"Master Song!"
"Master Li Zheng!"
Calls like these echoed back and forth, and Song Linqing responded to each with a smile, pausing to chat warmly with familiar merchants.
Stopping and starting like this, it took more than a quarter of an hour to reach his home in the middle of the town.
This was an impressive residence, with about five courtyards; even in this bustling town, it was considered luxurious.
Moreover, Song Linqing had recently purchased a new piece of land in the back, planning to break ground and build another courtyard once the weather cooled down a bit.
In short, although this small town was not as vast and prosperous as the commandery of Wanshou County, Song Linqing found it more relaxing and free to be here, doing whatever he wanted without anyone’s interference, enjoying life to the fullest.
But it wasn’t like this when he first arrived.
Initially, Song Linqing came to Wanshou County with his sister and family, traveling thousands of miles to seek refuge with the main branch of the Song Clan.
The first period after arrival was fine; not only did the old clan leader personally greet them, but everyone else was also very enthusiastic.
However, after staying for a while, Song Linqing began to feel uncomfortable.
There was always a hint of hypocrisy in their enthusiasm.
To put it plainly, they didn’t really treat them as family.
And as time passed, this feeling grew stronger.
Especially regarding the clan’s affairs, he not only couldn’t get involved, he wasn’t even included.
Having nothing to do all day, although treated well with good food and drink, Song Linqing felt like sitting on pins and needles.
It was in such circumstances that Song Linqing got an opportunity.
The Li Zheng of Danfeng Town under the Song Family jurisdiction had retired due to age and ailments, leaving the town unmanaged.
And since no one from the Song Family wanted to leave the prosperous commandery to come to this wild, remote place, they surprisingly couldn’t find a suitable successor for a while.
In this situation, after hearing the news, Song Linqing immediately volunteered and ultimately obtained the position he had been aspiring for.
However, when Song Linqing first arrived in Danfeng Town with his sister and his retinue, it was far from the bustling hub it is now.
The previous Li Zheng was incompetent, leading to a severe decline in commercial trade, and even the Song Family’s herb fields were losing money year after year.
The fields around Danfeng Town are very fertile, with a climate ideal for medicinal plants, and having the backing of the Song Family tree, they should never theoretically incur losses.
Yet, they were losing money.
So, upon taking office, Song Linqing immediately carried out sweeping reforms, eliminating a large number of corrupt officials and sorting out past accounts.
This move quickly yielded results, and the herb fields soon turned profitable.
Simultaneously, Song Linqing also vigorously supported commercial trade, implementing many favorable policies, even subsidizing and reducing taxes.
This attracted many merchants to Danfeng Town; with more merchants came more Mountain Guests, and in this cycle of growth, trade volume continued to rise.
So in just two short years, Danfeng Town became bustling at a pace visible to the naked eye.
And as Li Zheng, Song Linqing received unanimous support and affection from both the top and bottom due to these measures.
At this moment, as Song Linqing returned home, he saw Tan Ziwang watering flowers under the eaves.
Over these two years, Tan Ziwang had aged considerably.
And as an elder who had once followed Song Linqing’s father, he was deeply respected by Song Linqing.
"Uncle Tan, watering the flowers?"
"Yes, Patriarch, you see, the soil here is so nourishing, just look at how wonderful these flowers are blooming," Tan Ziwang said with a cheerful smile.
"Indeed, this truly is a blessed land," Song Linqing replied with a smile.
At this time, Tan Dong came running into the courtyard from outside, and upon seeing both Song Linqing and his father under the eaves, he anxiously stopped in his tracks, catching his breath as he spoke.
"Patriarch, Father!"
Tan Ziwang gave Tan Dong a disapproving look.
"Already at your age, why are you still so rash and reckless?"
Tan Dong looked a bit wronged, "I have something important, Patriarch, this is a letter I just received from the message cart for you."
"For me?"
Song Linqing took the letter, opened it, and immediately a look of displeasure appeared on his face.
"Patriarch, what’s wrong?" Tan Dong asked hastily upon seeing this.
"Nothing, just a toad hoping to eat swan meat," Song Linqing said, and with these seemingly disconnected words, he turned and left.
Perplexed, Tan Dong turned to his father and asked, "Father, what’s wrong with the Patriarch?"
Tan Ziwang shook his head with a wry smile, "How would I know? Best not to pry into things you shouldn’t."
Then Tan Ziwang asked.
"Why did you go to the message cart today? Were you looking to see if there was any news from Ya again?"
"Yes," Tan Dong nodded, then said a bit disappointedly.
"But there’s still no word. Father, do you think Zhao has forgotten about us?"
"There’s certainly no news; it’s chaos in the realm these days, with communications between counties severed completely, let alone the vast distance from Yunxiao County to here."
"Don’t worry, Ya is a thoughtful person and won’t forget us; maybe it won’t be long before we meet," Tan Ziwang said.
Though he spoke these words, he wasn’t very confident in his heart.
Because now Great Yan had effectively fragmented, unless you were part of a large caravan or powerful on your own, traversing between counties was nearly impossible.