Chapter 169: Who Slaps Whose Face?

Twenty personal attendants, eight household servants, three maids, two rough-looking domestic workers, plus Peng Shisan whose background was unclear—when the key figures in Anqiu County Yamen discovered that Zhang Yue, who they had thought was just a lowly, unimportant person from a minor family, had brought so many people with him, they were immediately filled with confusion and suspicion. In the wealthy aristocratic families of the Jiangnan region, such a large entourage might not be anything out of the ordinary, but this was Shandong—a place that had experienced several dynastic changes and massacres during the Jingnan Campaign, leaving barely any of the original powerful families intact!

Despite having so many people, the officials had built enough houses in the back courtyard over a decade earlier, allowing the thirty-some people to live there comfortably. However, most of the original gardeners and servants were actually spies from various factions. As they saw these people organizing the house and assigning tasks in an orderly manner, countless pieces of information were inevitably sent outside. So that evening, after the meetings at the county yamen, Deputy County Magistrate Luo Wei summoned Chief Clerk Zhao Ming to discuss the situation and sent someone to call Ma Cheng.

“Asleep? It’s not even dark yet—how can he be sleeping so deeply? How is he still asleep at this hour? Nonsense!” Luo Wei flew into a rage when the messenger returned dejectedly. After driving the boy away, he slammed the door shut and turned to Zhao Ming, fuming.

“That Ma Cheng is completely stupid! Does he really think bringing along such a large group of family members makes him something special? This is Anqiu County, not some luxurious mansion where he can live in comfort! What else has that kid done these past few days besides stamping documents? Can he rely on those sycophantic servants for official work? I just tried to consult Ma Cheng, and he kept making excuses!”

“Old Ma is cautious and timid—you already knew that, right, Brother Luo?” Zhao Ming, with his pale face and neatly groomed beard, exuded an air of scholarly elegance. He casually waved his folding fan. “We simply miscalculated one thing—he’s not a commoner but a member of an aristocratic family, that’s all. But seeing how he brought so many people with him to Anqiu, along with his past behavior, it’s clear he’s used to a comfortable life at home. As long as we handle things superficially well… hehe, we’ll see what happens then!”

“Brother Zhao is right,” Luo Wei’s anger turned into joy. He stepped forward, sat down gracefully on the chair next to Zhao Wei, and said with a smile, “People from wealthy families surely look down on the money and grain in our county yamen, as well as on their own meager salaries. But if he’s sensible, that’s fine. If he tries to stir up trouble, I’ll make him leave in shame! Speaking of which, Old Ma is the one who’s suffered the most. He bought those two maids from Hui Xiang Lou in Qingzhou Prefecture, not realizing that their counterparts are far better!”
While the two were talking, those two maids, who had been bought at high prices, were indeed feeling aggrieved at that moment. Since Qiu Hen and Hu Bo arrived, they could no longer interfere near Zhang Yue. Moreover, Ling Xi called them over to lay out the rules. They came from a brothel and knew only how to flatter and seduce men into a state of ecstasy, never expecting there to be so many complicated rules in a large household.
When Hu Bo came out, she saw the two maids writhing on the ground, looking extremely immature. If it were Qiu Hen, she would have scolded them, but she merely smiled inwardly and said to Ling Xi, “Sister, it’s not far from Beijing, and the weather is getting colder day by day. Although we brought plenty of thick clothes, they won’t be enough to keep us warm. We also need to prepare firewood and silver frost charcoal for daily use. Silver frost charcoal might be hard to find here, and the young master says it’s too extravagant.”
“It’s true that when we’re away from home, we can’t act as we do at home,” Ling Xi nodded, glanced sideways at the two maids, then smiled at Hu Bo and said, “The third young master went ahead with just a few men. The clothes he left behind probably weren’t properly washed. We’ll give them to the Li and Cui families and have them washed again. As usual, you and Qiu Hen will serve closely by my side. I’ll stay outside and handle the rougher tasks. If everyone does their part, everything will be in order.”
Qiu Hen was just coming out through the curtain when she heard this and was stunned. She blurted out, “Sister was personally chosen by the old lady. How can you stay outside? Besides, this county yamen is not like our home. There are so many people coming in and out. How can you expose yourself?”

