Chapter 151: The Carpenter Who Lived in the Qianqing Palace

Lin Qian examined carefully and confirmed there was indeed no place to hide weapons, so he dismissed the two guards.

Anya sat down and went straight to the point: "You said the Han people will buy sugarcane — is that true?"

Lin Qian poured her a cup of hot tea: "Do you think tangyuan taste good?"

Anya nodded.

"The filling inside tangyuan is made with white sugar, and white sugar comes from sugarcane. It's not just the Han who love it — the Westerners are utterly obsessed with it. As long as you can grow it, you'll never worry about finding buyers, and it's definitely more profitable than growing rice."

Anya took the tea and sipped it, grimacing at the bitterness: "I know sugarcane can be boiled down to make brown sugar, but how do you make white sugar?"

"The *Zhuyu Shanjang Zabù* records that white sugar can be made using the earth-covering method."

In truth, the earth-covering method was most likely misrecorded or omitted a crucial step — following the book as written would not produce white sugar.

Lin Qian knew this well. He didn't actually know the ancient method for making white sugar either, but that didn't stop him from using the name "earth-covering method" to win trust.

As he spoke, Lin Qian pulled a thread-bound book from a book chest beside him and handed it to Anya. "This is for you. The *Nongsang Jiyao* is a Han agricultural manual. Besides making white sugar, it covers farming, farm tools, weaving, and other techniques. If your tribe studies what's recorded in this book, your days will surely get better and better."

The farming techniques recorded in the *Nongsang Jiyao* were a mix of correct and incorrect — no single book could let anyone catch up to thousands of years of Han agricultural civilization.

That was also why Lin Qian could afford to give the book away so generously.

Anya took the book, her voice softening: "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because the Han and the natives are good friends — didn't we defeat the wokou at Wokang together?" Lin Qian said with a smile.

The total population of the Madou tribe was around ten thousand, and counting all the natives across the Dongfan plain, it was at least sixty thousand or more.

A force that large, if made an enemy, would be enough to make Lin Qian's expansion plans grind to a halt at every step.

But if he could turn enemies into friends, it would be an enormous advantage.

Especially the natives of the four great tribes, who already had an agricultural tradition — they would be ideal allies.

If the natives could be put in charge of growing sugarcane and food crops, Dongfan Island would not only solve the problems of land reclamation, manpower, and external conflicts in one stroke, but could also bind the native tribes to Lin Qian's warship through economic structure.

This would lay a solid foundation for Dongfan Island's long-term peace and stability.

So the Han and the natives were indeed the best of friends!

Never mind that the wokou were a common enemy — even without the wokou, hunting deer together could count as "deep" friendship!

"We're not 'natives' — we're called Siraya." Anya frowned, correcting him.

Lin Qian apologized and said that if the Madou tribe was willing to cooperate, he would send a physician to help treat malaria.

"You can cure malaria?"

That was less a question than an exclamation.

The Siraya had been naturally selected by malaria for over a thousand years, which had deeply shaped their genetic makeup, giving them greater resistance to malaria than the Han.

Still, people did still die from malaria, so hearing that Lin Qian could help treat the tribe's malaria — how could she not be excited?

Anya's mouth fell slightly open, her eyes filled with reverence.

She had spent the entire evening being baptized by Han civilization, and by now she believed Lin Qian's words without the slightest doubt.

Lin Qian nodded: "Not just malaria — we can treat most diseases on the island. And I'll also provide your tribe with iron tools and cloth, to make your farming and daily life easier."

Of course, economic aid like iron tools and cloth would only come in the early period. Once the Siraya developed consumption habits, future iron tools and cloth would have to be exchanged for sugarcane and deer products.

Every gift Lin Qian gave had a price tag secretly attached to it.

Never mind that Anya couldn't see Lin Qian's true intentions — even Lin Qian's own subordinates probably couldn't see them either.

Even Lin Qian himself believed his own rhetoric, since he really had given away the *Nongsang Jiyao*, and the future economic aid would genuinely be delivered.

A gentleman is judged by his deeds, not his heart — who could say Lin Qian wasn't sincerely making friends?

Anya had come this time on her sister's commission, to probe Lin Qian's intentions.

She hadn't expected Lin Qian to be so open-hearted, giving away everything he could give.

