IC Tao Yaun Estates

Li steps lightly in soft brown shoes, heading towards the estate. My feet are weary, my friends. Might we stop and rest?

Kong lu was tired from the road but dismayed at the state of the estate. "Let us rest and investigate what is going on. the state of this place is unacceptable and should be corrected." As lu pressed forward waving at the peasants wishing them a good day.

Lion snorted at the ramshackle look to these accommodations. They were in poor repair that was obvious. Not at all fitting for Xian Shī, but, he would not debase himself to admit it.

"Yes, you all need rest."

Lion assessed the country side for any obvious reason that he could see as to why the estates were in disrepair. Looking to see if the stream had dried up, or if a landslide had blocked the road. Or perhaps breaks in the fences which would denote something more sinister. Anything out of order, disturbing the harmony. Lion was, firstly, a scout, and saw the world in terms of these things. Leverage points, points of weakness, points to exploit for his own gain.

Shaun looking around at the run down condition of the grounds can't really believe it."I guess we see now why they called in the young bloods. Not for manual labor but to get this place back on its feet."

Shi Zi's piercing gaze, while keen, is interrupted on occasion by the prying and bobbing of a woman from the entourage who is dressed in a manner that could decidedly be called garish, but whose garments can be identified by the discerning eye as not being of particularly fine make. The journey has been long, and the sight that greets them not especially reassuring, but her smile has yet to fade.

"Aiya, there's no need to look so grim, tough guy! I'm sure this will be an easy job! Come on, let's see what we can offer the locals, yes?"

Without waiting for much of an answer, she trots over to the glum-looking girls tending the animals. "Lovely morning to you, my dears! We, the emissaries of the Xian, have arrived! Could you point us to whoever has been in charge of holding down the fort up till now?"

Lion's perpetual scowl did not relax when he saw the same people harvesting grain were also those responsive for the upkeep. "Provincials..." He muttered under his breath. Sighing he resumed scanning the area. While not himself of great import or station like his parents, he was a killer, not a speaker.

He offered a wan smile, to Yaoqi in response. She was only trying to lighten his spirit. But, nothing ever broke Xian Shī's perpetual seriousness. He lived as if crushed by mountains in his father's shadow.

By right Lion should not be here - he had advanced enough in military service that legally he was exempt from labor. He had accomplished much in his military service, enough that he should be off overseeing some wealthy land on the edge of the empire. Yet, the Emperor had not granted him land, instead he had sent Xian Shī to a hermitage. Now, an expert of Legalism and Taoism, Lion had returned. Only to be sent on this errand upon the day of his return by Xian Yu. He had not even seen his mother, or young siblings. The entire court knew this, and it only made it more the scandal that the Number 2 man in the Empire was Lion's father.

No one could have been more confused than Xian Shī at this seemingly bizarre assignment. Lion who's continued bewilderment was evident as he stood firmly in place looking around for explanations. The only things he knew of the provinces outside the court were war and state sanctioned executions.

Finding no reason that the retainers of this parcel should be killed, the young master resigned himself to the situation. He looked angry, and hopelessly out of his element. In spite of this, he fell to duty, as Lion was not allowed to be merely human. Duty, that he surmised need-must have him learn something from this. He sighed, heavily, unsure of what he could possibly learn from provincials.

Yaoqi shrugged, her pibo shawl swaying slightly in the wind as she noted the terseness of the young girl's gesture. "Not the talkative type, hm? We'll see if we can't work on that." But there was more business to attend to. She swanned on over to the rows and rows of wheat, the hem of her hanfu periodically catching on or sliding over the leaves of the stalks of wheat. Entering into conversing range of Yu Jian, she gave him a little lean and a wave, as if trying to get a shopkeeper's attention. "Hello there! You must be the steward of this place. We of the Xian have arrived to lend our assistance, as is His Majesty's decree. Would you like to give us a little rundown of the state of affairs?"

Li briefly removed his slippers, one at a time, rubbing bottoms of his feet, then quickly placing them back on. He walks to the fields with Yaoqi and addresses one of the adults.

Greetings. I’m Li, from Xian Estate. Who is the noble residing on the hill? Is it but you and one other adult, tending all this wheat?

Lion sympathized with the plight of the backbreaking work. He had done more than his share, stealing cropshares in the military. He wasn't much a fan of the dismissive attitude of the peasant, but he supposed in the same circumstances he would give preference to the work rather than conversation.

Lion set to flailing down what grain he may in the short time they had for conversation. It was a good way to warm up his muscles as he flailed through the stalks of mixed grains. A whirling tempest of steel as he demonstrated the noble use of the meteor hammer. Carving through 10ft swaths of grain.

Shaun soo not being much of manual labor guy will walk around and note damage and disrepair so it can be fixed and get this place set right."It is shame to see this place starting to fall apart. Hopefully we can remedy this."

"I agree" Kong lu thinks the says to peasant "how much is the toll?" After getting his answer. "We will talk to the sisters see if we can get this this place back on the road to greatness" with that Kong lu heads to the inn. To have a very serious discussion and strategy to get this place back on track..

"Mmmn..." Contemplative for the moment, Yaoqi produces a small notebook and a stick of charcoal wrapped in a strip of cloth from inside her sleeves. Like that, she jots down some of the major points.

- Get more farmers in to work the fields, we can't all be lions with spiked chains.

- See what we can do about the toll?

- Figure out what's needed to patch up this dreary place. It's bringing me down just looking at it.

- Get the word out about the inn, have more people coming in. That'll get the cash flowing.

This was what she was supposed to be good at. Bringing people together so they could meet each other's needs. And all the less work for her, really.

