Chapter 1019: The Shore of Luoma Lake (900 Votes Bonus Chapter)

"I also thought he was about to rebel, but there's still no movement yet. But that overlord—the Demon King you spoke of—how could he possibly come to Shandong for nothing? Eight or nine out of every ten plots of land our mansion wants to buy have already been seized by this overlord. Do you think a tyrant like that would care about some sage, or care about our mansion? If I hadn't taken the initiative to back down just now, those men would have started killing." Kong Jiu said, his smile fading.

Recalling the scene just moments ago, and then thinking over Kong Jiu's words, Old Zhang shuddered with belated fear. He stood dazed for a long while before asking in a low voice, "Young Master Zhang, if that's the case, is this overlord going to rebel? Will the court have to send troops to suppress him? This era of peace… is it going to fall into chaos again?"

"It's not as if they haven't sent troops to suppress him before. An era of peace? Where is there peace? In the Liaodong garrison to the northeast, the Jianzhou Jurchens are fierce as wolves and tigers. In the southwest, in Chuanzhou and Guizhou, the An family tusi are locked in tangled slaughter. To the north, in Hetao, the Mongols raid and harass without end. And right here in Shandong, we've only just had our own chaos. What peace is this? It only looks like peace over by Qufu." Kong Jiu gazed at the river surface, sighing endlessly.

Old Zhang seemed to think of something, and his expression relaxed slightly. He chuckled and said, "Ninth Master needn't brood so much. Our Qufu is a blessed land. Our Kong family is a lineage passed down for thousands of years. No matter who rebels, no matter who sits on the throne, they must grant our mansion glory and riches. It's the same no matter who comes—even the Tartars would have to do the same."

The Duke for the Propagation of the Sage's Kong mansion indeed had the foundation to say such words. Dynasties rose and fell, yet the Kong family's glory and riches only grew higher and higher. Truly, there was nothing to worry about. Hearing this, Kong Jiu stared at the river in silence for a moment before saying sullenly, "I still prefer you to call me Young Master Zhang… What you say is not wrong, but still, I always feel a sense of worry. Sometimes I even wake with a start from nightmares in the middle of the night."

Old Zhang curled his lip behind him but made no sound. As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Kong Jiu saw Old Zhang's expression and gave a self-deprecating smile. "If I had never left the mansion since childhood, if I had grown up in Qufu all along—setting aside all that business of legitimate and concubine-born, elder and younger—I too would believe the world is rich, noble, and peaceful, and that our Kong mansion would endure forever without worry. But I left. I've seen things. And so I am afraid."

Just then, a fleet of boats passed by on the canal. They were the large vessels standard on the canal, a full dozen or so in number. On each boat, sturdy, able-bodied men could be seen standing guard. On the third boat from the front, several young women stood at the prow, gazing at the scenery and letting out coquettish laughter from time to time, drawing the constant glances of the boatmen and sailors on the other grain barges. Yet no one dared make any reckless or teasing moves, for everyone knew a fleet like this surely belonged to a family of the highest wealth and status—not to be offended.

That third boat had clearly been refitted into a style exclusively for passengers. On the deck behind the young women, one could see a tea table and chairs arranged, where someone sat leisurely drinking tea. Setting aside everything else, merely the manner of the people on board and the grandeur of the fleet made their wealth and status feel overwhelming. Standing by the riverbank, Kong Jiu's gaze lingered. Though the river was wide, from the bank one could still make out the clothing and adornments of the people on the boats.

"Not quite matching the very finest of our mansion, but still of the second tier," Kong Jiu remarked. This made Old Zhang start peering over as well. Setting aside the Duke for the Propagation of the Sage's mansion's ancient heritage, under the Ming dynasty, from the founding of the state until now, over two hundred years of wealth and prestige had naturally cultivated the foremost elegance and enjoyment under heaven. The very finest of the Duke for the Propagation of the Sage's mansion would be no less than that of a prince of the blood, and even this second tier was still the wealth of the topmost elite. Kong Jiu had seen and experienced much, yet he made such an appraisal.

