Novellv Chapter 361: Shocked by the sight of nothing
Chapter 361: Shocked by the sight of nothing
Chapter 361: Shocked by the sight of nothing
The plague-ridden boat, which had drifted upstream, came to rest on the water's edge near the Temple of Longevity, looking from afar like a bloated, moss-covered corpse. Red-eyed waterbirds, carrying rotting flesh in their beaks, fluttered their wings and soared over the gunwale, emitting mournful cries that grew increasingly shrill. More and more onlookers gathered, their faces ashen with fear.
The blind temple keeper led his men to inspect the boat for a long time and declared to the villagers that this was not an ordinary floating boat, but a ghost boat of the Tanka people. The resentment of the Tanka people who died inside the boat would float down the river and spread plague.
The crowd immediately erupted in uproar. The people of Fuzhou have always revered the water god and feared the evil magic of the Tanka people. In their view, those water people who have lived on boats for generations and are not registered in the household register are already half-human and half-ghost in the eyes of the land people, and can even command water ghosts to spread plagues.
After a long while, the temple keeper finally calmed the crowd's commotion, his face showing a compassionate expression: "Don't panic, everyone! Last night, the Minister appeared to me in a dream, saying that he would hold a grand ritual to exorcise the plague in the temple, inviting the Lushan Jiulang Dharma Master to descend to earth and slay the demon and eliminate the plague! As long as the ritual is successfully completed, Tanwei Street will be safe and sound!"
Not long after he made the announcement, several strong young men carrying account books and writing implements arrived at Tanwei Street. They were the local constables.
The head constable cleared his throat and announced loudly: "According to the rules of the Baojia system, the entire street shall share the responsibility of exorcising plague! Every household living here, regardless of wealth, shall contribute one hundred coins! The payment shall be made within three days. Late payments will incur an additional charge of one dou of rice! Anyone who dares to refuse to pay will be treated as an arrears, and their household registration will be suspended, and they will be prohibited from working."
Upon hearing this, a chorus of sighs and lamentations erupted from the crowd. One hundred coins, in peaceful times, was merely the price of half a peck of rice, but now, with widespread suffering and the decline of all industries, it was nothing short of a devastating blow to the poor people of Tanwei Street who relied on manual labor for a living.
A single exorcism ritual would cost tens of thousands of dollars in incense, candles, opera troupe fees, and wages for laborers. These funds should have been generously contributed by shops, but Tanwei Street was poor and not a place lined with shops. So each household had to participate in the apportionment, either passively or actively. If they didn't pay this money, it would be difficult to make a living in the area in the future.
Everyone had no choice but to accept it, and as the constables went from house to house registering and collecting money, the ledgers began to be flipped through noisily.
As for Old Man Zeng, apart from the five taels of silver Jiang Wen gave him to pay off his debts, the remaining copper coins in his house totaled no more than one hundred and twenty coins, which he had saved for buying rice to cook.
“Zeng the Cripple, it’s your turn.” The bailiff walked up to him and handed him the account book. “One hundred coins for each household, no more, no less.”
"Officer, could you please grant me a few more days?"
Old Man Zeng said helplessly, "Our family is poor, we really can't afford that much money..."
"Grace period?"
The constable sneered, and several vagrants following behind him heard the noise and pushed Old Man Zeng, making him stumble. They shouted as if to tell the neighbors, "If you don't pay the full amount, the whole street will suffer when the plague god arrives. Can you bear that responsibility?"
Geng Jingzhong stood at the doorway of the inner room, coldly observing everything.
After a final struggle, Old Man Zeng shakily pulled out a cloth bag from his pocket, opened it layer by layer, and inside were a dozen or so polished copper coins and several strings of smaller coins strung together with rope. He counted them three times before handing the entire hundred coins to the constable.
The constable took the money, casually tossed it into his money bag, and without even glancing at him, turned and walked toward the next shop.
Geng Jingzhong thought that after paying the money for the plague-expelling ritual at the Wanshou Shangshu Temple, the Zeng family would have a few days of peace, but no one expected that this was just the beginning.