“I’m four years older than the third young master—what’s there to be afraid of showing up in public?” Lingxi retorted with a smile. Seeing Zhang Yue come out as well, she stepped forward, knelt, and bowed. After glancing at him for a moment, she added, “When you met the third young master this afternoon, the color of your clothes didn’t match well either. After all, Qiuhen and Hupo are meticulous—now it’s all in order. By the way, do you think the assignments I made for the third young master are appropriate?”

With those two maids around these days and not many sets of spare clothes, Zhang Yue had been dressing casually. Earlier in the room, Qiuhen had scolded him, and now Lingxi brought this up again, forcing him to smile bitterly. Although there weren’t any large mirrors, there was still a two-foot-long polished copper mirror in the sandalwood box. Before coming out, Qiuhen had insisted on making him look at himself in the mirror thoroughly, which still made him laugh.

“Everything you assign is certainly appropriate. Before we left, grandmother appointed you as the female housekeeper, so naturally, it falls under your responsibility.”

While on the ship, Zhang Yue had noticed that Lingxi seemed reluctant to get close to him, which relieved him somewhat. After all, though he understood why grandmother Gu had placed Lingxi by his side and knew she was careful and humble, in his eyes, Qiuhen and Hupo, who had been with him for years, still held a slight edge over Lingxi. Her words now undoubtedly resolved a lingering doubt.

The two maids listening to Zhang Yue and Lingxi’s conversation bit their lips, looking pitiful. Yet upon seeing Zhang Yue’s attire, their eyes lit up. He was wearing a black gauze hat adorned with crystal beads, a brocade jacket in autumn-colored fabric with three rows of embroidery along the collar, a five-colored silk sash tied around his waist, and thick black boots—his appearance was neat and tidy, a stark contrast to his shabby look earlier.

“You can dress like this inside the county office, but for other times, it’s better to keep it simple. Those blue clothes would be perfect.”

Lingxi couldn’t help but laugh. “My young master, those blue clothes aren’t as easy to come by as this one. There are sky blue, stone blue, lotus blue, rain-clear blue, and agarwood blue—ordinary dyeing shops can’t produce them. They may look the same as regular blue satin, but the craftsmanship is entirely different. If that’s what you say, I’ll remember it and only find blue clothes for you to wear from now on.”

After joking around for a while, Zhang Yue went outside. He found Peng Shisan already waiting in the courtyard, so he asked him to gather all the household servants in the Small Flower Hall. Once everyone was there, he sent two servants to guard the door and then closed it to have a long conversation. With the door shut, two more guards stood by it, preventing anyone from eavesdropping on what was said inside. Left with no way to find out, they grew increasingly suspicious and many of them slipped away to report back.

The county magistrate was an official of the eighth rank, while the registrar was of the ninth rank—both at the lowest levels in the Ming Dynasty’s official hierarchy. Outside Anqiu County, they would be nothing at all, but within the county government office, the two courtyards they controlled were even more powerful than the main courtroom. Luo Wei handled lawsuits, Zhao Ming dealt with finances, and all other trivial matters were left to Ma Cheng, the clerk. The three of them essentially divided all the power in the county office, leaving almost nothing for the county magistrate. That evening, Luo Wei and Zhao Ming, who had met earlier to discuss matters, gathered again—this time at Zhao Ming’s home.

“That kid deliberately disguised himself and pretended to be poor just to make us relax! If he came here to make a round trip and get promoted, why would he act so secretive while giving orders to his servants?”

“Brother Luo, could you try to find out more about his background?”

“Hmph, I miscalculated too! I thought, given how poor Anqiu County is, the officials chosen would probably be ordinary scholars. Who would have thought we’d end up with such a cunning guy who’s unyielding and hard to deal with! Don’t worry, Zhao. I’ll send someone to the Left Censor of the Provincial Administration tomorrow. He should have records of all provincial officials’ backgrounds—asking him will surely give us answers.”

Hearing Luo Wei’s words, Zhao Ming felt a bit reassured. Yet, he didn’t have as strong a backing as Luo Wei. Thinking that if Zhang Yue really decided to take action, he, having no support, would likely be the first target. So, after a moment’s thought, he had an idea. He gently tapped his fan a few times, about to speak, when suddenly Luo Wei sneezed.

