Chapter 34: Public Proclamation for the Restoration of Order (1)

The fifth year of the Hongwu era, the Lunar New Year in February.

The once-dilapidated city of Kaifeng was gradually regaining its vitality. In front of the bustling Bell and Drum Tower, commoners thronged the streets to purchase goods for the New Year, while the occasional patrols of the Anmin Army became a sight the merchants had long since grown accustomed to.

Peddlers shouted their wares with vigor, and the streets were packed with shoulder-to-shoulder crowds sweating in the festive rush. Even the once-vicious yamen runners had adopted a gentle demeanor—who could blame them, when their former boss, Prefect Song, was still rotting in the dungeon eating pickled vegetables?

A runner began to beat his gong. A nearby vendor selling sesame flatbreads said with a sycophantic grin, "Master Hou the Sixth, would you like a fresh flatbread? It's still piping hot—consider it a small tribute to you, sir."

Hou the Sixth looked panicked. "Just last month, two of our brothers from the yamen were beaten black and blue for trying to eat for free; they’re still sitting in the jailhouse. Don't you try to get me into trouble, you brat."

Hou the Sixth had originally been a low-level hoodlum. Because his sister was beautiful, he had attached himself to Head Runner Liang of the Bianliang Prefectural Yamen and managed to sneak into the force. Before he could commit any real evil, his villainous brother-in-law had been beheaded by the incoming Anmin Army. Because he had been on the job for such a short time and possessed basic literacy, he was allowed to remain.

He was content with his monthly salary of 50 copper coins. While it wouldn't make him rich, it was at least better than the feast-or-famine life of a street thug. A matchmaker had just arranged a marriage for him last month, and he had no intention of losing his job—and his future bride—by failing to keep his mouth shut.

The vendor, He the Second, gave him a mocking thumbs-up. "If a piece of gutter trash like you can be polished into a decent man, I’d say this Anmin Army is truly better than the Great Yuan."

Upon hearing this, Hou the Sixth felt a surge of anger and almost struck him with his baton, but the thought of the Anmin Army’s strict discipline made him shudder and retract his hand.

"I’m busy with official business, I won't lower myself to argue with a bumpkin like you."

Hou the Sixth beat his gong loudly. Men, women, and children on the street looked at him with curiosity, and he pulled the nearby storyteller over. "People of Bianliang, ladies and gentlemen, the Military Governor's Office has issued a public notice today. If there is anything you don't understand, ask Master Zou."

Zou Fulai was a scholar who, having failed the imperial examinations repeatedly, had become a storyteller in a teahouse to make ends meet. Three months ago, the Anmin Army had recruited all the storytellers in the city and trained them for over two months to interpret these regulations for the common people. They were not only unresentful but quite pleased, for the gentlemen of the Anmin Army paid in real silver—cash on the nail, with no delays. For the past few days, this was all the storytellers in Bianliang had been doing.

"Master Zou, tell us quickly, what is this notice from the Governor's Office about?"
"I can't read, sir, won't you tell us?"
"I recognize many of the characters, but when they are all lined up like that, I don't know what they mean!"

Zou Fulai, who made his living with his tongue, bowed to the surrounding crowd. "Do not be impatient, everyone. I shall explain this public notice to you line by line."

A waiter from the nearby tavern brought him a stool and a pot of tea. Zou Fulai said in a booming voice, "The first point is that from this day forward, our Bianliang shall be known as Kaifeng."

"We’ve called it Bianliang for nearly three hundred years. Why won't they let us call it that?"
"Exactly, we’re used to Bianliang; calling it Kaifeng sounds so strange."

Zou Fulai waved his hand. "This name 'Kaifeng' is an ancient one. It traces back to the Spring and Autumn period, when Duke Zhuang of Zheng built the city to house a great granary, meaning 'to open and expand the territory.' During the Han Dynasty, Emperor Jing changed it to Kaifeng to avoid using his personal name. It has been called Kaifeng since the days of our ancestors' ancestors; this name is over a thousand years older than Bianliang."

"Furthermore, this name was proposed personally by the Military Governor, the Prince of Qin, in a memorial to His Majesty. From now on, our Kaifeng Prefecture is under the administration of the Great Ming."

