Chapter 707: It’s Hard to Scream Alone
The Guangdong Provincial Administration has a long history. During the Western Han Dynasty, it was the palace garden of the King of Nanyue; in the Sui Dynasty, it served as the office of the governor of Guangzhou; in the Tang Dynasty, it was the headquarters of the Qinghai Military Governor for Lingnan East; in the Southern Han Dynasty, it was an imperial palace; in the Song Dynasty, it was the office of the military governor for Guangnan East Road; in the Yuan Dynasty, it was the headquarters of the Pacification Commander for Guangdong Circuit; and in the early Ming Dynasty, it was the Guangdong Provincial Administration. It was not until the ninth year of the Hongwu era that it was transformed into the current Guangdong Provincial Administration. It is quite rare to find such a site bearing the traces of numerous buildings from different dynasties.
Outside the administration building, there are three archways: “Chengxuan” to the south, “Fengle” to the east, and “Taihe” to the west. Entering through the main gate flanked by the eight-character wall leads to a terrace and a five-room courtroom with a hip-and-gable roof and nine-eaved beams. Hanging above the courtroom is a plaque written by Wang Guangyang, a high-ranking official during the Hongwu era, bearing the characters “Xuande.” Since the Xuande era name has already been used in the following year, preparations are underway to replace it with a new plaque. In addition to the courtroom, the administration complex includes three rooms and two annexes in the Bo Shui Hall, five rooms in the back hall, one corridor, three rooms in the ceremonial gate, three rooms in the three gates, and 46 rooms in the eastern and western offices—totaling hundreds of rooms.
Like other administrative offices, this one also has a front area for work and a back area for living. Inside the three gates, there are three official residences. Currently, Xiang Shaoyuan, the right-hand governor, occupies one, Xu Tao, another, leaving the largest one for Zhang Yue. Now that the whole family has moved in, cleaning and tidying up are necessary. As soon as Zhang Yue entered, he smelled a pleasant fragrance. Looking up, he saw Mother Cui pouring something from a small bottle onto Jingguan and Sannan. The two kids were struggling desperately, their faces filled with distress.
“What’s going on?”
“Our master has returned!” Du Wan, who was organizing boxes, turned to see Zhang Yue and stood up with a smile. “You carry such authority and menace! Those people who came to help clean just looked terrified, as if we might eat them! When they heard you were back, their faces turned pale, and they slipped away quietly! Mother Cui went out earlier and heard about your new nickname—it’s now ‘Zhang the Headhunter’!”
“Who is Dad going to execute?”
Seeing his son break free from Cui Mama’s grasp and dash over to pull at the hem of his clothes, he asked such a ridiculous question that Zhang Yue couldn’t help but flick his forehead irritably before sighing helplessly. “No matter what era it is, there are always people who demand money without shame or hesitation, who fear neither death nor execution. Don’t you know? I went to Huaiyuan Post Station today and happened to encounter people trafficking honest women to sell to foreigners.”
Zhang Yue recounted everything that had happened that day. The mocking expression on Du Wan’s face vanished instantly, and even Cui Mama couldn’t help but join hands and pray. Seeing that the masters remained silent, she couldn’t help but mutter, “It’s truly sinful. They’re all one’s own children. Selling them to others out of necessity for a living is one thing, but who would be willing to sell them abroad? I’ve heard from relatives back home that child trafficking is most common in regions like Lingnan and Fujian. If that’s the case, Guangdong also belongs to Lingnan, so it’s likely that child was indeed abducted.”
“Cui Mama is right. I also think this is probably true. I’m new here. Although I’ve arrested Xu Daya, I still need to be wary of others colluding with her to fabricate false evidence and get away with it. As the saying goes, even a mighty dragon can’t suppress local snakes. It’s easier to deal with the king of hell than these petty villains. I have no connections in Guangdong, and I still rely on the officials under the provincial administration for everything. If they unite against me, I can’t just use force. So although I brought him back forcefully today, I handed him over to the Investigation Office. One must know their roles. Although overseeing prisons is also part of the governor’s duties, if I bypass the Investigation Office right from the start, I’ll be at a disadvantage in the future.”
After saying this, Zhang Yue sat down next to Du Wan and called Jingguan over, asking him to recite some ancient poems. Seeing him recite them fluently and accurately, he nodded in satisfaction. At that moment, Cui Mama joked, “The young mistress teaches him these recitations in her free time. Now he’s almost memorized all three hundred Tang poems and has learned many characters. During those months in the capital, the third young lady would often bring books to teach him, so even Jingguan can’t slack off!”
