Chapter 160

Chapter 160

As the saying goes, only in murky waters can one easily catch fish.

The pie of Yunyang Prefecture had already been carved up cleanly by Assistant Judge Yang and the others. If Han Zhang wanted to profit from it, he would have to stir the waters.

The clerks of the six departments and the secretaries were deeply entangled with the interests of their superiors, and it would not be easy to move against them for the time being.

But the rank-and-file workers who had received no benefits at all—like Old Zhang the gatekeeper or Aunt Li in the kitchen—those were easy to stir up.

The most taboo thing of all: people don't resent scarcity—they resent unfairness.

Han Zhang spent his days wandering the government office, deliberately seeking out the hardest-working, most exhausted people to chat with.

Whether it was the low-ranking constables who did the dirty work, the old soldiers guarding the icehouse, the old women sweeping the rear gardens, or the runners whose shoe soles were nearly worn through from delivering documents.

His questions seemed harmless—just a newly appointed official showing concern for his subordinates while familiarizing himself with the workings of the office.

But no matter how he framed it, his questions always circled back to three things: pay, holiday bonuses, and allowances!

One day it would be: "Old Liu, with your bad leg, you still run around everywhere every month. Are the shoes, hats, and clothes the office gives you enough? When were the winter clothes distributed in past years, and who was in charge of that?"

The next day: "Auntie Zhao, I hear your old mother is ill. Does the office provide any assistance? Oh, the aid funds come from Registrar Wang in the Revenue Section? Has it ever been shortchanged or delayed?"

The day after: "Little Six, your shoes are falling apart—why haven't you gotten new ones? Not enough pay? Yeah, that's how it was for me too, back in the day... But you know, that shopkeeper at the silk shop on Front Street is about your age, and he's dressed pretty sharp. I guess everyone's situation is different."

"Oh, by the way, that silk shop owner—isn't he the brother-in-law of Registrar Xu? That brother-in-law of Registrar Xu really knows how to run a business. That shop is packed..."

At first, everyone dismissed Han Zhang's idle chatter.

But as the conversations went on, people started to feel more and more resentful!

Because it was true that they were being shortchanged on pay and benefits. They had swallowed their resentment because of their superiors' power, but how could there not be anger in their hearts?

In the past, everyone knew it but kept quiet, just enduring day after day.

But now Han Zhang had laid the harsh reality bare before them, and the resentment in everyone's hearts erupted like a volcano that had been building for years.

"Master Han is right... Why should we work ourselves to the bone and still get two qian less in pay?"

"Exactly! The day before yesterday I saw the daughter of that Clerk Yuan from the Personnel Section—the pearl hairpin in her hair alone was worth more than my entire year's food money!"

"The fine rice and good meat in the storehouse, the prime cuts—whose pockets do they end up in? What gets handed to us is nothing but stale rough grain and tough scraps and gristle!"

"That mutton... the sheep Master Han's family sent—all I got was a whiff while it was boiling in the soup. I didn't even get a single bone!"

"Shh—keep your voice down! Do you have a death wish?"

"I... I'm just stating facts! If they can do this to us, they can't stop us from talking about it!"

"Other prefectures shortchange people too, but not as badly as ours! Yunyang is the poorest prefecture, yet we get hit the hardest!"

"It's absolutely outrageous! Those up top are living high on the hog, and they still have to covet our few qian of silver and few scraps of meat!"

The rank-and-file staff of the government office were fuming with anger.

When word reached the higher-ups, Assistant Judge Yang and the others naturally gathered again for a private meeting.

Assistant Judge Yang was so furious he smashed a teacup: "Damned bastard! This Han fellow, quietly, is pulling all these little tricks down below! Sowing discord, fanning flames—he deserves to die for this!"

Registrar Liu said urgently: "That Han is a real snake! Lord Yang, the whole office is talking and seething with resentment. If we don't do something, he'll win everyone over, and then our work will become difficult."

Registrar Liu was so angry he could spit blood.

The embezzlement was done by all the higher-ups of the office, but because he was in charge of disbursements, all the resentment was directed at him. Now everyone in the office looked at him differently.

He wasn't afraid of being dismissed—this sort of thing wouldn't bring him down.

But he was afraid of being ambushed and beaten with a sack over his head on his way home one night!

Those kinds of underhanded tricks were exactly what the little guys below would do.

"What do we do about this? That Han fellow spends his days flipping through old account books and chatting with the underlings. He hasn't seized any power, hasn't meddled in any affairs—we can't find any fault with him even if we want to!"

"Are we supposed to just kill all the loudmouths? If we did that, we'd be playing right into Han's hands."

Tongzhi Zhou's expression was equally grim.

Although he was secretly pleased to see Assistant Judge Yang suffer, he didn't want to get dragged down with him.

Han Zhang's tactic of "sowing discord" struck at the very root of all their authority. If the lower ranks truly became alienated from them, his own days in office would not be easy either.

Tongzhi Zhou looked at Assistant Judge Yang and said: "It seems we'll have to bleed a little... We can't let the people below lose faith in us."

