Negotiations

Hao Xiangtong looked at Chu Qiguang, her gaze filled with curiosity and doubt. *He actually knew about the peace talks and the border trade even before Father. Just what is this Chu Qiguang's background?* To Hao Xiangtong, Chu Qiguang had previously been nothing more than a shabby poor boy. At most, he was amusing to talk to, and she enjoyed listening to him go on and on. Now, however, he had suddenly become shrouded in mystery in her eyes, and the stories he told her in the evenings seemed to take on a completely different meaning. Hearing what she said, Chu Qiguang knew the Hao family had taken the bait. He smiled faintly. "Then let us be off." This was not Chu Qiguang's first visit to the Hao residence, but it was the first time he was received in the parlor by the current head of the household, Hao Wen. Hao Wen ordered tea to be served, then dismissed the servants around them, keeping only his steward, Hao Fulai. He then began beating around the bush with Chu Qiguang, aiming to draw him out and find out who backed him. Clearly, in the eyes of Second Master Hao Wen, for this youth to know the imperial court's policies a step ahead, he had to have connections in Shenjing. Meanwhile, Chu Qiguang reviewed the intelligence on Hao Wen before him, as well as the Wu family's Wu Wei. According to Qiao Zhi, both men were ambitious yet devoid of talent, greedy for wealth and lustful by nature. Because of this, they had been left at home to mind the family estates, yet they still routinely caused trouble for Grand Secretary Wu. Right now it was not so terrible; they merely relied on Grand Secretary Wu's influence to do business, buy up land, evade taxes... standard practices for the local gentry. Once Grand Secretary Wu became Senior Grand Secretary, however, they would become liabilities of the highest order—plundering the locals and seizing property through trickery and force, until they occupied more than eighty percent of Qingyang County's arable land and practically turned the entire county into an independent fiefdom. At the same time, a year after Grand Secretary Wu became Senior Grand Secretary, the old man would personally launch a sweeping, momentous reform: surveying land, equalizing taxes and corvée, overhauling the bureaucracy, reforming horse administration, tea administration... For at least the next ten years, this Grand Secretary Wu would stand below one and above ten thousand, virtually dominating the imperial court—a golden thigh of monumental proportions. Chu Qiguang's plan right now was to intervene in this clash between the Hao family, the Wu family, and the county magistrate, using it to latch onto Grand Secretary Wu's golden thigh and borrow his reforms, authority, and influence to achieve his future aims. Chu Qiguang, of course, was not about to let his secrets be ferreted out so easily. Seeing that Second Master Hao had danced around the subject for ages without coming to the point, Chu Qiguang took another sip of tea and cut straight to the chase: "I hear that the magistrate opened the court for complaints, and many tenant farmers have raised a clamor. May I ask what Master Hao's countermeasure is?" Magistrate He's current policy was to survey all land, calculating precisely the size, ownership, and quality of every plot under each household's name, then apportioning all corvée and taxes equally according to the land each household owned. This was the equalization of taxes and corvée: the more land one held, the more taxes and labor one shouldered. Naturally, this could greatly lighten the common people's burdens. Yet Chu Qiguang knew that in a feudal dynasty, such a measure treated the symptoms rather than the root cause, because the exorbitant levies and miscellaneous taxes accumulated over generations were not abolished; they were merely distributed evenly. *To cure the root cause, I'll have to take the helm myself.* Chu Qiguang had questioned Qiao Zhi in detail and knew that over the next month or two, the Wu and Hao families would drag their feet with all their might, drawing in the Beiyue Prefect, the Lingzhou Governor, and the regional inspector, throwing Qingyang County into utter turmoil. Yet these developments... were unknown to Hao Wen and Wu Wei at present. They merely resisted Magistrate He's policy out of landlords' instinct, refusing to spit out the meat already in their mouths. Across from Chu Qiguang, Second Master Hao did not respond. Just yesterday, a clash had erupted on the land of the Wu and Hao families. Magistrate He had brought the petitioning tenants to survey the fields. Although Hao Wen and his people had blocked them once, the two families possessed so much farmland between them that it was impossible to guard every plot. There was no way they could keep the county yamen's people at bay forever. Seeing Hao Wen's displeased expression, Chu Qiguang said, "I happen to have a way that might make Magistrate He return empty-handed." Hao Wen's expression flickered, though he remained silent. Beside him, the steward Hao Fulai spoke up aggressively, "Young Master Chu, do not make reckless jokes. Surveying the land and equalizing taxes and corvée is state policy. Naturally, we must do our utmost to support it, easing the imperial court's worries and resolving hardships for the common folk." Chu Qiguang smiled. Without sparing the steward a glance, he fixed his eyes on Hao Wen and said, "Master Hao, sensible