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"This is... this is the deed to my family's ancestral land..."

The old woman's turbid tears dripped onto the yellowed paper: "The twelve acres that were forcibly occupied by the Zhang family thirty years ago..."

Cheng Ziqian took the deed and examined it carefully, then turned to his master and said, "Go get the county annals to check."

The noise outside the hall gradually turned into suppressed sobbing. Several young tenants stared at the land deed in Cheng Ziqian's hand with red eyes; women hugged their children and sobbed softly; even the most slick idlers in the market stood silently in the corner.

The lawyer quickly brought the thick county annals. Cheng Ziqian checked the boundaries on the land deed page by page, and suddenly stopped at a certain page: "I found it. In the 37th year of Jiajing, this land was indeed registered under the name of Zhou."

Upon hearing this, the old woman suddenly let out a howl that was not like a human voice, and fell forward. Cheng Ziqian quickly supported her, but the old woman's skinny fingers tightly grasped the sleeve of his official uniform:

"Sir... Sir... My son was beaten to death by the Zhang family last year... because he asked for this piece of land..."

The hall suddenly became eerily quiet. Everyone's eyes were focused on Cheng Ziqian, and even his breathing could be heard clearly.

Cheng Ziqian was silent for a moment, then suddenly turned to his master and said, "Go and ask the coroner to re-examine the cause of Zhou's son's death."

He also ordered the yamen runners: "Immediately seal up all the houses of the Zhang family, and no one is allowed to leave the county."

The order dropped like a spark into a haystack.

The people outside the hall suddenly knelt down, some shouted "Great Lord", some kept kowtowed, and many people just shed silent tears. Several young and strong tenants stood up spontaneously: "Sir! We are willing to lead the way to Zhang's house!"

Just as Cheng Ziqian was about to respond, the county magistrate hurried over and whispered something to him.

Cheng Ziqian frowned and raised his voice, "Fellow villagers, I just received news that the Zhang family is transferring their assets."

The crowd was in an uproar. The tall and thin tenant suddenly jumped up and said, "Sir! I know the secret passage of the Zhang family!"

A dozen young men immediately agreed: "Let's go with the adults!"

Cheng Ziqian thought for a moment, took off his official hat and handed it to the master, then put on an ordinary felt hat: "Okay, I will go in person. But you must follow the command of the yamen runners and are not allowed to act on your own."

When Cheng Ziqian rushed out of the county government office with the yamen runners and the common people, the entire Jiaxing county was in an uproar.

The shop assistants dropped their abacus and followed, the customers in the teahouse dropped their tea money and joined the team, and even the beggars on the bridge limped after them with their sticks. By the time they arrived at Zhang's house, the team had grown to hundreds of people.

The Zhang family's front door was tightly closed, but there was a sound of carriages and horses coming from the backyard. Cheng Ziqian made a prompt decision: "Knock on the door!"

A dozen young tenants, carrying logs they had found from nowhere, broke open the red lacquered gate in a few moves. Inside the courtyard, Zhang's servants were frantically loading boxes onto the carriage, and when they saw the crowd pouring in, they immediately scattered.

Cheng Ziqian led his men to the study room and saw Zhang burning the account books. The yamen runners rushed over to subdue him, and Cheng Ziqian snatched half of the incomplete book from the brazier, which clearly recorded the details of bribes to officials at all levels.

When the yamen runners paraded the Zhang family through the streets, the streets of Jiaxing were packed with people. Some threw rotten vegetable leaves, some cursed loudly, and several women chased the prison van and cried out the names of their relatives.

It was already dusk when he returned to the county government office. Cheng Ziqian had just sat down to rest when the yamen runner came to report: "Sir, outside the county government office, there are many people kneeling outside the county government office..."

Cheng Ziqian went out and saw a crowd of people kneeling in the square in front of the county government office. When he came out, a white-haired old man holding a rough porcelain bowl trembled and walked forward: "Sir... I don't have anything valuable... This is the rice wine I brewed at home..."