Before she left, her sister Silin had told her that the Han were cunning and that she should be careful in dealing with them.

But after all this contact, where was the cunning? The Han were clearly the Siraya's good friends!

Anya was so moved on the spot that her tone of voice changed, and she began patting herself all over.

Lin Qian was puzzled: "What are you looking for?"

"I want to give you a gift too!" Anya said with firm determination.

But aside from an animal hide, a short skirt, and a pair of straw sandals, she had nothing on her — the hide didn't even have a pocket, so there was nothing she could offer.

After searching for a while, Anya took a pendant from around her neck and handed it to Lin Qian: "I've worn this since I was little. It's yours now."

Lin Qian took it and saw a piece of jade carved into the shape of a water flask tied to a hemp cord. The carving was crude and primitive, and it still carried her body warmth.

Lin Qian tucked it carefully into his bosom.

Seeing Lin Qian accept the gift, Anya finally broke into a smile. Clutching the *Nongsang Jiyao*, she stood up and said, "I need to go back and discuss today's matters with my sister."

Lin Qian rose to see her off, and before she left, he said: "Remind your sister to be careful of the headman."

By now Anya trusted Lin Qian completely, and she nodded: "I'll tell her."

Anya carried the book back to her sister's room and recounted the entire evening's events along with Lin Qian's warning.

Silin's expression changed when she heard it: "That Han man guessed my identity."

"No, no." Anya shook her head desperately. "He just told you to be careful."

Silin thought it over and found it unsurprising — after all, the Madou tribe had only one headman and one auntie-priestess. Her younger sister had gone to negotiate cooperation with the Han, and after finishing, said she needed to consult her sister — it was only natural that her identity would be guessed.

The terms Lin Qian had offered did genuinely tempt Silin.

If they didn't cooperate with the Han and let Aban keep making trouble, then either Aban's prestige would keep growing until she and her sister had no way to survive, or the Madou tribe would make enemies on all sides and end in destruction.

But this was a matter involving the entire tribe, and Silin couldn't make up her mind right away.

Anya urged her: "Sister, stop hesitating. The Han are the Siraya's friends."

Silin smiled, but then she noticed the hemp cord missing from her sister's neck, and her expression changed: "You gave him your protective stone?"

Anya proudly showed off the *Nongsang Jiyao*: "He gave me this."

Xilin said angrily, "You can't even read Chinese characters. He gave this to you just to deceive you."

Anya quietly protested, "That's not true! I believe in him."

The next morning, after breakfast, the people of Madou Village prepared to return to their settlement.

Lin Qian escorted them to the harbor at Chikan City and prepared farewell gifts for each of them, mostly clothing, tea, pastries, small ornaments, and the like.

Though these things were small, they could subtly strengthen the Han people's influence among the Siraya.

At the moment of parting, Lin Qian called Anya over again: "Yesterday I gave the gifts in haste and forgot that the books are all in Chinese characters—your people may not recognize them. That was thoughtless of me.

Let the interpreter return with you to translate the books, and if there's anything you don't understand, you can ask him."

As he spoke, Lin Qian beckoned the interpreter over, who accepted the order with a grimace.

Anya beamed and said, "Thank you so much, good friend." With that, she shot a triumphant glance at her sister.

Lin Qian watched the natives board the Long Wind and disappear into the northern horizon.

With the matter of Dongfan Island settled, Lin Qian also prepared to set out on his return to Nan'ao.

The Tianyuan made its sailing preparations, which lasted until the afternoon.

Before departure, Chen Jiao brought the Siraya war knife, which—per Lin Qian's instructions—had already been adorned with the hair of the wokou.

From over two hundred wokou, each contributed a lock of hair, and the scabbard was covered densely with them until it resembled a horsetail whisk.

The next time they visited the Siraya tribe, this knife alone would let them look down upon all others.

Lin Qian had the knife hung on the wall of the captain's cabin, and told Chen Jiao about his conversation with Anya the night before.

"Whether or not Madou Village accepts the cooperation, send them the medicine, iron tools, and cloth all the same."

Chen Jiao was greatly puzzled: "Helmsman, these natives don't know what's good for them. Why bother so much over them? Sending cloth is one thing, but if we send iron tools and they harbor evil intentions, they'll be hard to deal with."

