White-robed Minister

Chapter 261 0259 [Yin Ruins]

Baozhou, at the entrance to the Great Wall at Shuichangcheng.

More than 300 Song Dynasty border residents followed the delegation across the Juma River.

The Liao Kingdom was quite trustworthy. Since the peace negotiations had been completed, they released the border people they had captured this year without waiting for the Song Dynasty to return the prisoners.

The more than 300 people in front of us are just the border residents of Baozhou who have been abducted; the troops of other prefectures are also taking in civilians.

In fact, many border residents have difficulty distinguishing which country they belong to.

It is possible that the people were originally Liao people who fled to Song territory to cultivate wasteland, unable to bear the heavy burden. However, they were discovered by Song officials, who initially levied light taxes on the land, but gradually increased the taxes over the next few years, forcing the people to flee back to Liao territory.

They fled back and forth like this, not even knowing which country they belonged to.

Even fishermen on the Baigou River were taxed by both the Song and Liao dynasties simultaneously.

The delegation returned to Baozhou and received a warm welcome from Prefect Liu Ji.

Liu Ji is 63 years old this year and has spent half his life serving as an official in border prefectures. In Guangxi, Shaanxi, Hedong, and Hebei, he has always served as the prefect or governor of border areas, and has personally commanded battles on the front lines more than once.

These civil officials who had been guarding the border for many years were still quite friendly to Xu Lai, simply because Xu Lai had once expanded the border in Xihe.

Moreover, Liu Ji was an old friend of Yu Jing.

During the banquet, Xu Lai asked, "May I ask, Magistrate Liu, why are so many people gathered outside the county government office?"

Liu Ji replied, "Half a month ago, the exemption from corvée labor was implemented nationwide. Regardless of whether they are from urban or rural areas, people are required to declare their assets, and the court also encourages people to report those who make false declarations. The people that Scholar Xu saw were all there to declare their assets."

Xu Lai then asked about the latest contents of the Exemption from Service Law, and Liu Jixiang listed them out for him in detail.

After the public petitioning in Beijing and six months of repeated discussions, the latest version of the Exemption from Service Law is now relatively complete.

First, people were divided into ten classes according to their wealth. Those in the sixth class in cities and those in the fourth class or below in rural areas were exempt from paying the corvée labor tax.

Secondly, the positions of yamen runner, household head, and archer were no longer assigned by the government; instead, they were filled by government employees. Elders and able-bodied men, however, were still to be assigned.

Third, only those of the third rank or above can be recruited for positions such as yamen runner, household head, and archer. Wages must be paid.

Fourth, the service fee was further divided into exemption fee and service assistance fee. Those who were previously required to perform service paid the exemption fee. Those who were previously exempt from service (including officials, monks, and Taoist priests) paid the service assistance fee.

Fifth, the central government will no longer stipulate specific collection quotas; local governments will collect quotas based on their own circumstances. Local officials need to determine the quotas in advance and then report them up the chain of command. The maximum quota cannot be exceeded by 20%.

It can be said that after Wang Anshi's residence was stormed by the people, he spent half a year revising it into the most respectable new law.

Aside from its ineffective implementation, the latest version of the Exemption Act is beyond reproach.

It's very well planned.

But why is it so difficult to implement?

The basis for maintaining the exemption from corvée labor was to classify people into different classes based on their property and collect corvée labor fees according to their specific property.

But how do we calculate people's assets?

Let the people report it themselves, and encourage them to report those who make false reports.

The people would certainly try their best to underreport or omit information to the government, and their neighbors would also help each other cover it up.

When the government discovers that the tax revenue is insufficient, it will send officials to proactively investigate the assets. Once the officials are sent to investigate, there is a lot of room for manipulation.

Some officials, in pursuit of political achievements, even sent people to measure the size of mulberry trees to infer farmers' income from sericulture.

Previously, taxes were levied based on the number of mulberry trees planted, leading to rampant deforestation by northern farmers. Now, taxes are levied based on the size of the mulberry trees, with a fee for exemption from corvée labor.

It all comes down to those two words: governance!

If official corruption is not rectified, even the best new laws will become bad laws.

Xu continued south, and as he passed through various prefectures and cities in Hebei, the new version of the Exemption from Service Law was being promoted vigorously.

There haven't been any major problems yet, because we're still in the stage where people are voluntarily declaring their assets.

Upon arriving in Xiangzhou, they stayed at the Huanghua Hotel.

Prefect Zhang Zongyi, following custom, entertained Xu Lai and, in front of the officials and actresses, directly asked him: "Now that the nationwide exemption from corvée labor is being implemented, and fees are collected based on the people's property and livelihoods, Xu Tianzhang, do you think this is feasible?"

