Chapter 126: Storms in Liaodong

Early the next morning, Li Liangcai got up early as usual and went to the office to work.

After reading through two county case files in a row, suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps came from outside the office, and Wei Ming's voice was the first to be heard: "Director Zhang, this is County Assistant Li's office."

Li Liangcai straightened his body, about to go out and check.

Then he saw a young man in a cyan Daoist robe, surrounded by a crowd of officials, stride into his office.

The person who arrived was none other than Zhang Yunxiu.

The two locked eyes, and Zhang Yunxiu asked, "Are you Li Liangcai?"

"This official is indeed Li Liangcai." Li Liangcai was neither humble nor arrogant, and asked in return, "Who are you, sir? It is currently working hours; you are leading the County Magistrate around idling—if a major event were to occur in the county, would you know the gravity of your offense?"

Wei Ming's face twitched; he knew that Li Liangcai was pointing at the locust tree to curse the mulberry.

Zhang Yunxiu, however, became interested and squinted his eyes as he looked at Li Liangcai.

He saw that the man's back was straight as a ramrod, neither humble nor arrogant, standing there like a copper-poured, iron-cast, angry-eyed Arhat.

He thought to himself: It is truly a waste of talent to be a local official; it seems the Shipping Commissioner position is meant for him.

After rubbing his chin and sizing up Li Liangcai for a few seconds, Zhang Yunxiu said with a smile, "Who I am is not important; I only ask you: if you were the Commissioner of the Shipping Commissioner, could you hold this checkpoint?"

"The imperial court has the imperial court's laws, and I shall act according to the laws," Li Liangcai said with a clang.

"Good, then act according to the imperial court's laws!"

Zhang Yunxiu clapped his hands and laughed.

"Then please, sir, abide by the law and do not fall into this official's hands."

Li Liangcai knitted his brows and said coldly, while Wei Ming at the side was about to retort.

Zhang Yunxiu waved his hand to interrupt him, then looked at Li Liangcai with a smile and replied, "Good, I shall wait for you, the impartial Commissioner."

Having said that, he did not delay Li Liangcai from handling official business and moved to Wei Ming's office.

Once the two were seated, Wei Ming bent over to pour a cup of tea for Zhang Yunxiu and complained, "Director Zhang, this Li Liangcai is just like this; he's a stubborn mule who doesn't know which way is forward."

"The more he is like this, the happier I am." Zhang Yunxiu picked up the teacup, tilted his head back to drink, and responded to Wei Ming with a smile, "I really don't care about that ten percent tax; the more tax revenue in Songjiang Prefecture, the more I will earn."

"With you as a model, Director, strictly disciplining yourself, the rest of the petty people won't dare to stir up trouble." Wei Ming gave a sycophantic smile, taking the opportunity to flatter Zhang Yunxiu.

This man was always looking for an opening, his belly full of auspicious words. Zhang Yunxiu did not want to continue this idle chatter, so he waved his hand to interrupt him: "If the Shipping Commissioner has high tax revenue, it is a great opportunity not only for the imperial court but for the entire Songjiang Prefecture."

Wei Ming nodded repeatedly.

Immediately after, Zhang Yunxiu gave a few more instructions, then looked up at the sky outside, seeing that the sky was a gray expanse.

He suddenly felt the urge to leave.

He nodded with a smile and said, "County Magistrate Wei, work hard. The Songjiang Governor can take office as early as June; this period is a great opportunity for you to perform."

"Yes."

Wei Ming gave a servile smile and wanted to persuade him to stay, but Zhang Yunxiu waved his hand with a smile and strode out of the office.

Wei Ming followed closely behind, trailing him all the way to the entrance of the County Government Office.

"Stay there, County Magistrate Wei." Zhang Yunxiu stopped Wei Ming, turned back, and teased, "Did you forget just now? That Li Liangcai said the County Magistrate should be at his desk at this hour; if you leave and a major event happens in the county and you can't be found, who will be held responsible?"

"Director Zhang is right." Wei Ming gave a sheepish smile, cupped his hands, and walked toward the government office.

After parting with Wei Ming, Zhang Yunxiu ordered his attendants to pack their luggage while he went to bid farewell to the Xu Family. This time, he had mainly come to send Li Erhu and Zhao Dalong off on their long voyage.

And incidentally, to see his own little wife.

Now that the official business was finished, it was naturally time to return.

After traveling for about a quarter of an hour, Zhang Yunxiu arrived at the Xu Family's back garden, familiar with the path. Xu Ruoxi sat straight-backed on a stone stool, her jade fingers gently plucking the strings of the zither before her.

