Chapter 307: You've Figured It Out [Two-in-One]
Outside Fugu City.
A donkey cart moved slowly forward.
The young scholar, with a frail appearance, sat casually.
With one leg bent and flat, and the other bent, using the knee as a temporary desk, the right hand holds a pen to fill in numbers on a JianShu form, sometimes doing mental calculations, sometimes counting on the fingers, and when unsure about the data, taking out an abacus to fiddle with it.
Dozens of scrolls of measured field data were laid out beside the young scholar, while measuring tools such as squares, plumb lines, ropes, and compasses were all stored in a large bamboo basket. Ten young men dressed in coarse linen clothes followed silently alongside the donkey cart.
"What's that loud noise?"
The young scholar is intently proofreading the measurement data.
A few faint sobs reached my ears.
The tune was full of twists and turns, making people feel irritable and restless.
These past few days, he's been working tirelessly from dawn till dusk, climbing mountains and wading through rivers, practically covering the entire territory of Fugu City. He's put in a lot of effort to obtain more accurate measurement data from the diverse shapes of the fields, and after taking the measurements, he still has to organize, summarize, and file them... He's so busy that he falls asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow every day.
Today's progress was not going well, and he was feeling annoyed.
The data was checked twice and there was still a 6-point error.
Just when I finally figured things out, I got disturbed by background noise.
The young scholar was somewhat annoyed.
The attendant who had accompanied the young scholar on his surveying trip went out to inquire and soon returned to report: "It seems to be Mr. Kang."
The young scholar put down his letter and paper: "Kang Jishou?"
He wasn't in the city, so how did he end up outside?
Could it be that you've finished your work?
The young scholar roughly estimated Kang Shi's workload and efficiency, calculated the approximate time, and concluded that it was impossible; even with three heads and six arms, it would be impossible to finish in such a short time. The young scholar had the donkey cart stop on the road for a while, and soon saw Kang Shi and his entourage coming from another road. The latter was on horseback, with more than two hundred people of all ages and backgrounds behind him.
At the same time, Kang Shi also noticed him.
He rode his horse forward at a trot.
He greeted her, "Wangchao."
The young scholar, Gu Chichong, greeted him with clasped hands and asked, "Ji Shou, where did this entourage come from?"
They looked like just a group of ordinary commoners.
As they approached, a cacophony of voices from two or three hundred people rushed into his mind, causing Gu Chi to lean back slightly, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
Kang Shi said, "I am acting on the orders of my lord to arrest him."
In just a few words, Gu Chi roughly learned the general information from the common people's thoughts—Kang Shi had used the recruitment documents from the administrative office to deceive Zhu Family Village, and had also wiped out the entire village, young and old. Now, these common people were cursing the newly arrived River Prefect in their hearts, using all sorts of vicious sentences and words.
Gu Chi ignored these useless noises.
He was curious about what this village had done to warrant such a strong reaction from his lord, who even had Kang Shi personally arrest the people—wasn't it overkill to have Wenxin, a scholar, do this job? After all, Kang Shi still had a mountain of work to do.
Gu Chi guessed: "Are they harboring and protecting fugitives?"
Or is the whole village plotting a rebellion?
Kang Shi said, "No, this matter is too complicated to explain in a few words."
Gu Chi: "Shall we talk as we walk?"
Since we're going the same way anyway, it's a good way to kill time.
Kang Shi did not refuse. He lowered his head and gestured to Yu Zi, who was following beside him, to let her ride in Gu Chi's donkey cart.
Yu Zi glanced at the wooden cart pulled by the donkey, then at the unfamiliar young scholar on the cart, and hesitated to approach.
But this was Kang Shi's intention.
Yu Zi did not hesitate for long.
After bowing to Gu Chi, she climbed up—luckily, she was thin and didn't take up much space, otherwise, the wooden cart with almost no room to step would have been really uncomfortable to sit on—she sat upright, her expression showing a bit of nervousness, awkwardness, and resistance to strangers.
Gu Chi glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, his eyes asking Kang Shi who she was. Kang Shi then briefly explained how he and Shen Tang met Yu Zi and how they learned about the absurdities prevalent in Zhu Family Village from her. Gu Chi was unsurprised by this.
Don't forget, he was good at reading people's hearts.
Gu Chi curled his lips into a mocking smile: "Does Ji Shou know this principle? When a cockroach runs up to your feet and struts around arrogantly, the cockroach has already secretly reproduced for more than eighteen generations and even built an ancestral hall for its ancestors."
The cockroach is what is commonly known as the cockroach.
This idea sounds novel.
Kang Shi pondered the words several times, finding the rough language to be quite reasonable. He then asked, "Where does this proverb come from? It sounds witty and interesting. But isn't that exactly the point? These people are like 'cockroaches,' their offspring multiplying endlessly..."
The whole village was used to it.
It's best to arrange a marriage through a matchmaker, but if that doesn't work out, it's okay. Just find a familiar matchmaker to "look at" a potential partner—it's convenient, quick, and hassle-free. And you don't have to worry about your husband's brothers coming to your defense if you beat or kick him.
