Chapter 434: Children, Grain Tickets

Wang Dou was nearly thirty. He now had nine children — five sons and four daughters. Soon they came in and, in order from legitimate to concubine-born, each paid their respects to Wang Dou.

His eldest son Wang Zheng, already seven years old, had a sturdy, tiger-headed look and a thick build, closely resembling Wang Dou. In the words of Lady Zhong: “This precious grandson of mine and that rascal when he was little — truly cast from the same mold.”

Wang Zheng had originally been extremely mischievous, but after training in the Military Lecture Hall he became much more steady. At such a young age he already knew how to win people’s hearts, showing a good measure of his father Wang Dou’s style. He was the leader of a bunch of little brats in the hall and was respectfully called “Young General.” That the successor was so outstanding gladdened the hearts of all the Shunxiang Army officers.

After saluting Wang Dou, he loudly proclaimed: “Ah, Father, you are like the sun in the sky — your radiance warms the hearts of the people of the Eastern Circuit. Your bosom is as vast as the great ocean…”

Everyone in the hall stifled laughter. Wang Dou waved his hand: “Enough, enough, you little rascal. Have you ever even seen the ocean? Did you enter the Military Lecture Hall just to learn how to flatter?”

Scolded by his father, Wang Zheng was not annoyed. He said: “Father, your child has indeed learned quite a few things in the Military Lecture Hall.”

He thought for a moment and said: “There is one matter your child has never understood and wishes to ask Father about.”

Wang Dou’s interest was piqued. He asked: “What matter does my son wish to ask about?”

Wang Zheng said: “Father went to war against the roving bandits and beheaded the great rebel Zhang Xianzhong. I have heard that ever since the early Chongzhen years, roving bandits have plagued every part of the Great Ming. Your child does not understand — why are there so many roving bandits? They are exterminated and then appear again, exterminated and then appear again.”

Wang Dou looked at his son with gratification and said: “That you can consider this point at your age is very good.”

He pondered briefly, picked up a sweet cake from the pastry basket beside him, and said: “Look at this cake. Compare it to the entire financial resources of the Great Ming.”

He broke off a tiny piece, keeping most of it in his hand, and said: “Nine-tenths of the wealth is held by the great gentry, the great military chiefs, the great officials, the great merchants — and also the imperial clan, the ennobled nobles, and the eunuchs. Most of them pay no taxes, or pay very little.”

Everyone in the hall gazed at Wang Dou’s hand in contemplation. Wang Zheng also rubbed his forehead, thinking.

Wang Dou continued: “Yet the state must still function. Soldiers must be paid, officials must receive their salaries, disaster victims must be relieved, and the roving bandits must be exterminated. What is to be done? Those who hold nine-tenths of the wealth do not pay taxes, so the government offices have no choice but to levy taxes on those who hold only one-tenth.”

“But these people are already poor. Add to that unending natural disasters, and with the slightest pressure they must sell their sons and daughters, unable to survive. The boldest among them rise up in rebellion. The more they rebel, the more taxes the state must levy, making even more people unable to survive, and still more people rise up in rebellion. This is why the roving bandits never cease — the reason they are exterminated and then appear again.”

Wang Zheng’s eyes darted about. Lady Zhong sighed: “This old woman never understood why the roving bandits never ceased. Now I understand. Ah, these natural disasters and man-made calamities of the Great Ming — when will they ever end?”

The wives, concubines, maids, and guards in the hall looked at Wang Dou with adoring eyes. Many of them had also never understood why the roving bandits never ceased. After the Grand General explained it, they all understood.

Ji Junjiao looked at Wang Dou, her eyes sparkling even more.

Wang Dou said: “Does my son understand now?”

Wang Zheng saluted Wang Dou and said: “Your child understands. Many thanks to Father for resolving this confusion.”

Wang Dou said: “Understanding is not enough. If it were up to you, how would you solve this problem?”

Everyone in the hall looked at Wang Zheng. Xie Xiuniang was especially nervous, lightly biting her lower lip, afraid that the answer her son gave would displease her husband.

