Chapter 2043 - Three Rules of Agreement

"So... Song Yingsheng has agreed to surrender?" Wen Desi asked with mild surprise, regarding Du Yibin, who had entered beaming to discuss the "Song Yingsheng matter."

"In a manner of speaking—though not entirely," Du Yibin, who had come specifically to report, replied. "He says he's willing to 'serve' me personally, but he has three conditions."

"Let's hear them."

"First, he will accept no title or reward from the Council of Elders."

"Free labor works for me. Agreed."

"Second, the Council may not invoke his name for public appeals."

"Acceptable. Is he particularly renowned?"

"Somewhat. The Two Songs of Fengxin..." Liu Xiang added.

"Ah, that's of little consequence."

"His family wields some influence in Jiangxi," Cui Hantang interjected. "His great-grandfather served as Prime Minister."

"A prominent local lineage, then—but still of limited consequence."

"Third, he will undertake nothing detrimental to the Great Ming."

Wen Desi remained silent, but several other Elders looked ready to explode. This was practically a humiliating surrender treaty!

Du Yibin hastily added: "However, he also stated that provided it benefits the common people and the locality, he will act."

Wen Desi considered briefly and said: "Accept his terms. Given these circumstances, he'll be counted as your personal aide—I'll approve this as a special case."

"Thank you, Chief Wen!"

"But since he's unwilling to formally surrender, we cannot provide him a salary..."

"I'll cover all his expenses myself."

"Very well." Wen Desi nodded. "Draft an application, secure the Region's signature, and file it for the record."

Watching Du Yibin's departing figure, Liu Xiang grumbled: "Little Du invested more effort in this than when he was courting his girlfriend."

"Just short of groveling."

"Come now, don't be so harsh. We're all comrades," Liu Xiang said. "Didn't he expend all this energy for the Council of Elders?"

"Precisely!" Cui Hantang, sated with food and drink, patted his belly. "Song Yingsheng is at least a scientist of our Great Han! Superior to those rushing to grovel before foreigners like Newton and Descartes..."

"Since when is Song Yingsheng a scientist? That's his brother!"

"Song Yingxing is at most a popular science writer—what sort of scientist is he? Did he discover any natural laws?"

"Speaking of which, it's genuinely pathetic. Seventeenth-century European science already brims with luminaries, while here we treat Song Yingxing and Xu Xiake as treasures!"

"Nonsense! When our Great Han dominated East Asia, Europeans were still barbaric fur-clad savages in the forests!"

"That's entirely the Manchus' fault!"

Observing the Elders about to quarrel, Wen Desi frowned. Liu Xiang quickly interjected: "Let's avoid discussing the other timeline. Mind the optics!"

"Little Du is sincere, but that old fellow Song Yingsheng—he committed suicide for the Ming historically. Du Yibin's efforts better not end with empty-handed water-fetching from a bamboo basket," Wang Jun deflected the conversation back on track.

Wen Desi nodded: "Ninety miles is only halfway to a hundred. Little Du wants to use this wedding to secure Song Yingsheng's complete surrender. These celebrity chasers have it tough." He stretched, and his living secretary promptly served him black tea.

Wang Jun said: "The celebrities Du Yibin targets are at least technical specialists: Song Yingxing, Wu Youxing, Fu Qingshu, Bi Maokang—such technical figures can leverage their expertise under the Council of Elders' governance, perhaps even unleashing potential the Ming era couldn't accommodate. But some 'celebrities' the Council delights in recruiting—I consider them all reactionaries..."

This remark practically named Cui Hantang directly. Wen Desi smiled faintly. Such debates were hackneyed within the Council of Elders, dating back to the "Moli Xuan Work" days.

"Can't say that entirely—these celebrities of the old era possess influence. If we can win them to our cause, it benefits our rule," Liu Xiang said. "We could establish a United Front Department..."

"No, the Council lacks sufficient personnel for full-time work on this, and most comrades remain deeply wary of 'United Front' activities—can't fault them, too many precedents exist," Wen Desi smiled. "This work can only proceed semi-officially, not as a specialized agency. I think Daoist Cui and Little Du's approach suffices—anyway, it's their personal initiative. If circumstances shift later, they can't claim we violated our word."

Just then, Zhang Yunmi returned from the stage. She had removed her makeup and changed clothes, wiping perspiration with a towel.

"You were dazzling on stage just now!" Liu Xiang rose to greet her. "No wonder you're the Plaid Skirts' pillar!"

"Apologies, I haven't danced in ages—a bit rusty."

"Not at all! Your participation alone is commendable." Wen Desi laughed. "Come! Let's toast Little Zhang! Congratulating her and the Plaid Skirt Club for firing the opening salvo on the Council of Elders' new cultural front!"

The Elders responded enthusiastically. Only Cui Hantang appeared disgruntled, though he raised his glass as well.

