Equalization

Hao Wen turned to Chu Qiguang. "Chu Qiguang, did you hear that clearly?" Chu Qiguang nodded. Enduring the dual discomfort racking both his body and mind, he thought to himself, *Ding Daoxiao's attitude is a little odd too. Could he actually support land restitution?* *Yet according to Qiao Zhi... Ding Daoxiao and his family become staunch conservatives in the future. Far from merely opposing the reforms, they go on to hoard vast tracts of land. That was precisely why Ding Daoxiao later threw his lot in with the Demon Suppression Bureau rather than staying tied to the Wu family's apron strings.* *Heh. The reformist Grand Secretary Wu's own son refuses to return any land, yet the conservative Ding Daoxiao seems to favor restitution? If that's truly the case, the waters here run extraordinarily deep.* *A pity Qiao Zhi doesn't know much about the inside story behind this struggle in Qingyang County...* Seeing everyone's eyes fixed on him, Chu Qiguang could not unravel the crux of Ding Daoxiao's stance for the moment. Setting aside his doubts and discomfort, he spoke in a deliberate, unhurried cadence: "The way to break this deadlock lies in the demon soldier pay..." At the founding of the dynasty, demons roamed across the realm, and ferocious beasts congregated in the untamed wilderness. To suppress the demons and reclaim the wastelands, the Taizu Emperor instituted the demon soldier pay, levying taxes to deploy the imperial armies on demon-slaying expeditions across the land. Over time, as the demon population in the wilderness dwindled dramatically and vast swathes of virgin soil were brought under cultivation, the imperial court ceased deploying armies for encirclement campaigns. Instead, it entrusted demon containment to regional garrisons and Daoist monasteries working in tandem with the Demon Suppression Bureau. The demon soldier pay was consequently levied and disbursed locally by each prefecture and subprefecture, no longer remitted to the capital for centralized distribution. Now it was the fifteenth year of Yong'an. Back in Year 2 of Yong'an, Beiyue Prefecture had conducted an audit and uncovered discrepancies in the fluctuations of Qingyang County's registered acreage. An investigation was dispatched, ultimately calculating that Qingyang County was short by a quota of 1,051 dan of summer wheat in demon soldier pay. An order was promptly issued requiring the county to make up this annual shortfall of 1,051 dan of summer wheat from then on. "This levy of 1,051 dan of summer wheat should have been shared equally across all of Qingyang County, which would have amounted to very little per person," Chu Qiguang explained. "However, among the clerks staffing the county yamen's six chambers at the time... not a single one was from Nangou Township. Every one of them came from the county's other twelve townships. "And so, with a stroke of the brush and some underhanded collusion, they banded together to dump the entire 1,051 dan of summer wheat squarely onto Nangou Township. Since the county indeed owed back pay for the demon soldier levy, the people of Nangou Township didn't realize anything was amiss right away. Year after year, they were kept in the dark, paying an extra 1,051 dan of summer wheat. "Now, in Year 15 of Yong'an, Nangou Township has overpaid this summer wheat for thirteen whole years, sinking deeper into poverty with each passing season. Meanwhile, the hereditary clerical lineages of the other twelve townships have passed down those posts in the six chambers across those same thirteen years, maintaining an iron grip over the county yamen's bureaucratic power. "Even if someone did notice the discrepancy with the summer wheat, the clerks would simply pass the buck and make excuses to bury the matter. "And as for the successive county magistrates, so long as Qingyang County collected its demon soldier pay in full, they couldn't care less which village paid more or which paid less. Still less were they willing to offend the gentry, officials, clerks, and commoners of twelve entire townships over it. If this matter were brought to light, Nangou Township and the other twelve townships would all erupt in outrage." Hearing this, Hao Wen's eyes lit up. "Grievances breed outrage, and with a little push, outrage turns into civil unrest." Instigating civil unrest, defying the imperial court, and driving away the magistrate were standard plays for local gentry in the Great Han Dynasty. The moment he heard the plan, Hao Wen envisioned a dozen ways to exploit it. Just then, Ding Daoxiao frowned, his expression dismissive. "Chu Qiguang, that scheme of yours will never work." He criticized, "The people of Nangou Township are nothing more than a mob of unruly rabble. Even if there are a few wusheng among them, they won't amount to anything. "If they kick up a fuss, He Wenyan will simply lead men to suppress Nangou Township by force and compel them to keep shouldering the extra tax. Could that mob of