Chapter 1677: Li Zicheng's New Year

Shaanxi, Ningxia Guard, Mengcheng Post Station.

This post station, situated at the junction of Ningxia Guard and Qingyang and Pingliang Prefectures, was shrouded in a bleak wind and bitter rain.

The year-end of the first year of Chongzhen was not an easy time for the post riders of Mengcheng Post Station. For the poor of this era, the New Year was a hurdle to cross! What was there to celebrate? Even if a landlord came to the door with a catty of pork to offer New Year greetings, that was a weasel paying respects to a hen — up to no good!

After the New Year greetings came the settling of accounts!

The usury loans had to be repaid, didn't they? If the principal couldn't be paid, at least some interest had to be handed over, right?

The rent owed had to be cleared, hadn't it? Even if the harvest was poor, that had nothing to do with the landlord!

And all the harsh taxes, levies, and apportioned charges had to be reckoned too, didn't they? Unless one had examination honors to shield oneself, one had to pay double — one share for His Majesty the Emperor, one share paid on behalf of the gentry who were exempt from grain taxes, and one more share for the runners and officials.

And for Li Hongji and Li Jin, uncle and nephew, post riders at Mengcheng, the year-end meant they had to come up with a sum of silver to repay the usury loan owed to the postmaster, Zhao the Skinner.

This Li Hongji was none other than the Li Zicheng whom Zhu Youjian thought of day and night! He was a native of Mizhi County, Yan'an Prefecture, Shaanxi Province. His father, named Li Shouzhong, had also been a post rider and had at the same time run a small side business — using the opportunity of delivering letters or transporting goods for the authorities to carry merchandise. For a time the family had been fairly well off. The fact that after his first wife died he could still marry a decent second wife, and that she bore him two more sons, already spoke for itself.

But a single fall from a horse changed everything. Li Shouzhong was first gravely injured, then died despite treatment. The family's once-passable fortunes declined rapidly, and after the funeral they were already on the verge of having nothing to eat.

To support his mother and younger brother, the grown Li Hongji had no choice but to follow his nephew Li Jin, who was a few years older than him, and go together to Mengcheng Post Station in Ningxia Guard to become post riders.

But being a post rider was no easy job either! Because there was profit in "carrying goods," along with a bit of grain pay and horse-keeping money, one had to pay to get a post rider position that involved outside errands. But Li Hongji and Li Jin, uncle and nephew, had no money. Fortunately, the two of them had run outside errands with Li Shouzhong since childhood and had developed solid horsemanship, and they also had acquaintances at Mengcheng Post Station. So they arranged to become post riders first and settle accounts later — the bribes owed were put on credit, with interest calculated as usury.

Li Jin, a few years older and the one in charge of the money, had originally thought that as long as he and his uncle were not afraid of hardship and spent frugally, over a few years they could save up enough to repay the usury debt owed to Zhao the Skinner.

But who knew that his uncle Li Hongji would be so irresponsible! He visited a brothel once in Pingliang Prefecture and spent more than half of the hard-saved money.

With Zhao the Skinner about to come to the door to press for payment, and Li Jin unable to produce the money, how were they supposed to get through this!

"Second Uncle, it's not that I'm lecturing you, but you're a grown man — how can you be so thoughtless? If you wanted a woman, you didn't have to go to a place like that! Wouldn't it be better to work properly at Mengcheng Post Station for a few years, save up some money, and go back to Mizhi to marry a proper wife?"

In a broken-down house that leaked wind from every side, where at night they had to stuff the holes with tattered cotton wadding, the tall and burly Li Jin, with thick brows, large eyes, and a full beard, was sitting on a rickety chair lecturing his uncle Li Hongji.

This was the elder nephew scolding his younger uncle. The nephew Li Jin was born in the twenty-eighth year of Wanli and was now twenty-eight years old. Having weathered much hardship, he looked old for his age, like a middle-aged man. The nephew's uncle Li Hongji was only twenty-two, and quite good-looking — tall, broad-shouldered, with prominent cheekbones, a full forehead, a high nose bridge, deep-set eyes, and thick eyebrows. His eyes were bright and spirited, and even while being scolded, there was not the slightest trace of timidity in his gaze.

After his elder nephew finished speaking, he laughed heartily: "What of it? Even if I didn't visit brothels, I still couldn't save enough to pay off that Zhao fellow's hell-debt. Better to enjoy a few days to the fullest."

"You—" Li Jin truly had no way to deal with his second uncle. He stamped his foot. "How did you become like this? If Grandpa knew you were so worthless, he'd die of rage down below!"

