Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 193, a 1-word long chapter

Everyone was in high spirits, and celebrating the Second Master's wedding made them even happier. Li Ergou said loudly, "Our Qiongzhou Prefecture must hold a grand and lively celebration, making it the most prestigious event in the entire Qiongzhou Prefecture!" Everyone agreed.

With less than a month until the Lunar New Year, preparing for a wedding seemed a bit rushed. However, the Qiongzhou Camp had both money and manpower, and once they made up their minds to do something, their efficiency was astonishing. A large number of people poured into Liang Xiaoming's newly built residence, decorating and furnishing the bridal chamber. Although Li Fu was already the general manager of the Tiannan Trading Company, he volunteered to be in charge of the wedding banquet. He was originally a steward, so this kind of thing was familiar to him. Liang Xiaoming had no interest in such political weddings, let alone bother to take the initiative to worry about them. With capable people doing the work for him, he was naturally happy to relax.

While hastily preparing for the wedding banquet, invitations were also being sent to officials at all levels in Qiongzhou Prefecture and County by express courier.

Originally, Liu Ye wanted to issue a wide invitation to all the three prefectures and thirteen counties of Qiongzhou Prefecture, but Yan Guang dissuaded him: not to mention how long it would take for counties like Lehui and Wanxian to travel around most of Qiongzhou Island to reach Lingao, even if they could make it to the wedding banquet, they would only be there to make up the numbers. The ruling center of Qiongzhou Prefecture is in the prefectural city of Qiongshan County. It is enough to intimidate the prefectural city and the surrounding counties of Lingao. There is no need to force remote counties to travel thousands of miles to attend the banquet, which would only cause resentment.

Liu Ye thought it made sense. These days, land travel was difficult; there were neither highways nor high-speed rails, and the Wuzhi Mountains, known as the "Roof of Hainan," separated them. Officials valued their lives and were unwilling to easily travel by sea. By the time officials from Wanxian and other places arrived in Lingao, it would be too late. So, he readily agreed and only sent invitations to the prefectural city and the counties of Lingao, Chengmai, Danzhou, and Changhua. Chengmai and Danzhou were chosen because they were adjacent to Lingao, while Changhua had the Shilu iron mine, and large-scale mining in the future would require Changhua's cooperation. He needed to use the wedding banquet as an opportunity to completely control the situation.

Wu Mingjin, the magistrate of Lingao County, was "honored" to be the first to receive the invitation. Who could blame him? Since boarding Liu Ye's ship recently, the magistrate had no way out and could only go all the way and cling tightly to the thigh of the Qiongzhou Camp. His first reaction after receiving the invitation was how to prepare a decent gift to show his sincerity.

Following the county magistrate, other prefectures and counties also received invitations one after another. Chengmai and Danzhou, needless to say, are adjacent to Lingao and are well aware of the fighting strength of the Qiongzhou Camp. The officials of the two counties know that they are not as tough as the former governor Wang Zunde and the former general He Rubin, so how could they not come? The more remote prefectures and counties also dare not offend this ruthless character who can defeat the government army. Although they did not receive invitations, after hearing the news of the Qiongzhou Camp's grand wedding banquet, most of them took the initiative to send congratulatory cards and also included monetary gifts.

These county magistrates could lower themselves, but Qin Bingyan, the dignified prefect of Qiongzhou, was not so carefree. He sat in his study, looking at the invitations on his desk, his brow furrowed in worry.

Now that the Qiongzhou Camp had delivered the invitation, Qin Bingyan was having a major headache over how to handle this hot potato. Having spent so much time in officialdom, how could someone who had risen to the position of prefect not know the Qiongzhou Camp's intentions? For many years in the Ming Dynasty, civil officials were valued more than military officers; when had a mere brigade commander dared to accept an invitation to a prefect's wedding banquet, especially since the groom was merely one of Liu Ye's subordinates? Their true intention wasn't the wine, but rather to use this opportunity to give the prefectural government a taste of their power!

How could he, a dignified fifth-rank prefect and the number one figure in Qiongzhou's officialdom, possibly submit to the tyranny of some brute? Qin Bingyan shook his head, summoned the servant outside, and asked him to invite his advisor. After the servant reached the door, he thought for a moment and added, "Invite Assistant Prefect Zhao as well."

His advisor was also surnamed Qin, and was a member of his own clan. He had been a loyal follower since he became the county magistrate. Regardless of how shrewd or capable he was, he was loyal enough to be trusted.

There was no need for formalities between the two. Master Qin stated his opinion directly: "If you, sir, condescend to attend this banquet, not only will you become a laughing stock in Guangdong's official circles, but you will also inevitably leave an impression of being timid and cowardly in the minds of the governor and the provincial governor. It will be difficult for you to get promoted in the future..."

