Chapter 476: Saving a Beauty at the Wharf

When it came to obstacles to the Senate’s rule in Guangdong, Suo Pu believed that besides natural factors, the social environment was the main challenge.

Suo Pu’s gaze swept over the people in the forward cabin. Cummins and Xie Peng were still engaged in a tireless discussion.

Guangdong was different from Hainan. Hainan had a small population, less acute land conflicts, and limited power of magnates, landlords, and clans. Under the military might of the Senate, they were easily subdued and reformed. In Guangdong, however, it wouldn’t be so simple. The historical grievances between the Chaoshan people, the Hakka, and the Cantonese alone would be enough to give the ambitious Director Liu, who was preparing to take office, a major headache.

It was easy to talk about the wheels of history rolling forward and crushing everything in their path, but much harder to do…

He recalled the materials he had read on how to reform old societies and cities. It was now close to the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. A full moon hung in the sky, and the lights of the boats moored in the river bay flickered. The faint sounds of flutes and pipa drifted from afar. The river breeze was moist and refreshing, and the water murmured, creating a scene of profound tranquility.

He looked towards the city of Zhaoqing on the north bank of the West River. It was backed by General’s Ridge and faced the river, overlooking its surface. The city wall, 2.8 kilometers in circumference, was entirely faced with brick. Although not a grand, imposing city, it was fully equipped with defensive structures: corner towers, crenellations, enemy platforms, and a barbican… It was worthy of its status as a strategic military location and a key chokepoint for Liangguang. Suo Pu estimated the wall’s height to be over six meters. Even without binoculars, he could see large and small artillery emplacements built on the walls.

He noticed a three-story pavilion on the city wall that was quite magnificent and asked, “Is that the Piyun Tower?”

Lin Ming quickly replied, “The Piyun Tower is at the north gate. This is the Kuixing Pavilion.”

Suo Pu nodded. The Kuixing Pavilion was dedicated to Kuixing, the god of literature, but its appearance clearly showed it was also a military fortress, densely covered with cannon ports and arrow slits. These defensive measures were of little use. No wonder Macartney was left with nothing but contempt for the Qing Empire after his audience with the Qianlong Emperor—and the technological gap between Britain and the Qing was much smaller than that between the Senate and the Ming.

As he was lost in thought, he saw Lin Ming and his men setting up a table and chairs on the foredeck. He personally took out dishes and wine from a large food box and arranged them. His diligent and nimble manner was like that of a waiter from a restaurant. Suo Pu couldn’t help but frown slightly. This Lin Baihu was truly a sharp, capable, and versatile character! No wonder a minor officer like him, a mere sesame-seed-sized official, could be so influential locally just by invoking the name “Jinyiwei.”

He figured such a person would do just as well under the Senate’s rule in the future, always finding a way to get by…

“Master Suo, the moon is bright tonight. It’s boring to sit idly. The Gaoyao county magistrate has just sent over a banquet. Why don’t we drink and enjoy the moon together?” Lin Ming called out as he saw him emerge from the cabin.

Suo Pu nodded. “An excellent idea.”

Only the four of them were at the table. The banquet, sent by the county magistrate, was quite lavish.

“Come, come. This is Guilin’s ‘Rui Lu’ wine from Guangxi. It’s very hard to find in Guangzhou…” Lin Ming was about to pour them wine. Cummins glanced at Suo Pu. Suo Pu knew that all the veterans were heavy drinkers, but this was an “active mission,” and drinking was a “breach of discipline.”

“Let’s make an exception today. Consider it a day off,” Suo Pu said with a smile. “We can have a few cups, as long as we don’t get drunk.”

They raised their cups. Although Suo Pu also had wine poured for him, he only took small sips. He watched the others drink and admire the moon, listening to the melodious sounds of strings and bamboo flutes from other boats on the river. No one spoke, as if they were all lost in the moment.

Just then, the faint sound of a woman’s weeping drifted in on the wind. Suo Pu paid it no mind. Since arriving in this era, he had become accustomed to all sorts of tragic and painful things. He knew well that a moment of kindness couldn’t bring peace to the world. Besides, he was here on a reconnaissance trip, not to host a charity ball.

Lin Ming put down his wine cup and frowned. “What a mood killer!” He started to get up. “I’ll go see what’s happening, give them a few coins to send them farther away…”

Suo Pu shook his head. “It’s no bother. Let her cry. There are many heartbroken people in this world; how can we manage them all? Let’s just drink.”

But Cummins said, “Well… she sounds like a woman. It’s dark out. What if she’s being bullied by bad people? It doesn’t seem right for us to stand by and do nothing.”

Suo Pu smiled. “I didn’t know you had such a soft spot for fair maidens. Since you put it that way, let’s go meddle in this business.” He called over an armed escort and ordered him to find out who was crying.

“If it’s just a matter of hardship, give her a few taels of silver,” Suo Pu instructed.

The escort returned shortly. “It’s a songstress,” he reported. “From her accent, she’s probably from the Nan-Zhi area. She was brought here two years ago as a concubine. Her master died this year, and she was thrown out. She ended up here, making a living by singing on the wharf. She borrowed money from the owner of a flower boat and is now being pressured, so she’s crying.”

“Since she owes money, ask how much it is and help her pay it off.”

