Chapter Thirty-Two: The Constables Arrive

Zhou Tie pondered over and over, unable to comprehend how Zhou Zhi, once so taciturn, industrious, and obedient, had transformed into this person. At last, he recalled that it all began when Zhou Zhi secretly listened to Master Wang’s lectures outside the academy and subsequently learned to read. In short, Zhou Tie blamed everything on Zhou Zhi’s pursuit of reading.

Hearing his father's words, Zhou Zhi felt troubled. If he returned the borrowed books, how could he continue his studies in the future? The imperial examinations and the pursuit of scholarly honors were his ambitions.

He had borrowed several books from Master Wang Ding, but now only had one volume of the Analects left to memorize; the rest he could recite with great proficiency.

Speaking of memorization, in Ming times, being able to recite the Four Books and Five Classics from beginning to end was not considered true memorization. True memorization meant not just reciting from a prompted page, but being able to continue from any random phrase or even a few meaningless characters plucked from the text.

For instance, in "The Great Learning," there was the passage: "To govern the state and bring peace to the world, the ruler must first be filial, then respectful, and compassionate to orphans, so that the people will follow suit; thus, the gentleman has the way of fairness." If someone quoted any sentence, you had to continue reciting. Even if they mentioned a string of connected words such as "respect and people," you must be able to carry on seamlessly; only then was it considered passing.

The imperial examinations of the Ming dynasty often took phrases from the Four Books and Five Classics for essay topics. After so many years and countless exams, the questions had become worn out; sometimes, the topic was just a few disjointed characters, and you had to craft a formal essay from them.

In later generations, Zhou Zhi had only a modest familiarity with the Four Books and Five Classics, but nonetheless possessed some foundation. Except for the Analects, his memorization of the borrowed volumes had reached this required level.

Yet with that last volume of the Analects remaining, he could not return it yet. His father's intentions were clear: he wanted to stop Zhou Zhi from reading altogether. Even if he borrowed more books in the future, it would be futile.

To forbid him from reading—this, Zhou Zhi could not agree to under any circumstance.

With these thoughts, Zhou Zhi wore a troubled expression, imploring his father, "Father, I admit my mistake. From now on, I will work diligently in the fields and only read during my leisure. Please, allow me to finish reading these books before I return them."

As he spoke, Zhou Zhi stood respectfully, his demeanor full of humility and earnestness, displaying the look of a child who recognized his error and was eager to amend it.

Hearing Zhou Zhi’s heartfelt plea, his mother, He Shi, immediately softened and said repeatedly, "That's right, husband, did you hear? Xiao Zhi has admitted his mistake. He will work hard in the fields from now on. Let’s let this matter pass!"

His elder sister, Green Cloud, had been standing in the courtyard all along. With their father enraged, she could do nothing but watch in silence—worried both for her father's health and anxious for Zhou Zhi.

At this moment, hearing Zhou Zhi confess and seeing their mother speak up, she hurried forward and gently persuaded, "Father, please forgive Xiao Zhi this time. There’s reason for him to leave that half-mu of land unplanted. In fact, these days, Xiao Zhi hasn’t been idle; he’s been making a lot of clay bricks at the drying yard!"

"Humph! And you, you silly girl, siding with him too. What use are clay bricks? We have no spare money to build a house. Alas! It’s all because you indulge him, spoiling this rebellious child."

Though he spoke harshly, his anger had significantly cooled.

Now, Zhou Tie was a bit calmer. He glanced at Zhou Zhi and wondered: last time, when he scolded Zhou Zhi over Chen Wenju, the boy stubbornly refused to listen, yet today he was so docile and submissive. Perhaps this child could still be saved, only lacking proper guidance.

Zhou Tie no longer mentioned returning the books, stomping angrily into the house. The storm of wrath had passed—for now.

Not long after Zhou Tie entered, two officials wearing black cloth caps and dark uniforms strode into the courtyard, led by Yue Shujie.

Yue Shujie was the patriarch of the Yue clan, eldest son of the venerable Yue Shunde, who, owing to age, had handed over leadership two years prior. The Yue family was one of White Yue Village’s wealthiest, and Yue Shujie, as a local gentry, often received county officials.

Ordinarily, with such status, Yue Shujie would not trouble himself over minor county functionaries, nor personally escort them to the Zhou household. But there were reasons.

The Yue and Chen families, the two major clans of White Yue Village, had been rivals for years—both holding similar connections at the county level, both fiercely contesting village leadership. To curry favor with the county, the Yue family spared no effort—even personally welcoming minor officials to display their respect.

Moreover, personally escorting officials to a household allowed Yue Shujie to assert his authority and prestige before the villagers, solidifying his position as the master of the Yue family in their minds.

"Zhou Tie, the officials have arrived!" Yue Shujie called out coldly in the courtyard.

Yue Shujie naturally looked down on the impoverished and taciturn Zhou Tie, and to even call out in his courtyard was rare.

Zhou Tie, hearing this, dared not delay and hurried out, anxiously greeting the two officials and Yue Shujie. Moments before, he had been seething with rage; now his face was covered in nervous, forced smiles.

One official, whose sharp features suggested slyness, curled his lip and declared, "The government’s corvée has been assigned. This year your household must provide a laborer. Tomorrow, assemble in Gaochang Town."

Zhou Tie was momentarily stunned but quickly nodded, stammering, "Yes, yes!"

Yue Shujie and the two officials did not even glance at Zhou Tie, turning to leave. As for Zhou Zhi and the others standing in the courtyard, the three did not so much as lift an eyelid, as if they were invisible.

According to government regulations, those who raised official horses were exempt from taxes but required to perform corvée. Still, in the reign of Emperor Hongzhi, the authorities were relatively considerate towards such families. The previous two years, no corvée had been imposed on the Zhou household. They had assumed this year would be the same, but suddenly, it was upon them.

Zhou Zhi was stunned. Had he known corvée would fall on them this year, he would never have left that half-mu of land unplanted. Though his father was sometimes muddled and violent, he was still his father. His father’s back had only recently recovered and was still weak. Zhou Zhi was now grown; how could he allow his father to undertake the corvée?

Thinking thus, Zhou Zhi stepped forward and said softly, "Father, let me go for this year’s corvée."

Zhou Tie was surprised. Zhou Zhi had never spoken so before. Clearly, the boy was concerned for him, worried about his back. It showed the child was sensible after all.

A warm surge filled Zhou Tie’s heart.

Yet his expression remained stern, and he grumbled, "Hmph! Don’t concern yourself. As long as your father hasn’t been angered to death by you, this corvée will be done by your father."