Chapter 46: The Maidservant

"Shunzhi is a dog" — clear, unambiguous, and with a touch of malicious humor.

Zhou Shixiang had originally planned to brand "Fulin is a dog," but then he thought: everyone under heaven knows who Shunzhi is, yet if you asked who Fulin was, nine out of ten would shake their heads in ignorance. Compared to the name Fulin, Shunzhi was far more resounding and easier to understand.

Whether it was "oppose the Qing, restore the Ming," "serve the country with utter loyalty," "Shunzhi is a dog," "Kangxi is a bastard," or "Bumbutai is a cheap whore" — in the end these were all just slogans. Was Shunzhi really a dog? Obviously not.

So why brand these five characters onto Shao Jiugong's back? Could these five characters really make this crafty old soldier follow the Taiping Camp to the death from now on?

They could!

Zhou Shixiang was very satisfied with his masterpiece, and he believed in his masterpiece. No matter how unwilling Shao Jiugong was, with those characters on his back, he could only fight the Manchu Qing to the bitter end for the rest of his life.

Zhou Shixiang would not even need to keep extra watch over him — to save his own skin, the old fellow would have to throw himself into the fight against the Qing.

He had no choice!

With "Shunzhi is a dog" branded large on his back, even if Shao Jiugong fled back, would the Manchus ever spare him?

What is the most terrifying thing in the accursed feudal society? — Imperial power!

What does imperial power fear most? — Contempt!

When imperial power meets with contempt, it ceases to be terrifying. What is more, the Manchu colonial dynasty ruled a great people with a small one, its foundation of rule extremely weak, held together entirely by high-handed intimidation.

It therefore prized the deterrent force of imperial power all the more, and could not tolerate the slightest contempt.

Thus, whether forced or willing, those five characters on Shao Jiugong's back were a naked, blatant contempt for Manchu Qing imperial power, and an act of gross disrespect toward the Qing emperor. So now the ones who wanted him dead were not the Ming army, but the Qing army!

Imagine Shao Jiugong fled back and once again became a Company Commander under Kong Guozhi.

Here was the problem: as Regional Commander of Southern Jiangxi, if Kong Guozhi knew that his subordinate bore words of gross disrespect toward the reigning emperor on his back, could Kong Guozhi rest easy, pretend not to see, act as if the matter did not exist?

And if Shao Jiugong did not return to Kong Guozhi but fled home instead, the same problem arose: if the local officials knew that someone within their jurisdiction bore a slogan of gross disrespect toward the emperor branded on his back, could they rest easy, pretend not to see, act as if the matter did not exist?

It had been seared on with a branding iron, not written in ink that could be washed off. Unless he cut away his entire back with a knife, those characters would remain clearly imprinted on his back for the rest of his life.

Could he hide for a time? Could he hide for a lifetime?

And if he really cut off his back, would he even survive?

The Qing court had not yet launched large-scale literary inquisitions, but since Dorgon's time dozens of such cases had already occurred, and many Han officials had been executed over the fugitive-slave affair.

The current Shunzhi Emperor was a master who would not tolerate any Han criticism of his Aisin Gioro house, not even a single word or phrase.

Once such an emperor learned that officials below had concealed the fact that someone bore the grossly disrespectful words "is a dog" branded on his back, what would he do?

Therefore, to prove their loyalty to the Qing court, to show their master their devotion to the emperor, and to avoid becoming the unlucky wretches upon whom the emperor's fury was vented — whether Shao Jiugong was wronged or not, his head would be cut off and hung before the city gate as a rebel.

If they did not do this, those officials would meet a fate worse than Shao Jiugong's.

"Shunzhi is a dog" — seemingly a jest, yet precisely the thing that could cost a man his life. With those characters on his body, could he still have a way out, a way to live?

Shao Jiugong was no fool, which was why he had fainted from fright. When he came to again, he found himself lying face down on the ground, surrounded on all sides by bare-chested companions.

As green smoke rose, each of them howled like ghosts and wailed like wolves, and the whole rear office was filled with the acrid stench of burning flesh.

Branding more than eighty captives was no small task, and it went on until late into the night before it was finished. Apart from three who gritted their teeth and held on without fainting, all the rest passed out from the pain.

To guard against mishap, Zhou Shixiang had someone fetch a physician to rub rat oil for burns onto the captives' backs, then had Peng Dazhu's men carry the captives back to the cells. They would be dealt with once their wounds healed.

Ge Wu, having perhaps grown addicted to the branding, asked Zhou Shixiang whether they should brand every Qing captive they caught from now on. Zhou Shixiang answered that of course they could not.

At present they had few men and no way to control captives who outnumbered them, and they did not want to kill them, so branding was a measure of last resort.

Once their strength grew and they had enough power to overawe and control captives, there would naturally be no need for such methods. After all, captives were people too, and people had dignity; treating them like livestock and branding them was not proper.

In a word: if your own strength was sufficient, you could naturally absorb captives; if your own strength was insufficient, you could only resort to somewhat improper means.

When Ge Wu and Peng Dazhu learned that Zhou Shixiang planned to break up these captives and assign them to the various squads, they again set their minds on getting more men, pestering Zhou Shixiang to give their squads a larger share.

Zhou Shixiang, however, pushed the matter of distributing captives onto Boss Hu, saying that Brother Hu was the Regional Commander, and that he, as commander of the vanguard battalion, could not presume to decide whether to distribute them or how.

Ge Wu and Peng Dazhu had no choice but to drop it, and turned instead to thinking about how to broach the subject with Boss Hu.

Guo Dachui was packing up his tools and preparing to leave. Zhou Shixiang had someone give him his wages and grain, then asked whether he was willing to join the army and follow the Taiping Camp.

