Mo Sang – CH 198

Chapter 198. Devastation Everywhere

Li Sangrou, using Xiangfan as her center, extended northeast to Tangzhou and Dengzhou, and southeast to Jiangling and Xiazhou. She established additional post stations in all directions and opened routes. Only after everything was arranged did she set off westward, arriving in Caizhou and entering Runan Prefecture in the middle of the sixth month.

Mazha went to the delivery station to retrieve the daily pamphlets and letters from various people.

Li Sangrou read the letters, glanced through the Morning News, and picked up the Gossip Evening Post. Immediately, she saw four or five exquisitely depicted pieces of jewelry. Each piece had a very detailed description: its size, the gemstones used, and its origin.

For example, the first piece was a baby necklace inlaid with rubies and sapphires in pure gold, with a half-inch square jade pendant hanging from it.

This necklace had been worn by Princess Ninghe as a child, by her birth mother, Empress Zhang, as a child, and by Empress Zhang’s mother as a child. It was said to have been a gift from Empress Zhang’s great-grandmother to her maternal grandmother.

Empress Zhang’s great-grandmother was the head of the Fang family.

Li Sangrou squinted at the incredibly detailed and realistic drawings of the jewelry, which looked like photographs.

That Emperor was truly generous!

Behind each piece of jewelry were a few lines of simple rules: If you wish to buy a particular piece, please write down your name, family member, and the amount of silver you are offering within the next two days. Seal the document and deliver it to the nearest Shunfeng Delivery Shop. The highest bidder wins. The results will be announced in ten days, and the jewelry will be delivered to each household by Shunfeng Delivery Shop for verification before the silver is collected.

All proceeds would be used to aid the disaster victims of the Lianghuai region.

“Is the court really this poor?” Meng Yanqing, holding an Evening Post, stood beside her. Seeing Li Sangrou finish reading it carefully, he leaned closer and asked.

“According to the Shizi, they’ve always been quite poor,” Li Sangrou said, flipping through the pages and closing the newspaper.

“Indeed,” Meng Yanqing sighed. “Emperor Taizu had great ambitions, determined to unify the world under his rule. During his reign, he was constantly at war—in the north, in the south, and in the west.

In the court, dozens of princes fought fiercely for over twenty years.

Alas, only during the reign of the late Emperor were there about twenty years of peace, during which time wealth was accumulated, but even then, there were two or three major famines.

Alas, we were truly poor.”

Meng Yanqing sighed repeatedly.

Li Sangrou’s lips twitched downwards, and she gave a vague hum.

……………………

At Jianle City.

The courtesan Manyun emerged from her brothel, riding in a small palanquin carried by two men. She exited the first Tianshui Alley, turned a corner, entered the second Tianshui Alley, and stopped in front of the Golden Pavilion.

Jinzhi, the top courtesan of Jincai Pavilion, stood inside the doorway, greeting Manyun with a smile: “You are the closest, yet you arrive last.”

“Oh, you invited someone else?” Manyun feigned surprise.

“No one else, just a few of our regular sisters,” Jinzhi replied with a smile, ushering Manyun in. The two walked together through the courtyard and into the brothel.

Three beauties were already inside. Seeing the two enter, Xianglan, seated in the center, pointed at Manyun with her round fan and laughed, “I knew it, if you are hosting, she’d definitely be included.”

“I thought she was going to invite me separately,” Manyun said, tapping Jinzhi’s shoulder with her gilded folding fan.

“Sister Jinzhi doesn’t host many events,” Wenyue, sitting next to Xianglan and brewing tea, said with a smile.

“That’s because Sister Jinzhi is always inviting people; she rarely has time,” Xianglan added with a laugh.

“I wasn’t free today, but Sister Jinzhi’s invitation was so strict, I really couldn’t not come,” Xiangrui, sitting next to Xianglan, half-hidden her face with a fan, her voice sweet and charming.

“So many people invited, and it is so strict; what’s the big day today?” Manyun gracefully sat down, slowly opening her folding fan and gently waving it, glancing around.

