Moma Liangshan

Chapter 39 The Eyes and Eyes of Laoshan, Chang'e Statue

Before the palace gates, Gao Qiu approached Cai Jing and asked, "Grand Tutor, what do you think should be done with Laoshan County?" Cai Jing looked around and said, "His Majesty has asked you and the Ministry of Personnel to discuss and decide together. In my opinion, the Grand Commandant should recommend a county lieutenant, and I should recommend a registrar. Then we can both report to the Ministry of Personnel. What do you think?" Gao Qiu replied, "That's exactly what I was thinking!" Cai Jing nodded and said, "After these two are selected, have them report to the Ministry of Personnel together. It will be good for them to get to know each other beforehand and have someone to rely on in the future." Gao Qiu said, "Grand Tutor's consideration is indeed thorough!" Cai Jing got into his carriage and said, "I'll go first!" Gao Qiu said, "Farewell, Grand Tutor!" He then got into another carriage and returned to the Grand Commandant's residence.

That night, in Cai Jing's study, a scholar stood respectfully before him and said, "Teacher, has summoned me here so late at night because of an emergency?" Cai Jing replied, "Have you heard of Wang Xianmeng, the Imperial Attendant?" The scholar pondered for a moment and said, "The owner of the Eight Immortals Wine, the Wang Xianmeng who helped the Emperor successfully transport the Yellow River's precious stones to Tokyo?" Cai Jing nodded and said, "Now, we must add the substantive post of Magistrate of Laoshan County." The scholar was puzzled and asked, "Laizhou has Laoshan, but there is no Laoshan County." Cai Jing said, "This spring, Tong Guan proposed to the Emperor that we unite with the Jurchens to attack the Liao Kingdom, but the Jurchens and the Song Dynasty are not connected by land, only by sea. The Emperor thought this plan was feasible, so he gave the mission of sending an envoy to the Jurchens by sea to Wang Xianmeng. Wang Xianmeng accepted the mission, but he also put forward a condition: to build a seaport that is neither under the jurisdiction of the local government nor under the jurisdiction of the Three Departments and Six Ministries." The scholar was astonished and asked, "The Emperor agreed?" Cai Jing nodded and said, "The Emperor not only agreed, but he agreed with great pleasure. This port will only obey the Emperor's orders and will not pay a single penny to the Ministry of Revenue for fifteen years, but will instead gift the Emperor 1.25 million strings of cash." The scholar said, "Teacher and all the court officials agreed?" Cai Jing said, "What else could they do? It was my suggestion that the Emperor expand the palace and search for the Flower and Stone Tribute. Wang Hao transported the Emperor's favorite Flower and Stone Tribute back to Tokyo, which was already a merit. I and Grand Commandant Gao jointly obstructed it, and in the end, Wang Xianmeng was only given the title of Founding Viscount of Yuncheng County. The Emperor has made concessions on this matter, so we can't push too hard on Laoshan County, otherwise, if the Emperor gets angry, no one will have a good outcome!" The scholar nodded and then asked, "The population of Laoshan County will inevitably need to be coordinated from the surrounding prefectures and counties. Will the local government be willing to do so?"

Cai Jing snorted and said, "This is precisely Wang Xianmeng's cleverness. The conflict between coastal fishermen and inland farmers in the Jiaozhou area has a long history, and local prefectures and counties spend enormous sums every year to quell it. Wang Xianmeng has brought the entire Jiaozhou Bay and its fishermen under the jurisdiction of Laoshan County. Mi and Lai Prefectures, free from the fishermen's turmoil, can finally unload a huge burden, and the price is merely 50,000 shi of grain. There are no restrictions on whether this grain is rice or wheat, or whether it's new or old. Mi and Lai Prefectures would be more than happy to accept such a condition!" The scholar understood and said, "The establishment of Laoshan County has received strong support from both the Emperor and Mi and Lai Prefectures, and the court officials cannot oppose it. Therefore, this matter is a fait accompli and cannot be changed." Cai Jing nodded and said, "Exactly!" The scholar said, "The coastal areas are known for their fierce and warlike people. The Emperor entrusts such a county to Wang Xianmeng without restraint; isn't he afraid that she will become too powerful and cause trouble?" "Cause trouble?" Cai Jing's lips curled slightly as he said, "Therefore, His Majesty has established the positions of Registrar and County Commandant in Laoshan County. I will recommend the Registrar, and Gao Qiu will recommend the County Commandant. Finally, the Ministry of Personnel will review and register them." The scholar understood Cai Jing's intention in summoning him and said, "Teacher, do you want me to serve as the Registrar of Laoshan County?" Cai Jing nodded and said, "You are a Jinshi who passed the imperial examination this year. You are more than qualified to be a county magistrate, but Wang Xianmeng is quite cunning, and I don't trust others to do so. Therefore, I want to send..." "Go." The scholar pondered for a moment and said, "This student thanks the teacher and is willing to serve as the registrar of Laoshan County!" Cai Jing was very satisfied and said, "When you go to Laoshan, just act impartially, but make sure to record all the decrees issued by Wang Xianmeng after she takes office as the magistrate of Laoshan County, and then send them to Dongjing." The scholar nodded and said, "This student will remember." Cai Jing said, "It's getting late, you should go back and rest!" The scholar said, "This student takes his leave." The scholar's name was Feng Gu, and he was Cai Jing's disciple.

