Chapter 1727: The Prominent Families of Guangzhou
This was a substantive question, and LĂĽ Yizhong treated it seriously. After a moment's thought, he said: "The foremost gentry family in Guangzhou would have to be the family of Chen Jisheng."
Liu Xiang reviewed the materials in his memory, but he couldn't recall any gentry by that name. He asked: "Who is this person?"
"Speaking of him, he is quite famous," LĂĽ Yizhong said. "The Tanhua of the Jivei examination year under Wanli, former Right Vice Minister of Rites, Lecturer before the Emperor..."
Liu Xiang said: "Could you mean Chen Zizhuang?"
Lü Yizhong nodded: "Indeed—it is Mister Qiutao. His courtesy name is Jisheng."
Liu Xiang vaguely recalled that the materials had mentioned Chen Zizhuang being imprisoned in the Imperial Prison by Chongzhen for "offending the Emperor." Had he been released? He asked: "I remember he was imprisoned for displeasing the Ming Emperor."
"He returned last year," LĂĽ Yizhong said. "Someone pleaded on his behalf, and it's said the Empress Dowager also interceded for him. In April last year, he 'redeemed his sentence and returned home.' However, he still carries the status of 'guilty official' and rarely shows his face in the city, residing permanently in his villa on Baiyun Mountain."
Liu Xiang had originally known only that Chen Zizhuang was one of the "Three Loyalists of Lingnan"—he hadn't realized he was also the foremost gentry of Guangzhou City! Reflecting further, no one in the city could match his examination honors. He had been stripped of his post and reduced to commoner status for refusing to compromise with Wei Zhongxian. The year before last, he had been flogged at court and imprisoned for "speaking frankly." He was simply a model of the late Ming scholar-official. His status and appeal among the gentry could well be imagined.
This man had participated in the anti-Qing resistance after the Ming's fall, fighting repeatedly despite repeated defeats. Eventually captured, he refused to surrender and was executed by the Manchu Qing with cruel torture. Before dying, he had even shouted: "Sawing a person requires a wooden board!" His character was extremely unyielding. He would probably not be easy to deal with.
"Who comes next?"
"That would be the Liang family. This family has deep connections with the Senate..."
Liu Xiang knew he was speaking of Liang Cunhou's family. The earliest gentry they had connected with in Guangzhou was Liang Cunhou. Later, when establishing the charity hall and recruiting refugees in Guangzhou, the Liang family had contributed greatly, and interactions were quite close. Only after the Chengmai Campaign did the relationship between the two sides gradually cool. Nevertheless, the Liang family had always been directors of the charity hall, and they still exchanged courtesies for celebrations and condolences. In short, proper etiquette was maintained—though Liang Cunhou himself rarely visited Guo Yi's residence anymore.
"You mean Liang Cunhou's family?"
"Yes. His grandfather was the late Minister of Revenue Liang Renpu, and his father Liang Wendao served two terms as Prefect. The Liang family has a tradition of scholarship and propriety, with imperial honors in every generation. The family possesses extensive land and property and is extremely particular about their clothing and utensils. They can be called a family of great wealth and nobility." Lü Yizhong spoke with enthusiasm: "In terms of the elegance of gardens and pavilions, the beauty of concubines, the sumptuousness of food and drink, and the refinement of clothing and utensils—no second family in Guangzhou City can compare."
He then mentioned several other famous gentry families in the city. Liu Xiang summarized their common characteristics: the leading figures among these gentry had imperial honors spanning several generations—at minimum a Juren, usually a Jinshi—and had held positions in both central and local government. By intervening in local administration and organizing charities, they wielded great influence over both gentry and commoners. Their families possessed vast wealth and held the status of both great landlords and major merchants. Their clans were enormous, with numerous offspring.
Liu Xiang thought to himself: This is a combination of gentry power, clan power, and discursive power.
The gentry the Senate had encountered in Hainan mostly had insignificant examination honors and held minor offices. Even when there were a few gentry like Wang Honghui in Ding'an—who were Jinshi and had held high positions—because of Hainan's poor economic conditions and small population, their family power was often limited. Wang Honghui had risen to Minister of Rites in Nanjing, and his son had served as a Prefect, yet the Wang family had only managed to train fifty or sixty village militia in Longmei Village. Even opposing the Senate, they couldn't have made much of a disturbance.
Compared to them, the gentry in Guangzhou were like giants. Suppressing and eliminating them would be no easy task.
Seeing his solemn expression, Lü Yizhong knew the Australians despised—even resented—gentry controlling localities. So he hastened to say: "The gentry and major households are people with homes and property. Even if they failed to recognize what was important in the past and were somewhat arrogant, as long as the Chief shows them a clear path forward, demonstrates power, and cherishes them with virtue, they will naturally bend like grass in the wind."
Liu Xiang nodded. "So how should this be done?"
"First, they must be put at ease," Lü Yizhong said. "I wonder—has the Chief issued an order summoning the gentry of this city?"
"Not yet." Liu Xiang had considered this, but felt it wasn't urgent enough to delegate to his subordinates.
"This matter should be handled quickly. Although the Heavenly Army entered the city without incident and the city is peaceful, it remains a change of dynasty. The gentry must be uneasy. We must calm their hearts quickly. As long as the gentry are at ease and not in turmoil, the common people won't be in turmoil either. It also cuts off many people's thoughts."
Liu Xiang was puzzled: "What do you mean by 'cuts off thoughts'?"
