Moma Liangshan

Chapter 56 The eunuch sighs, the father-in-law and son-in-law join the alliance

Di Gongkao was surprised by Wang Hao's keen interest in ports and harbors, and said, "May I pay my respects to you, sir, tomorrow with my father-in-law?" Wang Hao nodded and said, "Excellent! I will await you both at the post station tomorrow morning!" Di Gongkao cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your kind words, sir!" Wang Hao smiled casually and said, "We are like-minded people, there is no need for formalities or modesty!" Di Gongkao could feel Wang Hao's sincerity and could not hide his excitement, saying, "Sir, you are superior." "To disregard rank and status is magnanimity; for a retainer in a lower position to forget rank and status is shamelessness." Wang Hao was about to retort when the prefect stopped him, saying, "Whether Confucian or Mohist, propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame are fundamental to being a person. Your kindness to your subordinates is a great virtue, but subordinates must never take advantage of your favor and become arrogant and ignorant of propriety. I have something to say, but I don't know if I should." Wang Hao said, "Please enlighten me, Your Excellency!" The prefect said, "The officialdom is not like the countryside; rank and status must be clearly defined, otherwise..." "Government orders are hard to implement, and laws are hard to uphold!" Wang Hao shook his head and said, "People are not distinguished by rank or status, nor are their duties great or small; their positions are simply different. Why be so eager to stick to the old ways?" The prefect shook his head and said, "People's hearts are fickle, easily swayed! Of the people under heaven, eight or nine out of ten are willing to harm the laws of heaven and earth for their own selfish interests; among them, only one in a hundred or a thousand can uphold their principles and defend justice with fervent passion; only by educating and nurturing them with virtue and governing them with authority can there be peace in the world and security for the people." "You, young master, judge the hearts of all people by your own standards; you're only seeing the whole picture through a narrow lens!" Wang Hao pondered. The eunuch said, "Young brother, you are young and deeply favored by the Emperor, so your life has been too smooth, and you've missed the wickedness of the world. I, your elder brother, was castrated at eight and entered the inner palace, suffering endless oppression and beatings, witnessing all the deceit and treachery, until I later became a disciple of my adoptive father, only then could I find clarity in broad daylight!" Wang Hao asked, "The sun rises in the east, light dispels darkness; under the bright sun, where does so much gloom come from?"

The eunuch sighed and laughed, a chilling laugh, saying, "Under the blazing sun, withered grass and trees, I was punished, forced to stand barefoot and naked on the gravel for a whole day and night, without a drop of water or a grain of millet. Can you guess why I was punished?" Wang Hao shook his head, saying, "Please enlighten me, brother!" The eunuch said, "Back then, a group of us junior eunuchs were responsible for pruning the flowers and trees in the Imperial Garden. One of us was under the tutelage of the head eunuch and received considerable favor. One day, the master came to admire the flowers and praised a particular flowerbed for its excellent maintenance, asking who was in charge. At that time, I didn't follow the rules, thinking that the master's praise meant a reward, so I quickly replied. The master smiled and nodded..." He then had a palace maid reward him with five taels of silver. I quickly kowtowed to express my gratitude, saying, "Your Majesty's teachings have encouraged me to continue my efforts!" Wang Ha interjected, "This is a good thing, why the punishment?" The eunuch said, "After the master left, the head eunuch gathered us together, and a servant stripped me naked, scolding me: 'When the master asks questions, only this humble servant can answer. Little Qianzi has disobeyed his superior and broken the rules, and must be punished!' Just like that, I lost my silver and received a severe punishment." Wang Hao nodded and said, "Although it was too tyrannical, it did have some merit." The eunuch, unable to hide his resentment, said, "If that were all, it would be fine! Some time later, the master came to admire the flowers again, and what he took a liking to was..." I repaired another flowerbed. The master was pleased and would surely reward me. This time, I didn't answer. The eunuch looked at Wang Hao and asked, "Brother, who do you think should answer this time?" Wang Hao said, "Having learned from your experience, it should be the head eunuch who answers." The eunuch slammed his hand on the table and said, "Not so! It's the head eunuch's adopted son! There are rules in the palace. Masters only reward newly arrived eunuchs; they don't easily reward the head eunuch." Wang Hao couldn't help but ask, "Why is that?" The eunuch looked around and whispered, "Head eunuchs usually have their own fixed masters; giving rewards arbitrarily can easily cause misunderstandings." Hao nodded in agreement and then asked, "Did the steward's adopted son break the rules and get punished?" The eunuch replied, "That steward viciously punished me so that I would obediently give my credit to his adopted son. This time, I didn't say a word." Wang Hao said, "When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head." The eunuch became even angrier and said, "The steward deliberately questioned me, 'Are you convinced?' I was only eight years old then, and I already harbored resentment, so I didn't utter a sound. But he thought I was silently resisting, so he stripped me naked and whipped ten bloody welts on my back with a rattan cane. Brother, this is the heart of a petty person!"

