Chapter 459 - Autumn Levy (Part 14)
Zhou Qi had thought about finding a way out before. But now that Gou Buli had raised the subject directly, his instincts sharpened. He studied the man carefully and probed: "I wonder what kind of way out there might be?"
Gou Buli dropped all pretense. He leaned in and whispered, "Wouldn't you like to someday become this county's Household Clerk?"
Zhou Qi nearly replied that with his master having three sons, it would never be his turn no matter what. But he caught himself—with Gou Buli's status, what ability did he have to make such a statement? Someone must be pulling strings behind the scenes.
Given the gravity of the matter, Zhou Qi grew circumspect. "A man seeks higher ground—how could I not want that?"
"It's enough that you have that ambition." Gou Buli then quietly revealed the Australians' intention to install him as the new Household Clerk.
"How is that possible!" Zhou Qi shook his head repeatedly. "Don't you know that being Household Clerk ultimately depends on possessing the Fish-Scale Register? If my master refuses to pass the register to me, becoming the clerk is meaningless!"
"You needn't worry about that. The Australians are tremendously capable. Do you think they couldn't handle a trifle like this?" Gou Buli's small eyes blinked knowingly.
Zhou Qi nodded slowly. "The Australians wouldn't be so generous as to simply hand me the position for nothing. There must be conditions."
Gou Buli nodded with a smile. "Brother Seventh is straightforward! Actually, there are no particular conditions. As they say, a new emperor has new ministers. With the Australians in charge of Lingao now, they naturally want to install their own people in the yamen—makes things easier to arrange, doesn't it..."
"How am I considered their 'own person'—" Zhou Qi asked doubtfully.
"Heh heh, let's speak plainly then." Gou Buli's eyes gleamed. "If the Australians knew everything about grain collection and the Fish-Scale Register, would it ever be your turn to become Household Clerk? Right now is an opportunity! You mustn't let it slip by!"
Zhou Qi fell silent. The Australians' arrival was indeed an opportunity. Right now, anyone in the county willing to prostrate themselves before their strange half-boots and sell their services would certainly reap some benefits. And here they were, actively recruiting him—with the position of Household Clerk as the prize. The temptation was almost overwhelming.
But Zhou Qi did not dare agree. First, doing this would make him guilty of "betraying his master"—he would become a pariah among the clerks. Second, given his master's personality, voluntarily stepping aside was impossible; he would have to be forced out by the Australians. There would certainly be endless trouble afterward.
"Don't worry." Gou Buli seemed to divine his fears. "Your master—when the time comes, he'll be willing." He made a sinister gesture with his hand. "You're his senior apprentice. Having you succeed him, no one will object."
Zhou Qi's heart stirred. The first rule of being a clerk was to kill one's conscience. Whatever fate might befall his master caused him no emotional distress. His only concern was the consequences.
"He still has sons. How would it ever be my turn? Don't forget that Punishment Clerk Zhang Shi is their uncle!" He shook his head repeatedly. "Besides, there are many grain runners under my master. They may not all submit to me."
"Whether they submit depends on your ability. Otherwise, why would the Australians want you? They're not your father." Gou Buli was blunt. "As for the Zhang brothers—that's not your concern. That will naturally be handled for you."
This was a clear signal that the Australians would "protect him." However vicious the Zhang brothers might be, they were no match for the Australians.
Zhou Qi hesitated, then said very carefully: "Brother Gou! We're both local folk here, so let me speak frankly—do you think these Australians will stay for the long term?"
Gou Buli smiled. "Whether they stay long or not, you'd be holding the position of 'Household Clerk' of Great Ming's Lingao County. What does it matter?"
Zhou Qi's mind suddenly cleared. That was right! This was not some "puppet position"—it was a proper "registered clerk." Whether the Australians stayed or not was immaterial! As long as he seized this opportunity and spent these years consolidating his position with Australian backing, clearing out anyone who stood in his way, even if the imperial troops eventually returned, he would still be sitting securely in this seat!
If he proved to be worthless mud that could not hold a wall, then naturally he would have to quietly slink away. But Zhou Qi did not believe he was any worse than his master. He had always felt that Chen Minggang had reached his position only through the luck of being born into a hereditary clerk family. His own disadvantage lay entirely in his origins.
Still, this was a weighty matter. He needed to think it over carefully. He cupped his hands in salute. "Brother Gou, please convey to the Australian chief: I need time to consider this."
"Very well, think it over." Gou Buli did not press. "Let me know in a few days." He added, "Every morning I take tea downstairs."
The Welfare Society Restaurant, like establishments in later times, had opened an "early tea" business. Though flour was in short supply and they could only make simple rice-based dim sum for now, this had already made the place bustle with activity every morning.