Knowing that her sister had such an stubborn temper, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but smile. She stopped pressing her further and pulled her daughter over to amuse herself by making her babble. At that moment, Qiuhen and Hupo entered the room. After greeting them, Qiuhen wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief and couldn’t help complaining, “They say Guangzhou is the hottest place, and I didn’t believe it before, but now I finally understand. It’s impossible to stay in this room; even the slightest movement makes you sweat profusely. Our clothes are all too thick.”
When she saw Jingguan approaching with a smile, holding the hem of her dress, she immediately crouched down, examined her carefully, sniffed her, and then widened her eyes, asking, “What have you applied on your body, Jingguan? It has a strange smell—different from the floral waters we used before. It’s neither jasmine nor osmanthus or rose.”
“It’s honeysuckle. I heard licorice is added to it as well, with rose water as the main ingredient,” said Du Wan. She then instructed Aunt Cui to open a small box nearby and gave one bottle to each of Qiuhen and Hupo. “When those officials and their families came here before, besides local specialties, they brought many kinds of floral waters. This place isn’t like the capital—it’s humid and hot, with lots of mosquitoes and insects. So these floral waters not only help to remove odors but also prevent sweating and repel insects. I’ve gathered over a dozen bottles here. Since Jingguan and Sannan are already so hot that they’ve developed heat rashes, I gave them these first. You should try them too.”
Qiuhen and Hupo quickly thanked her, and Zhang Yue also curiously picked up a porcelain bottle, opened its lid, and sniffed it—indeed, it had the same smell she had just detected. It had to be said that although women in later generations had many bottles and jars, they were nowhere near as good as these natural products. The floral waters were steamed by themselves, the rouge and powders were made from homemade flower extracts, and as for perfumes, almost every household had its own unique recipe. Her mother, Lady Sun, and her wife, Du Wan, both had some expertise in this area.
A love for beauty is inherently part of a woman’s nature.
“We used to use tin pots to steam floral waters with flowers and fragrant bones, but here they use copper pots with a channel beside them and a helmet-shaped tin lid on top. Cold water is placed on the lid, and a shelf about an inch high is set on the bottom of the pot to hold honeysuckle, licorice, petals, and so on. Then it’s steamed over a stove. With water below and water above, floral waters can still be obtained—this is called dry steaming…”
Seeing Cui Mom speaking so confidently, clearly having sought advice from others, Qiuhen stood closely beside Du Wan, her face filled with intense focus. Meanwhile, Hupo paid no attention to their conversation; instead, she sat on a small stool, playing with Sannan. Zhang Yue couldn’t help but laugh silently and quietly got up. He went over to Hupo, gently patted her shoulder, then led the way out of the room. Before long, Hupo lifted the curtain and followed.
“We’ve arrived in Guangzhou now. If you wish, you can go to Hainan at any time. It’s not like the capital, with so many things to take care of. So, you might as well go out for a stroll with Lao Peng Lingxi to gather some information.”
Hupo didn’t ask if Zhang Yue would accompany her. After all, the Qiu family was a thing of the past, and now that they lived in Hainan, local officials were likely to keep an eye on them. If Zhang Yue went with her, anything that went wrong might push things into another abyss. So, after staying silent for a while, she finally couldn’t help but ask, “Has Brother Peng and Sister Lingxi already been told?”
“I told my uncle,” Zhang Yue replied, recalling the long conversation he had with Zhang Fu before leaving the capital. “Although your grandfather lost the northern campaign, he still ranked first during the Jingnan Campaign, and many generals in the Jingnan army benefited from his efforts. My uncle initially recommended An Bo because your grandfather and the Prince of Dongping felt it was unfair to neglect such great merits due to personal relationships. That’s why he was made the Marquis of Xincheng in the third year of Yongle. Without that title, he might not have been able to join the Prince of Dongping’s expedition to Jiaozhi. So, he’s always been grateful. I only found out recently that over the years he sent many gifts to the Qiu family through local officials, avoiding direct contact. After learning about your situation, he suggested that Lao Peng accompany you.”
Seeing Hupo remain silent, he continued, “Lingxi accompanying you will also be convenient. She’s steady and capable, able to cover up anything that happens. If I, as the governor, can free myself or find an excuse, I might be able to accompany you too—everything depends on the circumstances.”
Although Zhang Yue had promised and Hupo knew he would keep his word, his efforts, even going so far as to speak openly with Duke Zhang Fu, undoubtedly spared her any potential troubles in the future. With the Duke’s power, any remaining traces from the past would surely be wiped out completely.
But she only wanted to return to her hometown for a brief glance; after that, she would have no further connection with the Qiu family. Her grandfather, Qiu Fu, had supported King Zhu Gaoxu of Han, and just for that, it was already the best outcome that the current emperor wouldn’t take his anger out on the Qiu family again. She didn’t want her own affairs to be entangled with that family that had fallen so low.
