Jinting Han people

Chapter 156 Weights and Measures (4k)

Since ancient times, weights and measures have been an issue that is extremely easy to overlook but very important.

Du refers to length; liang refers to volume; and heng refers to weight. All three are abstract concepts, invisible, intangible, and inedible. Yet, they are ubiquitous in our lives.

The reason why humans have been able to escape ignorance and move towards civilization is that they know how to think, how to transform the real into the abstract, and use the abstract to plan and achieve long-term development. Hence, weights and measures were invented.

The clothes people wear, the houses they live in, the food they eat, the vehicles they ride in, and even the weapons they use for fighting all require weights and measures.

But after humans invented weights and measures, their meaning evolved. Because weights and measures differ from person to person and from country to country, different weights and measures form different cultures, and in turn, form national boundaries between people.

Once these national boundaries were established, weights and measures became symbols of power. Destroying a nation meant abolishing both its written language and its weights and measures. Qin Shi Huang's unification of weights and measures after conquering the six states was a manifestation of this supreme power.

At this time, does it really matter whether the weights and measures are truly consistent? Actually, it doesn't matter. What matters is that power can define the weights and measures. If power says how long is one foot, then it is one foot; if power says how big is one dou, then it is one dou; if power says how heavy is one catty, then it is one catty.

Xin Ran came this time to demonstrate Sun Xiu's power. He had no intention of collecting rent, so he did not bring a bucket, but he did bring a copper ruler and a wooden scale.

What was visible to the naked eye was that this copper ruler was much longer than the one used by Xiayang County, at least one-third longer. The weights used on the scale were also larger than those used by Xiayang County.

When Xi An saw these two things, his expression suddenly became extremely reluctant.

Throughout history, it has been widely known that merchants often manipulate the size and weight of goods. But in reality, officials also enjoy doing so.

After the Han Dynasty's financial collapse, the Cao Wei regime switched from a monetary tax system to a practical tax system. In theory, all the miscellaneous taxes were consolidated, and officials only needed to regulate the practical taxes, which also saved the people the trouble of selling their crops for money.

But in reality, there are many ways to manipulate the process. When collecting monetary taxes, the exact amount is the exact amount, but when collecting physical goods, it's different. A more respectable approach might be to say that some materials were lost during the process, so they don't count and must be replaced. A less respectable approach would be to directly abuse authority and alter official weights and measures.

The dimensions are secretly lengthened, the liters larger, the weights heavier. You measure out enough supplies, but when you get to the tax office, you find that everything is missing. There's nothing you can do about it.

With official tacit approval, official rulers in various regions have a habit of secretly lengthening, and then officially recognizing them. For example, the Guangwu Jianwu ruler (21.3 cm) restored by Xun Xu, the Supervisor of the Secretariat, in the tenth year of the Taishi era, compared the standard ruler of the Former Han Dynasty to one foot three-tenths and seven-thousandths (23.1 cm). The official ruler of the Cao Wei Dynasty was one foot four-tenths and seven-centimeter (24.2 cm) longer than the Jianwu ruler. By the time Liu Xian arrived in Xiayang, the official ruler used in Xiayang County was one foot six-tenths and two-centimeter (25.8 cm) longer than the Jianwu ruler, demonstrating a trend of continuous lengthening.

But even so, the copper ruler in Xin Ran's hand was too terrifying. It was simply a bold change of the measurement system. It was about one foot and three inches longer (31 cm) than the Jianwu ruler.

From this, we can see that the copper weight on the scale is probably not much different, at least 20% heavier.

Faced with this fearless and misleading behavior, Xi An's eyelids kept twitching. He forced himself to smile and tried to speak to Xin Ran calmly:

"Hahaha, Xin Zhuan, are you kidding me?"

Xin Ran looked at this forced smile, and the annoyance he had when he came here immediately disappeared. This time, a genuine smile appeared on his face, and he replied with a smile:

"I'm just doing my job. Why does County Magistrate Xi say that?"

"I'm afraid the copper ruler in your hand is not right?"

"Xie County Magistrate, you're joking. This is the copper ruler I brought from the Western Expedition Army. What's wrong with it?"

"That's obviously wrong! The length of the copper ruler in your hand is engraved as one foot, right?"

"Yes! It's exactly one foot long."

"But this one foot is way too long! We often say that two fingers are about one foot long. Your ruler is definitely longer than that."

Faced with such doubts, Xin Ran clearly wanted to laugh. He clenched the copper ruler in his hand, knocked on the door of the county government storehouse, and asked, "Are the sayings always true? Decades ago, there were rumors in Guanzhong that Wei Wu was a celestial official with four eyes and two mouths!"

