The ox cart rumbled toward the east gate of Qiantang County town. The morning sun had just risen, and a summer breeze brushed past. A night of fine rain had soaked the road until it was wet and slippery, and the wheels left deep ruts as they rolled over it.
The Ding Clan's villa was ten li from Qiantang County town. The first stretch was soft earth, so Chen Caozhi and Lai De both rode on the ox cart. Nearer the town, the road became sandy loam and was no longer muddy, so they both got down and walked.
Chen Caozhi wore his hair bound beneath a small cap, a single-layer tunic of fine beige hemp, and high-toothed wooden clogs. His broad sleeves hung loose, and his steps were unhurried.
Lai Fu had Lai De learn to drive the ox cart while he followed behind Chen Caozhi and talked.
Lai Fu asked, "Young master, are we going to County Magistrate Feng's residence first?"
Feng Mengxiong, a close friend of Chen Caozhi's father, Chen Su, currently served as Qiantang County's magistrate. Although the county magistrate, county commandant, and Chief Clerk were all minor officials of the ninth rank, the magistrate had far less actual power than the commandant and Chief Clerk. It was merely an idle post, responsible for presiding over the county government's various rites and ceremonies.
Chen Caozhi said, "We'll pay Uncle Feng a visit first and ask about the Household Registration Inspection in the seventh month while we're there."
Lai Fu had been worrying about the Household Registration Inspection all these days, afraid that his family of six would be sent to Qiao Province for resettlement. He hastily said, "You've thought this through, young master. County Magistrate Feng is a colleague of Lu Clerk, who's in charge of the inspection. We could ask him to put in a word for us."
Chen Caozhi murmured his assent, feeling quite worried himself. His sister-in-law had asked yesterday about Lai Fu's protected household status. Afraid of worrying her, he had brushed it aside lightly, but the difficulty lay before him and had to be resolved. Lai Fu's family were capable helpers to the West Tower branch of the Chen Clan. They had served the family for years with unwavering loyalty, and he had to find some way to keep them from being uprooted and left homeless. Yet the Qiantang Chen Clan currently had no ranked officials and thus had no right to retain protected households. In the previous two years, out of regard for his father's and elder brother's reputations, the county had not revoked the Chen Clan's protected households during either inspection. Now, however, the newly appointed Lu Clerk was said to be rather strict. This year's hurdle would probably be very difficult to clear-
However difficult it is, I have to force my way through!
Swinging his broad sleeves, Chen Caozhi walked into Qiantang County town.
Qiantang County ranked in the middle among the twelve counties of Wu Commandery. Its county town was small, no more than five li across. The entire county had fewer than four thousand registered households, with a population of roughly twenty thousand, but its actual population far exceeded that figure. Qiantang County occupied a crucial passage for people moving between the northern and southern banks of the Qiantang River in Jiangnan, and many refugees from the north passed through. The vast majority were taken into the Manors of powerful gentry clans and became Hidden Households—
Hidden Households differed from protected households. Protected households were households legally retained by the gentry, exempt from paying taxes or performing service for the government. Their numbers were restricted: even a first-rank high official could retain only forty households. Hidden Households, by contrast, were illegal. Powerful gentry clans relied on their influence to take refugees into their Manors to farm and perform labor, in numbers far exceeding those of protected households. These Hidden Households were not entered in household registers, paid neither land tax nor household levies to the government, and performed no miscellaneous corvée labor. In other words, those gentry Manors and country properties were states within a state.
The West Market in Qiantang County town was the largest gathering and dispersal point for refugees in the three nearby counties. Feng Mengxiong lived not far from it.
Lai Fu had accompanied his old master, Chen Su, to the Feng residence many times before. Three large scholar trees stood before its main gate, making it easy to recognize. The gatekeeper recognized him too and quickly took the bamboo visiting slip inside to announce them. Soon, Feng Mengxiong came out to greet them.
Feng Mengxiong was in his fifties, of medium height, with a lean face and a raised Flesh Mole on his chin. Chen Caozhi remembered him. When his late father and elder brother had died, Feng Mengxiong had come to Chen Family Cove to offer condolences on both occasions. He was a kind and honest elder.
Chen Caozhi greeted Feng Mengxiong with great respect and instructed Lai Fu to present the gifts they had prepared: two ducks, five jin of smoked dried meat, and a jar of home-brewed rice wine.
Feng Mengxiong had not seen Chen Caozhi for nearly three years. Back then, Chen Caozhi had still been a slender, scholarly-looking child. He had never expected him to have become such a graceful, handsome youth, refined in manner and clear in speech. He could not help feeling deeply gratified on his late friend's behalf.
As the two families were old family friends, Chen Caozhi followed Feng Mengxiong into the inner courtyard to pay his respects to Feng's wife, Sun Shi. She too was delighted and told the cook to prepare lunch, insisting that Chen Caozhi and his two servants stay for a meal.
