Grading farmers' landholdings was a practice fraught with abuses. The imperial court and local authorities gained no additional tax revenue from it, yet it gave corrupt officials and cunning clerks opportunities to fleece the innocent, oppress the people, take bribes, and bend the law. In some commanderies and counties where official corruption ran deep, farmers did not even dare plant trees, reclaim fields, or patch their crumbling walls with mud, for fear that their land grades and household ranks would be raised, exposing them to the extortion of crushing taxes and levies.
But Qiantang County's administration had remained reasonably honest over the years, and landholdings were assessed only once every ten years, since the fertility of the soil might change over a decade. The last assessment in the twelve counties of Wu Commandery had been seven years ago; the ten-year term had not yet elapsed. Was this Lu Clerk going to put honest farmers through such turmoil as soon as he took office?
Chen Caozhi comforted his mother and told her not to worry too much. The West Tower Chen family's twenty qing of land all lay beside Mingsheng Lake. There was no way it could be graded as top-quality farmland!
Two hundred years earlier, hardly anyone had lived around Mingsheng Lake. The lake had once connected to the sea, and its water had been salty-even the water drawn from wells was salty. Later, after the lake became separated from the sea, water from the nearby mountain streams gathered in it. Over the passing years, the lake water gradually turned fresh, and households gradually settled along its shores.
Chen Caozhi's mother, Lady Li, said, "I'm only afraid that Chen Liu from the North Tower is playing tricks behind our backs. He was the one who urged your Sixth Uncle to seize our West Tower land. Chen Liu works as a clerk at the county office, so those things he said can't have been entirely without foundation. We must guard against him."
Chen Caozhi considered this, then said, "Tomorrow I'll speak to Fourth Uncle about it. Matters within the clan should be settled within the clan-Mother, rest well. Don't worry too much. You have me. I'm grown up now, aren't I?"
Lady Li stroked her son's cheek affectionately. "You're only fifteen, yet you already have to worry about family affairs, and study so diligently every day besides. It pains me to see it-well, Chou'er, you should get some rest early too. You walked so far today. Don't stay up reading again, do you hear?"
Chen Caozhi murmured his assent and withdrew. On his way back to his bedroom, he saw a light in the study. Xiao Chan and Qingzhi were waiting to keep him company while he read that night. Only then did he remember that he had left in such a hurry that day that he had forgotten to bring back the first volume of Huainan Honglie: Inner Chapters, which he had selected in Immortal Elder Ge's study. He would have to fetch it in a few days. He went over at once and smiled. "Sister Xiao Chan, Sister Qingzhi, my mother ordered me to rest early, so I won't be reading tonight. I really am tired. Forty li there and back in half a day-I didn't feel it earlier, but now my legs are as heavy as if they'd been filled with lead."
Xiao Chan immediately said, "Let Qingzhi massage your legs, young master."
"Ah!" Qingzhi exclaimed in surprise. "You're the one who wants to massage the young master's legs, Xiao Chan, but you're using me to say it."
Xiao Chan blushed and said in her own defense, "We've both helped the young master bathe. What's wrong with massaging his legs?"
Chen Caozhi smiled. "How could I trouble either of you, sisters? All right, I'm off to bed. I'll get up early tomorrow to climb the mountain."
Back in his bedroom, Chen Caozhi massaged his own legs briefly, then lay down and fell asleep. Though he had worries, he believed he could resolve them, and slept as soundly as ever.
He awoke clearheaded and refreshed. Apart from some lingering soreness in his legs, his energy had fully returned. After washing up, he went downstairs as usual, ready to climb Nine Luminaries Mountain to practice playing the xiao.
Lai De was already waiting at the main gate. The boy Ran Sheng and the one-armed Jing slave were there too.
Yesterday, Lai Fu had asked the Jing slave what craft he knew. He had answered that he could work as a blacksmith, but now that he had lost an arm, he was afraid he could no longer forge iron.
Lai Fu had not expected much help from this old man and boy anyway, so he had assigned them for the time being to watch the gate and courtyard and tend the three Luxi Cattle. They could help in the fields during the busy farming season. Perhaps the two of them would run away before that season even arrived.
The boy Ran Sheng also wanted to climb the mountain with Chen Caozhi, and Chen Caozhi agreed.
