The room suddenly grew quiet for a moment, the silence revealing an elusive chill.
Jiang Yue’er was still sobbing. The maid beside her sensed something was wrong in the atmosphere. She bent down to help her up, calling out, “Miss.”
Without a word, Zhu Nanxian pulled his sleeve from Jiang Yue’er’s hand. He glanced at Su Jin and saw she was still staring at the window. He covered his nose with his fist and coughed once, asking Uncle Tian, “Something happened to Master Jiang?”
He was a guard of the Jiang family. This was proper business. He should ask.
Uncle Tian explained how Jiang Jiutong had been taken away by Yao Youcai. He glanced at Jiang Yue’er and said hesitantly, “Why the master would leave with Magistrate Yao—only Miss knows, but Miss insisted on waiting for Guardian Nan to return before she would tell.”
Hearing these words, Zhu Nanxian glanced at Su Jin again.
She was no longer staring at the window. Her gaze had moved to the teapot on the table, apparently counting its patterns.
Zhu Nanxian coughed again. As he was about to lift the pot to pour tea, Shuxiang saw this and quickly seized the teapot in her hands, carefully pouring a cup and offering it with both hands—how could His Majesty be allowed to pour tea himself?
Zhu Nanxian accepted the teacup but didn’t drink it himself. Instead, he turned and offered it to Su Jin.
Su Jin had already changed from standing with her hands hanging to standing with her hands behind her back. She glanced at him lightly and unhurriedly. After a long moment, she extended one hand and accepted the teacup with complete composure.
Zhu Nanxian secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did he sit by the table and say to Jiang Yue’er, “Speak.”
Jiang Yue’er used her handkerchief to wipe her tears. “This matter goes back many years…”
The Jiang family held military registration. Military registration was something passed down through generations. If the previous generation had someone enrolled in military registration, it would pass to the next generation—from father to son, or if there was no son, one would be adopted from a collateral branch to carry it on. (Note)
In Jiang Jiutong’s generation, the military registration had originally been passed to his elder brother. But who knew his brother would die in battle on the northern frontier before marrying or having children, leaving behind only an empty military registration that could only be inherited by the eldest son of the Jiang family—Jiang Yue’er’s elder brother, Jiang Yan.
“My uncle died miserably. His body was never found—only two bones were retrieved. My brother studied from childhood, following the path of the Sage Kong. How could he know military campaigns and warfare? Father feared he would end up dying in battle like my uncle. Over ten years ago—it seems it was the eighteenth year of Jingyuan—when the northwest was conscripting soldiers, Father bribed the officials with silver, claiming my brother had died of illness, thus avoiding conscription.”
Zhu Nanxian was startled. The conscription of Jingyuan’s eighteenth year? That was the same year he went to the northwest.
Hearing Jiang Yue’er’s words, Elder Wu asked, “So when your Jiang family moved to Jiangnan, it was actually to avoid being discovered for evading conscription?”
Jiang Yue’er bit her lip and nodded lightly. “Yes. Since my brother had ‘died,’ we needed to conceal his identity going forward, so he needed a new identity. Father took our whole family to Jiangnan. On one hand, we did silk business; on the other hand, we accompanied him there while he studied diligently until he passed the examinations and obtained an official position in the capital. Only then did we move back to Shu.”
“This matter should have passed like this. But who knew that a few years ago, Magistrate Yao suddenly took office in Pingchuan County. He has some connections at court and actually investigated the Jiang family’s past affairs. He threatened to report us to the capital and has caused us trouble inside and out many times. Last night, the reason Father was willing to leave with Magistrate Yao was probably because he again used my brother’s matter to threaten Father.”
At this point, she raised her eyes to look at Zhu Nanxian, her voice soft and earnest. “Young Master Nan, Magistrate Yao will soon accompany the imperial envoy to the capital. Yue’er fears that once Father is taken away this time, he will never return. Yue’er begs you, please find a way to save Father, won’t you?”
But Zhu Nanxian said, “Since your brother bore military registration, answering the call to serve was his responsibility. By evading conscription, he should be dealt with according to military law. Master Jiang bribed officials for this purpose, which further violates criminal law. Though Yao Youcai is a scoundrel, in this matter he has the right of it. If Master Jiang is taken to the capital for trial because of this, it’s not unjust. There’s nothing I can help with.”
He had once been commander of the northwestern army. Having desertion brought before him, not holding him accountable on the spot was already giving sufficient face.
Jiang Yue’er stared at Zhu Nanxian in disbelief. “Young Master Nan’s meaning is that because of this matter from so many years ago, you would disregard my father’s life or death?”
Tears immediately poured down like a broken dam, falling continuously.
Uncle Tian watching from the side couldn’t bear it. He said, “Guardian Nan, you’ve lived at the Jiang household for two years after all. The master and miss have treated you well. Can’t you… can’t you help think of a solution together?”
This was true.
Ever since over a year ago when Zhu Nanxian saved Jiang Ci from several black-clothed men, the Jiang family no longer treated him as a servant. To say they honored him as a distinguished guest would not be an exaggeration.
But Zhu Nanxian was completely unmoved.
Though he was lenient, his military governance was strict. Back when Zhu Xun lost Ganzhou, he had him executed immediately.
At this moment, Su Jin asked, “What year did Yao Youcai take office in Pingchuan County?”
Elder Wu answered, “It seems it was the second year of Jin’an. In any case, he came four or five years ago. At first it was fine, but in the last two years, he’s frequently come to trouble the Jiang family.”
Tan Zhaolin said, “But from what I just heard y’all say, Yao Youcai knew early on about the Jiang family’s eldest son evading conscription. Why’d he only start saying he’d report you in these past two years?”