Lin Qian explained: "The Jurchen also live by fishing and hunting. They raised an army with thirteen suits of armor and could range freely across Liaodong.

The wokou had extremely sharp blades and superb martial skill, yet under our cannon fire, didn't they end up as scabbard ornaments?

If the Siraya were to rise in rebellion, whether they had iron tools wouldn't be the key issue—the real trouble would be if they slipped into the jungle to wage Mobile Corps Commander warfare.

But if their villages develop well and they plant their fields, they'll be tied to their land instead, and their threat drops considerably."

Chen Jiao's eyes lit up after hearing this—it was the first time he had gained a systematic understanding of defeating the enemy through strategy.

So giving gifts to the enemy was also a means of warfare.

Lin Qian had another layer of scheming he didn't mention: because of Aban's wanton headhunting raids and the instigation of the ronin at Kuigang, Madou Village and the other three major villages had already developed sharp contradictions.

By aiding Madou Village, Lin Qian would make the other three villages even more envious. Once internal strife broke out, Madou Village—with Lin Qian supplying it—would fight on without end.

Chikan City could then take the opportunity to expand its territory.

So whether or not Madou Village's shamaness accepted Lin Qian's proposal, and whether or not Chief Aban harbored hostility toward Chikan, Lin Qian could watch the fire from across the river and reap the spoils without lifting a finger.

With business concluded, Chen Jiao cupped his hands in farewell: "Helmsman, take care."

"You take care too, Brother! Ah, one more thing—now that the island has been cleared of wokou and developed, the name Dongfan no longer seems fitting. Why not change one character and call it Dongning Island instead? What do you think?"

"Dongning?" Chen Jiao murmured, then his face lit up with joy. "That's a fine name! It sounds much more agreeable than Dongfan."

Amid their laughter, the Tianyuan set out on its homeward voyage.

While the wokou were being eliminated on Dongning Island—

the capital was in an uproar over another earth-shaking event.

On the twentieth day of the first month of the second year of Tianqi, the Jianzhou barbarian Nurhaci personally led the Eight Banners across the Liao River, pressing toward Guangning.

Influenced by the victory at Zhenjiang, Liaodong Governor Wang Huazhen grew overconfident and advanced recklessly, suffering a crushing defeat at Nurhaci's hands at Pingyang Bridge.

Ming general Sun Degong led his troops in surrender to the Jianzhou barbarians and threw open the gates of Guangning.

On the twenty-fourth day of the first month of the second year of Tianqi, Nurhaci took Guangning with ease without expending a single soldier, then rapidly captured over forty forts in western Liaoning in succession, including Yizhou, Jinzhou, and Daling River.

In just a few days, the elite troops of the Ming suffered grievous casualties, and a thousand li of western Liaoning was lost—the speed of the territorial loss was faster than a galloping horse.

Xiong Tingbi could not turn the tide. He burned the grain stores outside the pass to cover the fleeing Wang Huazhen and the remaining soldiers and civilians as they retreated into Shanhai Pass.

When the battle report reached the capital, the entire court was shaken.

The Grand Secretariat ministers entered the palace that very night, requesting an audience with His Majesty.

In the corridor hall of Huangji Gate, aside from Chief Grand Secretary Ye Xianggao, the other six Grand Secretaries had already assembled, every face bearing an expression of worry and indignation.

A eunuch had already gone to report to His Majesty.

After waiting for a long time, the ministers could no longer contain themselves and began discussing the situation.

Han Kuang said angrily: "Wang Huazhen's overconfidence and reckless advance caused this great defeat. That man should be escorted back to the capital and beheaded!"

Liu Yibao paced back and forth, muttering: "If not for the eunuch faction supporting Wang Huazhen's wanton behavior, could Liaodong have suffered such a defeat? Liaodong is merely a skin ailment—the Ming's true sickness lies in the court, in the eunuch faction!"

Sun Ruyou kindly offered a word of caution: "Yuchen, mind your words. Don't forget that Wang Huazhen was recommended by the Chief Grand Secretary."

Han Kuang said: "Recommending the worthy without avoiding kin—the Chief Grand Secretary recommended Wang Huazhen out of wholehearted consideration for the state. It was Wang Huazhen himself who failed to repay the nation and instead colluded with the eunuch faction in petty schemes, which brought about this great defeat!"

