Chapter 153: 151: Striking at the Heart

"Please sit, Mr. Li," Zhao Han said with a slight smile.

Li Banghua said anxiously, "How can I sit still? The Zou clan must not be seized. Once their property is confiscated, the scholars of all three counties will turn disloyal and disaffected."

Since Li Banghua would not sit, Zhao Han sat down himself. "I know. The disciples of Master Nangao (Zou Yuanbiao) are spread across the realm. Mr. Li, you yourself are a direct disciple of Master Nangao."

"I am not pleading for my honored teacher's family," Li Banghua could only patiently explain. "The Zou clan truly cannot be touched!"

Seizing the Zou household was like poking a hornet's nest — Zhao Han understood this perfectly well.

Zou Yuanbiao himself, together with Zhao Nanxing and Gu Assistant Magistrate, was known as one of the "Three Lords of the Donglin." Zou Yuanbiao's only son, Zou Sui, died of illness while serving on the frontier. Zou Sui's two sons and one nephew sacrificed their lives marching to the capital to serve the throne and kill Tartars.

No matter how one looked at it, the Zou clan was genuinely loyal to the sovereign and devoted to the nation.

The three younger Zous dispersed their wealth to recruit local braves and at the time marched even faster than the Governor. Setting out from Jiangxi, they reached Beijing before the Tartars had even withdrawn, and fought the Tartars blade-to-blade until they gave their lives for the realm.

Zou Yuanbiao's direct line, in truth, was already extinct. Those who had submitted to Zhao Han were merely his adopted heirs.

Renowned across the realm, disciples beyond number, peerless in loyalty and martyrdom — that was the Zou clan of East Gate. And now Zhao Han had seized their household.

Within his jurisdiction, many scholars watching the spectacle — including low-ranking scholars loyal to Zhao Han — would likely step forward to cry out against the injustice done to the Zou family.

If this were a computer game, the negative effect of seizing the Zou household would probably read "Stability -1."

Zhao Han suddenly gave a cold laugh. "Mr. Li, what do you think I rely on to hold these three counties? The gentry?"

"You rely on land distribution." Li Banghua knew this very clearly in his heart.

Zhao Han asked again, "The Zou clan sabotaged land policy. Before the redistribution, they secretly transferred several thousand mu of land to Qingyuan Monastery as temple fields. This is digging at the very foundation of my rule — how can I lightly forgive it?"

Li Banghua sighed. "If it were truly only about land policy, why would you seize the Zou household only now? I understand the Regional Commander's intent — it is simply to suppress the gentry. But suppression must have its limits. The gentry have already surrendered their landholdings; they have retreated step by step. We cannot keep pressing them relentlessly, or they will inevitably turn disloyal and disaffected."

"They are retreating? They are forcing my hand!" Zhao Han said furiously. "They've stretched their hands right into my Regional Command headquarters!"

Li Banghua counseled, "Secretly forming private kinship ties does indeed easily lead to faction-building, but so long as it is kept within certain bounds, it can actually benefit the gentry's allegiance."

This was a matter of differing ideas. Throughout the dynasties, those who raised armies, in order to win over the gentry and power-holders, not only did not prevent such marriage alliances — the lord himself would even proactively marry into great clans.

For example, Liu Xiu, the Son of the Plane, first married Yin Lihua, the daughter of an eminent house, and barely a year later married Guo Shengtong, the niece of the Prince of Zhending.

Li Banghua was genuinely thinking in Zhao Han's interest. Once the gentry formed such marriage ties, they would surely be more loyal to Zhao Han.

Zhao Han, however, did not appreciate it. He said, "Are they pledging loyalty to me? No. They pledge loyalty to their clan's prospects. I do not wish for the domain I am building — a mere three counties — to already have its officials entangled in a web of connections! If they want power, let them work honestly and diligently. I will naturally promote them — not let them corrupt my subordinates! Mr. Li, do you wish to create a Jishui Clique here in Ji'an? Do you want the capable officials and upright administrators under my rule to suffer anew the bitter factional strife you endured in Beijing?"

These were words that struck at the heart. Li Banghua said angrily, "I have absolutely no intention of forming factions, nor any desire to be the head of some Jishui Clique!"

