Chapter 710: People’s Livelihoods and Well-being

Although there was a curfew in Guangzhou City, Huangpu Town, with its docks, maritime administration office, and post stations, saw frequent traffic from foreign merchants, so no curfew had ever been imposed there. Thus, even near midnight, the town remained brightly lit and bustling. Restaurants hung bright lanterns beneath their signs, while brothels displayed colorful lanterns with enticing slogans. Street vendors and heavily made-up women were everywhere, creating such a noise that it hardly seemed like night at all.

Since the next day was the Dragon Boat Festival, it was customary to grant a day off. Zhang Yue simply took his family to the town. In the afternoon, they watched the foreign ships at the docks, and in the evening, they reserved a private room in a restaurant for dinner. Knowing that there would be a dragon boat race on the Pearl River in front of Huangpu Town the next day, the family decided to stay outside overnight. At that moment, Du Wan and the others were too hot to move, but Jing Guan insisted on going out to see things, so he agreed.

Walking slowly down the street, holding Jing Guan’s hand, Zhang Yue was bombarded with his son’s endless questions. At first, he patiently answered them, but soon he could no longer cope. The attendants followed behind, keeping a vigilant eye on the crowd. Jing Guan, who was almost four years old and rarely went out due to staying at home, found everything new. If not for Zhang Yue firmly holding his hand, he would have rushed to wherever there was excitement. Seeing a crowd gathered around a stall and smelling an enticing aroma, he quickly pulled at Zhang Yue’s sleeve.

“Dad…”
“We just had dinner. Do you want food again? If your mother finds out, she’ll scold you.”
“Dad, just this once!”

Seeing his son’s obvious craving, Zhang Yue remembered his own childhood, and his stern expression melted away. Thinking of bringing back something good for the family to eat, he pulled his son into the crowd. Seeing this, Niu Gan and Zhang Bu exchanged a glance and hurried after them. When they finally made it to the front, they found Zhang Yue and his son standing there, watching a girl working hard, sweating profusely. They exchanged puzzled looks.

Zhang Yue recognized at a glance that this was Jiuniang. That day, Xiong Hao had reported the case for decision, and it was approved without any doubts, so he also knew that she had returned her bond. Though he didn’t believe in the so-called trafficking and had only seen her once, he always felt that this girl seemed to have some unspeakable troubles. Now, upon closer inspection, seeing her working alone—handling payments, making pastries, and arranging deliveries—with complete focus and seemingly unaware of his presence, he paid even more attention.

The wide variety of snacks available in Guangzhou in later times was still quite limited these days; things like rice rolls, double-skinned milk pudding, or boat porridge were hard to find. During his time in Guangzhou, if he stayed up late, he usually had his own chef prepare snacks instead of buying from outside. Glancing at the items sold at this small stall, he found that the pastries were actually the kinds commonly seen in Beijing. Seeing Jiuniang’s skilled hands, he became even more puzzled.

Dragon beard noodles sprinkled with sugar, rolled treats decorated with sesame, osmanthus, and sugar, fruit cakes filled with mixed dried fruits, dough figurines shaped into various patterns… Seeing these, he almost thought he had returned to the capital. Due to the fair prices, most of the items were sold in no time, so he bought some of each and took his son to a table nearby, ordering a few bowls of summer cooling drinks from the stall next door. Seeing Jingguan happily eating the dough figurines while constantly glancing at the paper packets in front of him, he snapped him in the head irritably, putting an end to his greed.

As night fell, fewer people walked on the streets, and the vendors gradually left. Jiuniang, planning to close up, cleaned the tables and chairs and started packing them away one by one. Seeing a few people still sitting there, she wiped her hands and walked over. Before she could say anything, she saw the young man with the child turn around and call out to her. Recognizing him as the person she had met at Huaiyuan Post Station, and recalling that someone had said he was a high-ranking official, she became nervous and awkward, not knowing what to say.

“Out of the dozen or so families selling snacks in this night market, only your shop has the authentic northern flavor. Truly, it’s a good business.”

