Chapter 72: The Great Houses of Guangzhou

This question was solid, and Lu Yizhong had to treat it with caution. He thought for a moment and said, “The number one gentry in Guangzhou would have to be Chen Jisheng.”

Liu Xiang thought about the materials he had read. It seemed that there was no one with this name among the gentry. He asked again, “Who is this person?”

“Speaking of this person, he is very famous,” Lu Yizhong said. “He was the third-place finisher in the metropolitan examination of the year of Jiwei of the Wanli reign, a former right vice-minister of the Ministry of Rites, and an imperial lecturer to the emperor…”

Liu Xiang said, “Could it be Chen Zizhuang?”

Lu Yizhong nodded and said, “It is indeed Mr. Qiutao. His courtesy name is Jisheng.”

Liu Xiang vaguely remembered that the materials said that Chen Zizhuang was imprisoned in the imperial prison by Chongzhen for “offending the emperor.” Could it be that he had been released now? He asked, “I remember that he was imprisoned in the imperial prison for offending the Ming emperor.”

“He came back last year,” Lu Yizhong said. “Someone pleaded for him, and it is said that the empress dowager also spoke up for him. In April of last year, he ‘paid a ransom to be released from servitude and returned.’ However, he is still a ‘criminal official’ and rarely shows his face in the city. He has been living in his villa in Baiyun Mountain.”

Liu Xiang had only known that Chen Zizhuang was one of the “Three Loyalists of Lingnan.” He didn’t expect that he was also the number one gentry in Guangzhou! Thinking again, no one in Guangzhou could compare to him in terms of academic achievements. He was dismissed from his post and became a commoner for not giving Wei Zhongxian any face. The year before last, he was beaten with a staff and imprisoned in the imperial prison for “direct remonstrance.” He was simply a model for the scholar-officials of the late Ming Dynasty. His status and appeal among the gentry could be imagined.

This person participated in the anti-Qing movement after the fall of the Ming Dynasty, fought repeatedly and was defeated, and was finally captured and refused to surrender. He was executed by the Manchus with cruel torture, and before he died, he shouted, “Jie people need to use wooden boards!” His character was extremely resolute. I’m afraid he won’t be so easy to deal with.

“And next?”

“That would have to be the Liang family. This family has a deep connection with the Senate…”

Liu Xiang knew that he was talking about Liang Cunhou’s family. This was the earliest gentry they had connected with in Guangzhou. Later, when they set up a charity hall and recruited refugees in Guangzhou, the Liang family had contributed a lot and their relationship was quite close. It was only after the Battle of Chengmai that the relationship between the two sides gradually began to cool down. But the Liang family had always been a director of the charity hall, and they also exchanged visits on festive occasions. In short, there was no lack of etiquette. It was just that Liang Cunhou rarely came to Guo Yi’s residence.

“You’re talking about Liang Cunhou’s family, right?”

“Yes. His grandfather was the late Minister of Revenue, Liang Renpu, and his father, Liang Wendao, served as a prefect for two terms. The Liang family is a family of poetry and propriety. They have had academic achievements for generations, and their family has vast land and property. Their consumption is extremely particular, and they can be called a family of wealth and status.” Lu Yizhong said with excitement, “When it comes to the ingenuity of gardens, the beauty of concubines, the deliciousness of food and drink, and the exquisiteness of clothing, there is no second family in Guangzhou that can compare with them.”

Then he mentioned several other famous gentry families in the city. Liu Xiang roughly summarized that the common characteristic of the leaders of these gentry was that they had had academic achievements for several generations. At the very least, they were juren, and they had generally passed the jinshi examination and held positions in the central and local governments; they had a great say among the gentry and the common people by intervening in local government affairs and holding charities; their families had vast property and were both large landlords and large merchants. Their clans were large and they had many children.

Liu Xiang thought to himself: this is a combination of gentry power, clan power, and discourse power.

The gentry that the Senate encountered in Hainan mostly had no prominent academic achievements and no high official positions. Even if there were a few gentry like Wang Honghui of Ding’an who had a jinshi degree and had been a high official, because Hainan’s own economic situation was poor and its population was small, their family power was often not large. Wang Honghui’s official position was as high as the Minister of Rites of Nanjing, and his son had been a prefect. The Wang family’s training of village braves in Longmei Village was only fifty or sixty people. Even if they opposed the Senate, they could not make much of a wave.

Compared with them, the gentry of Guangzhou were like behemoths. It would not be an easy matter to suppress and eliminate them.

Seeing his solemn expression, Lu Yizhong knew that the Australians hated the gentry’s control of the local area the most. He quickly said, “The gentry and large households are all people with families and property. Even if they were ignorant and somewhat arrogant in the past, as long as the chief points out a clear path for them, shows them power, and treats them with virtue, they will naturally follow the trend.”

Liu Xiang nodded. He asked again, “So what should be done?”

“First, it is to make them feel at ease,” Lu Yizhong said. “I wonder if the chief has any orders to summon the gentry of this city?”

“Not yet.” Liu Xiang had indeed thought about this matter, but he felt that it was not urgent and had not assigned it to anyone.

“This matter should be done quickly. Although the heavenly soldiers entered the city without harming a single hair, and the city is peaceful, it is after all a change of dynasty. The gentry must be uneasy in their hearts. We must quickly put their minds at ease. As long as the gentry are at ease and not in chaos, the common people will not be in chaos either. It will also cut off many people’s thoughts.”

Liu Xiang did not understand, “What do you mean by cutting off thoughts?”

