Chen Jiao and her party were accommodated in the official residence, with Chen Jiao staying in a small, independent courtyard.
The courtyard was not large, but it was clean and tidy, and even had a small kitchen.
An elderly woman surnamed Hu was assigned to serve her, but Chen Jiao, distrustful of outsiders, sent her away.
Ma Chun was inside tidying up the bedding, while Chen Jiao stood in the courtyard observing the sky.
It was the second month of spring, a time when grass grew and orioles flew a season of vigorous growth for all things.
She loved spring, the renewal of all things, and the vitality that sprouted from this vast land.
That evening, Magistrate Zheng planned to host a banquet to welcome them, but Chen Jiao politely declined, citing fatigue from the journey.
Magistrate Zheng couldn’t guess the purpose of her visit and felt uneasy.
County Clerk Liu privately advised him, saying, “Those who come with ill intentions are not here for goodwill. This time, Chen Jiao has brought a hundred soldiers, which shows she intends to take action.”
“Your Honor should make preparations early. It would be best to gather the local gentry to discuss countermeasures, so as not to be caught off guard.”
Magistrate Zheng nodded, stroking his beard, and said,
“County Clerk Liu is right. I’ve been feeling restless, as if something big is about to happen.”
County Clerk Liu reassured him, “Your Honor need not worry. After all, Chen Jiao is just a woman.”
“Whatever she asks for, we’ll accommodate her. If it’s beyond our ability to handle, we’ll report it to the higher-ups. They’ll surely find a way to deal with it.”
Magistrate Zheng looked at him and reminded him, “In the coming days, make sure everyone in the yamen stays alert. We must not make any mistakes.”
County Clerk Liu replied, “I understand, Your Honor.”
Magistrate Zheng paced back and forth with his hands behind his back.
He couldn’t understand why this woman had come here to farm.
What was even more absurd was that the Prince of Huai’an had not only allowed it but also granted her a hundred soldiers.
It was truly baffling.
The next day, Chen Jiao personally visited the yamen, where the clerks and officers were on high alert.
Magistrate Zheng was still occupied with other matters, so County Clerk Liu received them.
Chen Jiao knelt on the mat, picked up her teacup, and looked at County Clerk Liu, saying,
“When County Clerk Liu has some free time, please report the household registrations and land records of Wei County to Clerk Wu. I’d like to understand the population and land situation in the county.”
County Clerk Liu replied respectfully, “Ninth Lady, please give me a day to organize the records. I’ll have the ledgers ready by tomorrow at the latest.”
Chen Jiao nodded, “That’s good.”
She then asked about local specialties, good food, or interesting places to visit, wanting to enjoy some leisure.
County Clerk Liu eagerly introduced them, and Chen Jiao listened attentively, easing her tense mood.
The group didn’t stay long at the yamen.
Taking advantage of the good weather, Chen Jiao went to the outskirts of the city.
The southern hilly region, with its many mountains, was quite different from the northern plains.
Due to the integration of the north and south in recent years, both craftsmanship and culture had developed rapidly.
Here, rice cultivation was the primary activity, but the annual yield was not high-only about two to three dan per mu, equivalent to two to three hundred pounds, and that was under favorable weather conditions and meticulous farming.
For those who owned their land, after deducting the 30% tax paid to the government, the remainder was their food supply.
For tenant farmers, life was even harder.
Not only did they have to pay taxes, but they also had to pay rent, leaving them with barely 40% of their harvest.
Throughout history, no matter the era, the common people at the bottom have always been the exploited class.
There were many villages around the county town.
Chen Jiao and her companions disguised themselves as ordinary spring outings, dressed in simple clothes, and walked into the fields.
Some villagers, with their pants rolled up, were bending over in the fields planting early rice.
When they caught sight of the group, they couldn’t help but take a few extra glances.
Wu Yingzhong seemed puzzled as to why Chen Jiao had come here.
Stroking his beard, he said, “I’m quite perplexed, Miss Jiao. Why did you instruct County Magistrate Liu to organize the household registrations and land records?”
Chen Jiao gazed at the distant mountains and replied, “The household registrations allow us to understand the population composition of the county, while the land records reveal the extent of land annexation.”
“If this county has a balanced mix of young and old, and the land is fairly distributed among its owners, then the lives of the local people are likely manageable. Otherwise, the situation is dire.”
Wu Yingzhong nodded, “That makes a lot of sense.”
Xu Zhao couldn’t help but interject, “What’s the use of understanding these two aspects?”
