Chapter 84: The Tang Dynasty's Shills

Liu Yitiao nodded. Yuan Fang was a clever man; he would never short-sightedly engage in opportunistic tricks or underhanded schemes. Therefore, Liu Yitiao trusted him—at least, for the time being, he trusted him greatly.

Taking a sip of tea, Liu Yitiao gazed at the splendid sunlight outside and said to Yuan Fang, “This is a warm spring. It’s not yet the second month, but the weather has already grown mild. In a few days, my thirty-odd acres of wasteland will be ready for cultivation. I wonder, out of the twenty plows I ordered, how many has Old Master Yuan completed?”

“Rest assured, Master Liu. Thirteen are already finished, and the remaining seven will be rushed as soon as the workshop officially starts this afternoon. They should be ready by tomorrow morning. I shall send them to you then, and your plan for the spring planting will not be delayed,” Yuan Fang replied.

“Very good. I must trouble you, Old Master Yuan.” As he spoke, Liu Yitiao rose and cupped his hands to Yuan Fang. “My main purpose in coming today was to settle the workshop matter. Now that it’s resolved, I shall not trouble you further. I take my leave.”

Hearing this, Yuan Fang and his son both stood and respectfully escorted Liu Yitiao all the way to the door.

They held Liu Yitiao in high regard. At first, it was for his good reputation—curing oxen, punishing bullies, bringing direct or indirect benefit to ordinary folk like them. Later, it was because of his decisiveness and discernment—so young, yet he understood the principle of trusting those he employed and not employing those he distrusted. When he handed over thirty taels of silver to the Yuan family, he hadn't even frowned, nor did he inquire further after the fact. To work under such a man was to be free of worries, confident, and at ease.

When Liu Yitiao returned home, he discovered that the number of oxen in the yard had doubled.

Hardly believing his eyes, he counted them one by one. One, two, three… That was right—twenty-one in all, ten more than before! And each ox was robust, almost as if they could compete in an oxen beauty contest. What was going on?

Still puzzling, Liu Yitiao tethered his little donkey just as Old Liu came out of the house carrying some fodder. Liu Yitiao called out, “Father, what’s the story with these oxen? Did you buy them?”

“Of course,” Old Liu said, placing the fodder in the trough and beaming with pride. “Didn’t you mention wanting to buy oxen recently? As luck would have it, a cattle dealer came to the village today. Five taels for each ox, ten in all, just fifty taels. It was such a bargain that I bought them all at once.” He patted the nearest ox on the head, grinning. “Just look at these oxen—not at all inferior to the ones sent by the authorities. They’ll make excellent helpers in the fields.”

“Fifty taels?” Liu Yitiao frowned deeply. This Old Liu—last time, he’d bought a sick ox because he couldn’t resist a bargain. Had he learned nothing? “Father, even if you paid fifteen taels, you might not get such fine oxen. Why would someone sell them to you for just five? Where is that cattle dealer?”

“He’s gone. Not a local. Once the deal was done, he left,” Old Liu replied. Noticing Liu Yitiao’s displeasure, he grew anxious. “Yitiao, is there something wrong with these oxen too? That can’t be. I looked them over carefully this time—every one is strong and shows no signs of illness. Did you notice something I missed?”

“There’s nothing wrong with the oxen. Each one is excellent—surprisingly healthy and strong. But that’s exactly why I feel something’s amiss. No, not just a little—something is very wrong. Such oxen would fetch at least fifteen taels each at market, and people would fight to buy them. No normal person would sell them for just five. There’s something behind this!” He looked at Old Liu and asked, “Father, how did you meet that cattle dealer? What did he say to you? Did you not even ask why the oxen were so cheap?”

Old Liu was left dizzy by his son’s barrage of questions. Instead of answering, he asked, “Yitiao, isn’t it enough that these oxen are healthy and here at home? What is there to worry about? Are you afraid someone will come to steal them back?”

“Father, why can’t you understand?” Liu Yitiao was exasperated. “For the cattle dealer to sell them so cheaply—unless he’s a fool—means only one thing: these oxen did not come into his possession honestly! Either stolen or robbed, but they certainly aren’t truly his.”

Hearing this, Old Liu’s face went pale. He’d been blinded by the bargain, never considering this possibility. Fifty taels was no small sum; if it all went to waste, he’d regret it for a lifetime.

“No, Yitiao, that can’t be,” Old Liu stammered, hands trembling. “That dealer said his home was struck by flooding and he needed money urgently to return. That’s why the price was so low. Someone else even tried to buy the oxen from under me; if I hadn’t had the cash, they’d have been gone. There’s nothing wrong with them, nothing at all. The dealer looked honest—really, he did.”

Old Liu’s words tumbled out incoherently—his mind was clearly in disarray.

But Liu Yitiao understood perfectly. So Old Liu had fallen for a classic double act, even back in these Tang Dynasty days.

He asked, “Father, how did you encounter the dealer? Did he seek you out, or you him?”

Old Liu replied, “Neither, really. Not long after you left this morning, a cattle dealer was hawking outside our door. Knowing you wanted oxen, I went to take a look. The price was good, so I brought them all home. I figured, fifty taels for ten oxen, whether for our own use or to resell, how could we lose?”

Another man blinded by profit.

Liu Yitiao shook his head, looked at Old Liu, and pressed on: “And what about the flooding? And the man who tried to snatch the oxen out from under you? What happened there?”

“The dealer said his hometown was along the river, and there’d been heavy rains and flooding a few days ago. His family suffered, so he wanted to exchange his ten oxen for cash and hurry home to help. He seemed sincere, and the ten oxen were right there before my eyes, so I believed his story,” Old Liu explained. “As for the man who tried to buy the oxen, he showed up while I was inspecting them. He said he wanted them, but didn’t have enough cash and insisted on taking the dealer to his house. I couldn’t agree to that, so I brought out fifty taels and sealed the deal.”

“A shill! An accomplice for the cattle dealer! Father, I guarantee that man was working with him!” Now Liu Yitiao was certain Old Liu had been duped. He’d seen this trick often enough on TV, in newspapers, and in real life—two men working together, preying on those greedy for a bargain like Old Liu.