Chapter 1658 - A Rescue at the Dock

In Suo Pu's assessment, the obstacles to the Council of Elders' rule over Guangdong—apart from natural factors—were fundamentally social.

His gaze swept over everyone in the forward cabin. Kang Mingsi and Xie Peng were still tirelessly discussing matters, their voices a low murmur beneath the creaking of the boat.

Guangdong was fundamentally different from Hainan. Hainan possessed a small population; land conflicts there were not acute, and the power of local strongmen, landlords, and clan forces remained limited. Under the Council of Elders' military pressure, they had submitted easily and been transformed with minimal resistance. In Guangdong, things would prove far less simple. The historical grievances among the Chaoshan people, the Hakka, and the Cantonese alone would keep Director Liu—now eagerly preparing to assume his post—occupied for quite some time.

"The wheel of history rolls forward inexorably, crushing everything in its path"—easy enough to say, far harder to accomplish...

He recalled the materials he had studied about accepting and transforming old societies and old cities. The hour had grown late, approaching the fifteenth of the eighth lunar month. A full moon hung resplendent in the sky. The boats anchored in the river bend showed flickering lantern lights. The distant sounds of flutes and pipa drifted on the breeze. The river wind was moist and refreshing, the water murmuring softly—all was serene.

Looking across to the north bank of the West River, Zhaoqing City rose with its back against General's Peak, facing the West River and commanding the waterway. The city wall had a circumference of 2.8 kilometers, entirely faced with brick. Though it could not be called a particularly imposing fortress, it possessed all the proper defensive features—corner towers, battlements, enemy platforms, barbicans—worthy of a strategic military location and crucial junction of the two Guangdong provinces. By Suo Pu's estimate, the walls stood over six meters high. Even without binoculars, he could see that artillery platforms of various sizes had been built atop them.

He noticed a three-story pavilion rising above the wall, quite impressive in silhouette. "Is that Piyun Tower?" he asked.

Lin Ming hastened to reply: "Piyun Tower stands at the North Gate. That is Kuixing Pavilion."

Suo Pu nodded. Kuixing Pavilion was dedicated to the star god Kuixing. But from its outward appearance, it was clearly designed as a military stronghold, with gun ports and arrow slits bristling densely. These defensive measures would prove useless, of course. Small wonder Lord Macartney had been left with nothing but contempt for the Qing after his audience with Emperor Qianlong—and the technological gap between Britain and the Qing had been far smaller than that between the Council of Elders and the Ming.

While he stood lost in thought, Lin Ming had already directed some men to set up tables and chairs on the bow deck. He personally retrieved dishes and wine from a large food container and arranged them with practiced efficiency. His eager, deft manner resembled that of a waiter in a high-end restaurant. Suo Pu could not help frowning slightly: this Centurion Lin was truly a shrewd, capable, and socially adept character. Small wonder a petty centurion—an official of the most negligible rank—could get along so well everywhere simply by brandishing the words "Jinyiwei."

He supposed men like this would do equally well under Council of Elders rule, managing and maneuvering their way through whatever system emerged...

"Master Suo, the moon is bright tonight," Lin Ming said, seeing him emerge from the cabin. "Rather than sitting idle in boredom, why not share some wine and admire the moon together? Gaoyao County has just sent over a banquet."

Suo Pu nodded: "That sounds agreeable."

At the table sat only the four of them. The banquet, sent by the county magistrate, was quite sumptuous.

"Come, come, come—this is Guilin Ruilu wine, brought all the way from Guangxi," Lin Ming said, reaching for the flagon. "Hard to find in Guangzhou..."

He was about to pour for them when Kang Mingsi glanced at Suo Pu. Suo Pu understood instantly—these retired soldiers could all hold their liquor, but this was "mission time," and drinking would constitute "breaking discipline."

"We'll make an exception today—consider it a day off," Suo Pu smiled. "Let's have a few cups, but don't get drunk."

The men raised their cups together. Though Suo Pu poured himself some wine, he only sipped lightly while watching the others drink and admire the moon. They listened to the lilting strings and pipes drifting from other boats on the river. No one spoke; they all seemed intoxicated by the tranquil moment.

Then the faint sound of a woman weeping drifted on the wind. Suo Pu paid it no special heed. Since arriving in this time-space, he had grown accustomed to witnessing all manner of suffering and misery. He knew well that momentary compassion could not bring peace to the realm. Besides, he was here for a staff reconnaissance, not a charity expedition.

Lin Ming set down his cup with a frown. "How insufferable!" He made to rise. "I'll go have a look and give her some coins to move along..."

Suo Pu shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Let her weep. There are too many sorrowful people in this world—how could we possibly tend to them all? Just keep drinking."

But Kang Mingsi interjected: "Well... from the sound of it, it's a woman. In this pitch darkness, could she be suffering at someone's hands? It doesn't seem right to simply stand by."

Suo Pu smiled. "I didn't realize you possessed such a tender heart for the fairer sex. Since you put it that way, let's look into this matter." He called over an escort and ordered him to discover who was weeping.

"If she's merely in difficulty, give her a few taels of silver," Suo Pu instructed.

Before long, the escort returned with his report: "She's a singing girl. From her accent, she hails from somewhere near South Zhili. She was brought here two years ago as a concubine. This year her master died and she was cast out. She's been scraping by singing for coins here at the dock. Unfortunately, she borrowed silver from a flower-boat madam, and now she's being pressed so hard for repayment that she's in tears."

"Since it's a matter of debt, find out how much and pay it off for her."