“It’s not a big day, just a little something.” Jinzhi smiled, taking an Evening Post from the long table by the window, and holding it up to show everyone. “Have you all read today’s Gossip Evening Post?”

“I did. Was the article on the wonderful method of blending incense written by Sister Jinzhi?” Wenyue asked with a smile.

“You mean those jewelry?” Xianglan looked at the Gossip Evening Post, her eyebrows slightly raised.

“You are not going to sell jewelry, too, are you?” Manyun glanced at Jinzhi, her lips twitching downwards.

“Our things aren’t presentable,” Xiangrui said, glancing at Xianglan, then at Jinzhi, and finally at Manyun.

“Selling jewelry, as Xiangrui said, our things aren’t presentable, they will not fetch a good price, and we might even get criticized.”

“I was thinking, could we do something to raise some money?” Jinzhi said bluntly.

“What’s wrong with you?” Xianglan raised her eyebrows, looking Jinzhi up and down.

“When did you become so concerned about the nation and its people?” Manyun stood up, walked to Jinzhi, bowed slightly, and looked her over carefully.

“It’s not about the nation or the world; it is just that.” Jinzhi pushed Manyun aside, sat down next to Xianglan, and pointed to the jewelry in the Gossip Evening Post. “These all belong to the princess. I feel a little reluctant for her to part with them; I really like that princess.”

Xianglan paused, then smiled. “Yes, we’ve all met that princess. The time when Seventh Young Master hosted a welcome dinner for the Boss. I liked her quite a bit, too,” Xianglan’s voice trailed off at the last sentence.

“That day, I was closest to the princess. She kept looking at me. When I looked at her, she got shy and said, ‘Sister, you are so beautiful.’ I…” Wenyue’s throat tightened, then she shook her handkerchief and laughed. “Look at me, so pathetic. I just felt she meant it; she called me ‘Sister.'”

“What ‘Sister’? Didn’t I tell you not to talk nonsense? The princess is innocent and naive; we can not be so ignorant.” Manyun slapped Wenyue with her folding fan.

“I like her very much, too. We only have this one princess,” Xiangrui said with a smile.

“Yes, we only have one princess. I love seeing her happy and prosperous. Seeing her selling jewelry makes me feel a little guilty. Anyway, we are not busy lately, are we?” Jinzhi said with a smile, looking at everyone.

“That’s true. We’ve all had some free time lately,” Manyun immediately chimed in.

“With just four or five of us, it is not enough. How about we send out invitations widely and have a big banquet?” Xianglan suggested with a laugh.

“I am not busy at all lately. I think that’s a good idea,” Wenyue quickly replied with a smile.

“I am free too. I’ve been so idle lately!” Xiangrui chimed in with a laugh.

……………………

In the sixth month, the most exciting thing in all of Northern Qi was Princess Ninghe selling her jewelry, and which seller would acquire it.

In Jianle City, the most bustling activity was the city’s courtesans, from the most popular to those yet to be considered high-ranking, taking to the streets to offer incense and flowers for rewards, setting up stages to perform excerpts from plays and operas, and using a variety of creative methods to raise money for the relief efforts in Lianghuai.

Princess Ninghe’s jewelry sold for astronomical prices. The gold and jade necklace, originally from the great-grandmother of the late Empress Zhang and crafted by the powerful Fang family, was auctioned off for 800,000 taels of silver by three wealthy merchants from Qingzhou and enshrined in the Qingzhou City God Temple.

Princess Ninghe’s dozen or so pieces of jewelry, the smallest of which sold for over 70,000 taels, totaled over 3 million taels of silver.

The courtesans of Jianle City, after a month of lively activity, raised a total of over 1.3 million taels of silver, nearly 5 million taels, which was handed over to Prime Minister Du. With a little effort, this would be enough to provide relief to Lianghuai.

……………………

Li Sangrou didn’t enter Jianle City. Instead, she went straight from Runan Prefecture to Xiapi County in Huaiyang. When she arrived at Shunfeng Post Station outside Xiapi County, Zou Wang, Nanny Nie, and Zaohua were already waiting for her there.

