Chapter 332: The Earth

Morning mist shrouded Qufu County, the bluish-gray city walls visible only as hazy silhouettes against the backlight.

As soon as he stepped through the city gate, a stench of blood hit him.

Merchants traveling through had vanished entirely.

The townspeople he passed moved with hurried unease.

He Xinyin stood motionless at the city gate, took out his glasses from his robe, put them on, and leaned close to examine the notices pasted on the announcement board—each written in exquisite calligraphy.

“...In every registration cycle, our county’s land records remain complete and never fall short; this is reason one why land surveying should not be conducted here.

Though land disputes occasionally arise, they are mostly over boundary discrepancies—mere inches or feet, never exceeding a single mu; these are conflicts born of local strongmen oppressing the weak, not cases of powerful families concealing landholdings; this is reason two why land surveying should not be conducted here.

Though some hamlets have households that have died out and must compensate for lost taxes, the compensation tax under old custom was distributed among households, each paying no more than a dou or sheng, sometimes only a spoonful, imposing no burden on their livelihoods; this cannot be called small folk being forced to compensate; this is reason three why land surveying should not be conducted here.”

This was a notice posted by Ge Cheng’s men—directly covering the official survey office’s notice.

Its content was simple: besides defending the righteousness of this protest, it emphasized the villagers’ motives for resisting land surveying.

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

Because the three conditions under the Ministry of Revenue’s land surveying regulations—lost acreage, concealment by powerful families, and small folk forced to compensate—did not exist in Qufu County.

He Xinyin adjusted his glasses and continued reading, carefully weighing every word.

“...The method of surveying was originally intended to secure long-term benefits, yet inevitably causes immediate harm; now, this surveying matter inflicts great harm upon the common people.

Deeply mindful of the people’s fear and disturbance, we must thoroughly examine the regulations to clarify them; if clarification fails, we confront officials face-to-face; if face-to-face confrontation fails, we are willing to risk our lives to stop it.

Even if we are killed for this, we die wronged for righteousness, wronged for all under heaven—yet in our wrong, truth is further affirmed.”

At the end, He Xinyin shook his head in disappointment.

If this was the demand of Ge Cheng and the thousands of tenant farmers behind him, then there was absolutely no room for negotiation.

He directly invoked grand morality, fundamentally rejecting land surveying—surveying’s original intent was to seek long-term benefit, but the immediate harms it caused were far more urgent; the current policy had already inflicted severe damage upon the people.

As for inciting rebellion and all other actions, Ge Cheng showed not the slightest remorse, only a resolute stance of sacrificing his life for righteousness.

“Mr. He, what does this all mean?”

The several large men accompanying He Xinyin into the city all asked him at once.

“Don’t call me ‘Mr.’”

He Xinyin instinctively corrected the address.

The men nodded obediently.

He Xinyin then carefully explained: “The gist is this: Ge Cheng, standing on the people’s side, has studied the harms of land surveying, so he has been traveling to spread the word, petitioning everywhere; when petitions failed, he went to the county office to confront officials; when confrontation failed, he is willing to risk his life to stop it.”

“Even if crushed and executed for this, he dies wronged for righteousness, wronged for all under heaven—yet justice will be more clearly revealed because of it.”

He Xinyin paused, looking at the men: “What do you think?”

The men exchanged glances, their expressions blank: “We don’t understand.”

He Xinyin blinked, then nodded with resignation.

“Don’t understand? Fine. It wasn’t written in plain speech, and it wasn’t meant for you.”

Saying this, he tore down the notice and walked into the city.

A group of “righteous folk” carrying cudgels marched toward him, hurrying out of the city, while the city guards pretended not to notice them.

He Xinyin glanced at the guards and the constables pretending to inspect, sighing inwardly.

In his own past as a local gentry, he knew that if local constables weren’t secretly sheltering criminals, large-scale crime could never take root.

Now that things have escalated to rebellion, these local power brokers must have reached a tacit understanding.

The deeper He Xinyin walked into Qufu City, the more chaotic it became.

Shops along the streets were tightly shut.

Occasional flames leapt into the air.

Bloodstained cobblestones littered the streets.

Houses smashed, burned, and looted stood empty inside.

The smells of blood, burning, and excrement mingled and clawed at his nostrils.

Sometimes he saw leaders holding banana-leaf fans, leading patrols along the streets, waving their arms and shouting.

“Anyone who loots virtuous elders or disturbs innocent civilians during this chaos—the General Ge will kill without mercy!”

Ge Cheng had already been hailed as General.