Xu Lai replied, "If the administration is clean and efficient, this will be a good law."

Zhang Zongyi slammed his fist on the table and exclaimed, "That's exactly right! The amount of property the people possess can only be determined by the local officials. Once they start investigating, it will surely bring chaos to the land!"

Xu Lai smiled but didn't reply.

Zhang Zongyi was a student of Kong Xu.

Kong Xu was the 44th generation descendant of Confucius. The temple school in the Confucius Temple in Qufu was first established at Kong Xu's initiative.

Zhang Zongyi belonged to the hardline conservative faction, to the point that he opposed Wang Anshi in everything.

Even the epitaph that Wang Anshi wrote for Kong Daofu (Kong Xu's son) more than thirty years ago, Zhang Zongyi rewrote. He elaborated on the details that Wang Anshi omitted in his original epitaph. And Zhang Zongyi meticulously detailed the points Wang Anshi had elaborated on—

It will be mentioned briefly.

This is the epitaph of his mentor's son, and Zhang Zongyi even brought it up to cause trouble in order to oppose the reform.

They've completely gone mad!

Seeing that Xu Lai remained silent, Zhang Zongyi asked the prefect, "What is Prefect Liu's evaluation of the exemption from corvée labor law?"

The magistrate didn't want to offend anyone: "It's a good law, but it's difficult to implement."

Zhang Zongyi said, "Don't try to glorify anyone; a law that's difficult to implement is an evil law. How can there be a good law then?"

The magistrate gave an awkward smile.

Guo Ruoxu laughed along, not wanting to get involved in the matter.

The banquet, which had been going well, ended in an awkward atmosphere.

The next morning, Guo Ruoxu finished washing up and waited for Xu Lai to set off together.

Xu Lai walked out of the room with a solemn expression: "Last night I dreamed of a giant tortoise, carrying books on its back. It called out to me, then dived back into the water and swam westward."

"what?"

Guo Ruoxu gave him a look that said, "Are you kidding me?"

Xu Lai said, "I woke up with a start and tossed and turned, unable to fall back asleep. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see in my mind was that giant tortoise. It was swimming westward, looking back at me all the while."

Guo Ruoxu asked, confused, "Xu Tianzhang wants to go west to take a look? We need to inform the local prefect."

The envoy's journey was meticulously documented and submitted to the imperial court. The specific routes taken and rest stops were all strictly planned.

Even when Zhang Zongyi hosted a banquet for them yesterday, he had to strictly follow the official reception procedures.

Xu Lai couldn't just decide to go to the suburbs on a whim!

If he wants to explore the Yin Ruins, he must provide a sufficient reason and be accompanied by an official dispatched by the prefect.

"Dreaming of a giant tortoise? Want to go to the western suburbs to take a look?" Zhang Zongyi looked completely bewildered.

The clerk of the Imperial Palace said, "That's exactly what Scholar Xu said."

"Playing tricks!"

Zhang Zongyi felt that Xu Lai was a lunatic.

The clerk of the Imperial Palace asked, "How should we reply to this?"

Zhang Zongyi was recently troubled by the exemption from corvée labor law and didn't want to spend his days brooding in the prefectural government office: "I'll personally accompany him to see where the giant tortoise he dreamed of is!"

Immediately, Zhang Zongyi set off with his entourage to meet Xu Lai at the Huanghua Pavilion.

Anyang was a county attached to Xiangzhou, and the Huan River (Anyang River) was located to the north of the city.

When Xu was a graduate student, he made a special trip to visit the Yin Ruins Museum. Although he didn't know its location during the Song Dynasty, the Anyang River remained the same; he could simply follow the riverbank westward.

"Not taking a boat?" Zhang Zongyi asked.

Xu Lai nodded and said, "I'll walk along the river."

"Then I'll be rude." Zhang Zongyi boarded the official boat himself. He was already quite old and didn't want to walk with Xu Lai.

Guo Ruoxu also wanted to slack off, so he followed Zhang Zongyi onto the boat.

The two stood on the deck of the official ship, leisurely discussing calligraphy and painting, while also keeping an eye on what Xu Lai was doing—they had to supervise him the whole time and report to the imperial court.

After walking for a while, Xu Lai asked a local villager, "Grandma, have you ever seen tortoise shells or bones dug out of the ground?"

'

The old woman shook her head.

He walked another two miles and asked a villager again.

The man was a middle-aged farmer. Seeing that Xu Lai was followed by officials, he immediately dared not hide anything: "Reporting to you, sir, someone robbed a tomb last year. The village children, not knowing any better, went inside and picked up bones to play with. I haven't seen any tortoise shells, but there were some bones."

