Chapter 100: The Nine-Rank System of Impartiality

"I have nothing to do with you all!" Yao Yu struggled vigorously, but the burly man’s hand was like an iron clamp, impossible to shake off.

"Regardless, my master will naturally make a fair judgment later. Let her go now!" Xiao Shu snapped, stepping forward. The burly man signaled secretly, and another man snatched Yao Yu up and fled.

"Hey!" Xiao Shu was about to pursue when a figure blocked her path. "This matter has nothing to do with the Magistrate. We can handle it ourselves, so there is no need to trouble you!"

"My Lord, they want to kill me! Save me, please save me!" Yao Yu screamed, struggling wildly in the man's arms and biting his skin.

"When the people have grievances, they appeal to the Magistrate. Who are you to stop her?" Jiang Wen stepped out from the mansion gate. "Interfering with my official duties—do you all want to end up in jail?"

The men exchanged glances, realizing they were out of options for the day, and dropped Yao Yu before fleeing the scene.

"Master, they ran away! We should pursue them!"

"No, get back here!"

Xiao Shu looked at Jiang Wen in confusion. Jiang Wen replied, "There is only me in this manor, and you three women. Those fellows have arms thicker than my legs. We will wait until Li Er and the others return."

Jiang Wen looked at Yao Yu and ordered Xiao Shu, "Go prepare some hot water for her and a set of clean clothes."

Yao Yu was sallow-skinned and plain-faced. Her calloused hands revealed her to be a farm girl. She looked at the young woman before her, momentarily stunned. *How beautiful…*

Tao'er entered from outside with a bowl of sweetened water. Yao Yu gulped it down; when she set the bowl aside, there was a glimmer of desperate longing in her eyes.

Jiang Wen spoke up: "Tao'er, prepare more food today. Xiao Shu, Diaochan, you two go help as well."

"Yes, Master."

Once they left, Jiang Wen looked at Yao Yu. "Were you looking for me?"

Yao Yu looked at him. Her thin, gaunt face showed unease and panic, and her voice trembled. "Are you… a good official?"

Jiang Wen studied her expression. "At least I am the only one willing to help you, and the only one who can. You’ve suffered quite a bit at the hands of those local bailiffs, haven't you?"

Yao Yu abruptly stood up, retreating to the wall, her face filled with terror as she scanned for a window to escape.

Jiang Wen picked up a teacup and said calmly, "I have no connection to those people. If I did, I would have let them take you away."

"Then how do you know..."

"It’s not hard. You asked if I am a good official, which implies you have reported this before. Before I arrived, the Fuchun Magistrate seat seemed to be vacant, and the only ones you could reach were the bailiffs."

Yao Yu’s expression remained wary, but she sat back down. "My family has seven people. I am the third. Besides my parents, I have an older brother, two younger brothers, and a younger sister. We have three acres of land and 'A-Er'."

"Who is A-Er?"

"An old ox who loves to stay under the trees to keep cool." Yao Yu paused. "Ever since the military agricultural policy was enacted, soldiers have frequently appeared in our fields. According to the imperial court, it should be six parts for the people and four for the officials, but these soldiers just took all the grain."

"My older brother is the most promising in the family. He is literate and can read many texts; my family hoped he would become an official. Father often went fishing by the river and sold the catch for a little money. After our land was seized, it wasn't enough to feed the family. I would pick wild vegetables in my spare time, but it still wasn't enough."

"Father finally couldn't take it anymore. He drove the soldiers away and reclaimed our three acres. That day, Father wanted to celebrate. He told me to go pick vegetables as usual, but when I came back... when I came back..."

Her voice choked with sobs. Jiang Wen stood by for a long time before saying, "From now on, stay inside the county office. You will be safe here."

"By the way, which bailiff did you report this to?"

"Niu Mu."

After speaking, Jiang Wen walked out. Xiao Shu hurriedly stepped away from the door, and Diaochan bowed. "I greet you, Master."

"I told you to cook, not to eavesdrop!" Jiang Wen flicked Tao'er’s forehead. She pouted, rubbing her brow. "There was nothing to cook in the house, and the older sister was eavesdropping too!"

Diaochan blushed. "Master, I..."

"Come here!"

"Ouch!"

"Big haul! Big haul!" A joyous shout came from outside. Jiang Wen and the others looked toward the gate to see Yang Wu and three others carrying a wild boar. "We can eat well today!"