The Southern Liang Army marched north along the Grand Canal, advancing all the way to the Huaiyang border. After Chuzhou, they were slightly slowed down by Huang Yanming’s fierce resistance. Their advance was only barely halted when Wen Yanchao arrived with reinforcements. The two sides fought fiercely for control of the Huaiyang border.

By the sixth month, General Dou and Wen Shunzhi launched a two-pronged attack on Shu, forcing the main force of the Southern Liang Army to retreat. Huang Yanming and Wen Yanchao’s troops pursued relentlessly, pushing the Southern Liang Army back to the Yangzhou line. From southern Huaiyang to Yangzhou, the land was devastated.

Xiapi County was spared. The relay stations and delivery services that had retreated from Yangzhou had all gathered at the relay stations outside Xiapi County.

Before Wen Yanchao’s troops arrived, even the relay stations and delivery services outside Xiapi County were already prepared for a possible northward retreat.

After Wen Yanchao’s army arrived, the entire Huaiyang Prefecture was relieved. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the Southern Liang Army was driven south.

When Li Sangrou arrived, all the relay stations and delivery services had already hurriedly returned to their respective prefectures and counties.

Zou Wang, whose face was usually amiable and gentle, now looked so thin that his cheekbones protruded.

Nanny Nie and Zaohua had both lost a lot of weight. Nanny Nie, who previously only had a few gray hairs at her temples, now had a full head of white hair mixed with some black, making her look ten years older.

“You’ve worked hard,” Li Sangrou said, bowing deeply to the three of them.

“No, no, you are too kind!”

Zou Wang, Nanny Nie, and Zaohua quickly stepped aside.

“It’s all because of the fighting, the fighting… Sigh, this river is ruined, Yangzhou… Sigh.

These past six months, Manager Zou has worked the hardest, running back and forth all the time. Manager Zou said things weren’t peaceful enough and that it was easier for me and Zaohua, a woman, to die than for him.

Sigh, finally the Southern Liang people are gone, and the boss is back; that’s all that matters.” Nanny Nie choked on her breath, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Let’s go inside and talk.” Li Sangrou gestured for them to come in.

The group entered the spacious hall of the post station. Old Zhang, the station manager, and his son, Little Zhang, brought in a large basin of chilled mung bean soup, along with several snacks such as glutinous rice cakes, and four or five kinds of seasonal fruits like melons and dates. The four or five tables were piled high with food.

“Tell me,” Li Sangrou said, ladling a bowl of mung bean soup and handing it to Nanny Nie first.

“Let me, let me!” Zaohua hurriedly took it.

“All the horses that came from Yangzhou, from the various post stations, were requisitioned by General Huang. Not even an old donkey was left.

General Huang is driving the Southern Liang Army south, and I heard they are now outside Yangzhou.

Aunt Nie and I discussed it. We cannot wait for these horses. Whether they will come back is still uncertain.

When General Wen’s army arrived, Aunt Nie and I signed our seals, withdrew some silver, and immediately sent people north to buy mules and horses.

By the day the Southern Liang Army was defeated, we had bought back over 130 mules and over 200 sturdy donkeys.

Horses are hard to buy now; they are all in the government’s hands. Even the larger mules are difficult to acquire.” Zou Wang sat down opposite Li Sangrou and got straight to the point.

“Hmm, you did a good job. Were there any casualties at the various post stations or delivery points?” Li Sangrou asked.

“Yes, alas, how could there not be?” Nanny Nie wiped away her tears.

“I handled this matter,” Zaohua said, taking a satchel from the nearby table and pulling out a thick folded document, about two fingers wide, which she handed to Li Sangrou. “It’s all here, arranged from south to north.”

Li Sangrou unfolded the document and began reading from the back.

“When Old Yang from Suqian County had his accident, my mother, Manager Zou, and I weren’t there. Manager Zhang took care of things. Shall we call Manager Zhang in and talk?” Zaohua suggested, seeing Li Sangrou starting from the back. Seeing Li Sangrou nod, she quickly called Manager Zhang in through the back door.

