Chapter 21: A Small Stratagem

The Song Criminal Code clearly states: “For private loans, no matter how long the term, interest must not exceed the principal.” Are you all willing to break the law?

The boy’s slender back was rigidly straight, his voice cold as ice-quenched steel.

“This debt, principal and interest combined, amounts to only thirty-two guan. Uncle, since you brought your counting rods, why not settle this account right here before our neighbors?”

“Nonsense!”

Lu Zongde suddenly flew into a rage, scattering his counting rods across the ground: “Who doesn’t know that the frontier regions under indirect rule do not follow Song law?”

The white cat, named Tofu, leapt from the peach branch, landing right beside the woman who had just spoken ill of Lu Beigu.

The woman shrieked and scrambled backward, her hairpin catching on the flax cloth drying on a neighbor’s line—tearing with a sharp “rip,” half the bolt fell to the ground, smeared with morning mud.

“My fine flax cloth!” the owner wailed, pounding his chest.

Amid the chaos, Lu Beigu’s voice rang out clear and sharp.

“Then settle it before the native chieftain.”

In the first year of Yuanhe during the late Tang, the Jiedushi of Xichuan, Gao Chongwen, subdued the southern barbarians and established a prefecture south of Naxi along the upper and middle reaches of the northern bank of the Chi Hui River; because rush grass grew abundantly there, it was named Linzhou.

Later, during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, constant warfare left all states too weak to govern this region, allowing the Shuixi Luo clan—one of the four major frontier powers—to seize actual control.

After the founding of the Great Song, with its focus on the north and the need to concentrate fully against the Northern Han and the Liao, the court took no action against the four major frontier powers.

A hundred years ago, in the third year of Qiande under Emperor Taizu of Song, Linzhou lost its status as a prefecture; southern areas such as Gu Lin were merged into the Luo clan’s frontier territory, while northern regions like Hejiang County were annexed into Luzhou.

Thus, the native Yi chieftain appointed by the Luo clan now oversees civil affairs in Gu Lin town and several neighboring villages.

If you don’t seek out this Yi chieftain, he’ll still drain you dry; if you go to him voluntarily, whether you’re right or wrong, you’ll end up bleeding either way.

An elderly onlooker shook his head: “What a tragedy—bullying an orphan and his widow.”

Before he finished speaking, his own family yanked him away, pulling him off while muttering.

“What business is it of yours, old man, to meddle in the Lu family’s affairs?”

Lu Zongde’s face stiffened—he had assumed a widow with two children and a half-grown younger brother would be easy to manipulate.

Who could have foreseen that his usually silent nephew would dare defy him publicly?

And if this truly reached the Yi chieftain, it didn’t matter who was right or wrong—financially, they would bleed heavily, for unlike ordinary county magistrates, native chieftains always took a cut before rendering judgment.

At that moment, Lu Beigu suddenly conceived a plan.

With the standoff deadlocked, why not exploit the information gap between them and apply a small stratagem?

He changed his tone: “All of you came today demanding repayment—the principal and interest total thirty-two guan. If we pay this sum, will you leave us in peace?”

Seeing Lu Beigu suddenly yield, Lu Zongde breathed a sigh of relief.

He no longer pressed the exorbitant interest, tacitly accepted Lu Beigu’s claim, and feigned generosity.

“If your household lacks cash, you may surrender the land as collateral. If you have nowhere to live, you may rent it back from us later.”

“We are moving out.”

Lu Beigu addressed the neighbors gathered around: “Today, we will repay the Lu clan’s debt in full. We ask each of you, our good neighbors, to sign a guarantee: from now on, we shall never again have any dealings.”

At this point, Lu Zongde and the others had not yet grasped the meaning—they assumed Lu Beigu meant to sign a guarantee so he could use the land as collateral, then move away with his family.

Thus, the head elder, Third Uncle, nodded without hesitation.

“I won’t make things hard for you. Any neighbor of the Lu clan may sign this guarantee.”

Lu Beigu picked up his brush and wrote the guarantee instantly on paper laid upon the stone table.

Then the creditors hunched forward, jostling to press their thumbprints or seals onto the freshly written document, like vultures fighting over carrion.

Each face wore a greedy smile—they believed this guarantee was proof of their future claim to the land. After all, the land’s value likely exceeded forty guan; they had scored a great bargain.

