Chapter 78: An Affair with the Young Madam?

Zhao Han had just settled into the inn when he heard a commotion from the street outside.

He hurried out to look and saw a large blue-canopied sedan chair ahead, followed by many blade-carrying attendants, and behind them a long train of porters bearing loads.

Returning to the inn, Zhao Han asked the innkeeper for news: "May I ask, sir, what is the background of all those people outside?"

The innkeeper glanced toward the door, shook his head, and sighed: "The eunuch has finally moved his nest. The gentry and merchants of Hekou Town are in for a rough time."

"So that's it. Many thanks for the information." Zhao Han cupped his hands.

In the Ming dynasty, there were regional garrison eunuchs and sub-garrison eunuchs. At first they only supervised and assisted with frontier military affairs, but gradually they spread nationwide to oversee military and administrative matters. Later, the "mine-tax eunuchs" suddenly swelled in number, with eunuchs dispatched specifically to local areas to supervise tax collection.

As for the chaos in Liaodong, aside from the contributions of civil officials and military officers, the mine-tax eunuch Gao Huai cannot escape his share of the blame.

Gao Huai was originally a Beijing street tough who made a living collecting taxes for others at Chongwen Gate. When he heard that the Wanli Emperor was sending eunuchs to the provinces to collect taxes, he actually took a blade and castrated himself, then bribed a favored minister to secure the post of Liaodong tax eunuch.

Because his extortion skills were so brilliant, the Wanli Emperor bestowed on him the residence of the Liaodong garrison eunuch. Gao Huai swaggered with pride and styled himself the garrison eunuch, drawing impeachment from officials. When the Wanli Emperor heard of it, far from blaming him, he instead said, "We indeed ordered it," and truly promoted Gao Huai to Liaodong garrison eunuch.

In ten years' time, in Liaoyang alone, forty-seven great households were all bankrupted — yet the Emperor received only a little over forty-five thousand taels of silver. More than ninety percent of the silver was swallowed by the Directorate of Ceremonial and Gao Huai himself.

The great households would shift all their own losses onto the common people.

If even the great households were ruined, what kind of misery must the common people have endured?

And so a sorcerer appeared in Liaodong, deluding over three thousand people (the Veritable Records of Joseon records it as fifty thousand) into rebellion. It took half a year of suppression with all of Liaodong's elite troops before it was quelled.

Despite causing such a massive disturbance, Gao Huai suffered no consequences whatsoever and continued to plunder Liaodong under imperial orders. Large numbers of Liaodong military households, artisans, and commoners were driven to flee and join the Jurchen of their own accord, and Nurhaci's strength swelled rapidly.

In the end, things became so outrageous that the Wanli Emperor could no longer suppress public opinion and finally recalled Gao Huai.

Ten years after this eunuch left Liaodong, the Battle of Sarhū broke out.

When Chongzhen first succeeded to the throne, he abolished most of the garrison eunuchs and tax-supervising eunuchs.

Yet after only a year or two, he sent eunuchs out across the realm again — because he did not trust the civil officials and military officers, and wanted to use eunuchs to control the army and tax revenues.

When word spread that the Emperor was heavily employing eunuchs, large numbers of commoners took blades and castrated themselves. There were so many castrates they could not all be used, and the court had to reissue statutes: those who castrated themselves among the common people would be punished, and their neighbors on both sides would be implicated under collective liability.

Now, as for the Yanshan tax eunuch Wang Heng — he was originally a civil clerk in the capital. He hardened his heart, gave himself a cut, and then secured this lucrative post through bribery.

This fellow arrived at his post alone, spent a year plundering, and then used the money to recruit large numbers of local thugs and ruffians. Now he had set up private customs barriers on four waterways. To make control easier, he moved his headquarters to Hekou Town — that was the true center of all Yanshan County.

The fleet advanced on Hekou in majestic force. Wang Heng arrived at the gate of the Zhejiang Guild Hall and said to his subordinates: "This place will do nicely. Tell the people inside to move out."

In an instant, utter chaos erupted. The merchants were all driven out, and the Zhejiang Guild Hall became the eunuch's tax-supervision residence.

This damned eunuch had been scheming for a long time and had long since grasped the situation in Hekou Town, but the local gentry were still slow to realize what was happening.

Another half day later, the Iron Foot Society's head Fei Hun was quietly summoned to the guild hall.

Fei Hun was badly frightened. He dropped to his knees with a thud and said: "This commoner pays respects to… pays respects to… ah, pays respects to the Tax Supervisor, Your Honor!"