men need not mince words. A state policy is indeed a state policy, but even if the court wishes to roll it out nationwide, there must be an order of precedence; it cannot be accomplished overnight. The realm of the Great Han has so much land. If it rotates from province to province and county to county, responding to the policy a bit earlier or later could mean a difference of ten or twenty years." Chu Qiguang's words struck a chord with Hao Wen. As an established landlord of Qingyang County, the bulk of his family's wealth lay in these lands. Surrendering the seized fields... even if it was national policy, his mindset was to stall for as many years as possible. Perhaps if a new magistrate replaced this one, the whole thing would fall apart! Hearing this, the steward Hao Fulai looked at Chu Qiguang with disdain. "A fledgling boy like you—at mere first stage of martial arts, without an imperial examination degree to your name—what means could you possibly have to obstruct the magistrate of an entire county?" Chu Qiguang glanced at the steward, sensing a distinct hostility from him. He thought to himself: *Or are Hao Wen and his steward playing good cop and bad cop?* Chu Qiguang looked at Hao Wen and said, "Master Hao, if you are willing to do me a favor and let me view Qingyang County's gazetteer and collected statutes, I can certainly devise a way to make Magistrate He return empty-handed." A county gazetteer recorded the county's history, geography, customs, and the like, while the collected statutes documented all policy shifts in Qingyang County from the founding of the dynasty down to the present day. These were two records Chu Qiguang had been unable to access even with Reckoner Li's help. Chu Qiguang wanted to look at them, firstly, to check whether there was anything unusual about the Chu family's background; secondly, to search for clues regarding the Secret Register of the Purple Mansion; and lastly, to do a favor for the Wu and Hao families along the way. Steward Hao sneered. "So you haven't even thought of a way yet? And you still want to look at the county's gazetteer and collected statutes? Pure fantasy!" He advised Second Master Hao, "Master, so many of us from the various families have yet to produce a sound plan. This boy's background is murky and unclear—please, whatever you do, do not trust him rashly." Chu Qiguang frowned as he looked at the steward, confirming once again that the man truly harbored hostility toward him, which struck him as rather strange. After all, he had never laid eyes on him before. Hao Wen, on the other hand, pondered for a moment before looking at Chu Qiguang and asking, "You can devise a way just by reading the gazetteer and collected statutes? How certain are you? Face the direction of the Daoist temple and speak to the Dao Lord." Chu Qiguang turned toward the direction of the Daoist temple and said slowly, "These past days, I have already reviewed Qingyang County's grain and tax ledgers over the years, discovering many issues within the county yamen. Once brought to light, they will be enough to throw the magistrate into utter disarray." Hao Wen nodded slightly. Having run the household for so many years, he naturally knew how many fiscal loopholes Qingyang County had accumulated through year after year of exorbitant levies and miscellaneous taxes. A newly arrived magistrate would not be able to sort them out in less than a year or a year and a half. Yet a magistrate was merely a rotating official serving a three-year term; often, before the previous official's problems were resolved, a fresh heap of issues was left behind when he departed. Chu Qiguang continued, "If you simply allow me to cross-reference them with the county gazetteer and collected statutes, I dare swear to Dao Lord Xuantian that I am ninety percent certain I can make Magistrate He back down in the face of difficulties." Hao Wen stared intently at Chu Qiguang, seemingly straining to discern whether he was speaking truth or falsehood, but all he saw was a pair of exceptionally resolute, clear eyes. In this era, swearing an oath to the Dao Lord carried considerable credibility. Second Master Hao nodded. "Very well. I will arrange it for you..." Once Chu Qiguang had departed, Steward Hao said to Second Master Hao Wen, "Master, in my view, this Chu Qiguang is merely a student who just entered Yinglue Academy. I hear he was farming back in Wang Family Village before, nothing more than a mud-legged peasant poor for eighteen generations. His true background is completely unknown now. If we employ him rashly, won't it do more harm than good?" Hao Wen glanced sideways at the steward and remarked offhandedly, "Regardless of what plan he comes up with, whether we use it is still up to us. He is nothing more than a pawn; the person behind him is what matters. Once he produces a solution... we'll know who is playing the game and what their purpose is." "Enough, let us speak no more of this." A gleam of excitement and greed flashed in Hao Wen's eyes. "Next, I shall draw up a list for you. Go stockpile goods immediately. Before the border trade opens, we must turn all our silver into iron woks, tea leaves, medicinal pills, salt..." Hao Wen listed off a whole host of daily necessities desperately needed by the northern demon race, then chuckled. "Once word of the border trade gets out, these prices will multiply several times over at the very least..."