Chapter 234: The Earth Veins are Rising, the Heavenly Desolation is About to Break

Morning mist shrouded Qufu County, leaving only the hazy silhouettes of the grey-blue city walls against the backlight.

The moment one stepped through the city gate, a stench of blood rushed to the face.

Traveling merchants seemed to have vanished entirely.

The passing commoners looked somewhat panicked.

He Xinyin stood still at the city gate, took out his spectacles from his robe to put them on, and leaned in to examine the sheets of beautifully calligraphed notices posted on the bulletin board.

"... Every time this county compiles its registers, the numbers have always exceeded the quota without loss; thus, there is no need for land surveying—this is the first reason.

Although there are occasional disputes over land boundaries, they are mostly matters of inches or feet, never reaching the scale of a single mu or plot. This is merely the strong bullying the weak among the common folk, not the concealment of land by powerful households; thus, there is no need for land surveying—this is the second reason.

Although there are cases of 'compensation for missing households' in every ward, according to old precedents, the tax for such compensation is distributed among the households. Each household pays no more than a few dou or sheng, or even just a scoopful, without burdening their livelihood. This cannot be called the commoners bearing the burden of missing households; thus, there is no need for land surveying—this is the third reason."

This was a notice posted by Ge Cheng's men—it had been plastered directly over the notice from the Land Inspection Office.

In terms of content, it was quite simple; beyond defending the righteousness of this demonstration, it focused on clarifying the motives of the local commoners in resisting the land survey.

It primarily argued that Qufu County, and indeed the entire Yanzhou Prefecture, had no need for land measurement at all.

This was because the three conditions for land surveying stipulated by the "Regulations on Land Measurement of the Ministry of Revenue"—namely, loss of quota, concealment by powerful households, and compensation by commoners—did not exist in Qufu County.

He Xinyin adjusted his spectacles and continued to read carefully, savoring every word.

"... The method of land measurement originally seeks distant benefits while failing to avoid immediate harm. Today, the matter of land measurement is greatly unsuitable for the common people.

Deeply concerned about the disturbance to the commoners, we must investigate the regulations to clarify them. If clarification is not obtained, we shall confront them face-to-face. If confrontation is not obtained, we shall not hesitate to defend our cause with our lives.

Even if this leads to slaughter, it is to suffer for the sake of righteousness, to suffer for the sake of the world; though we suffer, the truth shall be further clarified."

Upon reading to the end, He Xinyin shook his head in disappointment.

If this was the extent of the demands from Ge Cheng and the thousands of tenant farmers behind him, then there was likely no room for negotiation at all.

They had raised the banner of "Great Righteousness," fundamentally rejecting the land survey—the original intent of the survey was to seek long-term benefits, but the immediate drawbacks it triggered were far more pressing. The current implementation of the land measurement policy had already caused severe harm to the commoners.

As for inciting the riot and all other actions, Ge Cheng showed not the slightest hint of remorse, only a declaration of willingness to die for his cause.

"Old Master He, what does this mean?"

The several burly men following He Xinyin asked in unison.

"Do not call me 'Old Master'."

He Xinyin corrected them subconsciously.

The burly men nodded in obedience.

He Xinyin then explained cautiously: "The gist is that Ge Cheng, standing from the perspective of the commoners, has studied the harms of the land survey, which is why he has been running about to appeal everywhere. When appeals failed, he went to the county office to question them, and when questioning yielded no results, he chose to risk his life to stop this matter."

"Even if they are suppressed and executed for this, they claim it is to suffer for righteousness, to suffer for the sake of the world, and that justice will be manifested because of it."

He Xinyin paused and looked at the men: "What do you think?"

The men looked at each other, their expressions blank: "We don't really understand."

He Xinyin was stunned, then let out a sigh of relief and nodded.

"If you don't understand, then don't. It wasn't written in plain language, and it wasn't meant for you to read anyway."

With that, he tore down the notice and walked into the city.

A team of "Righteous Commoners" wielding cudgels passed them, hurrying out of the city, while the gate guards acted as if they saw nothing.

He Xinyin glanced at the soldiers guarding the gate and the constables pretending to inspect, feeling a sigh rise in his chest.

