In the third month of the third year of Hongjing, Wei Yuan returned secretly from the Desolate Realm, and the grand case later known to history as the "Lacquered Box Case" officially raised its curtain.
Ultimately, this case implicated over one hundred thousand people, including more than three thousand officials large and small, and eight thousand three hundred and thirty individuals holding scholarly ranks of licentiate and above, while the rest were their implicated clan members. With this, the officialdom of Jin's southern eight commanderies was uprooted by the stems; scarcely any yamen clerks remained, and the literary circles were swept completely bare.
Across the expanse of the eight commanderies, Qingming soldiers—fierce as wolves and tigers—were everywhere, hunting down and arresting people far and wide.
The rare few fish that slipped through the net still had to pass through the sieve of mountain bandits and horse-riding outlaws. Only an extreme few, carrying the seeds of vengeance in their hearts, concealed their identities and fled beyond the eight commanderies.
Countless people who had indulged in mocking Wei Yuan only yesterday were today either sitting dazed in dark, sunless dungeons, or trudging through bone-chilling mud, step by agonizing step toward the places of exile in the northwest.
On the final list in Wei Yuan's hands, there would be four thousand beheadings, ten clans exterminated, and one hundred thousand exiled. The destination of exile was the northwestern edge of Qingming, a desolate wasteland bordering the Million Mountains of the North, a journey of one hundred thousand li.
Once the final list took shape, Wei Yuan handed its execution over to his subordinates. He himself, together with Old Daoist Chuhe, spent several days flying a full circuit around the southwestern eight commanderies to survey the veins of earth qi and mountain ranges across the entire region, determining where to reclaim arable fields.
This undertaking was not as simple as merely clearing land; what mattered most was uprooting certain boundary stones to plant them anew, and relocating others. Many boundary stones had not been moved since they were planted thousands or tens of thousands of years ago. Back when they were originally established, expedient compromises had often been made, which over time manifested all manner of flaws.
For instance, the location where Qingming was founded lay less than ten thousand li from Hanyang Pass; when Qingming's territory expanded over it in the near future, the realms would overlap. While overlapping had its benefits, it was nonetheless a waste to some degree.
This time, Old Daoist Chuhe intended to readjust the boundary stones of the southwestern eight commanderies: separating mismatched stones and placing those with special affinities into matching environments. For example, some boundary stones could gather earth qi to generate metal ore veins, yet they had been planted in flat fertile plains, resulting in no veins forming while dragging down the grade of the arable fields.
Rearranging boundary stones would deplete most of their accumulated nourishment, causing the southwestern region's national strength to decline in the short term. In the long run, however, the output of earth qi in the southwest would return to its peak after ten years. After thirty years, when the stones completed their preliminary nourishment, the eight commanderies would become a land of wealth and abundance, with output of various resources at least doubling. And once the fifty years of nourishment were complete, the southwest would truly be a Land of Abundance.
This was an undertaking of immense weight. When Perfected Chuhe first proposed it, even Wei Yuan was taken aback. But after careful inspection, he approved wholeheartedly, seizing the opportunity of this purge across the eight commanderies to execute it all in one breath.
If he did not take action now, endless debates and arguments would ensue. There would certainly be plenty of scholars and literati—men who had never stepped foot in a muddy field or endured hunger for a single day—lamenting autumn and mourning spring, pitying the habitat of a few nests of small beasts and refusing to allow the boundary stones to be moved.
Whether their arguments made any real sense or not, whatever they uttered would brook no opposition and tolerate no criticism; they would never admit fault, and blame would always fall upon the ignorant masses.
Now that Wei Yuan had acted directly, by the time anyone with ulterior motives wished to stop him, it would already be too late. Boundary stones could not be uprooted a second time in a short period without being damaged. Destroying a boundary stone could easily trigger a backlash from human karmic luck; even immortals were reluctant to do so lightly.
As Wei Yuan flew alongside Perfected Chuhe, he saw that the old Daoist's face was ruddy and radiant. The fine lines that once covered his visage had long vanished; the wrinkles visible now were merely added later using Daoist techniques. Otherwise, if an old Daoist suddenly turned into a young one, Chuhe—being thin-skinned—would hardly be able to bear the exuberant enthusiasm of handsome and beautiful disciples of both sexes.
The two flew county by county, scrutinizing every detail. By now, the wind between heaven and earth had grown gentle. Old Daoist Chuhe moved like a fish in water, advancing and retreating at will; with a mere thought, he could flash several li away, his every gesture already carrying the faint bearing of a Scenery Command cultivator.
Standing beside Chuhe, Wei Yuan also felt his thoughts clarify and his Dao heart turn translucent, knowing this was because Chuhe enjoyed the favor of heaven and earth, and a share of that blessing had spilled over onto him.
Wei Yuan could not help sighing with emotion. When Chuhe first arrived at Qingming, he was a rare, high-level Dharma Idol cultivator, a fierce figure reputed to match Fenhai stroke for stroke, his eight immortal swords remarkably intimidating. When it really came to fighting, his Cat and Snake companions had few rivals as well.