A soul-intoxicating celestial melody drifted out.

As Zhang Yunxiu walked in, the beauty suddenly pressed her hands onto the strings, looked up at the person arriving, and asked timidly, "Are you leaving?"

"Mm." Zhang Yunxiu nodded slightly, "I still have some things to attend to."

"Oh, then go; I will just wait for you here." Xu Ruoxi held back her tears and hummed stubbornly.

Zhang Yunxiu looked at this soft and delicate little woman, felt a warmth in his heart, and said with some reluctance, "I have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

"Xi'er is pregnant. I know this couldn't be hidden, and it wouldn't be right to hide it from you, so I am telling you first."

Xu Ruoxi knitted her brows, and a sour feeling welled up in her heart. In order not to be looked down upon, she lifted her slender neck and said, "She is your concubine; it is naturally a great thing that she is pregnant."

"You aren't angry?" Zhang Yunxiu asked.

"I am not angry at all. If I were to get angry over this, wouldn't I just be angry to death later?" Xu Ruoxi curled her lips and quickly turned away, taking advantage of Zhang Yunxiu not paying attention to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Rest assured, I know everyone's place." Seeing his wife was so sensible, Zhang Yunxiu was greatly gratified and added, "Xi'er has Xi'er's place, and you have your place. I will absolutely never do anything like favoring a concubine and destroying the wife."

Why tell me these things.

Xu Ruoxi bit her cheek and said nothing.

"Then rest well; I won't disturb you." Zhang Yunxiu nodded and turned to leave.

"Hey, wait."

Xu Ruoxi called out, hurriedly chased after Zhang Yunxiu, then took out a sachet and said sweetly and coquettishly, "This is a peace charm I prayed for; it is very effective. You must keep it with you at all times."

"Good."

Zhang Yunxiu reached out to take it, bent down to tap Xu Ruoxi's forehead, and said softly, "Go back, eat well, sleep well, get yourself plump and healthy, and then wait for me to come and marry you."

Hearing her lover's sweet words, Xu Ruoxi felt as if she had eaten candied fruit.

Looking at Zhang Yunxiu again, her eyes were almost pulling out threads of affection.

After a hurried farewell, Zhang Yunxiu returned to the capital.

More than twenty days later, Zhang Yunxiu and his party returned to Beijing.

When he stepped into the mansion, Zheng Xi'er was sitting in the small hall, looking down at the accounts.

Although she didn't need to check the accounts for the time being, Zhang Fu would still bring the account books of the various street shops every seven days for Zheng Xi'er to verify. "Yipinxuan: March surplus, 1,324 taels and 3 mace."

"Rouge Shop: March surplus, 895 taels and 0.4 mace."

"Xilai Shun: March surplus, 1,235 taels and 0.7 mace."

"."

After checking and verifying everything one by one to ensure there were no errors, Zheng Xi'er finally let out a long sigh of relief.

This account book was kept in triplicate: one for the shop, one for her, and one kept with Zhang Fu. Every so often, these account books would be updated simultaneously; if there was a discrepancy of more than ten taels of silver,

then it had to be investigated to find out exactly where the error had occurred.

Although this was troublesome and tedious, it was the best way to ensure the shop managers did not play any tricks.

After finishing her work, she stood up, placed one hand on her lower abdomen, and looked down at it with a face full of maternal love. There, a new life was quietly gestating as her belly swelled.

"Little Treasure, you must make your mother proud; the rest of my life depends entirely on you."

After whispering this, Zheng Xi'er giggled and walked around the small parlor.

Zhang Yunxiu happened to walk in, and seeing Zheng Xi'er with her plump figure and increasingly supple, moving cheeks, he could not help but feel joy in his heart.

He excitedly called out, "Xi'er."

"Hmm?" Zheng Xi'er turned her head to look, and seeing Zhang Yunxiu already standing at the door, she was both surprised and delighted, blurting out, "Young Master, why didn't you notify me when you returned? I could have gone to welcome you."

"Welcome me for what?" Zhang Yunxiu waved his hand, walked to the side of the beautiful woman, helped her sit down in a chair, and urged, "Don't move around recklessly now; if you were to disturb the fetal Qi, that would be very bad indeed."

"If I don't move, I'll grow as fat as a pig," Zheng Xi'er giggled, pinching her own cheek and pulling up a clump of fat.

Ever since she became pregnant, Zhang Fu and her own father had been sending her nourishing things every few days.

Eating more and moving less, her original oval face had now turned into a bun-like face.

