[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-wanli-the-enlightened-emperor":3,"chapter-wanli-the-enlightened-emperor-wanli-the-enlightened-emperor-chapter-329":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Wanli, the Enlightened Emperor",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2322151,4542,"Chapter 329: Cautious and Fearful of Righteousness, a Extraordinary Scheme","wanli-the-enlightened-emperor-chapter-329",329,"\u003Cp>Shandong had just had rain last night, and all counties of Yanzhou were no exception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The muddy ground added extra hardship to the grassroots clerks tasked with land surveying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the rain stopped this morning, groups of clerks in dark robes, holding measuring rods and scales, reappeared across the farmlands of Sishui County, calculating and measuring the fields before them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were numerous, bustling and energetic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those with even slightly better information knew these were Shen Li’s henchmen—accountants seconded from the Ministry of Revenue, borrowed from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, and interning from the Qiushi Academy—rechecking land records.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But difficult tasks often come with poor working conditions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “upright, capable, and widely respected” individuals nominated by each county were nominally here to assist the survey, but under such criteria, their backgrounds needed no guesswork.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Far from assisting, they all caused chaos, deliberately nitpicked, and disrupted the survey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, unknown strongmen lurked nearby, glaring fiercely at the accountants’ faces, lips twitching, occasionally grinding their teeth in menacing expressions to apply psychological pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever they were driven off, they would throw tantrums, roll on the ground, and shout that the government was guilty of corruption, fearing it had taken bribes to secretly move boundary markers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some confused tenant farmers were even summoned to gather at the periphery, shouting and shoving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever the government prepared to strike hard, the Kong family’s ritual official and local gentry rushed forward to mediate, pleading for leniency toward the people and warning against escalating tensions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chief official of this detachment was drenched in sweat, alternately calming the tenant farmers and coordinating constables to warn off the troublemakers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could not forget the real work either—walking along the field ridges, listening to the accountants’ reports, then cross-checking each entry against Shandong’s newly redrawn fish-scale registers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Li shook his head repeatedly at the chaotic scene before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with a central envoy present, things were this bad—no wonder local officials all lamented the difficulty of land surveying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The regulation established in the seventh year of Wanli stipulated that the Land Survey Office would supervise and recheck, conducting only random inspections on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those being supervised and evaluated were naturally the county and prefectural administrations and the military preparedness bureaus of each province.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Song Yingchang, the Shandong Military Preparedness Commissioner, along with the Prefect of Yanzhou and the County Magistrate of Sishui, now accompanied Shen Li, occasionally explaining local conditions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Li’s black boots became caked with mud every few steps, forcing him to repeatedly lift them and scrape off the dirt against the edge of the field ridges.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He accidentally startled a resting flower snake, about to express annoyance, when he was immediately pinned by attendants on the ridge, unable to move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Li stood with hands behind his back, gazing at a small patch of land: “The county office’s previous tax record for this land was 346 mu; after surveying, the fish-scale register records 451 mu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An increase of over a hundred mu is clearly the result of surveying, but…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My colleagues, standing here now, I see nothing but land—easily more than a thousand mu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to the local officials: “What explanation is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Yingchang frowned upon hearing this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a Vice Surveillance Commissioner serving as Military Preparedness Commissioner, he was already a high-ranking official; even if he had done his utmost, he had no time to delve into grassroots affairs. Now questioned, he could only cast a questioning glance toward the prefectural and county clerks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The County Magistrate of Sishui, Li Shixin, was about to step back when he felt a sudden shove to his waist, forcing him to stumble forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to see the Prefect of Yanzhou, Zhou Youguang, staring down at the ridge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shixin inwardly cursed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling the eyes of Shen Li and Song Yingchang upon him, he had no choice but to speak up: “In reply to your inquiry, Sir Shen, this is the difference between large mu and small mu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Land taxation is calculated by mu, but due to various historical reasons, some areas convert one mu from one point eight mu or more, others from two mu or more, three mu or more, seven mu or more, eight mu or more…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cautiously glanced at Shen Li: “Thus, the recorded one mu is not necessarily one actual mu. Your sight, Sir Shen, is not precise—the fish-scale register reflects the consolidated tax-adjusted land measurement.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was not Li Shixin’s fabrication; it had genuine historical roots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the dynasty’s founding, with few people and much land, a round of household registration and redistribution of unclaimed land occurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To encourage reclamation of wasteland, policies naturally favored the eager: those who moved first received credit for multiple mu as one, while those who lagged received only their actual mu—“The early settlers held vast tracts, while later settlers received narrow plots. Hence, small mu and large mu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The small farmers’ large mu gradually became standardized, while the local tyrants’ large mu persisted as “historical tradition.