“I… I’ve only been here for a few days. Everyone is just… curious.” She stammered in response. Jiu Niang couldn’t help but glance around, then quickly bowed, her voice becoming as soft as a mosquito’s buzz. “Did you come to take me back? I really didn’t make things up. It was indeed that kidnapper who tricked me into leaving under the pretense of finding me a good job as a cook…”
“Then why didn’t you go back?”
“I… I… I don’t want to go back.” Jiu Niang bit her lip hard before finally mustering the courage to tell the truth. “I’m from Chengmai County. Back then, the Duke of Qi’s mansion… the Qiu family hired my mother to manage the kitchen. But after the Qiu family declined, they dismissed all of us in Chengmai County. Most people there are poor, and as a woman, I had no other way out but to get married. So… when my uncles and aunts wanted to arrange a marriage for me, I ran away. That’s when I happened to meet that kidnapper.”
Zhang Yue was truly surprised that his guess had become reality. He thought of Amber, who was about to set off, and asked hurriedly, “So you really came from the Duke of Qi’s mansion? What’s your surname?”
“I’m a commoner; my surname is Qiu, inherited from my mother. There are many people with the surname Qiu in the Duke of Qi’s mansion—at least a hundred in Chengmai County now. Some are legitimate descendants, while others are former servants. But they’re servants, not slaves. The few slaves officially granted by the Duke of Qi’s mansion were taken back when Grandpa Yongle was furious. We were just implicated. During the relocation, regardless of whether they were relatives or servants, as long as their records were in the Duke of Qi’s mansion, they were all moved here. At first, supervision was strict, but it’s become looser in recent years.”
Jiu Niang was honest, fidgeting with the hem of her clothes anxiously as she spoke. “My mother used to just take care of the meals for the third branch; she was just a hired cook. Yet she got dragged into this too. She married here and had me. Later, my parents passed away, and I’ve been living with my uncles and aunts, occasionally doing odd jobs for the Qiu family. The former masters and daughters of the Qiu family are now in dire straits. A few years ago, someone used to provide them with money and food, but last year and this year, that support stopped for some reason. Before I ran away, I heard that the eldest master of the first branch set fire to three houses, destroying many things, and soon after he fell seriously ill…”

He roughly felt that Zhang Yue was trustworthy. Perhaps due to holding back his feelings for too long, coupled with fear that Zhang Yue would take him back, Jiu Niang couldn’t stop talking once she started, chatting on and on for nearly half an hour. Zhang Yue listened while asking questions, but Jing Guan had already dozed off in his arms, while Zhang Bu and the others were scattered around watching. Finally, Zhang Yue nodded.
“If you were indeed abducted, then the travel permits along the way must have been forged by them. In other words, since you’re doing this job here, no matter what your income or prospects are, by law you’re considered a vagrant. That’s not a solution.”
“If it’s as you say, then there must be many vagrants in Huangpu Town!” Jiu Niang finally couldn’t hold back anymore and stubbornly raised her head. “I’ve read some books and heard that Qiongzhou Prefecture was once called the end of the world. Today, Chengmai County has just over a thousand households and less than five thousand people, including six Li ethnic groups. The Han people here are all those who migrated later, many of them being exiles punished by the imperial court. After all these years, as long as one can bribe the local patrol officers, who wouldn’t want to come here to make money? Every winter, many people secretly cut down big trees to build boats, set sail, and smuggle goods to Champa or northern Vietnam across the sea. Although the wind is favorable, there are sometimes huge waves, and at least seven or eight out of ten people drown at sea.”
Zhang Yue clearly remembered his conversation with Zheng He at the eunuch’s residence in Nanjing—the famous eunuch had mentioned that during his third voyage to the Western Seas, he set sail from Wuhumen in Fujian and reached Champa in just ten days thanks to the favorable wind, showing how fast such voyages could be. Since Chengmai in Qiongzhou Prefecture was separated from these countries only by the sea, even shoddy boats could indeed drift there. Thinking of this, he fell into deep thought.
“Third brother, I heard you left as soon as I arrived at the inn. Why are you here? Everyone is waiting for you at the inn!”
Hearing this voice, Zhang Yue looked up and saw Fang Jing, sweating profusely. He nodded and smiled, saying, “It’s no rush. It would be just as hot back there. It’s cooler outside. Well, isn’t Guangzhou different from Nanjing and Beijing in Shaanxi? These days, you’ve taken Li Guoxiu and Rui Yixiang around the city, visiting many academies. Have you found one that suits you?”

