Hidden Households

Wei Wencai knew that holding onto that piece of land was impossible. Since it had to be sold, what would become of the farmers working it?

Thinking of this, he asked immediately, "What about the people on the mountain?"

"What else can be done? Whoever buys the land will naturally need people to cultivate it; they certainly won't leave it fallow," Father Wei replied nonchalantly. "When the time comes, I'll have a word with them. It should be fine."

"Are those people not from our Bailihu station?" Wei Guangde finally sensed that something was amiss.

"Their ancestors were once part of our station, but they aren't anymore," Wei Wencai said, glancing at his younger brother.

"Oh, commoners? Then why bother about them?" Having realized they were not part of the military station, Wei Guangde lost interest and turned his focus back to his own family's affairs.

Wei Wencai only shook his head slightly at his brother’s remark, saying nothing more. Father Wei also looked at his youngest son but seemed to have no intention of explaining.

It was Mother Wei, who had been sitting quietly all evening, who spoke up: "They don't even have commoner household registration."

"What?" Wei Guangde was startled. He knew there was a small village on the mountain with over twenty households. He had always assumed they were part of the military garrison, as they were indeed related to the military households within the fort. But if his brother said they weren't registered military households, and his mother said they weren't commoners, then who were they?

The social hierarchy of the Four Occupations—scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—had been established at the founding of the dynasty. Could they be of "mean status"? Families of deserters from the battlefield, cast into a lowly caste? That didn't seem right either, given that many of them were kin to the people in the fort. The Ming Dynasty practiced collective punishment; such a connection would have implicated the entire village.

Perhaps seeing that his mother had already broken the silence, and noticing his younger brother's shifting expressions, Wei Wencai decided to reveal the truth: "They are 'hidden households.' They are not in the military registers, nor are they in the Yellow Records."

"What? How is that possible?" Wei Guangde asked in disbelief.

"They are relatives of military households who fled here from outside; naturally, they couldn't be registered," Wei Wencai explained. He continued, "Actually, it's for the best. We give them a bite to eat, they help us with the work, and they don't have to perform corvée labor. In fact, Father arranged this when he went on his campaign—if he was away for a long time and the work on the fields was delayed, they were to come down the mountain to help manage things."

Only then did it click for Wei Guangde. His father had made provisions for when he was away, ensuring the land wouldn't be neglected. However, this recent trip hadn't taken long, so they hadn't needed to call upon them. It was no wonder the farm work had been left behind for those two days, and his brother hadn't bothered to hire day laborers.

"If they buy the land, they will likely still let them continue working it, right?" Wei Guangde asked tentatively, unsure if the new owner would bring in his own laborers. If that happened, these people would lose their only means of survival.

"They shouldn't," Father Wei replied briefly. He would likely speak to the buyer when the time came. Given his father's character, he wouldn't just look out for himself without leaving a way for others to survive. In this day and age, someone who could act like that was truly a kind-hearted man.

"Father, don't fret. When the time comes, we'll deal with it as it happens," Wei Wencai said, trying to comfort his father.

Seeing the atmosphere remained heavy, Wei Guangde asked, "Father, Mother, did you hear any other news at the station? Information is scarce here, and that's the only place we can get news from the outside."

"What news could there be? Once I heard they were planning to redistribute land again, I stopped caring about anything else," Father Wei shook his head. "Oh, right, I saw the latest Imperial Gazette. The Minister of War was beheaded."

"What? The Minister of War? That's a second-rank official. Why did the Emperor kill him?" Wei Wencai asked, suddenly interested. In these times, apart from neighborhood gossip, the only fresh news was what happened at the imperial court. However, for ordinary people, their knowledge was limited to their own immediate surroundings, especially since most couldn't read the gazettes posted in public. But as a military officer, Father Wei was literate and kept track of national affairs.

In fact, the primary reason for communication between the fort and the Thousand-Household Station was to exchange information and copy the Imperial Gazette. A Bailihu—a sixth-rank official—was considered a mid-level figure in the military.

"What else could it be? It was about the Tatars invading the capital the month before last," Wei Guangde realized instantly. With such a major threat, the Tatars reaching the very doorstep of the Son of Heaven, how could the Jiajing Emperor not be furious? At the time, he had been busy mobilizing troops to defend the throne, so he hadn't bothered with the officials. Now that the Tatars had retreated, it was time to settle the score.

Wei Guangde had grown accustomed to the era's term for the Mongols—"Tatars." In his previous life, he would have referred to them as Mongols or steppe cavalry.

Father Wei looked at his eldest son, then at his youngest, clearly dissatisfied that the eldest had asked such a simple-minded question. He himself had guessed the reason for the execution the moment he saw the report. *He still needs more experience,* Father Wei thought to himself.

"What was the name of the Minister of War who was beheaded?" Wei Guangde asked, curious to learn more about the political figures of the time to trigger his own memories. He had only read scattered reports in his past life and lacked a systematic understanding of the power shifts in the Ming court. Perhaps hearing more names would help him recall forgotten information.

"Ding something... I can't remember. He’s already lost his head, what does his name matter?" Father Wei replied with a chuckle. There was deep friction between the civil and military officials in the Ming Dynasty, and the military despised the civil bureaucrats. Honestly, Father Wei felt a sense of relief at the news.

"It said the Mongol Anda invaded the border, and the Datong Regional Commander, Qiu Luan, defeated them before leading troops to defend the capital and pushing the Tatars back," Father Wei added. "This Qiu Luan has really made a name for himself. By showing his face to the Emperor at such a critical moment, he'll likely be promoted and get rich soon. Tsk, tsk."

Father Wei spoke with obvious envy, as if he could see Qiu Luan being rewarded in the golden palace.