What you buy is something that belongs entirely to you.
As long as it doesn't interfere with continuing the family line, it doesn't matter if she's beaten half to death or driven insane—as long as a woman can give birth, even if she's beaten half to death, she'll still have half a life left, right? Even if the woman goes crazy or becomes stupid, the child she gives birth to won't go crazy or become stupid, right?
Of course, it would be even better if someone had hands and feet to help with chores, take care of their parents, and make them comfortable...
Gu Chi said, "Oh, my lord said so."
Kang Shi: "..."
Gu Chi mentioned the conversation he had with Shen Tang earlier—Gu Chi thought that Shen Tang would let Lin Feng go with Chu Yao to settle the common people, so that Lin Feng could gain more experience. However, Shen Tang kept Lin Feng by her side and tried to prevent Lin Feng from contacting the common people in private.
Shen Tang's reasoning was that not all commoners are human; some are merely beasts in human skin! These "beasts" lack moral restraint and have weak reason. The more ignorant they are, the more their behavior tends towards that of beasts…
After that conversation, Gu Chi began to consciously pay attention to the voices of ordinary people. Some were simple, kind, and warm-hearted, but others were ignorant, greedy, evil, and worse than beasts...
His time surveying the land and dealing with these ordinary people has truly shown him what it means to be two-faced, to have one thing on the surface and another in one's heart.
The appearance of a weak person does not mean they are harmless.
The illusion of poverty does not equate to simplicity.
Upon hearing this, Kang Shi's brows relaxed.
Yes, he truly lives up to the lord he has chosen.
Gu Chi: "..."
Honestly—
He always believed that the threat and harm that Gongxi Chou posed to Shen Tang was not as great as the influence of Kang Shi's scholarly way. Ever since Kang Shi arrived, his lord had visibly begun to suffer misfortune.
Encountering these troublesome literary figures—
If you're not tough enough, you can't withstand it.
Gu Chi skipped over this topic and asked, "If Zhu Family Village is so rampant, the situation in nearby villages must be similar. Are we going to investigate every single household? The population of Fugu City isn't huge, but it's not small either. Once the news gets out, most of the kidnapped women will be hidden, but some can't be hidden..."
Gu Chi swallowed the rest of his sentence.
Those that cannot be hidden are mostly killed.
If these women would bring utter disaster to the family, the best solution is either to resell them to a slave trader, hide them, or kill them. After all, the children have already been born; the difference between a woman living and dead is merely whether she has more or fewer children.
It's cruel, but it's reality.
Yu Zi listened quietly to the two gentlemen chatting.
Upon hearing this, my heart clenched tightly.
She never expected this to happen.
This will...
Should we stir up trouble and alert the enemy?
Gu Chi continued, "To catch the thief, first catch the kingpin. Arrest the kidnappers first, then extract information from them. However, I suggest that the kidnappers be executed, while those who bought people from the kidnappers should be dealt with temporarily. The women should be severely punished after they are rescued."
Yu Zi secretly clenched the fabric. Kang Shi did not miss the fleeting unwillingness on Yu Zi's face and said calmly, "It is indeed not advisable to alert them, but there is always room for flexibility. Who says that 'smuggling' is the only charge that can punish them?"
Zheng Qiao led the Geng Kingdom to conquer the Xin Kingdom.
Instead of addressing the problem, they left behind a mess.
These messes are the loopholes that can be exploited, and with Kang Shi's abilities, he can freely roam within these loopholes!
One of these issues is the conflict between the laws of the two countries.
The details of the charges differ, as do the sentencing standards.
For example, in the State of Xin, as long as both sets of parents agree, a wedding banquet is held, and relatives are notified, the couple is considered husband and wife. However, in the State of Geng, registration with the government is mandatory. Without registration, the marriage is not considered valid and is treated as "adultery."
They were all ruthless when it came to adultery.
Men and women were either flogged, paraded through the streets, fined, forced to pound rice, or thrown into building bridges, roads, or city walls...
This regulation in the Geng Kingdom is also related to their land tax system, preventing the common people of the Geng Kingdom from using this channel to pay less land tax.
"If we were to use the laws of Geng Kingdom to legally deem them adulterous and deny their marital relationship..." Kang Shi said slowly, a cold smile playing on his lips, "...I remember that Xin Kingdom also has a law regarding the detailed assessment of a man's adultery..."
Those who commit adultery shall be flogged thirty times and have their noses cut off.
Then there is a detailed rule: if a woman becomes pregnant, the crime is more serious; if a female offspring is born, she shall be flogged thirty times and have her feet cut off; if a male offspring is born, she shall be flogged fifty times and be castrated... The more children a woman has, the heavier the punishment—the ultimate punishment is all five punishments.
Gu Chi's lips twitched slightly.
Good heavens!
This vulnerability has been thoroughly exploited by Comtech.
