Nikola sent the last petitioner home, a Ghost Liar who spoke in lies and had basically wanted an additional grotto. Nikola needed the caves for greenhouses, but he had promised he would search for a plot of land, so the rabbits could settle in.
But if the Ghost Liar demanded land from him, then Nikola was in his right to tax them as citizens. He had spoken with Mister Wu. It was agreed that the Ghost Liars would work for the village, sweeping streets and helping people around, to earn fifty silver coins per month to pay for the privilege of living in Gangcho.
That had prompted some rabbits to go on a protest, stating that if their former burrow wasn’t taken, then they wouldn’t need the grottoes. But Nikola had stood firm as the rabbits half-marched, half-hopped their way around the village.
They were getting food for free. Food that grew even in winter. Nikola could explain the weird behavior of the plants because of the Ghost Liars, but he couldn’t use the same spells on the greenhouses.
Since they were in the caves, the construction on them was nearly completed. All the caves were filled with greenhouses, all fifty of them. One greenhouse in each. Nikola gave half of them to poor people and rented the other half. The greenhouses were planted and Nikola checked them off his petition list.
The ever-growing petition list of dread, as Nikola liked to call it, grew to ten scrolls by the end of the week. There were precious little things he could check from the list during winter, but he got to it.
He wrote a letter to Kang Lei of Danyang for a deal to purchase some cows. For both milk and their pelts. Nikola planned to have such a big herd that they exported dairy products as far as Yuzhang.
Next he wrote to Samjin, as it was the closest, for pigs. There were wild boars in the forest of Gangcho, but Nikola ordered them hunted down to extinction. They only did harm on the farms and were making trouble for the Ghost Liars, trying to muscle their way into their grotto. The meat would be used to feed the homeless children in the palace, with most of it being put in steamed buns for the other poor residence of the village.
Nikola planned not to have any poor villagers in Gangcho by the end of the year. If they weren’t fishers, then he would make sure they were miners in the jade deposit or had animals to make profit from.
To make more people agree to get animals on lease, he lowered taxes. He had made peace with the fact that he was going to bankroll the village for the next year. Which led him to writing and to tap a pot with soil, so a new trinket could be spat out of it.
Magistrate Kang Lei, I write to you for oxen and the proposition to make a wagon train between Gangcho and Danyang.
A jade necklace appeared in the pot and Nikola threw it in the pile of jewelry. He had to make some weapons too. Perhaps tonight? But no, he had promised Wei Caihong he was going to teach him how to curse the emperor tonight. Tomorrow night? Su Niu was not pressuring him, but he had given him many commissions.
I feel that our beautiful beaches can offer quite the time to the people of Danyang. And the canyon, now safe and under Marek’s protection, can be quite the novel experience for my people.
Nikola rolled the new scroll and placed it on the pile of yet to be sent scrolls. Samjin had a worker deficit and Nikola still had slums. He would rather not have slums, darn it. He could send some of his people to work in Samjin, but he had to make sure that their pay didn’t go towards rent.
Magistrate Lee, your plight was perfectly shown in the essay of little Hu. And while he didn’t win, his words stayed with me. I offer to sent you able-bodied workers to plant your rice paddies. What I want in return is that you offer them a place to stay and a fair wage. I believe…
He tapped the pot again and a silver medallion with a Ghost Liar on the locket appeared. Nikola grinned at the rabbit. He’ll keep this for Nathaniel. The boy would surely like it. He kept writing more notes, and then he rang a bell once he was done. The messenger he had hired, and to whom he paid four golden coins a day, came and bowed.
“Magistrate Nikola, to where am I going today?” He asked excitedly. The man used to be a farmer, but he sold his land when his house had nearly collapsed from being too old. Now, with just half of his month’s wage, he could afford to fix it right up.
“First to Samjin, then to Danyang and finally to Yuzhang. And while you are there, look around the markets and tell me what is being sold,” added Nikola. He needed new ideas on what to sell and was not above copying other people’s ideas.
“Of course, magistrate. Let me just pick the scrolls,” Nikola wasn’t worried that the man would see the jewelry. Nikola had placed it under an illusion. The messenger picked up all the scrolls, placed them in a bag, and left.
Nikola had used some of the cotton he had left over to make uniforms for all the public workers, the messenger included. They even went with them during their time, their wages now bigger, and so they carried themselves with pride.
Nikola stood up and checked the sand clock on the wall. He had plenty of time before he needed to teach Wei Caihong the curse. He picked up Han Shanyuan on the way and headed to the forge. Until Wei Caihong found them, they have made two sabers already. Nikola left the blacksmith to show Han Shanyuan some tricks of the trade and went with Wei Caihong.
The two of them had fun cursing the emperor with every nasty thing they could think of. A month passed and the news from Chang’an came that the emperor was now a hideous monster and had a temper to match his look.
One of Wei Caihong’s noble friends had sent him a sketch in secret, and Wei Caihong hanged it over their home shrine as if honoring the emperor. While in truth, he simply liked to look at it and giggle uncontrollably.
The emperor had too much pride to ask his cousin for help, even though Wei Caihong had made himself quite the name as a physician. Not that Wei Caihong would have helped, even if asked.
Winter gave way to spring and Nikola could finally begin the building works around the village. He started with the roads to the jade deposit and the former magistrate’s house.
The workers needed to be ready to dig, and so this was his priority. He also sent many men and women towards Samjin, their children being relocated to the palace if there was no one of the family staying to look after them.
With the spring, the school opened again, although Nikola didn’t return to teach. He simply had too much on his plate. He also sent his two caravanners out with new wares.
This time they would come back quicker, as their wagons were full of commissions which were already spoken for. Nikola also stocked his store, although he didn’t have time to make all that many weapons.
People crowded his store and were disappointed that he hadn’t lowered the prices. They still needed what he was selling, however, and so they bought it all up almost as soon as Nikola created it.
It was a good thing that Nikola’s garden was walled off, or people would have begun to ask questions about the pit in it. Nikola decided to plant a tree inside. Maybe he would create his wares with sand from now on?
The state exam rolled around and both Han Shanyuan and Wei Zhaohui gave their new essays. Unlike the former competition, they didn’t need to travel and present their essays.
They had high hopes for the essays, which were going to be presented to the emperor and his court. Said man would try to thwart the essays any way he could, but Wei Caihong still had many friends at court, and he was sure that they would be fair.
Spring gave way to summer and in the seventh month Nikola held his six children in turns. The entire village celebrated, the fishermen giving their entire catch for the feast that happened the day of the birth. Penemue had agreed that her children should carry the Wei name.
Her firstborn son was called Wei Yuze, the second one Wei Xiang and the third Wei Tu. Master Wang had died when Wei Longwei had been born, and the newborn’s gaze was too intelligent by far.
The school closed while Wei Caihong was recovering from the birth, and Nikola felt the need for another teacher. He wrote to Kang Lei for one to come from Danyang, but the magistrate had told him that he didn’t have any to spare. One as far away as Ba was supposed to come, but by the time he arrived the school closed for the summer.
The children loved their new siblings and dotted on them equally. Nathaniel liked Wei Longwei the best, as he knew he was Master Wang in truth. Another being who was given a second chance.
Months passed, and the New Year came and went. Nikola had done all the things in the petitions list he had promised he would do, and now granny Nuo Nuying sold her steamed buns to customers who paid with their money. Everything was fine, until the news that a Bifang Niao was nesting in the center of the village arrived.