Gao Ju reflected: This Australian woman truly possesses no shame—not only shameless, but drinking openly with everyone! Even the most uninhibited celebrated courtesans he'd encountered hadn't behaved thus.

If the Australians don't hasten to conquer the realm, merely engaging in such activities daily... Gao Ju suddenly felt profound concern for the Council of Elders' future.

"Young Master Zhang, regarding this Australian song and dance—this old brother truly cannot comprehend it..." Gao Ju whispered to Zhang Yu. "You're young and intimate with the Elders—do you perceive the deeper meaning?"

Zhang Yu didn't understand either. But he read numerous Australian periodicals and grasped the term "new culture" somewhat. In his dealings with Elders, he'd overheard casual conversation and vaguely understood the Australians' intentions. However, he dared not openly articulate his thoughts. "Presumptuously divining Heaven's will" constituted a grave offense.

He considered briefly and said: "Master Gao, in my humble assessment, the Council of Elders' governance has always been commanding and far-sighted, vastly surpassing our comprehension. Matters that appear strange or even absurd to us—we only realize afterwards how correct their decisions were. If we cannot fathom the reasoning, we should simply follow their lead!"

Gao Ju was struck by this insight. Why should I scrutinize the Australians' every word and action? Just follow and support! After all, since the Australians established themselves in his territory, provided he acted according to their requirements, everything proceeded smoothly—he never suffered losses!

"Young brother speaks wisely!" Gao Ju raised his glass to Zhang Yu. The two drank together. Yet Gao Ju calculated internally: Does my household possess a suitable daughter?

While the collective wedding was celebrated with jubilation at the Great World, and Wang Qiyi remained awake late into the night anxiously reconciling Tianrui Garden's account books, whispers emanated from the side chamber of an ordinary modest courtyard near Guangzhou's South City Gate. Upon closer inspection, one would discover the windows had been meticulously sealed with cloth—evidently to prevent light from escaping.

"Second Brother, this debacle resulted from my negligence, trusting that hair-thief. What 'according to law'—it's all deception."

"Oh? Then explain how this hair-thief deceives people?" The middle-aged man addressed as "Second Brother" lightly waved a folding fan, stroking his beard while regarding the person across the table with a faint smile. Seated opposite was none other than Advisor Liao from the Luo Family's Guiren Residence.

"The so-called 'according to law'—the hair-thieves proclaim it loudly, but in my assessment, it merely means the necessary tribute wasn't delivered. The Luo family must have offended that running dog Zhang somewhere and became his target..."

"If that were truly the case, could a fine of merely over a hundred taels of silver resolve it so easily?"

"Second Brother, the hair-thieves haven't yet established firm footing in Guangzhou. You know the wealthy families in this city often maintain cross-shareholdings and are deeply interconnected. Though the Luo family isn't large, disturbing one hair moves the entire body. The hair-thieves naturally must weigh their options. Over a hundred taels isn't substantial—it appears the hair-thief officials still wish to preserve some leeway for future interaction. I understand to be more 'flexible' going forward..."

"Foolish!" The middle-aged man called "Second Brother" snapped his fan shut and pointed it at Advisor Liao's nose. "The hair-thieves' laws are all published in newspapers and posted outside the government office and Salt Tax Bureau. You didn't even examine them, yet you still prattle about tribute here!"

Advisor Liao appeared shocked. His sworn brother had always treated him with consideration, rarely losing his temper over the past decade. Today he was complaining about the universally detested hair-thieves, yet his sworn brother not only scolded him as foolish but defended the hair-thieves?

"Second Brother's rebuke is justified." Though unconvinced, Advisor Liao could only acquiesce. Without his sworn brother's patronage, he would likely still be a lowly unranked accountant in the Liang mansion. "Tomorrow I'll dispatch someone to copy a set for careful study."

"No need." The middle-aged man extracted a booklet from his sleeve and handed it to Advisor Liao. "Take this and read it."

Advisor Liao accepted the booklet with both hands. It bore simplified characters: 1636 Australian Song Tax Policy Compilation. Opening it beneath the Australian candle's glow on the table, he saw tax regulations followed by explanations, listed item by item, clear and straightforward. Aside from the hair-thieves' left-to-right horizontal text proving difficult to read, it was genuinely excellent. Recalling the clerks' secretive attitudes toward Fish Scale Ledgers in the past, the Liang family must have expended considerable effort obtaining this booklet. Presenting it to him now clearly indicated he was being entrusted with weighty responsibility.

This realization made Advisor Liao beam with delight: "Many thanks, Second Brother. I shall study this precious tome thoroughly and execute the assignment..."

"Precious tome?" The middle-aged man observed Advisor Liao's expression and recognized he was overthinking, laughing despite himself. "Third Brother, you're literate. I won't deceive you—this booklet costs merely one mace of silver at the street book market." Seeing Advisor Liao's eyelids droop, the middle-aged man swiftly returned to the primary topic. "Third Brother, are you aware of the Lin family's matter?"

(End of Chapter)