TGCFNM -Chapter 290 The Reason for Ming Lake

“Ming Lake? What kind of lake is that?” Wan Sanjin asked.

Chu Ling pressed her lips together and looked at everyone. “You all disappoint me. None of you can even read a map. You mistook a lake for a river. So… we took the wrong road.”

Wan Sanjin fell silent for a moment. “…So there aren’t any boats on the lake?”

Chu Ling closed her eyes briefly. “It’s just a big, round lake, right by the back gate of Anma County.”

Wan Sanjin’s eyes widened little by little. “Don’t tell me we have to go all the way back?”

“That won’t be necessary…” Chu Ling said. “But we’ll still have to take a longer detour.”

Wan Sanjin shut his eyes, looking as though he had lost all hope in life.

Su He raised a hand and pointed at Chu Ling. “It was my lord’s decision. My lord was the one who didn’t know the way.”

Chu Ling widened her eyes. “When did I? I was just respecting everyone’s opinions.”

Everyone: “……”

Under the condemning stares, Chu Ling decided to throw the responsibility away entirely. “Fine. From now on, I give up decision-making. I’ll listen to all of you.”

Uncle Wu sighed. “How about this—I’ll navigate. I’m older. I’ve eaten more salt than you’ve eaten rice.”

“Uncle Wu, you’ve also gotten lost more times than we have…” Wan Sanjin reminded him earnestly.

Uncle Wu: “……”

Chu Ling felt that if they kept arguing, they would still get nowhere, so she had everyone get busy first and decided they would settle it when it was time to move.

After leaving the Huang residence, Chu Ling walked alone along the street toward the back gate of Anma County.

Calling it a “back gate” was generous—it was truly just an extremely narrow little door. Anyone going out to fetch water and returning would have to turn sideways to squeeze through, and it would be easy to knock over a bucket in the process.

One couldn’t help but wonder whether the gate had been built that way on purpose.

Chu Ling stepped over the small threshold and walked outside. There, she saw Ming Lake.

When she laid eyes on the lake that Physician Luo had once described as the most beautiful, Chu Ling froze in place. In disbelief, she turned to look at Physician Luo.

Physician Luo’s heart ached so badly he burst into tears. Which heartless bastard had done this?!

Chu Ling frowned and looked more closely.

The water level in the lake had dropped significantly, exposing the yellow earth along the edges—and revealing several rotting human corpses and livestock carcasses…

No one knew how long those bodies had been soaking there. The entire Ming Lake had become completely foul. It could no longer be used and would have to be abandoned.

Chu Ling took a long, steadying breath, yet still felt a suffocating tightness in her chest. “We’ll have to… have to drain the water first. Then… then burn the bodies. After that, this place must be filled in.”

“This place rarely gets rain to begin with. Luckily the water… the water isn’t much…” Physician Luo couldn’t hold back and turned away.

Bai Su asked Chu Ling to walk a little farther forward, then drifted ahead herself. After observing for a moment, she floated back.

“I have a feeling someone deliberately threw those corpses into the lake. If the water level hadn’t dropped, no one would have discovered it.”

Chu Ling frowned thoughtfully. “They deliberately dumped the corpse there. So it could be that the rotting body caused the contamination — or perhaps there was already something in the lake, and the corpse was used to cover it up.”

Ghost Scholar shook his head slightly. “Unfortunately, only the common folk remain here. There’s nothing left to investigate.”

“If we capture the one who ran away, we might learn the truth.” With that, Chu Ling turned decisively, passed through the small side gate, and returned to Anma County.

When they reached the Huang residence, her mood was clearly low. Even so, she devoted herself to brewing medicine first. While waiting for it to finish, she told everyone about the situation at Ming Lake.

Wan Sanjin could not hold back his anger. “What kind of damned beasts are they?!”

Lin Fu clenched his teeth. “They won’t die a good death. They won’t!”

Looking at the people lining up to receive medicine, Chu Ling said, “From now on, use well water. The bodies there must be burned, and the lake must be filled in.”

Lin Fu lifted his head, eyes red. “Rest assured, my lord. Once we regain some strength, we’ll… we’ll bury Ming Lake.”

Madam Lin turned her face aside, tears quietly falling.

Uncle Wu said bitterly, “Are they planning to bury this entire county with it? Such viciousness — worse than beasts.”

Seeing that the medicine was nearly done, Chu Ling asked Su He to keep it warm while Xiao Hua distributed it.

“Uncle Wu, Master Wan, I need to speak with you,” Chu Ling said, inviting the two men outside the Huang residence.

Wan Sanjin looked puzzled. “My lord, what is it?”

Chu Ling explained, “Anma County originally survived by weaving and dyeing cloth, selling the fabric to exchange for daily necessities. But the wealthy local families personally negotiated business deals elsewhere, and after that, those buyers stopped purchasing scattered goods. Now they only deal with the rich families.”

“The common people can no longer make a living. They can only dye cloth for the wealthy, earning three wen per bolt, barely scraping by. Even though those people have fled now, if we try to return and sell the cloth as before, it will likely be very difficult. So I think we need to open up a new trade route.”

After listening, Uncle Wu nodded firmly. “Going back isn’t an option. Word about what happened in Anma County has likely spread. If they return, they might face resentment — even beatings. We must find another way.”

Chu Ling hummed in agreement, then looked at him with concern. “I don’t understand business very well, so I can only trouble you both to think of a way to help them. After all, the Wan family is also in the cloth trade.”

Wan Sanjin said thoughtfully, “If we truly wanted to help, we could simply have the Wan family purchase their dyed cloth directly. But what would be the consequence of suddenly bestowing such a favor? Would it make their situation even more difficult?”

Chu Ling had considered that as well. “Anma County may be remote, but there could be other places nearby that dye and sell cloth. If the Wan family buys only Anma’s cloth, the locals here might be resented and targeted. That wouldn’t be good for them.”

Uncle Wu looked at her and said, “My lord, take my shop in Tianjian City as an example. The Floating Cloud Teahouse sells three signature pastries — and only those three. Meanwhile, the Lakeside Teahouse in the city has a pastry called ‘Emerald Brows.’ It’s actually quite simple and easy to replicate, but I never had anyone copy it. In business, harmony brings wealth, and each family must have its own specialty. That way, though disputes arise from time to time, every shop can still thrive.”

Chu Ling understood. “Each having their own strengths — that’s how they coexist.”

Uncle Wu continued, “My lord, you can only point them in the right direction. You cannot teach them step by step. They must carve out this path to survival themselves.”

Chu Ling understood. If she intervened too much, the people here would become dependent on her. But she would eventually leave. Once she was gone, what would happen to this county?

They had to rely on themselves to survive.

Once she grasped this, Chu Ling felt relieved. “Those who can survive such a calamity will not fall after their bodies recover.” She had been overly worried.

Wan Sanjin smiled. “When one survives great disaster, blessings are sure to follow.”

Ghost Scholar sighed softly. “As long as a person lives, they’ll always find a way to live better.”