That afternoon, people from the Luo sect came to the door.
Several men dressed in short gray cloth coats arrived, led by a fat, big-eared monk who was fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan.
As soon as he entered, he put his hands together and chanted, "Eternal Mother, True Homeland," before getting straight to the point: "Old benefactor, those rituals of the Lushan Sect are useless! The plague is a punishment from Heaven for the sins of the world. Only by joining my Luo Sect with your whole family, attending the assembly in the scripture hall, and listening to the Eternal Mother preach the scriptures can you be spared from disaster!"
Old Man Zeng quickly stood up, smiling obsequiously, and said, "Master, but we've already paid for the plague-expelling ritual..."
"That's just throwing money away!"
The master slapped his palm-leaf fan, and the faces of the men in short clothes behind him immediately darkened. "Those sorcerers only know how to play tricks. People who paid money in previous years still had people dying, didn't they? Only my Luo Sect can truly save people from suffering!"
He paused, then said firmly, "Let me tell you, this plague specifically targets those who do not believe in the Eternal Mother! Joining my faith is simple: each household pays fifty coins as incense money, and we'll all come to the dining hall tonight for a meeting. Listening to my sermon will ensure the safety of your whole family!"
Old Zeng's face turned pale instantly. He only had twenty coins left in the house, not even enough to buy rice.
"Master, our family is truly out of money..."
Old Man Zeng pleaded, "Besides, my daughter is too young to go to the prayer hall..."
"inconvenient?"
The master sneered, looking Zeng Amei up and down with malicious intent in his eyes. "Joining the sect is not a matter of gender or age, so what's inconvenient about it? I think you're just deliberately not believing! Fine, if you don't believe, then so be it. But don't regret it when the plague comes and your daughter dies!"
As he spoke, his two ruffian henchmen also sneered, muttering things like "ungrateful" and "just wait to die," and blocked the doorway, refusing to leave.
Old Zeng and the other party haggled for a while, and Old Zeng was sweating profusely with anxiety. Finally, he gritted his teeth, pulled out an earthenware pot from under the bed, and poured out the only twenty coins inside.
The master weighed the copper coin in his hand, then a smile appeared on his face: "Very well, seeing your sincerity, I'll forgive you this time. Come to the dining hall when you've thought it through. If you don't come, when the Eternal Mother comes to your senses, no one can save you!"
After saying that, he left with his entourage, while Old Man Zeng let out a long sigh, plopped down in a chair, and remained silent for a long time.
"What exactly is this vegetarian feast they're talking about?"
Geng Jingzhong finally couldn't help but ask. He simply couldn't understand why Old Man Zeng would rather go bankrupt than not hand over money when these people were clearly there to extort him.
Old Man Zeng raised his head, his eyes filled with despair and helplessness: "Young master, you don't understand... The Luo Cult is not to be trifled with. They are numerous and powerful, and even the government can't control them. If you offend them, they might set fire to your house in the middle of the night, or kidnap your children and sell them to other places."
He paused, lowering his voice even further: "Besides... the religious gatherings of the Luo sect involve men and women mingling together, and all sorts of shameful things happen. If we don't give them money, they'll spread rumors everywhere, saying that my sister has already joined the sect and has been having affairs with men. At that point, my sister's life will be ruined, and she'll never be able to marry a respectable man again..."
Geng Jingzhong remained silent after hearing this.
However, before the previous wave of turmoil could subside, an even bigger problem came knocking.
Less than an hour after the Luo family left, a man in a silk robe led a group of people into the Zeng family's wooden house.
“We are here on the orders of Master Lin to collect donations from the Trinity Church. With the spring epidemic raging, my master has shown great compassion by joining forces with the gentry in the city to hold free clinics and medicine distributions, and to provide free burials for those unclaimed, nameless corpses. These are all great acts of kindness and good deeds, and you common people should also do your part.”
He opened the ledger, pointed to the names on it with his finger, and said word by word, "According to the rules, poor households should contribute fifty coins each, and rich households should contribute five taels each. As for your family... due to special circumstances, you can contribute three taels of silver."
Three taels of silver?!
