Chapter 680: An Injustice on the Road

They had set out early and traveled for less than two hours when a large market town appeared before them. The streets were bustling with people, lined on both sides with shops. The scale of the taverns and restaurants was something you would only see in a prefectural city. From time to time, shop assistants walked past carrying signboards, calling out the names of their establishments and the goods they dealt in, inviting passing merchants and travelers to come take a look.

"Is this He Family Village? This is far more prosperous and wealthy than the seat of Yongcheng County!" Sun Chuanting remarked with deep feeling.

Just then, a middle-aged man nearby overheard him and couldn't help but stop in his tracks. Smiling, he said, "Sir, is this your first time..."

"I am indeed visiting Xuzhou for the first time, a complete stranger to these parts. Did I say something wrong just now? Please enlighten me." Sun Chuanting quickened his speech, cutting the man off. He had heard this far too many times along the way.

The middle-aged man didn't mind at all and said cheerfully, "This place is still an hour and a half from He Family Village. You'll get there faster on horseback—you can make it by afternoon!"

"A place this bustling still isn't He Family Village? Isn't this a market town?" one of the household servants asked in astonishment. To him, the scene before his eyes was already extraordinary; even the streets of Daizhou City in Shanxi were probably quieter than this.

Seeing their surprise, the middle-aged man grew even more delighted. Smiling, he said, "This here is Qulipu. It was never bad to begin with, but for the past three years it's been riding on He Family Village's coattails, growing several times—even a dozen times—more prosperous. You might not know this, but the old road from Qulipu to He Family Village used to take at least half a day. But two years ago, Master Jin built a new road, and now it's much faster. That brought a lot of business from He Family Village over to this side, and that's how it followed along and flourished. Still, compared to He Family Village, this place is like earth measured against heaven."

"Remarkable, truly remarkable..." The middle-aged man went on his way. Sun Chuanting stood where he was, murmuring to himself. Though he still refused to believe it, in his heart he was beginning to have no choice.

After muttering a few words to himself, Sun Chuanting's expression turned grave. In a deep voice, he said, "Such great talent—if placed on the proper path, it would bring immense benefit to the nation. But if it goes astray, it will be a calamity for all under heaven!"

His words seemed meant for others, yet also for himself. Beside him, Mister Tian hesitated for a moment, then drew close and said in a low voice, "Young master, this trip is for the purpose of blocking the Liao Impost. Everything else is a minor matter. You must clearly distinguish what is important from what is not."

Sun Chuanting nodded and did not continue his lament. Since they had already dismounted, they might as well lead their horses and take a stroll through Qulipu, and have lunch before continuing on their way. After a few steps, he simply handed his reins to a servant. Sun Chuanting and Mister Tian went together to look inside the shops.

"It's all miscellaneous goods and sundries. Which makes sense, when you think about it—Xuzhou sits at the junction of three provinces, a thoroughfare on the land routes. Gathering and distributing goods here is naturally profitable. Even if Zhao Jin couldn't see that, others certainly could," Mister Tian remarked.

After visiting several shops in a row, the two lost interest in looking further. The reason was that these places were really no different from the bustling commercial districts of prefectural cities, provincial capitals, or even the imperial capital. The only difference was that this was a mere township radiating out to the surrounding counties and districts. They were just about to mount their horses when they noticed a long line forming in front of a shop up ahead. What kind of business could be so popular?

When Sun Chuanting and Mister Tian reached the front and took a look, they realized something was off. There were over a hundred people in the line, and none of them looked particularly happy. What was strange was that the people in this line were a motley assortment—gentry in long gowns, local rich men with greasy faces, and farmers with deeply worried expressions. The poor and the rich, the noble and the humble of a small place were all represented. On the other side, customers were still coming and going, clearly a separate matter from the line. Sun Chuanting and Mister Tian exchanged a glance, then pretended to be customers and slowly walked inside. Looking up, they saw the shop's signboard: "Cloud Mountain Trading Company"—none other than Zhao Jin's enterprise.

Inside, the shop was indeed divided into two groups. The line led to a counter tucked away in a corner. Behind that counter sat three men who looked like clerks and bookkeepers. One was working an abacus, another was recording with a brush, and a third was conducting interrogations. Every person who stood before that counter couldn't help but bend at the waist and lower their head, assuming an attitude of extreme subservience. The three men, on the other hand, showed not the slightest softening, occasionally barking out reprimands. At a single glance, this was a living portrait of the powerful bullying the common people.

The scene made Sun Chuanting deeply uncomfortable. He wanted to ask about it but was thoroughly sick of hearing the phrase "... is this your first time in Xuzhou..." Yet he was not the only one watching—many customers coming and going were also looking. Toward the groveling, fawning people in the line, they showed no sympathy whatsoever. Someone even sneered and said, "They deserve it. Master Jin took on such enormous risk to block the Liao Impost for them, and instead of kowtowing and burning incense in gratitude, they're still playing tricks, trying to underreport and conceal. As if those petty tricks could fool the Zhao Battalion? They're lucky Master Jin is merciful and gave them one final deadline. Otherwise, let them go taste the Liao Impost for themselves—losing everything they own would be the least of it."

Hearing this, Sun Chuanting could no longer suppress his curiosity. He opened his mouth and asked, "I am from elsewhere, and this is also my first time in Xuzhou. What did you mean just now, sir, by underreporting and concealing? Report what exactly? And what is this final deadline? Could you tell me?"

