Chapter 271: with translation of chapter title

Xiao Yin stared fixedly at the land register before him, on which the emperor's jade seal had also been stamped; this was the true fish-scale register.

The so-called fish-scale register of Southern Qi was, by prefecture, a fresh survey of the land within its borders to clarify land ownership.

It is generally composed of three parts: the aristocratic clans, the local gentry, and the self-cultivating farmers.

According to the plan made when Southern Qi was founded, the clans' land was relatively concentrated in fixed locations, for the founding emperor had feared the clans competing with the people for profit and thus demarcated their spheres of influence within certain areas; theoretically, the clans occupied only twenty percent of the land.

The local gentry occupied forty percent of the land, and the remaining forty percent belonged to the self-cultivating farmer households.

Moreover, the self-cultivating farmers are the mainstay supporting Southern Qi's taxes, corvée labor, and military service; it is precisely because they hold land that they can defend the Southern Qi dynasty.

Xiao Yin stared fixedly at the register in his hands, flipping through it hastily with a rustling sound; the more he looked, the darker his face became.

His hand gripping the register trembled slightly; from exerting too much force, his knuckles had turned somewhat white.

Ling Feng, on the side, looked carefully at his own prince, drew a breath, and said in a low voice: "This register still comes from Chengzhou and Guanzhou to the south of Qi Sha Gu; we have been investigating it for seven full years, and only last month did we finally get a clue."

"It was merely a merchant who, drunk in a brothel, accidentally dropped this thing there, and it happened to fall into our hands."

"Our people in Chengzhou seized that merchant and subjected him to extrajudicial punishment, finally making him confess."

"Recently, others have also been investigating those land registers from seven years ago; it is said that a portion fell into the hands of local merchants, who, regarding the registers as of great importance, dare not turn them over."

"That merchant intended to exchange this item for a reward, trying his luck, but he ended up getting drunk and losing it by accident."

"Only after questioning did we learn that the land registers in those merchants' hands had unintentionally come from a big merchant; initially he had casually selected several hundred small shops, given them the registers, and paid a thousand taels of silver for each register to those who could keep it secret."

Xiao Yin's brows knotted tightly; Ling Feng drew a deep breath: "Your Highness, that big merchant is likely the very leader who ambushed and slaughtered our brothers."

Xiao Yin's eyes instantly turned gloomy; if Gu Jiu Ling could see his gaze now, she would surely be frightened badly.

That was not a normal person's gaze; it seemed to come from hell, the eye of a vengeful demon.

Ling Feng watched Xiao Yin's expression, unconsciously shifted back a bit, and continued: "Back then, Your Highness strongly promoted the nationwide land and grain surveys; you also witnessed that."

"The grain annexed by the eight great clans is not fifty percent, but..."

Ling Feng held his breath in his throat, so pained he could not speak.

Xiao Yin spoke for him instead; each time he recalled the past, it was as if he ripped open those living people, bloody and raw, making them wish they were dead.

"It is eighty percent, especially in Chengzhou and Guanzhou, where the Duan clan occupies a thousand li of land, having annexed ninety percent of the fields!"

Upon uttering the word "ninety percent," both master and servant's faces darkened, the atmosphere heavy as if soaked in water.

Neither of them wanted to recall it, yet some things cannot be gotten past; many details, when pondered, are extremely terrifying— the more that veil is lifted, the more bloody and gory it becomes, horrifying to the extreme.

Xiao Yin closed his eyes; he had thought the matter of Qi Sha Gu was strange, yet he could never understand why the eight great clans united to demand the lives of his several-hundred-thousand-strong army.

Emperor Longqing wanting his life might be because his strength was too formidable, threatening the emperor's rule.

But what connection do the eight great clans have? Don't they realize that if he died, the Bei Di borderlands could not be held, and who would ultimately suffer the misfortune?

Now, thinking back, the idea I just came up with is nothing but a joke.

Who else could be unlucky? Isn't it all the common folk under heaven?

Xiao Yin slowly sat down in the chair, his gaze piercing to the extreme, almost as if he wanted to pierce the tabletop before him.

He gave a cold smile and said: "Good! Truly an excellent scheme!"

"The person who took the lead in this—I actually admire him greatly!"

