Chapter 53: The Great Pearl-Diving Levy

Five days earlier.

The moment the Spaniards disembarked, they headed straight for the Maritime Trade Supervisorate office.

The delegation was taken seriously by the Ming court—no sooner had they arrived than they were invited to a banquet, though the menu was somewhat monotonous, with only one main course: a closed door.

The delegation sat from dawn until noon.

They had no idea how many cups of that bitter, astringent leaf-water they had drunk.

Every time they asked the attendant in charge, he would smile and say, "His Excellency the Superintendent is busy with official affairs. Please wait a while."

Having said that, he would have someone pour more leaf-water into the delegation's cups.

Summer days were hot to begin with, and after drinking hot tea, they broke into a sweat even sitting still; drink too much and they had to run back and forth to the latrine, but if they didn't drink, there was nothing else to do.

It truly tormented the Spaniards, leaving them unable to sit still or rest easy.

The delegation's chief envoy, Juan, had been ordered by the Governor-General of Manila to lead the mission to Guangzhou to negotiate the matter of the wanted pirate Lin Qian.

This shameless Ming pirate had stolen the Santa Ana, inflicting enormous losses on Manila.

If Lin Qian could not be captured and the galleon recovered,

even the Governor-General himself would likely face the crown's judgment.

Juan, as the Governor-General's trusted confidant, could not sit by and let such a thing happen.

Decades earlier, the Ming court had joined forces with the Spaniards to hunt down the pirate Lin Feng, which had set a good precedent for cooperation.

Today he only hoped that, just like last time, the two nations would cooperate once again to capture Lin Qian.

But at present, he couldn't even get through the inner gate of the Maritime Trade Supervisorate.

This made him anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

Finally, Juan could bear it no longer.

He shouted at the inner gate: "I am the special envoy of the Spanish Governor-General! I demand an audience with His Excellency the Superintendent of the Maritime Trade Supervisorate! I demand that our two nations jointly hunt down and arrest the pirate Lin Qian!"

"How dare you make such a racket at the gates of a government office! Silence at once!" the attendant said urgently.

Juan shouted again: "I am the special envoy of the Spanish Governor-General! I demand an audience with His Excellency the Superintendent of the Maritime Trade Supervisorate! I demand that our two nations jointly hunt down and arrest the pirate Lin Qian!"

When he finished, he grabbed the interpreter and said to him, "Translate my words so the officials inside can hear them!"

The interpreter was already weak-kneed with fright and struggled to say, "This is the Great Ming—you must follow the rules here. The ways of you barbarians won't work."

Juan paid him no mind and simply kept shouting, his voice growing louder and louder.

The attendants tried to cover Juan's mouth, but he bit one of them and they failed; the scene grew more and more chaotic.

Just then, a man emerged from the inner gate—beardless, fair-skinned, wearing a plain blue robe.

All the attendants, upon seeing him, bowed respectfully and withdrew to the sides, murmuring, "Eunuch Li."

Eunuch Li walked slowly to the delegation, looked around at them, and said in a shrill voice: "Eunuch Yang, His Excellency the Minister, and His Excellency the Provincial Administration Commissioner are in council within, and someone loudly interrupted them, so they sent me out to see what was happening. Is this how you carry out your duties?"

All the attendants knelt down, foreheads to the ground, not daring to breathe.

Seizing the opportunity, Juan pulled the interpreter forward and stated his demands once more.

A smile bloomed on Eunuch Li's face, and he said in a gentle tone: "I understand. I shall report this to Eunuch Yang at once. But today both His Excellency the Minister and His Excellency the Provincial Administration Commissioner are present, and there are important matters under discussion within the office. I fear no answer can be given today. Why not come back in a few days?"

Juan hesitated.

The interpreter urged him: "Eunuch Li is a man of the inner court. Since he has agreed to this matter, he will certainly not deceive you. Just go back and wait in peace—don't be ungrateful."

This interpreter had been hired on the spot in Guangzhou by the Spaniards, and his speech showed no particular deference toward them.

Hearing this, Juan had no choice but to give his thanks and lead the delegation away.

Eunuch Li's smile faded, replaced by a cold, sharp edge, and he said to the attendants around him: "Go close the main gate. We will receive no more foreign barbarians today."

"Yes." The attendants acknowledged and went to close the gate.

Eunuch Li turned and returned to the rear courtyard, passing through several gates before arriving at the main hall.

There, several officials sat in proper seats.

Seated at the head was none other than Xu, His Excellency the Minister—Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Governor of Guangdong, and Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.

Beside him sat the Commodore of the Maritime Trade Supervisorate, Eunuch Yang.

And the actual head of the Maritime Trade Supervisorate, Superintendent He, could only sit in a lower seat.

Also seated in a lower position was the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Guangdong, Zheng.

Seeing Eunuch Li return,

Eunuch Yang set down his teacup and said slowly, "What happened outside?"

Eunuch Li bent at the waist, his face breaking into a fawning smile: "Some barbarians had their ship robbed by sea bandits and came to make a fuss. This servant has already sent them off."

"Mm." Eunuch Yang acknowledged with a grunt and paid it no further mind.