Wang Hao, surprised that Eunuch Qian had suffered so much hardship and setback in his youth, said, "Brother, I will remember what you just said." At this moment, the prefect said, "Young master, you possess a benevolent heart, are unconventional in your conduct, and are highly regarded by the Emperor. Given time, you will surely become a high-ranking official. Jiaozhou County is not under the jurisdiction of the prefecture or the Three Departments and Six Ministries, but is directly under the Emperor—something unprecedented in the more than one hundred years since the founding of the Song Dynasty. Du Kang has been brewing wine for over a thousand years; there was Zhuo Wenjun in the Han Dynasty, and Li Bai in the Tang Dynasty." They were all skilled brewers, yet none could create the legendary Eight Immortals Wine. The young master, raised in the countryside, became famous overnight in the capital. For an ordinary family, fame in the capital would often be a day of tragic misfortune. But for the young master, it was the opposite: the imperial favor grew, his foundation deepened, and his power increased, to the point that even princes and generals dared not treat him lightly. Having known the young master for only two days, I was deeply moved by his kindness and benevolence. The Di family had long lived in seclusion in the countryside and on the frontier, and many of its members yearned to achieve great things. Young people have their own dreams. I think elders should not be overly restrictive. Although Jiaozhou is a county town, it is also a virgin land. A virgin land, completely managed by young heroes like the Young Master, might not be able to stand out in our Song Dynasty. So I have a request, and I hope you will agree to it! Wang Hao said: "Sir, please tell me, Wang Hao will do his best to the best of his ability!" Zhizhou smiled slightly and said, "Young master, it is not a difficult thing to be relaxed." I would like to send some of my descendants from the clan to go to Jiaozhou with you. Is that okay? "Wang Hao was very excited and immediately said: "I wish I could have it! What you want! Zhizhou suddenly looked serious and said, "But I have a condition?" Wang Hao said: "Sir, please speak!" Zhizhou said: "After five years, I will call them back home. If anyone no longer wants to follow the young master, they can not return!" Wang Hao said without hesitation: "It makes sense!" Zhizhou looked at Di Gongkao and said, "You are the elder, and you will take care of those boys!" Di Gongkao said: "Brother, don't worry!" "

The following morning, at the Mingzhou post station, Di Gongkao was greeted by a middle-aged man of about fifty years old who came to visit Wang Hao. Wang Hao opened the door to welcome the two men into the courtyard, saying, "Is this gentleman Mr. Qin?" The man bowed and said, "This humble subject, Qin Guanhai, greets you, sir!" Wang Hao returned the bow and said, "Sir, let's talk inside!" He then sized up the man before him, noticing that he wore a dark blue cloth robe, a gray cloth belt, and a pair of worn cloth shoes. His beard was neatly trimmed, and his headscarf was simple yet appropriate. The three entered the living room. Wang Hao prepared tea and said, "Mr. Qin, would you be willing to accompany me to Jiaozhou to oversee the construction of Jiaozhou Port?" Qin Guanhai asked, "Building a new port is extremely expensive. Are you prepared?" Wang Hao replied, "I have requested two million strings of cash and provisions from the Emperor to rebuild the Jiaozhou Maritime Trade Office." Qin Guanhai then asked, "May I ask how the two million strings of cash and provisions will be allocated?" Wang Hao smiled awkwardly and said, "The court will not allocate a single coin or grain. The reason I have full authority over the Jiaozhou Maritime Trade Office is because I raise all the funds and provisions myself." Qin Guanhai did not... Qin Guanhai asked, "Two million strings of cash is a huge sum. Isn't it unfair for you, young master, to bear it all alone?" Wang Hao smiled and said, "His Majesty has promised that after the establishment of the Maritime Trade Office, it will pay His Majesty 50,000 strings of cash annually for the first five years, 100,000 strings annually from the sixth to the tenth year, and 150,000 strings annually from the eleventh to the twentieth year. After twenty years, it will be the same as the Maritime Trade Office of Mingzhou." Qin Guanhai understood Wang Hao's intention and said, "Does Your Majesty truly have such great confidence in profiting from the Maritime Trade Office of Jiaozhou?" Wang Hao did not answer directly, but said: "The primary purpose of rebuilding the Jiaozhou Maritime Trade Office is for national defense, and the secondary purpose is for national tax revenue. Seventy percent of the ships of the Jiaozhou Maritime Trade Office travel to Southeast Asia, India, Persia, and the Arab world, while a small number travel between Korea and Japan. Moreover, the ships traveling between Korea and Japan are not owned by the Song Dynasty. The Jiaozhou Maritime Trade Office has four main routes: Jiangnan, Korea, Japan, and Liaodong." Qin Guanhai, puzzled, asked, "Ships traveling back and forth must be engaged in trade. What are the goods transported on the four routes you have planned, young master?" Wang Hao replied, "Korea and Liaodong are closely connected; the goods are for military purposes and also for warhorses." Jiangnan is rich in silk, porcelain, and tea, which are transported to various places via Jiaozhou; Japan is abundant in silver, need I say more! Qin Guanhai and Di Gongkao exchanged a glance and said, “Young master, you are truly a hero! What Gongkao and I think of is merely a dock and a few ships, but your plans encompass the maritime frontier.” Wang Hao said, “Both gentlemen are master craftsmen of our time, and your thoughts are naturally rooted in the principles of craftsmanship; I am an official of the court, and my plans are naturally for the sake of the nation and the frontier.” Qin Guanhai and Di Gongkao were no ordinary people; their style was bold and decisive, regardless of cost or consequences. Wang Hao, having transmigrated from the future, deeply understood the importance of science and technology and the aloofness of scholars and professors. The three men, from three generations, seemed vastly different, but in reality, they shared the same ideals. Qin Guanhai nodded in agreement, saying, “Although young master, you have a far-sighted vision and broad knowledge. My father-in-law and I are extremely fortunate to be valued by you and to serve you!”