"If the fish-scale register were placed elsewhere, even if they annexed fifty percent of the land, at worst they could find a few scapegoats and still preserve the clans' interests."

"But they have swallowed ninety percent; back then the people's resentment was already boiling over, so if at this moment a thorough land inspection were carried out in Guanzhou and Chengzhou and a spark lit, the first to be burned to death would be the Duan clan."

"They are too greedy, leaving no room for compromise; even if this were presented before Emperor Longqing, Consort Duan exhausting every means to curry favor with the emperor could not save the Duan clan."

"At present they urgently need to provoke another matter to cover up the major land‑investigation case in Guanzhou and Chengzhou; the time left for them is not much."

Ling Feng's eyes also reddened slightly; he gritted his teeth, his voice trembling a little as he followed Xiao Yin's train of thought, trying to sort out the matter.

"Yes, they must cause something to happen, and this matter must be made a big fuss, bigger than the land‑investigation affair!"

"The affairs of state are nothing more than warfare and agriculture and weaving."

Xiao Yin gave a cold smile: "Thus a killing game aimed at me, Xiao Yin, is now being laid out."

"Originally it was I who proposed the land survey; whether the Duan clan or the Cao clan, they all hate me, and wanting to kill me they would certainly conspire in the palace to have that Emperor Longqing do away with me."

"Emperor Longqing... hehe, my good imperial brother, I devoted myself wholeheartedly to him, even to death, yet he had long harbored the intention to kill me."

"Thus the two factions hit it off immediately; in Qi Sha Gu they set an ambush, colluded with external enemies, poisoned the military provisions, and smeared fire‑oil to burn, fearing I would not die."

"And furthermore..." Xiao Yin's eyes suddenly welled with a hint of tears.

"After Qi Sha Gu, he had never shed a tear, but this time the corners of his eyes turned slightly red."

Ling Feng's fists clenched tightly: "Your Highness, you must have thought of it."

"Qi Sha Gu is the gateway to Guanzhou and Chengzhou; if Qi Sha Gu is flung open, the Bei Di troops will march south to slaughter the cities, and the people of Guanzhou and Chengzhou will be utterly massacred, every household exterminated."

Xiao Yin clenched his teeth and gave a cold laugh: "Thus the Duan clan's land case concealed in Guanzhou and Chengzhou will forever vanish in the river of history."

"The Duan clan, to conceal their crimes, actually used the Bei Di people's hands to slaughter tens of thousands of the populace in those two regions—beast! This beast! If I, Xiao Yin, do not exterminate the Duan clan to the last member, I swear I will not be considered human!"

Ling Feng also trembled with rage, gritted his teeth: "In that case, the battle at Qi Sha Gu would kill you and wipe out your power, Your Highness."

"The foolish emperor sleeps easy, the clans all rejoice, the Duan clan then sends its own army to divide and rule with the Bei Di, the Bei Di take money, Guanzhou and Chengzhou return to the Duan clan's hands, they want the land, the land‑investigation case is dropped, your troops all die in battle—how much grain is saved? It's a three‑for‑one gain!"

Xiao Yin's brows knotted tightly: "The one who could set this whole great scheme in motion must be that mysterious ringleader."

"This person certainly is not from the clans; otherwise the emperor might not necessarily trust him."

Ling Feng hurriedly said: "Nor could he be someone of the emperor, for this affair is unsavory; if any evidence were leaked it would be embarrassing, and moreover this person must be able to communicate with the Bei Di side."

"So..."

"Itinerant merchants!" Xiao Yin and Ling Feng almost simultaneously exclaimed, looking at each other.

Xiao Yin's brows and eyes were icy cold: "Moreover this merchant is very clever, scattering all the evidence abroad; keeping these things would be a disaster, while scattering them has nothing to do with him. Hehe! Perhaps his conscience stirred, wanting to leave among the populace proof of the Duan clan's wicked deeds!"

Xiao Yin gritted his teeth: "Investigate! Ling Feng! Go at once to look into every merchant who entered or left Southern Qi seven years ago!"

"He must be someone who can speak with the emperor, have good relations with the clans, and also be able to do business in Bei Di..."

He suddenly fell silent, having thought of a person; his heart instantly plummeted into the abyss.