Back then, the Qingming Medicine Garden had been planted into a haphazard mess by Wei Yuan. But after Chuhe arrived, it had blossomed into a colossal spiritual field spanning hundreds of li. If nothing else, the annual yield of Five Elements Spirit Ginseng alone was enough to meet the daily elixir requirements of Qingming's millions of Body Casting cultivators and tens of thousands of Dao Foundation disciples, with plenty to spare, which could remain growing in the fields as a strategic reserve.
In terms of maturity, the medicine garden currently held several dozen tons of Five Elements Spirit Ginseng that were over a century old and suitable for Dharma Idol elixirs.
Reclaiming fields, breeding seeds, raising chickens—every single one was a Dao path leading straight to the heavens, an immense service to heaven and earth.
Out of respect for Chuhe, the immortal chicken now plugged its ears and covered its eyes, turning deaf to terms like chopped boiled chicken, spicy chicken, and kung pao chicken. It had no taboos regarding eggs, however, considering anything that couldn't hatch a chick not to be a chicken, so eating those was perfectly fine.
As a result, the egg industry in Qingming flourished immensely, whereas the broiler chicken trade, out of deference to avoiding taboo regarding the immortal creature, largely used euphemisms. For instance, roast chicken could not be called roast chicken; it had to be called "roasted fowl," which sounded refined and elegant even if it was the exact same thing. And though it was the same thing, the price was vastly more expensive.
Now, as Old Daoist Chuhe rearranged the boundary stones, he had unknowingly embarked on yet another supreme Dao path leading to the heavens. Watching the heaven-and-earth origin qi pouring furiously into the old Daoist beside him, Wei Yuan even felt that before he himself could attain Scenery Command, the old Daoist might well break through ahead of him.
Along the way, Perfected Chuhe remarked, "I've surveyed the terrain. The actual acreage counted should be considerably higher than the ledgers show—no less than thirty million mu. These aristocratic clans are truly abominable."
Wei Yuan said, "Their purchase ledgers recorded only twenty-odd million mu—a full ten million mu short. Heh, buying thirty mu but reporting only twenty not only drove down the purchase price, but reduced their taxes as well. All these fields must be recounted and distributed before the spring plowing."
Chuhe asked, "This place isn't Qingming; there are no surveillance formations here. Sloths and slackers are inevitable. What should we do about that?"
Wei Yuan replied, "The land is leased, not gifted. The first season's rent will offset the rations distributed to them; in subsequent seasons, a fixed rent will be collected first, and any surplus belongs to them. That should leave very few slacking off. We just need to get through the first year or two. Once everyone has enough to eat, we will open schools. When they learn to read and write, they will understand that everything must rely on one's own efforts."
Perfected Chuhe looked toward the mountains and great rivers ahead and said, "Only four counties remain. I can handle it myself."
Wei Yuan nodded. "All right. It just so happens that tomorrow is the makeshift Dao Foundation Grand Ceremony, and I need to head back to prepare. If I don't go back early, Xiaoyu will scold me again."
"Wait a moment!" Perfected Chuhe called out, hesitating before asking, "That matter... in the end, did it still fall a little short?"
Wei Yuan nodded and said calmly, "It fell short by a fairly large margin. Now that the time limit has passed, no matter how much human karmic luck I gain, it's too late to make up for it. In this matter, I was too soft-hearted and negligent for a moment; I didn't expect even petty fiends to act so brazenly."
Chuhe sighed. "Honestly, doing things to this extent is already enough. One does what is humanly possible and leaves the rest to fate. As this rearrangement of boundary stones nears completion, an intuitive premonition suddenly struck me, resonating with heaven and earth. I faintly sense another killing intent lurking behind this matter. Perhaps someone is simply waiting for you to embark on a massive slaughter."
Thoughtfully, Wei Yuan nodded. "As long as they make a move, there will be tracks to follow. Now that my flaw is laid bare, we shall see if they can hold back."
Chuhe pointed toward the earth, where specks of fresh green were already budding. "The seasonal timing has arrived, and all things are springing to life. The heavenly timing is now in our hands. Even if we do nothing and merely wait quietly, heaven and earth will revive naturally, and all living things will grow. If the enemy makes no move, that is actually most advantageous to us."
Wei Yuan smiled. "I understand."
Old Daoist Chuhe pressed the matter no further, watching Wei Yuan fly toward the setting sun, disappearing into the warm red sunlight and deep among the clouds across the sky.
***
In the State of Ji, Zhang Sheng was reading in the study of the Guantun County yamen when someone suddenly knocked on the door.
At this very moment, with the guards outside making no sound whatsoever, someone was knocking on the door?
Furthermore, even with her Luminous Sword Heart, she could not sense anyone outside the room. When her divine sense swept over, there was only empty space.
Calm as ever, Zhang Sheng rose and opened the door. Standing outside was a wealthy old gentleman with kind eyes and benevolent brows, stroking a rat-like mustache. He smiled and said, "My surname is Bai, my given name is Zong, and my courtesy name is Kaishui. I have come today because I wish to tell you a story about the advent of the Buddha Sword."
Chapter 1000