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It was already the end of the sixth month, so the departure date was scheduled for the seventh month. After Shen Zechuan left, the advisors withdrew from the room, and Zhou Gui asked Kong Ling, “Why did you insist on letting the Vice Commander go? It’s complete chaos in Chazhou. If the Vice Commander were to meet with mishap, there would be no way Cizhou could explain it to the marquis. I was initially thinking of getting you to go and have yourselves disguised as merchants during the journey. We are still on friendly terms enough to negotiate with Luo Mu, the prefectural prefect of Chazhou.”
Kong Lin poured tea and nodded when he heard him. After swallowing it, he replied, “We can still disguise as merchants with the Vice Commander going, and there are Imperial Bodyguards going along too. It’s much safer than our own plan.”
Zhou Gui pointed at Kong Ling and said, “You’re generally smart as a rule, but this time you’re a fool. With the Vice Commander’s… appearance, how can he disguise as a merchant? Those sharp-eyed ones can tell something off at just a glance.”
Kong Ling looked at Zhou Gui for a moment with tea leaves in his mouth. He felt that Zhou Gui really did not understand, so he said, “You’re truly an honest one. Let me ask you, from the rebuilding of Cizhou’s garrison troops to the planning of our business in Chazhou, which one of them is not a proposal of the Vice Commander? Cizhou has been truly benefiting from him, but there are no free meals in this world.”
Zhou Gui said, “I don’t understand? I do! We currently can’t afford to recompense them for military expenses; that’s why we are supplying the Imperial Army with grains and giving them Beiyuan Hunting Grounds. Doesn’t this more or less repay our debt to them? Cizhou is also doing its best to repay the Vice Commander for his kindness to Cizhou.”
Kong Ling swallowed the tea leaves he had chewed on until bitter. “We can’t repay it now, and all the more we can’t repay it in the future. The marquis repelled the bandits from Mount Luo, leaving plenty of time for Cizhou to rebuild itself. We currently can’t even afford to supply half a year’s worth of grains for the 20,000 Imperial Army soldiers. We did give them the Beiyuan Hunting Grounds, and I’m telling you, that will be the Imperial Army’s camp-cum-drill grounds in the future. No matter how we try to draw a line between them and us on our end, Cizhou already belongs to the Imperial Army in the eyes of others. Moreover, once the business in Chazhou gets moving, how are you going to repay the Vice Commander for this bonus? Also, the Vice Commander said he’s going to assign Qiao Tianya to protect me, but who is Qiao Tianya? He’s the former Imperial Bodyguard Vice Commander in Qudu; his rank is way higher than you if you were to compare. When we enter the capital in previous years, we not only have to get off our sedans to pay our obeisances to him when we see him, we also have to move aside to make way for him. The Vice Commander assigned him to protect me, but how is a mere commoner like me worthy of receiving such a favor? And between him and me, who exactly will be in charge when we reach Chazhou? Yet you still agreed to it so readily! That’s why I said you are truly an honest one.”
Zhou Gui had never been an official before. He was already holding office in Zhongbo right from the start. His teacher was also his superior and benefactor. Zhou Gui served as a Tax Circuit Intendant under him. He did a good job of it, and he was a man of knowledge too. His teacher valued talents, and so he betrothed his daughter to Zhou Gui. As such, Zhou Gui was spared a lot of the nastiness that took place in the official circles. He was later promoted to the position of Cizhou’s Prefectural Prefect based on his qualification and experiences. Before the defeat of the Zhongbo’s troops, his career had been pretty much smooth-sailing. He was not like Liang Cuishan and the rest who were trampled upon by the officials from the noble clans in Qudu. He never had to endure that kind of hardship, so he truly did not understand much of that circuitous and convoluted stuff.
YOU ARE READING
Qiang Jin Jiu (Author : Tang Jiuqing 唐酒卿)
Historical Fiction*Revised from translated team and intended for offline purpose only* The six prefectures of Zhongbo were surrendered to foreign enemies without resistance, and Shen Zechuan found himself apprehended in the capital, reduced to a state of utter disgra...
