It had to be admitted that Scholar-official Qian Qianyi was a man of considerable foresight.
When the Great Ming dynasty was clearly on its last legs, Scholar-official Qian famously declared the waters were too cool, his scalp was itchy, and he joyfully pledged allegiance to the Great Qing. However, upon realizing his treatment under the Great Qing was worse than what he had received in the Great Ming, Scholar-official Qian began to exchange furtive glances with the anti-Qing rebels.
He embodied the phrase "fickle and opportunistic" to perfection.
Master Qian inherited this trait flawlessly.
He even summoned clansmen?
The thought of Masters Zhang and Li stating their intention to summon clansmen to demand an explanation from the authorities made Master Qian chuckle.
What a pack of idiots. While the current court was suppressing clan power, it was simultaneously strengthening household or, rather, private rights. Who among the clans would still take these clan leaders or elders seriously nowadays?
Their ancestral graves had been dug up?
Indeed, their ancestral graves had been dug up. But before summoning clansmen to stir up trouble, shouldn't they consider *why* their ancestral graves were dug up?
Perhaps those clansmen were currently trying to find them to demand an explanation.
Furthermore, even if the clansmen were willing to go to the authorities to cause trouble, would they necessarily succeed?
After all, the officials' hounds were not mere onlookers!
After a long sigh, Master Qian summoned Steward Qian and asked, "Have everything been arranged?"
Steward Qian quickly bowed and replied, "To Master, it has all been explained to Madam, and the young master and young lady are also prepared. We only await Madam's packing of valuables before we can depart."
However, after Master Qian nodded, Steward Qian couldn't help but ask, "Master, those few gentlemen who left earlier had such angry expressions. Could it be..."
Master Qian shook his head and said, "No need to concern yourself with them. They are but dried bones in the grave."
Steward Qian, however, countered, "Master, that's not quite right. While we don't need to concern ourselves with them, leaving all these things behind... isn't that a bit too much?"
Speaking of which, Steward Qian began counting on his fingers. "Although we have taken the house deeds and land titles, leaving this mansion unattended... that's not ideal, is it?"
"And the crops in the fields, which are expected to be harvested in about a month. If we leave now, aren't we abandoning these crops as well?"
"Besides the house and land, there's also our workshop. We still have several outstanding payments that haven't been collected. If we leave now, aren't we abandoning this money as well?"
"..."
Steward Qian meticulously listed each item on his fingers, while Master Qian felt his heart bleeding profusely.
"Enough! Stop counting!" Master Qian exclaimed angrily. "Compared to our lives, do you think these things are more important, or are our lives more important?"
Steward Qian was taken aback and asked, "Master, what exactly has happened?"
Master Qian coldly snorted, "Our ancestral graves were dug up, and the ancestral graves of those few idiots were also dug up. Now, those fools feel they cannot swallow this insult and plan to gather their clansmen to demand an explanation from the authorities."
"Tell me, should we stay here and wait to be implicated by them, or should we leave the Great Ming as soon as possible and seek a place to settle overseas?"
Steward Qian had served the Qian family for over a decade, and it was precisely for this reason that Master Qian had not concealed many matters from him, including the current situation.
However, to Master Qian's surprise, Steward Qian not only showed no signs of distress but instead smiled faintly and asked, "Master, even if we leave the Great Ming, where can we possibly escape to?"
"Overseas? Even if we could escape to Europe or the Americas, wouldn't there still be the risk of being captured and sent back to the Great Ming?"
"If we escape to territories controlled by the Habsburgs or the Ottomans, there might be a chance of not being captured and sent back to the Great Ming. But in terms of safety, I doubt we would be truly safe there either?"
Master Qian paced back and forth. "Of course, I know it's not safe, but besides these places, where else is there for us to find refuge?"
"The current situation is clear: as long as these fools go to the authorities to cause trouble, the authorities will inevitably deal with them harshly. Then we will inevitably be implicated."
"Those fools cannot understand, but can't you understand?"