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus arose the oddity: land appearing to exceed a thousand mu, yet registered as only four hundred mu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Voluminous historical documents had always been a good way to deceive superiors, but Shen Li had done his homework and was not fooled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shook his head: “During the Jiajing era, Grand Secretary Gui E reported this issue, noting that in Shanxi and Shandong, large mu ranged from 480 to 1,200 steps per mu, while small mu was fixed at 240 steps per mu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Local officials, when reporting upward, used large mu for the Yellow Registers; when collecting taxes downward, they used small mu to ensure fairness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upward reports used large mu figures, reducing tax burdens by more than half; when collecting taxes, they used small mu. If wealthy households resisted payment, the shortfall was evenly distributed onto small farmers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And where did the difference go?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Li turned to Song Yingchang, clearly bewildered, and offered a brief explanation: “At the time, Gui E was shocked and personally visited Ziyang County in Yanzhou Prefecture.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ziyang County originally had 245,520 mu of official and private land, but due to collusion between wealthy families, village heads, and clerks, by the Jiajing era, registered land had shrunk to only 190,000 mu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even those 190,000 mu were inflated: wealthy families used large mu of 720 steps per mu, while small farmers used small mu of 240 steps per mu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thus, Gui E petitioned the Emperor to standardize all provinces: one mu equals 240 steps, no distinctions, uniform taxation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Song Bingbei, guess how much land Ziyang County ended up with after surveying?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Yingchang watched Shen Li speak fluently, citing old cases effortlessly and reciting exact figures, and could not help but feel a flicker of admiration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the prefectural and county officials drenched in sweat, he understood perfectly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He respectfully followed Shen Li’s lead: “This humble official is shallow in knowledge—how much land did the county end up with?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Li did not delay: “It surged from 190,000 mu to 668,766 mu!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Yingchang was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with expectations, he never imagined the tax base difference between large and small mu exceeded threefold!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If reports used large mu and taxes collected by small mu, the central government received only three-tenths!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Li turned to the pale-faced County Magistrate Li Shixin, his brow furrowed: “County Magistrate Li, dare you use an old practice abolished during Jiajing to deceive me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was already an accusation of dereliction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Provincial Governor confronting him directly, Li Shixin panicked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Shixin break down, Prefect Zhou Youguang finally stepped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He advanced, bowed, and begged for mercy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Shen Li turned to him, Zhou Youguang smiled bitterly: “Sir Shen’s reasoning is sound, but the Jiajing reforms were abruptly halted and tragically abandoned; without central policy to rely on, local officials stand alone and powerless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When I assumed office, large and small mu had long been revived for decades.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Youguang’s posture was extremely humble, and his excuse plausible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Li shook his head: “If it were only this, I might let it pass.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Earlier in Jinxiang County, the figures differed wildly, with excessive concealment; you, Prefect Zhou, cited difficulties. In Ningyang County, land records showed double the registered amount, with countless fictitious transfers; you had excuses again. Today in Sishui, you again resort to the large and small mu argument to evade me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, Shen Li’s expression darkened, his voice thundering: “Yanzhou Prefecture has only surveyed three counties! And you have achieved nothing!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice rang like a bell, startling Zhou Youguang into a shudder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This humble official is incompetent! This humble official is incompetent!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Youguang immediately turned pale, prostrating himself on the ridge to beg for mercy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Li coldly stared at Zhou Youguang: “You are not incompetent—you are too competent, skilled at maneuvering, afraid to offend anyone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If things have reached this state, why cling to your official post?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Any colleague with a shred of dignity would have retired long ago.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Youguang pleaded repeatedly: “Sir Shen, you misunderstand me—grassroots affairs are tangled beyond measure, a knot I dare not unravel recklessly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Shen Li unmoved, he gritted his teeth and laid it all bare: “Sir Shen! The counties of Yanzhou involve countless interests.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Land is not owned by individuals—it belongs to village communities and entire clans, entangled through concealment, fictitious transfers, and registrations; ancestral halls, temple lands, official lands, and school lands are almost all alternately held by wealthy families, powerful clans, officials, and princely households.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For example, that ten-thousand-mu field we passed yesterday is simultaneously the ancestral land of a great clan, the family estate of a top-ranking official, and the lineage property of imperial relatives!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just like the large and small mu issue—these are the mounts of heavenly beings. Even Sun Wukong could do nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>County Magistrate Li Shixin, listening nearby, sighed deeply in sympathy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Military Preparedness Commissioner Song Yingchang’s face turned ashen, his expression one of fury: “Dare they deceive me if I cannot confront them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the chief official hurried over, clutching the fish-scale register under his arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The attendants parted to let him through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arriving before Shen Li, he steadied his breath and reported rapidly: “Sir, the Sishui County survey is complete.