Chapter Sixteen: Harvests and Plans

Watching as dozens of treasure-laden chests vanished one after another into thin air, He Jin was gripped by both terror and anguish. Yet there was nothing he could do, nor did he dare to act; he could only watch helplessly. Only when the last chest, filled with five-zhu coins, disappeared did he finally let out a long, heavy sigh.

“Alas, O divine spirit, this was all the wealth in my household. Now that I have offered it all in reverence, I beseech you to forgive my earlier offenses!”

With that, he knelt once more, bowing three times toward the spot where the final chest had vanished. But after a long while, there was still no response. Uncertain, he called out again.

“Divine spirit, are you still here?”

Yet even after this, silence was his only answer.

He Jin, having once been bitten, now feared even a length of rope. With no reply, he dared not rise, continuing to kneel on the ground. He knew not how long he remained there, until the crowing of a rooster and the pale light of dawn in the east finally convinced him that the spirit was truly gone.

Relieved after a night spent in anxious dread, he could at last breathe freely. But then, unable to contain himself, he burst into a furious tirade.

“That damned fiend! Took my money and left without a word, just like those eunuch scoundrels in the palace—disgraceful! Bah!”

He spat heavily on the ground, then, rubbing his numb legs, shouted to the soldiers behind him.

“Go… go and summon every Daoist priest in and outside the city—gather as many as you can find! If any refuse to come, execute everyone in their temple!”

“Yes, sir!”

At his order, the soldiers of the Grand General’s mansion surged out, rounding up every Daoist they could find and bringing them back, causing chaos throughout the city and casting a pall of fear over the people.

At the same time, news of the haunting at the Grand General’s mansion spread throughout Luoyang. Later, when dozens of young women from the mansion were sent to temples outside the city, crowds gathered to watch, and the tale became the talk of the town at every meal.

As for Xu Kang, the true instigator, he had never anticipated the uproar his actions would cause. Still, with the money already in hand, he cared little for He Jin’s frantic commotion.

After more than ten days, the clamor over the haunting at the Grand General’s mansion finally died down, and Xu Kang finished tallying and sorting the fortune he had extorted from He Jin.

This time, his “spectral ruse” had yielded extraordinary profits: a chest of gold ingots, a chest of pearls, a chest of flawless Hetian jade, two chests of silver, and ninety-two chests filled with five-zhu coins—a total of ninety-seven chests altogether!

Among these, the gold, silver, pearls, and jade could not be used openly for now, so his available funds amounted to just the ninety-two chests of five-zhu coins.

Still, that was no small sum. Although Xu Kang did not know the exact count, judging by the size of the chests, each could hold at least thirty to forty thousand coins. Ninety-two chests would be about three million coins.

According to the price levels of the Eastern Han, this would buy three hundred mu of good farmland, or four hundred head of cattle and horses, or three hundred servants and maids.

Of course, it could also buy grain.

At this time in Luoyang, barley and millet both cost 220 coins per shi. Three million coins would purchase fifteen thousand shi of grain—enough to recruit three to five thousand village braves, providing a solid foundation for contending for power in the world.

But Xu Kang did not intend to use the money that way. He planned to buy an official post!

He had already resolved to become a renowned scholar, one whose name would be known far and wide. For that, he needed a platform, and becoming an official was the best option.

However, the Eastern Han’s official selection was based on recommendations, and all the channels of advancement were controlled by powerful clans. For those of humble origin, becoming an official was nearly impossible.

Fortunately, the reigning emperor, Emperor Ling, was a “straightforward” man and offered a “clear path” to those who lacked connections—

Buy it with money!

In feudal times, selling offices and titles was actually quite common, though it was usually done behind closed doors. Emperor Ling of Han, however, was an exception. From the moment he ascended the throne, he made the practice public!

He directly established the Western Garden Office for the public sale of official posts, even listing the prices openly. The calculation was simple: the annual salary of the position multiplied by ten thousand!

For instance, the Grand Commandant, one of the Three Excellencies, had an annual salary of ten thousand shi. Multiply that by ten thousand, and you get one hundred million coins!

In other words, to buy the position of Grand Commandant, one would need one hundred million coins!

That was no small sum.

So here’s the question: even a nouveau riche like He Jin only had a fortune of just over ten million coins. Could anyone actually afford a hundred million?

The answer is yes—Cao Song, the father of Cao Cao!

Historical records show that in November of the year 187, after Grand Commandant Cui Lie was dismissed, Cao Song spent a hundred million coins to buy the position.

Unfortunately, there was a rule in the Eastern Han: upon major disasters or calamities, the emperor could dismiss any of the Three Excellencies. Cao Song’s luck was ill-fated; after only a year as Grand Commandant, he was dismissed by Emperor Ling due to the Yellow Turbans overrunning Runan and Gepei, and his hundred million coins were lost.

After Cao Song’s dismissal, unable to find another wealthy “sucker,” Emperor Ling had to lower the price, selling the Grand Commandant’s seat to Fan Ling and Ma Midi within the year.

Had Emperor Ling not died the following year, with his knack for fleecing the rich, the post would have changed hands several more times, each time to a new “sucker.”

Xu Kang was no such fool, nor could he afford a position among the Three Excellencies. His aim was a local post, such as county magistrate.

However, according to Emperor Ling’s rules, local officials were even more expensive than those at court—they were auctioned off. For a county magistrate, whose salary was four hundred shi, the starting price was four hundred thousand coins, and if there were competitors, the price would go even higher.

In that light, three million coins was not enough.

But there were exceptions. If only one person sought the post and there were no competitors, he could acquire it at the starting price or even below.

To accommodate officials who lacked ready cash, Emperor Ling thoughtfully introduced “installment payments.” As long as one could pay a third or even a quarter up front, he could assume office and pay the rest later. If the official’s reputation was particularly good, thereby serving as excellent publicity for the sale of offices, Emperor Ling might even grant a discount!

Not only that—future promotions would also require less payment. Truly, a double benefit!

One could hardly call it more considerate.

With a “good leader” like Emperor Ling, it was little wonder the Eastern Han was doomed.

But such matters were of no concern to Xu Kang; the fate of the dynasty did not interest him. What mattered was which county magistrate position to buy.

Soon, he had made up his mind.

“I don’t want to go too far—something close by will do. Yes, I’ll buy the post of magistrate of Changshe County!”