Steward Qian shook his head and said, "Master, your old servant certainly understands. But precisely because your old servant understands, we must not leave."
Master Qian was stunned and asked, "Why do you say that?"
Steward Qian replied, "Master, think about it. If we leave, do you think those fools will attribute all the blame to you?"
Hearing Steward Qian's words, Master Qian gasped. "I was blinded by the immediate situation. I almost made a fatal mistake!"
Master Qian knew all too well what kind of people the descendants of those Donglin gentlemen were – even worse than their ancestors!
If he were to truly leave now, it would be secondary that his family fortune would be lost. The critical point was that those fools would undoubtedly seize this opportunity to shift all the blame onto him.
Back then, the Donglin faction had dealt with Xiong Tingbi in the same way, and they had also eliminated Mao Longwen. Otherwise, how could the Jian夷 (Manchus) have entered the passes so easily?
Of course, past events were in the past. Those ungrateful Jian夷 had not met a good end either. As people, one should be magnanimous when the time calls for it.
However, when this matter truly fell upon him, Master Qian suddenly found himself unable to be magnanimous.
Just as Master Qian was racking his brain for a solution, Steward Qian continued, "Master, do not worry. Since those gentlemen might shift the blame onto you, why don't you strike first? Go find the Prefect and explain the situation clearly."
Master Qian was about to nod in agreement when a thought struck him. "No, no."
Steward Qian asked, "What is wrong?"
Master Qian said, "Something is greatly amiss. Those fools have all gone back to gather their clansmen. If their clansmen confront them first, won't they lose the opportunity to cause trouble with the authorities?"
"If I were to go to the authorities at this moment and explain everything clearly, and yet they were unable to cause trouble, wouldn't I then be accused of falsely reporting intelligence? Although this matter has nothing to do with military intelligence, if the authorities decide to deal with us, it is likely that a charge of false accusation and reporting will be unavoidable."
Upon hearing Master Qian's words, Steward Qian couldn't help but shake his head. "Master, you are thinking a bit too narrowly. Regardless of whether they can cause trouble with the authorities or not, we are still the first to report. Even if the authorities want to deal with it, they will never deal with Master."
"Moreover, the one who wants to take action now is not our Prefect, but the esteemed gentleman in the capital, and the current Prime Minister. If we can proactively report..."
Master Qian was also somewhat swayed.
Back then, Scholar-official Qian could feel his scalp itchy after declaring the water too cool. Now, couldn't he himself proactively report those scoundrels who wanted to cause trouble for the court and the authorities?
It was a traditional skill, after all.
With that thought, Master Qian decisively instructed, "In that case, have Madam pack her valuables and take the young master and young lady back to her parents' home for a few days. Master will go to the authorities, and you will watch for any movements outside the yamen."
"If everything goes smoothly, then there's nothing more to say. If Master is apprehended, you do not need to think of rescuing me. Just ensure Madam, the young master, and the young lady escape overseas."
Steward Qian corrected, "Master, you've said it backward. It is your old servant who will report to the authorities, not Master yourself who will go."
"Once we reach the yamen, your old servant will say that they threatened Master with our family's assets and the safety of Madam, the young lady, and the young master, forcing Master to write those articles with them. Now they are also forcing Master to gather clansmen to rebel."
"The previous matters were because Master was concerned for the safety of Madam, the young lady, and the young master, and had no choice but to comply. But now that they are plotting rebellion, Master can only send your old servant to report them. Master can only act as bait to avoid alarming the enemy."
Hearing Steward Qian's words, Master Qian's aged face, as wrinkled as an ugly pomelo, broke into a smile. "Good, then we shall proceed according to your plan. You depart immediately for the yamen to report them. Master will send someone to keep an eye on the movements for you."
"If you are apprehended, Master will adopt your son as his godson and take him overseas. He will inherit half of the Qian family's assets!"
Steward Qian was overwhelmed with emotion, his eyes tearing up as he bowed. "How could your old servant be so fortunate..."
After they performed a scene of deep master-servant affection, Master Qian couldn't help but urge, "Go quickly, do not delay."