"Even if you won't do it, they will force you to do it!" Zhao Han's eyes bore into Li Banghua.

Li Banghua's thoughts churned a hundred times over. Finally, he let out a sigh, not knowing what to say.

"Regional Commander!"

Liu Zhu came running in urgently to report. "Outside the Regional Command headquarters, several hundred scholars have gathered. They are clamoring to enter and plead for the Zou family."

Zhao Han laughed coldly. "The Zou clan truly has face. I arrested them yesterday, and today they can already muster this many."

Li Banghua sat there numbly, feeling he was caught in the middle with no good options. Wedged between Zhao Han and the gentry, whichever side he spoke for seemed wrong.

Zhao Han went out to the front of the Regional Command headquarters. The several hundred scholars, seeing him emerge, bowed in unison and cried out, "We beseech the Regional Commander to show leniency!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha!"

Zhao Han's expression shifted with astonishing speed — not a trace of anger remained. His face full of delight, he said, "That you gentlemen have come today pleases me greatly."

One scholar said joyfully, "Is the Regional Commander willing to release the Zou family members?"

Zhao Han walked among the scholars and said with a smile, "That you gentlemen have come today to petition shows that in your hearts you already accept me, Zhao. Otherwise, you would not be petitioning together — you would be conspiring in secret. To have won your hearts is enough to settle the realm. How could I not be pleased? It is only that..."

Abruptly his tone shifted. Zhao Han sighed. "The Zou clan took the lead in sabotaging land policy. As the master of these three counties, I cannot bend the law for personal favor, can I? Gentlemen, rest assured — everything will proceed according to law. The Zou family will certainly not be wronged, but of course their crimes will not be indulged either."

The juren Liu Tongsheng suddenly stepped forward. "May I ask the Regional Commander: was there a prior covenant established, forbidding the transfer of landholdings before redistribution? If there was no prior covenant, then this is punishment without prior instruction."

"Was that a transfer?" Zhao Han laughed coldly and gave the order. "Bring the monks of Qingyuan Monastery here!"

Before long, soldiers escorted over a dozen monks — all senior figures of Qingyuan Monastery.

Zhao Han said to the abbot of Qingyuan Monastery, Master Benji, "Has the prison fare been to the Master's liking?"

Master Benji, already over seventy, pressed his palms together. "The five grains of this world are merely things to fill the belly. Whether fine or coarse makes no difference."

"Very good. The Master's Buddhist attainment is indeed profound," Zhao Han instructed. "Send word to the jailers: for the monks of Qingyuan Monastery, from now on, rice bran and wheat husks alone will suffice."

Master Benji looked at Zhao Han, his face full of helplessness. The other monks were equally devoid of temper, each wilted like frostbitten eggplants.

At last, Master Benji could not help but say, "Regional Commander, eating only rice bran and wheat husks — a person will starve to death."

Master Benji was remembered by posterity for only two things.

First: Wang Yangming lectured at Qingyuan Monastery, and from then on the monastery merged Chan and Confucianism. The academy within the monastery persisted for over a hundred years. Zou Yuanbiao and Guo Zizhang, two successors of the School of Mind, invited Master Benji to serve as abbot, their original intent being to let the monastery and academy coexist. Once Master Benji had secured his footing, however, he had the academy relocated elsewhere.

Second: Xu Xiake came to Jishui on his travels, and Master Benji hosted him — thus he was recorded in The Travel Diaries of Xu Xiake.

Zhao Han said in astonishment, "Do people starve to death eating rice bran and wheat husks? I have seen the common folk across the realm, many of whom live on bran and husks. Are they not human, each one a reincarnated Buddha?"

Another monk said, "Regional Commander, even common folk, eating only bran and husks, will starve to death."

"So you too know that common folk starve to death?"

Zhao Han suddenly erupted in fury. "Qingyuan Monastery holds nearly ten thousand mu of land, and now it has received several thousand more mu donated by the Zou clan. Can you monks possibly eat it all? Why have I never seen you share it with the poor commoners at the foot of the mountain? The Buddhist teachings say that saving one life surpasses building a seven-story pagoda — how many lives have you saved? The monastery lends at usurious rates to peasants, driving peasants to sell their children — what kind of Buddhist dharma is this that you practice!"

