Chapter Twenty: Temple Mountain of the Black Dragon King

The escort went smoothly, with little delay along the way.

That evening, the able-bodied men of Heilongwang Temple Mountain and the frontier soldiers drove dozens of grain carts home. The village women had already set up large pots outside the Western Guan Yu Temple, steaming fragrant millet porridge, waiting for their return.

On the road, Liu Chengzong finally understood the changes in his hometown. Everyone knew they were in the midst of a drought, yet each held onto the hope that next year things would improve. In Xingpingli, his father Liu Xiangyu, relying on the respect his relatives had for his status as a scholar, had established in the clan council that the whole family would plant drought-resistant crops and clear irrigation channels.

The first year of Chongzhen’s reign brought drought, proving his decisions correct; the foresight in building channels and choosing grains allowed the elders to survive the calamity.

When faced with waves of refugees, Liu Xiangyu, after calculating the clan’s grain reserves, once again stood firm at the clan council, accepting forty-two households of displaced people—his own family took in seven, including Shi Wanzhong.

Each refugee household had at least one sturdy laborer, and they contributed greatly to springtime repairs of irrigation and the cultivation of nearby unused fields.

Liu Xiangyu was the famine savior of Heilongwang Temple Mountain. Without him, Xingpingli would fare no better than Li Hongji’s hometown; none of the clan elders or village heads would have leisure, all would have to seek loans from wealthy families.

Because of this, the elders knew Liu Xiangyu had spared them great trouble, and were willing to repay him by supporting his initiatives, leading to the current state of Xingpingli.

After becoming the last surviving village among eight surrounding settlements, Liu Xiangyu was chosen by the elders as the leader of the militia in the northern township. Xingpingli’s original three militia slots were increased to twenty-four.

This was the entire militia roster for the northern township of Fushi County. Since the early Ming, the yellow register system and the li-jia structure served as grassroots militia organizations, with the principle that people defended themselves, families fought for their own, ensuring the safety of the populace.

The militia system developed from these roots, evolving during the Xuande and Zhengtong reigns when bandits and northern raiders threatened the borders, allowing militia to be mobilized during emergencies and returned to farming when peace resumed. It was both a form of corvée and a source for recruiting soldiers.

The militia leader only trained troops, responding to imperial summons in times of crisis; the commander, a deputy official sent by the government, was often drawn from the garrison officers.

When the frontier soldiers arrived from afar, Liu Xiangyu fulfilled his duties as host, treating them to millet porridge and lodging them at the Guan Yu Temple.

The Guan Yu Temple at Heilongwang Temple Mountain was not dilapidated; last year, it had been fitted with beds for the refugees, and anticipating more arrivals this year, village women had cleaned it thoroughly days ago.

The Liu brothers did not sleep at the temple that night. Chengzu asked Gao Xian and Tian Shoujing, the squad leaders, to watch over the soldiers, then returned home with Chengzong to pay their respects to their parents.

During the day, with many villagers and frontier soldiers present, father and sons could not speak freely.

The Liu family’s two-courtyard house stood in the west of the village, built for Liu Xiangyu after he achieved the scholar’s rank and became the instructor at Yan’an Prefecture; a southern osmanthus tree was planted at the gate, and in those years, Xingpingli produced two scholars.

But the tree struggled, ill-suited to the land; despite careful tending from the villagers, it barely survived, with neither fragrance nor flowers.

The house leaned against a small hill, with a row of cave dwellings dug into the slope. These caves had long been neglected, but with the influx of outsiders, they had been repaired.

Originally, the second courtyard hadn’t been built; Liu Xiangyu had not yet received his official post, and many students drawn by his reputation came seeking a teacher, some even settling on Heilong Temple Mountain and constructing cave dwellings beside the courtyard.

Chengzong found the house unfamiliar, standing beneath the osmanthus tree and remarking to his brother, “It’s been over ten years, but the two of us together have only lived in this new house for just over a year.”

“Come to think of it?” Chengzu was more direct, looking up at the gate, “This house wasn’t really built for our family. Father and mother haven’t lived here for many years.”

As they spoke, someone inside heard their conversation. The gate cracked open, revealing a young face with hair tied in a kerchief. Chengzu pointed and laughed, “There’s someone from the house—Chengyun!”

“Big brother, Lion brother! I heard second uncle say you’d be back tonight. I’ve been waiting behind the door all this time!”

The young man, younger than Chengzong, was quick-witted. His name was Liu Chengyun, the orphaned son of their eldest uncle.

In the second year of Tianqi, Chengyun’s parents and elder brother perished in the chaos of the Mongol raids. He was brought here as a child, and over the years became the one who lived in the house longest.

Before the brothers could reply, Chengyun hurried out, taking reins and tying horses, chattering nonstop, “It’s great you’re back! I just returned from the south tonight, otherwise I would’ve gone up the mountain path to meet you.”

“Back from the south?” Chengzu stepped inside, puzzled, “With all the turmoil outside, what were you doing in the south?”

Chengzong frowned inwardly. Chengyun was a year younger, with no martial skills, yet dared to wander outside—his courage seemed excessive.

“I did a lot,” Chengyun said, unfazed by the risky journey, his eyes bright, “After you enlisted, I learned some skills from second uncle’s son-in-law, Accountant Wu, saved a bit. With goods so cheap, I bought two shops in the prefectural city for second uncle and aunt.”

“And I bought a few things for you two, and visited my father-in-law.”

His words left the brothers staring, wide-eyed. “You—you have a father-in-law? When did that happen?”

“Just last year, after the emperor’s amnesty… You’ve been away so long, it’s a long story. Let’s go inside and see uncle and aunt first.”

With that, the three brothers passed through the decorative gate into the inner courtyard. From afar, they could hear their mother’s complaining voice, and exchanged smiles.

Inside, lamplight cast shadows on the window. Mother was lamenting how father ignored all household matters, letting the grain stores dwindle, always drilling troops or editing books, never doing anything practical.

Father stayed silent for a long time, until mother mentioned the return of their sons as helpers, no longer fearing disasters or unrest. Then he muttered, “Don’t worry. No one can harm my family. On Heilongwang Temple Mountain, I fear no one.”

“Enough, Chengyun’s been out for a while; it’s probably the boys returning. Don’t quarrel in front of them. Mind the household more, and leave tenants a way to live.”

“Who’s standing in the courtyard?”

Chengzu responded, “Father, mother, Lion and I have returned.”

“If you’re back, come inside quickly, don’t stand in the yard and catch cold. Wait till your mother tidies the rooms so you can sleep tonight.”

While father spoke, Chengzong let Little Whirlwind run freely in the yard, placed Eyebrowed Plum’s little house by the wing room, then followed his brother inside to bow to their father.

Liu Xiangyu sat in the main hall’s central seat, an unlit tobacco pipe resting on the table. He looked long at his two sons kneeling before him, finally letting them rise, turning away with a deep sigh.

“I used to think it was bad for you two to enlist. Who could have guessed the world would turn so quickly? Now that you’ve returned with troops, what are your plans?”