Chapter 324: Cannot Accept

Chatting while eating made the meal stretch on. He Cuihua was in no hurry to clear the table, listening as father and son discussed where exactly to go. According to Zhao Jin's thinking, the Revenue Office, Justice Office, or Military Office would all do. Zhao Zhentang still wanted to stay with the constables. The yamen's six offices were Personnel, Rites, Revenue, Justice, Military, and Works, corresponding to the six ministries of the imperial court — they had proper standing and authorized posts. As for the constables, that was merely a common term; in practice it was simply where the constables and runners were stationed, its status far below the six offices.

"I don't know many characters. The six offices are full of rules and established precedents — those people have been doing it for generations, a dozen generations or more. If I went there I'd be a blind man. But with the constables, I'm an old hand, I know the rules well. Besides, when it comes to the marketplace and the underworld dealings in Xuzhou, no one knows them better than the constables. If I'm there, I can also gather information for you..." His father Zhao Zhentang had his own reasoning.

Zhao Jin pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded. Although he had his own people and channels for gathering intelligence within the city, there were still plenty of problems. Having official cover was very necessary, and these constables and runners were the most down-to-earth of all government personnel.

"That works, but you'll have to work hard on your end, Dad..." At this point, Zhao Jin paused, then added, "In the next few days, the men under Chen Ergou and Butcher Li are getting a purge. This time, with the refugees entering the city, they've been nursing quite a few little schemes!"

Zhao Zhentang slowly nodded and said in a deep voice, "They must have figured that with the bandit army attacking the city and chaos breaking out, neither you nor the officials would be able to do anything about it..."

Only then did Zhao Zhentang catch himself. He glared at Zhao Jin and said, "Don't talk about this fighting and killing business in front of your mother!"

He Cuihua hadn't understood at first. Only now did it dawn on her. She shook her head and began clearing the table. Zhao Jin spoke up with a smile, "Mother, let Zhao San's wife handle the cleaning. Our family isn't without servants."

"I have to find something to do. I can't just sit idle. It's really getting hot — we need to open the door..." He Cuihua said with a laugh. She had barely gotten the words out when they heard some clamor and noise outside the courtyard. The next moment, they saw Meng Zhiqi running toward them.

"Master, Young Master, a whole crowd of people has come from outside. They all say they want to pay their respects to the Young Master." Meng Zhiqi's face was bright red as he spoke. Perhaps because the household rarely received outside visitors, such a scene had the youth quite excited.

"'Pay their respects,' not 'request an audience'?" Zhao Jin asked. There was quite a difference between those two phrases.

Meng Zhiqi nodded repeatedly and said, "Young Master, they all said 'pay their respects'!"

"You can't get any peace and quiet even at home. Mother of my child, let's go stay in the inner room!" Zhao Zhentang called out with a laugh.

Zhao San and his wife hurried inside to clear the dining table. The Meng siblings, quick and nimble, brought out tea and the like.

"Let the guards and household servants outside bring the people in. Follow the order they arrived — first come, first in." Zhao Jin instructed. Meng Zhiqi nodded and ran out, while Meng Ziqi was called into the inner room by He Cuihua.

Who could be coming this early? But since the household servants hadn't sent word in, they probably weren't anyone important. If they were his own companions or acquaintances, or people of high status, word of their specific identities would have been passed along long ago. Zhao Jin sat there, thinking.

Yet the very first person to enter the courtyard made him stand up. He walked out the door, cupped his fists, and said with a face full of smiles, "Elder Cai, what brings you here, and so early?"

The first to enter was unexpectedly Provincial Graduate Cai Zhengqiu of Qulipu. Qulipu was over thirty li from Xuzhou city, yet judging by the current light, the city gates had been open less than half a shichen. Could this Provincial Graduate Cai have entered the city last night?

"Young Master Zhao is far too courteous. This old man set out from Qulipu at dawn and arrived before the city gates had even opened. It is indeed rather early — have I disturbed Young Master Zhao and your honored parents' rest?" Provincial Graduate Cai returned the salute with a face full of smiles, his words even more exceedingly polite.

When the two had first met, Provincial Graduate Cai's attitude had actually been quite humble, but back then he still maintained a provincial graduate's airs. Now, however, he had discarded all such airs and face entirely. Compared to others, the only thing missing was calling him "Master Jin."

Zhao Jin could naturally sense this change, but he wouldn't point it out. Smiling, he invited the man into the main hall and served tea to his guest.

"Young Master Zhao's valor is unmatched. Leading fewer than three thousand militia, you defeated a hundred thousand bandits and saved the people of Xuzhou in their hour of peril. This old man is truly full of admiration." The opening pleasantries were unavoidable, but what he said was more or less the truth — how could such a shocking battle achievement not be mentioned?

Provincial Graduate Cai soon got to the point. "Yesterday, the able-bodied men of my Cai clan brought back the expenses, rewards, and compensation that Young Master Zhao had advanced. This old man lost his temper on the spot and gave them a harsh scolding. Young Master Zhao charged at the front and fought a bloody battle against the bandits, enduring such great hardship — how could there be any reason for you to advance the expenses? Qulipu may not be large, but we can certainly produce this sum of silver. Moreover, Young Master Zhao has shown great kindness to Xuzhou and to my Qulipu. The people of Qulipu and every other place still wish to reward Young Master Zhao!"