On the elm tree at the alley’s entrance, a crow had landed unnoticed; its black feathers caught the morning sun like spilled ink.

“Have all signed?”

Seeing enough signatures, Lu Beigu waited for the ink to dry, then calmly collected the guarantee.

Next, he pulled a stack of jiaozi from his sleeve.

The mulberry-paper notes glowed faintly blue in the morning light, the vermilion seals reading “Five Guan” glaringly bright.

Lu Beigu took out six: “Thirty guan. Sister-in-law, please bring two more guan in copper coins—we’ll count it all here in front of them.”

The crowd fell into an eerie silence.

“Boy, are you mocking me?”

Lu Zongde’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he lunged forward to snatch the guarantee.

At that instant, hoofbeats rang out from the alley’s mouth.

Everyone turned to see a green silk carriage slowly approaching, its bronze bells tinkling; the curtain lifted, revealing Zhou Mingyuan’s haughty face.

Today he wore a lake-blue lan robe; the sheep-fat jade pendant hanging from his belt gleamed softly in the morning light.

“Brother Lu!” Zhou Mingyuan leapt down, bowing warmly. “It’s Cold Food Festival—my father sent me to deliver festival gifts.”

He waved, and two servants carried down several gift boxes and food containers.

He then pushed through the crowd and personally placed a vermilion-lacquered food box behind Lu Beigu on the stone table, lifting the lid to reveal a full portion of “Zitui Swallows.”

These were delicate pastry swallows, painstakingly shaped and labor-intensive to make—typically eaten only by wealthy households in this region.

Seeing Zhou Mingyuan’s demeanor, Lu Zongde dared not move.

Gu Lin town’s livelihood depended entirely on mountain goods, brewing, and river transport; though the Zhou family had moved to Luzhou and rarely lived here, their influence remained unquestioned.

Moreover, Zhou Mingyuan was a juren!

The Song Dynasty was ruled by scholar-officials and the Son of Heaven!

What is a scholar-official? One who passed the palace examination.

Students of county or prefectural schools might still be poor scholars, but passing the provincial examination meant one stood just one step away from becoming a jinshi and entering office.

After the precedent of Zhang Yuan, who failed the palace exam, defected to Xia, and later humiliated Jinshi officials Han Qi and Song Song on the battlefield, the Song court’s palace examinations became mere formalities.

Whether it was a rotting official or a native chieftain—who dared not show respect to a juren? Who knew when he might pass the palace exam and rise to glory?

Aunt Wang shrank her neck like a hen with its throat squeezed.

Lu Zongde’s face turned liver-purple: “Zhou… Zhou Young Master knows my nephew?”

“Of course I know him,” Zhou Mingyuan said with a faint smile, glancing over the crowd. “Yesterday at the literary gathering, Brother Lu’s ‘Heavenly River’ won first place—my father praised him endlessly. He is destined to grace the golden list.”

His words were like cold water poured into boiling oil.

The creditors stared at each other; those moments ago so fierce now sweated profusely, their drops falling with a “plop” to the ground.

Given Lu Beigu’s bottom-ranking performance at the county school, no one believed he could enter the prefectural academy—but why did Zhou Mingyuan treat him so familiarly?

They had never seen it, nor even heard of it: the ever-arrogant Zhou Young Master personally delivering festival gifts to anyone.

Could it be… that Lu Beigu truly would pass the palace exam and become a jinshi?

——————

① The Shuixi Luo clan, Shuidong Song clan, Si Prefecture Tian clan, and Bozhou Yang clan.

② Zhang Yuan, from Huayin County, Huazhou, in the Yongxing Military Circuit. As a youth, he was proud, unrestrained, and possessed strategic talent. After being rejected in the palace examination, he defected to Xia and rose to become Grand Preceptor, Minister of the Left, and Chief of the Secretariat. He assisted Li Yuanhao in defeating the Song army at Haoshuichuan, then inscribed on the wall of Jie Shang Temple: “Song Song never inspired awe, Han Qi was no marvel; the whole river swarms with dragons and tigers, yet still boasts of military strategy.” Thereafter, Emperor Renzong abolished the practice of rejecting candidates in the palace examination—anyone who passed the Ministry of Rites’ provincial exam was guaranteed passage.

(End of Chapter)