Chapter 208: Great Qi

Another autumn had arrived, and the outer edges of the forest had become devoid of human activity, allowing the vegetation to flourish once more.

In the south, the autumn landscape was painted with a deep emerald green, punctuated by golden and crimson hues. Amongst the seven men carrying cloth bags as they traversed the wilderness, one asked another, "Big Mountain, are we really going to find a buyer outside?"

"We will. There are always people waiting at the edge of the mountains for transactions. If they like our goods, they'll get whatever we want from the city in exchange, but they'll try to haggle down the price of our items."

Who could these two men be other than Chen Dashan and his maternal uncle Zhou Dalang?

They were accompanied by Lu Erlang, Zheng Jiaolang, Feng Liangniang's uncle, Dong Ge's father, and Shi Datou, who had turned fifteen that year.

In the depths of the mountains, they could cultivate their own food, and with the help of Chen Youtian, they had even created looms to weave cloth. The only issue was salt, which became scarce after the second year in the mountains. At that time, they had traded some mountain produce for salt by letting someone enter the city to exchange it, naturally offering them incentives.

They weren't the only ones hiding in the mountains; others had clearly preceded them. Gradually, a black market emerged at a distance from the city of Xizhou.

With the emergence of this black market, life for those hiding in the mountains became much more convenient. They grew melons, beans, and vegetables, raised chickens, and despite the lack of paddy fields, they could still subsist on beans grown on the mountain slopes. Those with exceptional strength, like Shen Lie and his group, could hunt, making their lives even more comfortable than the previous years before they fled to the mountains.

Everything they cultivated and reared belonged to them, free from taxes and conscription. They didn't have to worry about being suddenly seized for military service. With several villages uniting to practice martial arts, no one dared to harbor malicious intentions towards them. Wasn't this a peaceful and content existence?

This was Chen Dashan's third trip out, and he had always taken good care of his in-laws. In the past, when he went to buy salt, he would never fail to bring some for them as well. Zhou Lazi, feeling embarrassed to constantly take advantage of his son-in-law's kindness, had this time prepared some goods in advance and sent his eldest son along on this trip.

Both Chen Dashan and Lu Erlang were familiar with the area, having been there before. As soon as they arrived in Shexian, they instinctively made their way to the former black market. However, something seemed amiss; a place that should have had at least a few people was now deserted.

"Did the location change?" Lu Erlang asked, perplexed.

"Let's search the surrounding areas."

They split up and scoured the vicinity for over half an hour, but not a single soul did they encounter.

Chen Dashan was perplexed. "If we're changing locations, it can't be too far away, or else no one would be able to find us if we're too distant from the city."

Everyone was dumbfounded. Only Brother Dong’s father hesitantly suggested, "Could it be that the authorities are investigating?"

Everyone exchanged glances. Uncle Feng Liu said, "Surely not? They’re fighting tooth and nail for territory; how could they have the energy to concern themselves with us?"

Chen Dashan hesitated slightly. "Wait here for a moment. I'll slip closer to the city gate and take a look."

As a professional novel translator, I will provide you with an elegant and contextually faithful rendering of each line in English. Please provide the Chinese text you would like translated.

The city gates of Xizhou were heavily guarded. Chen Dashan observed from a distance. Apart from guards patrolling the watchtowers, there were also sentries at the gates. Occasionally, people entering or leaving would be inspected, but compared to the last time he had seen this scene, something seemed different.

Ah, yes, the posture of the guards.

This time, the guards were not the same batch as the ones he and Shen Lie had seen several months ago. No, they weren't even from the same unit. Their discipline and spirit were entirely distinct.

Another difference was a newly-built earthen wall just outside the city gate. At that moment, three or five people stood by it, seemingly observing something. Seeing that the guards didn't intervene, Chen Dashan approached them casually.

It turned out to be a notice board.

Back in Qiyang County, such a thing used to be placed outside the county office. Now, it was moved outside the city gates?

Chen Dashan looked at the various old and new notices posted on the wall. The characters were beautifully written, but unfortunately, he couldn't read a single one. He turned to the nearby people and asked, "Brother, what does it say?"

The man wasn't much better off. He glanced in the direction of the city gate and replied, "We can't read either. They say a bailiff will come in the afternoon to read it aloud."

Chen Dashan: "..."

He rubbed his forehead and walked away.

...

"They're back!"

"So, what's the news? What happened?"

The few people waiting in the mountains immediately stood up and went to greet them.

Chen Dashan puffed out his cheeks. "Daniu, come with me for a trip."

Shi Daniu was suddenly called upon, confused but unsure of the reason. However, the people in the mountains held immense respect for Shen Lie, Sang Luo, and Chen Dashan. Without questioning, he put down his belongings and followed along.