“Brother Luo, I have a great idea!” Zhao Ming immediately perked up, ignoring the fact that Luo Wei was using fine paper to gently blow his nose. His tone was urgent and rapid. “Isn’t he trying to deceive us again? Let’s strike at the root of the problem! He’s not familiar with official duties at all. Tomorrow, the two of us will claim to be sick, and then we’ll have the key clerks from the records and household departments announce their leave as well. Let’s see how he can act like a county magistrate! Besides, after serving outside for four days, Hu Lizheng from Wanli Village must be quite dissatisfied by now…”

“You mean…” Luo Wei suddenly understood and immediately closed his fan, nodding repeatedly. “Brilliant! Brilliant! If he wants to be the star, fine—let him be it. Let’s see how this new county magistrate can perform a one-man show! It’s too late to notify all the village heads, but I’ll send someone to talk to Hu Lizheng, telling him to report for duty and leave right away. Once he gives the order, which other village head would dare to hold back? As for the clerks, we’ve kept them well-fed over the years—who would dare to say no?”

“This time it’s him who’s deliberately looking for trouble; we can’t be blamed. If he sees the situation in the courtroom tomorrow, he’ll probably be so angry he explodes. By then, he’ll have to obey us!” Zhao Ming grew complacent and lazily crossed his legs. “If he wants to humiliate us, we won’t let him. We’ll have to strike back first!”

That night, the lights in the back courtyard were turned off early. After traveling for days, everyone went to bed early. But the three courtyards around the county office were brightly lit. Not only could the masters not sleep well, but the servants below were also affected, and even the dogs suffered—several barks could be heard in the middle of the night. So early the next morning, Luo Wei, the deputy county magistrate, and Zhao Ming, the clerk, both claimed to be sick. Ma Cheng, the registrar, arrived on time but seemed listless, as if he had been seriously ill.

Zhang Yue, sitting behind the desk, glanced at the people around him and frowned. Compared to the energetic and orderly crowd on the first day, today’s situation was indeed unusual. All the village heads had arrived, reportedly waiting outside, but the clerks from the records and household departments hadn’t shown up. A few clerks from other departments were present, but they were uninvolved in any work.

When the book containing the signatures and reports of absence was brought in, half of them had claimed to be sick or on leave. Though he wanted to throw the book on the ground, he eventually placed it aside lightly, uttering just a few words.

“Indeed, the weather has been bad lately. I fell ill just yesterday, and yet so many people have fallen sick today!”
The people below dared not respond. They were neither the deputy county magistrate nor the clerk—why would they risk attracting the new county magistrate’s anger for no reason? At that moment, a minor official from the ritual department, entrusted by someone else, reluctantly presented the documents he was asked to deliver, piling them up high on the desk. Those who saw the documents sighed inwardly if they were kind-hearted, while those who were unkind simply reveled in others’ misfortunes.
The newly arrived county magistrate now faced two key officials who had both abandoned their duties, and the subordinates were also acting unhelpfully. He must be regretting his decisions deeply by now.
Looking at the stack of documents, Zhang Yue remained calm. He then whispered a few instructions to a attendant at his side, tapped the pile of papers with his fingers, and said to the others, “Since Deputy County Magistrate Luo and Clerk Zhao are both absent, and most of the other staff are also missing, it seems impossible to handle official matters properly.”
Seeing many people showing smug expressions, he quickly changed his tone and said, “However, as I’m new here, it would be even worse to abandon these tasks just because of a lack of staff. In times of urgency, one must take temporary measures. A few of my attendants can at least read, so let’s use them temporarily to get today’s work done first. Go fetch the seals from Deputy County Magistrate Luo’s and Clerk Zhao’s homes; I’ll sign everything! Zhang Cheng, Zhang Ruo, Zhang Xi, Zhang Fu, you’ll fill in for the absent staff temporarily. After finishing the work, you can let the regular officials come in!”
Thinking of the twenty attendants carefully chosen by his grandmother before he left, Zhang Yue was glad that listening to her advice had indeed paid off. Today, these people were merely trying to intimidate him, to slap him in the face. But he would show these cunning scoundrels who really slapped whom!