Wang Zheng rubbed his head, deep in thought. He muttered: “Tax those nine-tenths? That would be terribly difficult. Our family are now ennobled nobles ourselves — I wouldn’t want to hand over money either.”

Suddenly his eyes lit up: “That piece of cake is small — we can make it bigger. I have heard that the Great Ming has much territory beyond its borders, and many rich places as well. We could seize their land and wealth, kill all their people, and move our own commoners over to cultivate the land. If people must die, better that foreigners die than Chinese.”

Everyone in the hall was dumbfounded. Xie Xiuniang furrowed her elegant brows and scolded her son: “Zheng’er, how can you speak like that?”

Wang Dou, however, burst out laughing: “Though insufficient, it is at least one method of resolution. Our house has a qilin son.”

……

Because the family atmosphere was relaxed, Wang Dou’s other children were mostly lively and outgoing. Wang Xiu, the daughter born of Ji Junjiao, and Wang Wan, another daughter born of Xie Xiuniang, were both still young. The children of Butterfly and Dragonfly, who had been raised from chamber maids to concubines, were also young.

Liu Qing and Liu Ji, the two women who had followed Wang Dou since the ninth year of Chongzhen, each had children now five or six years old, all naturally active. The three boys were fine, but Wang Yao, the daughter born of Liu Qing, climbed all over Wang Dou, wrapped her arms around his neck calling him Daddy, and kept acting spoiled.

Because Wang Dou was a man of a later era, deep in his bones he had a doting nature toward his children. Though he sometimes appeared stern, children are the most sensitive — they know in their hearts who is good to them and who is not.

So Wang Dou’s children were actually more afraid of their mothers and were affectionate with Wang Dou.

Looking at these children, Wang Dou felt content. In ancient times, legitimate and concubine-born children could not possibly receive the same treatment, so Wang Dou focused on cultivating his eldest son Wang Zheng. For the remaining children, they could choose their future paths according to their own preferences. Wang Dou did not demand that they achieve great things; he only wanted them to grow up safe and sound. Of course, he would not let them become profligate wastrels either.

That day at the family banquet, Wang Dou sighed to Xie Xiuniang and the others: “Your husband is often away on campaign, which only makes things hard on you and the children.”

Xie Xiuniang said: “Husband need not worry. Your wife will raise the children well and serve Mother-in-law properly.”

Ji Junjiao said: “A man’s ambitions lie in the four directions. As a great general of the court, campaigning away from home is unavoidable. Husband, set your mind at ease in battle and do not let thoughts of your wife and the others distract you.”

Wang Dou looked at Xie Xiuniang, Ji Junjiao, and the other women. Xie Xiuniang, as the Countess and his principal wife, had been a country girl back then, but her bearing had now been cultivated.

However, she lacked a measure of great-house grandeur. This was caused by her upbringing from childhood and could not be changed much. As his wife who had shared his hardships, it did not affect her status or position.

Now enfeoffed as a Countess, even first-rank grand officials of the court had to salute her. Xie Xiuniang was extremely content, her whole heart set only on raising the children well and serving her mother-in-law.

Ji Junjiao… now her appearance was even more alluring. She was born with seductive charm; her every gesture carried an indescribable noble grace and bewitching allure. Even the maids who served her sighed inwardly: the Second Madam was peerlessly beautiful and of noble birth, yet could not be the principal wife. She had true feelings for the General, yet her charms often went unappreciated.

Wang Dou felt some guilt toward Ji Junjiao, but he could not give her Xie Xiuniang’s position. In the Eastern Circuit, Xie Xiuniang now served as an image of the kind mother, relieving refugees and comforting orphans and the elderly, earning Wang Dou a great deal of goodwill. Ji Junjiao had no interest in such things; in her heart she actually disliked disaster victims and refugees.

After the shogunate was perfected back then, Ji Junjiao, that female secretary, had lost her job. After a period of idleness, she found new work: diplomatic hostess.

