Chapter 401 - 367: Hidden Fields

Chapter 401: Chapter 367: Hidden Fields

Just after 7:00 AM, the sun climbed higher, its early summer rays already carrying a hint of scorching heat.

In front of the Chen Mansion, the sound of somewhat disorderly footsteps broke the silence.

Over fifty government constables, wearing Black Slave Official Uniforms with Iron Ruler Lock Chains at their waists, marched to the gates of the Chen Mansion, led by an Official with a grim expression.

The procession stopped.

At the gate, a white-haired old servant, around fifty or sixty years old, was stunned by the sight. He immediately dropped his broom, hurried forward, and forced a smile onto his face. "Lord Officials, what brings you here...?"

The government constable cut him off, casting a cold sideways glance. "By order of the Jingshan County Magistrate’s Office, we are here to survey the land. Order the Chief Steward of the Lingxi Chen Family to come out at once to hear the decree and cooperate."

"Lord Officials, please wait a moment. I will go and announce you."

The old servant didn’t dare to delay. He turned and ran into the mansion.

Before long, with the light jingle of her ornaments, Song Ying emerged from the mansion, accompanied by two personal maids and four household servants.

Today, she wore a simple yet elegant lake-blue ruqun. Her gaze swept over the dark mass of government constables at the gate before finally settling on their leader. She gave a slight curtsy. "I am of the Chen Family. Greetings, Lord Officials."

Seeing the head of the household emerge, the lead government constable wasted no words. He unfurled a scroll stamped with the bright red seal of the County Magistrate’s Office and began to read aloud in a loud, expressionless voice.

The content was simply about the Court’s strict investigation into abuses like concealing land and fraudulent registrations, ordering an immediate resurvey and demanding full cooperation from all households.

When he finished reading, his eyes fixed on Song Ying. "Madam Chen, here is the document. Please send out someone from your household who is familiar with the fields to guide us. Today, the survey of Lingxi’s lands will begin with your family."

Song Ying was already aware of this matter. Chen Li had mentioned it before he went into seclusion, telling her not to be overly anxious but to handle it with caution.

Her expression remained unchanged as she nodded. "Since this is official business of the Court, the Chen Family will naturally cooperate. May I ask for this Lord Official’s name?"

"Li Jishan."

The government constable’s reply was curt and clipped, his tone icy.

"Go call the Stewards."

Song Ying turned and gave a quiet order to the servants beside her.

The servants acknowledged the order and ran off.

Soon, seven men came running to the gate. They were all Stewards from the Chen Family, responsible for the various farming estates.

"We appreciate the hard work of Constable Li and the Lord Officials."

Song Ying nodded to Li Jishan again.

Li Jishan glanced at the government constables behind him and said in a low voice, "Split into seven teams. Move out individually."

After a brief discussion, each of the Chen Family Stewards took a team and led the Officials off in different directions.

...

The group led by Steward Chen Daifu was the one personally headed by government constable Li Jishan. It consisted of six men, including a clerk.

They were heading to a Sang Tian on the east side of Lingxi Village.

This Sang Tian plot was about three hundred mu, an estate that Chen Li had purchased from Wang Shizhang through the Jingshan County Magistrate’s Office in his early years.

It was late spring, and the mulberry leaves had long since been completely harvested to feed silkworms. All that remained were bare branches, with a few tender green buds sprouting at their tips.

Standing on the path between the fields, Li Jishan scanned the land and asked, "Where are the four boundaries of this plot?"

Chen Daifu hurried forward, pointed out several clear markers beyond the path, and said with an obsequious smile, "Lord Official, you see, the boundary markers are all perfectly clear. There’s really no need to go to the trouble of measuring again. The weather is hot today and the sun is fierce. Why don’t I take you Lord Officials to a shady spot to rest your feet? I can have someone bring some tea and pastries to help you relax."

But Li Jishan acted as if he hadn’t heard him. "Your word means nothing. We go by the rope."

