IDWBE -Chapter 98 Clerks

The tavern was newly built, though clearly constructed in haste. The one-meter-thick pillars supporting the beams leaned crookedly, and the stone floor was uneven and pitted.

Yet in all of Pingfeng Bay, this was the only proper establishment. People streamed in and out all day long. Business was booming, the place perpetually noisy.

The sailors, salt smugglers, and pirates inside were all unruly types. They gathered in small groups, unafraid to cause trouble—and even less afraid to face it. After a few cups of wine, they grew even more arrogant.

Thus, there was never a peaceful day in this tavern.

Not a single table or chair remained intact; all bore signs of repeated repair.

At this moment, more than a dozen men from two opposing sides stood gripping knives. But when Wen Qian strode in, they immediately sheathed their blades.

One could survive at sea without recognizing Du Sanhe—after all, the chief rarely showed himself. But it was impossible not to recognize Wen Qian.

The once-dominant pirate of the seas had now accepted imperial amnesty and was about to become a Thousand-Household Commander in Sanhe’s newly established navy.

With official status added to his name, black and white alike would fall under his sway.

Impossible to provoke. Impossible to offend.

Anyone with sense knew to play meek at such a time.

Wen Qian looked toward Lin Yi, who walked in at a measured pace, and shouted, “Do you know the penalty for showing great disrespect to Prince He?”

“Ah—”

“Death!”

Seeing the young man enter with hands clasped behind his back, the clever ones immediately threw their knives to the ground and dropped to their knees with a thud.

Once one man set the example, the rest followed.

A swath of people knelt before Lin Yi. Even the waiters dropped their dishes to the floor and prostrated themselves.

Lin Yi asked calmly, “Who rules Pingfeng Bay?”

Wen Qian replied, “Sanhe belongs to Your Highness. Naturally, Pingfeng Bay answers to Your Highness.”

Elsewhere, such words would be treasonous—enough for a censor to impeach someone on the spot.

But not in Sanhe.

Lin Yi sighed. “What should be done with those who gather to fight and cause disturbances?”

His voice was soft, yet every person heard it clearly.

Wen Qian answered without hesitation, “They are to be sent to labor reform.”

He knew Sanhe’s laws by heart.

This prince tolerated no sand in his eyes. To date, no one who violated the law had been spared.

Bao Kui looked coldly at the kneeling crowd and shouted, “Take them all away!”

He now served both as Deputy Commander of Prince He’s household and Chief Constable of the Provincial Administration. His authority had grown considerably.

Two guards stepped forward with blades drawn. Not a single person dared resist.

The guards were disappointed.

If someone had resisted, they could have distinguished themselves before the prince—perhaps earn luck like Luo Han and rise in fortune!

“Line up! No whispering!” Han Deqing, growing irritated, kicked a bare-chested sailor who tried to pick up his knife.

The sailor merely grunted, not daring to show the slightest resentment.

After Han Deqing drove the dozen men away, Wen Qian declared,

“In Sanhe:
Murder demands a life!
Debts must be repaid!
Fighting earns labor reform!
Remember it well!”

“Yes!” the crowd answered in perfect unison.

“Very well,” Lin Yi said lightly. “I hope you all abide by the law and don’t make things difficult for me. If you make things difficult for me, you make things difficult for yourselves.”

“Long live Your Highness!”

Only after Lin Yi left did the entire tavern dare stand and breathe freely.

It wasn’t that the prince himself was terrifying.

It was the guards behind him.

Any one of them could easily overpower the entire lot.

The newly established Maritime Trade Office was a modest two-courtyard compound.

The positions of Superintendent and Eunuch Overseer were vacant; only two clerks remained, kneeling at the entrance.

After entering, Lin Yi took a cup of tea from Mingyue and began flipping through the account books on the desk.

Then he said to the two clerks, “Go home and retire. I cannot afford men like you.”

“Your Highness—”

One thin clerk hurried to speak.

“Stealing from my own pocket?” Lin Yi snapped. “I’m already being merciful by not cutting you down. Spare me the nonsense.”

In the Imperial Clan Court or the Grand Secretariat they were called gongshi. In the Six Ministries they were jingcheng. In local yamen they were scribes or record keepers. In the Maritime Trade Office or customs, they were treasury clerks.

Fathers passed the position to sons, brothers to younger brothers—true hereditary posts. Numerous, collusive, masters of manipulation. The more capable among them could hollow out a county magistrate or prefect entirely.

Revenue collection lay in their hands.

Lin Yi had encountered many of them.

He knew their vices well. Most striking of all—they were extremely wealthy.

Landlords in all but name.

Even the emperor suffered headaches over them.

Their harm was obvious, yet they were indispensable. Officials selected through the imperial examinations knew poetry and essays, but not law, records, or finance. Without these clerks, governance and economic affairs would grind to a halt.

Thus, restrictions were imposed.

In Ankang City, clerks had five-year terms. Once expired, the Military Office investigated and returned them to their native places.

But policies above invited countermeasures below.

Even under the emperor’s watchful eye, they deceived superiors and concealed the truth.

They controlled the archives. How hard was it to alter one’s own record?

If dismissed from the Grand Secretariat, change your name and transfer to the Ministry of Revenue—wouldn’t that be easier?

Some clerks served for life, amassing vast fortunes.

In Great Liang, it was often said: “There are capable clerks, but no capable officials.”

“Thank you, Your Highness!”

The two clerks, faces pale as they glanced at Shen Chu’s gleaming blade, finally retreated cautiously.

Mingyue flipped through the ledger and smiled. “Your Highness, this income and expenditure record is extremely perfunctory. They truly feared nothing.”

Lin Yi said, “Later, select some of the older children from the schools. I trust them. You’ll have to trouble yourself to train them for a while. They lack worldly cunning—that’s both a flaw and a virtue.”

Mingyue bowed. “Yes. It’s just that some of the rules, even this servant does not understand.”

Lin Yi laughed. “What’s difficult about it? We don’t care about other Maritime Offices. In Sanhe alone—goods stored on Fangniao Island incur no tax. But once they enter Sanhe proper, we levy one percent.”

“I understand,” Mingyue smiled. “That’s simple enough. But what about docking fees?”

“None,” Lin Yi said with a grin. “I’ve decided to turn Fangniao Island into a free port.”

A free port?

No one had heard the term before.

They could infer its meaning from the words, but could not fully grasp it.

“I’ll repeat—any ship entering Fangniao Island pays not a single coin. But if their goods enter Sanhe, then I collect.”

What exactly defined a free port, he wasn’t entirely sure.

But that didn’t stop him from redefining it himself.