He had been a local powerful figure himself; based on his own experience, if the constables of a place were not secretly shielding them, it would be very difficult for large-scale criminal activities to flourish.

Now that it had reached the point of a riot, there must be a tacit understanding among these local snakes.

The further He Xinyin walked into Qufu, the more chaotic the situation became.

Shops along the road were tightly shut.

Occasionally, tongues of fire leaped into the air.

Blood-stained stones were scattered across the ground.

The residences that had been smashed and burned were empty when peered into.

The smells of blood, char, and excrement drilled into his nostrils all at once.

From time to time, he could see leaders holding banana-leaf fans, leading teams to patrol the streets and shouting at the top of their lungs.

"Anyone who dares to loot the homes of local worthies or disturb innocent commoners during this chaos will be killed without mercy by General Ge!"

Ge Cheng had already been honored as a "General."

Of course, this was not a title of rebellion, but a spontaneous honorific from the commoners; some called him "Sage Ge," others "General Ge," and some even worshipped him as a Deputy City God.

He Xinyin took all of this in.

His straw sandals trod on the blue stone bricks; the foul odor permeated the city, and the chaotic noise was incessant.

The east side of Qufu was mostly residential areas for commoners, while the west side contained the residences of local notables and the local government offices.

Upon entering the west side, the situation was vastly different.

If the east side was a chaotic demonstration of burning and killing, then the west side was a scene of orderly slaughter.

Embroidered Uniform Guard blades were drawn, their cold light flashing everywhere.

Stern warnings and bound rioters were dragged behind them as they galloped toward the vegetable market execution grounds.

The rioters had been most cautious in their attacks in this area; only a few government offices showed signs of smashing or burning.

But after the Embroidered Uniform Guards entered the city, they not only reclaimed the county office but also showed no mercy to the notables in the city, frequently engaging in mass killings.

The guards spread out from the county office in formation, suppressing all armed resistance within their sight—under the weight of their momentum, rioters, retainers, constables, and soldiers all scattered in every direction.

The rioters seemed to have received word beforehand; Ge Cheng's six battalions had already left the city, leaving behind only some stragglers who continued to search for tax officials in the city, only to be ruthlessly crushed by the guards, their heads rolling and blood spilling.

The constables and soldiers who had been shouting and selling their services had their own ways of surviving; most turned around and went back to their offices to clean up the ruins.

The retainers were not so lucky.

It was frequently discovered that rioters had discarded their cudgels and dived into the homes of powerful households, attempting to transform back into "good commoners." Naturally, this led to yet another tragedy of the Embroidered Uniform Guards breaking homes and killing people, as recorded by scholars.

After every round of slaughter, the guards would warn the streets and hang heads as a public display.

"Those who collude with rebels will have their homes destroyed and clans exterminated!"

Only near the county office did the chaos begin to subside.

He Xinyin stood outside the county office, stepped forward to identify himself to the guards who were on high alert, and requested to see Shen Li.

Upon learning He Xinyin's identity, the guards were half-skeptical and summoned someone from the Land Inspection Office to verify.

After confirmation, they ordered their colleagues to keep an eye on He Xinyin while one of them ran inside to report.

During this interval, the burly man who had followed He Xinyin the whole way scratched his head and muttered to himself: "Clearly it was us poor folks causing trouble, why is this government office wrecking the homes of the big shots in the city?"

Along the way, more than half of the prominent households in the west side of the city had had their gates broken by the Embroidered Uniform Guards, with people either arrested or killed.

Instead, Ge Cheng and the thousands of rioters outside the city were left aside, which left the burly men feeling utterly confused.

He Xinyin turned his head and met their blank expressions.

He felt a strange blockage in his chest regarding the ignorance of the commoners; he wanted to explain, but didn't know where to start.

He Xinyin certainly knew that Shen Li's actions were hitting the snake at its seven inches, striking the vital point.

Whether it was the speed of the situation's escalation or the organizational degree of the thousands of people responding to a single call, it was impossible for this to have come from the simple spontaneity of the commoners.

