v4c15: The Art of the Deal

Three years ago, if anyone had told the Lord Magistrate he would be frequently visiting a cultivator—or becoming friends with one—he would have called them mad. Cultivators, to him, had been unknowable, inscrutable beasts in the form of men. Monsters that had to be appeased when necessary and avoided at all other times.

He had feared and hated them in equal measure, after what they had done to his lady wife. They were nothing but scum.

‘Everything indeed looks to be in order, Lord Magistrate. The House of Rou can easily commit this amount of money for the purposes of allowing the villages to rent the Bowu Machines,’ Pi Pa said as she looked over the contract.

Today, he was sitting in a cultivator’s home and discussing with a pig how that cultivator could aid the farmers who lived in his commandery.

It was absolutely absurd. It went against the natural order of the world.

“Excellent. I am glad that His Imperial Majesty’s government could come to an agreement with the House of Rou.”

And yet here he was.

Jin had asked Pi Pa to negotiate on his behalf, to give the pig more experience in her chosen role as a majordomo. She had proved herself an able negotiator, and a tiny part of him wanted to poach her for himself… but Pi Pa likely wouldn’t care for anything he had to offer. Even he could see the way she looked at Chun Ke and that any separation from her husband would be intolerable for her, just like it was for his lady wife and himself.

Not that he would poach his student’s servant anyway. That was just rude.

The man himself was seated nearby, playing with his son. Lady Wu and Meiling were nearby, seated comfortably on a couch, speaking to each other in a familiar manner about some book. He put it out of his mind and returned to the task at hand.

Pi Pa had clearly researched exactly how much the average farmer in the region made beforehand, and she’d applied that knowledge admirably. Thus, in less than an hour, they had something that satisfied both parties. All that was needed was Jin’s approval. The negotiation with the pig had the Lord Magistrate imagining Pi Pa as a stereotypical portly matron with a gimlet eye, always on the lookout for people who would try to cheat her family.

Not that the Lord Magistrate would, of course. The last thing he wanted to do was lose Jin’s support—with this new initiative, he could already imagine the redoubled praise of his people!

“The Lord Magistrate, making farming easier!”

“Look at how much his foresight has increased our yields by!”

“Hail the Lord Magistrate!”

Oh, if he could only be a fly on a peasant’s wall as they received their new farming aids. Truly, he would not be able to walk down the street without being thanked!

‘It is most good that you are so pleased, Lord Magistrate,’ Pi Pa said, and he realised he had been smiling quite widely.

He put forth his best resolute expression. “Anything that improves my people’s lives pleases me, Miss Pi Pa.”

The pig smiled warmly at him. ‘Truly, we are blessed to have such a fine Lord Magistrate,’ she declared.

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There was something… knowing in her words, and the Lord Magistrate considered her pleasant smile. It had entirely too much amusement in it.

He would never say it aloud, but Pi Pa reminded him quite a bit of his own wife. Both were shrewd women.

He let her amusement go, however, in far too good of a mood to take offense to her. And her words were not mocking in the slightest. She did truly mean them.

“I must commend you for your role as well, Miss Pi Pa. Jin is lucky to have such a diligent servant. To be trusted with the House’s coin purse is no small thing.” Indeed, Jin choosing to delegate this task implied a lot of trust.

‘Oh, my. The Lord Magistrate is a flatterer!’ the pig said demurely, and both of them chuckled. ‘The Master and the Mistress are both able hands at this, and it was out of necessity that Pi Pa took over this role.’

“Oh?” he asked.

“Indeed. At first our Master sought to pay us all weekly for our toils… but we had nowhere to put this coin, nor any use for it, so Pi Pa’s fellows all started sneaking the money back into the Master’s coin purse. Even Young Sir Bowu, who wished to repay us for his treatment.’

Servants that returned their master’s money. How strange, but he supposed that if he lived here it would make a kind of sense. When one was fed and watered as thoroughly as Jin fed and watered any who came to him, what use would a man have for money?

‘When our Master found out what we had done, he was quite cross with us all, though understanding. He then charged this Pi Pa with keeping track of all the money we are owed, so that if the time does come that we wish to purchase something, or if we need some money for an adventure outside our home, we have an accurate tally.’