Of course, not a rebellious title—just a spontaneous honor from the people; some called him Master Ge, others General Ge, even a few worshipped him as a deputy city god.

He Xinyin watched all this unfold.

Straw sandals scraped against blue stone bricks; foul odors filled the air; chaotic noises never ceased.

The eastern part of Qufu City was mostly where common folk lived; the western part housed the residences of local elites and also the county government offices.

After entering the western quarter, the scene changed drastically.

If the east was chaotic arson and slaughter, the west was orderly massacre.

Xiuchun blades unsheathed, cold glints flashing everywhere.

Stern warnings and bound rebels were dragged behind mounted riders as they galloped toward the vegetable market.

In this area, rebels were cautious; only a few government offices showed signs of smashing and burning.

But after the Embroidered Uniform Guard entered the city, they not only reclaimed the county office but also showed no mercy to local elites, slaughtering indiscriminately.

The imperial cavalry, centered on the county office, deployed systematically, suppressing every armed group within sight—under overwhelming force, rebels, retainers, constables, and soldiers scattered like chaff.

The rebels had apparently received word beforehand; Ge Cheng’s six battalions had already left the city, leaving only scattered stragglers who mindlessly continued hunting tax officials—only to be ruthlessly crushed by the imperial cavalry, their heads severed, blood spilled.

Constables and soldiers mingling among the rebels had their own survival tactics; most turned their backs and returned to their offices to clear the ruins.

Retainers were truly unfortunate.

Again and again, rebels abandoned their cudgels and fled into wealthy households, trying to pass themselves off as law-abiding citizens—naturally, this led to yet another tragic incident of the Embroidered Uniform Guard breaking into homes and killing, as described in literati writings.

After each massacre, the imperial cavalry would patrol the streets, warning the populace and displaying severed heads.

“Anyone colluding with rebels—family destroyed, clan exterminated!”

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

He Xinyin stood outside the county office, stepped forward, and declared his identity to the guards on high alert, requesting to see Shen Li.

Upon hearing his name, the guards were skeptical but summoned personnel from the Survey Office to verify.

After confirmation, they assigned a colleague to watch He Xinyin while one ran inside to report.

In that moment, the large man who had been trailing He Xinyin scratched his head and muttered: “We’re the poor folks causing trouble—why is the office now destroying the homes of the city’s elite?”

Along the way, most of the prominent families in the west had had their gates broken down by the Embroidered Uniform Guard—arrested or killed.

Meanwhile, Ge Cheng and his thousands of followers outside the city were left untouched, leaving the men utterly baffled.

He Xinyin turned back and met their blank stares.

He felt an inexplicable heaviness in his chest at their ignorance; he wanted to explain, but didn’t know where to begin.

He Xinyin knew perfectly well that Shen Li’s actions struck the snake’s vital point.

Neither the speed of the unrest’s escalation nor the organization of thousands responding to a single call could arise from simple spontaneous action by common folk.

Every escalation—the unified business shutdowns by city elites, the coordinated rent hikes by rural gentry, the attacks on the county office and murders during chaos—all proved that powerful families had secretly manipulated the common folk.

Unless these powerful families were crushed, rebellion would spring up again with the spring wind.

As for the common folk caught up in it...

He Xinyin fell silent.

Long moments passed; he still said nothing.

He Xinyin lowered his head, frowning, as if struck by a crucial insight.

The man who had muttered earlier glanced at his companions, embarrassed, and tried to retract his words: “Uh... I was just muttering to myself—ignore me.”

He Xinyin snapped back to awareness.

He opened his mouth, hesitated, then sighed: “It’s not that I won’t answer—I simply have no right to explain this to you now.”

“Who is friend and who is foe—you must figure out for yourselves.”

Unlike his usual lengthy sermons, He Xinyin now seemed exhausted.

Figure it out?

He spoke lightly, yet knew how impossible it was to expect common folk to discern enemies from allies.

People judge friend and foe by closeness—they favor fellow villagers, despise outsiders; the local county office must seem more trustworthy than an outsider surveying governor.

People cannot discern truth from false promises; Ge Cheng’s single claim that Yanzhou Prefecture shouldn’t be surveyed or taxed drew in every elite and commoner alike, plunging the entire prefecture into uproar.

People love to personify everything they cannot comprehend—they can’t distinguish between different levels of government or understand complex power struggles, so they lump it all into one vague entity called “Great Ming,” making it easy to assign it the most emotional, extreme judgments.

To expect common folk to untangle the web of interests in this tide of land surveying and clearly identify friend from foe—this was as impossible as climbing to heaven.

