The summons was not a request; it was a command wrapped in the red tape of the Great Yu Dynasty. To ignore it was treason. To fail was ruin.
The day of the inspection dawned clear and biting cold. The frost was thick on the ground, crunching underfoot like shattered glass.
Li Wei stood outside the shed, dressed in his best—clean, though patched, clothes. He adjusted the leather belt at his waist, a stark contrast to the cloth sashes of the villagers. He looked less like a farmer and more like a foreign mercenary.
"Bring him out," Li Wei ordered.
Zhao Feng led the King out of the shed.
The bull had been washed with warm water the night before and brushed until his black coat gleamed like polished obsidian. His horns had been oiled, shining with a lethal luster. He looked magnificent—a beast of war, not a beast of the plow.
But the real transformation was the gear.
Li Wei hadn't bought a wagon. He had spent the last two days braiding ropes. He had crafted a makeshift *headstall* and lead rope, a distinct contrast to the nose rings usually used to control cattle in the Dynasty.
"You're not putting a ring in his nose?" Li Dazhuang asked, frowning. "How will you control him? He'll run wild in the city."
"Trust me, Father," Li Wei said. "A ring is for a slave. A headstall is for a partner. If I treat him like a monster, he will act like one. Today, he is a guest."
Li Wei mounted Red Wind. The mare was spirited, tossing her head, but she settled under his firm hand.
"Zhao Feng, walk beside him. Do not let anyone touch him. We move as a unit."
The procession started down the hill.
It was an odd sight for Stone Roll Village. A young man on a copper-colored horse, leading a massive black bull on a lead rope, followed by a scarred man carrying a heavy iron staff. They didn't look like peasants going to market; they looked like a lord inspecting his territory.
Headman Wang was waiting at the village entrance. He sat on a mule, flanked by two servant boys. He sneered as Li Wei approached.
"Remember, boy," Wang called out. "This is an official summons. If that beast steps on a single citizen's foot, the Magistrate will have your hand. And don't think about running away. The guards are watching the roads."
"I'm not running, Headman," Li Wei said, his voice cool. He looked down at the man from his horseback perch. "I'm going to show the Magistrate what real livestock looks like. You might learn something."
He nudged Red Wind into a trot. The King broke into a smooth, rolling jog beside him, matching the horse's pace perfectly.
Headman Wang's smile faltered. He hadn't expected the bull to move with such discipline.
***
The journey to the county seat took two hours. As they entered the bustling streets, the crowd parted like the Red Sea.
The sight of the King stopped conversations mid-sentence. Housewives dropped their baskets; merchants paused their haggling. The bull was simply too big, too black, too powerful to be ignored.
"Is that a buffalo?"
"No, look at the hump... it's a Yellow Cattle, but giant!"
"Look at the muscles! It must eat gold!"
Li Wei ignored the whispers. He kept his eyes forward, posture straight. He projected an aura of absolute control. This was part of the sale—the *brand image*.
They arrived at the Yamen—the government office. It was a sprawling complex of red pillars and grey tiles, guarded by stone lions and armed bailiffs.
"Tie the beast to the post outside!" a bailiff shouted, pointing a spear at them. "No animals inside!"
Li Wei dismounted. "The summons said to bring the livestock for inspection. I can't inspect him if he's tied to a post."
"The Magistrate is busy! You wait!"
They waited for an hour in the cold courtyard. It was a deliberate tactic to humble him. Headman Wang arrived shortly after, slipping inside with a packet of "tea leaves" (likely a bribe) for the clerks.
Finally, the drum sounded. The heavy doors to the main hall opened.
"Li Wei! Enter with the beast!"
Li Wei took a deep breath. He picked up the lead rope.
"Let's go, King."
He walked into the hall.
The interior was high and vaulted, smelling of incense and old wood. The Magistrate, a man in his forties with a thin beard and sharp, calculating eyes, sat behind a high desk. He wore the blue robes of a civil official.
To the Magistrate's left sat Headman Wang, looking smug. To his right stood Master Chen, the Head Groom of the stables.
*Good,* Li Wei thought. *Master Chen is here. That's an ally.*
"Are you Li Wei?" the Magistrate asked, his voice bored.
"This humble one is, Your Honor."
"I have heard reports," the Magistrate said, picking up a brush and tapping it on the desk, "that you are keeping a dangerous beast in a residential area. That you are practicing strange western barbarisms. And that you are cheating the village of its tax revenue by hoarding land."
Headman Wang whispered loudly, "He even built a fence of thorns to keep honest people out, Your Honor!"
The Magistrate waved him silent. "Show me this beast. Is it the one I see behind you?"
Li Wei tugged the rope gently. The King stepped forward into the light streaming from the high windows. The bull stood sixteen hands high, his shadow falling over the polished floor.