Soon, a woman handed over a basket of eggs, a child brought freshly picked wild fruits, and a hunter offered some dried game... Soon, a mountain of local specialties piled up in front of Cheng Ziqian.

Cheng Ziqian's throat rolled over, and after a while he said: "I appreciate the kindness of all the villagers. But these..."

He turned to his lawyer and said, "All of them should be registered and put into the county government's charity warehouse to be used for relief of orphans and widows."

The crowd cheered again. Suddenly, a man who looked like a scholar squeezed out of the crowd and held up a roll of paper: "Students are willing to build a shrine for you! This is a joint petition, and more than 300 people have signed it!"

Cheng Ziqian waved his hands quickly: "No! I am only following the emperor's orders..."

Before he finished speaking, the people were already shouting in unison: "Long live the emperor! Thousand years of Cheng Qingtian!"

The sound waves were getting louder and louder, startling the swallows under the eaves of the county government office. Cheng Ziqian stood on the steps, looking at the tearful faces in front of him, and suddenly bowed deeply to the ground.

That night, when Cheng Ziqian was writing a memorial under the oil lamp, his teacher could not help but ask: "Sir, why don't you accept the people's building of a temple today? This is a good thing that will be passed down through the ages."

Cheng Ziqian paused: "People's hearts are like water, which can carry a boat but can also overturn it."

He dipped a little ink and said calmly, "Today they call me the Justice. If I make a wrong judgment in the future, this title will become 'Dog Official'."

The master retreated thoughtfully.

Cheng Ziqian continued to write: "... In Jiaxing County, a total of 23,000 mu of hidden land was surveyed, involving seven powerful families. After the land was distributed to the tenants according to the "Equal Field Order", the annual tax grain increased by 30%..."

As I was writing this, there was a slight noise outside the window. Cheng Ziqian held the hilt of his sword alertly, but heard a childish voice: "Sir... my mother sent me some new wheat cakes... and hung them on the door knocker..."

Cheng Ziqian shook his head and laughed, then continued writing quickly.

The candlelight cast his shadow on the wall, overlapping with the plaque that read "A Bright Mirror Hanging High".

…………

Changmen Street, Suzhou.

At daybreak, vendors had already set up their stalls. The new prefect, Zhou Yanru, dressed in casual clothes, walked slowly among the crowd. Behind him followed two disguised yamen runners, and the other three pretended to be ordinary merchants, carefully observing the market.

"Mr. Zhou, the newly promulgated 'Market Exchange Law' notice has been posted at the four gates, but the vendors still seem to have concerns."

The trusted yamen runner reported in a low voice.

Zhou Yanru nodded slightly and walked towards a cloth stall. The stall owner was a sixty-year-old man with rough hands, who was bending down to sort out a piece of indigo coarse cloth.

"Father, how much is this cloth?"

Zhou Yanru casually stroked the cloth.

The old man looked up and saw that the visitor had an extraordinary demeanor, so he quickly bowed and said, "Sir, one foot and fifteen cents."

Zhou Yanru pretended to be casual and said, "I heard that the new law has been promulgated, and the market tax has been reduced by half. Should the price of cloth also be reduced?"

The old man's expression tensed up, and after looking around, he whispered, "The tax is reduced, but the 'travel fee' has not been reduced at all..."

"Trade money?" Zhou Yanru narrowed his eyes.

The old man sighed and said, "Sir, you are a foreigner, right? Every city in Suzhou has a 'hangtou' who collects 200 coins from us every month as 'land fees'. If you don't pay, they will destroy your stall."

"The government doesn't care?"

"Tube?"

The old man smiled bitterly: "Those who collected the money were originally the relatives of the clerks in the government office."

Zhou Yanru's face darkened, and he took out a piece of ivory from his sleeve: "Father, I am Zhou Yanru, the governor of Suzhou. I must give you an explanation for what happened today."

The old man was startled and the wooden ruler measuring the cloth in his hand fell to the ground with a thud.

.........