Thinking of this, He Xinyin froze, then suddenly raised his head.

As if a flash of insight had struck his brow, even his glasses’ lenses seemed to gleam!

Untangle the web of interests... identify friend from foe...

Why can’t common folk do it? Because they lack the perspective.

Land, property, body, household—all controlled by powerful families, helplessly at their mercy.

Knowledge, insight, learning, reason—all monopolized by the gentry; they remain frogs in a well.

Those without permanent property have no permanent mind; the utterly destitute have neither the vision nor the leisure to consider such matters.

No one stands in the common folk’s perspective to untangle these interests—that’s a territory even the great minds of the Taizhou School never dared enter.

So, if He Xinyin claims to speak for the people, shouldn’t he become their eyes?

For decades, he had traveled across the Two Capitals and Zhili, Fujian, Jiangxi, Huguang, Sichuan, preaching, opening public schools, founding societies, once raising high the banner of Confucianism’s democratization: “All are sages.”

What they seek is to spread the Dao among the common people.

Only now did He Xinyin suddenly realize a path never before trodden by predecessors.

Not vague complaints of “oppressive rule fiercer than tigers,” nor forced representation of “suffering for all under heaven”—but the true perspective of the red masses!

He Xinyin quickly pulled out a charcoal stick from his sleeve, flipped up his cuff, and jotted down this flash of insight amid the dense scribbles: “Who Are the Enemies of the Red Masses? Who Are Their Friends: The Distribution of Power and Influence in the Great Ming Society.”

After writing that one line, He Xinyin shed his earlier lethargy and looked earnestly at the several big men: “Wait for me to experience more, to think deeper—when my new essay is published, it will resolve your earlier doubts.”

The several big men grew even more bewildered.

They all bowed vaguely in reply.

He Xinyin paid no mind to their reactions; his mind was full of the new essay he must write.

He glanced at his hands, crisscrossed with veins.

At sixty-four, he had only now begun to find his own Dao.

Compared to his earlier calm acceptance of death in prison, He Xinyin now realized that his fear of death and desire to survive had returned with renewed force.

As he pondered this, a voice rang out from the county yamen.

“Master Fushan! Didn’t Secretary Shen say you were not to come to Qufu until the matter had settled!?”

He Xinyin looked up and saw Kong Hongcheng, the County Magistrate of Qufu, personally stepping out to greet him; he immediately bowed: “Magistrate.”

A seasoned veteran knows how to adjust his manners to the guest—Kong Hongcheng dared not treat this friend of the Emperor lightly and quickly returned the bow.

He then glanced at the several slightly cowed big men behind He Xinyin and hesitated: “Are these gentlemen your students, Master Fushan?”

He Xinyin offered an apologetic smile, neither confirming nor denying: “Kindly arrange a few chairs and some cold water for them, Magistrate.”

Having said this, he turned and gave a few final instructions to the several big men before stepping through the yamen’s threshold with Kong Hongcheng.

Kong Hongcheng harbored doubts but dared not show them, so he obediently led the way ahead.

Along the way, they frequently saw county officials and clerks dragged away bound, or beaten in the courtyard.

“These officials are mostly sons of the county’s wealthy families.”

“That day, when the rioters stormed the yamen, they only doubted the land survey—no ill intent. But these damned men, incited by the Assistant Magistrate and colluding with the county’s wealthy families, concealed the truth from above and inflamed tensions until matters reached this point!”

“The Zhang family, Wang family, and twelve other households—such as the ruffians Tang Hua and Xu Cheng—have all been utterly destroyed, their clans exterminated.”

“We are now interrogating those with some connection to the Duke of Yansheng…”

Kong Hongcheng walked ahead, continuously explaining the situation to He Xinyin.

He Xinyin gave Kong Hongcheng a strange look.

It was certain the Kong family was involved—but not necessarily that the most powerful County Magistrate and the Duke of Yansheng were the masterminds. The Kong family was internally complex, not subject to any one person’s orders; besides, their status was high enough that their wealth likely came from sources beyond a single origin.

But precisely because their status was so high, the secret scandals secretly stirred by various branches of the Kong family could only be blamed on these two.

Kong Hongcheng’s so-called “interrogations” were more accurately described as finger-pointing—and now, explaining all this to an outsider like him, his intent was unmistakable.

He Xinyin feigned no awareness and followed silently behind Kong Hongcheng.

