Chapter 71: Lu Yizhong

“I won’t see her,” Liu Xiang thought that she was probably just coming to plead for mercy. He didn’t have time for such trivial matters right now. “Tell her that we will collect the bodies of her family members. Let them go to the Imperial Examination Hall for resettlement first. When the time is right, they will naturally be allowed to return to their hometown.”

Liu Xiang spoke a few more words to the surrendered people to appease them. He also instructed the clerks and yamen runners of the various offices and shifts to “come and register for duty and serve as usual.” After dismissing them, he said to Wei Bifu, “Brother, you have abandoned the darkness and turned to the light. My Senate will naturally not treat you unfairly. I now appoint you as a consultant to the Guangzhou Military Control Commission. You will come to work tomorrow—but I will have to trouble you and your family to stay at the Guangxiao Temple for a few days.”

Wei Bifu quickly stood up and said, “Your Excellency’s words are too serious. Your humble subject will definitely do his best to serve the Great Song and serve Your Excellency as a dog and horse.”

“Alright, alright, you don’t have to use this set of ‘Your Excellency’ and ‘your humble subject’ in the future.”

“Yes, yes, I will follow your orders.”

Wei Bifu respectfully withdrew. Only Liu Xiang was left in the signing room. Just as he was about to go out to see if the moving team had arrived, his new life secretary, Guo Xi’er, walked in.

Guo Xi’er was Guo Ling’er’s cousin. Her family and Guo Ling’er’s family were taken in to Hainan together. Guo Ling’er entered the maid school, while Guo Xi’er, who was still young, entered the Fangcaodi. Her grades were not good, and she was at the bottom of the class. After graduating from junior primary school last year, she became a clerk in a certain agency.

Just at this time, her cousin was pregnant and gave birth. Seeing that the female clerks were all eyeing her position, Guo Ling’er, in order to consolidate her favor, saw that her younger sister had also grown into a graceful young lady and had received “new law education.” She had an idea—on the battlefield, one relies on father and son; in the boudoir, one must also rely on sisters being of one mind. So she took advantage of the “merit” of giving birth to a daughter, and during the period when Liu Xiang’s ears were soft and his lower body was hard, she blew pillow talk for several months, and forcibly blew her younger sister onto Liu Xiang’s bed—of course, she was still registered in the general office as a life secretary, and her name was also changed to “Guo Xi’er,” and her age was written as sixteen—in fact, she was only fifteen. Guo Ling’er was afraid that there would be long nights and many dreams, so she used her nominal age instead of her actual age. Although Liu Xiang later became aware of it, he just accepted it in a muddle-headed way—compared to her sister, Guo Xi’er was much more lively—after all, she had received a new style of education from a young age.

“Chief,” Guo Xi’er had not been a life secretary for long, and she was still a little shy towards her master. “There is a master from the Ming country outside who has come to pay a visit. This is his calling card.”

Liu Xiang thought to himself that if this was a general Ming gentry who was rushing to curry favor, he was not in a hurry to see him. However, when he took it and looked at it, it was Lu Yizhong who had come. This staff advisor of Wang Zunde, who was captured in the Battle of Chengmai, surrendered and was then sent back to Guangzhou to serve as Guo Yi’s “master secretary.” He was a senior “collaborator.” Liu Xiang had already greeted the Foreign Intelligence Bureau, which was in charge of managing him, and wanted to transfer him to the new Guangzhou Military Control Commission team for employment. Since he was so tactful as to come and pay a visit, he naturally had to see him.

“Please ask him to come in immediately.”

Since the Battle of the Pearl River, Lu Yizhong had been sent back to Guangzhou. Nominally, he was Guo Yi’s “clerk,” but in reality, he acted as a channel of communication between Guo Yi and the local gentry and officialdom of Guangzhou. Although he was despised by the scholars and gentry, he had the Australians as his backer after all, and the officials and gentry of the city were all perfunctory to him and did not dare to offend him. Only a few reckless young scholars had insulted him to his face and even wanted to beat him up. However, after these few young men “committed suicide” by jumping into the river and hanging themselves for unknown reasons, Lu Yizhong’s past was no longer mentioned. He became more and more like a fish in water as he moved between the gentry and officialdom—some things that Guo Yi could not say or do were all done by him. He became a very important person in the Guangzhou station and even in the city of Guangzhou. He also made a little fortune. As the prestige of the Senate grew, Lu Yizhong no longer felt ashamed of his selling out his master for glory, and even felt a little bit of “blessing in disguise.”

