Chapter 1870 - Out with the Old, In with the New (Part 6)

"What etiquette," Gao Lingxiang waved his fan. "This is just a beggar's den. We're not so particular here."

The Mo steward quickly said: "Master Gao flatters me to death. How could this lowly one compare with Your Honor? Please don't jest with me." With that, he promptly presented the gift list and letter.

Gao Lingxiang didn't open the letter but first examined the gift list, nodding repeatedly. "Old Master Mo has spent too lavishly."

The steward hastened to say: "What are you saying, Master Gao! Before I left, our master instructed me—this is to congratulate you on succeeding to the position of Chief Beggar of Guangzhou Prefecture. It's a tremendous occasion; our master shares in the glory. These trifles merely add to the festivity."

He picked up an exquisitely decorated box with patterned paper labels and presented it.

"This is a famous Australian product called 'South Sea Cigars.' Quite a rare treasure. The tobacco leaves inside originally come from the Purple Bamboo Forest on South Sea Island. The Australians brought them over in their great iron ships, braving waves and perils. Only about a hundred are produced each year. Our master happened to obtain a few and, hearing that the in-law master loves Australian treasures, kept not a single one—wrapped them all up to send here."

"My in-law father is too kind, too kind." Gao Lingxiang was still young after all, accustomed to chasing all manner of Australian novelties. Smoking cigars was a habit he had picked up long ago; he had to cut a cigar every day. He naturally knew that the finest cigars were these South Sea Cigars specially supplied to Elements. The gifts also included several other Australian items, each of considerable value. Mo Rongxin had truly spared no expense.

Gao Lingxiang picked up a glass vessel etched with various brilliant flowers, its rim traced in gold wire—clearly workmanship from the Purple Treasure House. Quite expensive.

He held the cup up to look through it toward the sky, asking casually: "My in-law father has spent too much. I hear collecting rents from the outside lands hasn't been easy lately, yet he still spends so much money!"

These gifts were worth at least five hundred taels—truly generous. It seemed his in-law father's matter was no small thing; otherwise, he wouldn't have brought out such a sum, especially at a time like this.

The Guangzhou municipal government's "Land Tax Rectification" campaign had already begun in several counties around Guangzhou. The gentry in Guangzhou city held most of their fields and lands in this area. This rectification had uncovered massive amounts of hidden fields, tax discrepancies, and so-called "donations to avoid taxes." The rents they had expected to collect had already been greatly reduced.

In more remote areas, though the Australians hadn't started "rectifying" yet, local unrest meant estate managers either couldn't collect rents or, having collected them, claimed the roads were unsafe and pocketed them. The rent problem had become the gentry landlords' greatest worry.

The Wenlan Academy held over three thousand mu of fields on its books. These three thousand mu were essentially the private property of the trustees and managers, with two-thirds of the income embezzled by them. Mo Rongxin, as Director, embezzled the most. The Mo family's life of luxury owed much to the academy's endowments.

The steward quickly said: "We can only manage carefully. Our master says the Mo and Gao families are intertwined like branches of the same tree. In these times of chaos and instability, we must speak with one voice and support each other."

Gao Lingxiang nodded slightly. However many old grievances he had against Mo Rongxin, these words hit the mark. The Mo family needed the Gao family—but didn't the Gao family equally need the Mo family? However poor the Mo family's reputation, they were still considered gentry. They could put in a word before many of the city's prominent families. That gave them far more room to maneuver than the Gao family's situation—wealthy but base.

He opened Mo Rongxin's letter, skipped the pleasantries at the front, and went straight to the substance.

It turned out Mo Rongxin was asking about an old matter.

More than ten years ago, a scholar studying at Wenlan Academy, dissatisfied with the Mo family's long-term control of the endowments and embezzlement of funds, had rallied some classmates to make trouble. This scholar had a relative who was an official in the capital; he himself was a xiucai and moreover had justice on his side. He had relentlessly demanded that Mo Rongxin and others "resign," that the privately appointed managers from the Mo and Zhong families be dismissed, and that the embezzled endowments be returned. Otherwise, he would unite his classmates in a joint petition, taking the lawsuit all the way to the Guangzhou Prefectural Court.

Students long oppressed were stirred to action. The matter became the talk of the town. Even the Guangzhou Prefect sent someone to inquire, telling Mo Rongxin to "handle it properly."

This scholar was so book-bound that he believed himself a champion of the people. No matter how Mo Rongxin tried to reason with him or how great the benefits he offered, this pedant wouldn't budge—soft or hard, he was immovable. With various gentry families who disapproved of the Mo family fanning the flames behind him, he was determined to fight the bad gentry to the end for justice.

Mo Rongxin was stuck. Outwriting him was impossible—no amount of silver could buy off this scholar. Resorting to violence was also out—this scholar had an official degree and a relative in office. If anything happened to him, Mo Rongxin would face ruin.

In his predicament, he went to consult Gao Tianshi—he had long colluded with the Guandi Temple faction. Mo Rongxin's ability to maintain his position as academy Director for so long was partly due to the Guandi Temple faction's support: every time the academy held elections, Gao Tianshi would send crowds of beggars to bolster his momentum.

