Chapter 1018: Disciples of the Sage (800 votes bonus chapter)

Staring at the torn official notice on the ground, the servants of the Kong Estate were all dumbstruck. Many instinctively turned to look at the bailiffs, and the bailiffs, for once, moved in perfect unison — they all lowered their heads in unison, pretending they saw nothing at all.

"That's more like it. I told you not to waste words with us. If the higher-ups find out, they'll blame us for bungling the job again. Just detain them all and send them back, isn't that right?" A sturdy young man said with a laugh. Dozens of sturdy young men, clubs in hand, had already closed in around them.

The Kong Estate people were truly panicking now. How could neither the government troops nor the county office intimidate these people? Did they really have to see the Yellow River before they'd shed tears? They knew full well that if the Kong Estate truly labeled some place a nest of rebels, the county office and the government troops really would send men to slaughter everyone here to the last. And the people speaking across from them all had Shandong accents — didn't they know that? Why did it look like they were actually about to strike? And these bailiffs — why were the bailiffs backing away?

"Gentlemen, we had no choice either. Orders from above, we had to come and make a showing. This really has nothing to do with us. Do as you please, do as you please." The head constable, his face wreathed in smiles, spoke as he retreated. The other bailiffs also wore ingratiating grins, completely ignoring the dumbstruck Kong Estate crowd.

Seeing that they were about to be surrounded and attacked, the Kong Estate people finally turned their eyes to the middle-aged man on horseback. The middle-aged man sighed, then dismounted. He stepped forward two paces, clasped his fist in a salute, and said politely, "Everyone, there must be some misunderstanding in this matter. My people here don't understand proper decorum and have given much offense in their words. I beg you all not to take it amiss. We'll leave right now. What do you think?"

The middle-aged man on horseback wore a half-worn satin long gown. No gold, silver, or jade ornaments were visible anywhere on his person, yet he was groomed very neatly. And no matter how much of a scene unfolded, he remained calm and composed. Compared to the dark, sallow complexions of the Shi Family Village folk, his square, fair-skinned face was very conspicuous. Taken together, he possessed a certain poised and noble air that drew the eye in this scene. The Kong Estate group had been making a racket the whole time, but the stewards and militia leaders of Shi Family Village had been paying attention to him all along.

No one expected this middle-aged man, who looked like the leader, to be so courteous and humble, yielding all face at once. The stewards and militia leaders of Shi Family Village were all taken aback, while expressions of disdain actually appeared on the faces of the Kong Estate people.

But with words spoken to this extent, the saber-rattling atmosphere from moments before could be considered eased. The Kong Estate crowd looked resentful and unwilling to accept it, but no one was foolish enough to keep arguing. The middle-aged man clasped his fist in salute once more, mounted his horse, and with someone leading the horse, the others followed and left.

"Report this matter to Xuzhou as quickly as possible. You men go talk with those bailiffs and find out exactly what's going on." The village head said in a deep voice. Several men below immediately acknowledged the order.

The Kong Estate group, meanwhile, walked away very quickly. They cursed under their breath but never stopped their steps, afraid that if they walked too slowly, the people behind would catch up. The few who had stepped forward earlier felt even more that they had lost face and kept muttering, "These must be rebel remnants. We must report this to the estate quickly and ask His Grace to send a dispatch to the Grand Coordinator, to send troops and wipe this place out, slaughter them all!" Another cursed indignantly, "The bailiffs here must be in cahoots with these roving bandits. We'll have to deal with them too when the time comes."

The muttering went on without end. The middle-aged man on horseback reined in his mount and said gently from the saddle, "You all go back first. I'll take a walk by the canal."

A few of the family servant headmen exchanged glances, all forcibly suppressing expressions of impatience. One man bowed and said, "Ninth Master, this area is in chaos from war. That village is nothing but a den of bandits. For you to go over there like this, Ninth Master..."

"It's no matter. The whole journey here, the land has been perfectly peaceful. I'll just go with Old Zhang, the two of us. They won't do anything." The middle-aged man explained mildly.

At his words, these servant headmen of the Kong Estate immediately nodded. With great negligence, they said, "Ninth Master, take care," and headed off on their own toward the city. They hadn't gone far when voices drifted over from the group: "A man with no formal status from the outer eight courtyards, really thinks he's some kind of master." "Keep your voice down, I hear this is His Grace's..."

The voices weren't loud, but they could be faintly heard even at this distance, which showed how little regard that group had for this Ninth Master. The horse-leader, Old Zhang, showed an expression of fury on his face and said through gritted teeth, "These wretched curs..."

"Why get angry with them? Besides, they didn't say anything wrong." The middle-aged man said with a smile, dismounting as he spoke and walking side by side with Old Zhang, who led the horse.

They walked back the way they had come, and before long passed by Shi Family Village. The village guards of Shi Family Village found it puzzling when they saw them — what could just these two possibly do? But the Kong Estate middle-aged man, called Ninth Master, waved with a smile, greeting the village, then continued on his own toward the riverbank.

"You don't need to be afraid. These people look arrogant, but their conduct actually follows rules." Old Zhang, who led the horse, was very nervous. Kong Jiu smiled and comforted him with a few words.

Shi Family Village was very close to the canal. The two of them soon reached the canal bank. Not far away was a simple ferry crossing, where grain-transport boats were unloading cargo. Village guards were carrying bundles into the village. There were also men standing watch, who glanced at Kong Jiu and his servant, then paid them no further attention.