Ye Xianggao had always opposed factionalism, so even though he knew Wang Huazhen was cozying up to the eunuch faction, the two shared the same hawkish stance, and he recommended him without any hesitation.

The Donglin Faction, meanwhile, gave full support to Xiong Tingbi.

At the previous New Year's grand court assembly, the Donglin Faction, the eunuch faction, and the Emperor had all parted in discord, and the atmosphere at court was now tense.

Combined with the complex situation in Liaodong, once the topic turned to factional strife, disaster could strike in an instant.

This was also the reason Sun Ruyou had spoken up to warn them.

Who would have thought that Liu Yibao would respond with sarcasm: "If the Chief Grand Secretary is so devoted to the state, then why, when such a great matter has occurred, has he not come to the palace to seek an audience?"

Though Ye Xianggao was close to the Donglin Faction, his position as Chief Grand Secretary required him to mediate and balance the court, so he often took actions to dissolve conflicts and bind the two factions together.

In the past, his personal prestige and seniority had earned him the respect of the Donglin Faction.

But now that such a great mess had occurred in Liaodong, Ye Xianggao could hardly escape blame, to the point that Liu Yibao no longer showed him any courtesy.

Outside the corridor hall, Wei Zhongxian, the brush-holding eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, was listening to the ministers' argument from behind the wall.

Wang Tigan, the seal-holding eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, bent his body and stood nearby in attendance, a fawning smile plastered on his face.

Having heard enough, Wei Zhongxian slowly straightened up and gave a cold snort: "Wang Tigan."

"This servant is here. Please instruct me, Old Ancestor." Wang Tigan said in a fawning tone.

"Station your people here and make sure the Grand Secretaries are well attended to."

"Rest assured, Old Ancestor. This servant will never let these people disturb His Majesty's peace." Wang Tigan said, bobbing his head and bowing.

Wei Zhongxian chuckled lightly and led his men toward the Qianqing Palace. Along the way, every palace maid and eunuch who saw him respectfully stepped aside, bowed, and addressed him as "Old Ancestor."

All along the way, Wei Zhongxian walked with his chest out and chin high, face set stern, not bothering to reply—exceedingly imposing.

At the palace gate, Wei Zhongxian dismissed his attendants, then put on a stooping, ingratiating smile before stepping inside.

At the entrance to the warm chamber, Wei Zhongxian did not enter directly. Instead, he summoned the young eunuch who attended the Emperor and asked: "Has His Majesty risen?"

The young eunuch replied: "His Majesty rose an hour ago. He is marking and cutting timber, preparing to make a small object. If Old Ancestor has matters to report, they may be presented later."

Wei Zhongxian was very pleased with the young eunuch's conduct and rewarded him with a fine southern pearl. The young eunuch hastily expressed his thanks.

Wei Zhongxian stepped into the warm chamber.

The floor of the warm chamber was covered in a layer of wood shavings. All the furniture in the room—from the bed to the incense burner—had been cleared out, with planks and timber piled up everywhere, leaving barely any room to set foot.

On the walls hung chisels, axes, saws, planes, and all manner of carpenter's tools—every size, material, and model available, professional to the extreme.

The Tianqi Emperor, dressed in casual clothes, was crouching in the middle of the hall, drawing lines on timber with a charcoal pencil.

The young emperor was utterly absorbed in his work, completely unaware that Wei Zhongxian had entered.

Wei Zhongxian moved nimbly and silently through the piles of timber, then took up a waiting position in the corner of the warm chamber. There he stood for nearly two full hours.

He watched with his own eyes as the Emperor finished marking and cutting the timber, took up his tools, split the wood, assembled the mortise-and-tenon joints, and finally finished with a rasp.

In the end, he produced a model sand boat roughly the size of a palm, complete with sails, and even the mast could turn. Truly a work of surpassing skill, lifelike in every detail.

When it was done, Tianqi laughed heartily, held it in his palm to play with it, and made wind-and-wave sound effects with his mouth, mimicking a sand boat sailing on the Grand Canal.

Growing carried away with his play, he lay flat on the ground and set the little boat on his chest, using the rise and fall of his breathing as the surging of ocean waves.