Old Man Zeng jumped up as if struck by lightning.
"Can't produce it?" The other party sneered, took a step forward, and approached Old Man Zeng. "Cripple Zeng, do you think I'm a fool? You got two taels of silver from selling your daughter, and yesterday I saw with my own eyes a man in a blue robe give you a silver ingot. How come you're trying to renege on your debt as soon as you got the money?"
Old Zeng's face drained of all color. He hadn't expected that the Lin family would know everything about his family's affairs. He instinctively clutched his chest, took a step back, and stammered, "That money was for paying off debts... there's really none left..."
But before the man could say a word, one of his men grabbed Old Man Zeng and began to search him, while the other rushed into the inner room, intending to ransack the place.
Just then, Geng Jingzhong, who had been standing silently in the corner, finally made a move.
He slowly walked out of the inner room and stood in front of Old Man Zeng and his daughter.
"roll."
This single word clearly reached the ears of the two servants, carrying an undeniable air of authority.
The two servants were stunned for a moment, then looked Geng Jingzhong up and down. They saw that he was wearing an ill-fitting coarse cloth shirt, his hair was messy, and his face was weathered. He looked like a down-and-out vagrant. They then burst into laughter.
"Where did this brat come from, daring to interfere in the Lin family's affairs?"
The servant spat and reached out to shove Geng Jingzhong, shouting, "Get out of my way!"
But before his hand could even touch Geng Jingzhong's clothes, he felt a tightness in his wrist, as if it were being clamped by iron clamps.
Geng Jingzhong came from a military family and often flew falcons, rode horses, and practiced swordsmanship. Naturally, he was more than a few servants could withstand when he fought. When he rammed his shoulder into the servant, the servant was sent flying and crashed heavily into the wall, unable to get up for a long time.
Seeing this, another servant roared and threw a punch at Geng Jingzhong. Geng Jingzhong dodged to the side and slapped the servant in the chest with his other hand. With a "crack", the servant screamed and curled up in pain, rolling on the ground.
Geng Jingzhong dusted off his hands and coldly looked at the two men on the ground: "Let me tell you, the Zeng family doesn't have a single penny. If you dare to harass us again, I'll break your legs next time."
The Zeng family of three were stunned, staring dumbfounded at Geng Jingzhong as if they were seeing him for the first time. They never imagined that this usually taciturn and down-on-his-luck young man would possess such strength.
The man in the silk robe was stunned by Geng Jingzhong's words. The remaining servants dared not utter another word. They scrambled to their feet, helped each other up, and ran away without looking back.
Watching their disheveled retreating figures, Geng Jingzhong slowly turned around and looked at the Zeng family of three, who were still in shock.
"Don't be afraid of them, these people won't dare to come again."
He had already figured it out; these two were the Lin family servants who had sold Zeng's daughter. They were clearly after the cash in Zeng's hands and wanted to extort it back under the guise of a good deed. It was obvious that they had been watching him for a long time, planning to squeeze him dry.
"Young master, I'm afraid they'll go out and spread rumors, and your enemies will find them..."
Old Zeng murmured, half grateful and half embarrassed.
Geng Jingzhong said dismissively, "It's alright. I'll only be hiding here for two days. If they dare to come back, I'll see what they're capable of."
………………
"Zilu, you're finally back."
In the main hall of Fuwei Escort Agency, Lin Zhennan walked over with two cups of rock tea and cinnamon tea, pushing one of them in front of Jiang Wen. "What exactly is your intention in placing Geng Jingzhong in that chaotic place? Do you expect him to be considerate of the people's plight?"
Jiang Wen looked directly at Lin Zhennan and said, "Since he wants to control the Jingnan Prince's Mansion and sit firmly in Fuzhou City, he should at least know what life is like for ordinary people. But I don't expect him to develop a kind heart after suffering for a couple of days. On the other hand, have you found out any information from you?"
Lin Zhennan's face was full of solemnity. "I just came back from Governor Zeng's residence, and the news I heard is not good."
Jiang Wen withdrew his gaze, picked up his teacup, and took a sip: "Has something really happened at the Jingnan Prince's Mansion?"