The city-wide strike by notables, the secret agreements among local gentry to increase rents, the attacks on the county office, and the opportunistic killings—all these nodes of escalation proved that powerful households and local tyrants were secretly inciting the commoners.

If these powerful households and local tyrants were not crushed, the riot would be like grass in the spring breeze, growing back after every fire.

As for the commoners caught in the middle...

He Xinyin fell into silence.

A long while passed, and he still said nothing.

He Xinyin lowered his head and frowned, as if he had thought of some crucial point.

The burly man who had spoken earlier looked at his companions, feeling somewhat embarrassed, and wanted to retract his words: "That... I was just muttering to myself, don't mind me."

He Xinyin came back to his senses.

He wanted to speak but stopped, finally sighing: "It's not that I won't answer, it's just that this time, I don't have the qualifications to resolve your confusion."

"Who is a friend and who is an enemy—that can only be seen clearly by yourselves."

Unlike his long-winded lectures, He Xinyin seemed somewhat exhausted at this moment.

See clearly?

He said it lightly, but in his heart, he understood how incredibly difficult it was for the commoners to see the enemy and friend clearly on their own.

People are accustomed to distinguishing friends and enemies by closeness; they usually favor fellow villagers and despise outsiders. The local county office would inevitably seem more reliable than the land-inspecting Commissioner from afar.

People are often unable to distinguish the truth of promises. With Ge Cheng's single claim that Yanzhou Prefecture should not be surveyed or taxed, all the powerful households and commoners were swept up together, and the entire Yanzhou Prefecture was boiling over.

People love to personify everything they cannot understand, unable to distinguish the different stances of various government offices, unable to understand the complex and chaotic struggle, collectively calling it a "person" named the Great Ming Dynasty, which is convenient for giving it the most emotional and extreme evaluation.

Wanting the commoners to clarify the complex interest relationships in the flood of this era, and then distinguish the enemy from the self, was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Thinking of this, He Xinyin was stunned and suddenly raised his head.

It was as if a flash of inspiration had crossed his mind, making even the lenses of his spectacles shine!

Clarifying the interest relationships of all parties, and then distinguishing the enemy from the self...

Why couldn't the commoners do it? Because the commoners lacked this perspective.

Land, property, body, and family were all controlled by powerful households and local tyrants, leaving them helpless as fish on a chopping block.

Knowledge, learning, and principles were monopolized by the gentry, leaving them as frogs in a well.

Those without permanent property have no permanent heart; the commoners who have nothing naturally lack this vision and the leisure to consider these matters.

No one had ever stood from the perspective of the commoners to clarify the interest relationships of all parties—this was a territory that even the great sages of the Taizhou School would not touch.

So, as he He Xinyin claimed to plead for the people, shouldn't he be the eyes for the commoners?

For decades, he had traveled through the two capitals and Zhili, Fujian, Jiangxi, Huguang, Sichuan, and other places, lecturing on the Dao, establishing public schools, founding societies, and holding high the banner of the "popularization of Confucianism" that "everyone is a sage."

All of this was to preach the Dao for the common people.

Only at this moment did He Xinyin suddenly realize a path that no predecessor had ever walked.

It was not the vague talk of "harsh government being fiercer than a tiger," nor the forced representation of "suffering for the sake of the world," but a true perspective of the commoners!

He Xinyin hurriedly took out a charcoal pencil from his robe, opened his sleeve, and in the gaps between the dense writing, recorded the flash of inspiration: "Who are the enemies of the commoners, who are the friends of the commoners: The distribution of social power and influence in the Great Ming Dynasty."

After writing this sentence, He Xinyin swept away his previous decadence and looked earnestly at the burly men: "Wait for me to experience more and think more. When the new article is published, it will surely resolve the questions you just raised."

The burly men were even more confused.

They bowed and prevaricated one after another.

He Xinyin didn't care about their reactions, his mind filled with the new article he was about to write.

He looked at his palms, which were covered in calluses and lines.

At the age of sixty-four, he had finally found his path.

Compared to the openness of offering his neck to the executioner when he was previously imprisoned, the emotion of fearing death and wanting to survive suddenly surged back into He Xinyin's heart.