Qin Bingyan sighed. He knew this even without the clerks saying it. Since the Tumu Crisis, military officers and nobles had been almost entirely wiped out. Over the past two hundred years, this had gradually evolved into a situation where civil officials were valued more than military officials. Civil officials had a natural sense of superiority over military officials, not to mention that the military's provisions and salaries were controlled by the civil official group. Not to mention a deputy general, even a first-rank general couldn't command respect from civil officials; a mere military commissioner could order them around at will.

Logically speaking, a mere military officer should not have brazenly sent an invitation to the prefectural government office, as that would be humiliating. However, the key issue is that Liu Ye is not an ordinary military officer. He climbed to this position by stepping on the heads of thousands of soldiers, and he is self-sufficient in terms of food and pay. He doesn't need to be subservient to civil officials. If you anger him, he can cut you down and continue being a thief. Who would dare to provoke him?

At this time, Zhao Yue, the Assistant Magistrate, also arrived. Although Zhao Yue was a deputy, unlike other prefects, he had a very harmonious relationship with Qin Bingyan, the principal prefect. This was because the two had both passed the imperial examination and were appointed Grand Secretaries of the Eastern Pavilion and Grand Tutors of the Crown Prince, Wu Zongda, making them fellow students. When Qin Bingyan passed the imperial examination, Wu Zongda was serving as Chancellor of the Imperial Academy; when Zhao Yue passed the imperial examination, Wu Zongda had already entered the cabinet and was a Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion, along with Wen Tiren.

Scholars are very particular about things like being born in the same year, studying under the same master, and having the same hometown; many of the various factions in officialdom originate from this. Having the same mentor, who holds a high position, and both serving in the remote Qiongzhou Prefecture, Qin Bingyan naturally felt a strong connection and mutual respect. He summoned him, partly because he trusted him, and partly because he wanted to hear his advice.

Zhao Yue glanced at the invitation, pondered for a moment, and said to Qin Bingyan, "Prefect, you can't hesitate. You must attend this celebratory banquet!"

Before Qin Bingyan could ask, Qin the clerk spoke up in surprise: "What do you mean by that, Lord Zhao? Your Excellency is the esteemed head of a prefecture. To bow down to this military man would be to lower yourself and diminish your status. How would you be able to hold your head high when you meet your colleagues in the future?"

Zhao Yue sneered, "The advisor is blinded by a leaf and cannot see Mount Tai." He turned to Qin Bingyan and said, "Prefect, you are wise: Liu Ye is notorious for his ruthlessness; tens of thousands of troops in Guangdong have fallen to his blade. He should not be underestimated. Moreover, he is skilled at amassing wealth and can provide for his own food and supplies. Apart from a title, what can the court give him?"

This couldn't be clearer: Liu Ye is a skilled warrior and a money-maker, but he can't be defeated in battle, and the court can't control his supplies. They can only appease him. They can't even appease such a person; to deliberately offend him is like asking for trouble.

Zhao Yue's words were all reasonable, leaving Master Qin speechless. Qin Bingyan broke out in a cold sweat; he hadn't even grasped such a simple principle, yet he was still fixated on the distinction between civil and military officials, almost making a grave mistake.

Zhao Yue continued to persuade him: "Prefect, reputation is important, but what is it worth if you lose your life? Right now, it seems that no one can control Liu Ye. The entire Guangdong officialdom is wary of him. Even the former governor was demoted because of him. You are just a prefect. Who can say anything against you for attending the banquet?"

Qin Bingyan hesitated and asked, "Is it really alright?" After Zhao Yue said that, his sense of shame was relieved a lot, and he just wanted to find a way to save face.

Zhao Yue looked around and saw no one else besides Master Qin. He leaned closer and whispered, "Do you know Lord Sun Yuanhua, the former governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou in Shandong?"

"I know that. Lord Sun trained a new army and cast Hongyi cannons in Dengzhou. He was known as a capable minister. Unfortunately, the official gazette said that he died at the hands of the Liaodong rebels."

Zhao Yue smiled mysteriously: "I've heard rumors circulating that Lord Sun is not dead and is now serving under Liu Ye."

Qin Bingyan was shocked. It was not uncommon for civil officials to be beheaded by rebellious military generals, but it was unheard of for a civil official to be willing to serve a military general, let alone a high-ranking official like Sun Yuanhua—although he was a former governor who had already been dismissed from his post.

"Impossible. Even if Lord Sun isn't dead, how could he possibly risk his life for such a mere warrior? He's simply insane..." Qin Bingyan shook his head repeatedly, unsure whether Zhao Yue, who had believed the rumors, or Sun Yuanhua, had gone mad.

