Chapter 115 - 114: Paddy Conversion
Chapter 115: Chapter 114: Paddy Conversion
"Exactly!"
Zhang Heming gazed at the fields outside the window and spoke slowly. "Take one mu of this land. Even if the most experienced farmer cultivates it meticulously for a year, he’ll only get three to five dan of grain, which is worth about three to five taels of silver.
"But if you plant mulberry trees for their leaves, one mu of mature trees can produce over two thousand jin of leaves. This can raise silkworms that produce over fifty jin of silk. In Jiangzhou, the price of raw silk is six to eight qian of silver per jin. That means the yield per mu is worth more than thirty taels."
"Once the Court grants its approval, this will be a massive business. The Jiangzhou Five Surnames and Seven Hopes have been eyeing this greedily, just waiting to carve up this juicy piece of meat."
He paused here before continuing in a low voice, "According to the information I’ve received, the imperial edict to implement this policy will likely be issued within the next month or two. When that happens, powers from all over the State County will converge here. Our Mirror Mountain will know no peace."
Understanding dawned on Chen Li, and his gaze sharpened.
From officials’ relatives collecting grain, to the Water Bandits plundering it, and even to the Government Office’s forced levies...
It was all a prelude.
The goal was to create a grain famine and deplete the common folk’s stockpiles.
Once the farmers who grew the grain had nothing left to eat, they would be forced to sell their land for a pittance to survive.
And at that point, whoever held vast amounts of grain could naturally trade it for more land.
Destroying dikes to flood the fields was just another method to achieve the same end!
’But why would Zhang Heming suddenly bring this up with me? What is his motive?’
Chen Li frowned and asked, "County Magistrate, why would you tell a commoner like me this?"
Zhang Heming sighed and said earnestly, "Brother Chen, I, Zhang, am telling you this secret today for two reasons. First, to apologize for what happened last year and to show you that I, Zhang, am also just a pawn in this game, with my hands tied.
"Second, it is to remind you to prepare early. This storm is unavoidable. I hope you... can understand my difficult position and that if something truly happens in the future, we can... help each other."
His words were a gesture of goodwill, an attempt to absolve himself of blame, and also a warning, implying that the coming storm would be fierce and that he hoped for cooperation.
Chen Li pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands in a salute. "Thank you for your candor, County Magistrate. My whole life is tied to this land. Since this matter concerns my very survival, I will naturally be cautious. As for your kind intentions, County Magistrate, I, Chen, accept them in spirit."
Seeing that Chen Li had not given a clear answer, a flicker of disappointment crossed Zhang Heming’s eyes, but he quickly concealed it with a smile. "Very good. In that case, I, Zhang, won’t trouble you any longer."
The two walked out of the study, their expressions reverting to their previous polite formality.
Chen Li escorted Zhang Heming and his retinue to the main gate.
"Village Chief Chen, you need not see us out further. Farewell!"
"Take care, County Magistrate."
As he watched Zhang Heming’s official sedan chair and procession disappear into the distance, the smile on Chen Li’s face gradually faded.
On the main road, Zhang Heming, now on horseback, saw the smile on his own face instantly vanish, replaced by an icy expression.
Seeing this, Zhang Chengzong, who was beside him, hurriedly asked in a low voice, "Uncle, that Chen Li... does he not know what’s good for him?"
"It doesn’t matter."
Zhang Heming replied indifferently, "The great tide of history is vast and mighty. Those who try to stop a chariot with the arms of a mantis, overestimating their own strength, will sooner or later bring ruin upon their entire clan."
Suddenly, he sniffed the air and frowned at Zhang Chengzong. "Chengzong, what is going on with you? You always carry a stench of blood that you can’t seem to wash off."
Zhang Chengzong’s expression stiffened slightly, and a flash of panic appeared in his eyes. But he immediately put on an awkward smile and explained, "Your nose is sharp, Uncle. Hah, it’s just that with no grain to collect recently, I’ve been bored out of my mind, so I’ve taken to studying fine cuisine. I recently invented a new stewed dish made with pig offal and blood. The smell must have stubbornly clung to me. I’ll be sure to wash thoroughly with scented soap when I get back. Uncle, how about I send some of the stew over for you to try another day?"