“Secretary Shen summoned two thousand Embroidered Uniform Guards into the city overnight; once the rioters and their wealthy scholar allies are purged, he will personally lead them out to crush the rebel leader Ge!”

“That rabble will be crushed in an instant!”

Kong Hongcheng kept offering flattery along the way.

Only when they reached the front of the county yamen’s main hall did they fall silent.

The tables and chairs inside were broken, and the cabinets bore scorch marks.

The Magistrate’s seat in the center had been taken—Shen Li appeared utterly exhausted, dozing with his head on the desk.

Kong Hongcheng and He Xinyin exchanged glances, then entered the hall one after the other.

“Secretary Shen, Master Fushan has arrived.”

Kong Hongcheng spoke softly, afraid of disturbing Shen Li.

The latter, of course, had not slept; at the sound, he slowly lifted his head.

“Your humble subordinate, Liang Ruyuan of the Department, pays his respects to Secretary.”

Seeing the Department head, He Xinyin performed his courtesies without a single lapse.

Shen Li rubbed his temples and forced a smile, cutting straight to the point: “Master Fushan, why did you insist on coming to Qufu?”

He had too many unresolved matters; his patience and formalities were exhausted, so he skipped all pleasantries.

He Xinyin did not hedge: he immediately knelt and bowed: “Secretary, I have come to volunteer to persuade Ge Cheng and the others to surrender!”

Shen Li had expected this and was not surprised.

He waved his hand: “No need. Once I’ve purged the wealthy families in the city, I’ll lead the Embroidered Uniform Guards out myself and crush the rebels.”

Kong Hongcheng shrank back at this.

When Hai Rui investigated salt policy, he still had Embroidered Uniform Guards escorting him. Now, Shen Li was doing the same—but unlike Hai Rui, this man didn’t hesitate: he was directly executing the wealthy families in the city!

If he hadn’t seen so many familiar faces—those who had once clapped him on the back—beaten to death overnight, Kong Hongcheng would never have changed his mind and turned against his own distant cousin.

He Xinyin, too, was unnerved by Shen Li’s brutality and urged: “Secretary! The court’s weapons are meant to repel foreign enemies—how can they be used to slaughter the people?”

Shen Li dismissed this with a laugh: “Do you call rioters ‘the people’?”

He Xinyin quickly explained: “Secretary, you and I both know the current situation stems from the land survey angering the wealthy scholars, who have dragged the people into rebellion and pressured the court.”

“Those wealthy scholars may be killed—but the people are ignorant and unaware.”

“Once the people’s revolt has begun, sending troops to suppress it will cause countless deaths—and multiply the damage of the revolt tenfold!”

“If we can merely persuade them to return to reason, we can prevent a massacre—that would be your merit, Secretary!”

Kong Hongcheng, hearing this, felt it was morally flawless and was about to agree.

But as soon as he opened his mouth, he saw Shen Li’s smile freeze—and he snapped his mouth shut.

Shen Li’s tone turned sharply harsh: “Merit? Do you think I, as Provincial Governor, am here to perform good deeds and win fame!?”

Shen Li slowly rose from behind the desk: “When I left the capital, the Central Secretariat forwarded to my office a memorial from Wang Zongzai, the Provincial Governor of Jiangxi: during the land survey, the wealthy commoner Xu Zongwu of Jiande County gathered a thousand men to obstruct the survey, and the Military Commissioner Cheng Gongchen, protecting his local faction, let it pass without action.”

“Last month, the Ministry of Revenue forwarded to my office a report from Henan’s Provincial Surveillance and Inspection officials, Chu Tie and Zhao Yi: their newly surveyed land registers differed from the old ones by even a single sheng or he—ordering me to re-examine them.”

“This month, Zhang Juzheng wrote me: in the wealthy region of Wu Zhong, tax and labor burdens are unequal, the powerful obstruct the law, and both officials and commoners suffer—I am deeply troubled and hope your survey office will act directly.”

“He Xinyin, there are too many matters in the world—you cannot fixate on just one.”

“Now, even in Yanzhou Prefecture, the people dare to revolt before my eyes—how can I, then, cling to my reputation and act timidly, afraid of damaging my merit?”

“I will kill! Kill the officials to warn the officials, kill the powerful to warn the powerful, kill the red masses to warn the red masses!”

“If you don’t want the court to see you as rebels, then don’t join the treason.”

His tone was hostile, advancing step by step.

Shen Li respected He Xinyin’s character, but even his defense of the red masses had limits.

Ordinary philosophical debates were fine—but to meddle in state affairs, Shen Li showed no courtesy.

