After the Immortal Disappeared

A rush job? Has something come up suddenly?

Hee Lingchuan didn’t give it much thought, but behind him, Ding Zuodong’s expression soured. "Eldest Young Master, we haven’t gathered all the evidence yet!"

"No chance of getting it today?"

"Impossible."

’What now? The original plan is ruined.’ Hee Lingchuan’s eyes darted as he made a snap decision. "Then we’ll force our way through."

He whispered a few words to Medicine Ape Ling Guang, who was visibly stunned but nodded after a moment’s hesitation.

Hee Lingchuan then let out a whistle, and Rock Wolf Luu Xin appeared, darting back from some unknown location.

"We’re moving out. Our destination is Xinxiang."

Hee Chunhua usually spoiled his eldest son, but at a critical moment like this, Hee Lingchuan couldn’t afford to drop the ball.

A little over fifteen minutes later, the group left Dunyu, galloping straight for Xinxiang.

Jiao Tai had only been released from a sunless detention cell two days prior. His wounds had festered and needed a couple more days to heal. Thus, following behind Hee Lingchuan, besides Shan Youjun, were four or five able-bodied men.

They were originally private soldiers for the Li and Shu Families, but a single decree from Hee Chunhua forced the two families to disband their personal armies. While most of these soldiers would be conscripted into the regular army, Shan Youjun had introduced these particular men to Hee Lingchuan, claiming they were handpicked from a pool of fifteen or sixteen hundred. He vouched for their exceptional skill and character, adding that they had no family ties to hold them back.

’The only way to know if they’re any good is to use them.’ Thus, Hee Lingchuan had decisively brought them all along for the job.

There had been no snow or rain for the past few days, leaving the roads in good condition. The fine horses galloped at full speed, and they reached Xinxiang in less than a double-hour.

The tax officer of Xinxiang, a man surnamed Zhou, was stunned upon seeing Hee Lingchuan, thinking to himself, ’His reputation is well-deserved.’ The young master rode a tall, bluish-red Bo Beast, a monkey perched on his left and a wolf trotting to his right. Trailing behind him were six or seven fierce-looking attendants. He had the perfect ostentatious swagger of a Rich Young Master touring the countryside.

This Bo Beast had been a "gift" from some minor noble, though it was officially "sold" to Hee Lingchuan.

"Where’s this village that doesn’t know its place?" Hee Lingchuan ordered one of his men to give up a horse for Zhou Sefu to ride. "Lead the way."

A Sefu was the township’s tax official. But the local government was small and understaffed, so besides collecting taxes, he had to take on odd jobs, such as mediating disputes between the State Government and the township, or between the township and the villages.

The ground was still frozen, but the last of the snow had melted away, and Hee Lingchuan could even spot tiny specks of new green in the muddy cracks by the roadside.

The trees and shrubs were still bare, but a closer look revealed that some were already sprouting buds. Wild pheasants scratched for food in the fields, and does grazed from morning till night, bolting at the first sight of people.

Just from the sight of these animals, one could tell that the Dunyu region wasn’t actually short on food. The farmers’ taxes might be heavy, but they were still better off than people in other places.

The harsh winter was ending, and wisps of spring were in the air.

Along the way, Hee Lingchuan asked Zhou Sefu, "You said this Shuangyu Village is refusing to hand over the land, and even threatened you?"

Zhou Sefu groaned inwardly. ’This Eldest Young Master has shown up without even understanding the whole story. What if things get ugly? I’ve heard Eldest Young Master Hee has a bad temper, but Shuangyu Village is a particularly tough nut to crack.’

On the surface, however, he had to explain. "Yes. A few days ago, a new Prefecture Official appointed by the General Manager’s Mansion purchased ten hectares of prime farmland from some villagers, with all the proper contracts and seals. But when he came to take possession of the fields, Shuangyu Village refused. They claim all land sales in the village must be stamped by the village elders to be valid. What’s more, they said those ten hectares are leased out for another seven years, so the State Government only bought the ’land bones,’ not the ’land face,’ and can’t take possession of the land. I went with the County Magistrate last time, and even he was shoved to the ground."