The escort smiled, a hint of something unsaid in his expression. Lin Ming laughed. “This isn’t something money alone can solve. Anyone who can operate a flower boat on a major wharf like Zhaoqing is a local player. I reckon he’s not after a few taels of silver; he’s after her body.”

“Oh? There’s such a scheme?” Suo Pu frowned.

“From what this esteemed sir says, this songstress is working for herself. She doesn’t have a contract with a procuress. She can decide for herself whether to sell her body on the flower boat, when to sell it, and to whom. The money she earns is split fifty-fifty with the procuress. If a patron gives her a personal gift, she can keep it for herself.”

At this point, Suo Pu understood. The procuress must have felt she wasn’t earning enough from the woman and wanted to change the arrangement from a partnership to a takeover. He frowned.

“In that case, let’s help her out.”

Lin Ming said, “It’s not hard to help her, but it depends on how far we want to go…”

Cummins said impatiently, “Old Lin, stop being so secretive. Just spit it out!”

Lin Ming gave a dry laugh. “If we’re just helping with the immediate problem, we can step in and settle the debt. But what’s done once will be done again. As long as she’s still trying to make a living on this Zhaoqing wharf, she’ll fall into someone’s hands sooner or later. To truly help her, we need to help her leave this place. Wherever she has family or relatives, we should send her there to live in peace…”

“That’s like being a matchmaker and then having to raise the child,” Suo Pu said with a laugh. “That’s why I say one shouldn’t be too charitable. We have too much to do; how can we attend to such things? How about this: give her some more travel money, let her go somewhere else, and the rest is up to her own fortune.”

“Yes, the Chief’s instruction is wise,” Lin Ming said with a smile. He thought to himself that an escort alone probably couldn’t handle this; it required someone with official standing. He volunteered, “I’d better go handle this myself.”

Cummins said, “I’ll go with you and have a look.”

Suo Pu laughed. “You can go look, but don’t act out a wuxia drama.”

The two of them, along with an escort, went ashore. Not far away was a small temple, which seemed to still have some worshippers. Lin Ming knew that such temples often rented out empty rooms, a practice known as “monk’s inn.” It wasn’t surprising for a “freelance” singer from the wharf to be living here.

The buildings in the east courtyard of the temple were very low. There were small rooms on all four sides of the courtyard, lined up one after another, more than a dozen in total. Most of the rooms were dark, but a few still had oil lamps lit, flickering like ghost lights. The escort gestured, and Lin Ming noticed that the door to a small room in the south-west corner was open. A few bundles and belongings were strewn in front of the door. A figure was squatting under the eaves, indistinctly a woman. The sound of crying was coming from there.

He slowly walked over, bent down, and asked, “Was that you crying just now?”

“…”

The woman shifted but said nothing. Lin Ming couldn’t see her face clearly in the moonlight, only that she was in her late twenties or early thirties. He could vaguely tell she had regular features. He sighed inwardly and asked again, “How much money do you owe?”

“Fifteen taels.” The woman looked up at Lin Ming, sighed, and said no more. Lin Ming felt her voice was somewhat familiar. Before he could ask again, a cold voice came from inside the room, “Don’t listen to her crap!” A woman in her fifties walked out, pointing at the singer. “Last year, she borrowed seven taels from me for clothes and jewelry, at a ‘plus-three’ interest rate. She still hasn’t paid it back. This year, she got sick and borrowed another eight taels. The total, principal and interest, is forty-eight taels and six qian!” She spoke crisply and loudly, as if flicking the beads of an abacus, spittle flying from her mouth.

The singer retorted, “Heaven and my conscience are my witnesses! The jewelry and accessories I gave you were worth not just forty-eight taels, but four hundred and eighty taels…”

“Your few pieces of silver and bronze jewelry, with a bit of kingfisher feather inlay, each worth a few qian of silver!”

Lin Ming knew that the loans procuresses on these flower boats gave to prostitutes were predatory, with compounding interest. Trying to calculate the exact amount with her would be a never-ending task. He said, “I’ll pay this debt for her.”

He pulled a Delong banknote from his sleeve, tossed it on the ground, and said:

“This is a fifty-tael note from Delong! She and you are now even.”

The procuress quickly bent down, picked up the note, and held it up to the lamplight. It was indeed a Delong note—the paper was special, and the printed pattern was unique; there were never any fakes on the market. She knew it was real just by touching it. But she sneered, “You’ll pay for her? You think you’re worthy? Let me tell you, Master Cao from Guangxi has already taken a fancy to this little slut. He’s willing to pay three… five hundred taels to have her. You think you can cut off my fortune with just fifty taels?”

Although she said this, she clutched the banknote tightly and didn’t move.

Lin Ming knew she was just trying to drive up the price and couldn’t be bothered to argue with her. He took out the medallion from his waist and flashed it. “How much do you think this is worth?”

The procuress thought it was some kind of jade pendant and squinted to get a better look. In the moonlight, it was clearly a Jinyiwei medallion. As a procuress in the pleasure quarters of a major wharf, she was worldly-wise. The moment she saw the medallion, she knew she was in trouble. She quickly put on a fawning smile. “My lord, what are you saying? Your medallion is a priceless treasure. I wouldn’t dare to want it, even if I had the heart of a bear and the guts of a leopard…”