Mo Sang – CH 263

Chapter 263. Yangzhou

After signing and affixing their fingerprints to sixty-nine property deeds, Li Sangrou led the group away like a receding tide, leaving behind four people, including the grief-stricken Old Master Yang, the bewildered members of the Yang family in the courtyard, and Yang Huan, huddled trembling at the stairwell.

Meng Yanqing and the others returned to the inn to pack their belongings and prepare for departure. Li Sangrou, along with Xiao Lu and the others, went to check on the newly opened Shunfeng Express Shop and the temporary post station in the city.

Da Chang and Hei Ma entered the Runzhou Prefecture yamen together.

Hei Ma went straight to the signing room, found the clerk in charge of tax deeds, took out a pile of loose silver and a string of coins, laid out the sixty-nine deeds, and paid the taxes, filing them one by one.

Early that morning, Prefect Guo had issued an order requiring the entire yamen to be on high alert, ready to assist in confidential military affairs at any time!

From Prefect Guo to the old gatekeeper, everyone in the yamen was more serious, tense, and focused than ever before. The clerk, sitting ramrod straight, stared wide-eyed at the first document.

This was the Yang family’s ancestral land! The second one—still the Yang family ancestral land; the third—Yang family school land; the fourth…

The clerk’s mind went blank. His face remained impassive as he focused intently on recording the payment and affixing the stamp to the document.

Prefect Guo had repeatedly instructed them: these were confidential military matters; they were to simply follow the rules, not to look at anything more, and not to ask a single question!

Alas, the Yang family was finished, utterly finished!

Da Chang went to see Prefect Guo, returning the borrowed documents and expressing his Boss’s deepest gratitude. He also relayed his Boss’s message: the free schools and the charity public cemeteries in the city, originally funded by the Yang family, would be taken over and arranged within three to five days. If anything happened in the next few days or if anyone inquired, Prefect Guo was asked to be lenient.

Prefect Guo stood ramrod straight, maintaining his composure, yet he could not help but bow and nod occasionally. Fortunately, his face remained impeccably official. He took the documents back, offered the usual polite thanks to the Boss, and nodded repeatedly to assure the Boss.

Da Chang took his leave. Prefect Guo rose and escorted him to the door, hands behind his back, straining to straighten his back. Watching the Boss’s men exit through the second gate, he finally relaxed, his shoulders slumping, fanning himself with his sleeves.

He had just arrived in Runzhou Prefecture to assume his post with the General’s army.

When he went to pay his respects to the General on the ship, their vessel had been moored beside the Boss’s. He had not dared to look too closely, but he had still clearly seen this Master Chang and, beside him, the Boss, intently stewing meat.

He had a brother-in-law who was a high-ranking official in the Ministry of War, highly regarded by Minister Tan. After he took office as the Prefect of Runzhou, his brother-in-law specifically took half a day to come and give him instructions.

This brother-in-law was in charge of appointment and dismissal documents and salaries in the Ministry of War. He knew a lot of important and minor matters that were not exactly confidential within the ministry but were rarely known outside of it. One of these was this very person in charge.

His brother-in-law knew quite a lot about this person in charge.

For example, this person in charge was called the “Grand Boss” because she was the head of Shunfeng. Also, this person in charge also had the title of General Sang in the army.

His brother-in-law said he had specifically asked Minister Tan why this title of General Sang had not been officially appointed. To be called a General without an official appointment was a serious matter!

His brother-in-law was in charge of appointment and dismissal documents; asking Minister Tan was within his duty, and he did not overstep his bounds.

They told Minister Tan that the four characters “General Sang” were personally written by the Emperor, who also personally had them embroidered on a battle flag and sent it from the palace. It did not go through the Ministry of War, so naturally, there was no official appointment from them.

This “General” title was merely a designation; she did not command troops or receive a salary.

Everything else was minor; the fact that the Emperor personally wrote it, had it embroidered on a battle flag, and sent it from the palace was extremely important.

It was known that the current Emperor was low-key and reserved, extremely cultivated, and never engaged in such things as writing inscriptions, poems, or essays. The only battle flags he personally wrote, besides the one with the character “Gu” on it for the Shizi, were those for General Sang.

General Sang rose to fame in the Battle of Hefei, achieving great merit. Afterwards, according to his brother-in-law’s speculation, General Sang must have accumulated many other great military achievements. However, these were likely all classified, so only the Emperor and the Prime Ministers knew about them. Minister Tan probably knew a little, but it certainly would not reach him.