rabble ever overpower He Wenyan, an accomplished martial jinshi? "Besides, you said yourself that the current clerks of the six chambers all hail from the other twelve townships. There is no way He Wenyan would offend the gentry, retired officials, and populace of twelve whole townships just for the sake of Nangou Township." Chu Qiguang met Ding Daoxiao's gaze, measuring his words carefully: "The excess demon soldier pay was meant to be borne by the entire county, yet it was dumped onto Nangou Township alone. As the father-and-mother official of Qingyang, isn't it Magistrate He's duty to equalize taxes and corvée to relieve the people's distress?" The steward, Hao Fulai, chimed in impatiently, "Didn't you hear Young Master Ding? A mere Nangou Township—" "Shut up!" Upon hearing Chu Qiguang's final words, Hao Wen chuckled and snapped, "What the hell does a servant like you know?" Hao Fulai stared blankly as Hao Wen scolded him. Though burning with resentment, he dared not let it show, only glaring venomously at Chu Qiguang. Hao Wen's outburst was as good as rebuking Ding Daoxiao alongside the steward, leaving Ding Daoxiao's face alternating between green and pale. Hao Wen, oblivious to the sting he had dealt, laughed heartily. "Equalizing taxes and corvée... that is imperial policy! He Wenyan's land survey was launched under the banner of equalizing taxes and corvée—isn't he just draping himself in imperial policy? Distributing the demon soldier pay evenly across the county to relieve the people's distress also falls right under implementing imperial policy!" Hao Wen continued with relish, "We won't just rally the populace; we will also pen letters to the provincial governor, the regional inspector, and the Provincial Administration Commission, pressing He Wenyan to equalize the demon soldier pay immediately for the welfare of Nangou Township's people!" Ding Daoxiao's expression darkened. He wanted to object, but he could find no flaw in the logic. Once the Wu and Hao families possessed a righteous pretext and began fanning the flames, stirring up the populace in the name of redistributing that thousand-plus dan of summer wheat, the issue would effortlessly blow up across the county. When that time came, all they needed was a few instigators to surround the county yamen, submit petitions to the governor's office, and thrash a few yamen bailiffs... and it would instantly turn into full-blown civil unrest. Faced with a widespread populace, the court ministers would adhere to the principle that numbers grant immunity; they would simply deem He Wenyan incompetent and make him the scapegoat. Standing nearby, Hao Yongtai grasped everything upon hearing his father's explanation. In that moment, he looked at Chu Qiguang with a newfound admiration, thinking to himself that this fellow was truly a rare talent. Hao Wen turned to Ding Daoxiao and asked, "Worthy Nephew Ding, what do you think of this plan?" Ding Daoxiao's expression stiffened slightly before he offered Chu Qiguang a smile. "It is indeed a brilliant move. No matter how He Wenyan tries to redistribute the burden, twelve townships will be dissatisfied. Even if he sees the trap, he will be powerless to avoid it." Hao Wen clapped Chu Qiguang on the shoulder, his face beaming. "A taste of his own medicine! Worthy Nephew Chu, you truly have a sharp and agile mind! Hahaha!" Ding Daoxiao sat quietly to the side, looking at Chu Qiguang as if truly scrutinizing him for the first time. A fleeting shadow seemed to pass over his brow. Hao Wen said, "I'll go speak with Wu Wei at once and have him write a letter to Li Peiqian, the governor of Lingzhou, reporting the state of affairs in Qingyang County and urging He Wenyan to equalize the demon soldier pay without delay." If the Wu family had previously had their hands tied, framing their actions as answering the imperial court's mandate would allow them to freely wield their influence both at court and within the county. Having just endured Hao Wen's tongue-lashing, Hao Fulai stood nearby with an ashen face, his eyes fixed on Chu Qiguang in utter astonishment. The more Hao Wen thought about it, the more invigorated he felt. Calling for a page, he prepared to head over to the Wu residence to share the strategy with Wu Wei as quickly as possible. Before departing, he instructed the servants to lay out a banquet, telling Hao Yongtai to entertain Ding Daoxiao and Chu Qiguang with utmost hospitality. Watching Hao Wen leave, Ding Daoxiao smiled faintly, turning his gaze toward Chu Qiguang. "To uncover such a loophole amidst mountains of dry grain and tax records, you truly possess a bit of wit." "You flatter me." Meeting Ding Daoxiao's gaze without yielding an inch, Chu Qiguang suddenly said, "Brother Ding, are you perhaps not entirely in favor of this move by the Wu and Hao families?" Ding Daoxiao felt a tremor of alarm, yet confident he had revealed no tell, he fixed an unblinking stare on Chu Qiguang. "What makes you think that?"