Gao Tianshi's mind turned, and he confidently took on the task. On one hand, he had Mo Rongxin temporarily yield—dismissing a few of the secretaries and managers who had aroused the most public grievances, slightly improving the previously abysmal food and bedding... a delaying tactic to put the matter on hold.

Before long, this xiucai was lured into a gambling addiction. Within barely ten days, he had lost everything; his formerly comfortable family couldn't withstand the squandering. He lost even the ancestral home and incurred massive gambling debts. Then, as if the house were leaking into a rainstorm, word spread that the scholar's wife had been caught in adultery with a monk. Reputation ruined, destitute and desperate, he finally hanged himself in the academy in bitter frustration. With the leader fallen, the "Down with Mo" faction lost most of its spirit. Mo Rongxin struck while the iron was hot, using a combination of attacks to suppress the mighty "Down with Mo Movement."

Naturally, the gambling den setup and the seduction of the respectable wife were all the work of professional con men from the Guandi Temple faction. Not only had they instantly relieved Mo Rongxin's crisis, but they had completely destroyed the opponent's family reputation, leaving him no choice but suicide. This stroke was both vicious and cunning—outsiders couldn't catch the Mo family's tail, while for anyone in the academy thinking of opposing the Mo family, it served as "killing the chicken to scare the monkeys." Truly killing multiple birds with one stone. Mo Rongxin gained new respect for Gao Tianshi's power, which was why he had agreed to become in-laws.

Who would have thought that this old case from years past would be dug up again with the change of regime in Guangzhou! Some of the dead scholar's former classmates had reportedly filed a joint complaint with the Australian municipal government. Though there was no response yet, ever since the Australians arrived in Guangzhou, they had been pursuing "reform and renewal." If this matter were dragged out again, the Australians might well seize upon it to strip away the academy's endowments...

In his letter, Mo Rongxin humbly begged for advice, asking him to find some way to suppress the matter. He also reminded Gao Lingxiang that the Gao family received five hundred taels annually from the academy.

Gao Lingxiang snorted. This was too difficult!

In the past, this would have been nothing. But what kind of time was it now? The Australians had just cracked the sorcery case. If his father hadn't died in time, the whole family might already be bound and heading to the execution ground for "execution of all nine generations." Right now, Gao Lingxiang was busy playing the obedient grandson—how could he want to wade into these murky waters?

Gao Lingxiang slowly straightened and said: "My in-law father speaks truly! In unsettled times, family members should help each other. However, your master's household is large with a great enterprise. Even if a bit leaks from the academy, it's no great matter. My situation is the rootless tree. I survive only by what seeps through the fingers of great men like your master. Now with troops in the city, vagrants being rounded up everywhere—just look at the streets, see how many dare go out begging for a living. Never mind paying dues—they come to eat my food, drink my drink. That's several thousand mouths—when the court's soldiers go unpaid, they dare kidnap imperial commissioners and kill their commanders. These thousands of people, if I slip up once, will come and devour me too."

This was actually his honest concern, but Steward Mo took it as posturing—a shake-down of the Mo household. He hastily smiled apologetically: "What are you saying, in-law master! Our master says that aside from you, no one can settle this matter! He won't forget your kindness. Besides, your third brother is now at the academy. I hear he's quite close with those pedantic scholars..."

This struck Gao Lingxiang's sore spot. The "Fifth Brother" Steward Mo mentioned was named Gao Lingda, just nineteen this year, Gao Tianshi's youngest son. Clever and studious from childhood, he read well and had become a literary apprentice. After passing the initial examination, he had used Mo Rongxin's connections to study at Wenlan Academy.

Gao Lingda was naturally intelligent with better bearing and cultivation than his elder brothers. Though a concubine-born youngest son, he enjoyed considerable prestige among the upper ranks of the Guandi Temple faction. The key was that his mother, Seventh Concubine, had been Gao Tianshi's most favored mistress. Around him had gathered a faction of influential figures within the Guandi Temple faction, making him the most powerful challenger to Gao Lingxiang.

Though his brothers had been suppressed for now, they weren't truly submissive. Gao Lingda especially could be said to have fallen only at the final hurdle. He might well still harbor hopes. Thinking of this, Gao Lingxiang couldn't help tensing slightly.

After pondering briefly, he said: "Go tell your master I understand the matter. However, it's of considerable magnitude. Let me think it over for a few days."

Hearing this, Steward Mo hastily rose to take his leave.

Gao Lingxiang calculated: the task itself wasn't difficult. The Guandi Temple faction had plenty of tricks; the academy's scholars were mostly bookish "greenhorns." Deceiving them into a trap wouldn't be hard.

The only thing to worry about was how the Australians would view his interference in Wenlan Academy. The Australians were not to be trifled with!

Liu Shifo'er, the dagu on Henan Island, was nicknamed "Iron-Skin Bone"—a slippery, "fearless of beating or killing" character with a big reputation among beggars. He had unwisely accepted money from the tooth-broker guild to make trouble for the Chaoshan gang. The Australians behind those Chaoshanese caught him red-handed. His family hadn't escaped in time—not a single one got away. They were all hauled off by the Australians. Since then, nothing had been heard. Rumor had it the Australians took them to Hainan—men sent to labor, women taken as concubines by Australian soldiers. The lesson was fresh; he'd best not anger these demons.

(End of Chapter)