying to stop her, when a woman's voice at the door said: "Father, let me go!" The crowd turned their heads and saw that it was Ding Xiaojie standing tall at the entrance.

  "You, a mere girl, what are you doing getting involved in this commotion!" Ding Tingxun harshly scolded. Ding Yuliu raised an eyebrow and said discontentedly: "I am also a member of the Ding family, why can't I go? I can ride horses and shoot arrows, I have been to Guangyuan, Taiyuan, and Pingyuan, the three major cities on the border, who else should go if not me?"

  "You're a woman, no way!" Ding Tingxun flatly refused.

  The next morning, Ding Tingxun lay on the kang, with a wet towel covering his head, repeatedly warning: "...... In short, among the civilians who escaped back this time, there must be spies, so not one of them can be used. With our Ding family's financial resources, we wouldn't even go bankrupt if we lost another 200 carts of grain, but this is military rations! If something goes wrong, the entire Ding family will be executed and the women will become slaves. Yuluo, I'm entrusting the Ding family to you now. You must deliver the military rations to Guangyuan safely, no matter what. Maybe we're running out of time, but if we delay for a few days, given our long-standing relationship with the Guangyuan army, it might not be too bad. But if we drag it out for too long..."

  Ding Tingxun coughed as he spoke, and Ding Yuluo hastily patted his back to comfort him: "Father, don't worry, I'll risk my life to get the military rations delivered."

  Ding Tingxun, who had insisted on not letting his daughter represent the Ding family to transport military rations, finally fell ill in bed and couldn't get up after a series of setbacks. With no other choice, he could only entrust this important matter to his eldest daughter, who was now the only one who could represent the Ding family. He coughed weakly and said: "Go, go! You can use whoever you want from the Ding family, take 100,000 taels of silver notes and 2,000 taels of loose silver with you. The silver is for rewarding people on the road, and the silver notes... will be used to grease the wheels when the grain arrives, cough, cough, cough..."

  This deal is bound to lose money this year, he knew that the second batch of military rations might be delayed for several days before being delivered. In order to keep his exclusive right to sell military rations, he was willing to spend 100,000 taels of silver to have his daughter smooth out the relationship. As long as he could keep his business privilege, the loss would come back quickly, but... even if he used silver to grease the wheels, this delay couldn't last too long, otherwise who would dare take his money and who would dare cover for him?

  "Heavens preserve us! I've long heard that General Guangyuan Cheng Shiying is a skilled and brave warrior, well-versed in the art of war. I only hope he doesn't suffer a defeat, or else... or else the blame for this military failure will likely fall on my family, the Dings..." His daughter had already left, but Ding Tingxun couldn't shake off his anxiety as he lay on the kang, his heart feeling like it was scalded by boiling oil, making him gasp for breath.

  On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the village was filled with the crackling sounds of firecrackers as each household began cooking dumplings. However, the Ding family's compound, which usually started the celebrations with a half-hour-long fireworks display, was eerily quiet this year. A large group of temporarily recruited militiamen had gathered in the Ding family's courtyard, where various types of carts and horse-drawn carriages were arriving one after another. The servants and militiamen scurried about like ants, hastily loading sacks of grain onto the vehicles, securing them with oilcloth, and then driving them away.

  The sun was high in the sky, and the last cart was fully loaded with grain, slowly driving out of the Ding family's courtyard. Ding Hao, who had just finished transporting the grain, stood idly by, curiously sizing up the militiamen holding spears and hunting bows.

  If they are to be formally requisitioned, the prefectural governor must issue an order and the intendant must issue a fire permit. However, these civilians were originally farmers who worked part-time during the slack season to supplement their family income, which is also common sense. As for why they brought weapons with them when working part-time, given the relationship between the Ding family and the Ba Prefecture governor, as long as they don't cause any trouble, it can be turned a blind eye.

  Ding Hao stood in the courtyard, watching as a robust man suddenly strode past him with swift steps. The man wore a sheepskin hat that covered his ears, a gray cotton-padded jacket and pants, and a woolen cape over his shoulders, with a sword hanging from his back. The apricot-yellow tassel on the hilt of the sword fluttered in the wind. From behind, he looked sturdy, with his waist tightly wrapped and his pant legs rolled up in thick folds, and soft sheepskin sleeves wrapped around his wrists. He wore a pair of boots with tiger-head buckles that gripped the ground firmly. Although not very tall, he exuded an air of vigor, dressed in the standard attire for traveling long distances in northern China during winter.

  "Is everyone ready? Alright, let's set off!"

  That person spoke, and Ding Hao was taken aback. Listening to "his" tone, it turned out to be a girl? At this time, the person stretched out his hand to hold the saddle, jumped up, and landed neatly on the horse's back. Looking at "him", he had long eyelashes, big eyes, a straight nose, and a small mouth. Who in the world has such a handsome young man? It was clearly a big girl with a ponytail and a ribbon.

  "Big sister?" Ding Hao's gaze swept across the room, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind: "If I don't go out, I'll never have a chance to rise. If I do go out, it's up to my fate! Right now, the Ding family is in great trouble, which is exactly an opportunity - why shouldn't I take a risk?"

  "Piggy, let's go too."

  "What? Us? Are we okay? In this lifetime, neither of us has ever been more than ten miles away from home."

  "You can say that so far we haven't traveled far, but it's not necessarily set for a lifetime. Today, let's go to a place thousands of miles away!" Just as Ding Yuluo was about to ride off on her horse, Ding Hao suddenly darted out and jumped forward.

  Ding Yuluo's heart was racing like a fire, and she was about to gallop out of the courtyard when suddenly someone flashed out from the side and blocked her horse, shouting loudly: "Young Mistress!"

  Ding Yuluo hastily pulled the reins, and the strong horse let out a long whinny as it stood up on its hind legs. Ding Yuluo sat steadily on the horse's back, her bright eyes scanning forward, only to see Ding Hao standing in front of the horse, saying loudly: "Big sister, Ah-Dai and Zhu Er are willing to follow big sister together."

  " You?" Ding Yuluo pulled on the reins and circled around him, asking: "Tell me, what can you do?"

  Ding Hao glanced at Zhu Er and replied loudly, "Our horse-riding skills are still passable. Let's be the coachmen and escort Miss to deliver the grain."

  Ding Yuluo raised an eyebrow and said bluntly: "Alright, follow me!" After finishing speaking, she urged her horse to gallop away quickly.

  Ding Hao's spirits lifted and he hastily pulled Xue Liang along, chasing after Ding Yu's fleeing figure.