The Magistrate's eyes widened slightly. He had seen many oxen. He had never seen one that looked like a statue of black iron.
"Beautiful," the Magistrate murmured. Then, his expression hardened. "But is he useful? Or just a pet for a mad boy? The spring plowing is coming. We need oxen, not statues."
"This bull is not for plowing, Your Honor," Li Wei said clearly.
A gasp went through the room. Headman Wang laughed. "You see? He admits it! Useless! Confiscate it for meat!"
"Silence!" the Magistrate snapped. He looked at Li Wei. "Not for plowing? Then why does a peasant keep a bull?"
"He is for breeding, Your Honor," Li Wei answered, stepping forward. "And for meat. But mostly... for quality."
He gestured to the bull. "The local Yellow Cattle are hardy, yes. But they are small. They plow slowly. They yield little meat. This bull... his bloodline is from the West. His calves will be twice the size of a normal calf. They will grow faster, plow harder, and feed more people."
"Bold claims," the Magistrate said. "Proof?"
"Look at his flank, Your Honor," Li Wei pointed to the brand. "Look at his stance. He has been fed on a special diet of fermented stalks and winter grass. Even in the famine of winter, he has gained weight."
Master Chen, the Head Groom, stepped forward. "Your Honor, this humble one has seen the grass this boy grows. I bought it for the stables. My warhorses eat it when they refuse all else. It has merit."
Headman Wang scowled. "He bought that grass with stolen money! He cheated the village!"
Li Wei turned to the Magistrate. "Your Honor, the Headman claims I hoard land. I leased the Barren Slope. It is a wasteland of rocks. I cleared the rocks. I built fences. I turned a tax liability into a tax asset. Is that cheating? Or is that diligence?"
The Magistrate looked at the ledgers on his desk. "The land lease... signed twelve days ago. Taxes paid."
He looked up, his eyes sharp. "But the danger remains. If this beast hurts someone, it is your head, Li Wei."
"He will not hurt anyone," Li Wei said. He dropped the lead rope.
The rope fell to the floor.
Headman Wang flinched. "He's loose! Guards!"
Li Wei ignored the shouts. He stood by the bull's shoulder. He didn't grab the rope. He simply whistled—a low, piercing note.
"King. Walk."
The bull stepped forward, walking a circle around Li Wei.
"Halt."
The bull stopped.
"Bow."
Li Wei pressed lightly on the bull's shoulder. The massive animal sank to its front knees, lowering its head in a gesture of submission.
The hall was dead silent.
Li Wei looked at the Magistrate. "Your Honor, a dangerous beast cannot be trained to kneel. This bull is not just livestock. He is the future of the county's stock. I ask only for the chance to prove it. Let me keep him until the spring. If I cannot produce strong calves or quality meat by then, I will surrender him to the government willingly."
The Magistrate stared at the kneeling bull. He saw the discipline. He saw the muscle. And he saw the potential for a very impressive gift to his superiors in the capital—a gift of "rare, Western bloodline beef."
He tapped his fan on the desk.
"Li Wei," the Magistrate pronounced. "You have... unusual methods. But you have results. The land lease stands. The bull is yours."
He glared at Headman Wang. "And you, Wang. Stop wasting this official's time with petty village squabbles. If you have time to harass a boy trying to improve the county's stock, perhaps you have time to collect more firewood for the soldiers' barracks?"
Headman Wang's face turned the color of a bruised plum. "Y-Yes, Your Honor. My apologies."
"Dismissed," the Magistrate waved his hand.
Li Wei bowed. He whistled again. The King stood up, shaking the dust from his shoulders. Li Wei picked up the rope and walked out of the hall, head high.
***
Outside the Yamen, the tension broke.
Zhao Feng laughed, slapping his thigh. "Did you see Wang's face? He looked like he swallowed a toad!"
"We won the battle," Li Wei said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "But the war isn't over. Wang is cornered now. He's going to get nasty."
He looked at the bull. "But for now... we have the law on our side. Let's go home. We have a ranch to build."
As they prepared to leave, a runner came out of the Yamen.
"Li Wei! Wait!"
Li Wei turned. It was Master Chen.
"My boy," Master Chen said, keeping his voice low. "The Magistrate was impressed. But he expects results. That 'beef' you spoke of... he will want to taste it soon."
"I know," Li Wei said. "I'm counting on it."
"I have a request," Master Chen said. "My horses... they love that grass. Can you supply more? Regularly?"
"Every week," Li Wei promised. "For a price."
"Agreed." Master Chen tossed him a small pouch. "Advance payment."
Li Wei caught the pouch. It clinked heavily.
He smiled. He had the government's permission, the stable master's contract, and the bull was alive.
He mounted Red Wind and looked toward the north.
"Let's go, King. We have a herd to gather."