The escort smiled, as if there were something more he wished to say. Lin Ming laughed knowingly: "This isn't something silver alone can solve. Anyone who runs a flower boat at a major dock like Zhaoqing is a figure to be reckoned with. I doubt they're after just a few taels—they want her body."

"Oh? There are such machinations?" Suo Pu frowned.

"From what this gentleman says, this singing girl works independently—she holds no indenture contract in any madam's hands. On the flower boat, whether she sells herself, when she sells herself, to whom she sells or refuses to sell—she decides all of this herself. The money she earns is split fifty-fifty with the madam. If a patron gives her private gifts, she keeps them for herself."

At this, Suo Pu grasped the situation clearly. The madam evidently felt she was not earning enough from the girl and wanted to transform their partnership into an acquisition. He frowned:

"In that case, let's help her out."

Lin Ming said: "Helping her isn't difficult. The question is how far you wish to go..."

Kang Mingsi grew impatient: "Old Lin, stop beating around the bush. Out with it!"

Lin Ming gave a dry laugh: "If it's merely help for now, we pay off her debt and be done with it. But where there's a first of the month, there's a fifteenth. As long as she's still working on the Zhaoqing docks, sooner or later she'll fall into someone's clutches. If you truly want to help her to the end, you must get her out of here entirely—send her off to wherever she has family or relatives, somewhere she can settle down peacefully..."

"This is like playing matchmaker and then personally delivering the bride," Suo Pu laughed. "That's precisely why I say it's best not to be too kindhearted. We have too much pressing business to attend to such things. Here's what we'll do: give her some travel money and let her seek her fortune elsewhere. The rest is left to her own fate."

"Yes, the Chief's instruction is wise," Lin Ming said with a knowing smile. He thought to himself that the escort alone probably could not settle this matter—someone with official credentials would need to intervene. "I'll handle this personally."

Kang Mingsi said: "I'll come along for a look."

Suo Pu smiled: "Look if you like, but don't go playing the martial arts hero."

The two men, accompanied by an escort, went ashore. After a short walk, they came to a small temple that still appeared to receive some incense offerings. Lin Ming knew that such temples often had spare rooms available for rent—so-called "monk lodgings." It was not unusual for a woman who worked independently singing at the docks to stay in such a place.

The east wing of this temple contained very low buildings. Small rooms lined all four sides of the courtyard, one adjacent to another—over a dozen in total. Most were already dark, but a few still had oil lamps burning, flickering like ghost lights in the darkness. The escort indicated a direction. Only then did Lin Ming notice that a small room on the southwest side had its door standing open. Some bundles and belongings lay scattered in front, and someone was crouched beneath the eaves—a woman, it appeared—from whom the weeping emanated.

He strolled over and bent down to ask: "Was that you crying just now?"

"..."

The woman stirred slightly but did not answer. By the moonlight, Lin Ming could not discern her face clearly. She appeared to be about thirty years old. Though he could not make out her precise features, he could tell she was quite comely. He sighed inwardly and asked again: "How much do you owe?"

"Fifteen taels." The woman raised her head to glance at Lin Ming, sighed, and said no more. Lin Ming felt the voice was somehow familiar. He was about to inquire further when a woman's cold, mocking laugh emerged from inside the room: "Don't listen to her lies!" Following the voice, a woman in her fifties appeared and pointed accusingly at the younger woman: "Last year she borrowed seven taels from me to buy headpieces and clothes, at thirty percent interest. She hasn't repaid a single coin. This year she fell ill and borrowed another eight taels. Principal plus interest comes to forty-eight taels and six qian!" She rattled off the figures like an abacus, sharp and clear, spittle flying with each word.

The young woman protested: "Heaven knows the truth—the jewelry and ornaments I gave you, never mind forty-eight taels, were worth at least four hundred and eighty..."

"Those few brass and silver trinkets of yours, with a bit of kingfisher feather decoration—a few qian per piece at most!"

Lin Ming knew that the debts these flower-boat madams extended to their girls were compound-interest loans of the "king of hell" variety—if you tried to settle such accounts properly, you would never reach the bottom of them. He spoke up decisively: "I'll pay off this silver for her."

He pulled a Delong bank note from his sleeve and tossed it on the ground:

"Here's a fifty-tael Delong note! She and you are now even."

The madam quickly dropped to her knees to snatch up the note. Holding it to the lamplight, she confirmed it was indeed a genuine Delong note—the paper was distinctive, the printed patterns peculiar. There had never been any counterfeits on the market; you could tell it was genuine just by touch. Yet she sneered: "You're paying for her? Who do you think you are? Let me tell you—this little hussy has already caught the eye of Master Cao from Guangxi. He's willing to pay three... five hundred taels to keep her. You come here waving fifty taels and think you can cut off my prospects?"

Though she said this, she clutched the note tightly and did not budge from her spot.

Lin Ming knew she was raising the price on the spot. Declining to waste further words, he pulled his badge from his waist and brandished it in the moonlight: "How much do you reckon this is worth?"

The madam initially thought it was some kind of jade ornament. She squinted to examine it—and in the moonlight saw clearly that it was a Jinyiwei badge. She was a madam at a major dock's pleasure quarter, well-traveled and experienced. One look at the badge and she knew she had stirred up serious trouble. She quickly plastered on an obsequious smile: "What is the lord saying? That's a priceless treasure. Even if I possessed the heart and guts of a bear or leopard, I wouldn't dare ask for it..."

(End of Chapter)