Guo Dachui hesitated. Zhou Shixiang did not press him, telling him to go home and think it over carefully, and that an answer in a couple of days would be fine.

Guo Dachui breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly nodded and left. After he was gone, Zhou Shixiang shook his head: "The five characters 'Shunzhi is a dog' were carved by your own hand, Guo Dachui, and branded by your own hand onto these Qing captives.

Do you think you have any road to walk other than coming with me?"

Most matters had been settled. Song Xianggong was in charge of the old, weak, women, and children; the newly recruited able-bodied men were the responsibility of each squad leader.

Zhou Shixiang thought it over and found no urgent matter left unattended, so he prepared to go to sleep. There would be much to do after daybreak, and some preparations should be made for the Deqing Green Standard troops who might attack.

They could not just sit in Luoding waiting for the enemy to come to them.

After giving Peng Dazhu instructions about the captives, Zhou Shixiang returned to the room where he had slept the previous night. Upon entering, he found a familiar figure asleep at the table — it was Lin Wan'er, whom he had sent home that very morning.

Why was she still here?

Zhou Shixiang was utterly astonished, not knowing what had happened. He was hesitating over whether to wake Lin Wan'er and ask when she woke on her own, startled by his footsteps.

"I..."

Still drowsy, Lin Wan'er's hair was somewhat disheveled, and she blushed crimson with embarrassment, lowering her head and not daring to look at Zhou Shixiang.

Zhou Shixiang did not deliberately look at her, but asked, "Did I not have someone escort you home, Miss?" The unspoken meaning was naturally: why are you still here?

At this, Lin Wan'er's nose stung and her eyes reddened at once. Sobbing quietly, she said, "I no longer have a home."

No home?

Zhou Shixiang was taken aback. He had not yet confiscated Lin Wanfu's property — how had the Lin family come to ruin overnight? A thought stirred: could someone have gotten there first?

"What happened? What has befallen the Lin family?"

"My father does not want me anymore. He told me to return to the yamen to serve... to attend..." Lin Wan'er said "serve" twice, but not knowing exactly what Zhou Shixiang's status was, she could only say, "to attend upon you, Young Master."

Lin Wanfu is treating me like Kong Guoliang, hoping to buy himself another measure of safety with his daughter!

As long as no one had gotten there first, it was fine. Zhou Shixiang breathed a sigh of relief, cursed Lin Wanfu inwardly for his shamelessness, then gave a bitter smile and said gently to Lin Wan'er, "Miss Lin, I do not need you to attend upon me. You should go home."

At these words, Lin Wan'er's face went pale at once. Biting her thin lip, she said in a trembling voice, "Does Young Master find me repulsive?"

What was she talking about? Of course Zhou Shixiang meant no such thing. Seeing how nervous Lin Wan'er was, terrified that he truly did find her repulsive, he quickly said in a kindly tone, "I, Zhou, absolutely do not find you repulsive, Miss. Please do not think such a thing."

Zhou Shixiang spoke with gravity and without affectation, and Lin Wan'er was somewhat reassured. Then, puzzled, she asked, "Then why will Young Master not let me attend upon him?"

"Well... I have hands and feet of my own. How could I let you wait on me?"

Zhou Shixiang's habits from his previous life made him disinclined to be waited on.

"I will have someone escort you home right away.

Rest assured, Miss, this time your father will certainly not drive you out again."

He had made up his mind: if that sly old fox Lin Wanfu tried to send his daughter back and forth like goods again, he would have to teach him a lesson — or perhaps confiscate his entire household first and see whether the old man still wanted to keep his face!

Unexpectedly, the moment Lin Wan'er heard that Zhou Shixiang still meant to send her back, she burst into tears. She said nothing, only wept, and no matter how Zhou Shixiang tried to console her, it was no use.

Zhou Shixiang, who had lived two lives but had no experience consoling women, had long since furrowed his brow into a single line. Rubbing his hands together, he did not know what to do.

In the end he could only say, "Then how about this: Miss Lin may stay in the yamen for the time being, and we can discuss this matter again in a few days."

"Thank you for taking me in, Young Master!"

At these words, Lin Wan'er's tears stopped at once. "I will make Young Master's bed right away." With that, she went to make his bed before Zhou Shixiang could refuse. Zhou Shixiang stood by, unable to dissuade her and unable not to, so he simply let her be.

Once the bed was made, Lin Wan'er stood there awkwardly, unsure whether to stay or leave. If she stayed, she had her monthly courses and could not attend upon Young Master Zhou. If she left, how would Young Master Zhou regard her?

Just as she did not know what to do, Zhou Shixiang said to her, "Miss Lin, you had better sleep in the next room. If there is anything you need, just tell me."

"Yes, Young Master. You should rest early too."

Lin Wan'er let out a soft breath, set her mind at ease, curtsied lightly, and withdrew quietly, not forgetting to close the door behind her. Through the lamplight in the room, looking at Zhou Shixiang's tall figure, she did not know whether to feel joy or sorrow.

Inside the room, Zhou Shixiang had a splitting headache. That a living, breathing person like Lin Wan'er could be in his room meant, without a doubt, that Boss Hu and Song Xianggong knew — it was very likely even their arrangement.

The kindness was well meant, but they had not understood his feelings.

What to do? Was he really to let Lin Wan'er attend upon him?

After undressing and lying in bed, he thought it over again and again. In the end Zhou Shixiang decided to let Lin Wan'er be a maidservant for the time being, to look after his meals and daily needs.

A grown man like him still needed someone to help wash his clothes. Later, when the chance arose, he would arrange for Lin Wan'er to marry — she was, after all, a pitiable woman.

Thinking thus, he drifted off to sleep without realizing it.