Chapter 21: A Small Stratagem

The Song Criminal Code clearly states: "For all private and public loans, no matter how long the duration, interest must not exceed one times 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 tributary lands do not follow Song law?"

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

The woman shrieked and stumbled backward; her hairpin caught on the flax cloth drying on a neighbor's line—"rip"—half the bolt tore loose and 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 official."

In the first year of the Yuanhe era under the Tang Dynasty, Gao Chongwen, the Jiedushi of Xichuan, subdued the southern tribes and established a prefecture south of the Naxi region along the northern banks of the upper and middle reaches of the Chi Hui River; because rush grass grew everywhere, 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 tributary powers—to seize actual control.

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

A hundred years ago, in the third year of the Qiande era 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 tributary territory, while northern regions like Hejiang County were annexed into Luzhou.

Thus, the native Yi official appointed by the Luo clan now administers civil affairs for Gu Lin town and several other towns.

If you don't seek out this Yi native official, he'll still peel off a layer of your flesh; if you go to him voluntarily, whether you're right or wrong, you'll end up wounded on both sides.

An elderly man watching shook his head: "What a sin—to bully an orphan and his widow."

Before he finished speaking, his own family yanked him away, pulling him along as they muttered.

"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 uncle would be easy to manipulate.

Who knew this quiet nephew of his would dare defy him publicly?

And if this truly reached the Yi native official, it didn't matter who was right or wrong—financially, they would bleed heavily, for unlike ordinary counties, here the native official took a cut no matter the verdict.

At that moment, Lu Beigu suddenly conceived a plan.

With the situation at a stalemate, why not exploit the information gap between both sides and apply a small stratagem?

He changed his tone and asked: "All of you came today to demand repayment—the principal and interest total thirty-two guan. If we pay this sum, will you no longer harass us?"

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 kindness.

"If your household has no cash, you may use this property as collateral. If you have nowhere to live, you may continue renting it from us."

"We are moving out."

Lu Beigu addressed the surrounding neighbors: "Today, we will repay the Lu clan's debt in full. We ask each of you, good neighbors, to sign a guarantee letter—after this, we shall never meet again."

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

Thus, the head of the clan, Third Great Uncle, nodded without hesitation.

"I won't make things hard for you. Any neighbor of the Lu clan may sign this guarantee letter."

Lu Beigu picked up his brush and wrote instantly, drafting the guarantee letter on paper placed atop the stone table.

Then the creditors hunched forward, jostling to press their Fingerprint Seals or marks on the freshly written document, like vultures fighting over carrion.

Each face beamed with greedy smiles, for they all believed this guarantee letter was proof of their future claim to the property—knowing its value likely exceeded forty guan, they had scored a great bargain.

On the elm tree at the alley's mouth, 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 letter.

Then he pulled from his sleeve a stack of jiaozi.

The mulberry-paper notes glowed faintly blue in the morning light; the vermilion seal marking "Five Guan" blazed crimson.

Lu Beigu withdrew six notes: "Thirty guan. Sister-in-law, please bring out two more guan in copper coins—let them count it face to face."

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 letter.

At that moment, hoofbeats suddenly rang from the alley entrance.

Everyone turned to see a green silk carriage slowly approaching; bronze bells on the yoke jingled, the curtain lifted, revealing Zhou Mingyuan's haughty face.

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

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

He waved his hand, 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 pastry birds shaped like swallows, exquisitely crafted and labor-intensive—typically only wealthy households could afford them here.

Seeing Zhou's young master's attitude, Lu Zongde immediately froze.

The main livelihood of Gu Lin town was mountain goods, brewing, and water transport; though the Zhou family had moved to Luzhou and no longer resided here, their influence remained unquestioned.

Moreover, Zhou Mingyuan was a provincial graduate!

The Great Song is ruled by scholar-officials and the imperial house!

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

Students of county and prefectural schools may still be poor scholars, but passing the provincial graduate examination means one stands but one step away from becoming a metropolitan graduate and entering officialdom.

After the precedent of Zhang Yuan being rejected in the palace exam, then turning around to instruct metropolitan graduate candidates Song Xia and Han Qi on the battlefield, every subsequent palace examination in Song became a mere formality.

Who among the appointed officials or native officials would dare disrespect a provincial graduate? Who knows when he might pass the metropolitan graduate examination and rise to glory?

Aunt Wang shrank her neck back, looking just like a hen with its throat pinched.

Lu Zongde's old face flushed the color of pig liver: "Young Master Zhou, Young Master Zhou knows my nephew?"

"Of course I know him." Zhou Mingyuan swept his gaze over the crowd with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, "At yesterday's literary banquet, Brother Lu's piece 'Heavenly River Water' took first place; even my father praised it endlessly. Surely, one day he will have his name inscribed on the Golden List."

These words were like cold water splashed into a wok of boiling oil.

The creditors looked at each other in dismay; the crowd, so imposing just moments before, now broke out in sweat on their foreheads, drops falling to the ground with a 'patter.'

Given Lu Beigu's dead-last results at the county academy, no one thought he could pass into the prefectural academy, so what was the meaning of Young Master Zhou's familiar demeanor?

After all, let alone seeing it with their own eyes, they had never even heard of the ever-arrogant Young Master Zhou ever humbling himself to proactively send festival gifts to anyone.

Could it be... that this Lu Beigu truly could have his name inscribed on the Golden List and pass the metropolitan graduate examination?

——————

① The Luo clan of Shuixi, the Song clan of Shuidong, the Tian clan of Sizhou, and the Yang clan of Bozhou.

② Zhang Yuan, a native of Huayin County, Huazhou, Yongxing Army Circuit; in his youth he was proud and unconventional, possessing talents for strategy and diplomacy. After being rejected by Emperor Renzong at the palace examination, he defected from Song to Xia, rising to the positions of Grand Preceptor of Western Xia, Director of the Department of State Affairs, and concurrently Director of the Secretariat. After assisting Li Yuanhao in defeating the Song army at the Battle of Haoshui River, he inscribed a poem on the wall of Jieshang Temple: 'How could Xia Song tower high? Han Qi is hardly remarkable. With dragons and tigers filling the river, they still speak of military strategy.' From then on, Emperor Renzong abolished the system of rejection at the palace examination; anyone who passed the Ministry of Rites' provincial examination was guaranteed to pass the palace examination.

(End of Chapter)