After returning to the government office, Zhou Yanru immediately summoned the six clerks of Suzhou Prefecture and read out the full text of the Market Exchange Law:
Article 1: Municipal tax reform.

The commercial tax in all markets was halved, and the tax rate for valuable goods such as silk, porcelain, etc. was 5% of the value, and the tax rate for ordinary goods was 3% of the value. Miscellaneous taxes such as "door stall money" and "land silver" were abolished, and those who violated the tax were punished for corruption.

Article 2: Guild rectification.

Private "trades" were banned, and each market was managed by a "market magistrate" appointed by the government, who was paid two taels of silver a month and was strictly prohibited from collecting a penny from vendors.

Vendors can nominate a "trade boss" to help mediate disputes, but they are not allowed to charge any fees.

Article 3: Transaction regulations.

Official scales and official buckets were set up in each market, and were calibrated by yamen runners every day. Those who cheated were punished with 80 strokes of the cane. Forced buying and selling, or passing inferior goods off as good ones, were strictly prohibited. Violators were fined, their goods confiscated, and they were shackled for three days as a public display.

Article 4: Channels for redressing grievances.

Each market had a "Wooden Box for Grievances" where vendors could write to report illegal activities. The box would be opened every three days. Anyone who reported that a clerk had extorted money was rewarded with five taels of silver, while those who made false accusations would be punished.

After reading the article, Zhou Yanru glanced at the clerks in the hall with a cold look: "I will give you three days to investigate. If anyone still commits crimes after three days——"

He slapped the Ming Dynasty Law on the table and said, "Don't blame the law for being ruthless!"

That afternoon, Zhou Yanru sent his trusted followers to sneak into various markets to conduct secret investigations. The clerks were still unaware of the situation and continued to collect money openly. All these scenes were recorded by the secret investigation officials.

When the three-day period was up, Zhou Yanru suddenly ordered the city to be closed and mobilized two hundred yamen runners to carry out the arrests.

Within one day, Zhao Hu, the tyrant of Fengmen, and his twelve men were arrested, and three extortion account books were seized; Qian Gui, the tax collector at Xumen, was dismissed on the spot, and 800 taels of silver were seized from his home; the owner of the silk shop on Guanqian Street gave out a list of bribes over the years, implicating five clerks in the household registration office of the government office.

The most shocking thing is that in the home of Liu San, the "head of the business" at Changmen Market, a "filial piety book" was found, which recorded in detail the monthly distribution of profits to officials at all levels: Mr. Wang, the secretary of the prefectural government: 20 taels per month; the brother-in-law of the magistrate of Wu County: 10 taels per month; the centurion of Suzhou Guard: 5 taels per month...

Zhou Yanru immediately issued an order: "All those whose names are on the register will be arrested and punished!"

When the news of the rectification spread, Suzhou's business community was shocked.

On the first day, most of the market was empty. The vendors were in disbelief, fearing that the government was conducting a "fishing expedition".

On the third day, a few brave vegetable farmers tried to set up their stalls, but found that no one was willing to accept "trade fees".

On the fifth day, Changmen Street was crowded again. A merchant selling porcelain even set off firecrackers, which attracted the yamen runners to question him. "Sir, I am happy!"

The merchant held up the newly-issued "business license" and said, "This business license only costs ten cents and is valid for three years! In the past, it cost two taels of silver to get one!"

Zhou Yanru struck while the iron was hot and set up "New Policy Propaganda Offices" in various markets, where students from the prefecture explained the "Market Exchange Law" to the vendors one by one.

However, the undercurrent is still surging.

Late one night, an anonymous letter suddenly appeared on Zhou Yanru's desk: "Mr. Zhou, stop while you are ahead. Suzhou is a century-old commercial port, and the water is very deep. - Respectfully sent by the Cao Gang"

Zhou Yanru sneered and wrote eight words on the letter: "No matter how deep the water is, I will drain it!"

The next day, he announced two additional decrees:

Inspection of grain transport: All merchant ships passing through Suzhou only need to pay the regular tax at the customs, and it is strictly prohibited to "stop the river and collect fees" along the way.