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The fish-scale register records 270,000 mu total; of the 27,000 mu randomly sampled, the actual verified amount is 37,718 mu!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, County Magistrate Li Shixin wiped his forehead, sighing in relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The error was precisely under forty percent!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though already falling under incompetence, the severity was mild—merely a warning and salary deduction, per the Land Survey Office’s official grading system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, he had passed; the Prefect, however, was doomed—three counties, errors ranging from thirty-nine to seventy-two percent, none qualified—his position was surely lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Youguang knelt, weeping, begging again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Li’s gaze swept calmly over the terrified County Magistrate Li Shixin and the weeping, sniveling Prefect Zhou Youguang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, he spoke gently to Song Yingchang: “Song Bingbei, Prefect Zhou Youguang of Yanzhou has feigned compliance while secretly obstructing, derelict in duty. Please have him imprisoned.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Yingchang had been eager to act, but now he was surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the Land Survey Office’s official rules, Zhou Youguang’s incompetence warranted at most demotion to commoner status—he had not expected imprisonment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet after a brief hesitation, he gritted his teeth and ordered: “Men! Strip his official robes and send him to the Surveillance Commission prison!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Youguang shot up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had never imagined that, even after lowering himself so much, these high officials would punish him so severely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am a fourth-rank official! Even if guilty, I merit only demotion—you have no authority to imprison me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Youguang broke free from the clerks advancing to seize him, glaring around wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several clerks turned to Shen Li and Song Yingchang, seeking guidance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Legally speaking, even a seventh-rank County Magistrate could not be imprisoned on mere words—unless guilty of treason like colluding with the Japanese, and caught red-handed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, officials in distant provinces had no idea how forcefully the eight words “acting on behalf of Heaven, with discretionary authority” were enforced during the Wanli reign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Li didn’t hesitate; he reached into his robe and pulled out a stack of bright yellow silk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He casually drew one sheet: “Bring me a brush!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Yingchang had not anticipated this turn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared dumbfounded as Shen Li spread the silk across his back, where the seals of the Censorate, the Grand Secretariat’s draft approvals, and the Directorate of Ceremonial’s red annotations stamped over a brief, sharp line of text.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Remove [someone] from office and reduce him to commoner status; investigate [someone].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The so-called “[someone]” was merely two blank spaces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Youguang, witnessing this, felt as if his iron bones had been struck by heavenly thunder—numb, trembling, trembling!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is this!?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two hundred years of our dynasty! Who ever used imperial edicts to fill in blanks!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a flash, Shen Li’s brush danced like a dragon, completing the blanks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He unfolded it openly and recited aloud: “Remove Zhou Youguang, Prefect of Yanzhou, from office and reduce him to commoner status; investigate An Jiuyu, Censor of Shandong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having finished, he held out the edict for all to see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone present stared in shock, fixed on Shen Li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Youguang’s face turned ashen; he was utterly speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Song Yingchang stood frozen, at a loss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Li ignored them entirely, turning instead to Li Deyou, the Shandong Censor who had come from Beijing: “Censor Li, please proceed to Yanzhou and assume the post of Prefect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Deyou, ever since joining Zhao Yongxian and others in the Memorial at the Gate, had never held a substantive post; accompanying Shen Li on his inspection tour of farmland was clearly his hope for advancement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, to be appointed to a fourth-rank post, it was at least passable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He bowed deeply: “To serve the new policies, how could I dare speak of trouble?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After declaring his loyalty, Li Deyou requested several six or seven clerks from Shen Li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Onlookers felt their scalps prickling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The political atmosphere in Shandong had always been intense; years ago, when the court ordered expanded imperial examination quotas and opened civil service exams for clerks, local elites had responded enthusiastically, seeing only profit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, watching Shen Li dismiss officials on the spot and appoint replacements instantly, they understood where the real profit lay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The taste of it was beyond words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the accountants gradually halt their work and wait, Shen Li said no more; he ordered a return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His attendants hurried after him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Yingchang lagged half a step behind, respectfully asking: “Viceroy Shen, shall we proceed to Qufu County tomorrow?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps it was psychological, but the moment he spoke, he felt countless eyes fix upon him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Li shook his head: “The prefectures already inspected must be re-measured by organized teams; you, Song Bingbei, attend to that yourself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for Qufu County… I shall personally visit the Duke Yansheng and discuss further.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked up at the throng of tenant farmers and idle laborers surrounding them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since entering Yanzhou Prefecture, these shadowy faces had grown ever more numerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like the shadow of the Kong family, the closer they drew, the more ghosts multiplied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why shouldn’t the rod that clears the heavens strike the lineage of the Sage?