Chapter 161: Traveling Together on the Same Road
During the Yuan Dynasty, the canal passed through Yuankou, Xiaoanshan, Shouzhangji, and Shawan. By the end of the Yuan Dynasty, chaos reigned across the land, and grain transportation between the north and south was completely severed. When Emperor Yongle, Zhu Di, ignored the advice of his ministers and decided to move the capital to Beijing, he spent vast amounts of money, resources, and labor to dredge the canal and rebuild the Huitong River. The new route ran eastward, bypassing the east and north sides of Anshan Lake, passing through Yuankou, Jinkou, Anshan, and Daimiao. The areas around these places gradually flourished. With the construction of water and land ports, fishing boats, merchant ships, grain ships, and traders flocked to the area. The small villages by Anshan Lake gradually grew into larger ones. Though they were not officially designated as towns, they had all the essential amenities and began to take on a more substantial presence.
Not far from the port were a tavern and an inn that were always busy, serving merchants passing by. Ordinary villagers, aside from during festivals, rarely spent money dining out. Apart from farming their own lands, they would often gather at the port during slack farming seasons to look for work.
By now, the wheat in the fields had long been harvested. At the port, groups of farmers in simple clothing gathered together, trying to secure business whenever a ship arrived. Yet, with too many people and too few opportunities, they often went a whole day without securing any work, leaving them with plenty of idle time.
At that moment, a young man looked at the ships loaded with grain heading north along the canal and then at the plump merchants disembarking from them. He chuckled and said, “Back when the canal didn’t pass through here, this was just a small fishing village. Now, the population has grown, and land prices have skyrocketed. Without the canal, we could only farm or fish—never expect to receive generous tips like we do now!”
“Dagouzi, that’s pure nonsense!” a middle-aged, thin man snorted through his nose and then scoffed, “You’re talking nonsense because you’ve never suffered. Ask your uncles and aunts—everyone says they’re glad they didn’t die from toil during canal construction. Yes, the grain transportation is now operational, and villages around here, including ours, have prospered, but that’s only because countless lives were sacrificed!”
The young man, already young, became angry and embarrassed after hearing this. Seeing that the older people around him looked displeased, with one even spitting angrily on the ground, he dared not speak loudly anymore. Yet he continued to mutter, “We need to think ahead. With the north-south grain transportation now in place, future generations will benefit from it.”
“Tch, this canal still isn’t finished even now. If the authorities conscript you to work on it tomorrow, see if you’ll still have the mood to talk about future generations! You haven’t gotten married yet—if you die of exhaustion at the construction site, your parents will surely die of grief!” The middle-aged, thin man cursed for a while before suddenly seeing a large ship dock nearby. Ignoring his earlier sarcasm and arguments, he called out, “Look, there’s a ship at the dock! Guys, stay alert—don’t let them snatch our work again, or we’ll waste another day waiting for nothing!” A crowd rushed forward, pushing aside those who tried to compete for business with their shoulders, elbows, and feet. Only when they got closer did the leader realize the ship seemed sturdy and well-maintained, almost like an official vessel, which made him suspicious. When he saw a man in green satin clothes emerge from the cabin and slowly walk down the deck, he ordered the others to step back and stepped forward with a smile to speak to him. The man in green satin glanced at the crowd and ordered, “There’s a lot of stuff on the ship. Wait until the masters get off, then go up and carry down each item. Remember, strength is important, but mistakes are not allowed. Once everything is unloaded, I’ll give you two strings of new coins!” Although precious coins weren’t much worth these days, the new coins issued by the court were still recognized by many merchants. Even if exchanged, two strings of new coins could be worth two or three silver coins, enough for several poor families to get by for months. So the middle-aged man, who had initially planned to flatter them and haggle, immediately fell silent, bowing his head in agreement, wondering who these people on the ship could be to be so generous. When he saw groups of people disembarking, including some women wearing veils, his eyes widened in astonishment. This must be an official ship! Could these people be officials arriving in Shandong with their families? Realizing this, the middle-aged man urged his men to be extra careful. After busy work for most of an hour to unload the goods, he had originally planned to try to secure business renting carts. But when he saw the man in green satin already bringing in a long line of carriages from outside, he was almost stunned. You see, although the nearby villages were becoming more prosperous and some people pooled their money to buy carriages for rent to merchants, there were certainly no seven or eight black carriages like these. Even the dozen or so large carts following them couldn’t have been gathered by the villages in such a short time. Moreover, judging from the drivers and strong men guarding the carriages, they must have been waiting here all along.
Zhang Yue stepped off the ship and saw the bustling dock, which reminded him of his departure from the capital. Initially, he thought it would be very convenient to travel to Shandong by land and there was no need to take a ship. He never expected it to turn into a situation with so many passengers. Besides the Du family mother, daughter, and their relatives, there was also the Meng family, at the request of Zhang Qing. Moreover, the ceremonial arrangements sent by the Prince of Anyang proved to be a huge hassle.