A scholar bowed and asked, "Master Zou, what is the meaning of the second point—re-measuring the Fish-Scale Registers to equalize land distribution, with a limit of ten mu per person and one hundred mu per household?"

The commoners might not care about much else, but at the mention of land, their eyes widened.

Zou Fulai took a sip of tea to moisten his throat. "In the previous Great Yuan dynasty, the court was in chaos. Fertile fields were turned into pastures by the Mongol nobility, and countless lands were seized. Even mountain land lay barren. Farmers became tenant farmers, and it was harder than ascending to heaven just to pay rent and taxes, let alone eat their fill. In times of disaster, these countless tenants became refugees. The Anmin Army's move is to correct these wrongs and return the fields to the people. This is a great act of benevolence."

"As for the ten mu per person and the hundred-mu household cap, it is to prevent the gentry and landlords from annexing land, ensuring that the people have enough to eat. If you want to become wealthy, you will have to seek another livelihood."

"My goodness, is the Anmin Army really giving us land for free?"
"Only in the days of Yao, Shun, and Yu would such a thing happen, right?"
"My relatives in the south had land distributed to them, but it was lucky if they got two mu per person. Most people without military merit got nothing at all."
"Ten mu per person? My heavens, the Anmin Army are truly my dear grandfathers. I doubt even the legendary General Yue Fei could have brought such good fortune if he were alive!"
"Master Zou, I have three daughters but no sons. Can I still get this land?"

Zou Fulai saw a simple, honest old man kneeling on the ground, tugging at his hem. The crowd began offering various, often useless, suggestions.

"You old fool, don't you know how to adopt two boys from the clan?"
A sharp-witted woman retorted, "You’re the fool! If boys can be allocated land, who would give them away to someone else? That’s just handing land over to others!"

Zou Fulai quickly helped the old man up, while other fathers in similar situations looked at him with pleading eyes.

He announced loudly, "Do not worry, everyone! The Military Governor has decreed that boys and girls are the same—both will receive land, and the amount will be exactly the same."

The crowd erupted in chaos. The sharp-witted woman threw her vegetable basket to the ground and sat down, wailing, "That heaven-forsaken husband of mine! He said my daughter was a money-loser and gave her away! My daughter... our land!"

"My daughter was sent to my brother's house; this is a matter of life and death, I must go bring her back immediately!"
"Mine was given away too, I have to go find her!"
"Oh, my daughter, where did you sell her? I regret this so much!"
"He the Third, I'll pay you back your money, just give me my daughter back!"

He the Third shook his head. "No way. Once she entered my house, she became my family. I want the land, not the money."

Zou Fulai watched as a massive, frantic search for children was about to begin, and he quickly intervened. "Everyone, listen! There is more good news to come. The third point: it is strictly forbidden to drown or abandon female infants. Anyone who does so will have all their land confiscated. Human trafficking will be punished with ten years of hard labor; forcing a woman into prostitution is punishable by death, and forcing a free person into servitude carries a sentence of lifelong hard labor."

"The fourth point: all indentured servant contracts are declared void. If a master wishes to retain them, it must be done on the principle of mutual consent, using the Governor's Office contract template. The term shall not exceed three years, and upon expiration, it may be renewed if both parties agree. The wages must not be lower than the minimum monthly salary set by the Governor's Office."

The waiter pouring tea nearby was weeping openly. He had been sold to the shopkeeper as a child; although he was treated well, he was not a free man and could only work a lowly job, making it impossible for him to even find a wife.

A woman in a brothel, watching from a window upstairs, was also in tears. "This Military Governor is truly a Bodhisattva descended to save the suffering."

The maid, Lüzhu, asked curiously, "Sister Hongqiao, why are you crying?"

The woman pulled a contract of indenture from the bottom of her vanity box and handed it to her, saying gently, "Little Zhu, from now on, you are a free woman."

Lüzhu stared blankly. "And what about you, Sister?"

The woman bit into her silk handkerchief, her eyes swimming with tears. "I am merely a poor soul lost in the dust of the world."