As he spoke, Provincial Graduate Cai called out toward the outside. After Zhao San asked Zhao Jin for permission, he let the people in. Several sturdy men came in carrying loads on shoulder poles and chests. Inside the chests were silver and coins, along with all manner of gifts — the standard routine for congratulations.

"Tong Huaizu, as Prefect, ought to have the people's welfare at heart and bring benefit to the region. Yet for his own selfish gain, he disregarded the safety of Xuzhou's people. This old man intends to have a proper debate with him." Finally, Provincial Graduate Cai declared with righteous indignation.

How could gifts once given be taken back? The two sides went through another round of polite refusals. Provincial Graduate Cai Zhengqiu had shed all the reserved manner of a scholar — he adamantly refused to take anything back and was exceedingly courteous, saying that from now on Qulipu and He Village must maintain good relations, helping and supporting each other, and so on.

Provincial Graduate Cai said that he too would be staying in the city for the next few days, because although the refugees had scattered, Xuzhou's recovery required coordination on all fronts. As a provincial graduate, Cai Zhengqiu was also a member of the local gentry and notable figures, so he absolutely had to participate.

"... Wuli Village..."

"... Yonggu Mountain..."

The guests that followed came wave after wave. By the time he was receiving the third group, Zhao Jin understood — these were either allied militia forces that had set out together from He Village, or those who had joined up along the way.

The people who came this time were not the leaders of the militia and volunteer forces, but rather the clan heads and family patriarchs, or the local notables of their respective areas. In other words, they were the masters of those militia and volunteer forces.

Their purposes were all quite similar: return the silver and goods that Zhao Jin had advanced, then present lavish gifts on top of that, build some personal connections with Zhao Jin, and also say that they would visit He Village in the future and maintain frequent contact. Those qualified to take part in the recovery efforts would also curse the Prefect a few times and declare that they must seek justice for the people of Xuzhou.

They came quickly and left quickly. The arriving guests all wore attitudes of fearful deference. Even Provincial Graduate Cai was that courteous — the others went without saying.

After about a shichen and a half, with noon approaching, the Zhao household's courtyard finally quieted down. The yard was piled high with gifts. Most of the gold and silver given out yesterday had been returned, and they had even come out quite a bit ahead.

Once quiet was restored, Zhao Zhentang and his wife, along with Meng Ziqi, emerged from the inner room. In the courtyard, Zhao San and his wife and Meng Zhiqi were staring at the gifts, dumbfounded. The Meng siblings reacted like children — after their initial shock passed, they were beaming as they looked here and there.

Zhao Jin shook his head with a wry smile and said helplessly, "I had thought to put in some goods and money to earn a bit of goodwill. And now look — everything's been returned."

"They're trying to build connections with you. After this, anyone in Xuzhou who can get on good terms with you instantly rises a notch above the rest," Zhao Zhentang said with a laugh.

Zhao Jin paused, then slowly nodded. He Cuihua, however, paid no attention to the conversation between father and son. Rubbing her hands together, she called out, "Pick out the meat and fruit first — in this heat they'll spoil. Divide it into several portions. Send one portion over to the Wang household. During the siege, the Wangs helped us out quite a bit."

Just as Zhao Zhentang had guessed, when the militia and volunteer forces from various places returned with the rewards and such, they had thought they'd handled the assignment perfectly. The moment the family heads and clan patriarchs heard about it, they jumped to their feet. Those with mild tempers ordered carts and horses readied with gifts and rushed toward the city. Those with bad tempers first let loose a torrent of abuse — "We finally had a chance to build ties with Master Jin, and you short-sighted bastards ruined it!" — and then also hurriedly rushed toward the city.

There were a few who were a bit slow on the uptake, but foolish as they were, they still knew to watch what others were doing. Under this mutual influence, everyone rushed to reach Xuzhou city by daybreak, and the moment the city gates opened, they came charging over.

After a major disaster, the officials would convene the local gentry and powerful families to jointly discuss relief and recovery efforts — this was standard practice in the Great Ming. Although the imperial court would also distribute relief, the court's actions were always sluggish. If one truly waited for their supplies to provide disaster relief, everyone would likely be dead by then.

In the past, for such joint discussions, quite a few gentry and powerful families were unwilling to attend. Coming meant nothing more than contributing money and labor, with no real benefit to themselves — why bother?

Of course, there were also plenty who did want to come — those whose own interests were at stake, or those who could take advantage of the relief efforts to swallow up nearby properties and farmland.

This time, the refugees had crossed into the region from Shandong and swept all the way south. Major powers like the Xu family had suffered no harm, but many small villages and stockades had been completely wiped off the map. The villagers had been swept along to the walls of Xuzhou, then forced to charge at the front, suffering horrific casualties.

Now, in the part of Xuzhou north of the Yellow River, and for a dozen li around the prefectural city, there were far too many ownerless properties and ownerless fields. Those on the north bank were just at normal prices, but those close to the prefectural city were prime goods. No matter how dilapidated Xuzhou city was, it was still a major city. Properties and farmland close by were all quite valuable. By taking advantage of the relief and recovery efforts, spending very little silver — or even nothing at all — to get these into one's hands, one could make a huge fortune out of thin air.

In ordinary times, many would have thought this way. Those who could get a slice of the pie would all come to participate. Those who couldn't get a share but had a chance would be thinking of how to get involved. And those with no connection would keep a respectful distance. But this time was different. Whether connected or not, as long as one was qualified to attend and had no unavoidable weddings or funerals at home, everyone who could come, came.