Seeing Sun Chuanting's distinguished bearing and hearing his polite speech, the man who had sneered did not dare to be rude. With a touch of eagerness to show off, he cleared his throat and began to explain. The imperial court wanted to levy the Liao Impost—a matter that would utterly ruin the common people. Master Jin, at tremendous personal risk, wanted to shoulder this burden. But he still had to give the court an explanation. So he needed to know exactly how many people and how much land there were in Xuzhou. Only with precise figures could he negotiate with the higher-ups and avoid being squeezed by them. To block the Liao Impost—what immense grace that was! Right now, there were already people outside whose families had been destroyed and who had fled to Xuzhou, telling tales of what the Liao Impost collection was like. Truly miserable. Master Jin was shielding them from such a great calamity, and yet they wouldn't follow his instructions. They deserve it!

Before Sun Chuanting could respond, another customer called out, "Having Master Jin in Xuzhou is our blessing!" A chorus of agreement rose from all around.

"... Zhao Liu of Zhaojia'ao. Six adult males in the household, eight women, four children. Six hundred mu of land..." A trembling report rang out from one side.

Immediately, a loud bang followed as someone slammed the table. The clerk seated in the middle behind the counter had stood up. Pointing at an old man's nose, he cursed, "Who do you think you're fooling with this? Where are those several dozen famine refugees your family took in? And what about those two thousand mu of land three li west of your home? The owner of that land has been dead for over a hundred years—how is it that crops still grow there every year!"

The old man collapsed straight to the ground, then immediately scrambled up and began kowtowing frantically, wailing, "This old fool lost his head! I should never have tried to deceive Master Jin! Have mercy—this old man's family of several dozen is barely scraping by..."

"Nonsense! The rent you charge on your land is a full ten percent higher than the market rate, and you call that scraping by?" The clerk hurled the brush in his hand straight down at him.

The old man just kept kowtowing without pause. Another man sneered and said, "Since you say it's your own family!"

The old man wept and simply continued kowtowing, his forehead splitting open and bleeding. The shop fell silent. Even those who had earlier said he deserved it now found the scene unbearable and fell quiet. Sun Chuanting felt the blood rush to his head. He took a step forward, ready to speak, but the moment he advanced, someone beside him grabbed hold. Mister Tian's expression was extremely stern. In a cold voice, he said, "Do not meddle in other people's affairs. We are leaving."

Sun Chuanting thought it over, and in the end let out a long breath. He followed Mister Tian and the servants out of the shop. Once outside, Sun Chuanting said nothing. He mounted his horse directly, lashed his steed, and rode off quickly. The rest of the party hurried to follow. Only after they had ridden out of the town of Qulipu did he finally rein in his horse.

"Zhao Jin harbors sinister intentions and plots rebellion. He most certainly has a traitor's heart. A man-eating beast like this is a great calamity to the nation, a great calamity to the people!" Sun Chuanting's face was ashen. The hand gripping the reins trembled ceaselessly.

His words, however, drew no resonance. Mister Tian's expression remained indifferent. The servants tactfully looked around, positioning themselves to separate their young master from passersby—there were too many people on the road, and someone might overhear.

"Young master, we both know the harm of the Liao Impost. Whatever Zhao Jin's motives, whatever he has done, if he can shield the people of Xuzhou and its surroundings from this calamity, that is an immense merit. The common people will not see him as a man-eating beast or a great calamity," Mister Tian remarked calmly.

"But Mister Sun, did you not see? That family named Zhao is about to be finished."

"Better one family weeps than every family along the road weeps. You saw one family's misery, but you did not see a hundred families rejoicing. And speaking of which, was that old man Zhao not himself a scourge upon the government? Concealing land and population—if not for this Zhao Jin's iron hand, do you think he would have paid full taxes on those six hundred mu? Furthermore, how do you know that what you saw in that shop was all true!" Mounted on his horse, Mister Tian fired off several questions in succession.

Sun Chuanting, burning with righteous indignation, was immediately stumped. It was as if a basin of cold water had been dumped over his head. He fell completely silent, merely letting his horse walk slowly forward. The head servant beside him interjected, "Young master, Mister Tian's caution is not misplaced. Don't let the bustle and crowds of Qulipu fool you—it's a place that appears loose on the outside but is tightly controlled within. There are plenty of jianghu types around, but they don't seem to be here to make money. Something doesn't look right."

Sun Chuanting glanced back at Qulipu, then continued spurring his horse forward. As he rode, he spoke again: "Setting everything else aside, this business of searching and inspecting households and counting heads is outright rebellion. The common people, the myriad folk—all belong to the Son of Heaven. By doing this, he seeks to make them his private possession. If that is not rebellion, then what is!"

At this, a look of impatience appeared on Mister Tian's face. Raising his voice slightly, he said, "Boya, that is not why we came here. No matter how wildly he stirs things up, he is no more than a local strongman in Xuzhou. How many Xuzhous are there under heaven? And what is Xuzhou in the grand scheme of all under heaven? If he truly has a traitor's heart, the court's armies will naturally surround and destroy him. What is that to us? The sole purpose of our visit this time is to see if there is an opportunity to finalize the pretext for blocking the Liao Impost. Everything else is of no concern!"

Thank you to "Yuan Heng Li Zhen," "Xin Ziyu," "Book Friend 84025941," and "Mu Ming"—both new and old friends—for your support. It's the last day—cast your monthly votes for Great Ming Wufu!