Top Scholar

Chapter 322 The Succubus of the Ming Dynasty
When She Yunluo and An Guirong's eldest son, An Wanzhong, returned to Longchang Post Station with ten cartloads of supplies, he saw that many new bricks had already been neatly stacked in the courtyard.

"Where did these bricks come from?" An Wanzhong was deeply shocked. There shouldn't be a single brick within a hundred miles.

“My man cooked it himself,” She Yunluo said proudly.

“Amazing…” An Wanzhong exclaimed, “No wonder your grandfather said that Han Chinese craftsmen are the most valuable asset.”

"The artisans of the Luoluo people are also very skilled. This post road that winds through mountains and valleys was built by your ancestors." Wang Shouren, dressed in the official robes of a postmaster, came out of the hall, cupped his hands, and asked, "This sir, are you here at Longchang Post Station to stay overnight or for a meal?"

“This is Mr. Yangming.” She Yunluo quickly introduced, “Mr. Yangming, this is my maternal uncle.”

"Greetings, Master Yangming. Master Yangming has come from afar, I am sorry for not welcoming you properly." An Wanzhong did not dare to be presumptuous, and quickly bowed in return, saying, "I am An Wanzhong, and I have come to pay my respects on the orders of my father, the Pacification Commissioner of Guizhou."

"You flatter me, Shouren." Wang Shouren said respectfully, "I should be the one visiting Lord An in the provincial capital, but I am ashamed of my status and do not deserve to be ranked with the gentry. I have not dared to see him for a long time, not out of arrogance, but to observe the etiquette of a demoted official."

“Sir, you flatter me. Even people from remote and impoverished areas like ours know that you are a loyal minister who serves the country and its people!” An Wanzhong quickly replied.

“When my father heard that you were to be demoted to Guizhou, he was both heartbroken and happy. He told us that this was a personal misfortune for you, but a great fortune for Guizhou. He was just worried that you would be persuaded to stay by the officials and gentry along the way and would not come to take up your post.”

He paused for a moment and said, "I heard from Yunluo that when you arrived at Longchang Post Station, my father was too old to travel and sent me to express his condolences on his behalf."

"Thank you very much, Your Excellency and Lord An." Wang Shouren hurriedly expressed his gratitude and then invited An Wanzhong inside to serve tea.

After settling down on the bamboo chair, An Wanzhong looked at the wild tea that the Luo Luo warriors served him in bamboo cups and couldn't help but sigh, "The conditions in Longchang are really too harsh."

"This is much better now," Wang Shouren said optimistically. "When we first arrived, there was nothing here, just a dilapidated shack. We all worked together to build a house, make furniture, and even fired bricks. It won't be long before we're living in a brick house!"

"Impressive." An Wanzhong praised, and presented the gift list, saying, "My father knows that the conditions here are harsh, so he specially instructed me to bring more daily necessities. Please do not refuse, Mr. Yangming."

"Thank you, Your Excellency." Wang Yangming hurriedly accepted the gifts with both hands, quickly glanced at the densely packed list of gifts, and then solemnly handed them back, saying, "Your Excellency's deep affection and good intentions are deeply appreciated and will be unforgettable for three lifetimes, but these gifts are too precious for me to accept."

“That won’t do. I’ll get scolded if I take the things back, and then I’ll have to send them over again.” An Wanzhong was adamant about leaving the gifts, no matter what Wang Shouren said.

Seeing that he wouldn't listen no matter what he said, Wang Shouren had no choice but to sigh and say, "Then let's consider it a relief from the magistrate and his son to a demoted official. Such relief is acceptable."

"Alright, alright, whatever it is, just accept it!" An Wanzhong said happily.

“However, this exiled official can only respectfully accept rice, flour, oil, salt, chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep to make ends meet. As for gold, silk, saddles, horses, and fine silks, these are for Your Excellency to use when interacting with state officials. To give them to an exiled official would be outrageous, so I must firmly refuse.” Wang Shouren then said, “Please, Lord An, take these things that this exiled official cannot afford back with you.”

"Sigh, alright," An Wanzhong had no choice but to agree.

~~
At noon, Wang Shouren prepared a fairly lavish meal to entertain the distinguished guests, using wild vegetables and game from the mountains, along with chicken, duck, cured meat, and fine wine brought by An Wanzhong.

The Su brothers and She Yunlu sat with them.

Wang Shouren's personal charisma was so strong that halfway through the meal, An Wanzhong had become his devoted fan and took the initiative to ask, "Mr. Yangming, is there anything else I can help you with? Please don't hesitate to ask."

“There is indeed something I need to trouble Lord An with,” Wang Shouren said. “I heard from the previous postmaster that the Miao people in the vicinity looted Longchang Post Station. I don’t ask them to return the goods, but I only ask that Lord An put in a good word for them and ask them to be lenient in the future.”

“That’s easy,” An Wanzhong said with an air of confidence. “Actually, my visit here is enough to make those guys behave themselves.”

Then he instructed his men, "Go and ask Long Ermu about which Miao village robbed Longchang Post Station, and bring their leader here."

"Yes." The subordinate responded and left.

~~
In the afternoon, while everyone was having tea in the main room, they heard a commotion outside.

Upon exiting, they saw a large group of Luo Luo people escorting several Miao people who were bound hand and foot into Longchang Post Station.

The leader of the Lolo people had his hair tied in a hero's bun and wore large, glittering gold earrings. When he saw An Wanzhong, he knelt down with a thud and kowtowed vigorously, saying, "I deserve to die, Mu Kui, spare my life."

"So you're Long Ermu's 'Ma Yi'?" An Wanzhong stood with his hands behind his back on the stilted house, exuding the aura of a superior.