Feng Mengxiong said to the young maid beside Sun Shi, "Call Lingbo out to meet Caozhi. The Chen and Feng families have been friends for two generations. Caozhi and Lingbo are like brother and sister; there's no need for them to be distant."
Sun Shi said, "I'll go and fetch her myself." Before leaving, she gave Chen Caozhi a smiling glance.
Chen Caozhi felt a little awkward. His mother had previously said she wanted to seek the Feng Clan girl's hand for him, so seeing Sun Shi look at him like a mother-in-law eyeing a fine prospective son-in-law made him quite uncomfortable. He did not want others deciding his marriage for him.
Feng Lingbo was fourteen, with an oval face, delicate brows, and clear eyes. Her figure had already developed, and she was only slightly shorter than Chen Caozhi, with considerable slender grace. She stepped forward with a gentle bow and said, "Good brother, your younger sister wishes you every blessing."
Chen Caozhi lowered his gaze as he returned her greeting, but still caught sight of the blush on Feng Lingbo's cheeks. Presumably her mother, Sun Shi, had said something to her. Fortunately, Feng Lingbo soon went back inside. Chen Caozhi also took his leave of Sun Shi and followed Feng Mengxiong to the front hall, where they sat down to talk.
Feng Mengxiong asked about recent affairs at Chen Family Cove and the health of Mother Chen Lady Li. Chen Caozhi answered each question in turn. Feng Mengxiong then selected passages from Mao Poetry and the Analects to test his learning. Seeing Chen Caozhi answer as fluently as flowing water delighted him even more.
Chen Caozhi steered the conversation toward the Household Registration Inspection in the seventh month. Feng Mengxiong's brows furrowed. He knew the situation at Chen Family Cove and said, "That newly appointed Lu Clerk says he means to use this Household Registration Inspection to increase the court's tax revenue and the number of people available for service. It all sounds grand and dignified, but how would he dare touch so much as a hair on the heads of the Qiantang Gentry? He's merely bullying the county's humble families in hopes of extorting bribes. I've heard that Lu Clerk wants to raise his Lu Clan from Commoner Clans status into the gentry—"
Chen Caozhi was taken aback. "Can a clan be promoted?"
Feng Mengxiong smiled. "Not openly, but secretly. They alter the registered status in the records and fraudulently enter the gentry. That still exempts them from taxes and service."
Chen Caozhi was somewhat shocked. "Impersonating the gentry is a serious crime. Would Lu Clerk really dare act so recklessly?"
Feng Mengxiong said, "Very few people know about this. Besides, Lu Clerk has close ties with this county's Chu Clan, which has members holding important posts in Wu Commandery. Unless someone has a grudge against him, no one will report him."
Chen Caozhi thought, This Chief Clerk surnamed Lu has even forged ties with that powdered widower's clan. I fear this will work against our Chen Clan. He asked, "Uncle Feng, can the Lu Clan keep impersonating the gentry forever? He can't remain Qiantang County's Chief Clerk for the rest of his life, can he?"
Feng Mengxiong said, "As long as they get through the next Great Tuduan—a nationwide Household Registration Inspection—undetected, the Lu Clan really could become legitimate gentry. As time passes, their false Gentry Clans Status will become true. Of course, that may be thirty or fifty years from now."
Chen Caozhi had certainly learned something new. He thought, This visit hasn't been in vain. Uncle Feng has revealed such a great secret to me. Now I have a firmer footing.
Feng Mengxiong said, "As for Lai Fu's protected household status, when I meet Lu Clerk another day, I'll sound him out for you and see what he thinks. If he really insists on revoking it, just let him-"
"Hm?" Chen Caozhi felt that Uncle Feng was being too weak. He said, "Uncle Feng, you know Lai Fu has been with our Chen Family for more than ten years. Though we're master and servant in name, we're truly like family. How could I bear to let his family drift away to Qiao Province and suffer bullying there?"
Feng Mengxiong said gravely, "Caozhi, you mustn't let youthful hotheadedness lead you into fighting Lu Clerk. Here in Qiantang, the Chen Clan cannot defeat the Lu Clan. Don't think you can frighten him merely because you have evidence that his clan is impersonating the gentry. He could immediately change their registration back to the Commoner Register, and then it would be the Chen Clan that could no longer gain a foothold in Qiantang."
Chen Caozhi said calmly, "Your warning is well taken, Uncle. I won't act so rashly. But is there truly no way to help Lai Fu's family?"
Feng Mengxiong said, "There's only one way: change Lai Fu's status to that of a tenant farmer registered in this county. He'll have to perform miscellaneous corvée labor and pay land tax and household levies from now on, but his family can still farm at Chen Family Cove. You needn't worry about this. I'll handle it for you. Wait at Chen Family Cove, and have Lai Fu come here once every half month."
Chen Caozhi thanked Uncle Feng, but felt quite uncomfortable. Paying taxes and performing service were only right, yet Lu Clerk's ugly conduct left him indignant.
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