Xi An said anxiously, "But the copper ruler in your hand is obviously different from the copper ruler in our county government!"

"Oh? What's the inconsistency?"

Xiayang County's weights and measures were hung at the entrance to the county government treasury. A county official, upon hearing Xi An's words, hurriedly took down a copper ruler and handed it to Xi An. Xi An took the county ruler, took two steps forward, compared it with the copper ruler in Xin Ran's hand, and said, "Xin Ran, your ruler is obviously more than an inch longer than the county ruler. This is absolutely not right!"

"Oh my, that's really inappropriate!" Xin Ran took the county ruler and bumped it against the copper ruler in his hand, making a clanging sound. Then, with a look of reproach on his face, he said, "What's wrong with you? How could such a huge mistake be made? Did you under-collect taxes?"

Without waiting for Xi An and the others to reply, he pretended to mutter loudly to himself, "This isn't my first year in office, how could such a huge mistake have occurred? If they really under-collected, it would be understandable. But I'm afraid they collected the full amount of taxes, then used a smaller ruler and embezzled the excess!"

This was a blatant slander. Xi An was so angry that he trembled all over. However, he managed to remain calm and replied in a neither humble nor arrogant manner:
"If Xin Zhuan really thinks so, and thinks that Xiayang County is full of such ruthless villains, then he can go to the homes of the people in the fields to investigate. If the situation is really as Xin Zhuan said, we are willing to accept the punishment!"

But Xin Ran laughed and said, "Haha, why are you so anxious, County Magistrate Xi? I'm just talking. Besides, I'm in a hurry, so how can I have time to interview people?"

"I only want to tell you one thing: seeing is believing." His expression changed immediately, and his words shot out like a crossbow. "The ruler you handed me doesn't match the official ruler I brought from the Western Expedition Army, right?"

"Similarly, the scales in your county government don't seem to match the scales I brought from the Western Expedition Army Headquarters, right?"

"Then the amount of military supplies I want to requisition this year should not be right, right?" After Xin Ran said this bluntly, he looked at Xi An's flushed face in front of him and the trembling embarrassment of the county officials around him, and he couldn't help but feel very happy. This is the happiness that power brings to people.

Last year, he and Sun Xiu were both obscure pawns in Luoyang, completely ignored by the scholars. Perhaps Liu Xian, a stalwart of both the Chu King's and the Crown Prince's factions, had never even heard of them. But now, he wielded immense power in Guanzhong, free to wield his power and blatantly manipulate right and wrong. This contrast evoked a sense of celestial bliss, like a heavy dose of fine wine, leaving one drowsy and disoriented.

Meanwhile, Xi An was still trying to make a final stand. He said, "Xin Zhuan, there are merchants from Pingyang, Chang'an and other places at the county fair right now. They all have their own measurements. You can call them over for comparison. This is definitely not a mistake made by our county."

Xue Xing was also in the group welcoming Xin Ran. Seeing this, he stepped forward and said, "Xin Zhuan, I'm from Fenyin. I'm willing to guarantee with my life that the dimensions of Fenyin on the other side of the river are the same as those of the county government. There is absolutely no mistake!"

Upon hearing this, Xin Ran's expression suddenly changed, and he cursed, "What do you mean? Don't you understand what I'm saying?! Since ancient times, has measurement been based on the upper or lower limit?"

"You're so eager to prove yourselves right. Are you trying to say that the Western Expedition Army's weights and measures are wrong? Are His Royal Highness Prince Zhao's weights and measures wrong? Are the imperial court's weights and measures wrong?"

"The so-called weights and measures are the royal weights and measures! If the court says it's more than a foot long, then it's more than a foot long!"

"The ruler in my hand is not just for you, Xiayang. Now all the counties and prefectures in Guanzhong, including those so-called Hu people, must pay taxes according to this ruler in my hand. The court treats everyone equally!"

After these words were spoken, the faces of the county officials present were ashen. Xi An even revealed a look of despair. He finally understood that sometimes, when powerful people want to kill someone, there's no need for any reason at all. Yet, he had been so self-righteous, thinking that being honest and incorruptible meant he was infallible.

In fact, haven't there been many cases of framing loyal and honest people since ancient times? Zhao Gao murdered Fusu, Cao Cao killed Kong Rong, and Zhong Hui framed Ji Kang—all of these cases involved confusing right and wrong. Only by feigning madness and stupidity, like Ruan Ji, could one have a glimmer of hope.

