Chapter 191 - 190: Returning Home
The sun sank in the west.
Chen Shouye, travel-worn and dusty, hurried home just before dusk.
The sound of horse hooves ceased outside the courtyard gate. He had just dismounted when he saw his father, Chen Li, with Bai San, getting two oxcarts ready to leave.
"Father?"
Chen Shouye paused for a moment, then strode forward. "Are you two going out?"
Seeing his second son return, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on Chen Li’s face, but his hands didn’t stop moving. "You’re back? Perfect timing. Come with us to Zhuoyan Collection."
"Alright!"
Though his mind was full of questions, Chen Shouye suppressed them and agreed.
He then sat on the other side of the shaft of the oxcart his father was driving.
Bai San hopped onto the oxcart behind them.
The two oxcarts, one after the other, creaked their way out of the village entrance and merged into the vast twilight.
As night deepened, the countryside grew quiet, with only the occasional chirp of a bird returning to its nest.
On the road, Chen Shouye couldn’t help but ask for the reason.
Chen Li then explained the whole story from beginning to end, including what happened afterward.
After dealing with Zhang Heming and his son that day, Chen Li had used A Dream of Millet Porridge to control the boatmen on the cargo ship, making them quietly pilot the vessel back to Zhuoyan Pier in Jingshan County Town.
Under the cover of night, he found some grain sacks, used them to replace the silver boxes on the ship, and had them moved to the cellar in the backyard of the inconspicuous Aromatherapy Shop that Shu Qi had previously acquired to monitor Zhang Chengzong.
After that, he had the boat moved to a deserted stretch of the river, doused it with oil under the cover of night, and set it ablaze, burning it to a wreck. Only then did he begin to orchestrate Zhang Heming’s "sudden death."
Only after the men from the Jingwu Bureau left Mirror Mountain did Chen Li begin moving the eight hundred thousand taels of silver back home.
However, eight hundred thousand taels was no small amount. Zhuoyan Collection was over twenty li away from Lingxi, and transporting it openly in broad daylight would inevitably attract attention.
Therefore, they could only do this—move it bit by bit with oxcarts under the cover of night.
After listening, Chen Shouye was shaken beyond words. He told his father about the Commandery Magistrate’s Office’s conclusion, which he had overheard at the inn in the Commandery City.
Upon hearing this, Chen Li wasn’t very surprised. When the Jingwu Bureau stopped investigating further and instead withdrew, he had already guessed that the matter was settled for the time being.
Chen Shouye couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. "Father, your scheme actually managed to fool even the Commandery Magistrate’s Office and the Jingwu Bureau. Your planning is... truly incredible."
"Shouye, since when did you learn to be such a flatterer?"
Chen Li chuckled and shook his head. "Don’t assume everyone in the world is a fool. My schemes weren’t particularly brilliant; anyone with a discerning eye could see the problems. They just can’t find any proof for now. The only reason they didn’t pursue it further is that I got lucky, rode the momentum, and correctly gambled on what those Officials were thinking."
"Gambled on what they were thinking?"
Chen Shouye was stunned.
Chen Li nodded. "Those people are all sharp as tacks; how could they not see the suspicious points? It’s just that... for them, the best truth right now is one that quells the incident and shifts the blame. Where you sit determines how you think. They had no choice but to accept it. But this doesn’t mean we’re in the clear. We must not let our guard down in the future. Not a word of this can get out."
Chen Shouye’s expression turned serious. "Yes, I will take it to heart."
On the oxcart behind them, Bai San listened to the father and son’s conversation and couldn’t help but roll his eyes dramatically.
He pursed his lips, cursing inwardly. ’What damned luck? That old man of yours is impossible to guard against when he’s scheming. He’s a completely insidious and cunning bastard, so why is he pretending to be some simple, honest citizen...’
He couldn’t help but recall two years ago at the Ten-Mile Tavern, when Chen Li had him secretly take those two carrier pigeons.
He had actually thought Chen Li wanted to stew them for a meal. He never would have imagined that a seemingly casual act...