"Every great clan has restless scions, as well as those with foolish loyalty who simply won't understand. Now that the Heavenly Army has descended suddenly, people's hearts are anxious—they don't know what actions the Senate will take. In their suspicion and fear, they become vulnerable to incitement. If the Chief puts their hearts at ease, even if there are a few restless individuals, the patriarchs will suppress them—how many are truly willing to gamble their lives and property on being 'loyal and unyielding'? At that point, if any jumping clowns remain, the Chief won't even need to investigate; people within their own clans will come forward to report them."
Liu Xiang smiled: "Good, good. Mister LĂĽ is indeed a talent."
LĂĽ Yizhong hastened to demur: "The Chief praises me too much."
"However, how can we put their hearts at ease?"
LĂĽ Yizhong had clearly thought this through: "The gentry all hold academic degrees from the Ming state and have served in its offices. Suddenly changing to a new dynasty, they are inevitably apprehensive. In my humble opinion, the Senate might proclaim to the world that the Great Song recognizes all academic degrees from the Ming state. This will not only calm the hearts of the gentry but also win the hearts of scholars throughout the realm."
Liu Xiang nodded slightly. This was indeed a powerful move—the Manchus had used the same tactic when they entered the pass. It could be called a masterstroke for winning over scholars. He hadn't thought of this in his original plan.
Once such a policy was announced, it would inevitably reduce resistance to the Senate's "pacification by proclamation" in Guangdong.
However, the Senate disdained—even harbored hostility toward—traditional intellectuals. Would proposing such a policy get him labeled a "capitulationist"? He hesitated.
Lü Yizhong was perceptive. Seeing Liu Xiang's silence, he gave a few dry laughs: "This is merely a humble opinion of this lowly official—just a humble opinion."
While Lü Yizhong and Liu Xiang were talking, Guo Xi'er made her way to the rear quarters. The two female family members of Prefect Dong—who had contemplated suicide—were still there.
Luggage and belongings had already been piled at the courtyard gate, with several National Army soldiers standing guard. Prefect Dong's servants and family members were still detained here, not yet transferred to Guangxiao Temple—the Planning Institute's Special Search Team still needed to extract clues about hidden silver from them.
Guo Xi'er greeted the guards and entered the courtyard. The main room was already empty. Standing at the door of the west wing, she called out: "Concubine Jiang! Concubine Jiang!"
The door curtain lifted, and a woman emerged. She was only in her early thirties, with a plump figure and cloud-like hair, an oval face without makeup—graceful and charming, her allure undiminished. But she had suffered disaster: her hair was disheveled, her face sallow. She came out hesitantly, lowered her head, and stood: "Miss Guo, did you call for me? Please come inside to talk."
Guo Xi'er stepped in. The east wing had three rooms—one bright, two dark—the center for living, the sides for sleeping. Coming from a poor family, Guo Xi'er knew little about the ways of great households. But she understood that the east wing faced west: scorched by sun in summer, exposed to northwest winds in winter—the coldest in winter, hottest in summer. Concubine Jiang and her daughter living here revealed their status in the Dong household.
The room's furnishings were simple, but the arrangement was neat and elegant, showing considerable care.
Concubine Jiang invited her to sit. Guo Xi'er said: "No need. I'm just here to relay a message: the Chief said he won't see you. He wants you to be at ease." She repeated Liu Xiang's words and offered a few words of comfort:
"Although your master is gone, you and your daughter still have to live. Don't take your own lives lightly—the Senate always gives everyone a way out. If you mother and daughter have difficulties, I will naturally report them on your behalf."
The woman seemed somewhat disappointed and responded quietly. Suddenly, the curtain was flung aside, and a young girl emerged from within. She was only fifteen or sixteen, wearing a lotus-colored vest with sky-blue borders and a narrow-sleeved long jacket. She curtsied generously to Guo Xi'er: "Blessings to you, Miss! This servant knows the Australian Master is busy and has no time for us. It's just that this servant has important military intelligence to report. If the Australian Master learns of it, there will be great benefits."
Guo Xi'er felt troubled hearing this. She didn't know what these "great benefits" might be, but she understood the weight of "important military intelligence." If this girl had nothing important to say, wouldn't the Chief blame her?
Ordinarily, she shouldn't have taken on this matter. But seeing the pitiful state of mother and daughter—and recognizing Concubine Jiang's accent as being from her own hometown—her heart had softened and she had agreed.
She hesitated: "Miss Dong, can you tell me a little about this intelligence? The Chief is very busy. If it's nothing important..."
Miss Dong said: "Go tell your master: I don't seek this meeting for revenge, nor to beg favors. I know the whereabouts of many high-ranking officials hiding in this Guangzhou Prefecture. As long as he's willing to see me, he will certainly earn a great merit before the Emperor of the Great Song."
This startled Guo Xi'er somewhat. This girl's father had just committed suicide for the Great Ming. Not only had her status as an official's daughter vanished, but her future was uncertain: officials dying in office, their families stranded in foreign lands, suffering poverty and illness, even falling into brothels—such fates were common enough.
The mother and daughter could now be said to bear both national hatred and family grievance concentrated in their persons. For such a girl to suddenly propose helping the Australians capture local "high officials" hiding among the populace—Guo Xi'er couldn't wrap her head around it. She didn't know how to respond.
Yet the report sent just earlier had mentioned that several provincial officials of the Great Ming in Guangzhou City were unaccounted for—whereabouts unknown. They were being searched for.