Wang Heng toyed with a jade pendant and said with a smile: "Some days ago, there was tax resistance in Hekou Town, and tax clerks were beaten to death. I hear you were the ringleader?"

"It had nothing to do with this commoner — it was the gentry lords who colluded and gave the orders." Fei Hun hastily disavowed any connection.

"Men!" Wang Heng suddenly called out.

Fei Hun trembled all over in terror and kowtowed repeatedly: "Your Honor, spare my life! Your Honor, spare my life!"

Wang Heng smiled reassuringly: "Don't panic. I don't want your life — I'll even give you benefits."

Ingots of silver, two taels each — five ingots in all — were soon laid out before Fei Hun.

Fei Hun did not understand what this meant and stared blankly at the eunuch.

Wang Heng tempted him: "The Iron Foot Society beat tax clerks and even killed two of them. That is a capital crime. I am magnanimous and can let bygones be bygones. You can atone for your crimes through service — become the Grand Master of the Iron Foot Society and henceforth take orders only from me. What do you say?"

Fei Hun demurred: "This commoner is only the Fourth Master of the Iron Foot Society. My words carry no real weight."

"If I say you are the Grand Master, then you are the Grand Master!" Wang Heng fixed him with a smiling stare.

Fei Hun was caught in a dilemma, but to save his own skin, he finally gritted his teeth and kowtowed: "Many thanks for Your Honor's patronage. Henceforth I shall obey Your Honor in all things."

"Call your men here and help me take control of the Iron Foot Society," Wang Heng continued with his inducements. "If you do well, I will sponsor you for an official rank in the future."

Fei Hun was originally the son of a great household, but unfortunately his branch of the clan was a distant one, and by his generation it had utterly declined.

He had also been swindled by his own clansmen — even his last remaining fields were seized by trickery, and he could only make a living as a coolie on the docks.

The eunuch had ferreted out every detail and had specifically chosen Fei Hun to be the turncoat.

Fei Hun's mind twisted through a thousand turns. He did not want to betray his Iron Foot Society brothers. But the eunuch's threats and bribes left him with two choices: die, or switch sides — and switching sides might even lead to an official post.

The choice was easily made!

Fei Hun left the Zhejiang Guild Hall. The moment he stepped outside, he saw several hundred laborers already blocking the guild hall gate. It turned out the Grand Master, Sun Xianzong, had heard Fei Hun had been seized by the eunuch and had immediately brought his brothers to rescue him.

Truly worthy of sworn brothers — a surge of emotion welled up in Fei Hun's heart.

Sun Xianzong asked: "Worthy younger brother, that eunuch didn't make trouble for you, did he?"

"Elder brother, set your mind at ease. He wouldn't dare."

Fei Hun walked forward, suddenly drew a dagger, and stabbed Sun Xianzong in the belly.

"You…" Sun Xianzong could not believe his eyes.

Before the crowd could react, Fei Hun immediately retreated back into the guild hall and shouted: "Sun is a traitor working for the other side! Strike him down, quickly! Brother Dazhu, we had an agreement!"

Li Dazhu hurriedly shouted: "I did not! This scoundrel is framing me! Avenge our elder brother, quickly!"

Wang Heng stood on the upper floor, having witnessed the entire scene. He nodded approvingly: "A clever man indeed. Loose arrows!"

This eunuch's underlings were all street thugs and ruffians by origin. Their arrows flew crooked and wild, causing few casualties.

But the Iron Foot Society's laborers were frightened into scattering in all directions.

Fei Hun seized the moment to urge surrender: "Brother Li, join me!"

Li Dazhu's scalp went numb. After Fei Hun yelled at him a few times, how could he possibly prove his own innocence? He might as well switch sides on the spot. He gathered a few trusted confidants around him and charged at Sun Xianzong, Sun Zhenzong, Zhang Tieniu, and the other leaders to kill them.

Sun Xianzong, already gravely wounded from the dagger thrust, could not retreat in time and was beaten to death on the spot.

"You dog-spawned bastards, give me back my brother's life!"

Sun Zhenzong stopped fleeing. Hefting his staff, he turned and charged back with his men, and the eunuch also sent men with blades to hack at them.

One side fought with staves, the other with blades.

One side panicked and lost its head; the other had prepared long in advance.

Victory and defeat were decided in an instant, the outcome clear at a glance.

Zhang Tieniu had taken two cuts and dared not fight on. Swinging his wooden club, he actually charged his way out and, in the chaos, fled without a trace.