Zhao Yue sighed, "Lord Sun was, after all, dismissed from his post by the court and should have been escorted to the capital for trial. A dismissed official, barring any unforeseen circumstances, would simply be executed at Caishikou. Therefore, in order to save his life, the entire Qiongzhou camp concealed any information about him, and the Prefect was naturally unaware. I only heard this from rumors circulating in the streets, and it has not been verified yet, so I'm just passing it off as such, and the Prefect should take it with a grain of salt."

Qin Bingyan outwardly claimed disbelief, but inwardly he was mostly convinced: given the Qiongzhou Camp's usual practices, killing a county magistrate wouldn't even bat an eye, and kidnapping a dismissed high-ranking official wouldn't be surprising. Furthermore, it wasn't impossible that Sun Yuanhua, a dying man, would have suffered such a blow that his personality would drastically change, and he might have gone into hiding, serving as a military officer.

“Even if Lord Sun is dismissed, his seniority and reputation far surpass yours, Prefect. Doesn’t he value his reputation?” Zhao Yue reminded his superior and fellow student, “A wise man knows when to yield. Submitting to the Qiongzhou camp is the right path. Why cling to your reputation and risk your life? Even if this dynasty values ​​civil officials over military ones, it’s the complete opposite in Qiongzhou. Attending a banquet won’t ruin your reputation. Besides…”

"What else?" Qin Bingyan asked nervously.

"Liu Ye is on good terms with the new governor, Lord Mu. Governor Mu listens to him without question. Based on this alone, he can decide the fate of all officials, big and small, in Qiongzhou Prefecture. Prefect, what do you say, will you go or not?" It was common knowledge within the Qiongzhou camp that Liu Ye had made contact with Mu Tianyan, and the prefectural government had also heard about it. As for the claim that he listened to Mu Tianyan without question, that was just something Zhao Yue had made up in his head.

After much thought, Qin Bingyan realized that Zhao Yue was right. Xia Tiannan was indeed an unsolvable problem. Neither military nor civil tactics worked. All he could do was try not to offend him and hope that this plague god would be transferred elsewhere to serve as a military general.

He sighed, "Just as Zi'ang (Zhao Yue's courtesy name) said, we have no choice but to attend this Feast at Hongmen..."

Master Qin's eyes darted around a few times, and an idea came to him. He said, "This student has been too naive. Lord Zhao is much more astute. We should attend the wedding banquet. However, there's a trick to choosing who to send..."

Qin Bingyan, as if a drowning man had grasped at a straw, quickly asked, "What's the significance?"

“Not going would mean offending that fiend, but even if the Lord himself attends the banquet, it won’t do. Even if we were to yield to this brute, what kind of decorum would it be to sit at the same table with a bunch of county magistrates?”

Qin Bingyan nodded repeatedly; this was something he had overlooked. It was said that in addition to inviting him, the Qiongzhou camp had also invited the magistrates of Lingao, Danzhou, and Chengmai counties. In officialdom, hierarchy is paramount; it was far more difficult for him to sit at the same table as his group of seventh-rank magistrates than to submit to Liu Ye.

Master Qin glanced at Zhao Yue and suggested to Qin Bingyan, "Why not have Lord Zhao attend the banquet as a representative of the Qiongzhou government? This way, we can save face for our master and avoid offending that ruthless man from the Qiongzhou camp."

Qin Bingyan's eyes lit up. This was a good plan. Zhao Yue, as the Assistant Prefect of Qiongzhou Prefecture, held a high position and was qualified to represent him at the banquet. He looked at Zhao Yue expectantly: "Zi'ang, how about you go to the banquet in my place?"

Zhao Yue had already cursed Qin's ancestors to the eighteenth generation in his heart. He was a dignified fifth-rank official, and he was afraid that his boss would lose face, so he was going to push him into a fire pit? However, Qin Bingyan was his superior and a fellow student in the imperial examination. No matter how you looked at it, he could not refuse his request. So he could only bite the bullet and agree: "I dare not disobey."

As the New Year approaches, this is usually a time when every household is busy buying New Year's goods. In the past, when people were poor, they would try to buy a couple of pounds of meat and a pot of wine. Now, because of the rise of Qiongzhou Camp, the per capita income level of the entire Lingao County has increased significantly, and they are even more eager to celebrate the New Year. However, because Qiongzhou Camp is going to hold a wedding banquet for Liang Xiaoming, the focus of the people's attention is no longer on the New Year, but on this wedding banquet before the New Year.

Normally, a military general's wedding wouldn't concern ordinary people, especially since Liang Xiaoming wasn't even the main commander of the Qiongzhou Camp, but merely the "second-in-command" who couldn't be publicly acknowledged. But the crux of the matter is that Liu Ye's decision to arrange Liang Xiaoming's wedding means that the entire Qiongzhou Camp is taking this matter very seriously, making it a major event for the entire Qiongzhou Camp system.