Chapter 453 - Autumn Levy (Part 8)
By his calculations, the three hundred mu of paddy that the Tiandihui had helped cultivate would yield approximately fifty percent more per mu than in previous years. This achievement was enough to leave anyone's jaw agape—no wonder everyone claimed the Australians possessed secret farming techniques.
"If not for this land survey business, this year's harvest would have proven even more profitable," Liu Guangbiao observed with regret. "Third Uncle! Come spring, we should have the Tiandihui manage all our land..." He suddenly stopped, apparently realizing the impropriety.
Liu Youren said nothing. Having the Tiandihui manage all their land meant the Australians would know precisely how much land the family truly possessed. He sighed—this was indeed a dilemma.
"Guangbiao, I actually believe that if the land survey were conducted by the Australians themselves, it might prove preferable."
"Third Uncle?" Liu Guangbiao didn't understand. Given the Australians' exacting standards and their terrifyingly efficient methods, probably not even half could be concealed—even the land falsely registered under their family's name might not escape detection.
"The Australians are strict in their methods, yet more lenient in governance than the official yamen," Liu Youren said quietly. "Strict where strictness is required, lenient where leniency is appropriate—what they call 'balancing severity with mercy.' The government, by comparison, is actually somewhat haphazard..."
"Third Uncle!" Liu Guangbiao was startled. These words bordered on sedition. Remote though Lingao might be, the government's authority still commanded some respect. "You mustn't speak so carelessly!"
"Hmph, naturally this is just between you and me." Liu Youren dismissed the warning. For the present, they would proceed this way. Once Chief Xun arrived, they could hear what he had to say before determining their next steps.
For over a fortnight, such negotiations and haggling continued in every major household across the county. A pall of tension and anxiety hung over each family. Those with any connections to one another traveled about constantly, gathering intelligence. Households with ties to the Tiandihui suddenly became the county's focal points; visitors practically wore down their doorsteps. Even the parvenu despised by the major households—Lin Quan'an of the "Quanfu Trading House," who had made his fortune procuring goods for the Australians—suddenly became a sought-after commodity, receiving guests every few days. Some left gifts and immediately departed; others sat down to ramble about nothing whatsoever. Lin Quan'an hardly knew what to say.
Besides Lin Quan'an, there was also the "Runshitang" pharmacy. This establishment's business suddenly flourished as members of major households all seemed to have "fallen ill," specifically requesting that the proprietor Yang Shixiang examine them personally. Since physicians and pharmacists were one and the same, he did practice medicine on the side, but he hadn't anticipated such a sudden epidemic.
Of course, no concrete information could be extracted from any of these people. Never mind Lin Quan'an and Yang Shixiang, who had nothing to do with land matters. Even Zhang Youfu, who supposedly maintained the closest ties to the Australians and possessed the best access to information, could reveal nothing.
In contrast, the small grain households without wealth or influence suffered no such alarm this time. They possessed no extra land to report in the first place; some even shouldered tax burdens for land that wasn't even theirs. Further squeezing would yield little. This wasn't because Chen Minggang had suddenly developed a conscience and chosen to spare them—clerks were the sort who devoured people without spitting out the bones and would squeeze oil from pebbles. Rather, Chen Minggang sensed that the Australians were primarily targeting the major households, and expending great effort to squeeze the smallholders would prove pointless and yield no results. It might even provoke backlash from them. Chen Minggang perceived that the Australians' attitude toward common folk differed entirely from the Ming government's. Should trouble erupt, he would certainly bear the worst of it.
The major households' frequent networking and communications provided the Political Security General Administration with an excellent opportunity. The Action Division's surveillance unit compiled this intelligence into a "Relationship Map of the County's Major Households." When Chinese people encountered difficulties, their first recourse was naturally to relatives and friends. This exercise afforded them a rough understanding of the degrees of closeness among these families.
Liu Dalin's household also became a center of the whirlwind. When Huang Binkun first visited, Liu Dalin had been noncommittal about his questions. In his view, the matter of clearing land records was legitimate—regardless of the Australian question, schemes like concealing land and false registration damaged the court's revenues.
Of course, from a personal standpoint, immediate interests required attention. When individual interests collided with the government's, most people still chose to protect their own. The Liu family had once been of middling means, but ever since his father's generation obtained a degree, the official tax exemption had sufficed to cover the entire household's grain levies. Yet one always had relatives and friends to look after—they were all close family and dear friends—and he was no saint, so he had agreed. Over time, the amount of land registered under the Liu family name had somehow grown to a thousand mu.
Regarding this land survey affair, Liu Dalin himself hadn't been troubled—Chen Minggang knew the Australians regarded this jinshi with great respect and harbored plans to utilize him. So, as in previous years, he hadn't even dispatched a grain notice. Even the customary visits to pay respects and angle for gratuities during this season had been dispensed with.