With that, he waved a hand to the men behind him, not even glancing at Chen Daifu’s instantly frozen expression.

A government constable immediately took out a large coil of hemp rope from his pack.

Chen Daifu grumbled inwardly, but he didn’t dare say another word. He could only suppress his unease and obediently lead the way.

Four government constables split into two pairs, unfurled the hemp rope, and began measuring along the boundaries Chen Daifu had indicated.

After a flurry of activity, nearly half an hour had passed.

The four government constables in charge of measuring returned, drenched in sweat, and reported their findings.

The clerk’s abacus clacked away. A moment later, he announced loudly, "This plot, measured with the standard Official Rope, is actually three hundred and sixty-one and a half mu."

"Three hundred and sixty-one and a half mu?"

Chen Daifu nearly leaped into the air, shouting at the top of his lungs, "That’s impossible, absolutely impossible! Lord Official, I’ve managed this land for years. It’s three hundred mu at most! You must have measured wrong, or calculated wrong!"

Li Jishan’s eyes turned sharp as he barked, "Insolence! You dare question the County Magistrate’s Office? It seems to me you have a guilty conscience and are deliberately causing trouble to obstruct the survey. Clerk, record this: Chen Family Steward Chen Daifu is obstructing official business and yelling at government personnel."

Chen Daifu’s face turned purple-red. His chest heaved violently as he gasped for breath.

After a long moment, he managed to squeeze out a smile that was uglier than a grimace. "Lord Official, please calm down, calm down. It’s my fault for getting flustered. You see, this plot of land was bought from the County Magistrate’s Office in black and white by our master years ago. The deed clearly states it’s three hundred mu, there’s no mistake. How about... I go back to the mansion now and ask the Madam to bring the deed so we can check it on the spot?"

But Li Jishan ignored him, stating indifferently, "Whatever past documents say is a matter of the past. This survey will be based solely on the actual measurements from this rope survey."

Seeing that the other party was being completely unreasonable, Chen Daifu grew even more anxious. "Lord Official, Lord Official! Please, be merciful. Perhaps the measurements were a bit rushed just now, causing some deviation. I beg you to be lenient and have your men go through the trouble one more time. I, this old man, will personally guide them. Let’s measure it again."

Li Jishan stared at him for a few breaths, a mocking sneer appearing on his face. "Fine. I’ll give you this one chance. But you listen to me good, this is the only one. If you dare to drone on and delay our official duties at the next plot, don’t blame my chains for being merciless!"

"Thank you, Lord Official! Thank you, Lord Official!"

Chen Daifu bowed repeatedly.

At once, two government constables unfurled the hemp rope again and started measuring from the eastern boundary.

This time, Chen Daifu was on high alert, his eyes glued to the rope, taking each step with extreme care.

Each time the government constables finished a length of rope, they would break off a mulberry branch to mark the spot on the ground, then reel in the rope and pull it forward again.

One length, two lengths...

They had pulled the rope a full sixteen times before they finally crossed from the east side of the field to the west.

"Wrong! This is wrong!"

In his panic, Chen Daifu couldn’t hold back any longer and blurted out, "Lord Official, this distance, when I pace it out myself, is one hundred and twenty zhang at most. Your rope length is definitely not ten zhang! There’s something wrong with this rope!"

SHING!

With a piercing screech of metal on metal, Li Jishan’s Official Saber was already half-drawn from his waist. The blade reflected a deadly cold light under the sun, its tip pointed directly at Chen Daifu’s nose.

"Vile servant!"

Li Jishan’s voice was stern and his eyes revealed a murderous intent. "This is a ten-zhang Official Rope issued from the Government Treasury. The Court has its own regulations. How dare you make such baseless accusations and question it? Are you trying to test the sharpness of this Official Saber?"