The Emperor paid no heed to the wood shavings clinging to his hair and clothes.

Wei Zhongxian spoke up to praise the Emperor's fine work on the sand boat.

Hearing this, Tianqi sat up from the ground, and upon seeing Wei Zhongxian, laughed: "You've come at just the right time. I was about to send someone to find you—come see my new seagoing ship!"

In front of Wei Zhongxian, Tianqi always referred to himself as "I," a clear mark of his favor and trust.

Wei Zhongxian stepped forward, took the boat from Tianqi's hands, and examined it carefully for a moment: "His Majesty's boat looks more real than the real thing. This servant can feel the waves of the great sea just from holding it—as if the great victory at Zhenjiang were right before my eyes."

Tianqi was overjoyed to hear this and said repeatedly: "Exactly, exactly! It was only after hearing someone tell me of the great victory at Zhenjiang that I thought to make a seagoing ship. You're the one who truly understands me."

Then Tianqi looked him over and asked: "Have you been waiting long? Didn't I say that if you have matters to report in person, you needn't stand off to the side waiting?"

Wei Zhongxian smiled: "This servant only just arrived. I saw His Majesty absorbed in his carpentry and was captivated myself. It won't happen again."

Tianqi laughed: "Since you like it so much, this ship is yours."

Wei Zhongxian replied with feigned alarm: "How could I accept that? After all, it is His Majesty's treasured possession."

Tianqi waved his hand carelessly: "No matter—I can make another. Now then, what business brings you here?"

Wei Zhongxian knelt, holding the sand boat in both hands: "Reporting to His Majesty—it is Liaodong. Trouble has arisen there. After the great victory at Zhenjiang last year, Wang Huazhen, following Your Majesty's decree, pressed forward aggressively in western Liaoning. But he was obstructed from the rear by Xiong Tingbi, which led to Wang Huazhen's disastrous defeat at the front.

A thousand li of western Liaoning territory has been lost entirely. Governor Wang Huazhen gathered his remaining troops and retreated with Xiong Tingbi to hold Shanhai Pass."

"Outrageous!" Tianqi's joy turned to fury. "That brute Xiong refuses to repay his country with loyalty, and on top of that deliberately sabotages the war effort—does he treat matters of state and military as a child's game?"

Tianqi rose and paced back and forth in the warm chamber, wood shavings drifting down from his head and clothes.

"What does the Grand Secretariat say about this?"

"The Grand Secretaries have reached no consensus. They only say that Wang Huazhen's responsibility must be investigated, and that he should be brought to the capital for beheading."

"Nonsense!" Tianqi was beside himself with rage.

It was clearly Xiong Tingbi who had obstructed first, leading to the disastrous defeat at the front—how could the Grand Secretariat be so blind to right and wrong? What were they plotting?

At the Grand Audience on the first day of the month, the Donglin Faction had submitted a joint memorial, denouncing a loyal official as a member of the eunuch faction.

They had even denounced Wei Zhongxian as the head of the eunuch faction, the root of all chaos.

Whether Zhongxian had a faction, whether he was a scourge—did he, Tianqi, not know? Did he need these old pedants to lecture him?

And now that Guangning had fallen, the Grand Secretariat, instead of thinking how to salvage the situation, pushed all the blame onto Wang Huazhen.

Did they truly think he, the Emperor, had forgotten that Xiong Tingbi was supported by these old pedants of the Donglin Faction?

With matters of state pressing, they still fought among themselves for private gain. In their eyes, was there still the realm, still the people, still him, the Emperor?

Tianqi paced for a while, recovered some composure, and asked Wei Zhongxian: "Is there a military dispatch reporting on this matter?"

Wei Zhongxian produced a memorial he had long since prepared.

Tianqi took it and looked—it was written by Wang Huazhen, impeaching Xiong Tingbi for not sending a single soldier during the Battle of Pingyang Bridge, sitting idly by while his forces were routed.

Afterwards, when receiving his troops at the Daling River, Xiong Tingbi had even made sarcastic remarks: "Six hundred thousand troops swept away in one stroke—how about that?"

He turned a blind eye to the deaths and injuries of the Ming army, and his face even bore a mocking, secretly gleeful expression.