At this moment, Xi An's first reaction was actually regret for sending someone to find Liu Xian. He should have let him take the opportunity to leave.

On the other hand, Xin Ran was furious on the surface, but he was actually very proud of himself. He had completely grasped the initiative, so he no longer looked at Xi An and the others, and directly said to his men:
"Go check these silks and cottons and see how much we are short of."

Then he leisurely moved a couch and sat down, watching his men rummaging through the county treasury while mentally thinking about how to deal with the aftermath.

Xin Ran knew the copper ruler in his hand was too long, but what he had just said wasn't entirely false. At least his words, demanding that all counties in Guanzhong pay taxes according to the new weights and measures, weren't specifically directed at Liu Xian. They were sincere and heartfelt.

As the youngest son of Sima Yi, Emperor Xuan of Jin, Prince of Zhao, Sima Lun had spent years in insignificant positions, but this was his first time in power. Like withered seedlings finally emerging from a drought, everyone in the Prince of Zhao's residence was eager to capitalize on Sima Lun's prosperity.

If he accepted bribes in the usual way, the money would come too slowly. The King of Zhao was dissatisfied, and neither was Sun Xiu. Furthermore, before arriving, Sun Xiu had promised Duke Jia Mi of Lu that he would send a large amount of money to the palace every year. Otherwise, the Queen would be dissatisfied, and the King of Zhao's position as the General of the Western Expedition would be in jeopardy.

So Sun Xiu came up with this plan. His actions, ostensibly to vent the anger of Duke Jia Mi of Lu, were actually a warning to officials throughout Yongliang, prompting them to raise taxes by 20-30%. The extra tax revenue would go directly into the pockets of the Zhao Palace and the Jia family of Pingyang.

Of course, as the organizer of this event, Xin Ran will naturally also benefit from it.

While waiting for the result, Xin Ran couldn't help but start imagining how many concubines he would have.

The process of counting the county treasury was very quick. In about two quarters of an hour, the clerks brought by Xin Ran had finished the counting. They summarized:
"Reporting to Xin Zhuan, nearly ten feet of silk is missing from each piece here. Nearly five pounds of silk cotton is missing from each bag."

"Therefore, the total shortage is 171 bolts of silk and 137 catties of silk floss."

After receiving this data, Xin Ran stood up leisurely and said to Xi An, "What should I do? Xi County Magistrate, the county government has missed so many household surveys for no reason. How should I explain this to His Royal Highness Prince Zhao?"

His words were filled with sarcasm, but no one present could do anything about it. Xi An could only whisper, "Then may I ask, Xin Zhuan, what does the Western Expedition Army want us to do?"

This is a typical weak attitude: not fighting back, letting the strong have their way, hoping to gain a little mercy from the strong. But the strong, at this time, will not have any mercy.

Xin Ran put on a falsely serious expression and said, "County Magistrate Xi, there's nothing I can do. This is all official business. I enjoy the court's trust and receive a salary, so naturally I can only handle this impartially."

"Regarding today's events, I will write down everything in an official document and report it to the Western Expedition Army Headquarters, which will then forward it to the court. As for how the court handles it, that is beyond my responsibility."

Xue Xing, who was standing next to him, almost lost his balance when he heard this. As the Minister of Prison, he naturally understood how the court would deal with this matter.

This crime can be serious or minor. If it is counted as a crime of negligence, at most the person will be dismissed from his post. But if it is counted as disloyalty or deception, I am afraid that all the relevant dereliction of duty personnel will be arrested and sent to the capital in prison carts, which is equivalent to beheading. In fact, it is reasonable.

But these people were clearly here to cause trouble, so how could they be charged with negligence? I'm afraid the prisoner carts to be taken to the capital are already ready in Luoyang.

Xi An had the same idea, but he was thinking about whether he could collude with the county officials within a short period of time to take the blame for all the crimes. He no longer expected to escape unscathed from this incident.

After making up his mind, Xi'an's expression returned to calm. He no longer argued with Xin Ran about this matter, but instead chatted with him casually, inviting this favorite of the Zhengxi Army to have a meal in Xiayang, and then waited for Liu Xian to return before discussing the matter with him in detail.

It all happened so quickly. From the time Xin Ran took out the ruler and scale to the time the warehouse was cleared, it didn't even take an hour.

As the sun gradually rose to the zenith, Liu Xian, the summer sun chief, finally arrived riding on his feathered horse.

"What? The county's weights and measures are wrong? What a joke?" Liu Xian couldn't help but feel a little funny after hearing the news.

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(End of this chapter)