Ji Junjiao was the daughter of a Provincial Governor, widely connected, and of noble status. In Yongning City she often held poetry gatherings, banquets, and the like. The wives of officials in Xuanfu Garrison and even other military garrisons all considered it an honor to be invited. Her prestige among the various ladies was well established, and she also drew in a large number of outside allies for Wang Dou.

Each person had her own nature. Ji Junjiao detested contact with commoners, and Wang Dou also felt that diplomatic hostess work suited her better — after all, the power of pillow-side talk was not small.

Liu Qing and the others in the household could of course not compare with women like Xie Xiuniang. They regarded Wang Dou with awe and reverence, mixed with esteem and pride.

The principal wife Xie Xiuniang was a gentle person, but her status and position were there. Ji Junjiao’s status and learning likewise put considerable pressure on them, and they dared not compete for favor. To prepare for the future, Wang Dou gave them some estate properties to manage and operate, and arranged positions for their clansmen if any, also leaving them room to breathe and space for freedom.

On the whole, Wang Dou’s inner chambers were still peaceful.

After the evening banquet, Liu Qing, Liu Ji, and Ji Junjiao performed songs and dances to entertain Wang Dou and the others. They were all family, so there was no need to stand on ceremony.

Liu Qing and Liu Ji played pipa string melodies. Ji Junjiao sang and danced, slowly swaying, matching the music, and lightly parted her cherry lips: “Outside the curtain the rain patters, spring is fading. The silk quilt cannot withstand the fifth-watch chill. In dreams I forget I am a guest, indulging in a moment’s pleasure…”

Elegant music and ancient melodies always carried a sorrowful, moving charm. Wang Dou half-closed his eyes, tapping along with the melody. Amid the beautiful music, he felt all the pent-up frustrations in his heart dissolve away.

Xie Xiuniang clapped and cheered. Lady Zhong smiled and nodded. In this life, there was truly nothing to be dissatisfied with. It was only a pity that her husband had died early; otherwise, seeing his son now, how delighted he would be.

……

Yongning City, the military camp northwest of the outskirts.

Chen Sheng, an arquebusier of the First Squad, First Company, Gao Xun’s unit, was inside the barracks sorting his luggage and clothing. As in Shunxiang Fort, the military camp here also had one row of barracks per company, one large room per squad, in the form of a large communal sleeping platform, with a heated kang that could be lit in winter.

Against the wall opposite the communal platform stood a large row of tables, chairs, and such, with washbasins, face cloths, and other soldiers’ daily necessities placed on top. The cabinets below could store each person’s private belongings. By the door stood a weapons rack holding each person’s weapons and armor. On the wall above were posted the internal service regulations.

The troops who had gone on campaign were given ten days’ leave. Seeing that they were about to return home, everyone was overjoyed. According to military regulations, when going home, to display a soldier’s heroic bearing, each Shunxiang Army soldier could wear his armor and carry his saber and dismounting knife, but weapons such as war spears and arquebuses were not permitted to be taken out of the barracks.

Also, each man’s horse or mule could be ridden out of the barracks. However, men like Chen Sheng belonged to the B-grade soldiers and did not have their own horses. In their squad, only the squad leader was an A-grade soldier, a veteran of those years, who could ride his own horse home. How imposing that was, how enviable.

Chen Sheng opened his bundle again. Inside, besides a change of clothes, the most important thing was a large stack of “grain tickets.” That’s right — grain tickets.

The grain tickets unintentionally issued back then by Zhang Gui, the Commissioner of Civil Affairs, had swept across every part of the Eastern Circuit and become the hard currency of the entire region.

In the Great Ming of today, silver was still all right, but those copper coins were simply an eyesore. Private coinage ran rampant, and the quality was crude — crooked necks, pointed feet, fat heads — the minted coins varied wildly in script, size, and weight, with enormous discrepancies. How were commoners supposed to use them?

Not to mention copper coins — even silver was now increasingly devalued. Because famines were unending, at the drop of a hat a dou of rice cost a thousand cash, and often a shi of rice cost three or four taels of silver, making grain prices erratic and unpredictable. Therefore, as soon as the Eastern Circuit grain tickets appeared, they were enormously welcomed. (To be continued..)