"Oh-ho, a village with that much nerve?" The common folk don’t fight the officials; that was common sense. How could Shuangyu Village defy this? Hee Lingchuan cut to the chase. "So they have no legal ground, right?"

"You can’t really say that," Zhou Sefu stammered. "Places like Xinxiang and Junbai Village have their own local rules. For decades, it’s been an unwritten custom that a villager needs the village’s approval to sell land. All the locals accept this. The new officials from the General Manager’s Mansion probably aren’t familiar with our ways and don’t know about these subtleties."

Hee Lingchuan grunted. ’His father had dismissed many old officials as soon as he took office, replacing them with his own men. The move had both pros and cons. While it had freshened up the bureaucracy and the new officials were more loyal to Hee Chunhua, they were newcomers, unfamiliar with local customs. It was no surprise they were stepping into one pitfall after another.’

’And look, wasn’t this a perfect example of such a problem?’

"Who says all the locals accept it?" Hee Lingchuan sneered. "I’d say the villagers who sold their land to the State Government certainly didn’t. Where are they now?"

"They’ve all abandoned the village and gone south. They never came back."

Hee Lingchuan understood. "After cheating a State Official, would they dare to return? It was a one-time deal."

During those few days when rumors were flying, the people of Dunyu and the surrounding towns grew restless. Many were already planning to flee south, and when Hee Chunhua issued his lockdown order, it frightened them into actually going through with it.

When people were selling, the State Government took the opportunity to buy up property at low prices, framing it as "reclaiming public land."

This practice of buying private land for public use wasn’t invented by Hee Chunhua. It had been done at least twice before in Da Yuan’s history, usually after too much public land had fallen into the hands of the elite for one reason or another, prompting the state to find ways to buy it back.

However, the new officials Hee Chunhua appointed didn’t know the local rules, so they ended up paying for land they couldn’t collect.

As news of victory in the north spread across the land, the people who had fled south began to reconsider and started heading back home.

For one, most had fled in such a panic that they hadn’t had time to sell their homes. On the road, they figured that since they still had a house to return to, they might as well go back.

For another, was life as a refugee pleasant? The average person couldn’t stand a life of wandering like a stray dog, facing contempt and scorn, and getting robbed.

Who would want to be a refugee unless they had no other choice?

So, upon hearing that Dunyu was safe and that the government troops had even won a major victory, eighty percent of the more than ten thousand civilians who had fled with the Zhan Family decided to turn back. Over the last few days, they had been trickling back into the city and their home villages.

However, the few households from Shuangyu Village who had slyly sold their land to the State Government didn’t dare return. Thus, these ten hectares of land became the source of conflict between Xinxiang and Shuangyu Village.

"Let me ask you one more thing." Hee Lingchuan now got to the real heart of the matter. "Does Shuangyu Village have any connection to the Cloud-Piercing Pavilion, the Daoist Sect?"

Zhou Sefu answered immediately, "Of course they do! Everyone for miles around knows that the Second Elder of the Cloud-Piercing Pavilion’s South Courtyard hails from Shuangyu Village!"

"So... you mean Elder Liang?"

"The very same."

Hee Lingchuan grunted in understanding. ’No wonder his father had secretly sent someone to rush him to Shuangyu Village. He must be planning to settle this affair before Elder Liang gets involved.’

Any other State Official might have backed down.

But not Hee Chunhua.

Zhou Sefu added, "Shuangyu Village also has some ties to the Shu Family in Dunyu. This refusal to acknowledge the sale, perhaps..."

Hee Lingchuan sneered. "Other villages are filled with obedient folk, but this one is full of rabble-rousers!"

’These great families had suffered too much at his father’s hands lately. They were probably just looking for a chance to vent and make trouble for the State Government.’