Historical records described Emperor Wu of Jin Sima Yan as a man of imposing stature whose hair reached the ground when he stood and whose hands extended below his knees. Although the boy Ran Sheng's hands did not reach below his knees when he stood, they were not far short. He truly had an unusual appearance. He was also an excellent runner, climbing slopes and crossing rocks as though walking on level ground. In fact, he hardly ran at all, yet in no time he had passed Chen Caozhi and Lai De and stood waiting ahead.
Knowing that Lai De was also strong on his feet, Chen Caozhi encouraged him to race Ran Sheng and see who could reach the summit first.
There was no suspense whatsoever about the outcome. Trailing behind, Chen Caozhi looked up to see the tall, strapping Ran Sheng moving as nimbly as an ape. In sheer speed, he climbed the mountain as though running over level ground. Lai De strained with all his might, but the harder he chased, the farther behind he fell.
When Chen Caozhi reached the summit, he heard Lai De saying indignantly, "Being able to run is no great skill. Let's compare strength and see who's stronger!" Sixteen-year-old Lai De had plenty of brute strength in his arms.
"How do we compare?" Ran Sheng asked.
Lai De looked around, then pointed at the large rock where Chen Caozhi often sat to play the xiao. "We'll use this. If you can lift this rock, I'll concede."
"Can you lift it, Brother Lai De?" Ran Sheng asked.
Lai De answered honestly, "I can't. I can only rock it a little. It must weigh more than three hundred jin."
Under the Jin system of weights and measures, one jin was equivalent to roughly three hundred and fifty grams in later times. Even a strong adult man could not lift a rock like this.
But twelve-year-old Ran Sheng said, "I'll try." Rubbing his fists and palms, he bent down and gripped the rock. With a sudden burst of strength, he lifted it several inches off the ground, but his strength fell short, and the rock dropped back down.
Lai De clicked his tongue in amazement. "You're strong, you're strong. I'm no match for you."
"That doesn't count," Ran Sheng said. "I didn't lift it either. I'll try again."
Standing beneath a short pine, Chen Caozhi watched Ran Sheng draw a deep breath, lower his back, and raise his head. His eyes suddenly turned blood-red, and veins bulged at his temples. With a muffled "Hah!", he actually hoisted the great rock to his chest and even took two steps-
Lai De was dumbstruck. Chen Caozhi said, "Careful, don't crush your feet."
With a bang, the rock struck the ground, making the rocky surface shudder.
Only as they were descending the mountain did Ran Sheng's red eyes return to normal.
At the entrance to the fortified compound, Chen Caozhi encountered Chen Liu from the North Tower again. He greeted him courteously. "Good morning, Seventh Brother."
Chen Liu thought Chen Caozhi had finally lost his composure and was about to ask him for help. Inwardly pleased, he sneered. "Sixteenth Brother, you're certainly enjoying yourself, climbing the mountain so early."
Chen Caozhi said, "I wonder which county official will oversee this land assessment. You must know, Seventh Brother."
Chen Liu had not intended to answer, but then it occurred to him that Chen Caozhi might misunderstand if he did not. What did a youngster know? If he refused to answer, the boy might think he did not know. So he said, "Naturally I know. It's Lu Clerk from the county office. Lu Clerk told me himself the day before yesterday."
"Oh, Lu Clerk told you himself," Chen Caozhi repeated, then added, "If I asked you to intercede for me, Seventh Brother, how much money and silk would I need to prepare?"
Chen Liu's eyes gleamed as he asked, "You're asking me for help?"
"You could say that," Chen Caozhi said calmly.
The sight of Chen Caozhi's detached, unruffled manner displeased Chen Liu. Someone begging a favor ought to look the part. Did he not know how to hunch his shoulders and smile ingratiatingly? Was that not exactly how Chen Liu behaved before Lu Clerk? Taking advantage of Chen Caozhi's youth, he said bluntly, "Ten qing of land. Draw up a deed and put your mark on it, transferring it into my name, and I'll intercede for you. I'll also get you exempted from miscellaneous labor service in the future."
Chen Caozhi nodded. "I understand." He turned and walked away.
Thinking Chen Caozhi was going to consult his mother, Chen Liu said, "You should arrange the intercession early. Don't hesitate, or when trouble is upon you, it'll be too late for regrets."
Without looking back, Chen Caozhi said, "Wait here, Seventh Brother. In a little while, I'll invite you to the ancestral hall to talk."
Chen Liu watched Chen Caozhi's straight-backed figure head toward the West Tower and still felt displeased, though ten qing of land would soon be his.
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