Chen Dashan led him to the notice board. "Didn't you follow along as they read? Take a look at what it says."

Shi Daniu stared at the wall filled with notices, momentarily stunned. A few villagers who had been waiting for the bailiff to read the notices exclaimed, "Brother, you can read?"

They were astonished by Shi Daniu's simple attire and rough appearance.

With this commotion from the others, Shi Daniu felt a bit flustered and intimidated. His neck flushed red as he stammered, "I-I read slowly, didn't learn much."

He might not even be as good as his young cousin.

He didn't dare to say that out loud.

Chen Dashan urged him, "Read whatever you know. Just go through the ones you can recognize."

Shi Datou nodded and picked the earliest and most worn-out one, stammering, "Ping Li Shiwei... I don't recognize these two characters."

"Self... I don't know the next four characters either."

"Skip those who are unfamiliar."

"Governance in disarray, people wandering, bandits and thieves rampant..." This time, without denying recognition, he paused for a moment before continuing, "...Yu Li... his head, ...severed by... amidst ... chaos..."

Reading up to this point, Shi Datou truly couldn't proceed any further: "Brother Da Shan, I don't recognize enough characters."

Chen Dashan was also at a loss. He pulled Shi Datou aside to look at the other notices. "Take a look at this one."

"Promoting agriculture, I'm unfamiliar with the third character."

With five notices, he stumbled through reading more than a hundred characters, but alas, neither Chen Dashan nor the listeners around him could make sense of their meaning. Lacking status, they couldn't wait for the local officials to read it out to them. They could only return to the mountains and wait for the person who usually helped them with their trading business. It wasn't until late afternoon that he was finally available. Not only did they exchange some salt, but Chen Dashan also asked the man who facilitated the trade about the new notice board outside the city.

Upon inquiry, they learned that Li Shewei was actually a person's name - the Chu King who ruled over their region. He had been overthrown by several generals under the Qi King a month ago.

The man said, "We're back under the rule of Great Qi now."

Oh, another emperor has taken the throne. Wasn't it the one Shopkeeper Xu mentioned last year as being quite capable?

Seeing no reaction from Chen Dashan and his companions, the man continued, "Don't underestimate this. I have a feeling that our current emperor might reunite the world. Qin, Wu, Yan, and Chu have either submitted or been conquered. Now, there's only the state of Chen, which occupies the capital, left as an opponent. It's just a matter of time. Haven't you noticed that fewer people are doing this trading business? It's not as easy as before. Did you see the notices? They were specifically placed outside the city, calling mountain dwellers back. The earliest one even had a deadline. If you keep hiding in the mountains like this, you'll be labeled bandits. This trade is risky now."

Chen Dashan's eyes flickered at the mention of the notices. He asked, "Brother, what did those notices say?"

The man replied, "One was an amnesty proclamation for the defeat of Li Shewei, another was an edict encouraging agriculture, and there was also one about abolishing taxes and labor duties, I think. That's all I know. I can't read; I only heard about it."

Hearing this, Chen Dashan lowered his eyelashes and handed the man a string of smoked meat, "Brother, can you help me with one more thing? I assume the same notices are posted within the city. Could you find someone who can read and copy the notices for me? Consider this meat payment for ink, paper, and labor. When you bring me the copied notices, I'll give you another portion as a token of gratitude. How does that sound?"

The man weighed the meat in his hand - at least six or seven pounds. He glanced at the similar bag still in Chen Dashan's hand, "Will you give me the same amount?"

Chen Dashan smiled, "Don't worry, brother. You won't be shortchanged."

The man laughed. "Alright, then wait here. I'll go buy paper and ink, and find someone to copy it for you. I'll be back within two hours."

...

Chen Dashan's group, carrying over twenty catties of salt, returned to the outer village after seven days. This time, Zhou Dalang, Zheng Dalang, Dong Ge's father, and Feng Liu's uncle did not leave. They sat at a small stone table by the village entrance, waiting for Shi Datou to call for the villagers.

Everyone knew that there were many scholars in the outer village.

It was originally time for an afternoon break. Shi Datou entered the village to make announcements. Upon hearing that Chen Dashan had brought back five proclamations, Shen Lie, Sang Luo, and the Xu family members rushed out. Even the illiterate Elder Chen, Elder Lu, and Madam Chen and Madam Lu followed to listen.

Wei Qinghe, Wang Yunzheng, the Xu father and son, Shen Lie, and Sang Luo each took a copy, quickly read through them, and then exchanged them for another read. Their eyes all lit up with understanding.

When they combined the information from the five proclamations, it became clear that most of the world had been annexed by the Great Qi, and several decrees had been issued to encourage those living outside their territories to return to the mountains and pledge allegiance. The documents mentioned how land would be allocated to new subjects, as well as the abolition of corvée labor and taxes for a certain period, unless specifically ordered otherwise.

