Chapter Five: The Partiality of Lady Xu

Having finally found a direction for his future, Xu Kang was grinning from ear to ear, while Xu Shi and Xu Fu beside him remained utterly confused.

A scholar? An official? Reputation? What on earth were those things?

Though she didn’t quite understand, Xu Shi’s concern for her son far outweighed her confusion as she saw Xu Kang sitting at the door, laughing uncontrollably. Hastily, she strode over, her worry for her son overriding everything else.

As she walked, she asked anxiously, “My son, what’s the matter? Are you feeling ill? Oh, look at your clothes, they’re soaked! Did you spend the night outside? What if you catch a chill? Hurry, change out of those wet clothes…”

As she spoke, she stepped forward to untie the long robe on Xu Kang’s shoulders, dampened by the morning dew, then called out to Xu Fu nearby.

“You little wretch, hurry and fetch your brother some clothes! If he catches a cold, I won’t forgive you!”

Xu Fu: “╭(°A°`)╮”

What does this have to do with me?

Witnessing his mother’s blatant favoritism, Xu Fu could only sigh helplessly and take off his own robe to drape over Xu Kang’s shoulders.

“Second brother, here, put on big brother’s robe. Don’t catch a chill, or I’ll be the one in trouble!”

“Hahahaha…”

Seeing Xu Fu’s long-suffering face, Xu Kang couldn’t help but burst out laughing again. But he didn’t refuse his brother’s kindness and gladly put on the robe, then bowed slightly to his worried mother.

“Your son is unfilial for making you worry, Mother. By the way, I overheard you and big brother arguing earlier—has something happened at home?”

“Ah…” At Xu Kang’s question, Xu Shi gave a long sigh and shook her head gently. “Don’t trouble yourself with this, Kang’er. As long as I am here, you just focus on your studies.”

“…”

Since his mother had said as much, Xu Kang didn’t press her, but Xu Fu spoke up again.

“Mother, second brother isn’t a child anymore. There’s no need to keep everything from him. Besides, if that corrupt official gets his way this time, how are we supposed to survive? Why don’t I just go and kill him? At worst—”

“Slap!”

Before Xu Fu could finish, Xu Shi struck him across the face and scolded him harshly.

“You little wretch, be quiet! You’re always stirring up trouble. Though Youzhi is just a minor local official, he’s still a government officer. Do you think you can just kill him as you please? Is this how I’ve taught you? Kneel, now!”

“Mother!”

“Kneel!”

“…”

Seeing that his mother was truly angry, Xu Fu knelt down obediently. Not yet appeased, Xu Shi grabbed a bamboo rod and made to strike him.

Witnessing this, Xu Kang hurried to intervene, gently dissuading her. “Please don’t be angry, Mother. It’s bad for your health. Why not tell me what happened instead? I have read a little—perhaps I can think of a solution?”

“You’ve only read for a few days. What solution could you possibly have?” Xu Shi sighed again, but still explained the situation to him.

It all stemmed from the matter of taxes.

But this wasn’t the usual tax—it was a new land tax, imposed at the urging of Zhang Rang under the pretense of repairing the palace, and levied by Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong. The tax rate was ten ‘wuzhu’ coins per mu of land.

According to Han dynasty prices, ten coins equaled about two and a half catties of grain—seemingly not much. But was that really the case?

Of course not!

At a time plagued by disasters and unrest, crop yields had plummeted. Ordinary folk struggled to survive, and even minor landlords like the Xu family suffered greatly.

To make matters worse, now came the chaos of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Forced from their homes, they had lost their fields and were living off their dwindling reserves. Yet the tax collectors still came to demand the land tax—adding insult to injury.

Worst of all, the Xu family owned quite a bit of land—over a dozen qing—which meant a tax bill of nearly ten thousand coins. That was virtually all the family’s remaining wealth.

If they paid, their future would be dire; if they didn’t, they’d have to surrender their deeds and lose everything, falling from minor landlords to impoverished peasants.

This was no longer extortion—it was outright robbery!

By the time he finished listening, Xu Kang understood why Xu Fu was so enraged. He himself felt a surge of displeasure.

But it was only displeasure, not anger.

He knew well that, in the coming years of warlord upheaval, these lands couldn’t be preserved anyway. A good reputation was far more valuable.

Though intangible, reputation would be their greatest asset in the decades to come.

But this was not something he could explain to the others. So, after thinking for a while, he spoke to Xu Shi again.

“Mother, I already have a plan. Don’t worry. We won’t pay the land tax nor hand over the deeds. Next time the tax collector comes, just let me know—I’ll handle him.”

With that, he helped Xu Fu up from his knees and brushed the dust from his trousers with a smile.

“Brother, you don’t need to worry about the land tax anymore. Instead, I’d like your help to go out and buy some things for me—I have a big use for them!”

“Huh?”

Stunned by this request, Xu Fu stared blankly until Xu Shi gave him a slap on the head, snapping him back to attention. He quickly nodded.

“Yes, yes… Second brother, you’ve just recovered from illness and are still weak. Whatever you need, just tell me and I’ll buy it for you!”

“Thank you, brother!” Xu Kang expressed his gratitude, then stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Hmm… First, please buy me a hundred large wooden chests with locks.”

“What?”

Xu Fu was dumbfounded at this request. Even Xu Shi looked puzzled.

“Kang’er, we already have a dozen wooden chests at home—plenty for storing things. Why do you need a hundred?”

“Haha, that’s a secret for now!” Xu Kang laughed as he took his mother’s arm and led her inside. “You’ve worked so hard these days, Mother. Please just rest and leave everything else to me!”

Since her husband’s early death, Xu Shi had poured all her love into her two sons, especially the frail and sickly Xu Kang, whom she doted on to the point of granting his every wish.

Now, though she didn’t know why Xu Kang wanted so many chests, she reasoned that a hundred wouldn’t cost much and readily agreed.

“Alright, since you have a plan, I won’t ask further.”

With that, she turned and glared at the still-dazed Xu Fu.

“You little wretch, come get the money! If you don’t bring back a hundred chests today and ruin your brother’s plan, I won’t forgive you!”

Xu Fu: “╭(°A°`)╮”