Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 19 Money can make the world go round

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If it were anyone else making a worthless promise, the county magistrate would have already turned them away, but he trusted Liu Ye's guarantee.

"This matter is both difficult and easy. It's difficult because it's become an official procedure, and it's impossible to withdraw the people. We can't explain it to the prefect, and the prefect can't explain it to the governor. It's easy because it's a matter of official procedure. As long as we report that the ship was in distress at sea and sank, these shipwrights will all be listed as dead in the governor's documents. There are so many shipwrights in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Fujian; none of them would be so foolish as to verify the fate of a few shipwrights from Lingao..."

Brilliant! No wonder he's a seasoned official in the yamen. This move was truly swift and subtle, leaving no trace, and he resolved the matter with ease. Liu Ye felt that the money he gave to the county magistrate was well worth it; this one matter alone made it worthwhile.

His only concerns were whether the shipwrights would obey him and whether they would report the county government's tampering to the prefectural government.

"Magistrate, will these shipwrights obediently listen to me and help me build ships?"

"Hehe, Brother Xia, you're quite successful in business, but you might not know much about what's going on in the government. This time, the shipwrights are being recruited to fight against Liu Xiang and other notorious pirates. Although they won't be directly involved in the battle, the journey to Fujian is over a thousand miles long, and once the fighting starts, they might not return. Which of these shipwrights would be willing to leave their homes? If they report being in danger, they'll be considered dead on the government's register and shouldn't stay in Tiaolou Village to resume their old ways. Now that you've taken them in, it's a good thing for them. They'll be grateful to you, so why would they seek their own death by reporting you to the prefectural city? However, this matter can't be covered up by me alone; I must inform the prefect."

Having understood the crux of the matter, Liu Ye was relieved of another worry and was very happy. He cupped his hands in a salute and said, "The county magistrate has been a great help to me. Please take me to see the prefect. I will offer you a token of my gratitude afterward."

Although Xia Tiannan had a business relationship with the prefect, this was the first time he had met this local official.

The prefect was a distinguished-looking man with a square face and a long, flowing beard—the quintessential image of an ancient official. The Ming Dynasty always placed great importance on the appearance of its officials, and this prefect of this remote island was no exception.

After hearing the county magistrate explain Liu Ye's purpose, the prefect did not immediately express his opinion. Instead, he examined Liu Ye and saw that he was young, handsome, and still remembered the tribute he had received during the last attack on Tangjiazhuang. He had a very good first impression of Liu Ye.

So the prefect said slowly, "Since the shipwrights have been registered, we should proceed according to the official documents. However, the sea is rough and the waves are high, so we must be careful not to cause any accidents that would waste everyone's sincere dedication to serving the court. This matter will be handled by the county magistrate."

Liu Ye could tell that this was the prefect's implication that the matter should be handled by the county magistrate, thus absolving himself of any responsibility and ensuring that any trouble would be unrelated to him—this was the way of being an official.

The magistrate hurriedly agreed: "I have noted down the master's instructions."

The prefect said nothing more, picked up his teacup, and drank his tea. Liu Ye knew this meant he was being asked to leave, so he quickly took his leave.

Upon leaving the yamen, the county magistrate said with a smile, "The prefect has agreed. Tomorrow, come directly to the county yamen, and we'll hand over the reins. Those boatmen will be yours. The government will remove them from the register immediately, and they won't be able to go anywhere. They'll have no choice but to work for you. Afterward, you'll need to give the county magistrate a token of appreciation. As for me, there's no need to spend any money; given our friendship, it's just a small favor."

Liu Ye smiled and agreed, though he knew the last sentence was just for show and shouldn't be taken too seriously; he wouldn't miss out on the benefits from the prefect and the county magistrate. He pressed his advantage, asking how to recruit laborers needed for the construction of the shipyard and docks.

The magistrate pondered for a moment and then said, "I can issue a proclamation through the county government, requiring every registered household in Lingao to send one person to work. Your shipyard and dock will be built in the name of the government, and you will be responsible for the laborers' rations. What do you say?"

This method allows for the legitimate requisition of labor in the name of the government; it's just a matter of spending money. Why wouldn't Liu Ye agree to it? His problem now isn't a lack of money, but a lack of manpower.

Emerging from the yamen, Liu Ye's headache and depression vanished, and he walked with a spring in his step. In China, throughout history, collusion between officials and merchants has been the way to go. With just a few words from the prefect and the county magistrate, he had resolved several major problems for himself, and once and for all.

Back home, in high spirits, Liu Ye called Tang Yu to give him a back and foot massage. Now that he was safe, he naturally put on his best performance in front of Master Liu. Liu Ye enjoyed the gentle tapping of the beautiful woman's pink fists, glancing sideways at Tang Yu. Tang Yu had fair skin, red lips, and white teeth. Just looking at Tang Yu was intoxicating. He fantasized about sleeping with Su Wen and Tang Yu in the same bed, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

The next day, Liu Ye, accompanied by Shi Ying and several guards, arrived at the county government office.

The magistrate kept his word. A large crowd of people, all boatmen from Tiaolou Village, stood at the entrance of the county government office. There were about a hundred of them, and the magistrate was giving them a speech.

"...Knowing that you are unwilling to leave your homes and go to Fujian, now that you have entered the government-run shipyard, you must work together wholeheartedly, serving the court as well..."

The shipyard, still in the preparatory stage, was suddenly transformed into a government-run facility. Liu Ye was secretly pleased, standing aside, waiting for the speech to end.

When the county magistrate saw Liu Ye arrive, he hastily ended his lecture, pointed at him, and said to the crowd, "This is the manager of the Lingao government-run shipyard. You will all follow him. Don't even think about returning to Lou Village. If anyone changes their mind, step forward now, and we'll send you to Fujian immediately!"

These days, nobody's stupid. Compared to traveling thousands of miles to the Fujian battlefield, everyone would rather stay in Qiongzhou. The shipwrights all shouted:

"As you command, sir."

"I have absolutely no intention of going back on my word."

Liu Ye smiled and said to everyone, "Going to Fujian is also serving the court, and going to the Lingao Shipyard is also serving the court. It's just that Fujian is far away and the sea route is quite risky, so it's better not to go. As the manager of the shipyard, I will do my best to serve the court, and of course I will not treat you all unfairly."

After giving a few instructions, he left Shi Ying and two team members to deliver a thank-you gift to the county magistrate, and then led everyone to Bofu, where the construction of dormitories had already begun. The construction of the shipyard and dock would start after the government's announcement.

The county magistrate weighed the package Shi Ying handed him; it probably contained over a hundred taels of silver. He immediately grinned from ear to ear. He then passed on the portion intended for the prefect. After delivering it to the prefect, the prefect nodded to acknowledge it and told him to go back.

As soon as the county magistrate left, the prefect immediately closed the door, unpacked the package, and saw that the neatly stacked silver ingots were shining brightly. He counted them and found that there were actually five hundred taels! The prefect was not calm and sighed, "The world is going to the dogs, people's hearts are no longer what they used to be. Merchants like these use money to humiliate our culture."

Despite saying that, she quickly tied up the package, put it in the cabinet, and locked it with the key.