Xiao Lu stood up, brought a chair for Manager Zhang, and Li Sangrou gestured for him to sit down.

“Thank you,” Old Manager Zhang said, but before he could speak, he sighed several times. “The Southern Liang people have advanced all the way to Huaiyang. Alas! Right outside Suqian County.

The day the Southern Liang people reached the outskirts of Suqian was in the middle of the night. Old Yang said he got up early the next morning to open the shop, and as soon as he stepped out of the courtyard, he sensed something was wrong; soldiers were running back and forth.

He was worried, afraid our riders wouldn’t be able to find him, so he sneaked back into the shop, closed the door, and waited for a long time until no one came, then went home.

Later, they said General Qiao had arrived, all on tall horses, and had driven the Southern Liang people dozens of li south.

Suqian City opened its gates, and the county officials were banging gongs all over the city, shouting that those who wanted to leave should leave immediately, only allowing exit, not entry.

Old Manager Yang quickly sent his wife and children here. At that time, no one outside knew the Southern Liang people were outside Suqian City; news and reports to Suqian kept coming in. Alas.”

Old Zhang, the shopkeeper, sighed and wiped away his tears. “Who could have known? Who could have foreseen this?

Old Yang said, ‘Forget about reporting it. These letters can not be left piling up. I have to go back, deliver them to everyone, and then come back. I know everyone in the city; I don’t even need to go inside. I know them all right outside the North Gate.’

Old Yang said, ‘General Qiao has driven the Southern Liang people out of the woods. He will deliver the letters in a short while; everything will be fine.’

What he said made sense to me, so I didn’t stop him.

After he left, that evening, I heard that Suqian City had fallen. I waited until the next evening, but Old Yang hadn’t returned. I felt that Old Yang was likely in grave danger.

Later, I heard that General Huang had recaptured Suqian City. Then, I heard that the Southern Liang had also fallen. And then, General Wen arrived with an overwhelming army and recaptured the city.

Old Yang’s wife was so anxious that her mouth was full of blisters. After thinking it over, I went to ask a military officer who often came to our place to pick up the tabloids. The next day, that officer took me to Suqian City.”

Old Zhang, the shopkeeper, stopped speaking, his lips trembling.

“Were they clearing out the bodies outside Suqian City?” Li Sangrou looked at Old Zhang with pity.

“Yes.” Old Zhang’s lips trembled, but he finally managed to speak again.

That day outside Suqian City, he saw corpses everywhere, the air thick with the stench of blood—a living hell. Since returning that day, he had nightmares every night.

“Go to the temple for a few days, listen to the sutras, and calm your mind. Have you found Old Yang?” Li Sangrou gently patted Old Zhang.

“Yes. I couldn’t find him. That soldier helped me ask.

He said he saw someone from Shunfeng delivering a message outside the city. He said the person was dead, already buried, with many letters beside him, all soaked in blood. He was buried with many other people, in many burial pits, but he couldn’t remember which pit it was.” Old Zhang, the shopkeeper, wiped away his tears.

“Where are Old Yang’s wife and family?” Li Sangrou asked, seeing that Old Zhang had calmed down a bit after crying.

“They went back.

That soldier said it would take three to five days to clean up, so I let her stay for five days and had my eldest son take them back.

Our Shunfeng shop burned down, and her house, which was next to the shop, was completely burned down too.

I went to see them the other day. They are having a hard time. Sigh, everyone in the city is struggling.”

Old Zhang wiped away his tears again.

“The families in Suqian who subscribe to the tabloids haven’t returned yet. There’s been quite a bit of mail, but more than half of it is addressed to people outside of Suqian; they are probably still away.

The mail from Suqian County arrives every three days, and for now, it is being delivered from Xiapi,” Zou Wang added.

“Well, after we’ve eaten, let’s go to Suqian first,” Li Sangrou said, her eyes lowered.