Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 283 Extravagance and Overstepping of Limitations

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Xiao Fusong was in Anping Town at the moment, watching the busy construction site of the new house. Zheng Hongkui was beside him, and a group of followers were behind him.

Zheng Hongkui looked at his nephew and asked in confusion, "Ah Song, why aren't you reading the Analects with your teacher? What are you doing here?"

Zheng Fusong sighed: "Fourth Uncle, I read a principle in a book: 'A tree that stands out in the forest will be felled by the wind, and a mound that is higher than the bank will be eroded by the current.' If a tree is taller than the whole forest, it will be destroyed by the wind, and if a mound is higher than the bank, it will be washed away by the current."

Zheng Hongkui frowned and asked, "What are you trying to say?"

"The Zheng family's power and prestige in Fujian have reached their peak. Father should be keeping a low profile, not engaging in large-scale construction. I've heard that this mansion has exceeded the prescribed size, even surpassing the scale of some princes' residences, and there are voices of criticism throughout Anping and even across Fujian..."

Zheng Hongkui stared in surprise at his ten-year-old nephew. Such profound words should not have come from the mouth of a boy of this age; only an old scholar hired by the Zheng family academy would say such a thing.

Before he could ask a question, Zheng Fusong continued, "My father also acquired properties in various places, even extending his reach to Guangdong. I heard that the Zheng family owns a estate near Guangzhou, earning them the reputation of being 'extremely arrogant' in Guangdong..."

Zheng Hongkui interrupted him: "Who told you all this? Anyone who dares to gossip like this, your fourth uncle will break their legs!"

"Fourth Uncle, it doesn't matter who told me. What matters is that although Father is currently enjoying great success, he is also in the eye of the storm. Many people are gathered under his command, and even more people are jealous of him. It's fine when things are going smoothly, but once he encounters setbacks, everyone will surely turn against him."

Zheng Hongkui recalled his own neglect despite his tireless service to the Zheng family. It would be a lie to say he harbored no resentment towards his elder brother. Upon hearing Zheng Fusong's words, he even felt a faint sense of schadenfreude at his brother's misfortune. However, he quickly became alert. The man before him was his elder brother's biological son, and his brother's spies were all around him. He couldn't show the slightest emotion and risk alerting anyone.

He coughed a few times, put on a stern face, and said, "Why are you thinking about such trivial things at such a young age? Your father has his reasons for doing things. You should focus on your studies, and it's important to pass the imperial examinations and bring honor to your ancestors. There's nothing to see here since they're building houses here. It's all dusty and there's not much to see. Your fourth uncle will send someone to take you back."

Zheng Fusong glanced at him, said nothing more, turned around and walked away slowly, his steps steady and mature.

Zheng Hongkui watched his nephew's retreating figure and shook his head. It's not necessarily a good thing for a child to be too smart and mature too early.

At this moment, a middle-aged man who looked like an accountant walked over quietly with an account book on his back and said respectfully, "Fourth Master, a new batch of timber arrived yesterday. Would you like to count it yourself?"

Zheng Hongkui casually said, "No need, you can just count them and read out the types and quantities to me."

The accountant opened the ledger and read aloud: "...eighty pieces of Nanyang rosewood, sixty pieces of Hainan rosewood, one hundred pieces of Luzon striped ebony, five pieces of Sichuan golden nanmu..."

As Zheng Hongkui listened, he inwardly criticized the extravagance of the furniture materials used in the new house. When he heard "golden nanmu," he shuddered and interrupted the other person: "Wait, golden nanmu? Can you make sure it's ordinary nanmu or golden nanmu?"

The accountant paused, carefully examined the ledger, and looked up, saying, "It was confirmed during the inventory check, and there's no mistake in the ledger. It is indeed Phoebe zhennan wood..."

Zheng Hongkui broke out in a cold sweat. No wonder even Fusong said that his father had overstepped the bounds. Not only did his father's residence exceed the standards of a prince's mansion, but he had also used golden nanmu wood. This was no small matter. If someone with ulterior motives reported it to the authorities, he would be punished at best, and at worst, he would lose his life.

Golden silk nanmu is the most precious type of nanmu wood. It is named for its light yellow color, resembling gold, and the way its cross-section reflects golden light in the sunlight. Buried underground for thousands of years, it will not rot and is impervious to insects. Its price is comparable to gold, making it a precious timber reserved for the imperial family and forbidden for commoners. During the Qing Dynasty, the emperor was executed for using golden silk nanmu to build his mansion, one of the charges against him: "His nanmu houses were extravagant and exceeded regulations, imitating the Ning Shou Palace system, and his garden decorations were no different from the Penglai and Yaotai islands of the Yuanmingyuan."

With a stern face, he ordered, "Move the nanmu wood into the old house and store it properly, and have someone guard it."

The attendant beside him acknowledged and went to relay the message.

After the accountant finished reading the accounts, he was about to leave when Zheng Hongkui stopped him: "You're the new accountant, right? I remember you seem to be from Guangdong..."

The accountant bowed and scraped, saying, "Fourth Master has a good memory. I am indeed from Guangdong."

"Since you're from Guangdong, tell me, do you know about the Qiongzhou Camp? What are people in Guangdong's impressions of the Qiongzhou Camp?"

The accountant looked up in surprise at Zheng Hongkui: "Fourth Master, what is this...?"

Zheng Hongkui said casually, "Let's chat casually, don't be reserved. Say whatever you know." He wasn't just suddenly inquiring about the Qiongzhou Camp on a whim; he had been pondering this ever since the Battle of Liaoluo Bay: Why was Zhongzuo Garrison suddenly attacked, and why did the "lost" flags and markings of the Red Hair seem so timely? Why did the Qiongzhou Camp, who should have been allies, sit idly by and watch the tigers fight during the great battle, only intervening after his elder brother pleaded with them? Why did they not claim credit after achieving merit, but quietly return to Qiongzhou Prefecture? Based on his years of experience in the underworld, he felt that the Qiongzhou Camp was not as indifferent as it appeared. Judging from the exorbitant price of three thousand taels for each of those short heavy cannons, Xia Tiannan, the Qiongzhou Camp's adjutant, was a calculating and opportunistic person. His behavior before and after the battle was inconsistent with his character, and there was definitely something wrong with it.

I didn't have time to think about it in detail when I was busy before; these thoughts just flashed through my mind. Now that I'm retired and have plenty of time at my old house, I want to find someone to talk to. But most of the people around me are my older brother's direct subordinates, so it's not appropriate to discuss these things. It's better to just find someone unrelated.

The accountant stared at Zheng Hongkui for a few moments, concluding that he was genuinely just chatting and had no other purpose. After thinking for a moment, he slowly said, "What I know is only a few bits and pieces. Fourth Master, just take it as entertainment..."

The story begins with the sudden rise of the Qiongzhou camp, which defeated the Qiongzhou prefecture's encirclement and suppression. Then it goes on to defeat tens of thousands of Guangdong soldiers, and then to the brazen attack on Guangzhou City. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians were helpless and signed a treaty under the city walls. The governor of Guangdong and Guangxi was forced to resign and leave. Finally, the governor accepted the offer of being granted a fief but not a transfer order.

"From then on, the people and soldiers of Guangdong feared the Qiongzhou Camp like the plague. The governor-general was unwilling to deal with it, the governor tried his best to win it over, and it is said that officials of all ranks in Qiongzhou Prefecture obeyed its orders without question..."