“Every large clan has unruly children and also foolishly loyal ones. Now that the heavenly soldiers have suddenly descended, people’s hearts are anxious, and they don’t know what the Senate will do. Under suspicion and fear, they may be incited by others. If the chief puts their minds at ease, even if there are a few unruly children, they will be suppressed by their parents—how many people are willing to use their lives and property to be ‘unswervingly loyal’? At that time, if there are really a few clowns, before the chief can find out, the clan will come and report them.”

Liu Xiang smiled and said, “Good, good, Mr. Lu is indeed a talent.”

Lu Yizhong quickly said, “The chief praises me too much.”

“But how can we put their minds at ease?”

Lu Yizhong was confident and said, “The gentry all have the official titles of the Ming country and have held official positions in the Ming country. Now that there is a new dynasty, it is inevitable that they will be a little anxious. In my humble opinion, the Senate might as well issue a proclamation to the world: the Great Song recognizes all the official titles of the Ming country. This can not only put the gentry’s minds at ease, but also win the hearts of the scholars all over the world.”

Liu Xiang nodded slightly. This move was indeed powerful—the Manchus had also used this move when they entered the pass. It was a great weapon in winning the hearts of the scholars. He had not thought of this in his original plan.

Once this article was published, it would inevitably reduce the resistance of the Senate in “pacifying by proclamation” in Guangdong.

However, the Senate despised and was even hostile to traditional intellectuals. Would he be labeled a “capitulationist” for coming up with such a policy? He couldn’t help but hesitate.

Lu Yizhong was such a smart person. Seeing him silent, he gave a few dry laughs and said, “This is just a humble opinion of mine, a humble opinion.”

Just as Lu Yizhong and Liu Xiang were talking, Guo Xi’er came to the back residence. The two family members of the deceased Prefect Dong were still here.

Some luggage and belongings were already piled up at the entrance of the courtyard, and several soldiers of the National Army were on guard. Prefect Dong’s servants and family members were still detained here and had not been transferred to the Xiaoguang Temple—the special search team of the Planning Institute still needed to find clues to the hidden silver from them.

Guo Xi’er greeted the guarding soldiers and entered the courtyard. The main room was already empty. She stood at the door of the west wing for a moment and called out, “Concubine Jiang! Concubine Jiang!”

The door curtain was lifted, and a woman came out of the room. She was only in her early thirties, with a plump figure and cloudy hair. Her oval face was without makeup, and her graceful and elegant charm was not diminished. It was just that she had suffered a disaster, and her hair was disheveled and her complexion was dull and sallow. She came out and stood with her head bowed, saying, “Miss Guo, did you call me? Please come in and talk.”

Guo Xi’er walked in. The east wing was also three rooms, one bright and two dark. The middle was for living, and the two sides were used as bedrooms. Guo Xi’er came from a poor family and knew very little about the ways of large households. But the east wing faced west, and in summer it was exposed to the western sun, and in winter it was exposed to the northwest wind. Concubine Jiang and her daughter lived here, and their status in the Dong family could be imagined.

The furnishings in the room were also very simple. The layout was neat and elegant, and it was clear that a lot of thought had been put into it.

Concubine Jiang invited her to sit down. Guo Xi’er said, “No need. I’m just here to pass on a message: the chief said he won’t see you. He wants you to rest assured.” She then repeated what Liu Xiang had said and comforted her a few more words:

“Although your master is gone, you and your daughter still have to live on. Don’t take your own life—the Senate will always give everyone a way out. If you and your daughter have any difficulties, I will naturally report it on your behalf.”

The woman was a little disappointed and replied in a low voice. Suddenly, the curtain was thrown aside, and a young girl came out from inside. She was only fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing a lotus-colored rain-washed sky-blue-trimmed vest and a narrow-sleeved jacket. She curtsied gracefully to Guo Xi’er and said, “Greetings, miss! I know that the Australian master is busy and has no time to deal with me. But I have important military matters to report. If the Australian master knows about it, he will surely get a great benefit.”

Guo Xi’er was a little embarrassed after hearing these words. She didn’t know what this “great benefit” was, but she still understood the weight of “important military matters.” She didn’t know what “important military matters” this young girl had. What if it was nothing important, wouldn’t the chief blame her?

Originally, she shouldn’t have taken on this matter. It was just that she felt sorry for the mother and daughter, and Concubine Jiang spoke in her hometown dialect. Her heart softened and she agreed.

She hesitated and said, “Miss Dong, can you tell me a little about the important military matters you mentioned? The chief is very busy. If it’s nothing important…”

Miss Dong said, “You go and tell your master: I want to see him, not for revenge, nor for his favor. I know the whereabouts of many high officials in this Guangzhou Prefecture. As long as he is willing to see me, he will surely get a great merit in front of the Great Song Emperor.”

This surprised Guo Xi’er a little. First, this girl’s father had just committed suicide for the Great Ming. Not only would her status as an official’s daughter be gone, but her future was also uncertain: when an official died in office, it was not uncommon for his family to be stranded in a foreign land, poor and sick, and even fall into a brothel.

The Jiang mother and daughter were now a combination of national hatred and family hatred. For such a girl to suddenly offer to help the Australians arrest the “high officials” who were hiding among the people, Guo Xi’er’s mind couldn’t turn around for a while, and she didn’t know how to answer.

However, the report that had just been sent did indeed mention that the whereabouts of several provincial officials of the Ming Dynasty in Guangzhou were unknown, and they were being searched for.