Grain-transport boats came and went on the canal, presenting a scene of bustling activity. Earlier in the year, there had been an earthquake and then drought, but after the great chaos of the Smelling Incense Sect, the weather had suddenly turned fine. Rain was plentiful, the canal's water volume increased, and boats traveled more easily. Many people were saying that Shandong had suffered too bitterly, accumulating too much resentment, which was why year after year brought famine and slaughter. This great chaos of the Smelling Incense Sect was the release of all that resentment. With the calamity dispersed, the times naturally improved.

"Such a great famine, such a great upheaval, and suddenly it's all peaceful. Look at this river — where is there any sign that chaos ever happened? In a few more months, who will even remember this great chaos?" Kong Jiu stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the river, leisurely and at ease. The weather was already hot, and standing by the river, the wind blowing across the water was exceptionally comfortable.

"Ninth Master, if we can't secure the village this time, we'll have no way to answer for the assignment when we return. I fear there will be trouble. His Grace is already gravely ill, and the young masters are watching you so closely. This time..." Old Zhang, who led the horse, remained deeply worried.

Sensing Old Zhang's concern, Kong Jiu smiled, utterly unconcerned, and said lightly, "If everyone else succeeded and I alone failed, naturally that would be a fault. But if no one succeeds, what grounds are there to blame me? Do you think acquiring land and buying fields everywhere else will go smoothly?"

"The people along this canal are all crafty folk. They might really be roving bandit remnants. In other places, those ignorant country bumpkins — how could they withstand the might of our estate?" Old Zhang had his own reasoning.

This Kong Jiu burst out laughing, so much so that the village guards over there transporting supplies all looked his way. Only after he finished laughing did he speak: "How could that be? Let me tell you, the people in our estate have been arrogant for too long. They don't understand the situation in Shandong. They think that below the Prince of Lu, our family is next. I'm afraid many even think our Kong Estate is more noble and important than the Lu Princely Establishment. With that mindset, not only do they not bother to learn about the outside world, but even if they knew something, they wouldn't take it seriously, thinking, 'This is the Sage's lineage — everyone has to show some face.'"

Old Zhang took down the feed bag hanging from the side of the saddle, opened it, and set it on the ground for the horse to eat. He nodded along with his master's words. Having served in the Kong Estate for a long time, he had naturally heard such talk — things like "Our Kong family has enjoyed two thousand years of wealth and honor; his Zhu family has only had two hundred." But Old Zhang knew even better the power the Duke for the Propagation of the Sage's estate held in Shandong. Local officials would sometimes push back against matters involving the Lu Princely Establishment, claiming they were pleading for the people and standing firm against the imperial princes. But none ever pushed back against the Duke for the Propagation of the Sage's estate. Whatever the Kong Estate wanted, everyone would cooperate. Confucian scholars, naturally, had to be courteous to the descendants of the Confucian sages. In Old Zhang's thinking, with the Lu Princely Establishment destroyed, the Kong Estate sending people everywhere to acquire land and buy fields was bound to go smoothly. With the cooperation of the government offices, who would dare disobey?

The only problem was that his own master was on a cold stove in the estate, always severely pushed aside. He reckoned his master had been set up again this time, assigned to the most troublesome place. The other assignments surely wouldn't run into such outrageous trouble.

Though no words were spoken here, master and servant had been together so long that seeing Old Zhang's expression, Kong Jiu guessed what he was thinking. He continued with a smile, "Old Zhang, our journey here can be considered a good one. At least everyone, high and low, got away with their lives intact. In other places, there might very well be deaths and injuries. Tell me, when the time comes, will we be the ones found at fault?"

"What? Deaths and injuries?" Hearing this, Old Zhang shuddered. In Shandong, who would dare lay a hand on people from the Duke for the Propagation of the Sage's Kong Estate? Who had such nerve? Was this rebellion?

Seeing Old Zhang's reaction, Kong Jiu put away the smile on his face. He looked at the river surface, sighed, and shook his head. "Everyone in our estate, high and low, thinks this way: flash the title of the Duke for the Propagation of the Sage, and no matter east, south, west, north — Shandong, Henan, or the Metropolitan Province — everyone has to give face and submit. It never occurs to them that the world has long since changed. You lot gather in a bunch every day wagging your tongues — have you never discussed this great chaos?"

"I never go mix with them. Besides, they're always spouting unreliable news — something about this cult leader who can summon wind and rain, but over in Xuzhou there's a Demon King, and the two fought a battle of magic in Zou County..." Old Zhang rambled on more and more.

Kong Jiu listened with a bitter smile and waved his hand to cut the other off. "You lot truly haven't discussed anything of substance. Let me ask you — do you remember Kong Family Village at the border of the three provinces?"

"This humble one remembers. That village head who falsely used our Kong Estate's name — didn't the two masters of the Third Branch take family punishment over that? Wasn't it said that village was wiped out by the Xuzhou government office?" Old Zhang replied.

"That Kong Tiger was destroyed by a local hegemon from Xuzhou. This great chaos in Shandong was also quelled by that Xuzhou hegemon. There are even rumors that the extermination of the Lu Princely Establishment is connected to this hegemon as well." Kong Jiu said with a smile, but there was not a trace of mirth in his eyes.

Hearing these words, Old Zhang's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. A long while after Kong Jiu finished speaking, he suddenly shook his head and lowered his voice: "Young Master Zhang, wasn't it said that the chaos was quelled because the Xuzhou Assistant Regional Commander rendered great merit, and the two Chief Regional Commanders of Shandong pacified it? If... if it's as you say, Young Master Zhang, then wouldn't that be rebellion? But nothing out of the ordinary has been seen."

Today's third update. Looking at this momentum, there should be a fourth update tonight, and possibly even more.

Thank you all for your support. Subscriptions, monthly tickets, and tips — throw them all at me! Great Ming Warrior asks for everyone's support!