At this rate, she was truly afraid that after giving birth, Zhang Yunxiu would find her fat and stop liking her.

"Who said you're fat?" Zhang Yunxiu shook his head, took the opportunity to pinch Zheng Xi'er's chubby little face, and huffed, "This is called being plump just right. We aren't dogs that like bones; this is what you call beautiful and moving."

"Before, your chin was so sharp it could almost stab someone, and those collarbones made my chest ache."

Hearing this, Zheng Xi'er covered her lips, burst into a laugh, and chided, "Young Master talks nicely now, but don't wait until I've given birth for you to turn into a shrinking quail."

"Am I that kind of person?"

As Zhang Yunxiu spoke, he squatted down, pressed his head against Zheng Xi'er's lower abdomen, felt the warmth there, and said with a serious face, "Xi'er, do you feel it? She seems to be kicking you."

"Young Master is truly a divine person; even I haven't felt it, yet you somehow did." Zheng Xi'er pouted, her face full of disbelief.

"This is called the heart-to-heart connection between father and daughter," Zhang Yunxiu insisted stubbornly.

"Does Young Master really hope for a daughter?"

Zheng Xi'er asked softly, her words inevitably carrying a hint of disappointment. Zhang Yunxiu nodded with a smile and comforted her, "Although I hope she is a daughter, rest assured, whether it's a boy or a girl, I will treat them both the same."

"Mm." Zheng Xi'er nodded slightly and reached out her jade hand to gently stroke Zhang Yunxiu's neck.

The two remained like this for a long time: one sitting in the chair, the other squatting on the ground with his head pressed against the woman's lower abdomen.

Zhang Fu learned that Zhang Yunxiu had returned and rushed over in a flurry.

Seeing the scene between the two, he found it awkward to either enter or retreat.

"Come in, don't cower at the door." Zhang Yunxiu smiled, stood up from the ground, rubbed his numb legs, and beckoned Zhang Fu to sit down: "Speak, what is it?"

"Aye." Zhang Fu smiled at the two and sat down on Zhang Yunxiu's left.

Zheng Xi'er knew the two had business to discuss, so she sensibly took the account book and moved to the small bedroom to the side.

"Speak."

"It's about that person you mentioned last time, the one called Li Ruzi."

"Who?"

"Oh, he has another name, called Nurhaci. He is the grandson of Wang Gao, the Right Commander of the Jianzhou Guard."

"Is he dead?"

Zhang Yunxiu's heart jumped to his throat as he asked nervously.

In the eleventh year of Wanli, Wang Gao's son Atai returned to Gule Fortress and rebelled against the Great Ming again. Liaodong Regional Commander Li Chengliang led sixty thousand troops to strike directly at Atai's lair; after the city fell, the Ming Army slaughtered the city.

They took away Nurhaci's father, Ta Keshi, and his grandfather, Jue Xianchang, who had come to persuade them to surrender.

This was the first of the "Seven Great Grievances" that Nurhaci would later cite when rebelling against the Ming.

Although Jianzhou was still very weak and extremely submissive to the Great Ming, how could Zhang Yunxiu allow this scourge to grow?

In the third month, he had directly dispatched Han San with over ten Embroidered Uniform Guards to head straight for Liaodong.

Now that a reply had come, it should be good news.

Seeing his master so anxious, Zhang Fu did not beat around the bush and said quickly: "Han San's letter says that Nurhaci is dead."

"How did he die?" Zhang Yunxiu pressed for details, "What about the body? Bring the body back to me."

"I'm afraid the body cannot be brought back; he was consumed by a raging fire, and I fear even if it were brought back, it wouldn't be recognizable," Zhang Fu said with a sheepish smile.

"You bucket of slop!" Zhang Yunxiu was so angry he was fuming, stamping his feet and cursing, "Then how does he know this was Nurhaci? What if it was someone else? What if he let him escape and left behind a great scourge? Can he bear that responsibility?"

He shouted three or four questions in a row, almost roaring.

This was the first time Zhang Fu had seen the Young Master so angry, and he couldn't help but feel fearful, saying timidly: "Young Master, that Jianzhou Jurchen is just a small tribe with less than a thousand Battle Soldiers and a population of barely over ten thousand; is it worth you dealing with them like this?"

"You don't know a damn thing. Send word to Han San again: if he can't bring back the body, he doesn't need to come back." Zhang Yunxiu said, a trace of venom flashing in his eyes, "If necessary, uproot the entire Jianzhou Jurchen."

"I would rather kill three thousand by mistake than let a single one escape."

"Ah, yes." Zhang Fu nodded in response.

(End of this chapter)