Chapter 12: We Need You to Come to Gaojia Village
Chapter 12 of "The Great Ming in the Box" opens revealing the plot: Year Seven of Tianqi, 1627 A.D., Chengcheng County, Shaanxi.Gao Chuwu led three youngsters from the... Discover what happens!
Year Seven of Tianqi, 1627 A.D., Chengcheng County, Shaanxi.Gao Chuwu led three youngsters from the Gao clan into the town gates.
All four were country bumpkins whoâd never left their village. The thirty-li journey from Gaojia Village had been traveled by sweet-talking anyone they met on the road. Several wrong turns were corrected only by asking directions.
By the time they entered the town gates, the sun hung dead center in the sky.
Noonâthe hottest hour. The sweltering outside heat hit 108 degrees. The four young men sweated profusely, hanging their heads low with exhaustion, their spirits frayed and bodies floating light.
âChuwu brother, if weâre looking for the secretary, we should go to the county office, right? Iâm terrified of the yamen!â
âIâve heard the County Lord eats men without spitting out the bones.â
âThose bailiffs are the sameâhorrifying bone-munchers!â
The three young men showed fear in their eyes.
Gao Chuwu was scared too. A homebody whose longest journey hadnât exceeded ten li, this was his first town visit. Heâd already been intimidated by the âgrand mansions with courtyards,â trembling all over.
He reached into a pouch tied to his belt, fingering the cracked bits of giant rice within. The Village Chief had stuffed five rice blocks into each manâs pack before they leftâfor emergencies.
Feeling them settled his nerves. âWhy be afraid? The Great deity has our backs.â
At âGreat deity,â the three regained their courage, rushing with renewed pride.
Using their sweet-talking tactics, they asked strangers for directions until local passersby guided them before the county office. TĘe source of this á´ontent ÉŞs novel_fŃre.net
Right at the entrance, an unsettling scene greeted them. A clean-shaven, slightly plump middle-aged man in scholarly robes was wailing before the building: âCounty Lord! Please donât cast me aside! Your humble servant has labored faithfully unto deathâcould you truly discard me like⌠?â
He drew out those last four words with exaggerated, foolish theatricality.
A bailiff by the entrance shook his head. âThird Scholar, stop this racket. His Lordship wonât change his mind. Keep yelling, and heâll lock you upâis that what you want?â
Gao Chuwuâs eyes lit up. âDid you hear? They called him Third Scholarâmust be that secretary Zhang Yaocai mentioned. Thirty-Two.â
The others gaped. âThe secretaryâs crying? Seems the County Lord fired him?â
Gao Chuwu shrugged. âNot our business. We just need to fetch him back. Watch himâwhen he ducks into an alleyway, we invite him.â
He pulled out a large wooden rod; heâd gathered it on the road.
Thirty-Two kept howling before the county office, but no luck. Magistrate Zhang Yaocai had grown sick of himâunmoved by cries, heâd sent two bailiffs to beat Thirty-Two into black-and-blue swelling.
Finally accepting the inevitable, Thirty-Two sighed bitterly. He shuffled away from the yamen down the street, then veered into a narrow laneâa shortcut toward home.
Yet only steps in, a young man wielding a heavy stick blocked his path. Thirty-Two jumped, twisting to flee backwardsâbut three more young men choked the opposite end.
Panic electrified him. Eyes darting, he instantly judged them all straw-legged peasants. Hands flew up defensivelyââDonât hit me! I stand on your side! Tax extortion was the County Lordâs doingâI counseled mercy! I have⌠!â
Gao Chuwu gave a dim-witted grin. âOh? You donât say!â
Thirty-Two sputtered, âTruly! I got fired defending you! This very act is called⌠!â
Scratching his head, Gao Chuwu mumbled, âCanât grasp half your talk⌠but you sound clever enough, no?â
âI am! I am a scholar!â Thirty-Two pleaded. âTreat educated men with respectâlower your club first! Civilian tonguesâdonât you know⌠?â
Gao Chuwuâs grin widened. âCleverâs what we need! Our inviteâs for a scholar. Come take a stroll with us to Gaojia Village.â
âEh? What backwaterâs that? Noârefused! Wonâtââ Thirty-Two spluttered. ââŚyou call thisâŚâ
Thud! Wood cracked against skull. Thirty-Two dropped wordlessly. A villager sheathed his stick behind him. âDunno why⌠something âbout his last four words grated. Sounded annoyingâpure babble.â
Gao Chuwu chuckled. âHa! Was tempted myself.â
All four snickered. Two hoisted the unconscious Thirty-Two, whisking him fastest toward the town gate.
Mid-route, an official patrol emerged ahead. From afar they saw four peasants hauling a robe-clad ârich manââwho hung limply. Instantly, the authorities fixed their gaze.
Rich man kidnapped by poor men? Every detail screamed robbery
One official bellowed, âYou four! Whatâs happening?â
Engaged in abduction, the villagers froze in terrorâlegs jelly, instincts screaming run.
Then it turned comical. The leader peered closerârecognizing Gao Chuwu instantly. He stammered, âY-you from⌠Gaojia Village?â
Gao Chuwu squintedâthen smiled in relief. âYesterdayâs official?â
Yepâit was the very officer whoâd collected taxes at Gaojia Village yesterday⌠before Li Daoxuan plucked him airborne with two fingers.
That spectacle kept him sleepless all night, petrified divine punishment loomed. He hadnât dared exit town since, rounding up colleagues for moral support.
Behind him skulked yesterdayâs four blown-away bailiffsâsimilarly traumatized. Safety lay in numbers.
So encountering a Gaojia villager on their street paralyzed them.
Godsâdid the Great deity send spies hunting loose talkers?
All five officials paled, green as gourds.
Equally terrified, Gao Chuwu rattled off excusesââOur⌠uh⌠friend got dizzy from sun. Bringing him to wash face at the river!â
The five stammered back, âGo⌠ahead⌠by all means! Yesterdayâs affair⌠our lips stay sealed!â
Eyes wide, both groups trembled violently, sidling past each other.
The moment backs turned, all nine souls bolted. Officials fleeing south, peasants vanishing northwardâall kicking dust sky-high.