Just as he was feeling this, a voice came from the county office.

"Master Fushan! Didn't Commissioner Shen say that before the situation calmed down, you shouldn't come to Qufu!?"

He Xinyin looked up and saw that it was the Qufu County Magistrate, Kong Hongcheng, who had come out to greet him personally. He immediately bowed and saluted: "County Magistrate."

An old hand in the world generally knows how to treat people according to their status; Kong Hongcheng did not dare to be arrogant toward this "society friend" of the Emperor and hurriedly returned the salute.

He then looked at the burly men behind He Xinyin, who looked somewhat timid, and hesitated: "Are these... students of Master Fushan?"

He Xinyin smiled apologetically, neither confirming nor denying: "I must trouble the County Magistrate to find them a few chairs and a few cups of cool water."

With that, he turned to give a few instructions to the burly men before crossing the threshold of the county office with Kong Hongcheng.

Kong Hongcheng was suspicious in his heart, but he couldn't show it and had to lead the way as requested.

Along the way, they could see subordinate officials and minor clerks of the county office being dragged away with their hands tied behind their backs or being beaten in the courtyard.

"These subordinate officials are mostly children of powerful households in the county."

"The day the rioters attacked the county office, they were originally only suspicious of the land survey and had no evil intentions. It was these damned people who, driven by the Assistant County Magistrate and in collusion with the powerful households in the county, deceived their superiors and deluded their subordinates, inciting the conflict to this point!"

"The Zhang family, the Wang family, and other powerful households, as well as the twelve families of local tyrants like Tang Hua and Xu Cheng, have all had their homes destroyed and clans exterminated."

"We are currently interrogating how much involvement the Duke Yansheng has in this..."

Kong Hongcheng walked in front, constantly explaining the situation to He Xinyin.

He Xinyin looked at Kong Hongcheng strangely.

It was inevitable that this had something to do with the Kong family, but it was not necessarily led by the powerful County Magistrate and the Duke Yansheng—the Kong family was complex, and no one person could command absolute obedience. Moreover, the status of these two was high enough that the wealth they had seized likely transcended a single source.

But precisely because their status was high enough, the trouble stirred up by the various branches of the Kong family could only be borne by these two.

Kong Hongcheng's so-called "interrogation" was more like "implication," and the fact that he was saying this to an outsider like himself made his purpose obvious.

He Xinyin acted as if he hadn't noticed and followed Kong Hongcheng in silence.

"... Commissioner Shen has summoned two thousand Embroidered Uniform Guards to enter the city overnight. As soon as the rioters in the city and the powerful gentry colluding with them are cleared out, he will immediately march out of the city to suppress the Ge rebels!"

"That mob will surely be shattered at a snap of the fingers!"

Kong Hongcheng continued to show favor along the way.

They didn't stop talking until they reached the main hall of the county office.

The tables and chairs in the hall were missing arms and legs, and there were scorch marks on the cabinets.

The seat in the middle, belonging to the County Magistrate, had been occupied; Shen Li seemed exhausted and was napping on the desk.

Kong Hongcheng and He Xinyin looked at each other and entered the hall one after the other.

"Commissioner Shen, Master Fushan has been brought here."

Kong Hongcheng spoke softly, fearing he would wake Shen Li.

The latter was naturally not asleep and slowly raised his head upon hearing this.

"Liang Ruyuan, a soldier under the command of the Headquarters Office, pays respects to the Commissioner."

Seeing the official of his own headquarters, He Xinyin's etiquette was naturally impeccable.

Shen Li rubbed his temples, forced a smile, and went straight to the point: "Master Fushan insisted on coming to Qufu, what is the purpose?"

He had a mountain of matters to deal with and had very limited patience and courtesy, so he simply skipped the pleasantries.

He Xinyin didn't drag things out either and immediately knelt: "Commissioner, I have come to volunteer to persuade Ge Cheng and the others to surrender!"

Shen Li had expected this and didn't find it strange.

He waved his hand: "No need. Once the powerful households in the city are slaughtered, I will personally lead the Embroidered Uniform Guards out of the city to crush the rebels!"