Chen Jiao raised an eyebrow, “The uses are vast.”
She didn’t elaborate further, but Wu Yingzhong, standing beside her, was surprised.
He hadn’t expected her to have such a sharp insight into local administration.
The group strolled leisurely, and Chen Jiao, holding a dogtail grass, decided to visit the village.
At the entrance of the village, they stopped at a farmer’s house to ask for a drink of water.
The woman of the house was warm-hearted and brought out stools for them to sit on.
Her mother-in-law, however, was somewhat timid, holding her grandson and eyeing the group warily.
The men of the household were out in the fields, and the grandfather, a stonemason, was away working.
They had their own land, and their lives were just barely sustainable.
Chen Jiao was particularly interested in the land situation in the village and casually asked about it.
The woman, who was quite talkative, gossiped, “The family with the most land in our village is the Qin family at the end of the village. They inherited over a hundred acres from their ancestors, but they’ve sold a lot of it in the past two years.”
Chen Jiao asked curiously, “Why did they sell it?”
The woman, sewing clothes, replied, “Two years ago, their only son got into trouble. He got drunk and injured someone, and he ended up in prison.”
Chen Jiao softly said, “Oh.”
Ma Chun interjected curiously, “Did they have to sell their land just because he injured someone?”
The woman waved her hand, “It wasn’t really a big deal. The injured person was from the neighboring village, and he only had a broken arm. He recovered after a few months.”
“But at the time, the Qin family didn’t handle it well. The other side reported it to the authorities, and the young master Qin ended up in prison. The Qin family had to pay a lot of money in compensation.”
Chen Jiao asked, “Has the young master Qin been released from prison yet?”
The woman gave a subtle expression, “Once a fat sheep enters, it’s not so easy to get out.”
Chen Jiao: “…”
Wu Yingzhong, hearing this, couldn’t help but join in the gossip, “So there’s a trick to being in prison?”
The woman paused her sewing briefly, “Oh, there are plenty of tricks. The Qin family themselves said that the prison is a bottomless pit, and they regret it deeply.”
The mother-in-law, sitting under the shade of a tree, suddenly reminded her, “Third Sister, don’t gossip too much.”
The woman didn’t mind, “Everyone in the village knows about this. There’s nothing to hide.”
At this, Chen Jiao and the others all showed expressions of curiosity.
What kind of tricks could there be in prison?
Seeing their interest, the woman began to share the inside details, “I heard from the Qin family that the prison is divided into different levels.”
Chen Jiao asked, “What do you mean?”
The woman said seriously, “According to them, if your family is well-off and willing to bribe the jailers, you’ll get a cell with a window and fewer inmates.”
“If your family is even wealthier, you’ll get a private cell, and the food will be much better.”
“If the family is poor and can’t afford to pay, they’ll just be thrown into the common cell. I’ve heard that at times, there are dozens of people crammed in there, eating, drinking, and relieving themselves all in the same space.”
“When there are so many people, conflicts are inevitable. Some can’t bear it and beg the jailers to notify their families to find a way to pull some strings.”
“Take the Qin family, for example. They’re somewhat well-off, and since their young master is the only son, they couldn’t bear to see him suffer. That’s why they’ve been pouring money into the prison time and time again.”
The crowd was astonished.
Being a jailer was clearly a lucrative job.
Ma Chun, gaining some insight, joked, “Then the prison must be hoping for more people to get locked up. That way, business will thrive.”
The woman laughed at his remark and waved her hand, saying,
“We common folk fear the authorities the most. If anyone gets caught up in a lawsuit, it’s a disaster. No matter how big or small the case, it’s bound to strip you of a layer of skin.”
Wu Yingzhong criticized, “This is outrageous. Regardless of the severity of the crime, it all comes down to money for better treatment. They’ve turned it into a business.”
The woman replied, “You’ve spoken the truth, sir. We never knew the inside workings before. It was only through the Qin family that we learned about it. They’ve suffered greatly from it.”
The group continued to discuss the prison business in hushed tones.
Chen Jiao couldn’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu.
After thinking for a while, she realized this situation was familiar.
Fang Bao of the Qing Dynasty had written Miscellaneous Notes from Prison, which depicted the various scenes inside the prison.
It was almost identical to what the woman had described.
As the saying goes, true strength lies in not complaining about the environment.
Those jailers were truly resourceful, coming up with concepts like group housing and public housing within the prison.
Chen Jiao was utterly impressed.
This business was a never-ending source of income.
As long as people were locked up, there was always money to be made.
