Chapter 57: Bandit Suppression Grain
Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Bandit Suppression Grain
The autumn harvest had just ended.
As the time to pay the Land Tax approached once again, the government constable in charge of collections arrived in Lingxi.
The clan leader, Chen Xingjia, was bedridden, more dead than alive and barely conscious.
And so, they sought out Chen Li.
Chen Li sent someone to gather the Chen Clan Members at the ancestral hall.
"We have to re-elect the clan leader this year anyway. Let’s just do it now," a clan elder proposed.
Many people agreed.
Soon, the result was in.
Everyone supported Chen Li.
Of course, the main reason was that they had no other choice.
Before, there was Chen Xingjia and Chen Yongquan. Now, only Chen Li’s family remained a contender.
When it came to being the clan leader, what mattered most was strength and ability.
This wasn’t some public election where you’d see the joke of an unqualified commoner being chosen.
It was impossible to choose some landless, ignorant man to represent the Chen Clan Members in dealings with the Government Office and other families.
Not only would it bring shame upon their own family, but it was uncertain if the Government Office would even acknowledge him.
Moreover, over the years, many of the Chen Clan Members had worked as short-term laborers for Chen Li, and seven of them were even his long-term laborers.
His base of popular support was plain to see. Chen Li was elected without any surprises.
In truth, Chen Li had little desire to be the clan leader.
After all, a clan leader had to handle numerous affairs.
Land disputes, neighborhood conflicts, property sales, and even family squabbles were all mediated within the clan rather than taken to the Government Office.
The position of clan leader was equivalent to a village chief from his previous life, but with even more power.
’I’m already swamped with my own business, which is cutting into my time for martial arts practice. How could I possibly have the mind for this?’
But the clan couldn’t immediately select anyone else, so he could only take the position temporarily.
He even began to wonder, ’Maybe I should train someone to take over these responsibilities.’
「...」
The government constable in charge of collections stayed in Lingxi for an extra day, returning to the County Magistrate’s Office to file the records only after all the procedures were complete.
This year, in addition to the usual Land Tax, the County Magistrate’s Office was levying an extra five hundred *dan* of grain for bandit suppression.
After detailed inquiries, Chen Li learned that a group of Water Bandits had appeared out of nowhere on the Lishui River at the end of last year.
At first, they just moved around robbing passing boats, but later, for reasons unknown—perhaps their numbers had grown—they actually started coming ashore to raid the docks.
Jingshan County had also suffered greatly, with many of its docks being plundered.
Because the Lishui River flowed through several commanderies, the various local authorities reported the incidents. The State County was furious and immediately ordered the Jiangzhou Riverway Office to dispatch troops for a suppression campaign.
The Jiangzhou Riverway Office had one thousand soldiers stationed in Jingshan County, and the cost of feeding these men and their horses naturally fell upon the people of Jingshan.
「Seven days later.」
Chen Li collected all the grain, filling more than thirty oxcarts. He chose forty-two men from the clan to escort the shipment to the county seat.
He didn’t divide the five-hundred-*dan* grain levy equally among the households. Instead, he based the contribution on the amount of land each owned.
This method of collection naturally drew dissatisfaction from the wealthy households, but seeing that Chen Li himself was leading the contribution, they could only swallow their complaints.
「...」
The County Magistrate’s Office, at the Government Granary.
The afternoon was hot and oppressive.
In the open yard, a long line of oxcarts and mule carts had formed. The farmers, their clothes soaked with sweat, watched anxiously as the granary clerks inspected the grain at a leisurely pace.
At the head of the line was a dark, wiry old man. He directed a dozen or so men to unload the grain sacks, pouring the plump, golden new grain into the official measuring buckets.
"Hurry it up! Stop dawdling!" a Constable urged.
Two Constables beside him kicked roughly at the grain sacks, sending golden kernels spilling onto the ground.
"Hey, Officer! Be careful, please be careful!"
The old man gasped, his heart aching at the sight, but he didn’t dare to stop them.
The government constable just snorted coldly, ignoring him completely.
When it was time for weighing, the weight on the steelyard seemed exceptionally heavy in his hands, and the beam stubbornly refused to lift.
A clerk nearby finished his registration, walked over to the Chief Steward, and whispered something to him.