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions became more solemn, especially the older ones like Elder Chen, Elder Lu, and Feng Liu's uncle. As soon as Shopkeeper Xu finished speaking, they eagerly asked, "Did it say how the land will be distributed?"

"Are the taxes and corvées really being abolished? For how many years?"

"Is it truly peaceful out there?"

"Are they still conscripting soldiers? The war can't be over yet, right?"

They asked each other in turns.

Xu Manager exchanged glances with the others, unsure how to respond. On one hand, the exact duration of the policy wasn't specified. On the other hand, the emperor who had dismantled the Great Qian Dynasty was known for his eloquent proclamations, but what were his true intentions?

He turned to Chen Dashan and the others who had ventured out and asked, "How did you find your trip?"

The rest had been hiding in the mountains and had no idea what the outside world was like. Finally, Chen Dashan replied, "The countryside is deserted, and we didn't have much contact with the city folk. But from the looks of it, that man who bought salt for us seems quite confident in this Emperor of Great Qi's ability to conquer Chen Kingdom as well."

Xu Manager then looked at Shen Lie and Sang Luo. "What's your take on this?"

Shen Lie instinctively glanced at Sang Luo. She lowered her gaze, pondered for a moment, and said, "I think you should investigate further. This ruler's actions seem significant. From what we've seen so far, he's implementing policies for the people's welfare. And this part here."

She placed the paper she held onto the stone table and gently tapped on a line. "Order all provinces to recommend those well-versed in classical texts for examination... Schools shall be established in each state, county, and village."

With a rudimentary understanding of the history of her own timeline, she knew all too well what this implied. The monarchy was about to challenge the influence of the scholar-bureaucrat class. The resources that had long been controlled by the scholars would now be contested by a third party, as per the emperor's decree.

A feeble emperor would neither dare attempt such a feat nor succeed in it. As Sang Luo's gaze fell upon the small print at the end, which read "The 19th of August in the third year of Wu Ding," she knew this was not the case with this great Qi emperor.

Merely three years into the founding of the nation, if indeed the information that Manager Xu gathered last year holds true — this figure, with military power in hand and a resolute, iron-blooded demeanor, now advocating for the encouragement of agriculture and the advancement of education — Suoluo perceives that perhaps this truly is the opportune moment for them to leave the mountains and return to tending the fields.

While the others failed to grasp Sangluo's words, those who were well-versed in literature had already sensed, the moment they saw the edict in her hand, that their long-awaited opportunity might have arrived.

The more seasoned ones, like Wei Qinghe, and the more mature, like Wang Yunzheng, pondered deeper. As for those slightly younger, like Shen An and Xu Wenbo, after reading the imperial edict, they looked at Sangluo with excitement. "Sister-in-law, the new regime is planning to establish schools?"

Sang Luo smiled and nodded. "Yes, it's not just about establishing schools; it signifies an opportunity for commoners' children to advance through education."

Families with children studying were suddenly stirred up, and Lu Erliang promptly approached, carefully holding the paper. He called out to Shen An, his voice trembling with excitement: "Xiao An, come here. Read this for Uncle."

Old Man Chen, Old Man Lu, Mother Chen, Mother Lu, and Gan, among others who stood by, half-understanding, nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, Xiao An, read it for us."

Undaunted, Shen An smiled and readily agreed. He picked up the imperial edict and began reading it aloud, his youthful voice clear and resonant, his enunciation precise. The person who could draft an edict on behalf of the emperor was undoubtedly a master of literature, every word like a polished pearl. Even though Mother Chen and the others only understood one out of every three sentences, they still found it captivating, not daring to interrupt. They waited patiently until Shen An finished before asking him to explain its meaning.

Amidst the commotion over there, Wang Yunzheng couldn't conceal his excitement even after hearing it a second time. He looked at Uncle Xu and suggested, "Uncle, why don't you try reaching out to your old friends again to inquire about the situation outside?"

The establishment of a provincial school and the selection of scholars through the examination system—after so many years of studying, how could he not be thrilled?

Shen Lie also looked at Sang Luo and said, "Should I accompany Manager Xu on this trip?"

Shen Lie hadn't thought too much about it. He enjoyed reading as well, but most of the time, it was because he could read and practice calligraphy alongside Sang Luo. It was the joy derived from the act of reading and the books themselves that appealed to him. As for anything beyond that, he hadn't given it much thought yet.

At present, his primary desire was to provide Sang Luo with a stable and happy life. This was their third autumn in the mountains. If the situation outside had indeed stabilized, venturing out ahead of time would offer them far more options.