A ragtag gang is truly useless — easily divided and controlled by a eunuch.

And so, the eunuch Wang Heng seized control of Hekou Town, with Fei Hun and Li Dazhu serving as his claws, and the Iron Foot Society became the tax overseer's thugs.

The Fei residence at Goose Lake.

After settling the clerk sent by Private Secretary He to deliver the letter, Fei Yuanyi's brow furrowed tight. He summoned a trusted household servant: "Old Five, what exactly has been going on in the young master's rooms?"

"Master, this humble one doesn't understand what you mean," Old Five replied.

"Take it and read," Fei Yuanyi flung the letter at him. "Registering that Zhao Han under a commoner household was meant to train him up as an official for the Fei clan. But Zhao Han has already been struck from the rolls — he can never become an official now. Why, then, return his indenture contract, and on top of that give him land and silver to set up his own household?"

Madam Lou's actions were far too strange; Fei Yuanyi could not help but grow suspicious.

Old Five finished reading the letter and was equally baffled. Only one thought filled his mind: This is absurd. Why did I never get such a stroke of luck back then?

Fei Yuanyi asked again, "I sent you to gather information. Over three months now, and still no clue?"

Old Five answered, "The Jingxing Court keeps its mouths shut tight. This humble one spread around a good deal of silver and more or less got to the bottom of it. That day, the young lady did indeed try to take her own life, but it seems a maid saved her. The young master was not at home either. It was all directed by that Zhao Han — including the cutting off of our courtyard servants' fingers."

"Fine, fine — Zhao Han again!" Fei Yuanyi gave a string of cold laughs.

Old Five, having lost face that day himself, also gnashed his teeth in hatred for Zhao Han and seized the chance to slander him: "That wretch, at such a young age, already shows no regard for his master. What will he become when he's a little older?"

Fei Yuanyi muttered, "This old man still cannot fathom it. A mere household slave, already barred from office — why return his indenture contract, spend silver and give land to help him set up his own household? I have truly never heard of such a thing."

A thought flashed through Old Five's mind, and he said in shock, "That Zhao Han — could it be... could it be..."

"Speak!"

Fei Yuanyi barked.

"That wretch Zhao Han, though young, is sturdy of body and handsome of face besides. Could it be he has had an illicit affair with the young madam?" Old Five's mind had veered straight into the gutter.

Fei Yuanyi was instantly struck dumb, jaw agape. The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed, until he gradually began to tremble with rage: "A disgrace to the family name, a disgrace to the family name — to think such a thing could be done!"

Old Five hurriedly said, "Master, this matter must not be made public. It cannot even be mentioned."

"Right, it cannot be mentioned." Fei Yuanyi was filled with dread, terrified that the scandal would get out. He could forget about ever holding his head up among the ranks of the local gentry again.

Old Five suggested, "Zhao Han must be made to vanish without a trace."

Fei Yuanyi pondered at length, then instructed, "Take fifty taels of silver and go with the letter-bearer to the county seat. Have that Private Secretary He arrest Zhao Han and lock him up! Finish him off — find a chance to finish him off inside the jail!"

In the late Ming, there were many refugees. Great numbers of peasants who had lost their land fled to the cities to scrape out a living; such drifters could also be regarded as refugees.

Generally speaking, the authorities could not be bothered with them. If they truly tried to arrest them all, the county jail would inevitably overflow.

Nevertheless, the authorities retained the right to arrest refugees, and the runners would also seize any chance to extort the refugees within the city.

Madam Lou had truly never imagined that the private secretary could be so greedy. Not content with taking forty taels of silver, he had also come to Fei Yuanyi to report the matter, giving rise to so many complications.

In Private Secretary He's eyes, Zhao Han was nothing but a stinking bug — the kind you could crush with one step.

A household slave by origin, a refugee by status, and so young in years — if that was not a stinking bug, what was?

Never mind any talk of "do not scorn a youth for being poor." In another two or three years, before Zhao Han had even grown up, the private secretary would be following the County Magistrate to a new posting.

Fei Yuanyi, therefore, was the one worth cultivating ties with. As long as he got on good terms with the local gentry, the private secretary would live very comfortably these next few years.

Zhao Han offered fifty taels of silver, and Fei Yuanyi also offered fifty taels. The private secretary's choice was obvious: take the hundred taels of silver and obediently do as Fei Yuanyi said!

This approach had never once gone wrong.

The prerequisite being — that he did not run into someone who had no fear of death.

(End of Chapter)