The tombs in Yinxu were looted throughout history.

Later archaeologists even discovered Kaiyuan Tongbao coins in the tomb. These were clearly left by tomb robbers from the Tang Dynasty and later.

"Take me to see it," Xu said.

The villagers quickly led the way.

Near the riverbank was a gentle slope covered with withered grass from late autumn and early winter. Xu Lai followed the villagers and walked down the slope for about ten steps before stopping.

"Where's the robber's hole?" Xu Lai asked.

The villagers explained, "It's been filled in. First, to prevent people from slipping and falling, and second, to prevent children from going in to collect human bones."

Xu Lai then asked, "Are there many such tomb-raiding holes?"

The villager said, "Not many, I only know of three or five places."

The officials behind Xu Lai did not carry any tools. He told the villagers, "Find thirty strong men, bring hoes and baskets, and dig this place up for me. I will pay them fifty coins per person per day."

It was already the off-season for farming; the winter wheat had just been planted, and the farmers had nothing much to do.

Upon hearing that he could earn 50 coins a day, the villager immediately ran back and called over a few people he was on good terms with.

Xu Lai pointed to the buried tomb-raiding hole and said, "Keep digging around here, but be careful not to damage anything. Collect everything, whether it's bones, pottery, or bronze."

Thirty-one farmers immediately got to work, while the officials watched curiously.

Zhang Zongyi and Guo Ruoxu stood on the deck of the official ship, watching them dig a pit from afar, feeling increasingly bewildered.

Not long after they started digging, a farmer pointed to a shard of pottery and asked, "Sir, do you want this? It almost broke my hoe."

Xu Lai scolded, "I told you to be careful. If you dig up anything else that's damaged, I'll dock your pay!"

Upon hearing that their wages would be deducted, the farmers immediately perked up.

Xu Lai then squatted down, picked up the broken pottery shards, put them into a basket, and then took out paper and pen to number and label them.

The farmer who unearthed the pottery shards saw how careful Xu Lai was, so he quickly lay down and dug with his hands, only to find more and more pottery shards.

Xu Lai thought for a moment and said to the farmer, "Bring a few sickles; digging by hand is too strenuous. Also, bring a bucket of clean water."

Get a few more bowls and a pair of scissors.

Three-quarters of an hour later, more and more things were dug out of the ground.

Zhang Zongyi could no longer contain himself, so he ordered the official boats to dock and personally came over to check the situation.

He picked up a small object from the basket, brushed off the dirt, and examined it: "Is this an arrowhead?"

"Yes, copper clusters," Xu said.

Zhang Zongyi tossed the bronze arrowheads back into the basket: "These things are everywhere, nothing special." He looked at the clay shards again, but didn't pay them any attention.

In the mid-Northern Song Dynasty, when epigraphy was in its initial stage, Ouyang Xiu was the most famous pioneer.

Even if Ouyang Xiu himself came here, he wouldn't take the arrowheads and pottery shards seriously unless they had inscriptions on them.

"Sir, would you like this bone?" A farmer picked up a cow shoulder bone.

"want!"

Xu Lai said excitedly.

The bones were covered in mud, and without cleaning, it was impossible to see any writing.

Guo Ruoxu stared at it for a long time, not knowing why Xu Lai was so excited, so he wanted to wipe off the dirt and look at it again.

Xu Lai quickly stopped him: "Wait a moment. After we bring it back to the Imperial Palace, I will wash it slowly with distilled water."

While they were talking, another farmer dug up a tortoise shell.

Some of the tombs at Yinxu yielded no oracle bones at all, while others yielded tens of thousands. Moreover, the size of the tomb was irrelevant; it was all about chance.

Xu Lai was quite lucky; he dug from mid-morning to evening and unearthed more than ten pieces of oracle bone.

However, there were no jade artifacts or larger bronze artifacts, which were probably taken away by tomb robbers.

Zhang Zongyi and Guo Ruoxu had no patience to wait any longer. They each left an official to supervise Xu Lai, while they themselves took a boat back to the city.

They ate lunch in the village, and Xu Lai paid the bill.

As evening approached, Xu Lai selected several farmers and instructed them, "You will stay here to keep watch tonight. Each of you will be given twenty coins for night watch. We will continue digging tomorrow."

After paying today's wages, Xu Lai had the officials carry the baskets back to the city.

Upon arriving at the Imperial Palace, he didn't have time for dinner and immediately asked the cook to prepare distilled water.

No complicated still is needed. Choose a clean, new pot lid and insert washed wheat straw into the seams of the lid. All the straw should point downwards, with a large bowl placed underneath. Pour in half a pot of well water, placing the bowl on something to prevent it from being submerged in the boiling water.

