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The brick was engraved with the faint words "Official Kiln of the Seventeenth Year of Yongle," and there was a deep arrow mark on its side. Cui Xiaoman's pupils constricted suddenly. "This is... the city wall brick of Tunbao!"
Outside the courtyard, Zhou Liangzhang's impatient cough echoed. Lin Dahe grabbed the measuring rope and casually stuffed the brick into his sleeve pocket. As he turned around, he noticed a new mark next to the portrait of Zao Wang Ye—three five-pointed stars, identical to the signal of the Mad Old Woman.
They began measuring from the furthest slope. The laborers Zhou Liangzhang brought intentionally loosened the measuring rope, resulting in a recorded area that was thirty percent less than the actual size. Lin Dahe followed quietly, marking shallow grooves in the soil with his toes whenever the laborers tampered with the measurements.
"This plot planted with buckwheat..." Zhou Liangzhang squinted at the documents. "According to the contract, this should be Zhou's land."
"The grain chief is joking," Lin Dahe suddenly kicked aside the loose soil next to a boundary stone, revealing a broken stele buried beneath. "Look, this 'Lin' character still has half left."
The laborers exchanged glances. Zhou Liangzhang sneered and pulled out a yellowed piece of paper from his pocket. "It’s written in black and white—"
"Wait!"
A hoarse voice erupted like a broken gong. The One-Armed Veteran appeared on the ridge without anyone noticing, his faded battle robe flapping in the wind. He wasn't wearing his usual hat, and a grotesque arrow wound twisted at his forehead.
"Liu... Liu Bazong?" The leading laborer suddenly stuttered.
The Old Soldier ignored him and walked straight up to Zhou Liangzhang. "In the first year of Chongzhen, according to the fish scale register, it's household number seven of the third category." He lifted his one arm to reveal a gilded copper plaque. "Do you need me to check with the county archives?"
Sunlight glinted off the copper plaque's engraved words "Imperial Guard Northern Supervisory Office," causing Zhou Liangzhang's face to turn pale. Lin Dahe's system interface suddenly flickered violently, displaying a cascade of identity information:
[Cui Xiaoman: Daughter of former Military Doctor Cui Ming, knowledgeable in basic surgery]
[Seventh Uncle: Retired courier officer, master of official communication codes]
[Huo Lang Zhang: Border troops not collecting at night, member of intelligence network]
[Aunt Ma: Former thin horse from Yangzhou, Zhou Liangzhang's sister by blood]
The most shocking entry was last: [One-Armed Veteran: Undercover agent of Jinyiwei, survivor of the Salhu Battle, tasked with investigating corruption in grain relief.]
"This boundary stone..." The Old Soldier used his boot tip to clear away more loose soil, revealing even older engravings beneath. "This is clearly marked with 'Shen' from the Yongle era military land system; each boundary contains five acres." With a sweep of his one arm, he cracked the measuring rope like a whip at Zhou Liangzhang's feet. "Do you want me to call for the county magistrate to take a look?"
Cold sweat broke out on Zhou Liangzhang's forehead as he suddenly snatched the measuring rope from the laborer's hands. "We measured it wrong! Do it again! Again!"
By sunset, they finally re-staked Lin family's land boundaries. As Zhou Liangzhang left, he nearly tripped over the ridge; Aunt Ma supported him, her red tassel brushing against that fake official seal and leaving a glaring red mark.
"I'll have your land deed ready for you tomorrow," the Old Soldier said as he patted Lin Dahe's shoulder and lowered his voice suddenly. "But Zhou's family won't let this go—they're backed by Household Finance Wang Dian Shi."
Once everyone dispersed, Cui Xiaoman emerged from behind a grain stack, clutching a dirt-stained cloth bag. "Aunt Ma dropped this."
Inside were several pages of tattered account books recording entries like "Yan Zhou Wei Grain" and "Discounted Silver." Most alarming was a line at the end marked in red ink: "Two thousand stones spoiled; mix in new grain for relief"—where ink had blurred, a half-blood fingerprint could be faintly seen.
Lin Dahe flipped to the back and discovered that where the account book had been torn there remained half an official seal. The system immediately provided a comparison result: [Consistent with the seal pattern on documents held by Zhou Liangzhang.]
"Look here." Cui Xiaoman suddenly pointed at the grease stain on the edge of the ledger. "Doesn't it look like..."
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