A notable change in the Jiajing era was the strengthening of central power. Anshun, Yongning, and Zhenning were originally governed by local chieftains who had long acted independently. Jiajing established the Anshun Military and Civil Prefecture, with all positions filled by officials appointed by the central government. The Pudong Guard was then empowered to dominate the region, which stabilized the situation.
However, Zhou Hongzu, as the prefect of the Military and Civil Prefecture, held only nominal power. In this region where various ethnic groups resided, the commander of the well-armed Pudong Guard, Gu Chengzhu, was the true authority. This was because Gu Chengzhu’s ancestor, Gu Cheng, was a meritorious official in the Jingnan campaign.
Upon hearing the news,
Gu Chengzhu was furious and also felt a subtle unease. Dong Wei’s household staff had arrived two days prior, stating that Zhu Mo was likely only passing through, and his attitude was expected to be indifferent, while maintaining close observation. Any unexpected developments were to be immediately reported to the Governor-General’s yamen in Jingzhou.
At this moment,
despite representatives from several government departments having arrived at the Military and Civil Prefecture, he still couldn't make up his mind—
Wasn’t Zhu Mo just passing through? Why was he suddenly making a show of force? With the current sensitive state of affairs, why would Zhu Mo do such a thing?
...
At the same time,
The Military and Civil Prefecture yamen.
Five of the six departments had arrived, but Zhu Mo was already there.
Zhou Hongzu quickly led his team out to greet him. He saw a young man in common clothes riding a tall horse, accompanied by a middle-aged scholar, also in common clothes, with an ancient demeanor, looking nothing like someone from the officialdom; behind them were two hundred well-disciplined arquebusiers.
Zhou Hongzu hurried forward and stopped them, shouting, "Zhou Hongzu, Prefect of the Anshun Military and Civil Prefecture, on behalf of my local colleagues, welcomes the Grand Academician Zhu!"
His attitude was extremely respectful, but Xu Wei whispered, "Zi Xuan, look, they are not kneeling. They still don't quite show proper deference to you as a Grand Academician..."
Zhu Mo chuckled, thinking to himself: They are all people of the Yan family. They believe I can’t stir up any trouble now, hence this silent defiance?
"Brother Wen Chang, if there aren't any little tricks, it wouldn't be a land where Han and Yi people mingle."
With that, he dismounted, helped Zhou Hongzu up, and said warmly,
"Lord Zhou, why are you being so polite? Uh... and who are these gentlemen?"
Zhou Hongzu had expected him to be angry. Seeing his genuine warmth, he smiled and replied, "Grand Academician Zhu, this is Ji Guangyu, Commander-in-Chief of the Pudong Guard. This is Zhao Yan, representing Yongning Prefecture, which is temporarily administered here. And this is Chen Tong, from Zhenning Prefecture, likewise... Uh, this gentleman is Lord An from the Western Fort Commandery, and this is Lord Lai from Kangzuo."
Good, very good,
Zhu Mo cupped his hands to each of them and asked, feigning ignorance,
"Lord Zhou, this is the Commander-in-Chief of the Pudong Guard? Is he Yi?"
Ji Guangyu bowed and said,
"Your subordinate is Yi, surnamed Ji Niu, with the Han surname Ji... Uh, Grand Academician Zhu, Commander Gu Chengzhu of our Guard sent someone to inform me that he is slightly indisposed and cannot personally welcome you. I hope Grand Academician Zhu will forgive him?"
Good, good!
Zhu Mo laughed heartily and said,
"I am merely passing through! And in the southwestern regions, where Han and Yi people coexist, there is no need for such formalities..."
Hehehe,
Everyone burst into laughter.
Zhu Mo laughed while observing them, feeling that the absent Gu Chengzhu seemed problematic. Whenever his name was mentioned, everyone showed a strange reverence. After taking their seats, he quietly asked Xu Wei, who then went out and returned within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, saying,
"Zi Xuan, that Gu Chengzhu’s ancestor was Gu Cheng... Gu Cheng surrendered to the King of Yan during the Jingnan campaign and later rendered meritorious service defending Beiping..."
Oh?
Zhu Mo was not surprised by this, but by how quickly the information was gathered. He whispered,
"Brother Wen Chang, how did you find out?"
Xu Wei laughed heartily and said, "Am I not a great merchant from Jiangnan now?"
Hmm, hmm,
So, money makes the world go round...
Zhu Mo underestimated him, thinking that this man was indeed suited for intelligence work, but unfortunately, he was too old and had too many connections, making him less useful.
After the third round of drinks,
Zhou Hongzu, being the leader, couldn't avoid getting to the point. He cleared his throat and said,
"Grand Academician Zhu is going to pursue those Franks, isn't he? Grand Academician Zhu has achieved three consecutive victories in suppressing Japanese pirates, his fame resounds throughout the land... Though we are remote, your reputation has reached our ears like thunder, haha... Come, let us toast the young hero!"
Come, come!
After drinking a cup, Zhu Mo thought it was time to get down to business. Gu Chengzhu seemed to be the key person, and this Yi man, Ji Guangyu, might just be a front?
He immediately said with a smile,
"Gentlemen, I apologize for my oversight. We've drunk so much wine but haven't introduced our guest yet? Haha... This gentleman—"
He pointed to Xu Wei and continued,
"This gentleman is named Shen Wei, originally a jewelry merchant from Hangzhou. Later, he also engaged in silk businesses with the Directorate of Weaving. A few months ago, he went to Jingdezhen to fire kilns. Heh heh, and it so happened that while in Jiujiang, he met foreign merchants looking for porcelain. It reminded him of ebony wood! I happen to be going beyond the borders this trip, and since I had to pass through here anyway, I brought him along..."
Oh,
Oh...
Everyone suddenly understood. Looking closely at Xu Wei again, he indeed resembled a merchant with official connections. Hearing Zhu Mo mention silk from the Directorate of Weaving and his surname being Shen, it raised speculation whether he was related to Shen Yishi.
Xu Wei, putting on an act, stood up and bowed to everyone, saying respectfully,
"Esteemed sirs, Shen has followed Scholar Zhu here and is merely benefiting from his association... To tell you the truth, I have a relative in the Directorate of Weaving who has always done business with foreigners. Last time, Grand Secretary Zhang held a porcelain exhibition in Jiujiang. I happened to be wearing a string of ebony beads, and everyone kept asking about them. I thought, this is a good item! The Hui and Franks, they want this! So I sought out Scholar Zhu. It's good to have someone to talk to and pass the time on the journey, isn't it? Hehehe..."
Right, right,
Mhm, mhm, mhm,
Everyone couldn't help but be half-believing: Could this Zhu Mo also be involved in such dealings?
Ji Guangyu had already received instructions from Gu Chengzhu, who told him that as a hereditary local official, the imperial laws were more lenient, and he should act according to the situation. Seeing an opportunity, he smiled and proposed a toast, saying,
"What a coincidence, my clan also has a merchant named Ji Ya, who happens to be logging on the Dadu River! Tomorrow morning, I'll introduce him to Brother Shen?"
"Thank you! Thank you!"
Xu Wei’s acting was superb. He even proposed three toasts and then wiped his mouth, saying,
"To be honest, sirs, I feel quite nervous coming to this place... Now that Lord Ji has spoken, I feel greatly relieved. I am a merchant, and in business, there's nothing to be ashamed of. From now on, if you ever need Shen, I will go to my death for you!"
Good!
Good!
The merchant’s words immediately dispelled the initial tense atmosphere. Although the others didn't quite believe his story, his demeanor and actions indeed had the air of a true merchant.