New rules of the workshop: monthly wages for weavers, kiln workers and other craftsmen must not be delayed. Violators will be fined ten times the wages paid to them by the owner.

When the news came out, the dock workers cheered, but several large silk shops quietly turned off the lights - their usual exploitative tactics came to an end.

One month after the new policy was implemented, the document submitted by Suzhou Prefecture to the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue recorded:

Newly registered vendors: 2,435.

City tax collection: 40% year-on-year increase (due to a decrease in tax evaders)
Arrests of extortionists: 176.

The reward for reporting is two hundred and forty taels of silver.

When Zhou Yanru was inspecting the Changmen Gate, the vendors spontaneously put up small red flags on their stalls, which was the highest tribute from the Suzhou business community to the honest official.

An old man selling candy figures chased after the sedan chair and shouted, "Master Zhou! I made a candy figure for you!"

The curtain of the sedan chair was slightly lifted, and Zhou Yanru's voice could be heard: "I appreciate your kindness, old man. Leave the candy man to your grandson... Remember to let him study and be a good person in the future!"

As the sun sets, the sedan chair moves farther and farther away on the bluestone road of Suzhou City. Amid the hustle and bustle of the market, the discussions of the vendors can be vaguely heard.

...............

On the Hangzhou Garrison parade ground, three thousand soldiers lined up in battalions. The early summer sun was already quite scorching, shining on the soldiers' faded uniforms. From time to time, someone in the queue would secretly move their numb legs, but soon they would freeze under the gaze of their superiors.

On the high platform, Lin Pingzhi was dressed in white, with the long sword at his waist still unsheathed, but he already made people feel cold.

Sweeping his eyes over the crowd, Lin Pingzhi took off his sword and handed it to his personal soldier.

This action made several thousand soldiers in the audience unconsciously tense their shoulders. Three days ago, the new commander used this sword to behead the former commander who disobeyed orders in public.

Lin Pingzhi's face was stern, his eyes swept across the soldiers below the stage, his voice was not loud, but every word was clear:
"From today on, the Jiangnan Guard will be restructured."

"Anyone who eats the salary without paying will be executed!"

"Anyone who withholds military rations will be executed!"

"Those who collude with local tyrants will be executed!"

After the three words "behead" were spoken, the training ground fell silent, even the sound of the wind seemed to be stagnant.

Lin Pingzhi raised his hand, and the guards behind him held out a booklet. He flipped it open and read out a dozen names. Every time he read out a name, someone in the audience was dragged out of the queue by the Jinyiwei.

"...Wang Zhen, falsely reported 20 soldiers and embezzled salaries for three years."

"Zhao Dehai, reselling 300 dan of military rations."

"Zhou Kang secretly let the Japanese pirates' spies into the camp."

The officers whose names were called turned pale, some collapsed on the spot, and some shouted that they were innocent, but were soon gagged and dragged away.

Lin Pingzhi closed the booklet and said: "Today I am killing one person as a warning to the rest. I hope you will take this as a warning."

"By order of the Ministry of War."

Lin Pingzhi's eyes swept over the soldiers who were as silent as a cicada. His voice was not loud, but the megaphones set up at the four corners of the parade ground carried every word into the soldiers' ears:

"From now on, the Hangzhou Garrison will be reorganized into a new army."

The guards brought a notice board covered with red cloth. Lin Pingzhi pulled off the red cloth, revealing the "New Army Regulations" with wet ink.

"The first one is to rebuild the military status."

Lin Pingzhi's fingertips traced the notice: "Within three days, each battalion will re-register its soldiers. Anyone who impersonates someone else will be exiled three thousand miles along with the officer in charge."

There were whispers in the ranks. Several flag officers in the front row turned pale, as at least 20% of their troops were unpaid.

"Second, the reform of the food and salary system."

Lin Pingzhi took a cloth bag from his personal guard and said, "This is the new salary standard."