Kong Hongcheng, standing to the side, shrank his neck upon hearing this.

In the past, Hai Rui had the Embroidered Uniform Guards with him when investigating the salt tax, but now Shen Li was truly ruthless, killing the powerful households in the city without a second thought!

If he hadn't seen too many familiar faces—people he usually drank and chatted with—being beaten to death overnight, Kong Hongcheng wouldn't have changed his mind and directly implicated his own grand-uncle.

He Xinyin was also shocked by Shen Li's murderous aura and tried to persuade him: "Commissioner! The weapons of the imperial court are meant to resist foreign invaders; how can they be used to slaughter the common people!"

Shen Li didn't care and asked with a smile: "Can rioters be called common people?"

He Xinyin hurriedly explained: "Commissioner, you and I both know that the current situation is nothing more than the land survey provoking the collective anger of the powerful gentry, who are inciting the commoners and oppressing the imperial court."

"The powerful gentry can be killed, but the commoners are truly ignorant."

"The riot has already begun; sending troops to suppress it will inevitably lead to heavy casualties among the commoners, increasing the harm of the riot tenfold!"

"If you could offer some persuasion to help the commoners turn back from their misguided path and avoid a slaughter, it would be a meritorious deed for you, Commissioner!"

Kong Hongcheng, hearing this, felt it was both righteous and reasonable and was about to echo the sentiment.

But just as he opened his mouth, he saw Shen Li's smile vanish and quickly closed it.

Only Shen Li's tone suddenly became sharp: "A meritorious deed? Is this official patrolling the fields of the world to perform meritorious deeds and seek fame!?"

Shen Li slowly stood up and walked out from behind the desk: "When I left the capital, the Ministry of Revenue transferred the memorial of Wang Zongzai, the Governor of Jiangxi, to my office. After the order for land surveying was issued, Xu Zongwu and other powerful commoners in Jiande County incited a thousand people to obstruct the measurement, and Cheng Gongchen, the Military Commissioner of Huining, shielded the people of his jurisdiction, leaving the matter unsettled."

"Last month, the Ministry of Revenue transferred a document to my office, asking me to verify the new registers measured by Chu Tie, Zhao Yi, and other officials in Henan, as they did not match the old registers by even a single sheng."

"This month, Zhang Juzheng wrote to me, saying that in the wealth-producing regions of Wu, the tax and labor services are uneven, and powerful households are obstructing the law, causing distress to both officials and the people. He hopes the Land Inspection Office will handle it personally."

"He Xinyin, there are too many things in the world; one cannot focus on just one place."

"Now that the Yanzhou Prefecture dares to riot in front of this official, how can I cherish my reputation, be soft and cowardly, and fear damaging my 'meritorious deeds'?"

"This official intends to kill! Kill the officials to show the officials, kill the powerful households to show the powerful households, and kill the commoners to show the commoners!"

"If you don't want to be regarded as rioters by the imperial court, then don't follow them in rebellion."

His tone was unkind, and he pressed forward step by step.

Shen Li certainly respected He Xinyin's character, but there were limits to talking about the "correctness" of the commoners.

He could tolerate ordinary discussions and lectures, but Shen Li would not be polite at all if someone wanted to point fingers at state affairs.

However, He Xinyin had been tempered by the Emperor's interrogation, and facing Shen Li's severity, he easily withstood it.

His expression remained unchanged, and he maintained his bowing posture: "Commissioner, don't just talk about the commoners defying the imperial court; why not also talk about the reasons why the commoners defy the imperial court?"

"The situation in Qufu developed to this point because you, Commissioner, only had eyes for the powerful households and the Sage's family, completely forgetting to explain the ins and outs of the major policies to the commoners, which allowed those with ulterior motives to take advantage of the situation and incite conflict to this point!"

"For those who are officials, the first duty is to uphold the Dao for the people."

"Commissioner, you were negligent first; how can you slaughter the commoners for this?"

Shen Li's momentum stalled, and he almost couldn't help but throw He Xinyin out.

Anyone who didn't know better would think he was a lobbyist for the local Shandong authorities.

But since he was a person who had faced the Emperor, Shen Li had to reason.

