Volume One: River City Song Chapter 48: Within Three Days (Part Two)

In the afternoon, the Zhuang family estate.

Outside, heavy clouds hung low and a bitter north wind howled, but inside the floral hall, it was as warm as spring. The sound of string and bamboo instruments masked the howling wind outside, accompanied by soft and melodious singing.

Two actors were leisurely performing a popular theatrical piece upon the stage, while a gathering of officials from the county yamen sat below. Over a dozen yamen functionaries, excusing themselves with official duties in the townships or other pressing matters, were currently accompanying Zhuang Hong, leisurely enjoying the opera and sipping tea in absolute comfort.

Sitting to Zhuang Hong's left was Zheng Gen, the clerk of the revenue department. At this moment, his mind was not entirely on the performance. Frowning slightly, he spoke in a low voice, "My lord, if we keep giving him the cold shoulder like this, won't it lead to unforeseen troubles? After all, regardless of everything else, he is everyone's superior and the master of this county."

Before Zhuang Hong could reply, Ren Jun, the clerk of the punishment department sitting on his right, answered with a smile, "Old Zheng, you are worrying far too much. The reason none of us are showing our faces in the yamen is precisely to let him know our strength! As for any hidden dangers, that is even more impossible. He is completely isolated, with only a private secretary and a page boy, plus at best that wet-behind-the-ears troublemaker Li Ling. What kind of threat could they possibly pose?"

"Still, going on like this is hardly a long-term solution," Zheng Gen said, still harboring doubts.

Zhuang Hong smiled as well. "I know what you are worried about, but I never said we would keep him dangling like this indefinitely. Once the New Year passes and his initial sharpness is completely worn down by us, the rest will naturally be easy to handle. Today is already the seventeenth, and in three days it will be the twentieth, when the yamen seals its doors and remains closed until after the Lantern Festival. By then, the fire of his new appointment will have long since burned out, and everything will return to the old ways."

With that, he cast a glance at the other man. "The previous three magistrates were all brought completely to heel by us; could this Wei Liang possibly be an exception?"

Upon reflection, Zheng Gen realized this made sense and finally set his mind at ease. "It seems this subordinate was worrying needlessly. Let's watch the opera, let's watch..."

Just at that moment, the tightly closed doors of the hall were pushed open from the outside, and a blast of freezing wind rushed in, making everyone shiver involuntarily. Everyone turned to look and saw the Zhuang family steward walking toward his master with a solemn expression, leaning down to whisper a few words into his ear.

Zhuang Hong, who had moments before worn a composed expression, abruptly changed countenance upon hearing these words. He furrowed his brows deeply, his tone chillingly harsh, "Is this matter certain?" Though his voice was not loud, it carried a palpable pressure, causing even the actors on the stage to stop mid-tune and look apprehensively at the audience below.

The functionaries sitting nearby looked toward Clerk Zhuang with even greater tension, desperately wanting to ask what kind of upheaval could possibly cause him to lose his composure to such a degree. Only Zheng Gen and Ren Jun, seated beside him, faintly caught words like "yamen... public notice... ultimatum...", which caused their hearts to tighten as well. Zheng Gen, in particular, found that the peace of mind he had just regained was instantly shattered.

"Master, this was witnessed firsthand by our own people outside the county yamen. There can be no mistake." The steward lowered his voice to reply. This caused Zhuang Hong's breathing to hitch even further. Remembering the present company, he gave the steward a meaningful look. Understanding the gesture, the steward bowed to the crowd and quickly retreated.

Zhuang Hong quickly steadied himself and laughed heartily, "It's nothing, just a minor accident at home. Let's continue enjoying the opera. Later, I will have the servants prepare fine food and wine so everyone can have dinner here before heading back."

***

Since Master Zhuang was hosting a banquet, these subordinates naturally dared not be ungrateful. They quickly offered their thanks and turned their attention back to the opera. Only Zheng Gen and Ren Jun wore somewhat peculiar expressions, though they dared not inquire further for the moment.

However, before the actors had sung two lines, the hall doors were pushed open once more. This time, the doors were flung even wider, and Zhuang Qiang came rushing in frantically. "Eldest brother, how can you still sit here calmly listening to opera? A major disaster has happened! That fellow Wei Liang has actually posted a public notice right in front of the county yamen, stating that all yamen personnel must report by noon tomorrow, or else they will be stripped of their official posts..." It was only when he reached this point and met his brother's icy gaze that he abruptly snapped to his senses, cutting his words short.

Yet it was already too late. Everyone in the hall had fixed their eyes upon him. After a moment, someone asked in a low voice, "Is this... really the county magistrate posting a notice to the entire county?"

Seeing that the matter had reached this point, Zhuang Hong chose no longer to conceal it. He immediately stood up, waved his hand to dismiss the actors and musicians, and then clapped to draw attention. "There is no need for everyone to be nervous. I just learned of this matter as well, but it is merely a trifle. If Wei Liang thinks he can force all of us into submission with just this, he is vastly overestimating himself. As long as we are of one heart and stay away from the yamen before the New Year, can he really dismiss everyone? If he were to actually do that, who would handle the numerous affairs of the county yamen? Relying solely on the two or three people by his side?"

As he said this, he glared fiercely at his younger brother. This fellow certainly knew how to ruin things.