Master Benji hastily pressed his palms together. "Amitabha. This humble monk knew nothing of this. In the future, I shall strictly enforce discipline."

"No need," Zhao Han said. "All monks of Qingyuan Monastery who lack court ordination certificates shall return to lay life. Those monks with certificates may each keep three mu of land. From now on, if you wish to eat, you will farm it yourselves!"

The monks were as if struck by lightning, for a moment unable to speak.

In the mid-to-late Ming, among ten monks or Daoist priests in temples and abbeys, at most one was lawfully ordained. The rest were all illegal clergy without ordination certificates.

By ordering those false monks to return to lay life, Zhao Han was not open to any charge of destroying Buddhism or slandering the Dharma. On the contrary, he was upholding the law and safeguarding the purity of the Buddhist order. Even if the case were brought before Chongzhen, no fault could be found.

Zhao Han then addressed the several hundred scholars. "This Master Benji was invited to serve as abbot by Master Nangao (Zou Yuanbiao) and Master Qingluo (Guo Zizhang). This monk is double-dealing. Once his footing was secure, he immediately burned his bridges, openly defying the entrustment of Masters Nangao and Qingluo by driving the academy out of Qingyuan Monastery. He also forcibly seized countless academy fields and turned them into temple fields — fields that, over more than a hundred years, ever since Lord Yangming lectured there, had been donated to the academy by the gentry of Jishui!"

Zhao Han began to sow discord. "Seizing academy fields for temple fields, seizing academy grain for monk's grain — and you scholars have turned a blind eye!"

Most of the scholars had not known of this matter.

Because Master Benji had chosen his moment with great cunning. He took advantage of the rebuilding of Bailuzhou Academy to merge the academy within Qingyuan Monastery into Bailuzhou Academy. At the time, both teachers and students were delighted. The monk even made a show of donating money, winning the praise of countless scholars.

But now, Zhao Han had exposed it on the spot — a monk had confessed the previous night; otherwise, Zhao Han would not have known either.

The several hundred scholars, their attention now diverted, all turned furious glares upon the monks.

Those were academy lands accumulated over more than a hundred years — anyone with half a brain knew the acreage was vast — and these monks had actually seized them!

Zhao Han fixed his gaze on Master Benji. "The Zou clan's estate — unwilling to hand it all over for distribution to the peasants, yet daring to risk offending me by secretly donating several thousand mu to Qingyuan Temple. Are they fools? Or are they truly devout believers in the Buddha?"

"This humble monk knows nothing of the matter," Master Benji said, still playing dumb.

Zhao Han asked with a smile, "Who is willing to speak?"

Last night they had been interrogated straight through — a heap of mid-ranking monks subjected to torture to extract confessions, while these senior monks were made to listen to the screams the entire time.

It would be a lie to say their hearts held no fear. Immediately a monk knelt and said, "Regional Commander, the fields offered by the Zou clan — the rent collected from them henceforth is to be split evenly between the Zou clan and Qingyuan Temple."

This information had already been beaten out of them the night before.

Zhao Han turned to Liu Tongsheng with a smile. "Liu juren, splitting the land rent fifty-fifty — is that donating land to a temple, or is it maliciously concealing acreage?"

"This..." Liu Tongsheng was speechless.

Zhao Han then addressed the remaining scholars. "The estates belonging to your families have all been taken out and distributed. Yet the Zou clan kept several thousand mu of land, stashing it with the monks to split the rent. And you, who own barely a few mu, have instead come to plead for the Zou clan, who secretly hoarded thousands. What is all this for? Forgive my dullness — I truly cannot fathom it."

The several hundred scholars looked at one another, all feeling they had been deceived.

It is not scarcity men fear, but inequality. Everyone had their land redistributed — on what grounds should your Zou clan hide away several thousand mu?

At once, some scholars turned and left. Zou Yuanbiao had indeed left behind a legacy of benevolence worthy of the local scholars' admiration, but not to the point where they would let the Zou clan make fools of them.

Li Banghua stood at the doorway, silently watching it all. He knew the Zou clan was utterly ruined.

Zhao Han had not only confiscated the Zou family property — he was going to destroy the Zou family's reputation as well.

A strike at the heart!

(End of Chapter)