Du Wenhuan was furious.
Not the kind of fury that made a man shout or flip tables.
This was the worse kind—the quiet kind, where the tea cooled untouched and the jaw stayed clenched long enough to hurt.
He sat inside the county office, staring at a report that should not have existed.
Gao Village.
Again.
Every time he thought that place had reached its limit, it politely informed him that it had not.
Workshops expanding.
Women registering as skilled apprentices.
Militia numbers increasing without conscription.
Weapons improving without official authorization.
And now—
Experimental devices.
"Steam-driven mechanisms," the clerk reported carefully.
"No clear military purpose yet. Officially classified as… educational."
Du Wenhuan closed his eyes.
Educational. Of course it was educational. Everything dangerous was always educational at first.
"You're telling me," he said slowly, "that a village which was nearly wiped out not long ago is now teaching children physics, letting women handle industrial production, and experimenting with power systems that even the Ministry of Works would hesitate to touch?"
The clerk nodded.
"Yes, sir."
Du Wenhuan exhaled through his nose.
He was not angry because Gao Village was prospering. Prosperity was good. Prosperity meant taxes, stability, fewer refugees knocking at his gates.
He was angry because prosperity was happening without him.
Power, Du Wenhuan had learned, was not about who was strongest.
It was about who could approve, delay, or deny.
And Gao Village did not ask.
They built first.
Explained later.
Sometimes not at all.
"What about Bai Yuan?" Du Wenhuan asked.
The clerk hesitated.
"Sir Bai… is currently teaching advanced mathematics to selected students."
That did not help.
"And Gao Yiye?"
"She oversees civilian coordination, Workshop recruitment, and logistics distribution. Her authority is… informally accepted."
Informally accepted. Another dangerous phrase.
Du Wenhuan leaned back.
A village that listened to a Saintess more than to officials.
A craftsman-scholar drawing weapons for fun.
Children learning things they should not need for another hundred years.
Women earning silver faster than their husbands.
None of it was illegal.
That was the problem.
It was all happening inside the rules—just faster, sharper, and without waiting for permission.
He tapped the report with one finger.
"If this continues," Du Wenhuan muttered, "they won't need protection."
And a place that didn't need protection…
Stopped being subordinate by default.
"Send someone," he said finally.
"To observe?"
"No," Du Wenhuan replied. "To congratulate them."
The clerk looked up, startled.
"Congratulate?"
"Yes. Publicly. Officially."
Du Wenhuan smiled thinly. "When someone grows too fast, the safest thing is to stand close and call it guidance."
He paused, then added,
"And prepare a second order."
"What kind, sir?"
Du Wenhuan's smile did not reach his eyes.
"One that reminds them… that the county is still watching."
Chapter Trivia:
County Authority in Late Ming: Local magistrates relied more on influence than force; open suppression often backfired.
"Educational" Projects: Historically, many dangerous technologies entered society labeled as teaching tools to avoid scrutiny.
Women in Skilled Trades: Once women controlled production chains, household authority shifted quietly and permanently.
Bureaucratic Strategy: Praise was often the first move before restriction—not kindness, but positioning.