But He Xinyin had endured the Emperor’s interrogation; facing Shen Li’s severity, he held firm.

His expression did not change; he remained in his bowing posture: “Secretary, don’t just say the people defy the court—explain why they defy it.”

“Hasn’t the situation in Qufu reached this point precisely because you, Secretary, see only the powerful families and the Sage’s lineage, forgetting to explain the merits and harms of policy to the people—allowing schemers to exploit the gap and inflame tensions?”

“A ruler’s first duty is to uphold the Dao for the people.”

“You neglected your duty first—how can you then simply kill the people?”

Shen Li’s momentum faltered; he nearly drove He Xinyin out.

One might think him a local advocate from Shandong.

But he was a man who had met the Emperor—Shen Li had to reason with him.

After a long pause, Shen Li shook his head and replied again: “I came here only to re-examine land records—I have no duty to explain policy’s merits.”

“Besides, if ignorance leads to crime, should one escape consequences?”

He Xinyin bowed his head even lower: “Secretary, since a people’s revolt has begun, don’t speak of ‘crimes’—this is beyond the Great Ming Code. The Taizu Emperor himself rose from a people’s revolt.”

He paused, then continued: “If we speak of duty, you, Secretary, should permit me to go and persuade the rebels.”

“The king establishes the state, distinguishes directions, organizes the land, appoints officials to serve as the people’s standard. Officials hold high positions, entrusted by the sovereign to govern the people.”

“Since you are an official, how can you confine yourself to your duties while ignoring the people’s cries?”

Shen Li fell silent.

Not because he was at a loss for words—he, a Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy, had many arguments left.

But he was here to act, not to debate.

Especially since He Xinyin invoked the Emperor’s favorite political correctness, there was no point in arguing.

Shen Li sighed and cut straight to the core: “Master Fushan, good words are spoken, not acted upon.”

“Now, tax revenues have been hollowed out by these powerful families; as soon as the land survey begins, chaos erupts. I was entrusted by His Majesty to act swiftly and decisively!”

He Xinyin finally raised his head.

He looked at Shen Li and said seriously: “Secretary, if that is so, you must clearly distinguish friend from foe—how can you terrify the people with slaughter?”

“If you allow me to explain to the people, though progress may be slow, the foundation will be solid—and then, united with the red masses, we will achieve twice the results with half the effort!”

“Isn’t that also acting? I beg you, Secretary, reconsider!”

Shen Li met He Xinyin’s gaze and spoke again: “Master Fushan, you misunderstand state policy profoundly. Today, the state is in crisis—the land survey is meant to seize tax revenue for the treasury, not to establish life for the people.”

“Let the people suffer—I will bear the blame.”

He had finally laid his heart bare.

He Xinyin remained unmoved: “You misunderstand the Emperor’s new policy. The land survey is meant to reassign the empire’s wealth fairly among all, not merely to extract taxes.”

“The Emperor said: the red masses are both his starting point and his destination.”

The two stared at each other for a long time.

Shen Li silently marveled at He Xinyin’s compassion for the people—but found it utterly impractical.

He Xinyin silently lamented that Shen Li was pragmatic in office, yet aloof and distant.

Kong Hongcheng beside him felt only the atmosphere grow oppressive.

He forced himself to speak tentatively: “Why not find a middle ground?”

As soon as he spoke, both men turned to look at Kong Hongcheng.

Kong Hongcheng stepped to the center of the hall, bowed, and said: “My vision does not reach far; I only believe Master Fushan’s proposal for surrender is sound. There are only about two thousand Embroidered Uniform Guards in the city, yet more and more people in Yanzhou Prefecture are joining and supporting the popular uprising. Sending troops to suppress them risks provoking widespread outrage — it would be like adding fuel to a fire.”

“And Minister Shen’s execution of one to warn a hundred is a mature move. Master Fushan has killed tax officials himself, so his perspective is inevitably biased. The lives of tax officials are lives too — a life for a life is only just. There is no reason to invoke the status of a commoner to justify the deaths of dozens of my colleagues.”

“Therefore, I propose we offer surrender — but the ringleaders must be executed! Afterward, we must carry out further executions to intimidate the petty criminals!”

Kong Hongcheng’s words provided a face-saving way out for the two warring sides.

Shen Li immediately made up his mind.

This time, he gave He Xinyin no chance to speak; he waved his hand: “I give you only half a day today. If Ge Cheng and the others refuse to surrender, I shall count their thousands as military merits!”

He Xinyin opened his mouth to protest, then bit back his words, straightened his expression, and nodded in compliance.