To gamble and jest with matters of state—truly worthy of execution!

The second memorial was Xiong Tingbi's own report, stating that after his forces received Wang Huazhen at the Daling River, they withdrew to Shanhai Pass, covering the fleeing populace through the pass, burning grain and fodder along the way, and other such arrangements.

Read on its own, it was merely a routine report.

Wei Zhongxian promptly supplied background information: "Your Majesty, Xiong Tingbi still has five thousand fresh troops under his command. When he went to receive Wang Huazhen at the Daling River, he was less than a hundred li from Guangning city, and over three hundred li from Shanhai Pass."

Wei Zhongxian said no more.

Tianqi could discern the flavor of these words for himself.

You are the dignified Military Commissioner of Liaodong, bearing responsibility for the entire situation in Liaodong.

With five thousand troops under your command less than a hundred li from Guangning—not thinking of retaking the city is one thing.

But along that long battle line, instead of holding the strategic passes, you handed over the entire three-hundred-li Liaoxi Corridor as a gift!

Were you sulking with the court, deliberately expanding the scale of defeat, to prove that Wang Huazhen and the court were wrong, and only you, brute Xiong, were right?

If one were to speak of Wang Huazhen's memorial, it could still be said to be a matter of stance, somewhat biased.

But this memorial — you, Xiong Manzi, wrote it yourself! You can't pin it on anyone else!

Then Wei Zhongxian produced several more memorials from Liaodong, all of which could indirectly corroborate Xiong Tingbi's faults.

This so enraged the young Emperor that his face turned red and he stamped his feet, glaring at Wei Zhongxian: "Where are the Grand Secretariat's memorials?"

Wei Zhongxian said respectfully: "When the Grand Secretaries heard of this matter, they went to Huangji Hall to prepare for an audience with His Majesty. The matter arose in haste, so no memorials were written. By the way, the Chief Grand Secretary did not come."

Tianqi's voice trembled with anger: "With such a great matter having occurred, no one submits a memorial to confess fault — they only know to come discuss it with me. This pack of old pedants — have they no sense of responsibility at all? And the Chief Grand Secretary — he doesn't even bother to come. Do they think to bully me for my youth?"

Wei Zhongxian said in a soft voice: "His Majesty, please calm your wrath. The Grand Secretaries perhaps presumed that since the policy of 'deliberating before proceeding' had received His Majesty's approval, they felt emboldened."

As for the Chief Grand Secretary — after all, Wang Huazhen was recommended by him, so that is why he has no face to appear before His Majesty.

The red on Tianqi's face deepened, and his pacing grew faster and faster until it stirred up a breeze, sending wood shavings in the warm chamber flying with the fluttering of his robes.

This pack of old pedants — on ordinary days they pointed fingers at him, their Emperor, and were harsh in a hundred ways.

One moment they had his wet nurse driven out of the palace, the next his most trusted eunuch was denounced as "the chief source of calamity," and even his own hobby of carpentry was brought up for criticism day after day.

Opening their mouths, it was benevolence, righteousness, morality, and virtue; closing their mouths, it was the realm and the altars of state.

They harassed Tianqi beyond endurance.

But when matters fell upon their own heads, how did they behave? Not one of them spoke of his own faults — instead they rushed to come "deliberate" with him.

Was that really "deliberation"? It was plainly an attempt to shift blame! He was too embarrassed even to call them out on it!

After pondering for a long while, Tianqi said: "Throw Xiong Tingbi and Wang Huazhen into prison and have their crimes adjudicated! As for the new Governor and Military Commissioner, have the Grand Secretariat recommend candidates. That will be all — tell them to go back."

"This servant obeys the decree." Wei Zhongxian prostrated himself, perfectly concealing the smug expression on his face.

Having settled this matter, Tianqi's anger remained unappeased. He sat on a stool he had made with his own hands, breathing heavily, having set aside even his beloved carpentry work.

Wei Zhongxian seized the opportunity to say: "Your Majesty, this servant also has good news, concerning the southeast."

Tianqi's interest was piqued: "Speak!"

"In the twelfth month of last year, the red barbarians invaded the gateway to Guangzhou, and were routed in a single battle by our Great Ming navy — a great victory!"

Yahei

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