“One sentence stirred up a thousand waves.

Humiliation, awkwardness, shame, fury—and even schadenfreude. The hall wore every expression imaginable, yet not a single person dared meet Xu Ke’s gaze.

Unhurried, Xu Ke took a sip of wine, swept his eyes across the room, and smiled.

‘Oh? So none of you are convinced?’

Before his words had even settled, a young man sprang to his feet.

‘My Mei family controls Little East Mountain. The mountain is overflowing with game and medicinal herbs. We pay over a thousand taels in taxes every year! How do we deserve to be called dogs?’

Xu Ke said nothing. He merely held his wine cup, watching the youth with an amused half-smile.

Another young man stood up, louder than the first.

‘My Zhuang family owns tens of thousands of mu of fertile farmland. We produce tens of thousands of shi of grain every year and feed countless people! How are we dogs?’

Others chimed in one after another, though each voice grew weaker than the last.

Only after everyone had vented did Xu Ke slowly set down his wine cup.

The sound was light, yet the entire hall instantly fell silent.

‘You say your Mei family possesses Little East Mountain?’ Xu Ke looked at the youth calmly. ‘Do you have the deeds?’

The young man hesitated. ‘O-of course we do.’

‘And where are the hunters, herb gatherers, and orchard farmers who once lived there now?’ Xu Ke asked evenly. ‘Every year your Mei family seals off the mountain. Fruit rots on the trees, game dies of old age in the forests, medicinal herbs mold away in storage—and still you refuse to let others profit from them. If that isn’t a watchdog guarding hoarded wealth, what is it?’

The young man opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.

Xu Ke’s gaze shifted to Ge Datong.

‘Your Ge family monopolizes the Qing River, drives away the fishermen, sets up toll checkpoints along the banks—even commoners must pay to cross the river. Isn’t that the behavior of a road-blocking cur?’

Ge Datong felt his breath catch in his chest and lowered his head in silence.

‘And you—the Zhuang family.’

Xu Ke pulled a ledger from his sleeve and flipped it open casually.

‘According to the county records, your family has owned three thousand mu of land for the past ten years without change. Then tell me—where did all the extra land come from?’

The faces of the Zhuang family immediately changed.

‘The five villages around your estates once held over seventeen hundred households at their peak. How many remain now?’ Xu Ke slapped the ledger onto the table, his voice suddenly rising. ‘I’ll tell you—five hundred and sixty-three households. Twelve hundred families gone! Your Zhuang family aren’t dogs—you’re wolves. Gluttonous beasts!’

The Zhuang patriarch swayed violently, nearly slipping off his stool.

Xu Ke rose to his feet, his eyes slowly sweeping across the crowd.

‘In the last ten years, the gentry of Shenjing County have not lost a single mu from their combined holdings of two hundred and twenty thousand mu. But the common people’s farmland has shrunk from three hundred and fifty thousand mu ten years ago to only one hundred and forty thousand last year.’

He spoke each word deliberately, like thunder crashing against their faces.

‘So where did those missing two hundred and ten thousand mu go?’

‘Which one of you could survive an investigation?’

The hall turned deathly pale.

The youths who had spoken up moments earlier trembled like leaves, nearly collapsing to their knees. Some darted nervous glances around the room. If not for the soldiers guarding the doors, they likely would have fled already.

Xu Ke took in every expression. Suppressing the anger in his chest, he deliberately softened his tone.

‘Of course, I did not host this banquet today to prosecute anyone. The fact that you all came means you’re willing to deal with me.’ He picked up his wine cup again and smiled faintly. ‘Those earlier words were merely a slip of the tongue. Don’t take them to heart.’

A slip of the tongue?

The guests exchanged looks, their expressions colorful indeed.

Xu Ke abruptly changed the subject.

‘Whether you believe me or not, I came today with a business opportunity—a partnership.’

He set down his cup and nodded toward Xu Fu. Understanding immediately, Xu Fu guided the guests from their seats and led them along the western wall.

The manor had no roof, yet the night air was strangely warm. People had already sensed something unusual. Walking along the wall now, they finally saw several iron furnaces burning fiercely. On top sat perforated coal briquettes, ghostly flames flickering through the holes. Beside them ran smoke ducts built from blue brick and yellow clay, leading directly outside.

These men were all shrewd veterans; one glance was enough for them to grasp most of it.

Once everyone had returned to their seats, Xu Ke picked up a coal briquette.

‘Shenjing has a population of eight hundred and ninety thousand. Including labor and raw materials, one honeycomb briquette costs four wen for five pieces.’