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The closer they came to Lingshan, the sacred ground, the more ghosts multiplied—and the more living people turned into ghosts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this was merely He Xinyin’s irresponsible personal observation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Far away in Teng County, a dilapidated thatched hut stood, its only foundation of packed yellow earth cracked with centipede-like fissures, revealing the inner layers of earth mixed with wheat straw; a string of radishes hung beneath the eaves to dry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Xinyin sat unceremoniously on the street edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That autumn, my grandfather stomped on the overseer’s ant trail, and they dragged him off to become a household subject—right down to my generation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A gaunt man was recounting his family’s history of servitude to He Xinyin; his tone, once fearful, gradually loosened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Household subjects” referred collectively to temple tenants, forest tenants, garrison tenants, and tenant farmers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once registered, descendants were forever barred from leaving the register—effectively, serfs of the Kong family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other large households typically extracted three or four tenths from tenants beyond taxes; the Kong family’s exploitation of household subjects, in all its forms, reached five or six tenths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Xinyin had heard so many tragedies on this journey that he showed little reaction: “Do you have a household registration slip?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strictly speaking, He Xinyin was now merely a frontline soldier assigned to household registration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Visiting households one by one according to the yellow registers was his duty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Xinyin nodded, wrote “hidden household” on the roster, then added the man’s name: “Song Zhirong”—even commoners had names.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After registering, He Xinyin did not leave immediately; he casually struck up conversation: “Brother Song, how did you lose your right hand?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faced with such a personal question, the man hesitated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after clutching his tattered robe until it creaked did he suddenly stomp his foot: “I’d heard of your reputation long ago; since you’ve asked me directly, I’ll tell you everything!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spat a stream of saliva several feet into the courtyard: “It’s been nearly ten years. That damned Kong family ox overseer, with yamen runners in tow, came to divide the wheat harvest. Without checking facts, he shoved his wheat stacks right into Chen Kai’s vegetable patch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chen Kai’s mother, hobbling on her bound feet, went to protest—and that old dog slapped her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I couldn’t stand it—I stepped forward to stop him—and got slapped too. I flew into a rage, swung my yoke pole, and hit him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>66\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The county magistrate threw me into prison. In that pitch-black cell, I never found out who broke my hand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If not for forty or so households—Chen Rong, Song Zhen, Wang Tan, Ding Shi—banding together to demand justice and scaring the county officials, I’d have died in that cell.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since joining Shen Li to register households and measure fields, He Xinyin’s hair had grown even grayer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least half the reason was these tenant farmers’ frequent beatings and maimings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Xinyin followed up: “When you banded together to resist, didn’t the Kong family retaliate?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Zhirong pounded his chest with his one good hand: “They retaliated plenty—but we had too many people!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, he rose and dashed into the hut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he returned, he held a faded slip of paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Neighbors who go to the family’s shops all say you’re one of the few good men in the world. I’ve saved this for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Xinyin took the paper curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It bore only a short line of text.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To friends in West Gate: All landowners with garrison fields must meet at Xiao Yongxiang’s tea shop to discuss the locust plague in Qufu; gather at dawn on the twenty-third.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Xinyin was used to tenant farmers’ misspellings; he merely stared at Song Zhirong in surprise: “You’re organizing to resist taxes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Zhirong nodded proudly: “Last August, our garrison refused to pay over two hundred taels in rent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Kong family sent their enforcers, who sat with the Garrison Commander to force payment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We ignored them. When they tried to use force, they arrested Bao Xin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yang Wanbian came to fetch us—we gathered sixty men, blocked both doors, tied up all the enforcers, and dragged them to the center of the shop.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Garrison Commander turned as pale as a corpse seven days dead, trembling and begging for mercy, swearing he’d never return to collect rent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Zhirong grew animated, leaping up to reenact it in the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We burned the rent ledger on the spot—I even had my moment of glory…” He planted one foot on the threshold, one hand on his knee, the other pointing two fingers at He Xinyin, leaning forward with fierce pride: “Next time, I’ll kill you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Xinyin, pinned by the gaze of this destitute tenant, stood transfixed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walking through the fields, he had witnessed—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More upheaval than in all his decades of public lectures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The great households sucked the marrow from bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The government aided the oppressors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Commoners suffered terribly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Occasionally, spirited men rose in defiance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What an epic scale of history!