Li Hongji shook his head and laughed: "My old man is already gone — he can't die of rage. You can rest easy!"

"But—" Li Jin was angered into laughter by this troublesome uncle. "You can't anger Grandpa to death, but what about that old bastard Zhao the Skinner? If we can't produce the money, will he let it go? If he dismisses the two of us from our post rider jobs, what are we supposed to do?"

"I've long since stopped wanting to be in this lousy post rider job."

No sooner had Li Hongji spoken than the voice of Zhao the Skinner came from outside the door: "Well said! Well said — this lousy post rider job is indeed not worth keeping!"

Then came the creaking sound of the door being pushed open, and a fat-headed, big-eared, ruddy-faced middle-aged man walked in laughing heartily, carrying a jar of wine and several oil-paper packets tied together with hemp twine.

The newcomer was none other than the postmaster of Mengcheng Post Station, Zhao Hong, nicknamed Zhao the Skinner.

Li Hongji glanced at Fat Zhao with a completely unconcerned look, but Li Jin was frantic. He jumped up from his chair, hurried forward, and was about to kneel before Zhao the Skinner, but Zhao the Skinner stopped him at once.

"Li the Elder, don't bow to me. I truly cannot keep you and your uncle on." Zhao the Skinner spoke with a smile.

"Postmaster Zhao, you are magnanimous — don't take offense at us uncle and nephew." Li Jin was so anxious he was nearly in tears.

Times were hard now, and finding work was far too difficult! Moreover, Li Jin and Li Hongji, uncle and nephew, had no trade skills — all they could do was ride horses and shoot arrows. They were post riders, after all; they rode every day! And the routes they traveled were not peaceful territory — they had to guard against bandits and wolves, so archery was also an essential skill.

But aside from being somewhat useful in the military, this horsemanship and archery was of no use in any other line of work!

And in the northwest there were too many military garrisons — Yulin, Ningxia, Guyuan, Gansu — four garrisons crowded together. How many sons of military households were seeking a way out? There were too many men who could ride and shoot, and the frontier generals of the four northwestern garrisons were not particularly wealthy, so they could not support many household retainers either.

Thus the skills of Li Hongji and Li Jin, uncle and nephew, had little place to be put to use. Even if they joined the army, they could only serve as ordinary soldiers.

Zhao the Skinner seemed to be in a very good mood today. Even being cursed behind his back did not anger him. Smiling, he set the wine and meat on a rickety table, then sat down on a chair with an air of great self-importance.

"Don't misunderstand. The reason I've come today is actually to offer you uncle and nephew a fine prospect — a position as household retainers!"

"Household retainers?" Li Jin was stunned. "Postmaster, you're not toying with us, are you? What general would take a fancy to us?"

Indeed!

Zhao Hong had thought the same. Li Jin and Li Hongji looked imposing enough, but they were neither barbarian retainers (Mongols) nor from military households — they were just ordinary commoner households from northern Shaanxi. Who would want them as household retainers? Could they even fight?

But the higher-ups had specifically demanded men from "Ningxia Guard post riders," "surnamed Li," "between twenty and thirty years of age" — didn't the Li family uncle and nephew fit perfectly?

And this time the higher-ups were not asking for free service — for every man handed over, there was a reward of ten taels of silver!

Zhao Hong naturally had no intention of keeping Li Jin and Li Hongji.

Besides, he had already seen that these two from the Li family were simply not cut out to be post riders! They didn't know how to carry goods, and they didn't know how to squeeze money. Better to send them off early.

"It's not a general," Zhao Hong said with a smile. "It's His Majesty! His Majesty wants to recruit household retainers." Zhao Hong grinned. "The imperial commissioner for recruitment has already arrived at Guyuan Garrison. You two shouldn't bother with the New Year — have a good meal and drink, then hurry over. If you're recruited, from now on you'll be retainers of the Son of Heaven — eating well, drinking well. Oh, and I've heard that those who haven't yet found a wife will even be given palace maids as wives!"

"What? They even give wives — palace maids?" Li Hongji's eyes lit up. "Elder Nephew, we have to go!"

Seeing his uncle's lecherous look, Li Jin sighed, but he was still uneasy. He turned back to Zhao Hong and said: "Postmaster, if we don't get recruited as household retainers, can we still come back and be post riders?"

"Of course!" Zhao Hong said. "Being a post rider isn't some fine job — who'd stop you from doing it? You two rest assured, if you're not recruited, just come back! We're not cutting anyone!"

He was not being especially accommodating; rather, the higher-ups had recently issued an order — strictly forbidding post stations in Shaanxi from laying off staff!

(End of Chapter)