Chapter 95: A New Broom Sweeps Clean
Liang Shixian quickly assembled a patrol: a Shaoxing clerk, ten new bailiffs, each with three retainers, forming a formidable group of over forty.
They first circled the county town, but found few wealthy households. The last time Wang Er rebelled, most of the town's affluent families had been massacred, leaving scarcely any funds to levy from the few who remained.
Liang Shixian then left the city, meandered through the countryside.
Along the way, through Shijia Village, Dujiagui Village, Chegai Village, Daxian Village... everywhere they passed was desolate. It was a challenge to find a single occupied dwelling among ten, surrounded by parched, cracked yellow earth, and the roadside was littered with the bleached bones of those who had starved to death.
Occasionally, they would spot a grand structure that resembled a gentry family’s fortified manor, only to discover upon closer inspection that it had long been ransacked and burned by bandits. It was now a crumbling shell, a shadow of its former glory.
When they did manage to find a few living people in the villages, they were emaciated and gaunt, their eyes vacant and hollow.
Liang Shixian was deeply pained by what he saw. Unable to hold back his tears, he pulled out a brush and ink from his saddlebag and began to draft a memorial to the throne: "In the Dǐngmǎo year, Chengcheng suffered a severe drought and a great famine. The populace could not pay their taxes, and corpses lined the roads. Some banded together to seize grain from the wealthy, fearing arrest and execution, thus forming bandit gangs. With the rise of banditry, the famine worsened. For years, the land lay barren; a single *dou* of rice could not be bought for a thousand coins, and people resorted to cannibalism. Starving villagers embraced rebellion as a path to survival, thus beginning their descent into banditry. From distant lands, people looked upon Chengcheng as a sea of bitterness..."
As he wrote, Liang Shixian broke into sobs: "The common people of Chengcheng suffer so greatly! Since I have taken office here, how can I possibly save them? Forget about collecting taxes; they can barely even survive."
The clerk whispered, "Can we petition the imperial court for some silver to aid the disaster victims?"
The group continued their dispirited march forward, their moods anything but light. Suddenly, a bailiff shouted loudly, "Your Honor, a village has appeared ahead! They are actually... preparing for the autumn planting!"
"What?" Liang Shixian perked up. "There's such a village?"
He quickly climbed to a higher vantage point and gazed forward. Beside a distant hillside, there was a village of no small size. In the middle of the village stood a magnificent fortified manor, clearly built by wealthy individuals, its walls alone ten meters high.
This could only have been built by an extraordinarily wealthy, prominent clan.
Beside the fortified manor, several houses formed a small hamlet. It was clear that these were the poor, tenant farmers who worked for the wealthy landowner in the grand manor next door.
Of course, that wasn't the main point. The main point was that the large expanse of land around the fortified manor appeared moist and fertile, with grass shoots emerging in many places. Clearly, it had rained here just a few days ago.
In the fields, many farmers were plowing and tilling the soil, digging irrigation channels, making the final preparations for the autumn planting.
Liang Shixian was overjoyed: "Heaven never seals off all the exits! It rained here, and the people have survived."
The clerk was also delighted: "Your Honor, that fortified manor is extraordinary! Only a truly wealthy and influential gentleman could have built it. If we speak with him, perhaps he could be persuaded to contribute funds to our cause."
Liang Shixian’s mind cleared a little. *That’s right, don’t forget the purpose of my journey.* *I need to get the wealthy to contribute money to help us through this difficult period.* But a fortified manor of this scale meant its owner must have powerful backing. Perhaps they were a family that had produced 'four generations with three ducal ministers,' an incredibly formidable and influential clan.
*Could a humble seventh-rank county magistrate like me even speak to such people?*
Thinking of this, he truly felt a pang of fear!
But even if he was scared, he had to go! He wasn't doing this for himself, but for the countless common people of Chengcheng County. His intentions were righteous, his conduct upright, and his resolve firm. There was nothing to fear.
Liang Shixian gritted his teeth. "Let's go. We'll pay them a visit."
----
Inside Gao Family Fortress.
San Shier was sitting with his legs crossed, a smug expression on his face, watching the newly recruited clerk scribbling furiously as he inventoried the supplies in the warehouse on the second floor of the watchtower.
Since the bandits had dispersed, transportation had become convenient, and traveling to and from the county town was easier. San Shier had recently made several trips to the county town, visiting Mrs. San, and in the process, inviting clerks, retainers, and the like to the fortress. The fortress now even had several horses and carriages, and they were no longer short of various miscellaneous supplies.
The new clerk before him was a scholar who had failed the imperial examinations, named Tan Liwen. He came from a poor family, his clothes still patched. He had studied diligently for ten years, repeatedly failing the exams. After several unsuccessful attempts, disheartened and discouraged, he had come out to find work as a clerk. However, having only just started, he was still quite clumsy.
"Ah? I wrote this entry incorrectly." Tan Liwen panicked a little, trying to correct it but unable to. Flustered, he had no choice but to grab a fresh sheet of paper and rewrite the entire page.
San Shier raised an eyebrow and cursed, "Why are you so useless? You make a mistake every few characters? How much paper have you wasted? Our paper mill has only just started production, and paper is a precious commodity right now!"
Tan Liwen quickly offered an apologetic smile. "My esteemed patron, I am truly sorry. I will be much more careful from now on."
San Shier snorted. "Hmph!"
He was verbally chastising him, but secretly, he was thrilled, even wanting to sing. He just couldn't show it in front of his subordinates. *It is called* "turning the tables on the clerks and becoming the master," he thought, absolutely reveling in it.
Just then, a newly hired retainer rushed in from outside. "My patron, the new county magistrate has arrived! He's less than two *li* from our village!"
San Shier exclaimed, "Eh?"
The surprise was considerable. San Shier jumped up abruptly. "Quick, inform all the villagers! Hide the armor, hide all those divine artifacts bestowed by the Heavenly Lord! Don't let the corrupt officials see them, to avoid any unnecessary complications."
The retainer grinned. "The Heavenly Lord can just slap a corrupt official into a meat patty. What's there to be afraid of?"
San Shier snorted. "You've been in the village for a while now, don't you understand the Heavenly Lord's style of doing things? He wouldn't just slap someone without knowing the full story. Unless they are truly evil and heinous, His venerable self would not intervene. Stop talking nonsense and go!"
The retainer quickly departed, and shouts rose and fell within Gao Family Fortress. Before long, all the Heavenly Lord's divine artifacts were hidden away. Even the massive solar car was covered with a cloth, not allowing a single bit of it to show.
San Shier quickly ran up to the third floor, called Gao Yiye, and whispered instructions: "That Cheng Xu fellow is just a boorish warrior, easy to fool. We just told him this grand fortified manor was built with funding from Master Bai, and he bought it. But this new county magistrate seems to be a highly educated man, quick-witted and not easily deceived. Our old tricks probably won't fool him."
"Fortunately, he's a new official and unfamiliar with the local area. I've concocted a story to tell him, claiming this fortified manor is the property of Master Li. I remember the Heavenly Lord's surname is Li, so this place will be 'Li Family Fortress.' Remember this clearly: I am the head steward of Master Li's household, and you are Master Li's principal wife. Commit this to memory; we absolutely cannot let our cover be blown."
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