However, Chen Minggang still intended to diminish this previously untouchable jinshi Liu. He didn't send Liu Dalin a grain notice, but the landowners who had falsely registered under Liu's name weren't so fortunate. Chen Minggang possessed detailed records showing precisely how much land each family had sheltered under Liu Dalin's name. He sent grain notices directly to these landowners, requiring them to report their land holdings by the deadline in preparation for assessment.
With this, Liu Dalin's relatives and friends of every degree were thrown into an uproar. Everyone knew Chen Minggang was ruthless and difficult to handle. They hastened to the county seat to consult Liu Dalin and request a solution. The gate of the Liu residence inside the county's west gate was suddenly crowded with sedan chairs and attendants.
Like all scholars, Liu Dalin preferred quiet over commotion. Since his legs had become immobile, he rarely ventured out. Now, suddenly descended upon by this crowd of relatives and friends, each demanding to see him, to obtain his opinion, to find solutions, to conduct negotiations—he was utterly at a loss. He could only instruct his steward to receive them while he himself retreated to his study.
Listening to the hubbub of voices from the front, Liu Dalin felt helpless. He felt both apologetic toward his relatives and friends, and annoyed with them—as though his assistance were something they were entitled to claim.
His family had been scholars for generations. His grandfather had possessed no official degree but considerable literary reputation. His father had served as a prefect. He himself was a jinshi. They could fairly be called the most prominent gentry family in the county. In the past, any matter could be resolved simply by sending his card to the county yamen. Now, no matter how many cards he dispatched to the yamen, it would probably prove useless—he would have to negotiate with the Australians.
But dealing with the Australians was the last thing he wished to do.
Given the deference and respect the Australians showed him, if he were willing to intercede, they would surely grant him some consideration. Matters could be negotiated. But he truly didn't want to become involved.
Though the Australians hadn't committed any particularly egregious acts, they remained ultimately foreign barbarians who didn't submit to proper rule. Here in Lingao, they had brazenly constructed cities and established their own system—practically a separatist regime. He had endeavored to maintain his distance; how could he now freely engage with them? If the Baldies intended to utilize him, and he approached them seeking favors, wouldn't he be handing them leverage? His lifetime of cultivated reputation would be ruined.
Yet he couldn't fail to provide his relatives and friends some answer, or he would earn a reputation for being "heartless"—and that he couldn't accept either.
Just as he was fretting, a maidservant who attended his wife arrived. Observing his clouded expression, she didn't dare speak and simply stood at the door, peeking in.
"What is it?" Liu Dalin finally noticed her. "If you have something to say, come in and speak."
"Yes, Master!" The maidservant hurried in. "Several uncles and aunts from Madam's side have arrived to see her. They're conversing in the rear hall now. They all wish to come see you, but Madam was concerned you might not be feeling well, so she's holding them back for the moment..."
"I understand." Liu Dalin waved his hand. "You may go."
The maidservant hesitated, then added, "Madam asks if you could perhaps look after her family's close relatives..."
"Go back and attend to Madam. I have my own plans for this matter."
The maidservant withdrew. "My own plans"—yet in truth, he had no idea where such plans might originate. Liu Dalin suddenly realized he had no one around him to consult.
Friends—he certainly possessed them—but these friends were the sort who could discuss principles of philosophy and moral cultivation, or compose poetry and essays, appreciate music, chess, and painting. They excelled at such pursuits, but when actual practical matters arose, they couldn't offer a single useful suggestion. Everyone flattered him as a man of "lofty virtue and pure conduct, luminous in purpose"—and indeed, he merited such praise. But the current problem was not something "lofty virtue and pure conduct, luminous in purpose" could address.
After much reflection, the only possibility was the second young master of Huang Family Village, Huang Binkun—the son of old Master Huang. He had visited several days prior to inquire how Liu Dalin intended to respond to this land survey business. Because the Liu family, since his father's tenure as an official, had enjoyed tax exemptions for two generations, apart from perfunctory dealings with clerks seeking gratuities during festivals, they had long been uninvolved in grain levy matters. He hadn't been able to provide any coherent answer at the time.
Now, in retrospect, the Huang father and son were people worth consulting. Though the Huangs were rural strongmen, they had exerted themselves strenuously over the years defending their homeland. Liu Dalin had always maintained interest in county affairs and thus greatly respected the Huang father and son, exchanging visits on festive and solemn occasions. When Huang Binkun passed the county-level examination, Liu Dalin had personally called to offer congratulations, conferring tremendous honor upon the Huang family.
Thinking of this, he felt a glimmer of hope. He quickly wheeled his chair to the doorway and called for a servant.
"Go and inform all the gentlemen that I am aware of their concerns. Please ask them to return home for now; they will receive a reply in due course."
"Yes!" The servant was about to depart.
"Wait!" Liu Dalin knew this crowd had probably all brought gifts. "All gifts received are to be returned."
"Yes—"
"The guests from Madam's side as well—don't accept their gifts either. Give them the same message!"
Having issued these instructions, he summoned a personal page and ordered:
"Go to the county school and invite Young Master Huang of the Huang family to come for a conversation."
(End of Chapter)