Inside the Grand Commandant's mansion, a soldier stood before the hall. Gao Qiu approached the soldier, looked him over, and suddenly said, "How many years have you followed me?" The soldier replied, "Seven years!" Gao Qiu nodded and said, "Now I have a post I'd like to give you. But I wonder if you'll one day become too powerful and forget my kindness?" The soldier knelt on one knee and said, "Even if Zhu Heng forgets his parents' birthdays, he will never forget the Grand Commandant's promotion and cultivation!" Gao Qiu said smugly, "That's for the best! The court has newly established Laoshan County in Jiaozhou Bay, and I intend to appoint you as its county magistrate." The soldier frowned and asked, "Who is this?" "A county magistrate?" Gao Qiu said, "Wang Hao!" The soldier said, "Wang Hao? The Wang Hao who brewed the Eight Immortals Wine?" Gao Qiu said, "Exactly!" The soldier was puzzled and said, "He's just a greenhorn, why would the court make such a decision?" Gao Qiu sneered and said, "A greenhorn? You're just a seasoned veteran who's been in officialdom for over ten years, and you're only a military commander, yet you dare to call Wang Hao a greenhorn in front of me? You're courting death! You're so arrogant!" The soldier was scolded by Gao Qiu, his legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground. Gao Qiu pointed at the soldier's forehead and said loudly, "Laoshan County was specially established by the Emperor on Wang Hao's advice. All matters, large and small, are not to be interfered with by the Three Offices and Six Ministries; they must be reported directly to the Emperor. Wang Hao's favor is so great that it rivals even mine and Cai Jing's! You, a mere soldier, don't even think about working diligently, yet you dare to presume to judge the Emperor's favorite? How foolish!" Seeing the soldier's submissive demeanor, Gao Qiu became even angrier, but had no other choice but to say, "Stand up and speak!" The soldier, as if granted a pardon, rose shakily. Gao Qiu said, "After arriving in Laoshan County, be very careful in everything you do. Do not confront Wang Hao directly. If anything unusual happens, inform me immediately!" The soldier said, "This subordinate will remember!" Cai Jing said, "The registrar of Laoshan County is Cai Taishi's man; you should try to get close to him." The soldier said, "Yes." After making the arrangements, Gao Qiu said, "You may leave!" The soldier bowed and withdrew.

Wang Hao, along with a palace eunuch and five palace guards, were responsible for escorting the Chang'e statue to Yuncheng County. The statue was heavy, and the journey, which should have taken three days, took the group five. Upon arriving at Dongxi Village, the Yuncheng County magistrate and Song Jiang, along with other county officials, had been waiting for them for some time. Upon seeing Wang Hao arrive, the eunuch hurriedly stepped forward and shouted, "The magistrate of Yuncheng greets Your Excellency! Greetings, Lord Wang!" Wang Hao glanced at the eunuch and said, "Magistrate, please rise quickly. Let's place the fairy statue first, then we can catch up!" The magistrate looked at the eunuch, who remained silent, and said, "I'll leave it all to Lord Wang's arrangements." Wang Hao and the eunuch alighted from the carriage together, and Wang Hao said, "Have the villagers move aside, lest they startle the oxen pulling the carriage and damage the statue!" The magistrate looked at Song Jiang and said, "Song Jiang and Chao Baozheng are close friends, so this matter is entrusted to you. Arrange it within half an hour." Song Jiang had no choice but to accept the order, saying, "Please wait a moment, gentlemen!" He then walked towards Dongxi Village. After Song Jiang left, Wang Hao said, "The fairy statue has arrived. I wonder if everything is arranged properly at the wine shop? I'll take my leave first." The eunuch shouted, "Lord Wang, you can rest assured. The fairy statue is already within the territory of Yuncheng County. If anything goes wrong, the local officials will take responsibility." The magistrate of Yuncheng County broke out in a cold sweat and looked at Wang Hao with pleading eyes. Wang Hao smiled slightly and said, "The people of Yuncheng County live in peace and prosperity. How could there be any mishaps so close by?" The magistrate of Yuncheng County came to Wang Hao's side and said softly, "I hope Lord Wang will be lenient!" Wang Hao gestured with a silver-handling gesture and looked at the eunuch in charge of escorting the statue. The magistrate of Yuncheng County understood and secretly took out a gold ingot from his purse and slipped it into the eunuch's sleeve. The eunuch weighed the gold ingot in his hand and said, "I always act impartially. As long as you, Magistrate, assist me and Lord Wang in carrying out the Emperor's mission, I guarantee you'll be safe!" The magistrate quickly replied, "Please rest assured, Your Excellency. Even if I have to move the statue myself, I'll do it willingly!" The eunuch smacked the magistrate and said, "This statue was personally carved and polished by the Emperor. With your physique, if you were to damage it, you and I would be ready to move our heads!" The eunuch's words made the magistrate of Yuncheng look at Wang Hao with even greater respect.

The distillery was already taking shape. Seeing Wang Hao return, Zhu Gui and Old Man Xu were surprised and greeted him, saying, "We heard you've accomplished something remarkable, young master! We congratulate you!" Wang Hao smiled casually and said, "The Emperor personally commissioned a statue of Chang'e to be given to me to suppress the waters of Calabash Mountain. The statue has arrived at the entrance of Dongxi Village. You need to choose a strong man to help me move it." Old Man Xu, beaming with excitement, said, "I'll go too!" Wang Hao glanced at Old Man Xu and said, "You're so old, how can I let you do this?" "Hard work?" Old Xu laughed heartily, saying, "Young master, you're joking! I'm not going there to move the statue, but to admire it!" Wang Hao said, "It's just a stone statue, what's so admirable about it?" Old Xu said, "The Emperor is a master of epigraphy and possesses an imperial aura; isn't that worthy of admiration?" Wang Hao said, "What's the point of a stone statue becoming a golden body?" Old Xu quickly said, "Young master, please don't blaspheme the gods; sincerity is key!" Wang Hao didn't want to argue and could only say, "I'll listen to Master Xu; sincerity is key!"