“Speaking of which, we have Master Chao to thank for this.” Uncle Tian sighed and said.
Chao Qing was startled. “Me?”
“Does Master Chao perhaps remember that in the second year of Jin’an, you sent a letter to Lord Zhou of the capital’s Office of Transmission?”
This was indeed true.
At that time, Su Jin was on a diplomatic mission to Annan. Worried about her, he wrote to Zhou Ping to inquire about her situation.
Uncle Tian said to Zhu Nanxian and Su Jin, “This Lord Zhou of the Office of Transmission—the two of you may not have heard of him. But during the Jin’an years, the famous Su Shiyu, the great Lord Su—surely you both know of him.”
Su Jin and Zhu Nanxian fell silent for a moment and said nothing.
“This Lord Zhou was precisely an old friend of Lord Su. Magistrate Yao perhaps saw that Master Chao knew Lord Zhou and feared provoking Lord Su, so during those two Jin’an years he didn’t dare come make trouble in Cuiwei Town.”
“Later, in the Yongji years, Lord Su was punished and no longer held authority in court and countryside. Those in authority—Lord Liu, Lord Shen, Lord Shu, Lord Qian, and several others whose names I can’t quite remember—in any case, Magistrate Yao and Prefect Zhang together curried favor with some extremely high official, which is why they dared say they would prosecute the Jiang family.”
Hearing this, Su Jin fully understood. She spoke up, “How Yao Youcai deals with the Jiang family, how he handles the Jiang family—it has nothing to do with who holds office in court or who holds authority.”
“His persecution of the Jiang family is related to only one thing—the New Policy.”
“During the Jin’an years, the court hadn’t implemented the New Policy. Though Yao Youcai coveted Cuiwei Town’s prosperity and wanted a share of the profits, he didn’t act for two reasons: first, Cuiwei Town never shorted their taxes, so he had no grounds; second, he feared offending Zhou Ping of the Office of Transmission.”
“In the Yongji years, the court vigorously promoted the garrison field system. Yao Youcai exploited loopholes in the New Policy, claiming the mulberry fields that Cuiwei Town residents had cultivated themselves belonged to the government. After collecting taxes, he takes an eighty-twenty split to profit.”
“But whose mulberry fields in Cuiwei Town actually are—there’s currently no verdict. If the matter is made public and the court judges the fields belong to the people, wouldn’t Yao Youcai and Zhang Zhengcai’s efforts be wasted?”
“So Yao Youcai calculated a clever scheme. He doesn’t need all of Cuiwei Town’s residents to share profits with him. He only needs the Jiang family to acknowledge that the mulberry fields belong to the government, and have the Jiang family give him the lion’s share of the mulberry cultivation profits. Thus he can succeed.”
“Because though the town’s fields were cultivated together by all residents, the mulberry seeds belonged to the Jiang family. The cloth weaving, yarn spinning, and sales were all managed solely by the Jiang family. In the final profit distribution, the Jiang family also receives the most.”
“And the reason Yao Youcai can control the Jiang family is because he holds evidence of the Jiang family evading conscription. As long as he threatens Master Jiang with this, the Jiang family has no recourse whatsoever.”
After everyone heard Su Jin finish speaking, they couldn’t help but look at each other.
Uncle Tian said dumbfounded, “Young Master Su, according to what you’re saying, our Cuiwei Town has been completely figured out by Magistrate Yao and Prefect Zhang?”
Elder Wu also said urgently, “Young Master Su, your knowledge is so extensive—can you think of a solution for our town? Though the mulberry fields are profitable, the silver from selling mulberry and cloth is divided among the whole town. If the government takes eighty percent, life will become unbearable.”
He added, “If you object because of the Jiang family’s evasion of conscription, this old man is willing to accept punishment alongside the Jiang family. Master Jiang is truly a good person. Back when Emperor Jin’an personally campaigned in the northwest and the court solicited donations, Master Jiang even sold a mulberry cart and an ancestral South Sea pearl to donate thirty taels of silver.”
Hearing these words, Su Jin didn’t answer. Instead, she asked Zhu Nanxian, “What do you think?”
Zhu Nanxian said, “These are two separate matters.”
The implication being that donation was merit and desertion was fault, but merit and fault didn’t cancel each other out.
Su Jin hummed in acknowledgment, then said, “But Master Jiang still must be saved.”
Her intuition told her this matter wasn’t simple. Given Liu Yun and Shen Qingyue’s temperaments, under the New Policy they personally established, someone had actually exploited such loopholes and kept claiming to have connections in the capital.
Cuiwei Town’s situation might be just one example. In Shu and even throughout all the prefectures under heaven, there were probably many such cases of officials oppressing the people through disputes over land ownership.
Saving Jiang Jiutong wasn’t for any other reason—only to prevent a witness from falling into the hands of corrupt officials like Yao Youcai and Zhang Zhengcai. As for other charges, they could be dealt with later.
Zhu Nanxian understood Su Jin’s meaning. He answered concisely, “Alright.”
Listening from the side, Jiang Yue’er felt sometimes clear and comprehending, sometimes confused and muddled. In the end, she hadn’t expected that Guardian Nan would actually agree to save Father. Tears burst forth. She walked toward him, about to grasp his sleeve. “Young Master Nan, your great kindness and virtue—Yue’er will never forget as long as she lives. If you save Father, Yue’er is willing to serve at your side for a lifetime, as wife or concubine, even as a servant—”
“You misunderstand.”
Before she could finish, Zhu Nanxian took a step back, withdrawing his sleeve behind him. “My willingness to save Master Jiang truly has nothing to do with you. Moreover, I am already a married man. In my entire life, there is only this one person. At my side, it is impossible—and absolutely will never—allow anyone else.”