However, at the moment, he was both happy and worried. The good news was that the Senate’s royal army had landed, and the day of competing for the Central Plains was just around the corner. He himself was an old minister who had followed the dragon north. The worry was that Guo Yi was actually not the new prefect of Guangzhou and was transferred back to Lingao by a transfer order for “another appointment.” In the eyes of Lu Yizhong, an old hand in officialdom, this was a sign of “Dongzhu Guo’s” loss of power. Thinking further about the Senate’s “Chairman Wen” suddenly becoming the “Guangdong Governor-General,” and an elder with the surname Wang becoming the “Chairman,” Lu Yizhong naturally thought that this should be the downfall of Premier Wen, which was why he was “sent out as a military governor.” Guo Yi’s sudden dismissal at this juncture was obviously because he was Premier Wen’s man, and he was naturally “Dongzhu Guo’s” man—this was a bit of a big problem.

As the saying goes, a new ruler brings new ministers. Since Guo Yi had left his post, the new “chief” would naturally appoint a new team. A week ago, he received a notice that a large number of “northbound cadres” were coming to Guangzhou. This made him extremely worried—compared to the people trained by the chiefs themselves, he, who was from a “surrendered” background, was a head shorter, not to mention that he was still “on Guo Yi’s boat”—it was simply a reservation for a cold bench. If Dongzhu Guo was found to have some “unfounded” charges after he went back, and he was labeled as a “accomplice” and ended up in the Great Song’s “imperial prison,” it would not be good. So he started looking for connections and patrons early on—the new Great Song Guangzhou Prefect was naturally the most suitable candidate.

A few days ago, he received a notice that the Guangzhou Military Control Commission had confirmed that it would transfer him to a post. Lu Yizhong was overjoyed. Today, he heard that Chief Liu had entered the city, and without waiting for Liu Xiang to summon him, he came to pay a visit himself.

Lu Yizhong had originally thought about whether to shave his head and change his clothes to see him—since Guangzhou had been “recovered,” Guo Yi and the others had all shaved their hair and changed their clothes. As a “guest minister” of the Senate, he should also show something. However, he thought about it for a long time and felt that since he had not been notified to shave his head and change his clothes, it was not appropriate to make his own decision. Besides, he didn’t know how Chief Liu planned to use him, so it was better to go and see him as he was.

Lu Yizhong came in and paid his respects. Liu Xiang knew this person. Although he was used by the Senate, he was not yet a proper “naturalized citizen.” He was a “gray figure” in the Senate’s personnel system, and he was of the same nature as Sun Kecheng, the head of the Qiwei Escort Agency. He was a very useful helper for the Senate to connect with the traditional society. For such a person, the Senate’s policy was “to make full use of them, but not to trust them.” Therefore, Liu Xiang was very polite to him, said a few gentle and stable words, and told him to “work at ease and not to worry too much.” He also said that Guo Yi’s dismissal was for “another important appointment,” implying that he should not worry about his future.

Lu Yizhong’s heart was slightly settled, and he couldn’t help but be moved to tears. He couldn’t help but say a few more words about how he was “unswervingly loyal” to the Senate and was willing to “devote himself to the great cause of the Senate.” He also expressed his willingness to be Liu Xiang’s “forerunner and running dog” and “do his best to serve him.”

After speaking, he took out a sandalwood box from his bosom and said in a slightly mysterious low voice, “This is a small gift from your humble subject to the chief. It’s not much of a tribute!”

Liu Xiang waved his hand and said, “You know our rules. Why are you doing this again! I know about your situation, so you can rest assured.”

Lu Yizhong said with a smile all over his face, “Your humble subject knows the records of the Senate and dares not offend. This is not something valuable, but just a small plaything. Although it is rare, it is not a valuable object.”

Liu Xiang’s curiosity was piqued. He took the box and opened it. It was indeed a pair of silver balls, about the size of a walnut. They were hollow and exquisitely carved. When gently shaken, they made a slight tinkling sound. Although they were made of silver, they were very light in hand, at most a few mace of silver. It was indeed not a valuable object. He just didn’t know what it was used for.

“This object is called a Burmese bell. It is said to have been transmitted from Burma. This pair was made by an old shop in Guangzhou. The clapper inside is made of the best pearls. It is the most exquisite and can be called a wonderful item in the boudoir…”

Liu Xiang was originally wondering what this thing was used for. Now that he had explained it, he understood that it was a “sex toy” of the Ming Dynasty. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He could only say, “I am overwhelmed, I am overwhelmed.”

Seeing that his expression was disapproving, Lu Yizhong knew that he still did not know the “wonderful use” of this object. He said again,

“In the bedroom, this object has the wonderful use of helping to conceive a boy.” As he spoke, he lowered his head. “Your humble subject has heard that the chief’s lap is still empty. I wish the chief an early birth of a son to continue the family line…”

“Thank you for your kind words.” Liu Xiang put the box away and put it aside. He didn’t care much about this gift and didn’t attach much importance to having a son, but he was very pleased with Lu Yizhong’s respect. Although he knew that he was shamelessly flattering him, it felt really comfortable…

“Old Lu,” his words also revealed a bit of intimacy. “You don’t have to play tricks. Let’s talk about business first. You have been a staff advisor for a long time. Let’s not talk about the Senate now. If I were a prefect of the Ming country and came here to take office, how could I make this prefecture prosperous and the people rich?”