With that duly noted, she snapped the book shut. "Thank you so much for your cooperation, Mr. Ko. Rest assured, we want to make this work as much as you do, and we'll give it everything we've got."

Joining Kong Lu in entering the inn, Yaoqi cast her gaze around, smiling pleasantly. "Such a lovely place we have here, isn't it?" And then she moved to addressing whichever sister was present. "To whom do I have the pleasure of acquaintance?"

Looking at the others"Shall we go to the inn and see how the grub is? Good grub is always good to pull in patrons." He will head off to the inn.

~Earlier~

"Yaoqi, I see you are taking matters with the gravity they are due." Lion nodded, he *almost* smiled. He was extremely direct, though not in the sense that he was barking orders - Yaoqi would get the sense that Lion had no time to make nice and saw every waking minute as a moment to be conquered. He really did not know how to relax. "To that end. These farmers must be made to know, firstly, this field must be razed. A field gone wild is a breeding ground of pestilence. Second, it must not be tilled. Third, this winter they must plant either soy or hmong beans. Finally, during the spring harvest, only the pods must be harvested. The vine must be left to wither and die. Only then can these fields be tilled. Can you make them understand?"

~Now~
It will take 2 hours to get to the woods, just so happens it is also near Jiayu (where the potter lives)

His feet tired from trekking, our half-elven fellow kindly approaches the Inn. Is this one giving you trouble, Li asks the younger, muscular woman. You heard the lady, Li says pointedly to the heavy-set merchant!

Shaun soo seeing the interaction with Lion will nod "That is a fair judgement from the Lion. I will help you in this endeavor a little physical work now and then is good for the circulation." Note he said now and then and that means as little as possible.

Li backs off from his glare. I’m here to help he says to the merchant. Tell Deng Kuo, Xian Clan is working to resolve the matter.

"Now that that's done with..." Yaoqi smiles and rubs her hands a little, casting her gaze on the sisters. "Onto business. Had any interesting guests lately? With a lovely place like this, I can't imagine they have anything but praise for you..." It seems a frivolous question, but her real goal is to coax out any information regarding both the average number of clients in recent times, as well as the level of wealth (and therefore how much they spend).

Li excuses himself from the angry merchant, and eventually parlays with his party.
Perhaps we should journey to the city, see if we can speak with local artisans.

Noting Li's readiness to leave, Yaoqi clasps her hands together, smiling nonchalantly. "I very much agree! If we're to start anywhere, it's better by far for us to bring over people with the expertise and staff to tackle things, rather than break our backs trying to fix everything that's broken. And well, it's not as if being in a rush now will help the situation with Deng Kuo."

I understand your problem, Li Fu. Perhaps you’ll allow us to travel to the city, see if we can find some artisans to bring back? I feel, once we have some people for labor, we can start getting things moving again. Until then, I’m afraid we’re at an impasse.

Li Fu…wait, Li says. My friends and I, we wish to help. What can I do to help you here?
We may as well be of use, while we’re here, before journeying on to the city.

"I have made note off all repairs needed. How many more people do you believe you need to run this estate properly?

"Our methods are our own. When they work, you will pay, Li Fu. I know it is in your right to have him beaten, but there has been enough hardship here." Xian Shi stepped in the way of the horse and rider. Buying time for discussion. He knew the merchant wouldn't dare ride him down. "These holdings are our clans. We all profit with their upkeep no?"

Yes, my friends speaks true. Please, stay.

Yaoqi smiles diplomatically. It must be said: with things in tatters and shambles, the estate has very little left to lose in terms of reputation or material. It's not very far from falling to ruin and causing the few remnants to desert. Which is where the urgency to act comes from.

"Be assured, good sir. Your generosity in giving us another week is worth a great deal, and a great deal you will have. The containers will be ready for you."

Really, she is in a bit of a hurry to brush Xian Shi off and have him go on his way for the moment. Time is dripping away, after all.

"Follow me, I know a shortcut."

Xian Shi had an excellent memory. In fact, it was an eidetic memory. Aided by many summers spent on this very estate, and much mischief of his childhood. He was, however, twenty years out of date in the particulars of the layout of this land. Still, he surmised that his old haunts, even if over grown would still prove a worth-while diversion. He reasoned that other children would have used them, and found himself wondering if any of his compatriots had explored the rough of the estate as he did.

He waited til Li Fu had moved well out of earshot before speaking. Walking toward his so called shortcut. Even should the others not follow he would use it.

"That was good diffusing him like that Liwei. I was about ready to knock his head. He should not have spoken to us with such a tone - he is not our superior." Xian Shi had the courtly tone of surety, not unsurprising for a student of Legalism. His own voice dripped with vitriol, and while he had contained it, it was obvious Li Fu had insulted Xian Shi. "Nor should he have made threats as he did. I do not know what poison has been dripped into Li Fu's ear. But I do intend to find out what manner of canker has incited his rancor."

"I doubt the potter is the most of Li Fu's concern." He added conspiratorialy, clearly suspicious.

Following Xian Shi through what are far more familiar grounds to him than to her, Yaoqi kept her head up and her ears open as he spoke. As he drew his conclusion, she gasped melodramatically, exaggerating her reaction just a little to provide a sort of counterpoint to his claim.

"Conspiracy!" She exclaimed in a sharp whisper, as if a gossiping handmaid. "And how do you intend to follow up on this hunch, sir?"

It must be said, she did not believe him very strongly. The holdings here were poorly-kept and had little if not nothing in the way of support from sponsors or clientele. In terms of upkeep, they were only slightly worse than the garrison she had previously worked at as a bookkeeper and liaison, and even that had military value to the empire.

Xian Shī snorted, it was not in derision, there was a curl to his lips that resembled a smile. Did he just laugh? "Dilligence." He replied.