Zhou Sefu hesitated again before adding, "The Agricultural Minister also acquired land from other places this time. They’re all surely watching to see what happens with Shuangyu Village."

Government Office versus Shuangyu Village—whether the government backed down or the village conceded defeat would set a precedent for handling all similar incidents in the future.

Hee Lingchuan scoffed. "Isn’t that obvious?"

Galloping across the open fields, they soon arrived at Shuangyu Village.

The village had over 130 households, a considerable number. Zhou Sefu had mentioned that it was the largest village in Xinxiang and occupied the best land.

Because of the trouble over the land sale, all the village’s able-bodied men were present. Seeing Hee Lingchuan and his group arrive with such menacing force, they raised their farming tools and came out to meet them.

Hee Lingchuan noted the undisguised disgust and contempt in their eyes, and his eyebrows twitched.

The atmosphere was tense. Zhou Sefu hurried forward and called out, "The State Government is here to mediate the land sale! Quick, fetch the village chief!"

A short while later, the village chief arrived.

Unlike the white-bearded old man Hee Lingchuan had imagined, the chief of Shuangyu Village was only in his early forties. Though he had a few wrinkles, he was still in the prime of his life.

He walked up and bowed, though not all the way to the ground, before inviting Hee Lingchuan and his men into the village to discuss the matter.

Hee Lingchuan glanced around. Shuangyu Village looked like any other, with the sounds of chickens and dogs and smoke curling up from kitchen chimneys. The foot traffic had turned the thin layer of ice on the ground to water, and every step sank into mud.

News travels fast in a place like this. Less than ten minutes later, Hee Lingchuan was seated in Shuangyu Village’s main meeting hall, across from six or seven village elders, most of whom were older than the chief himself.

The villagers crowded outside, craning their necks to eavesdrop.

Village Chief Liang started the conversation. "And you are?"

Hee Lingchuan sat with his legs spread wide in a posture of command, flanked by two demons, with his seven hulking attendants standing behind him, hands clasped behind their backs.

"I’m the deputy to the Land Officer."

’The Land Officer looks more like your underling,’ the village chief thought. He didn’t voice the sarcastic remark, of course, merely offering a perfunctory smile.

Beside him, Zhou Sefu quickly added, "He’s also the Eldest Prince of the new General Manager, Mr. Hee!"

The elders across from him let out a long, drawn-out "Ohhh," their expressions complicated. ’Why would the State Official send his own son? Is he trying to throw his weight around?’

"Mr. Hee has ordered me to resolve this dispute over the reclamation of public land. The Land Officer, on behalf of Xinxiang, purchased ten hectares of prime, irrigated farmland from seven households in Shuangyu Village. We have the contracts and proof. These facts are clear, are they not?"

The elders immediately erupted into a cacophony of voices, everyone talking over one another. Hee Lingchuan couldn’t make out a word, but he could see they were agitated.

Village Chief Liang held up his hands, motioning for the others to be quiet.

After a long moment, the room finally fell silent. Village Chief Liang said, "We’ve seen those Contract Papers. What the Land Officer bought from them was the ’land bones,’ not the ’land face.’"

Ding Zuodong had already explained the concepts of "land bones" and "land face" to Hee Lingchuan in detail the day before. In short, the right of ownership was called the "land bone," and its owner was the landlord. The right of use was called the "land face," and its owner was the tenant farmer. The Yuan Kingdom’s Northern Realm practiced a dual-ownership system where the land bone and land face could be separated and sold independently.

South of the Capital City, however, this system hadn’t been widely adopted yet. That’s why the talented people Hee Chunhua recruited from the capital were caught at a disadvantage when they took up their posts in Xiazhou Prefecture.

Hee Lingchuan had seen the deeds himself. Although it wasn’t explicitly stated, after studying them, he, Hee Chunhua, and the other State Government officials had concluded that the deal must have been for the land bones.