"Quiet! Quiet! Quiet!"

The middle-aged man slammed his hand on the table, his voice booming. "I’m not finished! Listen to what I have to say before you speak."

The ancestral hall gradually fell silent as all eyes turned to the clan head, Chen Xingjia.

Elder Chen took another puff from his pipe and spoke slowly. "This year, the County Magistrate has made a special offer. Any family willing to pay five hundred stone of grain at once can secure a position at the County Magistrate’s Office. I have discussed this with the Wang Family. Our two clans, the Chens and the Wangs, will each provide one household to pay the five hundred stone. In return, all other families will only need to pay a levy of one stone. Is anyone willing? Step forward now."

At his words, the murmuring in the ancestral hall subsided, and much of the hostility abated.

One stone of grain... they could scrape that together if they tightened their belts.

The crucial question was, who would provide the five hundred stone of grain?

Any family that could produce five hundred stone of grain at once had to have, at the very least, over a hundred mu of fertile land.

Everyone’s eyes scanned the room. Of those in the ancestral hall, only three or four families met the criteria.

The middle-aged man’s gaze roamed over the crowd before finally settling on Chen Li, who stood in a corner. "Nephew Li, how about your family provides the five hundred stone of grain? You’re still young. Working in the county seat will open up many opportunities. In the future, this entire clan of ours will be counting on you to look after us."

Chen Li had originally been staying out of the affair. Paying three stone of grain was nothing to his family, so he had already resigned himself to paying.

But being singled out by the man now, his brow furrowed.

The middle-aged man’s name was Chen Yongquan, and he was the son of the clan head, Chen Xingjia.

By clan seniority, he was Chen Li’s uncle.

But the two families had been at odds for years.

’If this were truly a good opportunity, Chen Yongquan would never have thought of me first.’

’A position at the County Magistrate’s Office sounded prestigious.’

’But Chen Li knew perfectly well that he was the only able-bodied man in his household.’

’If I really go to the county seat, who will manage my two hundred mu of farmland?’

’And if anything should happen to me, my two sons are still young. My wife and children would be left to protect this estate, and odds are, they’d be eaten alive by vultures, picked clean to the bone.’

But the crucial issue now was that Chen Yongquan had tossed the problem squarely in his lap.

If he refused outright, he’d instantly become the target of everyone’s criticism.

He, Chen Li, would be the one who caused every family in the clan to pay an extra one or even two stone of grain. He’d be the chief culprit.

From then on in Lingxi Village, no one might dare to say anything openly, but if he ever needed help, many people would think twice before offering it.

Chen Li sneered inwardly, but his face remained impassive.

He wasn’t intimidated by Chen Yongquan’s provocation.

’He remembered a Secret Manual for arguing he’d read online in his past life: never get trapped in a loop of self-justification. Always throw the problem back at your opponent.’

Chen Li looked up at Chen Yongquan, his tone calm. "Uncle Quan, isn’t Cousin Zhengping about thirty this year? I hear he’s been in the city for years, is well-connected, knows the ropes, and handles matters skillfully. For this position at the County Magistrate’s Office, I’d say Cousin Zhengping is the most suitable candidate."

The Chen Zhengping he mentioned was Chen Yongquan’s eldest son.

Chen Yongquan’s brow furrowed, a flash of displeasure on his face. "Zhengping? He’s too restless. He might be older now, but he’s not mature enough. He isn’t steady or reliable in what he says and does..."

Before he could finish, Chen Li cut him off. "Everyone at the County Magistrate’s Office is a person of talent. It would be the perfect training for Cousin Zhengping. With your guidance, he’s sure to achieve great things. He might even secure an Official Position one day and bring glory to our family name."

"An official? What ability does that boy have to become an official?" Chen Yongquan blurted out, clearly agitated by the suggestion.

Chen Li immediately jumped on his words, his tone earnest. "Uncle Quan, you mustn’t underestimate Cousin Zhengping’s abilities..."

"Enough!" Third Great-Uncle Chen Xingjia, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke, his deep voice carrying an undeniable authority.

He tapped his dry pipe against the edge of the table, ashes scattering down. His gaze shifted to Chen Li, and his tone softened slightly. "Young Li, there’s something you don’t know. Your cousin Zhengtong just started training at a martial arts academy a few days ago. The expense... it’s quite substantial. For the time being, the family simply can’t spare that much extra grain."

Chen Li scoffed internally.

’Third Great-Uncle’s family owned eight hundred mu of fertile land, a full tenth of all the farmland in Lingxi Village.’

’His own father had sold two hundred mu of prime land for a pittance years ago, and it was their family who had snapped it up.’

’If their family claimed they couldn’t afford it, who in all of Lingxi Village possibly could?’

Chen Li picked up on the excuse. "To be frank, Third Great-Uncle, my son Shouheng is getting to be the right age himself. I’m planning on sending him to a martial arts academy to find a master—I’ve already prepared the gift silver. You know my humble patch of land doesn’t amount to even thirty percent of your family’s holdings. As for the five hundred stone of grain... I’m afraid my means are insufficient."

’He had planned to wait until his eldest son was a little older before bringing this up, but now that he was backed into a corner, he had no choice but to play his hand early.’

’In previous years, when the clan council called for donations, he could always use his father’s debts as an excuse. But more than a decade had passed. His family’s finances had improved, and using that same excuse now would seem forced.’

’Chen Li knew that from now on, his ’shield’ would have to be his son.’

The moment Chen Yongquan heard this, he reacted as if someone had stepped on his tail. His voice turned sharp and piercing. "Learn martial arts? Is *he* worthy of learning martial arts?"

A hush fell over the ancestral hall.

Chen Li’s gaze turned frigid, and his voice took on a sharp edge. "I’m afraid I don’t understand you, Uncle Quan. Shouheng is my son. What gives you the right to say he isn’t worthy of learning martial arts?"

Chen Yongquan choked on his words, realizing he’d misspoken. He scrambled to backtrack. "That’s not what I meant. I’m just saying, Shouheng is still a child. What’s the point of him learning martial arts? It’s just fooling around!"

"I’ve already spoken with the people at the academy. They said Shouheng is at the perfect age to build a strong foundation," Chen Li retorted, refusing to back down an inch.

Chen Yongquan suppressed his anger, adopting the posture of a long-suffering elder offering earnest advice. "Nephew Li, you just don’t understand. Learning martial arts is incredibly expensive. You’re looking at a minimum of several hundred taels of silver a year. Your family..."

"I know," Chen Li cut him off. His gaze swept over the clan members in the hall, their expressions a mixture of everything, as his voice rang out clearly. "Uncle Quan’s family has over eight hundred mu of fertile land, yielding at least twenty-five hundred stone of grain a year..."

"Enough! Chen Li!"

Elder Chen’s brow furrowed, his expression turning grim. He was clearly furious that Chen Li was publicly enumerating his family’s assets.

He took a deep drag from his pipe, forcing down his anger, and turned to the crowd. "Is anyone else willing to provide the grain in exchange for the position?"

The ancestral hall was utterly silent; you could have heard a pin drop.

Aside from Chen Yongquan’s and Chen Li’s families, there was one other household with substantial landholdings. However, it belonged to five brothers who had yet to split their inheritance. With a massive family of seventeen or eighteen mouths to feed, their expenses were enormous, and they were completely unable to shoulder such a burden.

After a long silence, seeing that no one would speak up, Elder Chen could only wave his hand in dismissal. "That’s all for today. I’ll go discuss this further with the Wang Family. If anyone is interested, come see me in private. If there’s truly no other way... then every family will pay three stone of grain. The full amount is due in seven days!"