Zhang Heming gave him a skeptical glance but didn’t press the matter. "No need. Just be more careful in the future."
Zhang Chengzong hastily agreed.
...
Zhang Chengzong had followed his uncle, Zhang Heming, to Mirror Mountain. Far from home, despite his wealth, he had not brought any wives or concubines with him. The long, lonely nights were inevitably hard to endure.
However, for a wealthy man like Zhang Chengzong, this was hardly a difficult problem to solve.
Before long, he set his sights on the rather comely wife of an oil seller in the market.
The woman’s husband had the surname Wang, and she was known as Lady Wang.
Her husband was a simple and honest oil seller who spent his days carrying a shoulder pole with oil vats, hawking his wares through streets and alleys. Exposed to the wind and sun, he looked much older than she did.
Using the pretext of buying oil, Zhang Chengzong plied her with a few sweet words and small gifts of silver coins, easily stirring the woman’s desires.
The two soon began a clandestine affair.
However, sneaking around was ultimately inconvenient.
Last year, when the Water Bandits were running rampant and the situation was chaotic, Zhang Chengzong secretly contacted a small group of them. He offered them silver coins to use the chaos as cover to murder the oil seller.
From then on, Zhang Chengzong and Lady Wang began to carry on openly, without any further scruples.
In the beginning, their nights were filled with music and song, the very picture of revelry.
However, Zhang Chengzong had long overindulged in wine and women in his youth, and his body was already significantly drained.
With such lack of restraint, his body soon began to fail him.
Sometimes, he would finish hastily in just a dozen breaths, causing Lady Wang’s attitude to shift from initial eager accommodation to gradual complaint and ridicule.
"Useless thing! All show and no go, you soft-legged shrimp!"
That night, Zhang Chengzong had gone to her full of excitement but had once again returned in dejection.
Frustrated and humiliated, but with no words to retort, Zhang Chengzong walked, crestfallen, down the somewhat deserted streets of the Zhuoyan Collection.
As he was hanging his head in despair, a flicker of movement in a dimly lit street corner caught his eye. A small stall had been set up there, flying a cloth banner that read "Miraculous Hands that Bring Back the Spring." It was a Wandering Doctor.
Zhang Chengzong’s heart skipped a beat, and he hurried over.
The doctor wore a tattered Daoist robe. His face was gaunt and pale, with a sparse, rat-like mustache. His eyes, however, were exceptionally bright, glinting with a mysterious light in the twilight.
Zhang Chengzong stammered as he explained his reason for being there.
The doctor looked him up and down, took his pulse, and then shook his head, his voice raspy. "Your malady, sir, stems from an excess of wine and women. Your Primordial Qi is severely damaged, and your essence is depleted. Ordinary medicine is no longer of any use. Your only hope is to completely abstain from women and lead a life of celibacy. Then, perhaps, you might slowly recover."
Hearing this, Zhang Chengzong felt as if he’d been struck by lightning!
’Abstain from women?’
’You might as well just kill me!’
He hurriedly grabbed the doctor’s sleeve and begged desperately, "Miraculous doctor! Save me, miraculous doctor! No matter what, please, think of something! I’m willing to pay any price!"
The doctor pondered for a long while before lowering his voice. "A solution... is not entirely out of the question. It’s just... this method is rather unorthodox. It violates the harmony of nature. It’s an ancient formula that I, this old one, happened upon by chance and have never revealed to anyone."
"Unorthodox, ancient, I don’t care what it is! As long as it can cure my problem, I’ll do anything!" Zhang Chengzong said, unable to wait.
The doctor lowered his voice further. "This method requires no medicine. You need only find a living creature—the larger, the better—and take the hot blood from its heart. Drink it while it’s still warm, then immediately follow up with a special Breathing Technique to refine the life force contained within and absorb it into your body. This might... restore your virility. It might even make you... stronger than before."
Ordinarily, upon hearing such a method, Zhang Chengzong might have given it more thought.
But right now, his mind was clouded by the shame of being "useless" and his craving for carnal pleasure. How could he possibly care about anything else?
As long as he could restore his virility, he would drink the heart’s blood of an animal—hell, he would probably be willing to try something even more outrageous.