After a long pause, Shen Li shook his head and responded again: "This official came here only to verify the land; I have never had the duty to explain the pros and cons."

"Moreover, just because one commits a crime out of ignorance, does that mean one doesn't have to bear the consequences?"

He Xinyin lowered his head even further: "Commissioner, since there is a riot, don't talk about crimes; this is not within the scope of the Great Ming Code. The founding Emperor himself rose from a riot."

He paused and continued: "If we talk about duties, Commissioner, you should even more so allow me to go and persuade the rioters to surrender."

"The King builds the country, distinguishes directions and positions, embodies the country and manages the wilderness, establishes officials and divides duties, to serve as the pole for the people. Since the official is in a high position, he bears the Emperor's order to shepherd the people."

"Since you are an official, Commissioner, how can you confine yourself to your duties and ignore the wailing of the people?"

Shen Li fell into silence.

It wasn't that he was at a loss for words; as a Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy, he had plenty to say.

But he was here to get things done, not to debate the classics.

Especially since He Xinyin was holding high the banner of "political correctness" that the Emperor often teased, there was no need to debate.

Shen Li sighed and went straight to the core: "Master Fushan, nice words are for saying, not for doing things."

"Now that the land tax has been eaten away by these powerful households, once the land is surveyed, it will immediately boil over. I have been entrusted by His Majesty to handle this in a time of crisis, and I must cut through the Gordian knot!"

He Xinyin finally raised his head.

He looked at Shen Li and said earnestly: "Commissioner Shen, if that is the case, you should even more so clarify the enemy and the self; how can you use slaughter to intimidate the commoners?"

"If you allow me to explain to the commoners, although the accumulation of small steps is difficult, the foundation will be solid. When we stand together with the commoners against the enemy, won't we achieve twice the result with half the effort in the future?"

"Isn't this also doing things? I hope you will think thrice, Commissioner!"

Shen Li met He Xinyin's gaze and opened his mouth again: "Master Fushan misunderstands the national policy deeply. The current national difficulty is such that land surveying is only to seize tax sources for the national treasury, not to establish life for the people."

"Better to let the commoners suffer a bit; I will bear the infamy."

This was truly speaking from the heart.

He Xinyin remained unmoved: "It is you, Commissioner, who misunderstands His Majesty's new policy. Land surveying is to re-determine the wealth of the world for the people of the world, to distribute it, not just to collect wealth."

"His Majesty said that the commoners are both his foothold and his starting point."

The two looked at each other for a long time.

Shen Li secretly lamented in his heart that He Xinyin cared for the common people but was impractical.

He Xinyin silently regretted that Shen Li was pragmatic as an official but was high and aloof.

Kong Hongcheng, standing to the side, only felt the atmosphere was oppressive.

He braced himself and tried to probe: "Perhaps, we could compromise?"

As soon as he finished speaking, both looked at Kong Hongcheng.

Kong Hongcheng stepped into the middle of the hall and bowed: "My vision is not far-reaching, but I think Master Fushan's suggestion of persuasion is very reasonable. There are only about two thousand Embroidered Uniform Guards in the city, and more and more people in Yanzhou Prefecture are participating in and supporting the riot. Suppressing it with troops might provoke public anger and lead to the hidden danger of 'adding fuel to fire'."

"And Commissioner Shen's idea of 'killing one to warn a hundred' is also a prudent move. Master Fushan, you have killed tax officials, so your perspective is inevitably biased. The lives of tax officials are also lives; a life for a life is the law of heaven. There is no reason that just because they have the status of 'commoners,' dozens of my colleagues should die in vain."

"Therefore, I think we can persuade them to surrender, but the ringleaders must be executed! After the matter is settled, we can carry out a selective slaughter to deter the wicked!"

Kong Hongcheng's words were no different from giving a step for both sides who were arguing endlessly.

Shen Li immediately made a decision.

This time, he didn't give He Xinyin a chance to speak and waved his hand: "This official will only give you half a day today. If Ge Cheng and the others refuse to surrender, this official will count all of their thousands of followers as military merit!"

He Xinyin wanted to say something but stopped, then braced himself, nodded, and accepted the order.