Hot flashes

Zhou Heng discovered the problem on the fifth night.

The first two days went smoothly. The blacksmith started forging new farm tools, the carpenter made parts for the dragon-bone waterwheel according to the blueprints, and the people Li Chong sent had already cleared the silt from the abandoned irrigation canals.

At first, the farmers in Qingnigou were hesitant to approach, but later, when they saw that someone was actually coming to measure their land, ask questions, and register their debts, some of the bolder ones started to come closer.

Zhou Heng went to Qingnigou every day. He taught carpenters how to make the blades of the dragon-bone waterwheel denser, taught blacksmiths how to adjust the plowshare angle of the curved plow, and taught farmers how to compost with wood ash.

He only had a superficial understanding of some things, but he could still visualize them in his mind and explain them by gestures and words, and the craftsmen could figure out the tricks of the trade on their own.

On the third night, the blacksmith's shop caught fire.

When Zhou Heng was woken up by Chen Shen, the fire had been burning for more than half an hour. He put on his clothes and rushed to the scene, only to see a charred ruin and several unrecognizable corpses in the ruin.

The blacksmith's surname was Ge. He had come from the north with two apprentices. Zhou Heng had personally chosen him; he was honest, skillful, and didn't talk much.

They're all dead now.

Zhou Heng stood before the ruins. The fire had been extinguished, but embers were still smoldering. The air was thick with the stench of burning wood, mixed with something he couldn't quite place.

He crouched down, brushed aside a patch of ashes, and revealed half of a bent piece of iron—it was a plowshare that hadn't been finished yet.

Chen Shen, standing nearby, said in a low voice, "The fire started outside. Someone poured oil on it."

Zhou Heng remained silent.

He stared at the half-finished plowshare for a long time.

Then he stood up and asked, "What about the other side of the canal?"

Chen Shen paused for a moment: "A bit of a problem has also occurred. The section that was just cleared this morning was filled in last night. They filled it with stones and mud, covering more than twenty zhang."

Zhou Heng remained silent.

He turned around and walked back. After a few steps, he stopped.

"Investigate," he said. "I need to know who it is before dawn."

Chen Shen agreed.

Zhou Heng returned to his residence but did not sleep. He sat by the window, watching the sky gradually lighten, and went through every event of the past few days in his mind.

He personally selected Ge the blacksmith. He personally drew the blueprints for the dragon-bone waterwheel. He personally chose the first location to start construction on the Qingnigou irrigation canal.

If someone doesn't want these things to happen, then you must know who they are and what they're doing.

Not many people know who he is.

Even fewer people know what he does.

Chen Shen returned at daybreak.

"We found them." His face was grim. "The ones who spilled the oil were three local thugs from the east of the city, who did dirty work for others. The ones who filled the irrigation ditch were a few farmers from Qingnigou."

Zhou Heng was taken aback: "Farmers?"

Chen Shen nodded: "Someone gave them money. Five hundred coins each, to fill in the canal at night. They said they'd get another five hundred after they finished."

Zhou Heng leaned back in his chair and suddenly felt a little tired.

Farmers. He went to Qingnigou every day to give them seeds, farm tools, medical treatment, and to write off their debts.

But someone paid them money, and they filled in the ditch that he and his men had cleared under cover of night.

"Where are they?" he asked.

"The three thugs escaped. The farmers caught four, and the rest ran into the mountains."

Zhou Heng remained silent for a while.

"Release those four farmers."

Chen Shen looked at him but didn't move.

Zhou Heng repeated, "Release them."

Chen Shen asked, "Does the young master intend to just let it go like this?"

Zhou Heng stood up and walked to the window. Outside the window were the streets and alleys of Jiangling City. In the morning light, early-rising vendors had already set up their stalls, selling steamed buns and hot soup, and their shouts could be faintly heard.

"What can we do if we don't let them go?" he asked. "Kill them? If we kill a few farmers, and the news gets out, will the remaining people in Qingnigou dare to come near me? Those people in Jiangling City who are watching will just be laughing at us."

Chen Shen remained silent.

Zhou Heng turned around and looked at him.

"Keep investigating those three thugs. Investigate who's behind them. Find out who paid them, who relayed their messages, and who's watching us." He paused. "As for those farmers... keep an eye on them. Don't touch them yet. See who they contact next."

Chen Shen's eyes flickered slightly, and he lowered his head: "Yes."

After releasing the four farmers, Zhou Heng did not go to Qingnigou again.

He stayed in the city for three days.

Every day, I did the same things: I went to the old site of the blacksmith's shop to watch the craftsmen clear the ruins, I went to the woodworking workshop to see the new blueprints being made, and I went to the government office to argue with Li Chong's staff—the canal had been filled in, the repair budget had to be recalculated, the construction period had to be postponed, the wages had to be increased, and the materials had to be replenished.

On the evening of the third day, Chen Shen returned.

"Two of those three thugs were found. They're dead."

Zhou Heng paused for a moment while holding his tea.

"How did he die?"

"One drowned in the stinking ditch east of the city, and the other hanged himself in a dilapidated temple outside the city. They look like accidents, but they weren't." Chen Shen paused. "The third one ran out of the city and hasn't been found yet."

Zhou Heng put down the tea.

"What about those farmers?"

"There was someone who went into town late the night before last, heading to an alley in the south of the city. The person who lived in that alley, I checked, was a peddler who went from street to street selling needles and thread. That peddler left town three days ago and hasn't returned yet."

Zhou Heng leaned back in his chair and suddenly smiled.

Chen Shen looked at him, somewhat surprised.

Zhou Heng said, "Interesting."

The smile was faint, but Chen Shen understood it. He had seen that kind of smile before Xiao Jue—it was the kind of chilling smile that sent shivers down your spine before the prey began its counterattack.

"What do we do next?" he asked.

Zhou Heng thought for a moment and said, "Tomorrow, I'll go to Qingnigou."

Chen Shen frowned: "Young Master—"

"Don't worry." Zhou Heng stood up and walked to the window. "I'm not going to settle accounts. I'm going to—" He paused, turned back to look at Chen Shen, "to deliver money to them."

Chen Shen was taken aback.

Zhou Heng didn't explain. He just looked out the window at the darkening sky.

Look who it is that wants him to leave so badly.

The next day, Zhou Heng went to Qingnigou.

He didn't bring much: a bag of seeds, a few newly made farm tools, and a stack of papers—deeds cancelling debts, one for each household, effective once fingerprinted.

The farmers in Qingnigou had mixed expressions when they saw him. Some hid, some lowered their heads and dared not look, and some stood at a distance to watch.

Of the four farmers who were released, two were not at home, one was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) "sick," and only one, surnamed Zhao, was standing at his door, watching Zhou Heng approach.