Startled by the killing intent, Chen Daifu stumbled back two steps, his face pale and his forehead instantly beaded with cold sweat. He waved his hands frantically, his voice trembling, "I wouldn’t dare... I wouldn’t dare! Please calm your anger, Lord Official. It was my poor judgment. I was talking nonsense."

Li Jishan snorted, his gaze as cold as ever. "Are you done measuring?"

"...We’re done measuring."

Chen Daifu said, dejected.

"Is the number correct?"

"...I-It’s correct."

Chen Daifu gritted his teeth, forcing the words out.

"Then what are you standing around for?"

Li Jishan said coldly, "Stop wasting time. Lead the way to the next plot."

Chen Daifu didn’t dare say another word. Crestfallen, he silently turned and led Li Jishan and his men toward the next field.

...

「Evening.」

In front of the Chen Mansion, the government constables from the County Magistrate’s Office returned in twos and threes, gathering in the open space outside the gate.

Li Jishan looked at Chen Daifu and said bluntly, "Our work is not yet finished. We need to stay here for the night and continue tomorrow. Go inform your Chief Steward to arrange accommodations for us immediately."

Chen Daifu dared not delay and hurried inside to report.

At that moment, in the inner residence of the Chen Mansion, the atmosphere was heavy.

Song Ying sat in the main seat of the central hall. Below her stood the Stewards who had split up to lead the government constables in measuring the fields during the day.

These men were all longtime retainers of the Chen Family, but now each of their faces was filled with indignation as they all talked at once, reporting the day’s events.

One Steward was so angry his voice trembled. "My plot is clearly only two hundred and thirty mu, but they insisted on measuring it as two hundred and ninety! That’s a whole sixty mu extra! When I tried to argue with them, that damned official just glared at me and threatened to put me in chains."

"My Sang Tian was the same, they added nearly thirty percent to its size."

"Me too! They added more than forty mu out of thin air!"

Song Ying listened quietly, her brow furrowing deeper and deeper.

She quickly made a mental calculation, and the final number made her heart sink.

From the plots measured today alone, over six hundred extra mu had been added to the books out of nowhere.

And this was only the beginning.

The Chen Family currently owned ten thousand mu of land in Jingshan County.

If they continued at this rate, by the time the entire survey was complete, the amount of land fabricated would likely be close to two thousand mu.

Song Ying had studied the Court’s laws with her father in her youth. She knew that if they were truly found guilty of concealing land, the punishment ranged from fines and caning to exile. The concealed land would be confiscated by the government, and all the back-owed Land Tax for previous years would have to be paid in full.

This was a disaster sufficient to shake the very foundation of the Chen Family.

The most crucial point was that these two thousand mu were being blatantly fabricated through underhanded means.

This was a naked frame-up!

At this thought, Song Ying’s vision swam. She felt a wave of anger and exhaustion.

She steadied her Heart Spirit and looked at everyone in the hall. "You are all longtime retainers of the family. Given the current situation, what are your thoughts? Do you have any ideas?"

Chen Daifu’s eyes were bloodshot. "Those damned officials! They’re just looking for ways to extort money from us! Sons of bitches, their hearts are black as coal."

This immediately drew agreement. "Right, I think they’re just here for money."

Steward Chen Yougui chose his words carefully. "Madam, their intention in asking to stay the night is obvious. They’re just waiting for us to offer them a bribe. These damned officials are insatiably greedy. If we resist head-on, we’ll likely suffer for it. It would be better to spend some silver to make them take the money and leave, to avoid bigger trouble later on."

Although the others were reluctant, they had to admit it was a sound strategy. They all turned to look at Song Ying.

Song Ying was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and ordered her trusted maid, "Go to the accountant and withdraw five hundred taels of silver. Give it to Steward Yougui."

Then, she looked at Chen Yougui and said, "The most important thing right now is to stabilize the situation. I’ll have to trouble you, Yougui, to make sure this is handled properly."

"Yes, Madam."

Chen Yougui accepted the order and left.