After a long while, Amber finally bowed deeply and said, “Thank you, young master.”
“There’s no need to thank me. By the way…” Zhang Yue suddenly remembered the blue-clothed girl named Jiu Niang who refused to reveal her surname today. After a brief pause, he asked, “Was the Qiu family relocated to Chengmai County in Qiongzhou Prefecture?”
Amber didn’t understand why Zhang Yue suddenly asked this. She was stunned for a moment before nodding and saying, “That’s right.”
“It can’t be such a coincidence…” Zhang Yue pondered for a while before concluding that there probably wasn’t any connection. He then changed his wording and said, “Qiongzhou Prefecture has many Li people. Although the imperial court uses the strategy of governing the Li through tribal chiefs, Chengmai County seems to be one of the areas where the Li live in large numbers. In a few days, I’ll have someone find a suitable Li guide so that the journey will be easier. You should also get ready to set off at any time. Hmm, still, traveling by land is inconvenient. It’s better to wait until the Guangzhou Maritime Administration resumes sea trade, and then you can go by boat.”
Apart from Jiaozhi, the Guangzhou Provincial Administration had always been of average rank among the thirteen provincial administrations in the country, with its annual tax and grain contributions ranking in the middle. During the Hongwu era, due to strict sea bans, Guangzhou, which had been prosperous during the Tang and Song dynasties, declined significantly. It wasn’t until Emperor Yongle reopened the Maritime Administration that it regained its vitality. Although the Provincial Administration and the Maritime Administration were separate, trade with foreign peoples and goods also brought them considerable income. Therefore, with such an unexpected arrival of a left provincial administrator, everyone naturally started to conspire.
In the study of the Xu family’s official residence in the back hall of the Provincial Administration, most of the officials from the office were gathered together. As it was a mid-sized province, the Provincial Administration had one left and one right vice governor, two left and two right advisors, along with various other departments such as the Records Department, the Inspection Office, the Inquiry Office, and the Prison Department. Including all these officials and miscellaneous staff, there were at least twenty or thirty people. Due to limited space in the official residences, most of them lived outside the office building. Now, to conceal their activities, the doors and windows of the rooms were tightly closed. Since it was difficult to store ice in the south, the rooms were unbearably hot, so everyone had to use large fans, with the sound of them fanning incessantly filling the air.
“Lord Xu, although it’s just a minor figure who’s been imprisoned this time, one small incident can have far-reaching consequences. What if that Xu Da Ya blows things out of proportion? Wouldn’t we suffer needlessly? This ‘killer star’ is clearly trying to intimidate us, treating us as easy targets. I think we should show him some strength; otherwise, he’ll only get bolder.”
“I think you’d better avoid trouble. As you said, it’s just a minor figure—why be so anxious? If he wants to kill or beat someone, let him do it. There’s no need to make a big deal out of it. He’s the emperor’s confidant and has actually killed people before. As long as we don’t really provoke him, it’s best to stay calm and adapt. Selling our own people to foreign lands is already taboo—why help such a greedy man?”
“Brother Liu, are you implying something else with your words?”
“Everyone here knows exactly who Brother Liu is referring to. It’s fine to accept gifts from foreigners or do favors for them, but secretly selling our own people to foreign lands—most of us here, including me, would never do such a thing! Since it was just one person who did it, it shouldn’t affect others. Why worry over such a trivial matter?”
It seemed the group discussing the matter had turned into a mockery and internal strife, leaving Xu Tao feeling extremely frustrated. Though he held a high official rank, his experience wasn’t enough to suppress them, so he had to stand up and calm things down, taking some time before they finally quieted down. At that moment, he put on a confident expression.
“Let’s not discuss whether that woman was kidnapped for now. This matter falls under the jurisdiction of the relevant authorities. If a provincial governor starts making arbitrary accusations, we, as advisors, won’t agree to it. No matter how favored he is by the emperor, he can’t get away with it. He came to be the governor of Guangdong to gain experience before returning to the capital, not to wreak havoc. As long as no one does anything outrageous during this time, he won’t have any reason to act. Think about it—back home, he has people to help him, but this time he’s on his own!”
Upon hearing this, everyone became energized. They exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. Zhang Yue had Liu Zhong as his military commander in Shandong, and he was accompanied by troops from the capital when he went to Jiangnan and Xuanfu Xinghe. Liu Zhong had also accompanied him during his previous mission to pacify Shandong. This time, he was truly alone. Li Long, the military commander of Guangdong, had once guarded Xining and had no ties to the Zhang family. Without any allies or supporters, what was there for them to fear?