Steward Qian wiped away his tears and bowed. "Master, rest assured, your old servant will fulfill your instructions even at the cost of his life."
Upon arriving at the yamen, the tear streaks at the corner of Steward Qian's eyes had vanished. When he met the Prefect, Steward Qian directly took out a waist token from his embrace and presented it to Shi Kun, the Prefect of Songjiang Prefecture, saying, "Qian Zhili is preparing to flee overseas. The scoundrels from the other families are also preparing to return and gather their clansmen to cause trouble at the yamen. I have temporarily stabilized Qian Zhili. The situation with the other families is still unknown. I hope the Prefect will make preparations."
Prefect Shi Kun grunted and said, "You have worked hard. You may return first. Let this Prefect see what movements the other families make."
Steward Qian's expression instantly darkened. "Return? Can Your Excellency the Prefect not arrest them directly?"
Prefect Shi looked filled with helplessness. "You are correct. This Prefect cannot arrest them directly at this moment. We must first notify the Censorate Yamen before issuing a summons. Besides, you are from the Tiandihui, not from our Prefect's yamen. What use is it for this Prefect to keep you here?"
Upon hearing this, Steward Qian's expression turned even uglier. "Damn it! They promised it would only be three years, but after three years, it was another three years, and after another three years, it's been over ten years! If they don't cast the net soon, I'm afraid I'll lose control and seize Qian Zhili's property to become Master Qian myself!"
After a bout of complaints, Steward Qian continued, "However, Qian Zhili is naturally suspicious. If there is no credible explanation, will he not become suspicious?"
Prefect Shi grunted and, after careful consideration, said, "This way, you go back and tell him that this Prefect possesses a painting by Tang Bohu. It is regrettable that it is kept at home without anyone to appreciate it."
Steward Qian asked, "What does this have to do with Qian Zhili?"
Prefect Shi replied, "Then tell him that those criminal families are extremely disrespectful and will surely be arrested. However, after they are arrested, their workshops will become a problem. This Prefect also hopes someone can share the burden."
Steward Qian immediately understood and, after uttering some more perfunctory complaints, faithfully returned to the Qian manor.
Upon finding Qian Zhili, Master Qian, Steward Qian bowed and said, "Master, your old servant has explained everything to the Prefect. The Prefect said he needs to find the Censorate to issue a summons for arrest and that we should stay at home with peace of mind."
"Oh, right. The Prefect also said that arresting so many local gentry at once, while there may not be much public outcry, he fears that their workshops will be left unmanaged for a time, and if any trouble arises, it would not be good."
Master Qian Zhili's heart stirred, and he asked, "What did the Prefect say?"
Steward Qian replied, "To Master, the Prefect said that those criminal families are extremely disrespectful and confiscation is inevitable. However, the workers in the workshop cannot be left unmanaged. And with such a major case, the authorities will not have enough manpower in a short time. Therefore..."
At this point, Steward Qian quietly extended his hand, rubbing his thumb and index finger together. "The Prefect said he has a genuine work by Tang Bohu, but unfortunately, no one is here to appreciate the painting with him, which is truly a pity."
Qian Zhili suddenly burst into laughter. "What difficulty is there in that? Later, you go to the accounting room and take one million as collateral to borrow that painting by Tang Bohu from the Prefect, so Master can have a look. When it comes to calligraphy and painting, isn't Master's family lineage also profound?"
Steward Qian thought to himself, *Your family lineage is indeed profound! It started with your ancestor Qian Qianyi finding the water too cool, and now in your generation, you've gone even further. At least Scholar-official Qian Qianyi outwardly remained loyal to the sovereign. You, damn it, aren't even willing to put on a show!*
After mentally grumbling, Steward Qian chuckled again and said, "Master, what do you think will happen to those families when the yamen people come looking for them?"
Before Master Qian could answer, Steward Qian, imitating the demeanor of the锦衣卫 (Imperial Guards), said, "Woof! Listen closely, all of you! Your matters have been discovered!"