“In the capital, aside from official schools like the Imperial Academy and Shuntian Prefectural School, there are hardly any private schools. There are six or seven academies here, along with three or four other study halls. I took them in under the pretext of seeking advice to listen in, and I found that the knowledge of those scholars was no worse than that of those in the official schools; it’s just that the regulations were not as strict.” Speaking of academies, Fang Jing immediately forgot all about his earlier plans to find Zhang Yue and became excited again, saying, “I also found books written in foreign languages in a few academies, but sadly I couldn’t understand a single word.”

Zhang Yue had chosen Guangzhou among all the provincial administrations because it was the most convenient port for overseas trade. Hearing about books in foreign languages, he instinctively thought of the manuscripts translated by Xu Guangqi and others during the late Ming Dynasty. After a brief thought, he saw Jiu Niang still standing there with her lips bitten, so he stood up.

“Let’s do this: you stay here for now. I’ll arrange for the local government offices and river management departments in Huangpu Town to take care of you. As for what you mentioned, I’ll send someone to investigate it later.”

Seeing Jiu Niang freeze for a moment before happily bowing and rushing to pack up, Zhang Yue then had Niu Gan carry the sleeping Jingguan, and together with the guards and Fang Jing, they set off back. As they walked, noticing Fang Jing’s curious expression, he concealed the matter of the Qiu family and briefly recounted the important aspects of the situation in Qiongzhou Prefecture.

“Back in the Song Dynasty, Scholar Su was exiled here and lamented his loneliness and frustration. The name ‘end of the earth’ sounds rather desolate. These past few days, I’ve heard that Qiongzhou Prefecture is mostly inhabited by the Li people, with very few Han people. Moreover, the islands are covered in dense forests, making farming difficult and life tough. No wonder this girl ran away secretly. There’s a huge disparity in Guangdong—wealthy merchants in Guangzhou Prefecture often give gifts and money to officials, living in extreme luxury, while ignoring the suffering of the common people! Third brother, what plans do you have now?”

“In an era of prosperity, there’s no hunger or need to toil in farming and weaving…” Reciting this line of poetry to himself, Zhang Yue shook his head. When reading The Dream of the Red Chamber, he hadn’t felt much about Daiyu’s other poems, but this one always seemed overly flattering to the emperor. The Yongle and Renxuan reigns were both considered peak eras of prosperity, yet the common people still toiled hard without relief. If one didn’t engage in farming and weaving, they had to take great risks and dance on the edge of danger. Still, he couldn’t agree with Fang Jing’s resentful words, so he explained it with a smile.

“To bring peace to a region, it is indeed necessary to rectify official conduct first, but this must not be done too harshly or hastily. One must remember that officials in our dynasty receive very low salaries, which barely suffice to support their families, let alone maintain their dignity. Being incorruptible only shows good moral character, but it does not necessarily indicate competence. Therefore, those with talent but no virtue can be rehired while being warned, while those with virtue but no talent can only be used for educational purposes.

Upon taking office, there are several key matters at hand. First, after Guangzhou opened to foreign trade, the Maritime Trade Office needs to be reorganized—this is not my responsibility, but since the emperor mentioned it, I must pay attention. After all, both merchants and traders are taxed at 30%, so if seafarers are treated the same way, the tax rate would be too low. Second, education in Guangdong should be strongly supported, whether in official or private schools. Third, agriculture and commerce: it is summer here all year round, especially in Qiongzhou Prefecture. If possible, I would like to find some skilled farmers to experiment with rice varieties; it would be great if they could grow three crops a year…

Fang Jing had read a great deal, but this was the first time he had encountered such matters. Earlier, when he and Li Guoxiu and Rui Yixiang had visited various academies in the city, he already felt overwhelmed. Now, seeing Zhang Yue list six or seven matters one by one, he couldn’t help but stick out his tongue and fall silent. It was only then that he truly understood the saying that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles.

Since Huangpu Town had the most merchants, the inns were often full, and many people even stayed in residential houses to save money. Zhang Yue had previously arranged to book a small courtyard in the town’s largest inn. Now, guided by Fang Jing, he found the location and, as soon as he entered, saw a familiar figure among a group of merchants at a table by the wall, filling him with both surprise and joy.”