...was actually a key part of the plot against Zhang Heming, designed to pin everything on the Sect.
To think he started plotting against someone two years in advance... Looking back on it now still sent a chill down his spine.
But, complaints aside, the thought of this monumental affair—killing a County Magistrate and seizing eight hundred thousand taels of official silver...
...and the fact that the Court was actually led by the nose afterward, forced to conclude it was the work of a Cult...
...an indescribable excitement and pride couldn’t help but swell in Bai San’s heart.
He remembered his younger days roaming Jiangnan, where he earned the title of Thief King for merely stealing a County Magistrate’s favorite concubine.
Compared to killing an official, robbing silver, and playing the Court like a fiddle, that little "grand achievement" was hardly worth mentioning.
’Damn it all, following this old schem—...master is so damn exciting!’
Bai San licked his dry lips, his eyes glinting with a mixture of fear and excitement.
...
In the fourth month, news arrived from Lishui County.
The main Court army stationed in Lishui to suppress the rebels suddenly launched a lightning strike against the rebel army.
This time, the official army seemed to have precise intelligence on the hiding places of the main rebel leaders. They dispatched all their elite forces and launched a surprise attack on the troops of Xiao Zhong and Ye Buping with overwhelming numbers.
This time, the Spirit Realm Powerhouses from the Commandery Magistrate’s Office and the Jingwu Bureau all took action. In the end, Xiao Zhong and Ye Buping were outnumbered and outmatched, and died fighting fiercely.
The thousands of rebels under their command were either slain in battle or captured and executed, their heads cut off.
The heads were stacked high outside the walls of Lishui County Town, forming a horrifying "Jingguan" to serve as a warning to others.
In an instant, the rebel army that had run rampant in Lishui County for months vanished like smoke, and the turbulent situation was suddenly pacified.
Immediately following this, the Commandery Magistrate’s Office issued a notice of appeasement.
It stated that anyone who participated in the rebellion could be pardoned of their crimes if they voluntarily surrendered to the Government Office and served three years of labor planting Mulberry Seedlings.
During their service, the Government Office would provide food.
It also established a reward for informants: fifty wen for each confirmed report of a rebellion participant.
Once this order was issued, a climate of fear swept through Lishui County. The practice of informing became rampant, with countless neighbors, friends, and relatives turning each other in.
In a short time, tens of thousands were arrested and thrown into the massive mulberry-planting labor force.
At the same time, Lingxi entered the busiest season of spring plowing.
Chen Li organized his family’s long-term laborers and began planting Mulberry Seedlings.
However, cultivating mulberry trees was not something that could be accomplished overnight.
Newly planted mulberry trees usually need two to three years to mature, produce a large quantity of fruit, and cultivate seeds.
The thousand mu of mulberry trees planted last year were now generally only thirty to forty inches tall—from about half a meter to a man’s height—and all of them were still saplings.
The number of branches that could be cut for propagation was extremely limited.
It was nowhere near enough to expand the planting by another four thousand three hundred mu.
After much thought, Chen Li decided to plant the Mulberry Seedlings first on the plots of land that were farthest from home and relatively inconvenient to irrigate and manage.
Meanwhile, the thirteen hundred mu of fertile fields in Lingxi Village itself, as well as the nearly two thousand mu of newly purchased land in the surrounding villages, would all continue to be used for growing rice.
Seeing the Lingxi Chen Family take this course of action, most of the people in the five surrounding villages also gave up the idea of immediately switching to mulberry trees, and continued to sow rice, their fields once again green with tender shoots.
In the fifth month, just after the busy farming season had passed.
The newly appointed County Magistrate Li and County Captain Feng arrived together at the Lingxi Chen Mansion to pay a visit.
"Lord Li, Lord Feng, what wind has blown you two all the way out to this rural backwater? Please, come in."
County Magistrate Li quickly clasped his hands in return. "Landlord Chen, my apologies for the intrusion. County Captain Feng and I have come today because... well, there are some official matters we need to discuss with you."