The cloth bag was unfolded, revealing ten brand new silver coins. The sunlight reflected off the edges of the silver coins, creating dazzling spots of light, and the soldiers in the back row stood on tiptoe unconsciously.

"The monthly salary for infantrymen is 1 tael and 2 qian, for cavalrymen 1 tael and 8 qian, and for night sentries an additional 3 cents." Lin Pingzhi laid out the silver coins one by one. "The salary is distributed on the fifth day of every month, supervised by the Jinyiwei."

This time the discussion was even louder. According to the old system, the nominal monthly salary of ordinary soldiers was eight cents, and if they actually received five cents, it was considered a favor from their superiors.

"Article 3: Replacement of weapons."

Lin Pingzhi pointed to the east side of the parade ground. There were twenty carriages covered with oilcloth parked there. "Three hundred new-style muskets and five hundred sets of cotton armor. The replacement will be completed within half a month."

The chief of the firearms battalion standing on the right side of the queue couldn't help but say: "Sir, our bird guns have only been used for two years..."

"All eliminated."

Lin Pingzhi interrupted him: "The new musket has a range of 200 steps and can be fired in rainy days. We will start training tomorrow."

The guards brought up a wooden box. When the lid was opened, several soldiers in the front row gasped - there were 30 wooden signs neatly stacked inside, each with a name engraved on it.

"The Guards' Pacification Division has verified this,"

Lin Pingzhi picked up the top wooden sign and said, "In the past three years, 215 people have been paid without paying, 600 dan of military rations have been withheld, and 4,000 taels of profit have been made from reselling military equipment."

Every time he spoke, a wooden sign was thrown to the audience. The sound of the wooden signs hitting the ground was like thunder hitting the officers' hearts.

"Since this is your first offense, I will not pursue the matter for now."

Lin Pingzhi suddenly changed the subject, "But starting today, the vacancies in each battalion must be filled."

There was a sudden commotion on the west side of the parade ground. An officer in the uniform of a centurion pushed aside his guards and ran out of the field, but he tripped after only a few steps. When two Jinyiwei held him down, the silver bag on his waist broke, and the white silver spilled all over the ground.

"Why is Captain Zhao so anxious?"

Lin Pingzhi walked down the platform and said, "There are forty-seven vacancies in your camp. This silver is just the right amount to supplement their salaries."

Captain Zhao, who was pinned to the ground, suddenly roared: "What do you people from the capital know! Without a salary, how can you bribe your superiors? What can you use..."

The hilt of the Jinyiwei's knife calmed him down.

"Article 4."

Lin Pingzhi's voice remained calm: "From now on, the garrison will be directly under the Ministry of War. All official documents will be sent directly through the Tongzhengsi, and no longer need to go through the Duzhihuishisi."

This sentence was like a piece of red-hot iron thrown into cold water. Several thousand households looked at each other - this meant that they no longer had to send "ice tribute" or "charcoal tribute" to government offices at all levels.

As the sun was setting, Lin Pingzhi finally announced the last item: "Tomorrow at noon, the overdue military pay will be paid."

He pointed to the newly built shed on the north side of the parade ground and said: "All sergeants should bring their badges to receive the medals. Family members can receive the medals on their behalf."

When the troops were disbanded, the soldiers walked much more briskly than when they were assembled. A young soldier boldly asked, "Sir, can we really get the full salary?"

Lin Pingzhi did not answer, but asked his personal guards to open the box in the shed. The neatly stacked silver ingots glowed warmly in the setting sun, which was more convincing than any words.

In the attic, Zhang Weixian's deputy general whispered: "The Hangzhou Garrison alone will need an extra 8,000 taels per month."

"The money saved is more than this amount."

The Duke of England touched the golden sword at his waist and said, "What's more..."

His words were interrupted by a sudden cheer in the distance. The soldiers found that the grain carts were not only unloading old rice, but also baskets of salted fish and bacon.

That night, six new sentries were added outside the granary of the garrison. The soldiers on duty stood straight.

This was the first time in five years that they had stood guard for their own military rations.

(End of this chapter)