Chapter 528: The Center of All Under Heaven
A group of miners, arranged in a vast semicircle, knelt on the ground before Qiu Qianfan. The sight was a little difficult to behold, or more accurately, deeply awkward.
Qiu Qianfan's face was also etched with utter embarrassment. "Regarding the wages... *cough*... the situation is this: the imperial court has been preoccupied with suppressing bandits and dealing with marauders lately, so... alas... I, your official, genuinely cannot disburse the wages."
The miners’ faces were filled with desperate pleading. "Magistrate Qiu, if the court doesn’t pay us our wages soon, we’ll starve to death. We’d rather be buried alive in the mines; at least that way, death would be quicker and less agonizing."
Qiu Qianfan was speechless.
What was he to do?
An impossible situation!
Being a local official in the Great Ming Dynasty was truly an arduous task.
Qiu Qianfan’s head suddenly felt twice its size.
The Heavenly Lord, however, let out a soft chuckle. "Yiye, you understand."
Qiu Qianfan was so embarrassed he wished the ground would swallow him whole. "I have exhausted every avenue, but the prefectural treasury is utterly depleted. We barely managed to scrape together last year’s tax silver by selling off everything we had. This year, I truly have no silver left to give. The taxes due to the imperial court, the wages for the government workshops and mines—I... I have nothing.”
He finished, spreading his hands in a gesture that clearly declared: "I acknowledge the debt, but have no means to pay it. Take my life if you must, but there is no money to be had."
Hearing this, the miners’ expressions grew even more desperate and mournful. Several men instinctively tightened their grip on their mining picks. Clearly, the final straw that breaks the camel’s back was fast approaching.
Gao Yiye spoke. "Magistrate Qiu, since the imperial court is facing such difficulties, it falls to us, those who have prospered first, to step forward and help those who have yet to thrive. We should share the burden and alleviate the court’s worries. What do you say to this? My Li family will undertake the payment of these miners’ wages.”
The miners, upon hearing this, erupted in joyous cries. "Where did this living Bodhisattva come from? She’s rescuing us from the mines and even paying us? A true Bodhisattva!”
Qiu Qianfan, too, was overjoyed, but he was no simple-minded miner. After a brief moment of elation, he immediately shrewdly asked, "What do you want in return?”
Gao Yiye replied, "We don’t ask for anything else, merely the mining rights to this iron ore.”
Qiu Qianfan instantly understood: a private iron mine concession.
This was hardly an uncommon occurrence, especially in northern Shanxi, where small coal mines proliferated, and petty mine owners were everywhere. Some operated legally, some illegally; some secured concessions from the government, while others simply found secluded spots to dig without ever reporting to the authorities.
Without needing further thought, Qiu Qianfan nodded. "Agreed!” he declared.
Gao Yiye felt a flicker of surprise within her. ‘How interesting,’ she mused. ‘This magistrate is surprisingly quick to agree. Back when Gao Family Village started a coal mine in Heyang County, there was quite a negotiation with Magistrate Feng Jun. But Qiu Qianfan agreed without any haggling at all.’
Perhaps this was simply the sign of a city focused on industry and commerce, where administrators held more modern, progressive views.
Qiu Qianfan stated, "Madam Li, I am well aware of the Li family’s formidable strength, and that you have consistently transported large quantities of grain to Puzhou through General Xing. The stable situation Puzhou enjoys today is entirely thanks to the efforts of the Li family and General Xing. Therefore, I shall not waste any more words. Just ensure the peace of my Puzhou populace, feed them well, and prevent them from rebelling. As for anything else, I can turn a blind eye.”
Gao Yiye understood. Shanxi was in chaos, with three hundred and sixty thousand marauders roaming wildly, terrifying the local officials. Their greatest fear now was rebellion; everything else was secondary.
Thus, as local officials, all they desired was for someone to help pacify the common folk, to keep them from stirring up trouble, and then all would be well.
With just a few exchanges, both sides reached an agreement, each obtaining what they sought, which naturally led to universal delight—
That evening, in the Puzhou City barracks.
Lao Nanfeng shed his lamellar armor and donned civilian clothes. Accompanied by a few close militia soldiers, he jovially strolled out of the barracks and headed towards the bustling downtown area. As he walked, he hummed a tune: “No matter how hard I fly, I can’t escape this world of flowers and delights...”
The militia soldiers beside him laughed. "Brother Nanfeng, you’re already getting excited, and you’ve barely left the barracks?”
Lao Nanfeng burst into hearty laughter. "You youngsters probably don’t realize what kind of place this Puzhou is? It was anciently known as Puban, the birthplace of our Chinese civilization. The *Records of the Grand Historian* refer to it as ‘the Center of All Under Heaven’! It’s the hometown of numerous luminaries: Liu Zongyuan, one of the Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties; Lu Lun and Geng Wei, two of the Ten Talents of the Dali Era; poets Wang Wei and Nie Yizhong; literary critic Sikong Tu; and Song Dynasty painting masters like Wang Jue, Wang Quezheng, and Ma Yuan. Both ‘Puzhou Bangzi’ opera and ‘Xingyi Liuhe Quan’ martial arts originated here.”
The militia soldiers were taken aback. "Oh? It has such a grand history?” they exclaimed.
Lao Nanfeng declared, "Now, your old man is taking you on a wild tour of the Center of All Under Heaven, to experience the opulence of this world of pleasures! Hahahaha!”
The militia soldiers brightened considerably. "Following Brother Nanfeng, we’re off to see the world!” they cheered.
"It’s a pity we can’t drink,” Lao Nanfeng lamented. "Oh, how happy I would be if I could drink some wine right now!”
A soldier produced a waterskin and handed it over. "The Heavenly Lord said we can’t drink alcohol when on campaign, but we can drink this.”
Lao Nanfeng took it and sniffed; to his surprise, he detected the scent of alcohol. Though not as potent as true liquor, it was rich and mellow, quite enticing. "Is this rice wine? Drinking this truly won’t violate military discipline? I’d dare defy the imperial court’s rules, but I wouldn’t dare cross Gao Family Village’s regulations. Heaven knows if the Heavenly Lord is watching me right now.”
The soldier whispered, "The Heavenly Lord calls this ‘alcohol-free sparkling wine’. It has the taste of wine, but its alcohol content is below zero point five percent. It’s a special gift for the militia.”
Lao Nanfeng was delighted. "Why haven’t I heard of this before?”
The soldier murmured, "You know how the Heavenly Lord bestows gifts, it’s all according to his mood. This was given a long time ago, before you, Brother Nanfeng, joined the militia. I’ve kept it for ages, reluctant to drink it myself, but if you, Brother Nanfeng, want some, I’ll share it.”
Lao Nanfeng, overjoyed, slapped the soldier heartily on the shoulder. "Brotherly loyalty! I won’t forget you for this.”
He took the waterskin, guzzled a few mouthfuls, and beamed. "It truly has the taste of wine, yet it’s not harsh! Hahaha, this is fantastic! Come on, let’s go explore this world of pleasures now that we’ve had our drink!”
The group passed the waterskin around, each taking a swig. In no time, they were all feeling lively, staggering merrily as they made their way towards Puzhou City’s bustling market district.
It was just past dusk. The impoverished common folk were eating dinner at home, but those with a little money were lingering in the streets. Some dined at small roadside eateries, while Puzhou’s taverns were filled to capacity with patrons.
Lao Nanfeng grabbed a passerby by the arm and chuckled mischievously. "Brother,” he asked, "could you tell me the way to the local brothels?”
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