"This is your three hundred *dan* of grain?" The Chief Steward glanced at the ledger, then walked up to the old man and said in a drawn-out tone, "At best, it’s two hundred and seventy *dan*! There’s a lot of shriveled grain and sand, and the loss has to be on your account."
The old man cried out, "Please, see reason, Officer! This is the best new grain from our homes, dried completely, without a single grain of sand! It’s the full three hundred *dan*! I beg you, weigh it again, please weigh it again!"
As he spoke, he tried to step forward and stuff something into the Chief Steward’s hand.
But to his surprise, the man pushed him away and rebuked him angrily, "This is the Government Granary, a place of importance! How dare you try such shady tricks here. Either make up the thirty-*dan* shortfall right now, or we’ll go with this amount and you can make up the difference with silver."
The old man was stunned. He then turned back, trembling, and took out some silver taels from a bundle on his oxcart. He had to hand over forty taels before he was allowed to make his mark on the register, and then he departed with his empty cart, looking utterly devastated.
Chen Li watched all this unfold calmly. Only after the old man had left did he ask his clan brother Chen Shui, who had come with him, "Was it like this before when you came to deliver grain?"
Chen Shui was just as baffled. "It shouldn’t be. In the past, you could just slip the Chief Steward a few silver coins and get through. Why isn’t that working this year?"
Chen Li glanced at the Chen Family’s five hundred *dan* of grain. ’If we have to make up the difference with silver,’ he thought, ’we’ll have to pay at least sixty or seventy taels.’
Seeing the sun begin to set, Chen Li instructed Chen Shui and the others not to deliver the grain just yet and to wait for him.
Leaving the Government Granary, Chen Li went straight to the County Magistrate’s Office. After announcing his visit, he entered the Punishment Room with practiced ease.
Liu Wende looked up and saw it was him. A little surprised, he put down his brush. "Nephew, what brings you here?"
Chen Li shook his head with a wry smile and explained that he was now the clan leader, that he had come to deliver the grain, and recounted what he had just seen and heard at the Government Granary.
After listening, Liu Wende didn’t seem very surprised. He smiled and said, "This is Third Master’s new rule. It’s fine that you didn’t know about it."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "There’s a Ming’s Grain Shop in the south of the city. Sell your new grain directly to them. Just tell them I sent you. They will issue you a grain certificate. If you take that certificate to make the payment, you’ll save yourself a lot of tedious inspection and won’t have to worry about measurement errors."
"Thank you, Uncle." Chen Li was taken aback for a second before understanding dawned on him.
He left the duty office and did as he was told.
When the Shopkeeper of Ming’s Grain Shop heard that he had been sent by Steward Liu to exchange grain, he immediately accepted the shipment Chen Li had brought. A look of satisfaction flashed in his eyes as he inspected the grain.
He then took out a slip of paper, wrote "Sold to the Chen Family of Lingxi Village: a full five hundred *dan* of government grain," and stamped it with the red seal of "Ming’s Grain Shop" before handing the certificate to Chen Li.
"Just give this receipt to the Chief Steward, and he’ll handle it for you. We’ll deliver the grain later," the Shopkeeper instructed.
The next day, Chen Li returned to the Government Granary.
This time, when the Chief Steward saw the certificate Chen Li handed him, he didn’t say a word. He promptly registered it in the books and issued an official payment receipt from the Government Office.
After settling the grain levy, Chen Li went to the Household Department to pay the Land Tax for the Lingxi Chen Family for the year.
Zhang Yide was an old acquaintance and didn’t make things difficult. He processed the payment smoothly and said with a smile, "Now that you’re the clan leader, nephew, I suppose I’ll be seeing you around more often."
As he was leaving, he happened to run into Liu Wende.
"Worthy nephew, is everything settled?"
Chen Li cupped his hands and said, "Many thanks for your help, Uncle."
Liu Wende chuckled. "The owner of that shop is Third Master’s brother-in-law. From now on, you can just go there directly. By the way, the shop also buys old grain—at market price, and in large quantities."
Chen Li was stunned.
Grain that was over three years old couldn’t be sold for even one tael of silver. The price usually fluctuated around nine maces of silver, sometimes dropping below eight.
But more importantly, even if you wanted to sell it, you couldn’t be sure anyone would want to buy it.
The Jiangnan region was prosperous, blessed with a favorable climate, and suffered few natural or man-made disasters. There was no shortage of grain.
’Why would someone be willing to buy up large quantities of old grain?’