It was like slowly bleeding them dry, a steady stream of profit, far more sustainable than a one-time windfall.
The group sat in the courtyard for a while before leaving.
On the way, Ma Chun remarked, “This county government is truly corrupt. With this system, the prison will never run out of people.”
Xu Zhao, unfazed, clasped his hands behind his back and added,
“If officials relied solely on their salaries, they’d probably starve.”
“You have to consider that a government office needs to function. It has to support hundreds of clerks, horses, servants, and meals. All of that requires money.”
“The salaries allocated from above are fixed for a set number of people. Any extra has to be scraped together by the county magistrate himself to cover the shortfall.”
“That’s not even the worst of it. Some newly appointed officials arrive at their posts already in debt. Even if they know it’s a hole left by their predecessor, they have to grit their teeth and find a way to fill it themselves.”
“Layer by layer, it’s an unspoken rule in the officialdom. Nothing to be surprised about.”
His tone was calm, as if he had long seen through the corruption of this decaying dynasty.
Chen Jiao, however, was horrified.
If this was how things were run, Huizhou was bound to collapse sooner or later.
“Commander Xu, don’t scare me. Is Huizhou really this corrupt?”
Xu Zhao snorted, “Ask Chief Clerk Wu. He’s older and has seen more.”
Chen Jiao looked at Wu Yingzhong, who remained silent.
It was tacit confirmation.
The atmosphere grew heavy.
After a while, Wu Yingzhong suddenly asked, “Ninth Lady, you came to Wei County to farm. I truly don’t understand. How do you plan to do it?”
Chen Jiao paused for a moment, then said, “Guess.”
Xu Zhao also had questions in his mind but didn’t voice them.
He exchanged a glance with Wu Yingzhong, both sensing an ominous premonition.
Under what circumstances would one deploy a hundred soldiers?
It must be for something significant.
The next afternoon, County Magistrate Liu delivered the household and land records of Wei County to the official residence for Chen Jiao to review.
Ma Chun looked at the several wooden boxes and couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed.
He asked, “So, Miss, are you planning to go through everything in these boxes?”
Chen Jiao lifted the lid of a box, revealing neatly arranged blue-bound ledgers, and instructed,
“Go and fetch Commandant Xu and Registrar Wu. I can’t go through all of this alone.”
Ma Chun acknowledged the order.
After she left, Chen Jiao casually picked up a household register and began flipping through it.
The events of the previous day in the prison had already opened her eyes, and she was curious to see what other surprises Wei County had in store for her.
Before long, Xu Zhao and Wu Yingzhong were summoned.
By then, Chen Jiao was already perusing the land records of Wei County.
Wu Yingzhong bowed and asked, “What instructions does the Ninth Miss have for us?”
Without looking up, Chen Jiao replied, “Join me in going through these records. Help me identify the households with the most land in the county.”
Xu Zhao, curious, inquired, “Why are we looking for that?”
Chen Jiao countered with a question, “Didn’t Registrar Wu ask me yesterday how I planned to farm? My land is among those of the wealthy households.”
At this, Wu Yingzhong’s heart skipped a beat, and his eyelids twitched.
He asked, “Miss, are you planning to target the local gentry?”
Chen Jiao looked up and smiled, “So, the households with the most land are the gentry?”
Wu Yingzhong remained silent.
Chen Jiao continued, “Please help me identify the wealthy households. I have my reasons.”
She paused, then added, “Commandant Xu, when you have time, send a couple of men to gather information on the local notables. Since we’re here, we shouldn’t leave empty-handed.”
Xu Zhao frowned, “What do you mean by ‘not leaving empty-handed’?”
Chen Jiao explained, “I brought a hundred soldiers all this way. I can’t let them return without accomplishing something.”
Xu Zhao was speechless.
Chen Jiao seemed a little excited, rubbing her hands together while saying,
“My father only gave me fifty soldiers. I had to pay for the other fifty out of my own pocket. I need to find some way to recoup that.”
Hearing this, Xu Zhao thought to himself, “All crows are black under the sky.”
Wu Yingzhong, on the other hand, was embarrassed and joked,
“So, Miss, are you planning to extract money from the government office?”
Chen Jiao waved her hand dismissively, “Commandant Xu already mentioned yesterday that it’s not easy for the government to support so many people. I won’t take advantage of the situation.”
Xu Zhao was at a loss for words.
The two men exchanged glances, their emotions complex.
Since she had given the order, they had no choice but to sit down and diligently search for the wealthy households.
The task was not easy.