Zhou Qi lost all appetite for food and drink. He excused himself and departed. Gou Buli continued eating and drinking alone in the private room. After a while, the door curtain lifted and Zhou Botao entered, dressed like a wealthy merchant. Gou Buli reported the entire conversation word for word. In fact, Zhou Botao had been listening from the restaurant's surveillance room, but the two men had spoken in Lingao dialect, which he did not fully understand. He would have to send the recording to specialists for translation and transcription.
"...Zhou Qi is tempted, but he's afraid his colleagues won't accept him..."
"Colleagues?"
"The other clerks in the yamen. Zhou Qi is still an outsider, after all. If Chen Minggang openly handed him the position, no one would object. But even if you push him into the seat, Chief, his position won't be stable."
"This position isn't supposed to come easily in the first place." Zhou Botao smiled and said something cryptic.
"Yes," Gou Buli replied, though he had no idea what the chief had in mind—but it was obviously nothing good. "...He's also worried about the Zhang brothers' attitude. Those two have never treated him well, and they're the uncles of Chen Minggang's sons. If they decide to make trouble for him, he'll be miserable."
Zhou Botao seemed uninterested in this. Instead, he asked: "Do you think there's anything between him and Qiuhong?"
Gou Buli laughed. "You'd have to kill him first! Old Eight doesn't joke around when it comes to women. Touching his woman is like digging up his ancestors' graves. If Zhou Qi had dared do that, he'd have died seventeen or eighteen times over by now."
Huang Binkun's petition finally took shape. He had exerted considerable effort among the major households in town and the surrounding area. Once they learned that Liu Dalin was willing to personally negotiate with the Australians, the family heads all grew considerably bolder. As long as someone was willing to take the lead, the Chinese were always quite happy to follow along and join the clamor—especially when their own interests were at stake. Everyone expressed willingness to sign the joint petition.
In his conversations, Huang Binkun also tested the major households' attitudes toward the Baldies. Most were dissatisfied with the Australians' "poor judgment in personnel," but beyond that, there was little else. Huang Binkun took the opportunity to hint that Chen Minggang was merely a pawn—that the real intention behind the land survey plunder was the Australians'. But when he said this, his listeners either changed the subject or simply fell silent. No one showed any strong reaction.
This disappointed Huang Binkun greatly. In the past, whenever the county yamen attempted to undertake any project, major households would vigorously oppose it. Just a few years ago, when the county wanted to repair the Ever-Normal Granary, several powerful households had raised such a fuss that the matter was dropped.
"And now they're so docile! Truly people who won't shed tears until they see the coffin!" Huang Binkun cursed silently. Still, persuading them to sign jointly was already a significant achievement.
After finishing a busy day, he returned to the county school. For convenience, he had not taken lodgings in the student dormitory with attending servants but was staying in the compound of the "Archery Range." Archery was one of the "Six Arts" of the Rites of Zhou, so the county school maintained this facility—though it had fallen into disuse many years ago. Huang Binkun stayed there with two young servants.
He had barely arrived at his quarters when Li Xiaopeng came looking for him. He reported that he had persuaded another ten or so classmates to sign on for this cause.
"These fellows have long been unhappy with the Australians, but their families keep them on a tight leash and they didn't dare speak up readily." Li Xiaopeng explained. "Now that I've told them Master Liu is taking the lead, and their families won't stay out of it either, they've agreed. But they need to send word home first to ask permission."
Huang Binkun said, "Let me pay visits to their homes in the coming days. They'll all agree then."
"There are also a few poor students," Li Xiaopeng added. "They're only interested in the Australians' food vouchers. I promised them some benefits, and they finally softened—as long as everyone signs together, they'll add their names too."
Huang Binkun had assumed Li Xiaopeng was just a foppish rich boy. He had not expected that when the young man actually set his mind to something, he possessed real ability. What Huang Binkun himself could not accomplish despite talking until his lips were parched, Li Xiaopeng had achieved in half a day. Truly impressive.
"Good—I must ask you to continue your efforts on this." Huang Binkun said. "Master Liu is our backer. Tell everyone not to be afraid—even the Australians greatly respect Master Liu."
News of Huang Binkun's secret campaign to rally the major households for a petition soon reached Chen Minggang's ears.
"Hmph, these scholars have nothing better to do with their time." Chen Minggang said angrily.
Angry though he was, the situation had to be addressed. Men with degrees were people of status. One or two impoverished scholars might be nothing, but when they banded together, they became difficult to handle—let alone when they had Liu Dalin as their banner.
Liu Dalin's stock had been rising with the Australians lately. If he came forward to speak for the grain households, along with a crowd of clamoring scholars, the Australians would have to make some gesture of response—and that would ruin his own plans.
He could not and dared not touch Liu Dalin; Chen Minggang understood that clearly. But Liu Dalin had no ability to campaign actively on his own; he was merely a Buddha being carried around by others. The key figure was Huang Binkun.
A snake cannot move without its head. If he could stop Huang Binkun from continuing to run about, the joint petition would simply fizzle out.
(End of Chapter)