His brother-in-law also said that he knew this boss was no ordinary person because once, when he accompanied them to meet with Minister Tan to report to the Emperor, Minister Tan mentioned this boss, and the Emperor also addressed her as “Grand Boss”!

His brother-in-law said he was extremely shocked at the time and barely managed to hide it on his face.

Although the Emperor was courteous and humble, treating his ministers with utmost respect and courtesy, he was also very particular about etiquette. Even the prime ministers were only addressed by their courtesy names, not their given names. This “Big Boss” was anything but simple.

Now, this boss, leading so many men and carrying the Grand Marshal’s golden order, must be handling extremely important and confidential military affairs!

This Yang family…

Indeed, the Yang family rose to prominence because of General Yang, who later garrisoned Jiangzhou City and was honored with a plaque atop the city walls. Who knew how many twists and turns and inside stories lay behind that!

The more Prefect Guo thought about it, the more he imagined a magnificent and epic saga unfolding before him. He sighed and clicked his tongue repeatedly, then felt incredibly honored. After all, this time, he had assisted the Boss in handling a top-secret military matter!

……………………

Li Sangrou and her group, men and horses alike, crossed the river and arrived in Yangzhou that very day, bursting through the city gates a quarter of an hour before they closed.

Once inside, Li Sangrou dismounted, and Hei Ma led the way, heading straight for the houses where they had previously stayed.

Li Sangrou slowed her pace, walking and observing the streets.

From outside the city gates, everything around her was vastly different from what it had been two years ago, even compared to a year ago.

Walking through the city gate, the bustling prosperity made Li Sangrou feel somewhat dazed.

Brightly colored signs and eye-catching banners stretched before her. The enthusiastic greetings of the shopkeepers and the throngs of people rolling in buried the tragedy of two years ago into a distant, somber past.

The past was gone; now, she looked ahead and moved forward.

……………………

The house was not far from the city gate. Standing outside the gate, Hei Ma looked up at the gate itself, at the golden osmanthus and camphor trees extending outwards, and at the eaves and rooftops nestled among the lush greenery.

“Wow!” he exclaimed. “It’s changed so much! Who built this house for us? They must have made a mistake!”

“It must have been Master Zhou who built it,” Da Chang said, taking a breath as he spoke of Master Zhou. He stepped past Hei Ma and pushed open the gate.

Meng Yanqing, standing beside Da Chang, heard him take that breath and burst out laughing.

He often helped Da Chang with the accounts. Whenever Da Chang came to Zhou Shen’an of Yangzhou or the Tengwang Pavilion in Yuzhang, he would always be seen sucking in a breath and painfully fiddling with the abacus beads.

Forget about the Tengwang Pavilion; that was just for show and incredibly expensive. Yangzhou was mostly residential; how could they afford so much money? He felt it was a bit excessive and mentioned it to Da Chang.

Da Chang was silent for a while, then sighed and said, “This is the Boss’s sentiment.”

He asked Da Chang what sentiment meant. Da Chang did not explain, but solemnly warned him:

“If you see the Boss first stare blankly, then sigh repeatedly, and then say in a leisurely tone, ‘Let me tell you,’ that’s sentiment coming. You’d better run, or else…”

Or else what? Da Chang did not say, only looking alarmed and clicking his tongue.

Unfortunately, the Boss had been extremely busy in the last year or two, and he had not yet experienced the Boss’s sentiment.

A group of nearly a hundred people and about two hundred horses had not even finished entering when an old woman waved and ran in from the alley entrance.

“Who are you? This house belongs to someone! Come out right now! Come out now! You’ve gone too far!”

Dong Chao, following behind, quickly handed the horse reins to his companion and went to meet the old woman. “This is our house.”

“Your house? You think you can just say it is yours? Look at you, so old, you dare to talk nonsense!”

“What’s your surname? What’s your name? You just blurt out ‘your house’! You really dare to say that!” The old woman rushed up to Dong Chao, hands on her hips, her demeanor intimidating.

“Our Boss’s surname is Li. This is the house of the Li family head; it is indeed ours,” Dong Chao said calmly with a smile.

“Li? Oh! It really is!”

“This is a big deal; you cannot just say it based on your words, saying you are the Li family’s head and then you are the Li family’s head…” The old woman clapped her hands, let out a shout, and then put her hands back on her hips.

“I am not Boss Li; our Boss is Boss Li. And who are you?” Dong Chao asked with a smile, very politely.