In short, they use the relationship with the Geng state to deny their marital relationship and convict them of adultery; on this basis, they use the laws of the Xin state to judge adultery (harmonious conduct), and then impose further punishment based on the number of children born. Who could withstand such a comprehensive punishment?
As for the possibility that they might have been registered as well?
That's impossible.
Kangshi is currently working on household registration.
Even if someone is registered, he can also make the other party not registered.
As for whether this operation will cause any problems?
Those who could cause trouble for He Yin have already drunk the Meng Po soup and are waiting to be reborn as animals. Zheng Qiao is too far away to interfere. Finally, and most importantly, will the news cause unrest among the common people? Will it alert the enemy?
It's most likely impossible.
Because the charges are all in accordance with the law.
The common people would only be afraid and rush to re-register, never imagining that Shen Tang was going to crack down on illegal sales. Kang Shi could also take this opportunity to collect detailed household registration information, which would facilitate a subsequent population check, arrest, or rescue of people.
Emmm...
Gu Chi smiled and cupped his hands in a compliment: "Ji Shou, excellent."
Kang Shi replied, "Looking at the tide, you flatter me."
One rode a horse, and the other rode in a donkey cart.
The two laughed sincerely and openly.
If an uninformed outsider saw this, they would likely remark that this is probably what true friendship looks like.
Yes, Yu Zi thinks so too.
She had no idea what the two of them were talking about.
I can only understand one or two sentences out of ten.
But judging from their expressions, it must be a good thing.
Yu Zi couldn't help but feel admiration for the two of them.
Especially Kang Shi, Mr. Kang.
The image of Kang Shi single-handedly capturing dozens of households in Zhujia Village involuntarily came to mind, making me yearn even more for literary talent and a literary spirit.
She believed that this was her mother's guidance from beyond.
That must be it.
That's why she walked there that day, recognized the Zhang family ornament on Shen Jun's waist at a glance, and unexpectedly came into contact with them. Using this as a breakthrough, she was able to bring the truth to light, clear her mother's name, and give herself a way out.
Yu Zi's innermost thoughts reached Gu Chi's ears.
He glanced at the girl out of the corner of his eye, a half-smile on his face.
His eyes questioned Kang Shi: "How talented is this woman?"
Kang Shi is still unclear.
However, given Yu Zi's comprehension and the intelligence she inherited from her mother, her abilities are unlikely to be low.
[Develop and utilize them.]
Gu Chi was pleasantly surprised upon hearing this.
The donkey cart wheels rolled slowly forward.
Before long, they entered Fugu City.
The entire group from Zhujia Village was imprisoned.
The place isn't big, but you can easily squeeze in for a night.
When Shen Tang learned the news, it was already dark.
The next day.
The sky was still dimly lit.
The city of Fugu was already bustling with noise.
The reconstruction work in the southwest corner was launched in full swing. Through the efforts of the constables who went from street to street and spread the word with gongs and drums, more and more ordinary people learned that workers were being recruited in the southwest corner. Two meals a day were provided, at least enough to fill them up to 80%, and wages were settled daily after the work was done.
At first, some people didn't believe it.
How could something this good possibly happen?
Even the best prefect isn't a sucker.
However, there were also commoners who trusted Shen Tang—just because Shen Tang had forcefully removed the cancer in Fugu City on the second day after his arrival, they felt it was worth it to work for Shen Tang for free, as a way of repaying his kindness—as the first batch of commoners to be hired, they were also the first to enjoy the benefits, and then word spread from one to ten, and from ten to a hundred.
Life gradually returned to the southwest corner of Fugu City.
However, that's not the focus today.
Thump thump thump—
The common people near the capital heard the long-lost sound of drums. At first, they thought it was a hallucination, but upon closer listening, they realized that someone was indeed drumming. Some curious onlookers went to watch the spectacle and saw a thin figure gritting his teeth and striking the almost decorative drum with all his might.
Some commoners recognized the person beating the drum.
"Isn't that the beggar from the dilapidated temple outside the city?"
Although Yu Zi had cleaned herself up, some familiar faces recognized her, and whispers rippled through the crowd. Yu Zi naturally heard these whispers, but she couldn't care less. She poured all her energy into the drumbeats, seemingly determined to release all the pent-up grievances of the past years!
Finally, she succeeded.
Yu Zi knelt on the ground, holding the petition high with both hands. She strained her voice, using all the strength in her chest, and said with tears in her eyes, "I am Yu Zi, a resident of Zhu Family Village, and I wish to sue my own grandfather and grandmother!"
These words caused an uproar among the onlookers.
This, this, this—
A simple sentence, packed with information!
What they found even more unbelievable was that Yu Zi had come with the intention of taking the lives of her two blood relatives, and was willing to endure ten strokes of the cane for it!
He who sued his blood relative was sentenced to twenty strokes of the cane.
Because Yu Zi was young and had not yet reached marriageable age, she cut off half of her hair.
Shen Tang asked, "So, you still want to sue?"
Yu Zi replied decisively: "Yes!"
(End of this chapter)
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