Li Er followed behind, though the boar in his hands was much smaller than Yang Wu's, at least fifty pounds lighter. Li Er trailed behind Yang Wu, baring his teeth; it was clear the two were competing.

"Greetings, Master!"

Jiang Wen twitched his nose, while the three women took small steps back. Yang Wu said respectfully, "I hope the Mistress and Master will not be offended. These beasts have a sharper sense of smell than humans, so I had to add some spices."

In the past, Yang Wu had carried his injured uncle all the way from Fuchun to Xiangyang. Later, Jiang Wen learned that Yang Wu’s father was a hunter, and he had learned all sorts of wilderness survival skills from him.

He was the wilderness survival master of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

***

Jiang Wen said, "Go take a bath, then come to my study. I have something to discuss with you."

"Yes!"

The wild boar Yang Wu brought back weighed over four hundred pounds, making it extremely difficult to process. Fortunately, with a professional like Yang Wu, the meat was soon butchered. A small portion was used for Dongpo pork, and Tao'er salted the rest to prevent spoilage.

Yang Wu knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Jiang Wen handed a bamboo slip to Yang Wu. "Investigate this person carefully for me. Remember, do not expose yourself. Be careful."

"Niu Mu... Master, isn't that the village head?"

"Correct. Go to Xiaohe Village and ask the villagers if the number of people fishing by the river has decreased lately. If they know, ask them how many people are in that family."

"Yes, I will handle it at once!"

Jiang Wen nodded and pulled out the land registry Niu Mu had given him earlier; there were no families with the surname Yao on it. If what Yao Yu said was true, he wondered how many others had already been killed.

Inside the study, Jiang Wen stared quietly at the incense burner. *What should I do?*

Until Yao Yu finished her story, Jiang Wen had not promised her that he would solve it; he only told her to stay in the government office to save her life. Just three acres of land had cost six lives. If Yao Yu hadn't been lucky, her entire family would have been dead.

The world was not yet unified, and Bofu's imperial cause had not even begun, yet corruption was already this rampant. If he did nothing and allowed these veteran generals to push Bofu to the throne and establish a country, it would be nothing but a gilded shell with rotten insides.

But if he pointed this out to the old generals now, the country might never be established, and he would be the one in the grave.

*What should I do?*

The smoke from the incense burner curled thinly. Outside, Tao'er and Diaochan looked on with complex expressions. Xiao Shu whispered, "Mistress, Miss, the last time this happened, the Master did not intervene. Will he...?"

"He will not..." Tao'er said. "Young Master will not stand idly by."

As dusk approached, Tao'er had no heart to cook, so she let Xiao Shu handle it. Being a simple person, she could manage basic dishes, and with Li Er's help, they boiled a pot of radish and pork soup. Xiao Shu also made chicken soup for her mistress and Diaochan. The Dongpo pork was delicious, which kept Diaochan from resisting, but she still refused to touch plain-cooked meat.

Tao'er carried a tray. "Young Master, time to eat..."

There was no answer from the study. Tao'er sighed and took the food back.

Jiang Wen stretched, not realizing he had fallen asleep. The letter before him was finished, the ink dry. He looked at the letter in his hands.

"The Nine-Rank System."

This method was created by Chen Qun, the Secretariat of the Wei-Jin period. It pushed the national strength of Great Wei to its peak, but its flaws were also far too great. In later generations, it became a tool for powerful families to maintain their status. During the Western Jin dynasty, it led to a state where "there are no poor families in the high ranks, and no noble families in the low ranks."

The only brilliant talent unearthed from the vast sands by this system was Deng Ai. After that, people from humble origins rarely emerged. Later, the Sui and Tang dynasties initiated the Imperial Examination system, shifting the focus of official selection back to the poor. It could be said that the decline and darkness of the Western Jin were not just the fault of the rulers, but were deeply tied to the Nine-Rank System.

Powerful noble clans maintained their interests, and the talents obtained by the monarch were all recommended by these families to protect their own interests. Real talent was buried. The Imperial Examination learned from the lessons of the Nine-Rank System, allowing for the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.

From a legal standpoint, the Imperial Examination was far superior. So why didn't Jiang Wen use it? Because, considering the era, this was not the Sui or Tang period where noble families were in decline. This was the Three Kingdoms era. The power of noble families was at its peak. Every warlord seeking to establish a foundation needed these clans.

The Nine-Rank System, at its inception, would touch upon the interests of some clans, but not all. The Imperial Examination was different. If Jiang Wen dared to implement it, he wouldn't even make it out of his own front door before his head was smashed in.