Originally, upon learning the news, Zhuang Hong had intended to devise a more prudent method to inform and reassure the crowd, which was why he had planned the evening banquet. But his brother had gone and blurted everything out at once, completely disrupting his rhythm and unsettling the minds of his men.

"B-But..." Sure enough, someone hesitated, wanting to say something, but Zhuang Hong immediately cut him off. "What, do you distrust this official? Zhou Xing, you have been with me for quite a few years. When have you ever seen me make empty boasts? Of course, if you don't believe me and wish to defect to Magistrate Wei, I won't stop you. But let me make my ugly words clear beforehand: once you do that, you and I will be enemies, and don't expect me to show any mercy!"

Faced with such a threat, those who had truly entertained thoughts of defection hesitated once more. After all, Zhuang Hong's accumulated prestige over the years ran deep; even if he currently looked to be in trouble, it wasn't enough to completely shatter people's confidence in him. Clerk Zhuang then softened his tone. "Rest assured, this is merely Magistrate Wei's dying struggle. Once these few days pass, he will be completely finished, and everything will naturally return to normal for us. Moreover, I believe everyone in the yamen is sensible and will not be frightened by him."

No sooner had his voice fallen than the steward hurried back in, his expression looking even more tense and anxious than before. He wanted to speak, but found it difficult to do so in front of so many people. Yet his very appearance made the others even more uneasy. Seeing this, Zhuang Hong's face darkened once more. "We are all our own people here; speak your mind directly!" Concealing things now would only disrupt morale. He had truly been screwed over by these two fellows.

"Master, someone just came to report that Constable Lin Lie has already brought a dozen bailiffs into the county yamen..." The steward felt deeply aggrieved as well; he truly had an urgent matter to report, who could have anticipated such a scene?

"What?" Everyone was filled with astonishment, but the most violently reactive of all was Zheng Gen. Letting out an exclamation of shock, his face turned somewhat pale with anger. "That scoundrel actually dares to bite the hand that feeds him like this!"

Zhuang Hong genuinely wanted to curse aloud. Was this person deliberately going against him? He had just declared that no one would be influenced by the public notice, yet Lin Lie had immediately led men to see Wei Liang? What alarmed him even more was that once this breach was made, the others would become impossible to control.

Perhaps he could still hold onto his core loyalists present here, but what about the clerks and the three yamen rosters who were not present? Previously, those people had merely stayed out of the affair due to his coercion, but now that the matter concerned their own livelihoods and official positions, and someone else had set an example, how could they possibly hold their ground?

No, he couldn't even fully control the people right in front of him. After a brief silence, someone finally spoke in a low voice, "M-My lord, this subordinate recalls some matters at home that need attention. I must take my leave." With that, he carefully slipped away toward the exit.

"You—" Zhuang Qiang's face darkened at the sight, and just as he was about to block the man, he met his eldest brother's gloomy gaze and was forced to behave.

***

With the first person setting an example, others followed suit one after another, each offering lame and far-fetched excuses to take their leave. Within moments, the hall was left with only the Zhuang brothers, Zheng Gen, and Ren Jun. Perhaps because the doors had been left open and the chill wind was blowing inside, the complexions of the remaining men turned frighteningly pale, and Zhuang Hong's body was trembling slightly.

"Bah, a bunch of spineless trash, scared off just like that!" Zhuang Qiang said with utter disdain. The other two men, however, could only offer bitter smiles; with the sudden change in the situation, even they felt the urge to return to the county yamen.

"Enough, stop talking this nonsense!" Zhuang Hong stopped his brother's complaints and looked at his two remaining subordinates. "Wei Liang's move is indeed quite formidable; he has shattered the dead-end I painstakingly created in one stroke. Let's discuss how we should respond."

"My lord, do you think he is playing for real, or just making empty threats?"

"If it were fake, that would be one thing. I'm afraid he is playing for real. Moreover, the public notice explicitly states that the county yamen will be recruiting new personnel, which is clearly preparation for dismissing and weeding out certain people." By this point, Zhuang Hong no longer needed to conceal anything and stated everything he knew.

This only made Zheng Gen and the other man even more worried. "What on earth is to be done..."

"I think we should just use force..." Zhuang Qiang started to say, but was cut off by his brother's retort: "Shut your mouth. This is not your place to speak, step down."

The dignified Master Zhuang could only obediently take his scolding and listen to instructions in front of his elder brother. Muttering a low response, he turned and left.

Only after he had departed did Zhuang Hong exhale a breath and say, "This move truly caught us off guard, but it is not entirely without a countermeasure. Since he wants to play hardball, I will accompany him to the very end. Does he think a magistrate can act arbitrarily in the county yamen without a single care in the world? Dismissing whoever he pleases? Not to mention that we still have the county丞 (assistant magistrate) and the county主簿 (registrar) to act as checks and balances, and I also have influence I can leverage at the Hengzhou prefectural yamen. The moment he dares to actually dismiss people will be the time for our counterattack!"

A single sentence instantly enlightened the two men. Indeed, how could matters in the yamen be so simple? They were all veterans of many years; how could they possibly allow a magistrate to dismiss people just by speaking a word? Starting from this angle would be enough to give him a taste of bitterness!