County Captain Feng also stepped forward. His voice was louder than County Magistrate Li’s, but carried a clear tone of courtesy. "Brother Chen, it’s been a while. I trust you’ve been well."
The Chen Family now had two Spirit Realm members in one family.
With both his eldest and second son in the Spirit Realm, their futures were limitless.
Never mind County Magistrate Li, who was merely a scholar by trade; even County Captain Feng, who had reached Qi Realm Perfection, felt immense pressure when facing Chen Li.
The Chen Family, though not bearing the title of a Noble Family, were nonetheless considered powerful local gentry, and were not people they could afford to offend.
Chen Li led the two into the main hall and ordered a maidservant to serve tea.
After a few pleasantries, County Magistrate Li, looking troubled, tactfully stated their purpose. "Landlord Chen, to be perfectly honest, the two of us have come today because... because we received a report from the Liu Family."
He paused, observing Chen Li’s expression. Seeing that he remained calm, he continued, "The Liu Family claims that many of the properties under your name are still being used to cultivate rice, in defiance of the Court’s decree to switch from rice to mulberry."
County Captain Feng chimed in from the side, his voice a little lower. "Brother Chen, this decree came from the Court. With the Liu Family reporting this, Lord Li and I will have no way to answer to our superiors if we do nothing. We hope you can understand our difficult position."
Therefore, both men were extremely polite, even a bit cautious.
Chen Li was surprised.
Ever since he had won the auction for those four thousand three hundred mu of land from the County Magistrate’s Office, he had been wary of the Liu Family.
Even during the tax silver affair, he had kept Linglong at home and hadn’t let her go along to help.
He had originally thought the Liu Family would gather their Spirit Realm Powerhouses for revenge. He never expected them to resort to reporting him.
For a moment, he didn’t know what to say. He gently blew on the foam of his tea. "I see. The Liu Family is certainly well-informed. I appreciate you both for your consideration."
County Magistrate Li said, "Landlord Chen, we have temporarily suppressed this matter. But... the pressure from above is intense, and the Liu Family is watching closely. We hope you’ll understand our plight and be sure to convert all the fields under your name to mulberry seedlings after this year’s autumn harvest. This must be done this year to comply with the Court’s order; there can be no delays."
Feng Zhan quickly added, "Brother Chen, the Lishui rebellion has now been settled. The Commandery Magistrate’s Office has already ordered Lishui and Jingshan counties to begin forming a grain Commerce Association to purchase grain from nearby State Counties, transport it to Mirror Mountain, and sell it at a fair price to reassure the public. Once the grain supply routes are open, the price of grain in Mirror Mountain is bound to fall. If you plant rice now, the yield... will probably barely be enough to cover the Land Tax. It’s simply not profitable."
County Magistrate Li agreed. "Exactly. Switching to mulberry seedlings may be slow to show returns in the first few years, but in the long run, the profits will be far greater than growing rice. You are a wise man, Landlord Chen; you should understand the pros and cons."
Chen Li listened quietly, showing no displeasure. Instead, he smiled and said in a calm tone, "Switching from rice to mulberry is a national policy of the Court. How could I dare to disobey? Rest assured, my Lords. After the rice is harvested this autumn, I will certainly follow the decree and convert my fields to mulberry trees. I will absolutely not make things difficult for you."
Hearing Chen Li’s promise, Li and Feng visibly relaxed. They chatted for a little while longer before rising to take their leave.
Before leaving, Feng Zhan lowered his voice, his tone a mix of apology and helplessness. "Brother Chen, I won’t hide it from you. Although the County Magistrate’s Office is leading the formation of this grain Commerce Association, the positions within it have long since been... carved up by those few great Noble Families. Lord Li and I are insignificant and our words carry little weight. We wanted to secure a place for the Chen Family, but alas... sigh, we just don’t have the ability. Please forgive us."
Chen Li smiled. "County Captain Feng, you exaggerate. I have no such ambitions. My Chen Family’s foundations are still shallow. To be able to peacefully farm the land and raise silkworms is blessing enough. For now, we dare not ask for more."