"Looking at all this wealth and peace, would you ever know that several hundred thousand people died right here in Shandong?" Kong Jiu turned around, a trace of a cold sneer hanging at the corner of his mouth. Old Zhang nodded instinctively. In truth, traveling from Qufu to southern Shandong, the stretch of road from Qufu to Ziyang had been utterly wretched. Corpses lined the roadside everywhere, many gnawed into mangled pieces by wild beasts, rotting and stinking in the sweltering heat—horrifying and nauseating. At the time, everyone had thought the road ahead would be even more harrowing. They never expected that after passing Ziyang, the road became much cleaner. It wasn't that there were no corpses, but that people had begun collecting and cremating them. Even the security along the road was quite good, nothing like the rampant banditry everyone had anticipated.

The party traveling from the Kong mansion had rested for a few days inside the city of Jining. Although Jining city had been breached, after a brief recovery it already displayed that same scene of wealth and splendor. As for the canal, boats came and went as if it had never been affected at all. Seeing Old Zhang nod, Kong Jiu merely heaved a long sigh and said, "Everyone thinks it's peace and joy!"

After saying this, Kong Jiu turned around. Old Zhang hurriedly tidied up and led the horses to follow, asking, "Young Master Zhang, since the errand can't be done, when shall we return to Qufu?"

"Having finally gotten out once, there's no rush to go back."

As the weather grew hotter, Xuzhou became increasingly busy. The common folk living along both sides of the official road had grown accustomed to the swift horses racing by. They knew this was the Zhao Camp delivering letters, not the sign of another great battle to be fought.

News of the Zhao Camp's expansion and reorganization had already spread. Everyone involved burned with anticipation, pondering what position they might obtain this time. All outside factions were also watching with extreme attention, for any change in the Zhao Camp affected everyone's fortunes, affected everyone's next move. Not the slightest detail could be overlooked.

Those who had originally been left disappointed by the rise of the Zhao Camp also found things to do during this period. As long as one had genuine ability, there was always a teaching post for them in one of Xuzhou's five great academies. Beyond teaching positions, the construction of the academies and the various needs serving them had brought considerable prosperity and development to the markets of Xuzhou and its surroundings. At a time like this, of course, there were still those who were disappointed, but they were now far too few to attract anyone's notice.

The young scholars of Xuzhou now understood that it was very difficult to obtain a civil service rank above Xiucai here. They knew even better that in Xuzhou, even a Xiucai enjoyed few special privileges or benefits, and could no longer shield land from taxes or monopolize litigation as before. Besides, that Xiucai rank was not so easily attained by everyone. Tong Sheng under the age of thirty all began to consider entering the Commerce or Agriculture Academies. A few second or third sons from families of decent means even enrolled in the Foreign Studies Academy. Those who lacked the qualifications but could steel themselves to endure hardship went to the various farming estates, where they would first work as apprentices handling affairs—their rise would not be slow either.

And what of Xuzhou's young martial men? By now, there were no young martial men in Xuzhou outside the Zhao Camp. Those about ten years their senior were leading in the Xuzhou Volunteer Militia. Those even older were originally the household retainers, local braves, and elders of martial men of various ranks within the Zhao Camp, or else they were directly gathered this time to lecture at the Xuzhou Martial Hall. If one wanted a quiet and leisurely life, there were also posts as patrolmen and merchant caravan guards to take. There were many paths forward; there was no need to worry about anything.

Around the eleventh day of the seventh month, however, many people in Xuzhou saw Zhao Jin leading a cavalry troop eastward. Judging by the number of his retinue, this was no simple outing. The cavalry numbered around three hundred, and there were also about four hundred household retainers guarding several horse-drawn carriages, clearly carrying female family members. Some busybodies thought they had guessed the destination: if Lord Jin was bringing his womenfolk, then it must be to the Qingjiangpu area. There was nothing worth visiting in Pizhou or the Barren Grass Flats.