Then simmer over low heat, and the steam from the pot lid drips down the wheat stalks into the bowl.

When Guo Ruoxu woke up in the morning, he asked the mission staff, "Did Scholar Xu return to the city last night?"

The mission staff replied, "We're back. We were busy boiling water and lighting lamps until midnight before we finally went to sleep."

Guo Ruoxu was anxious to return to the capital, so after breakfast he ran to knock on the door: "Xu Tianzhang, are you awake yet?"

"Yeah, I'm awake, I'm awake," Xu Lai replied groggily.

Guo Ruoxu asked, "Can we set off today?"

Xu said, "Please invite Prefect Zhang here. Tell him I have made a startling discovery and need his testimony in a memorial."

Two quarters of an hour later, Zhang Zongyi, quite impatient, arrived at the Imperial Hall and couldn't help but sarcastically ask, "Has Scholar Xu discovered the Hetu and Luoshu?"

"They're not far apart, please come inside and have a look." Xu Lai had just finished eating.

On the desk were several pieces of oracle bones that had been cleaned with distilled water. Next to each piece of oracle bone were tracings of oracle bone script and regular script inscribed with the deciphered content.

Zhang Zongyi picked up a piece of paper, which read in regular script: "Divination on the day of Jiawu: The chief minister will cross the Huan River. Will there be death or disaster?"

He then carefully examined the oracle bone script copied next to the regular script, and after looking at it for a long time, he could only vaguely recognize three characters—this was only after comparing them with the regular script.

"This is—" Zhang Zongyi was a little confused.

Xu Lai pointed to the deciphered text and said, "Ya Chang could be an official title or a personal name. On the day of Jiawu, Ya Chang consulted the oracle, asking whether there would be any disasters when crossing the Huan River. He himself would probably not need to consult the oracle to cross the river. It is very likely that it was for a military expedition, an envoy mission, or a long-distance trade trip."

Guo Ruoxu walked over and said, "Could it be a Zhou Dynasty tomb?"

"Maybe even earlier," Xu said.

"Business?" Zhang Zongyi and Guo Ruoxu exclaimed at the same time.

Xu Lai opened a wooden box and carefully took out the oracle bones.

This is a huge ox rib, and it's even inlaid with turquoise.

The bone shows no signs of burning, therefore it was not used for divination; it was purely inscribed as a memorial, which reads: "On the day of Renwu, the king went to Zhao. He extended his hunting grounds at Mailu and caught a rhinoceros. He was rewarded."

This means that on the day of Renwu, the Shang king inspected the land of Zhao and hunted at the foot of Mai Mountain, where he captured a rhinoceros. The Shang king then bestowed the rhinoceros upon the tomb owner, Ya Chang.

It is not yet possible to determine which Shang king this is.

Only by excavating more oracle bones from the tombs can it be tentatively concluded that it was Wu Ding. The Ya Chang was a general under Wu Ding, second only to Fu Hao in rank.

"Scholar Xu, a farmer outside is requesting an audience, saying he's unearthed bronze artifacts in the ground!"

Xu Lai quickly rode his horse out of the city.

The tomb was not very large, but the rammed earth building base was piled on top of the burial chamber, so the tomb raiders thought there was nothing below and did not continue digging.

Below are two or three hundred bronze artifacts, of which more than one hundred bear inscriptions.

Unfortunately, the inscriptions were few in number, only bearing the owner's name, "Ya Chang".

The number of bronze artifacts in this tomb far exceeds the number of oracle bones.

Xu Lai said to Zhang Zongyi, "Prefect Zhang, there are still some robbed tombs in the northwest suburbs of the city. Please organize people to excavate them. Do not wash the unearthed items; send them to the capital with the soil still on them. I will report this to His Majesty on your behalf."

Zhang Zongyi stared at the oracle bone inscriptions for a long time, but realized he had no ability to decipher them, so he gave up his research: "I will send someone to excavate them."

"Furthermore," Xu Lai instructed, "the Baojia system was implemented last year, ordering local Baojia chiefs to strictly prevent any further tomb raiding. Those who disobey will be executed, and those who know of such activities but fail to report them will be punished along with their families!"

Zhang Zongyi was somewhat opposed to these words, especially since they were related to the new law.

Xu Lai said, "Prefect Zhang, there is a high possibility that there are Shang Dynasty tombs in that area. Moreover, the characters on the oracle bones are very likely the origin of Chinese characters. You and I can both be remembered in history!"

The words "to be remembered in history" made Zhang Zongyi's breathing heavier.

He finally took it to heart!