Eunuch Li, knowing his place, withdrew to attend at Eunuch Yang's side.

Eunuch Yang said to the Governor-General: "Your Excellency the Minister, the end of the year marks the Noble Consort's birthday. In past years, the pearl-diving corvée was only levied close to the date—when the weather was cold and the waters freezing, no good pearls could be gathered. This year, this servant thought to issue the corvée earlier."

He did not say which Noble Consort, but everyone knew he meant Noble Consort Zheng.

Only the birthday of Noble Consort Zheng, who alone enjoyed the Emperor's exclusive favor, warranted Guangdong's great pearl-diving levy; other consorts and concubines received no such treatment.

His Excellency Minister Xu replied without changing his expression: "Eunuch Yang superintends the Maritime Trade Supervisorate, so pearl-diving matters need not be discussed with me. But since I govern the military and civil affairs of two provinces and bear responsibility for Guangdong's civil administration, I must ask one question.

In recent years the weather has grown colder, and grain output in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hunan has declined every year, while the Liaodong levy is collected ever more heavily—the people have long been complaining. At a time when popular sentiment is so unsettled, would it not be improper to issue another great corvée?"

As Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, he could afford not to show Eunuch Yang face, but the officials of Guangdong could not.

Especially Superintendent He of the Maritime Trade Supervisorate, who, being directly under Eunuch Yang's command, stepped forward at once to pledge his loyalty: "Your Excellency the Minister, in summer the waters are warm, and pearl divers will suffer fewer deaths and injuries. Is Eunuch Yang's proposal not precisely an act of cherishing the people's strength?"

His Excellency Minister Xu's tone grew heavier: "Everyone knows that once the pearl-diving corvée is issued, it cannot stop before the Noble Consort's birthday. Whether issued early or late, those who are meant to drown will still drown, and those who are meant to freeze will still freeze."

At this, Eunuch Yang also dropped all pretense: "Drowning and freezing are matters for your local authorities. I am a man of the palace—I take orders only from the Emperor. Whatever pearls the Emperor demands Guangdong present, that is the amount, and not even one tael less will do."

Rarely did the Ming officialdom see such open confrontation.

For a moment, everyone felt the atmosphere grow extraordinarily heavy.

Guangdong Provincial Administration Commissioner Zheng Fantai stepped in to smooth things over: "The pearl folk are a base class—cruel, cunning, and ignorant. They hardly count as commoners. Why let the lives or deaths of such base households spoil the harmony between us?"

Governor Xu shot back at once: "When too many pearl households die or are wounded, good-registry folk must be pressed in to replace them. In the two hundred years since the founding of the Great Ming, has there been any shortage of cases where decent commoners were forced into pearl households?"

Eunuch Yang promised: "This pearl-diving corvée has started early this year. Perhaps we can gather most of the quota before autumn. That way the pearl folk will spend less time in the water during winter, and there certainly won't be the deaths and injuries of past years."

Governor Xu did not believe a word of this in his heart.

The palace's quota was fixed, but the greed of the various lords was boundless.

When pearl folk went into the sea, the work never stopped until they were nearly all dead—never once had he heard of a quota being filled.

But he also did not want to sour relations with Eunuch Yang too badly.

As long as it did not drive the common people to revolt, he could still report to the Grand Secretariat—so let this castrato eunuch do as he pleased.

Having weighed the matter thus, Governor Xu fell silent, taking that as tacit consent.

Eunuch Yang then said to Eunuch Li beside him: "Go notify the eunuchs at each pearl pond to issue the corvée as early as possible. While the summer waters are still warm, gather the full quota."

"Yes, this servant understands." Eunuch Li replied in a soft voice.

Two days later, Juan, who had been waiting bitterly at the post station, could no longer contain himself and went once more to the Maritime Trade Supervisorate to demand answers.

The runner followed the same procedure as last time—ushering the man into the outer hall, serving tea and water, and mouthing the same "please wait a moment" spiel.

Juan could bear it no longer and invoked Eunuch Li's name.

The runner said: "Oh, you're looking for Eunuch Li? He's a pearl-pond eunuch—not under the Maritime Trade Supervisorate's jurisdiction. By now his venerable self is probably already in Leizhou Prefecture."

Juan was so furious his chest ached and his head throbbed; he nearly fainted, and once again began shouting and yelling.

Before long, another person came out—this time a civil official, not a eunuch.

Juan, seething with anger, stated his grievance once more.

That official treated it with great seriousness, only saying that words alone carried no proof—he would need a written document to submit upward, and told Juan to write one out and come back.

Juan was prepared for this. He drew from his bosom a document written in both Chinese and Spanish.

The official accepted it with solemnity and promised: "Rest assured, I shall present this document at once. However, since it concerns foreign affairs, it must pass through layers of approval. It will likely take a few days. You gentlemen may return to the post station and wait in peace—when there is news, this official will send someone to notify you."

Juan saw that the official's expression was sincere and did not seem false. Moreover, the document had been accepted, and the procedures were more complete than last time—surely this was the proper channel.

And so, half-trusting and half-doubting, he agreed and led his men back to the post station to wait.

Circle Type

Pen