Secretary Xu nodded as well: "First stabilize the people below, then we'll deal with that Han fellow."

They were nothing but small fry—they should be grateful to get anything at all, and instead they dared to be picky and resentful? Truly ungrateful wretches!

Assistant Judge Yang pondered for a moment, then nodded darkly: "Then spread the word—say that we, in our compassion for our subordinates, have decided that for this Mid-Autumn Festival, all constables and laborers will receive their full monthly pay, plus an additional five qian of silver each as a holiday bonus!"

Registrar Liu was startled: "My lord, this... this is no small expense!"

There were several hundred rank-and-file staff in the office. Five qian each added up to several hundred taels of silver!

Yunyang Prefecture was a poor, remote place, and the oil to be squeezed was limited. Several hundred taels might be pocket change to officials in wealthy regions, but for them, it was no small sum.

Assistant Judge Yang waved his hand with a grim face: "In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures! This money comes out of our 'regular allowance'!"

The "regular allowance" referred to the "little treasury" they had accumulated through years of extortion and embezzlement.

Having to cough up what they had already swallowed was painful, but without offering tangible benefits, the complaints from below could not be suppressed.

If they lost out over a few taels of silver and let that Han fellow find an opening, the loss would far outweigh the gain.

...

When news of Assistant Judge Yang and the others' holiday bonus spread, the restless hearts of the people indeed settled considerably.

Five qian of silver might not mean much to the higher-ups of Yunyang Prefecture, but to the rank-and-file constables and laborers, it was a considerable windfall—enough to make many households noticeably more comfortable.

The complaints temporarily died down, and the chaotic situation stabilized.

Han Zhang was not upset by this. He immediately summoned his manservant and gave further instructions:

"Quietly spread word that the extra five qian of silver for this Mid-Autumn Festival was pushed through solely by Assistant Judge Yang, while Tongzhi Zhou and Secretary Xu opposed it every step of the way."

"Assistant Judge Yang is truly generous and considerate to his subordinates—but Tongzhi Zhou and Secretary Xu are really stingy!"

"Yes, my lord..."

Several manservants acknowledged the order and promptly set about their tasks.

These manservants were all picked from the Han clan before leaving the capital—the sharpest batch of young men, superior in both skill and wit to the average person, their competence going without saying.

Within no more than an hour, the news spread like wildfire throughout the government office.

And each discussion was vivid and detailed, as if they'd personally heard Judge Yang push back against every objection, and witnessed Assistant Magistrate Zhou and Secretary Xu clutching their purses with their faces all scrunched up and reluctant!

"Really? Is Lord Yang really that good? Isn't he usually the most... well, you know what I mean."

"Good? He can't be that good. It's not like he's doing us a favor—that money comes out of our own pockets anyway!"

"But regardless, this time it really was Judge Yang who pushed for us to get our full pay, plus an extra five qian of festival silver on top."

"At the time, Assistant Magistrate Zhou and Secretary Xu didn't want to give it at all! If not for Judge Yang, we'd have been lucky to get our regular pay this year—forget the five qian bonus."

"How could Assistant Magistrate Zhou be like this? Last time he said he sympathized with our hardships, claimed he had no say in the affairs of this office, and now... hmph!"

"Secretary Xu too—always putting on airs like some refined scholar, but he's got the sharpest pencil in the office! Now he's shown his true colors, hasn't he?"

The crowd buzzed with chatter.

With everyone in the office knowing the news, how could Judge Yang and the others possibly remain unaware?

Assistant Magistrate Zhou and Secretary Xu, suddenly cast as 'petty misers,' had faces like thunder.

Judge Yang, meanwhile, felt a mix of embarrassment and a flicker of satisfaction at stepping on his old enemy Assistant Magistrate Zhou's toes—but he knew full well this was Han Zhang's scheme, so he could only console his two allies:

"Lord Zhou, Secretary Xu, this is just that Han guy's trick to split us apart. We mustn't fall for it. It's just rumors—don't let it get to you. If we start fighting among ourselves, we'd be playing right into Han's hands."

The logic was sound, but having one's reputation used as a stepping stone for another—no one could just let that slide!

Building a reputation isn't easy, and even after dealing with Han, the damage couldn't be undone. Judge Yang had reaped the benefit, so of course it was easy for him to talk.

Assistant Magistrate Zhou and Judge Yang had never seen eye to eye, so Zhou certainly wouldn't let this slight pass without getting something back.

Secretary Xu, though on decent terms with Judge Yang, had a relationship built on mutual benefit—now that his own interests were harmed, he wouldn't just drop it either.

So the consolation was useless; both men held their ground.

Since they took the hit to their reputations while Judge Yang came out smelling like a rose, he'd have to pay up to make it right.

Judge Yang: "..."

Wait, why should he have to pay for this? It wasn't like he'd asked for any of this!

But as the saying goes, people don't worry about scarcity—they worry about unfairness.

Though all three knew this was Han Zhang's scheme of sowing discord, the lingering resentment among them inevitably drove a wedge between them.

This was a classic open play—unless the three of them stood together completely, there was no way to counter it.

But could they truly unite?

Clearly, no.