Liang Shixian was thoroughly rattled.
Between the intimidating layout of the stronghold and San Shier's masterfully crafted welcoming act, the poor Magistrate felt as if his seventh-rank official robes were a size too small for the occasion.
Standing before the threshold of a thousand-year lineage, he felt an acute lack of standing.
Had it not been for the heavy burden of duty resting on his shoulders, he might have beaten a hasty retreat right then and there.
But the haunting images of the refugees he had passed, souls trapped in a cycle of suffering and starvation, stiffened his resolve.
The people of Cheng County looked upon their land as a sea of misery, and in his mind, he was the only one left who could pull them out of the depths.
I cannot retreat. Move forward.
He straightened his official hat with a sharp tug, smoothed the wrinkles from his silk robes, and adjusted his belt with practiced formality.
His gait became deliberate and square, the walk of a man who held the authority of the Son of Heaven.
He turned to his secretary and bailiffs, his voice low and firm.
"You stay here. Do not move unless ordered."
With that, he followed San Shier, ascending the stone steps to the highest level of the watchtower.
Upon entering the main hall, he was met by a young woman of impeccable bearing.
She wore a flowing, snow-white gown of intricate design and sat upon her chair with an air of cold, unshakeable dignity.
In reality, Gao Yiye was currently a frantic mess on the inside.
To her, a County Magistrate was a figure of cosmic proportions, a bureaucratic titan she never dreamed of even standing near, let alone facing while remaining seated.
Fortunately, she had been training for this.
The more dignified I look, the more respect everyone has for Dao Xuan Tianzun.
She repeated it to herself like a mantra. This was the only thought keeping her posture straight and preventing her expression from collapsing into panic.
Liang Shixian took one look at her and made an immediate internal assessment.
She has not even acknowledged my official robes with a direct glance. A seventh-rank Magistrate is clearly beneath her notice, is it not? As the First Wife of a millennium-old clan, the high officials she has met must be as numerous as the hairs on an ox.
He felt a pang of anxiety.
I have to stay steady. If I lose my momentum now, the negotiations are dead before they begin.
The two of them sat facing each other across the vast hall, a silent storm of manufactured tension crackling between them.
San Shier stepped into the gap, performing a theatrical introduction.
"This is the First Wife of our Master's household. And this gentleman is the newly appointed Magistrate of Cheng County, Lord Liang Shixian."
Gao Yiye did not dare speak.
She merely offered a slight, regal nod.
"Mnh."
Liang Shixian's heart sank.
Such grand airs. A single grunt and that is it?
"Excellency," San Shier prompted smoothly, "might I ask what guidance brings you so far from the county seat?"
Liang Shixian was not in the mood for pleasantries.
He got straight to the point.
"I have just arrived in Cheng County, and already the air is thick with the scent of rebellion. Fortunately, Inspector Cheng Xu fought valiantly to take Wang Er's head and pacify the bandits, but the damage is done. The county's vitality is drained. The fields are full of corpses and refugees."
"As I traveled here, I saw nothing but empty houses and a people in agony. My heart... it is truly... sigh..."
By the end of his sentence, his eyes were actually shimmering with tears.
Outside the box, Li Dao Xuan was watching through an ultra-high-definition camera, the feed zoomed in tight on the Magistrate's face.
He watched the tear tracks forming in the corners of the man's eyes and pondered.
Is this guy a corrupt actor putting on a show, or a genuine official crying for his people? It is too early to tell.
Liang Shixian wiped his eyes and shifted his tone.
"This visit is a desperate act. The tax silver for Cheng County has not been paid, and the grain stores were looted by the rebels. I am expected to cook a meal without rice."
"After much thought, if the people of this county are to be saved, the only way is to seek help from the local gentry."
The moment those words left his mouth, San Shier, a veteran of the bureaucratic trenches, understood exactly what was happening.
A levy.
Levies were as old as the mountains.
However, they were usually used to let the rich pay less by dumping the tax burden on the poor. He had never seen a man like Liang Shixian try to do the opposite, to take the unpaid taxes of the starving and dump them onto the wealthy.
In the eyes of the corrupt, this was perverse and rebellious.
But in reality, this was restoring order to chaos.
San Shier felt himself drifting into a state of stunned confusion.
Outside the box, Li Dao Xuan blinked in surprise. He had not expected to encounter a government official pulling a reverse Robin Hood.
Liang Shixian saw the look of shock on San Shier's face and assumed he had struck a nerve.
He was used to people reacting this way. He frequently offended his own kind by refusing to play the game. It was precisely because he had crossed the eunuch factions in the capital that he had been exiled to this death-trap of a county.
The eunuchs wanted him dead. They wanted the Emperor to execute him for failing to collect taxes.
But Liang Shixian was not ready to die without a fight.
He gestured vaguely toward the window.
"Madam, your Li family is clearly prosperous. You have the wealth to build this magnificent stronghold. Even your tenants are well-fed and robust. Even the heavens seem to favor you, bringing rain to this tiny patch of land while the rest of the world burns."
"With such celestial favor comes an even greater responsibility. The people of Cheng County are dying. To demand taxes from them now is to sign their death warrants."
"Why does the Li family not step forward? Pay the tax silver on behalf of the people. Save them from this crisis. It would be a great act of merit for your descendants, would it not?"
San Shier was speechless.
Usually a sharp-tongued manipulator, he found himself completely off-balance by this counter-intuitive request.
Suddenly, Li Dao Xuan's voice crackled in the air.
"Refuse him."
Gao Yiye looked at San Shier and slowly, deliberately shook her head.
San Shier snapped back to reality.
The instructions had arrived.
However, for the first time, he was genuinely confused. Dao Xuan Tianzun was usually the definition of mercy, handing out supplies like candy to anyone in need.
Why would he refuse to pay the taxes for the people?
It felt out of character.
Buffeted by two consecutive reverse plays, San Shier felt his brain short-circuiting.
He looked at Liang Shixian, his expression turning stiff.
"Lord Liang, I am afraid the Li family cannot agree to this request."
Liang Shixian was not surprised.
Nobody liked giving away money.
He had anticipated the rejection and immediately pressed forward.
"I understand it is not an easy pill to swallow. But the Li family should consider the alternative."
"If the people cannot live, they will revolt. And when they revolt, they will form armies to burn, kill, and loot."
"Does the Li family truly believe they will not be swallowed by the tide of desperate men? On my way here, I saw several manor houses reduced to ash."
His voice dropped into a dark, ominous register.
"Your family is so rich, you are the ultimate target. Why risk being the next to burn?"
"In these chaotic times, it is better to spend a little silver to pacify the masses. Think of it as buying insurance against disaster."
San Shier actually found this argument quite convincing.
After all, he had tried to tell Zhang Yaocai the exact same thing not long ago.
But Dao Xuan Tianzun had said...
San Shier began to waver, his eyes darting between the Magistrate and the Saintess.
Then, Li Dao Xuan spoke again, his voice firm and clear.
"Tell him. Paying the taxes is out of the question. Not a single copper coin of ours will ever pass into the hands of corrupt officials."
"However, we are willing to provide grain to relieve the refugees."
"But every single grain must end up in the bellies of the starving. Nowhere else."