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Xinyin had not been unfamiliar with the people—but his origins were too high; his associates were either living immortals like Lan Daoxing or high officials like Geng Xiangding. Even since founding the Four Gates Society, his circle had been exclusively noble scholars—he had rarely encountered the mud-stained commoners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had spoken of “commoners” for years—but this was the first time he truly felt their reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder the Emperor looked down on him; the old Four Gates Society had been far too distant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had shouted slogans but never truly considered practical solutions to change this—by Confucian standards, he was a scholar of the mind who lacked “practice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How to alleviate the suffering of commoners—this had been a problem for a thousand years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since he aspired to become a sage, why couldn’t he find the answer?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Xinyin mentally reviewed everything he had seen and heard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hope for a wise emperor?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Xinyin shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That idea had been cursed by the Emperor as nonsense; after months of deep contemplation, he had seen through it completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was not a question of whether the emperor was wise or not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even a wise emperor could not prevent the people from being oppressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Emperor himself said, this was an unavoidable structural contradiction—did a foolish emperor enjoy being undermined by corruption? He was helpless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The path from above—that is the Emperor’s problem to solve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since I am deeply trusted by the commoners, I must find a path from below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Equalize landholdings?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Xinyin quickly dismissed this idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Landholdings would shift with wealth and re-concentrate in various forms; after several dynasties of land redistribution, the result was always the same suffering—mere futile labor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If one looked even further ahead,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Landlords could exploit the people because they acted as the bridge between the state treasury and the peasants—handling litigation, manipulating land taxes and corvée labor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eliminating landlords is easy, but without them, other forms emerge—without landlords exploiting, there are still officials hoarding and embezzling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless the central government can tax individuals with precision, this bridge will forever stand between heaven and earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What then is to be done?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lost in thought, He Xinyin rose unconsciously and walked outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The disciples waiting outside surged forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Teacher.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord Fushan!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did He Xinyin snap back to awareness, startled to find himself already outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned and bowed toward the tenant farmers, as a farewell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A group of students and disciples imitated him, bowing too—this was, of course, performative, but “showing ritual to commoners” was He Xinyin’s current doctrine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, one student stepped forward: “Master, recently Li Fu of the Nanjing Temple of the Horse Ministry, Han Huan, Zuo Guangji, and other students have each sent messengers seeking you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Xinyin, over sixty, still stood as straight as a green bamboo; hearing this, he was not surprised: “Again, they want to accuse me of slandering the Sage’s lineage?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since publishing his books, all manner of people—debaters, scolders—had come without end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The student nodded, then shook his head: “Some students did not state their purpose.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But Li Fu plainly said you detailed the Kong family’s crimes with few omissions, yet this harms Confucian unity, and wishes to meet you for debate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Xinyin sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Kong family was simply a hornet’s nest; some scholars were more servile than the Kong estate’s slaves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had merely spoken the truth, exposing the Kong family’s crimes—yet they ignored his praise for Confucius himself and screamed for his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, in the world, the most numerous are these Confucians who do not read the Confucian classics!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Turn them away. I’m going to Qufu County tomorrow, and I still have matters to ponder.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The disciples exchanged glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, Qufu is in turmoil now. Shen Butang just sent word, telling you not to go there yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One student spoke to dissuade him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Xinyin froze: “What happened?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The students spoke cautiously: “It’s said that commoners, resisting land surveying, are staging protests.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Writer says\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two things: first, recently Qidian launched the Avalon system, the most detestable thing I’ve encountered since going online—I’ve strictly forbidden staff and discipline committee members from using it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, regarding villains: I rarely turn good people bad or bad people good. All villains in this book are real historical figures with negative evaluations—even minor characters used once, like “Yiwei, for delaying land surveying, Suzhou Prefect Yan Bangning, Chizhou Prefect Guo Siwei, Anqing Prefect Ye Mengxiong, and Huizhou’s acting vice-prefect Li Haowen were all ordered to suspend pay and remain in office under disciplinary probation,” or today’s Zhou Youguang: “Removed Zhou Youguang from his post as Assistant Commissioner of Henan and reduced him to commoner status, ordering the Censor of Shaanxi to investigate him. He was charged with greed and misconduct during his tenure as Director of Military Grain in Ningxia, as impeached by Grand Coordinator Gao Wenjian.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since no one likes me posting historical records, I now only use them without comment; seeing someone ask, I mention it here.\u003C\u002Fp>",4221,"2026-06-20T16:31:35.124Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","29f59bb41379eef5522e7d63f2c43faaebfa796d50374c33faa86c4eecc08a5d","wanli-the-enlightened-emperor-chapter-330","wanli-the-enlightened-emperor-chapter-328",375,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwanli-the-enlightened-emperor-cover.jpg"]