He paused, giving the crowd time to calculate.

As the eyes of the local gentry gradually brightened, he casually delivered the final piece of news.

‘The Ministry of Works has already been persuaded. The Jia household has agreed as well.’

He raised his wine cup and took a sip.

‘In Shenjing, this business is solid as a mountain.’

The hall instantly erupted into commotion. Faced with profit, no one could remain seated.

Xu Ke smiled but did not respond immediately. He simply sipped his wine again.

Only after their excitement had somewhat subsided did he set down the cup with a sigh.

‘You are all intelligent men, so I won’t hide the truth from you. No matter how promising this business is, we still cannot begin operations.’

The gentry froze.

Xu Ke pointed outside.

‘You all saw the state of the county on your way here. Grain prices are soaring, the people are full of resentment, and the streets break into looting and riots every few days. As county magistrate, I can’t even leave my residence without dozens of soldiers escorting me.’

He shook his head bitterly.

‘To speak frankly, whether I’ll still hold this office by year’s end is uncertain. You know better than I do what happened to the previous magistrates.’

The hall fell silent.

Several gentry members who had been flushed with excitement moments before now slowly changed expression.

‘My lord… what exactly are you implying?’ Ge Datong asked cautiously.

Xu Ke glanced at him.

‘This honeycomb coal business requires workshops, craftsmen, raw materials, transportation—every single step depends on one thing: a stable and peaceful environment.’”

He paused for a moment.

‘If I can no longer remain county magistrate, and someone new takes my place, then whether this business can survive… is another matter entirely.’

The words landed like a hammer blow, and the hall fell utterly silent.

Moments ago, the gentry had been enthusiastically calculating how much profit they could make. Now it was as though cold water had been dumped over their heads.

After a long silence, Ge Datong suddenly stood up.

He cupped his fists toward Xu Ke.

‘Since Your Excellency invited us here today, you clearly think highly of us. Whatever orders you have, just say the word—we will not refuse.’

Mei Chengsi also rose.

‘If Your Excellency has need of us, command us freely. Anything within our power, we’ll handle without hesitation.’

As soon as he finished speaking, others around the banquet began standing one after another in support. At first there were only a few scattered voices, then more and more, until nearly everyone in the hall was on their feet.

Only three or five men remained seated in the corner, faces full of hesitation. They exchanged glances. At last, one sighed and took the lead in standing up. The others, seeing this, no longer hesitated and rose as well.

Before long, not a single gentry member remained seated.

Only then did Xu Ke set down his wine cup and rise with a smile.

‘Good. With those words from all of you, I can finally rest easy.’

His gaze swept slowly across the room.

‘Other matters can wait. Right now, the most urgent issue is grain prices.’

‘Why are the people rioting? Because they cannot afford food. And why have grain prices risen? You all know the answer better than I do.’ He paused. ‘So the first thing we must do is bring prices back down.’

Ge Datong slapped his chest confidently.

‘Rest assured, Your Excellency. Though my Ge family does not run grain shops, we have several hundred shi of grain stored in our warehouses. Tomorrow we’ll transport it into the city and sell it to the people at fair prices!’

Mei Chengsi immediately added, ‘My Mei family also has grain reserves. I’ll send people back to prepare at once.’

The gentry who operated grain stores hurried to make their own declarations.

‘Your Excellency, tomorrow morning my shop will lower prices immediately—to twenty wen!’

The Zhuang patriarch also rushed to speak.

‘My Zhuang family will likewise release our grain reserves for fair-price sale!’

Seeing the gentry step forward one after another, Xu Ke finally felt his heart settle. Rising to his feet, he cupped his fists toward the crowd.

‘Excellent. With your assistance, this matter can be resolved. In that case, I won’t put on airs any longer. Let me explain exactly how this enterprise will operate.’

He picked up the coal briquette from the table and weighed it in his hand.

‘The coal stoves will be manufactured elsewhere. The briquettes themselves will be produced here in Xiao’ao Village. Coal will be transported from West Mountain, while the yellow clay can be sourced locally. Craftsmen and laborers will be recruited from the county.’

‘I’ve made some rough calculations. In Shenjing alone, annual revenue should reach around one hundred thousand taels, with profits of sixty thousand taels. I plan to divide the enterprise into two hundred thousand shares, valued at one tael each, with a thirty percent return rate.’

He glanced around the room.

‘You gentlemen may collectively take forty-five percent of the shares—ninety thousand shares in total. You may purchase them with silver, or exchange farmland for shares. For land converted into shares, I’ll raise the assessed value by ten percent. For example, land worth ten taels will count as eleven shares.’