“I am the village head! Is your Boss a man or a woman?” The village headwoman sized up the Old Yunmeng Guards who were watching her and the commotion.

“A woman. Why not come in and have a look? We’ve been away for a while. It seems you’ve been looking after this house. Thank you so much,” Dong Chao said with a smile, bowing slightly.

“You are quite polite! No need to thank me. It was an order from the yamen. Scholar Zhou asked me several times. You know Scholar Zhou, right?” The woman stopped putting her hands on her hips, and her tone became much more amiable.

“Zhou Shen’an, Second Master Zhou? That’s right; he’s a scholar; he should indeed be called Scholar Zhou. He’s our Boss’s manager in Yangzhou, in charge of repairing houses,” Dong Chao said with a smile.

“That’s right!” the village headwoman clapped her hands. “I knew it! In broad daylight, who would dare to blatantly trespass on someone’s property?

Alright, since the homeowner has returned, that’s good. I am off,” The village headwoman said, pulling out her handkerchief, flicking it, and turning to leave.

“Thank you, Nanny. Take care, Nanny. May I ask your surname?” Dong Chao called out with a smile from behind.

“My surname is Zhao. No need to be so polite. If you need anything, come find me at the teahouse up ahead.” Zhao, the village head, flicked her handkerchief and walked away without looking back.

……………………

Li Sangrou entered the main courtyard, circled the courtyard, and had Da Chang find the booklet and the thick stack of sixty-nine contracts. She rolled them up, told him she would not be back for dinner, and went out towards the house that Madam Meng and the others had chosen.

The house Madam Meng had chosen was in an excellent location. From the most bustling street in Yangzhou, a lane led to the end, where two small vermilion gates stood.

Li Sangrou reached the vermilion gates, then stepped back, tiptoed, and peered into the walls on either side of the lane.

The walls were too high, and along them were clusters of tall shrubs, their lush foliage completely obscuring the view inside the courtyard.

Li Sangrou reached the vermilion gates and knocked on the door knocker.

The courtyard gate opened with a click, and an old woman peeked out. She looked at Li Sangrou and asked with a smile, “Who are you looking for?”

“I am a friend of Madam Meng,” Li Sangrou replied with a smile.

“What is your surname?” the old woman asked hurriedly.

“My surname is Li.”

“Please wait a moment,” the old woman said with a smile, turning to go inside and saying, “Xiao-Fu, quickly go and inform Madam that a young lady surnamed Li has come, saying she is a friend of Madam.”

A maidservant’s crisp reply came from inside the gate. A moment later, the courtyard gate opened, and a head maidservant stepped out. Seeing Li Sangrou, she quickly curtsied. “Madam thought it must be you, but could not believe it. Boss, please come in.”

Li Sangrou also recognized the head maidservant, smiled and nodded in return, and followed her around the screen wall and inside.

“Your house… it has been repaired so quickly?” Li Sangrou walked along, looking around.

The flowers and plants were lush and meticulously maintained.

“What’s been repaired?” the old woman chuckled. “Our mistress’s temper is something the Boss knows—she’s incredibly picky and demanding. If anything’s even slightly off, she will have to tear it all down and start over.

It’s this road and the two courtyards behind it. They are the original houses. The mistress seems quite satisfied with them and has not done much to them, saying they will live there for now.

And behind that, there used to be another house, but it was all demolished and turned into a garden. That’s the only place that’s habitable now. The rest is still under construction; it will take at least three to five years to finish.”

“These flowers, plants, and pavilions are all quite nice. Your mistress has good taste.” Li Sangrou slowed her pace, looking around as she walked.

“It’s Master Zhou, the chief, and Master Huang. They’ve come to check on things a few times, adding and repairing things. There were very few flowers and plants originally, but these were all planted under Master Huang’s guidance. Madam is very satisfied, saying both gentlemen are extremely rare.

Madam also hired Master Zhou and Master Huang to design the layout for her estate outside the city, and it is under construction there, too. Once the one in the city is finished, the one outside should be almost done too.

Thanks to the Boss,” the old woman said, giving Li Sangrou a simple curtsy as she walked.

“You flatter me.”

The two chatted and laughed, and in a few words, they arrived at the vase-shaped gate.

On either side of the gate, a low, undulating parapet stretched out, with a patch of roses blooming in full pink splendor.

Li Sangrou stopped, admired the view for a moment, and then stepped through the vase-shaped gate.

Inside the gate, Aunt Wu and Madam Meng came out to greet her, one after the other.”