When Lu Yizhong heard this, he knew that he was being asked for advice. He quickly cheered up, thought for a moment, and said, “The easiest thing to do in the world is to be an official, and the most difficult thing to do is also to be an official. It all depends on the official’s mind and luck. If you want to be simple, as long as you use two capable criminal and financial staff advisors, the clerks of the three shifts and six rooms are well maintained, and you are on good terms with the gentry, and you have a third of a conscience in criminal cases and lawsuits, you will at least get a medium-level evaluation after a three-year term, and you can still get tens of thousands of taels of silver.”

“What if you want to achieve something?”

“This depends on the official’s skill and ability,” Lu Yizhong himself had also been a prefect and had tasted all the flavors. He spoke with confidence. “Although a local official is a local tyrant and has the power to destroy families, he is after all an outsider. It is really not easy to do something. Repairing bridges and roads, building water conservancy projects, and eliminating corrupt practices… are all good deeds. However, for every benefit, there is a loss. Some people get benefits, and some people lose benefits. The troubles in between are really indescribable. Only a strong and skillful local official can suppress it. But no matter how capable you are, there are some people you can’t offend. When it comes to matters involving them, you must be very careful.”

“Oh? Who are these people?”

“First, the clerks. They are the most cunning, but the local administration is in their hands. If they play tricks, at best they will make you embarrassed, and at worst they will be punished, dismissed, or even lose their lives. So no matter how capable a local official is, he has to be perfunctory to them, at least so that they don’t play tricks on you.”

“Second, it must be the gentry, right?”

“The chief is right,” Lu Yizhong nodded. “As the saying goes, in politics, one should not offend the powerful families. All gentry have connections in the province and the court, and they have great power in the local area. If a state or county wants to be an official peacefully in the local area, they cannot offend them; if they want to achieve something, they must be on good terms with them.”

Local officials actually had very limited funds at their disposal. To do some practical things, they all needed the generous donations of the local gentry. Even if they didn’t donate, at least they didn’t obstruct. This was not easy. There were naturally public-spirited and righteous gentry in the local area, but there were also not a few “bad gentry” who used their fame to harm the local area.

Seeing that Liu Xiang was listening carefully, Lu Yizhong told him many things he had seen and heard when he was an official and a staff advisor. The variety of tricks and the depth of the threshold made Liu Xiang marvel: the knowledge of being an official is really not shallow.

Fortunately, he was an official of the Senate. If he had transmigrated to be an official of the Ming Dynasty, he would probably not be able to handle it at all.

Lu Yizhong said, “…The chief is implementing the new policy of the Senate, and naturally there will be a move to reform and innovate. I’m afraid my superficial knowledge is not of much use…”

Liu Xiang smiled and said, “What are you talking about? If it weren’t for your explanation, how would I know who the tigers are in this Guangzhou Prefecture?” He thought for a moment and said, “But things have priorities. We have just entered the city and there are a hundred things to be done. I don’t know where to start.”

Lu Yizhong said with a smile, “The chief must have a plan in mind. But in my humble opinion, the most important thing in governance is the ‘official administration.’ Only when the officials are well-governed can they be used as one’s own arms and fingers. Now that the heavenly soldiers have just recovered Guangzhou, with the prestige of a hundred-battle-hardened army, the local gentry and families all have families and property, and they will definitely not openly oppose the heavenly soldiers at this juncture. They will surely submit to the chief’s administration at this time; on the contrary, these clerks have controlled the local area for many years, and they are self-proclaimed to have secret family knowledge and take it as their ability to control the government. The chief must not be careless.”

These words contained his private intentions. Lu Yizhong himself was also a juren and had been a prefect. He had a natural aversion to the group of clerks who seemed obedient but were actually insidious and cunning and would sometimes bite back. He naturally had a protective heart for his own kind of gentry.

Liu Xiang deeply agreed. The gentry had great energy, but at this stage, they would not jump out to oppose the Senate. On the contrary, the clerks were the ones who directly controlled the grassroots government affairs and faced the common people. He could not do a series of work in Guangzhou without their assistance. Once they were not used well, it would not only damage the interests of the Senate but also harm the credibility of the new Guangzhou regime.

But he was not willing to talk too deeply about how to deal with the clerks in front of Lu Yizhong. He asked, “I wonder which families in this Guangzhou city are the prominent and powerful families?”