The hall fell silent once more, but this time everyone’s eyes gleamed brightly.

Xu Ke continued:

‘As for how those ninety thousand shares are divided—it won’t depend on who shouts the loudest, but on who contributes the most. Tomorrow, when grain prices fall, whichever family provides grain, shops, manpower—I’ll have every contribution carefully recorded. On the subscription day, share allotments will be distributed according to merit. The greater the contribution, the greater the reward.’

He paused.

‘If the county stabilizes, then we all prosper together. But if the county remains in chaos, this business collapses. The logic is as simple as that.’

The crowd nodded repeatedly. Some had already begun calculating how much grain their families could provide.

Xu Ke raised his wine cup and smiled.

‘Come—let us drain this cup. Tomorrow’s matters, I entrust to all of you.’

Everyone raised their cups and drank deeply.

This time, no one complained about the poor wine.

After seeing the gentry off, Xu Ke sat alone in the residence, his expression heavy.

The candlelight flickered, casting shifting shadows across his face.

Xu Fu cautiously approached.

‘Master, the matter succeeded. Why do you still seem unhappy?’

Xu Ke lifted his eyes toward him, his voice low and grave.

‘It’s horrifying. For one brief moment just now, I nearly couldn’t stop myself from executing every last one of them.’

Xu Fu jumped in fright.

Xu Ke rose and walked to the doorway, gazing out into the pitch-black night.

‘What troubles me,’ he said quietly, ‘is that the common people can barely survive.’

Xu Fu only half understood and did not know how to respond. After a long while, he finally said carefully:

‘Master is compassionate. Once the factory is built, many common folk will at least have a way to stay alive.’

Xu Ke turned back, looked at him, and suddenly laughed.

‘You sly fellow—even comforting your master now, are you? Prepare the horses. We’re going home.’

‘Right away.’

At the Zhou residence.

In the main hall, Zhou Fengchun sat at the seat of honor. Below him sat several trusted gentry allies—the dark-faced man, Fatty Qian, and the others.

The news had arrived at dusk: Xu Ke was hosting a banquet for the gentry in the eastern outskirts. More than half the invited names had attended, including several men who frequently associated with Zhou Fengchun’s faction.

Zhou Fengchun had said nothing, merely ordering his men to continue watching.

Now night had fully fallen, yet the spies still had not returned.

‘Lord Zhou,’ Fatty Qian finally could not help asking, ‘what’s that Xu fellow planning, hosting a banquet at a time like this?’

One of the gentry stroked his beard.

‘Nothing more than winning people over.’

The dark-faced man sneered.

‘Winning people over? First Zhou Shun, then Sun Hu, then he wiped out the labor gangs. Does that look like someone trying to win allies?’

Footsteps sounded outside. The spy entered and reported:

‘Master, the banquet still hasn’t ended. The estate is surrounded by fencing, and Jia family guards are stationed at the entrance. We couldn’t get close. I watched for half a shichen and didn’t see a single guest leave.’

Zhou Fengchun waved his hand, dismissing the man.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly laughed.

The others exchanged puzzled glances.

Zhou Fengchun lifted his teacup and slowly took a sip.

‘I laugh because that Xu fellow, clever as he is, has outsmarted himself.’

Fatty Qian slapped his thigh.

‘A Hongmen Banquet!’

‘Exactly.’ Zhou Fengchun set down his teacup. ‘Personal guards, barricades—what else could he be trying to do? Coercion mixed with temptation. He’s forcing those gentry to declare their loyalties.’

The dark-faced man frowned.

‘Then what should we—’

‘No need to worry.’ Zhou Fengchun leaned back into his chair, his expression relaxing. ‘What kind of people are the gentry? Every one of them is shrewd to the bone. Their family fortunes have been passed down for generations—what sort of situation haven’t they seen before? Does that Xu fellow really think that by staging a Hongmen Banquet and throwing around a few threats, they’ll obediently fall in line?’

He let out a cold laugh.

‘Dream on. Those gentry may agree to everything right to his face, but the moment they turn around, they’ll go right back to doing as they please. Half-hearted compliance, obedience in public and defiance in private—do I really need to teach them that?’

The dark-faced man grinned broadly.

‘Right, right. Those old foxes are slippery as hell.’

Zhou Fengchun said nothing more. He merely narrowed his eyes and gazed out the doorway.

Once those men left and had time to think things over, they would understand perfectly well which side they ought to stand on.

After all, Zhou Fengchun had ruled Shenjing County for so many years not through silver alone—

but through the loyalty of men’s hearts.