"It's more than just an accident."
Lin Zhennan sat down opposite him and lowered his voice, "The gates of the Prince's Mansion have been closed for several days. Apart from the military affairs meetings at dawn every day, no outside guests are allowed at any other time. Even the servants who are responsible for purchasing on weekdays have to go through three body searches to enter and exit. Not even a fly can get in."
"The strangest thing is that Madam Zhou has not shown her face for seven whole days. The only thing the mansion says to the outside world is that she has caught a cold and is resting. But the outside world is saying that she may have contracted some strange disease."
Lin Zhennan took a breath and continued, "Zeng Yangxing said that the guards in the Prince's Mansion have also been replaced, all of them are Zhou's confidants. The Third Young Master Geng Jingzhong has also been confined to his own courtyard and is not allowed to move around freely. It seems that Zhou intends to take complete control of the Prince's Mansion's military power while Geng Jingzhong is away."
Jiang Wen did not show any surprise upon hearing this. Instead, he gently shook his head and said, "I had anticipated Zhou's methods. What truly worries me is not her, but something else."
"Oh?"
Lin Zhennan was taken aback. "Is there anything more important than Geng Jingzhong returning to the mansion to seize power?"
"Yesterday I took a stroll around the Shangxiahang Wharf and discovered something strange—several unmanned dead boats drifted ashore on the river one after another. The people on board died tragically, and everyone said it was water ghosts spreading plague."
Jiang Wen put down his teacup and pondered, "The plague in Fuzhou has always been most severe in late spring and early summer. The humid heat breeds the plague, and once it breaks out, it could lead to the tragic situation of thousands of families being wiped out. This matter is a hundred times more difficult to handle than whether Geng Jingzhong can take back the Prince's Mansion. But on the other hand, this may be the opportunity to turn the tables."
As Jiang Wen spoke, he hesitated, worried that a severe epidemic might break out in Fuzhou.
In official histories like the Draft History of the Qing Dynasty, there are few records of the epidemic in Fujian in 1660, and everything seems to be too peaceful and stable. However, this may be the result of the authorities deliberately downplaying it, because at the same time, Shaowu, Yanping and other prefectures in Fujian had also experienced major epidemics for many years. As a trading hub, Fuzhou could hardly remain unaffected.
However, in a later private notebook, "Rongcheng Jiwen," written by an anonymous scholar in the early Qing Dynasty who called himself "Haiwai Sanren," it was vaguely mentioned that a plague had broken out in Fuzhou that year.
The most prominent plagues in Fuzhou were bubonic plague and cholera. These two diseases occurred in all four seasons. Fuzhou people commonly called bubonic plague "peeling the kernel", cholera "vomiting and diarrhea", and pneumonia "falling and laxative". Among them, bubonic plague was the most serious, the most widespread, and the most deeply understood.
Wu Xuanzong's "Compendium on Plague" already revealed that: "The so-called plague is caused by rats dying first before an outbreak. People are exposed to its odor and thus become infected. This is because the earth's odor suddenly rises, and rats are the first to be infected. They often drink to their hearts' content from water jars, and even a few drops from a teacup on a table can be ingested by people who are not careful and thus become poisoned. It is not just about seeing a dead rat and not covering one's nose before being exposed to its odor."
However, to confirm this, an on-site investigation was still necessary. After a long silence, Jiang Wen finally turned around and announced his decision.
"Tomorrow, I will go and examine the bodies of the dead. You continue to keep an eye on the Jingnan Prince's residence. If the Zhou family makes any unusual moves, immediately send someone to inform me. Remember, this matter must not be publicized, otherwise it will only cause greater panic."
"Don't worry, but you need to be careful too."
Lin Zhennan still looked worried: "But this plague always comes out strangely. Where can we find the source? Speaking of which, should we tell Xiu'er to slow down, or simply tell them to change their route and not come back?"
But Jiang Wen had already slipped out the door, and with a light leap, he vaulted over the wall, leaving behind a single sentence.
"It's probably closely related to the Minjiang River..."