Chapter 801: Thunderous Fury Establishes the New Law, Hidden Agents Lurk to Stir Storms

Zhang Wenqian fell silent for three breaths, a blue vein at the corner of his forehead twitched slightly.

"Shuyi does not dare to guess recklessly, but using Qinggui County as a reference for calculation, the hidden households in the entire Xiazhou are conservatively estimated not to be less than fifty thousand."

He paused, and his voice lowered another half step.

"It could even be more."

Chen Yan leaned back into the chair, crossing his fingers to support his chin, and his eyes, reflected in the lamp light, churned with something that no one dared to look at directly.

"Fifty thousand."

He chewed the number over twice in his mouth.

"The Duke spent several months of provisions and rations, risking his life to bring in two hundred thousand Liuren from Qi State to bolster Xiazhou's Population Foundation."

His fingers released from his chin and struck the armrest heavily.

"These Bloodsucking Parasites have hidden fifty thousand living people beneath, fifty thousand untaxed, unserved, unregistered black households, and fifty thousand robust men who can be drafted into Private Soldiers at any time."

He stood up, strode to the massive Northern Border Military Sand Table on the wall, and pressed his palm onto the area representing the entirety of Xiazhou.

"They are not greedy for the Duke's money; they are digging up the Duke's roots."

Zhang Wenqian followed, standing beside the sand table, his hands still clasped together.

"Minister, Shuyi has a remark, unsure whether it should be spoken."

Chen Yan did not turn around.

"Speak."

Zhang Wenqian's voice was steady, but his speech was half a beat slower than usual, each word sounding as if weighed on a scale.

"Hidden households are the lifeline of the powerful families; pulling this thread is equivalent to placing a knife at the throats of all surviving native clans."

His fingers tightened slightly in front of him.

"These clans have been run for several generations, their kinship networks deeply tangled locally; forced to a dead end, they can do anything."

He lifted his head and looked at Chen Yan's back.

"Moreover, spring plowing has just entered its most critical stage; if chaos erupts at the grassroots now, this year's autumn harvest will be completely ruined."

Chen Yan turned around.

He looked into Zhang Wenqian's eyes, and the thing in those pupils settled in the lamp light, turning into a coldness that made the back of Zhang Wenqian's neck tingle.

"Old Zhang, how long have you been with the Duke?"

Zhang Wenqian did not hesitate.

"Counting from the Mingjing Department, it's been over four years."

Chen Yan's mouth twitched at the corner.

"Then you should know that the Duke has never refrained from drawing a blade out of fear of causing chaos."

He turned and walked back to the Shufang, took a Blank Silk Book from the desk, and dipped his brush in ink.

"The Duke only sharpens his blade faster, cuts more precisely."

His brush tip touched the silk surface, and the ink spread rapidly across the White Silk.

Zhang Wenqian leaned in for a glance; the heading of the Silk Book bore six characters.

Xiazhou New Household Registration Law.

Chen Yan's brushstroke was extremely swift, each character written heavily, the ink seeping into the silk fibers, creating an almost brand-like effect.

"First Path: From the day this law is promulgated, all farms and private residences throughout Xiazhou must complete household registration within ten days; for each day overdue, a fine of one hundred silver taels shall be imposed."

The brush tip paused briefly, re-dipped in ink, and continued writing.

"Second Path: Any hidden household with more than fifty persons shall have the entire estate of the host family confiscated, and the head of the household and direct relatives consigned to the labor camp."

He placed the brush on the edge of the inkstone, and glanced at Gao Jiong kneeling by the door.

"Third Path, remember."

Gao Jiong lowered his head even further.

"Any Liuren or slave who reports and proves a hidden household to be real shall be granted immediate freedom, and twenty mu of fertile land shall be allocated from the confiscated estate of the implicated host family as a reward."

The moment the words landed, Zhang Wenqian's brow twitched.

He instantly understood the venomous edge of Chen Yan's move.

Using the interests of the hidden to leverage their denunciations, using slaves' freedom to dismantle the masters' strongholds, turning every powerful estate into a powder keg that could explode from within at any moment.

"Minister, this tactic is harsher than beheading."

Chen Yan pushed the Silk Book to the edge of the desk, and tapped his finger lightly on the tabletop.

"Beheading can only kill one person, but this decree can make tens of thousands of living people rise up themselves to uproot those rotten roots for the Duke."

He turned his head toward Gao Jiong.

"Open the entire Dark Web of the Mingjing Department, and set all Hidden Agents to Level 1 Readiness."

Gao Jiong's voice rose muffled from the ground.

"Shuyi understands, Ti Cavalry can be deployed at any time."

Chen Yan leaned back against the chair, and his fingers traced a slow arc on the armrest.

"Do not rush deployment; first let the New Law ferment in each county for three days. After three days, those powerful families who have honestly registered and those still playing dead—your Hidden Agents will be divided for the Duke with crystal clarity."

His fingers paused on the armrest for a moment.

"Those playing dead are the next batch the Duke will cut."

Gao Jiong hammered the floor with a fist, rose, and left the Shufang.

Zhang Wenqian rolled up the Silk Book of the New Household Registration Law, cupped it to his chest, and was about to turn and take his leave.

Chen Yan called out to him.

"Old Zhang."

Zhang Wenqian turned his head.

Chen Yan's gaze fell on the sand table, his finger tapping the armrest of the Grand Master's Chair at an unhurried pace, the sound a half‑tone lower.

"The Qi State Shadow Department's remaining forces in Xiazhou have not been completely eradicated yet."

Zhang Wenqian pressed his lips together.

"The pillar of the state worries that they will use this household‑registration purge as an opportunity to fish in troubled waters."

Chen Yan did not answer directly; his finger produced the final tap on the armrest.

"It's not just a matter of fishing in troubled waters."

He stood up, walked to the sand table, and his fingertip drew a circle over the spot representing Qinggui County.

"The Xie Family's Human Head account shows an incoming entry, the source marked as an out‑of‑town merchant firm."

He turned his head and looked at Zhang Wenqian.

"I, the Duke, have seen the Qi State Shadow Department's funding disbursement method; they use exactly this kind of out‑of‑town merchant shell for bookkeeping."

Zhang Wenqian's complexion darkened.

"The Qi State people have been continuously transfusing blood to the local powerful magnates."

Chen Yan's mouth twitched upward by a fraction, the cold curve causing the lamp flames to flicker.

"They are even less inclined than I, the Duke, to see the grassroots of Xiazhou cleaned out, because once it is, they will have no hosts left on this land to parasitize."

He withdrew his hand from the sand table, strode back behind the desk, and sat down.

"Therefore, during this household‑registration purge, someone will jump out to cause trouble."

He picked up the Wolf‑hair Brush Pen on the desk and wrote two characters on a Blank Silk Book.

Waiting.

Zhang Wenqian stared at the two characters for three breaths, clasped his fists, and left the study.

After the door closed, Chen Yan sat alone in the brightly lit study, his finger rubbing back and forth over the cover of the Leather Ledger.

His gaze passed over the mountain of official documents on the desk and fell upon the moon‑bathed, pale night of Tongwan City outside the window.

Undercurrents roiled wildly beneath Xiazhou, the collusion between the powerful magnates and enemy‑state spies deeper, tighter, and more tangled than he had anticipated.

What he needs is not a swift blade.

What he needs is a sufficiently large net.

And at this midnight, deep within the Xie Family's old mansion in Qinggui County, three hundred li from Tongwan City, a sealed dark room's three candle flames illuminated a stranger's face from the Qi State, and from that mouth a poisonous scheme was being uttered.