What the people of Xuzhou did not expect was that the procession grew even more imposing after entering Pizhou. The elite martial men of the Jiang and Cheng families came to rendezvous with them, and the vast, mighty column continued eastward, finally stopping at Yutou Town by the shores of Luoma Lake.

When Zhao Jin arrived at Yutou Town with so many troops, the town was immediately thrown into utter chaos. Supplying provisions and pay was simple enough—a large stockpile of supplies was already stored here. The merchants of Yutou Town all wanted to seize this chance to request an audience with Zhao Jin. Although the Zhao Camp's Yunshan Trading Company conducted business fairly and allowed them to earn their fortunes in peace, being able to meet Zhao the Headman, Zhao the Heavenly King, just once would ultimately set their minds more at ease and was something worth boasting about. Yet Zhao Jin refused all audiences. Moreover, that very day, the entire Yutou Town was placed under lockdown—no one was allowed in or out. Mounted household retainers roamed the outer perimeter, while the household retainers and local braves guarded the intersections. The docks were placed under tight surveillance. Though the loading and unloading of goods and the comings and goings of traveling merchants were not prohibited, every person and every movement was watched very closely.

This show of force frightened Yutou Town badly; everyone thought some great bloody affair was about to happen. But they soon discovered that, strict as it was, there were no house-to-house searches, nor was anyone being arrested. This left everyone completely baffled.

On the fourteenth day of the seventh month, work at the docks began early. Yet the boatmen and merchants from out of town were very dissatisfied, because the loading and unloading on these docks was utterly disorganized—not only slow but chaotic. Some could not help grumbling: any place that prospered along the Grand Canal had better order than this. If this went on, it was bound to collapse sooner or later. And what puzzled a small number of people was that they had clearly arranged to meet merchants at the docks, yet by nearly noon, no one had shown up. They had to go into town themselves to search. What kind of way was that to do business? Look at the managers and clerks of Yunshan Trading Company and the Sun Family Trading Company—they had all arrived ages ago. No wonder their businesses grew so large and made such fortunes; their diligence was unmatched. Yet a few who had visited before found it strange. The laborers on the docks were all unfamiliar faces, and the local merchants were usually very diligent. But they kept their puzzlement to themselves. The patrol boats of the Yunshan Grain Company on the river were especially stern that day.

The docks were already a chaotic mess, and then more trouble arose. Whether it was a loading mishap on the boats ahead or an attempt to dodge a fishing boat crossing the river, a vessel somehow turned broadside right in the channel. A dozen or so boats piled up there, directly blocking the waterway. A crowd of boatmen and sailors stood there cursing furiously in frustration, but from the look of things, it would be several hours before passage could resume.

Although the river channel was blocked, it did not become too congested, because Luoma Lake was a stopover point for rest and resupply in the first place. Everyone coming here needed to rest and replenish. Since they couldn't leave, they might as well stay a while longer.

The fourth update for 900 votes!! Dear brothers and sisters, during this three-day May Day mini-holiday, Old Bai won't rest. Two updates a day—who knows how many monthly votes and other support this can earn!

The first few days of May are also double monthly votes. Brothers, don't let me fall behind. I finished writing this today in a teahouse while yawning nonstop; I need to rest a bit. In May, we still have to fight. Everyone, please don't forget to vote tomorrow.

Thank you to old friends "Mu Ming, User peterx4132, User Zilai Juan'er, Zai Jian Mou Ren, User Han Ye, Sui Xin Zi Wo 0, asch_xu" for your tips. Thank you all for your subscriptions and monthly votes. Thank you, everyone. In life, there must be a few times of carefree willfulness. In this month's monthly vote battle, I am truly happy. I'll be willful just this once. Thank you.