"Yes, I am Azhuo, and I am Long Ermu's rascal." The rascal replied timidly.

The two were speaking Luoluo, so She Yunluo acted as a translator, and quietly explained to everyone that there were several local chieftains in Zexi, whose leaders were called "Muchuo" to their subordinates and "Mayi" to their superiors. Longchang Post Station was located on the western edge of Shuixi, right on the territory of the Longer local chieftain.

Su Lu then understood why the old postmaster had said not to count on the prefect... Even though the prefecture had been changed, the chieftain still had the final say. A prefect, a powerless and isolated official, would probably be ignored by everyone.

At this moment, An Wanzhong questioned, "Why did you allow your men to plunder Longchang Post Station?"

"I would never dare!" Azhuo hurriedly pointed to the Miao leader who was tied up like a dumpling and said, "It was the people from Shihu Village who robbed me two winters ago without my knowledge!"

"Still dare to argue?" An Wanzhong snorted. "Two years have passed since this happened. How could you not know about something this big?"

With a wave of his hand, he said, "Drag him away and give him a hundred lashes!" "Spare me! Spare me!" Azhuo struggled and cried out, "Two years ago there was a famine, and people starved to death in every village. When I found out later, I couldn't bear to force them, so I sent the goods back..."

“Lord An, what’s past is past. I’m trying to live peacefully with them, not to avenge anyone.” Wang Shouren then advised, “If you beat them today, it will be harder for me to get along with them in the future.”

"Hmph, since Mr. Yangming has pleaded for you, this beating, and your head..." An Wanzhong pointed at Azhuo and the Miao leader and said coldly, "I'll remember this for now. If you dare to disrespect Mr. Yangming again in the future, you'll be punished even more severely!"

"Yes, yes, thank you, Xie Mukui." Azhuo and the leader quickly kowtowed.

"Don't thank me, thank Mr. Yangming instead," An Wanzhong said, pointing to Wang Shouren.

The two men then quickly kowtowed to Wang Shouren, repeatedly promising not to harass the post station again.

The Miao leader also returned the stolen horses and supplies to Longchang Post Station, though of course, only a fraction of them remained...

Wang Shouren didn't argue with him and, through an interpreter, told him that he was skilled in medicine and that they could come to him if anyone was sick in the future.

If you want to learn Chinese characters and language, you can also come to Longchang Station to study. Masters and students can teach them for free...

The Miao leader was dumbfounded. The other Han people avoided these barbarians with tattoos on their faces, wearing animal skins, and speaking like beasts. They never expected that this Han person, whom even Lord Mu Kui respected so much, would be so friendly.

He kowtowed to Wang Shouren again, tears streaming down his face, and said that he would definitely get along well with his teacher in the future.

“That’s right.” Wang Shouren pulled him up from the ground and personally saw him out the door, saying, “We’ll be neighbors from now on. A close neighbor is better than a distant relative. We must help each other and get along well so that everyone can be happy.”

Watching Wang Shouren walk out hand in hand with the Miao leader without any sign of disdain, An Wanzhong sighed sincerely:
“I have also studied at the Southern Academy and met many famous scholars. I have also had regular contact with the governor and provincial officials. However, after meeting you today, I realize that this is what a sage should look like.”

"Lord An is too kind. Although my lifelong ambition is to become a sage, I am still a long way from that goal." Wang Shouren turned around and humbly replied, "However, I will continue to work hard."

"Pfft..." She Yunlu couldn't help but chuckle, and quickly lowered her head in embarrassment, but her shoulders still couldn't stop shaking.

"What are you laughing at?" Su Tai frowned and whispered.

"Qiu-ge'er is such an interesting teacher, even more straightforward than us Luo Luo people," She Yunluo chuckled softly.

"He actually said his ambition was to become a sage..."

Su Tai, however, found it amusing at all and said, "Confucius, Mencius, Cheng Yi, and Zhu Xi were all human beings. They became sages, so why couldn't Master Yangming be one?"

“That’s right,” Su Lu said matter-of-factly. “What a noble ideal!”

After hearing Su Lu's words, Wang Shouren looked at him for a while and said, "I'll take that as your affirmation of your teacher."

"Absolutely." Su Lu nodded emphatically.

"Master Yangming is truly without any airs," An Wanzhong exclaimed again. Now, in his eyes, Wang Shouren was just like Su Lu was in Zhu Xi's eyes.

Before leaving, he planned to leave some people to serve Wang Shouren, but Wang Shouren firmly declined them all.

"I'm living too comfortably, which will not only bring me bad luck, but may also cause you trouble, so please don't be too nice to me."

“Alright,” An Wanzhong sighed, “I’ll come back to hear your teachings in a few days.”

"Next time, please don't come empty-handed. What Lord An brought this time is enough for me to live comfortably." Wang Shouren led his men to see him off for a long distance, and then asked him to pass on his letter of thanks to An Guirong.

"Yes, sir." An Wanzhong took the letter with both hands, carefully put it away, and said respectfully, "Take care, sir."

Reluctantly, he led his men to take their leave, constantly turning back until Wang Shouren was completely out of sight, before finally riding away.

Wang Yangming also led his men back to Longchang Post Station.

On the way, She Yunlu whispered to Su Lu, "Your teacher is much better than you."

"Of course, otherwise he would be my teacher?" Su Lu said matter-of-factly.

“What I mean is, look at how he treats us barbarians. We should learn from him and stop looking down on people,” She Yunluo said.

"As you command, Second Sister-in-law." Su Lu nodded with a smile.

"That's more like it." She Yunluo laughed happily.

(End of this chapter)