Jiang Wen didn't know what would happen in the future if he implemented the Nine-Rank System, or if a new Western Jin would emerge. But he couldn't think that far ahead. At least for now, the atmosphere of the Nine-Rank System was upright and would not be as skewed as it became in later ages.

He was never a "good" man to begin with. From the start, everything he did was to secure his own peace. Dealing with monarchs and ministers, offering strategies—it was all to gain a quiet place to live as soon as possible. Like this small county office—before Yao Yu arrived, he spent his days pondering gourmet food, flirting with his beautiful wife, and writing poetry to tease Diaochan.

That was the life he longed for. No one liked political intrigue; it was exhausting and earned him nothing but enemies.

***

In Xiangyang, at Zhou Yu's residence, Le Yao handed the letter to Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu opened the bamboo tube, took out the slip, and his expression grew increasingly grave as he read. Looking at the letter from his close friend, he couldn't help but smile bitterly. He never expected Jiang Wen to be so bold!

*"Gongjin, this is the only method that benefits the country and the people. I have seen with my own eyes officials killing commoners at will for personal gain, and behind these people stand the shadows of the old generals. This is not just for us, but for Bofu. If this method succeeds, it will allow Bofu to wrestle power away from the old generals!"*

In Fuchun, Jiang Wen looked at Zhou Yu’s reply.

*"Changsu, this is truly insane. It involves the old generals! Once implemented, being torn limb from limb would be a light punishment! Think of the ends of Shang Yang and Wang Mang. This is too risky. At the very least, wait until the situation is more stable!"*

*"The scholars of the world have capable men hiding in the markets, while the mediocre occupy the halls. The current recommendation system has become a means for the old generals to control power, and those sent up are mostly without talent or virtue. If we want to eradicate this disaster, this is the only way!"*

Jiang Wen sipped his porridge and asked Tao'er, "How many days has it been since the letter was sent?"

"Five days, Young Master." Tao'er felt a pang of heartache seeing Jiang Wen looking so listless. Diaochan was also too worried to eat, though she didn't dare ask with Tao'er present.

"Young Master has been working so hard lately. Please, get some rest!" Tao'er stood behind him, rubbing his shoulders softly.

Jiang Wen sipped his wine. "I am doing something big. If it succeeds, the thing we have been worrying about all these days will be resolved!"

"And if it doesn't?"

Jiang Wen paused, pulled Tao'er in front of him, and leaned his forehead against hers. "If it doesn't... you still have Diaochan..."

"Don't worry, Master. When the time comes, Tao'er and Sister will naturally take care of ourselves!" Tao'er said with a smile. Jiang Wen laughed. "Good!"

***

In Xiangyang, at Sun Ce's residence, Sun Ce looked at the letter, his smile unnatural, lost in thought. "Changsu is so thoughtful..."

"In terms of strategy and internal affairs, Changsu is a genius of the age. That Bofu has his support is truly a blessing of fate."

"Does Gongjin think this method of Changsu's..."

"Feasible, but not right now!" Zhou Yu sighed. "You told him to go home and farm, and this time he actually farmed up something like this. This is a hot potato."

Sun Ce didn't speak, but Zhou Yu pondered, "Originally, I wanted you to recall Changsu, but now it seems better to keep him in Fuchun."

"Then when will it be feasible?"

"When the Prime Minister pacifies Xuzhou and Jiangdong."

"Wang Lang and Liu Bei are but minor obstacles. If they block me, it is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot."

"In that case, Gongjin has a small plan, hoping the Prime Minister will adopt it."

"A plan to pacify Xuzhou?"

"No, just a small plan."

In Xuzhou, Liu Bei had been experiencing ups and downs. Just after gaining four cities from Yuan Shu, Cao Mengde launched a surprise attack on his rear, seizing several more. Before he could even wake up from his joy, he was beaten awake. It could only be said that guarding Xuzhou with thirty thousand troops was simply too difficult! He had many fierce generals, but his manpower was limited!

"Big Brother, an envoy from the Emperor is here!"

"Invite him in quickly!"

After entering, the envoy bowed to Liu Bei and read: *"By imperial decree, Liu Xuande, descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan, listen to the edict. His Majesty has heard of Xuande’s uncle's great defeat of Yuan Shu and is filled with joy, unable to sleep for nights. To recognize Xuande’s merits, he is hereby appointed Governor of Xuzhou!"*