Having suddenly been relieved of his role as commander of the guards in Changshan and appointed as deputy commander in Shandong, Meng Xian still didn’t fully understand these changes. Thus, he felt a sense of melancholy upon arriving in Shandong for his new post, though he saw nothing wrong with traveling with the Du family. In his view, Zhang Yue had just started his career, and with Zhang Fu in the capital to plan things for him, he would surely rise quickly. As for himself, being exiled elsewhere, it was pointless even to mention marriage. So, seeing Meng Min get familiar with Du Wan within a few days on the ship and often talking together, he let it be without paying much attention.
Those who came to greet them were sent by the prefecture office of Dongping Prefecture, led by a police captain. At that time, military officials were valued more than civil ones. Although a deputy commander had the same rank as a provincial governor, he was actually considered slightly higher. Therefore, once the prefect received the message from Meng Xian, he immediately sent a group of clerks from his office.
The police captain originally thought he was there to welcome a provincial deputy commander heading to Qingzhou Prefecture. But after hearing the butler explain that there were also the family members of the provincial governor and the county magistrate going to Anqiu, he was shocked. His face showed extreme respect as he circled around Meng Xian, Lady Wu, and Lady Du, paying no attention to an unremarkable young man nearby.
Zhang Yue wore a slightly worn light blue jacket that didn’t seem luxurious. With his family’s servants watching over his belongings, he took the opportunity to chat with the strong men from Dongping Prefecture while they loaded the goods. Since they thought he was young and spoke in a friendly manner, like a personal servant from a wealthy family, they were completely unguarded. Even a few laborers who had finished loading their luggage would occasionally join in the conversation while resting beside him. When the topic turned to the canal, everyone sighed.
Finally, one of the men couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity, “Young man, it’s obvious you’re someone who serves the master without doing hard work. I heard there’s a provincial deputy commander on this ship. Why is our Li Head bowing and scraping in front of others? Is there some other important person here?”
“On this ship is Lord Meng, the Deputy Commander who is heading to Qingzhou Prefecture from Beijing, along with the family members of Lord Du, the Provincial Administrator. There’s also the county magistrate of Anqiu, but he’s not really a high-ranking official.”
“Tsk tsk, clearly someone from a high-ranking position, speaking in such an arrogant tone. And yet he’s not considered a high-ranking official? Aside from the Prince of Lu’s and Prince of Zhao’s households, even the Provincial Administrator is quite impressive. After all, a county magistrate is also an official in charge of his jurisdiction!” The middle-aged, thin man who had been trying to secure business had finished his work by now. Hearing Zhang Yue’s words, he scolded, “Besides, for a subordinate to say his master isn’t a high-ranking official—that’s just insulting himself! I tell you, young man, if others heard these words…”
The group of strong men nearby also started laughing. They were all clerks from the Dongpingzhou government office, and their specialty was extorting money from people. Naturally, they began to think about taking advantage of the situation. But when they realized that none of them could speak up in front of those high-ranking officials, the idea vanished as quickly as it came. When they saw a middle-aged man who seemed the most prominent among them approaching, they immediately fell silent and stepped back.
“Brother Yue, everything’s almost packed, and we’re about to set off. Don’t just stay here chatting.”
Though he said this, Meng Xian’s tone was gentle. Earlier, from a distance, he had seen Zhang Yue laughing and chatting amiably with those poor clerks. Realizing what Zhang Yue was planning, he felt quite impressed by his thinking.
“After passing Dongpingzhou, your wife and sisters will have to part ways with us. Do you plan to send them to Jinan Prefecture before you go there, or will you come with us? Anyway, I’m quite familiar with Shandong. When I’m in Qingzhou and you’re the county magistrate of Anqiu, if you need any help, just send someone to the Deputy Commander’s office. We’re family—of course I’ll help if I can.”
Zhang Yue smiled and said, “This is my first time in Shandong. I’m completely clueless, so I really need Uncle Meng’s help. As for my wife and sisters, we can decide what to do after passing Dongpingzhou.”
Watching Meng Xian and Zhang Yue walk away together, the men were stunned. After exchanging glances for a while, one of the clerks slapped himself hard on the mouth, swallowed hard, and said, “That guy who looked to be only fifteen or sixteen just now… is he really the county magistrate of Anqiu?”
“Look, Li Tou has already gone over to bow to him. There’s no doubt about it. Good heavens, how old is he?”
“To be an official at such a young age… it’s really frustrating when others are better off than you…”
“Damn it, we didn’t say anything wrong just now, did we?”
Not only were the group of bailiffs discussing it fervently, but others also felt deeply moved. The middle-aged, thin man carrying the luggage stared at Zhang Yue’s back in disbelief, then couldn’t help but glance at the young man who had initially argued with him and was now sweating profusely as he carried a camphor wood box. Realizing they were about the same age, he slapped his own forehead, filled with a sense of absurdity.
Both are human beings—why is their fate so different?