Chapter 73: New Laws Like Swords, Beheading the Granary Not the People

The Wu Family Grain Case became the first truly significant livelihood case since the New System was implemented.

It was not the Heavenly Gate.

It was not demons or evil spirits.

It was not a restoration of the Royal Family.

It was grain warehouses, land deeds, tenant rents, and rice prices.

Many Sword Cultivators in the Jianghu did not understand at first.

"Is this worth the Sword Master personally managing?"

"They are just a few grain merchants; why not just kill them directly?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Shanhe also wrote in a letter:

"Young Master, if you need the Northern Garrison Army, I will lead men to raid the warehouses."

Jiang Che replied in a letter:

"No raids."

"According to the law."

These two words left many feeling frustrated.

Following the law is too slow.

Auditing accounts, gathering evidence, debating, judging, and reviewing.

The Wu Family hired famous litigators from Jiangnan, insisting their grain warehouses were legal private property and hoarding grain was merely risk avoidance.

When tenant farmers testified, the Wu Family claimed they were coerced.

When the Merchant Association Accountant presented the account books, the Wu Family claimed the books contained errors.

The Local Assembly Hall faced such a major case for the first time, appearing clumsy and chaotic.

It took seven days of trial to clarify the first batch of grain warehouses.

The common people were anxious.

The Sword Cultivators were anxious.

Even Shen Wanjin was anxious.

"Young Master, sometimes I really want to smash the account books in their faces."

Jiang Che said, "Smashing them would be useless."

Shen Wanjin sighed, "Following the law is truly exhausting."

Jiang Che said, "It is very exhausting."

"Then why must we follow it?"

Jiang Che looked at the crowd gathering outside the courtroom.

"Because if we rely on my sword to solve this once, next time we will have to rely on the sword again."

"The sword is fast."

"But it cannot distribute grain and judge cases for the people of the world every day."

By the tenth day of the trial, the Wu Family finally revealed a flaw.

Lin Xiaoman discovered in the old accounts that for years the Wu Family had claimed tax reductions from the Old Dynasty under the guise of "Disaster Reserve Grain," yet sold grain at high prices during famine years.

They enjoyed the reputation of public righteousness while actually pursuing massive profits.

More seriously, the Wu Family had secretly been in contact with the Heavenly Gate Remnants.

It was not that they believed in the Heavenly Gate.

Rather, the Heavenly Gate Remnants promised that if the Wu Family disrupted grain prices in Jiangnan, they would grant the Wu Family the hereditary position of "Jiangnan Grain Supervisor" after restoring the Heavenly Gate.

The evidence was conclusive.

In the courtroom, Wu Shenxing finally changed color.

Jiang Che sat in the audience, saying nothing.

The presiding judge was a Legislative Officer selected by the Jiangnan Local Council Hall.

That Legislative Officer was covered in sweat.

Because he knew everyone was watching.

If the sentence was too light, the people would not accept it.

If the sentence was too heavy, the powerful families would be shaken.

Finally, he pronounced the verdict:

The Wu Family maliciously hoarded grain, drove up rice prices, and colluded with the Heavenly Gate Remnants; the principal offender, Wu Shenxing, shall be beheaded.

Those who participated in the collusion shall be punished according to their crimes.

Of the Wu Family's seventy-two warehouses, half shall be purchased by the government at fair prices to become public grain, and the other half shall remain for civilian circulation under the supervision of the Council Hall.

The Wu Family's land holdings shall be re-surveyed, and illegally annexed lands shall be returned.

Legal land holdings shall not be confiscated.

Wu Family members who are innocent shall not be implicated.

Upon this verdict, the entire hall erupted in uproar.

Some felt it was not harsh enough.

Some felt it was too harsh.

Wu Shenxing laughed loudly in the courtroom:

"Jiang Che, you still dare not kill them all!"

"You fear bearing the name of a tyrant!"

Jiang Che finally spoke.

"It is not that I dare not kill."

"The New Laws forbid me from killing the innocent."

Wu Shenxing sneered, "Hypocrite!"

Jiang Che looked at him.

"Your greatest mistake is believing that not killing the ruthless is hypocrisy."

"Believing that having power means swallowing everything, and that the victor must wipe out the entire family."

"This is exactly what the Old Dynasty and the Heavenly Gate taught you."

Wu Shenxing could no longer smile.

On the day of the execution, Jiang Che did not go to watch.

He went to the Wu Family's Tenant Farmer village.

The elders in the village, seeing him, felt some fear.

"Sword Master, the Wu Family has fallen. Whose land shall we rent next year?"

This is reality.

Powerful clans are detestable.

Yet they are embedded in local life.

If one sword strike cuts them down, the common people will not necessarily live better immediately.

Jiang Che squatted by the field ridge and asked the Local Representative:

"After the Land Deeds are surveyed, can we establish a Public Grain Society?"

The Representative replied with difficulty, "It has never been done before."

Jiang Che said, "Then let us try."

"What if it fails?"

Jiang Che looked at the new seedlings sprouting in the field.

"If it fails, we change it."

"Do not fear that the new path is hard to walk."

"The old path is easy, but where it leads in the end is the Luo'an Altar."

After the Jiangnan Grain Case, the reputation of the New Laws soared.

For the first time, people discovered that laws could be like swords.

They are slow.

Not satisfying enough.

Yet they can cut down the granaries without indiscriminately killing people.

This frightened many local powerful clans more than if Jiang Che had slain the entire Wu Family with a single sword strike.

Because a sword might be far from them.

The New Laws, however, will walk into their account books.