Chapter 93: Borrowing Flowers to Offer to Buddha

When Master Xue arrived in Xuanzhou City by carriage, two days had already passed. Weary from his journey by land and water, County Magistrate Xue did not dare to delay after alighting; he went directly to the Prefect's Office.

By this time, the magistrates from counties such as Taiping, Jingde, and Shitai, all subordinate to Chizhou, had already arrived early in Xuanzhou, ready to pay their respects to the newly appointed superior parachuted in from above. After all, for the foreseeable future, this new Inspector was to be their new overlord in Xuanzhou.

In the early years of the Great Zhou, the Inspector was the pinnacle of local officials. Take Xuanzhou, for example—comprising more than ten counties under its jurisdiction, it commanded an extensive domain.

Officials like Inspector Tian, as a rule, were rarely deposed, regardless of how harshly they taxed the people or even if their actions led to unrest. As long as they had connections at court, it would be difficult to remove them, even if they plundered the land bare and reduced the people to destitution.

Only in the past few decades, due to frequent troubles in the provinces, had the court established regional Observers and Disciplinary Envoys. Otherwise, the Prefect would have remained the highest local authority, directly linked to the imperial government.

In fact, Inspector Tian's downfall was not due to any violation of the law. Rather, the incident in Shitai County provided certain figures at court an opportunity to meddle in Xuanzhou’s affairs. Courtly power struggles swept Tian into the storm and sent him to the capital to answer for his supposed crimes.

Such a prominent local figure naturally commanded the utmost deference from the magistrates of Xuanzhou, who dared not slacken their respect. Many arrived early, some even accompanied by their deputies, to pay homage to the new Lord of Xuanzhou.

Master Xue glanced over his fellow magistrates, greeted a few acquaintances, and then spotted Xu Du, the Deputy Prefect of Xuanzhou. He stepped forward, clasped his hands, and saluted, “My Lord.”

The Deputy Prefect served as the Inspector’s right hand. If the Inspector were present, Xue would have addressed him as Deputy, but in the Inspector’s absence, he used the honorific “My Lord.”

Xu Du sat lost in thought in his chair. Hearing Xue Song’s greeting, he looked up in surprise. It was a moment before he returned to himself and replied with a rueful smile, “I am but an official awaiting censure; Brother Yueji, you need not address me so formally.”

He sighed, glancing around at the assembled magistrates, and said with emotion, “So many old acquaintances, yet only you, Brother Yueji, are willing to speak to me.”

Xu Du, too, had participated in the over-taxation of Xuanzhou. When those in power take, how could their deputies refrain without alienating themselves from their superiors? Yet, after Inspector Tian was taken away, Xu Du remained because such a vast jurisdiction could not be left unattended. Master Gu was hurrying back to the capital and had no time to stay in Xuanzhou awaiting the new appointment. Thus, Xu Du was left to handle official business, technically still in office but pending investigation—a liminal status that made him as welcome as the plague among the other officials.

County Magistrate Xue, having lost all ambition for political advancement, cared little for such things. He smiled, “They are men of ambition. I am old and have no more to strive for.”

He paused, then asked, “When will the new Inspector arrive?”

“Most likely by afternoon,” Xu Du replied. “They are still discussing how far out to go to welcome him.”

Xue turned to look at his colleagues, shook his head, and asked, “Have you any news of Inspector Tian?”

Xu Du shook his head and sighed in silence, “Since he entered the capital, there’s been no word. The various ministries will probably wrangle over his case for some time yet...”

“Inspector Tian’s fate is uncertain, but mine is easy to predict,” he added with a bitter smile. “Once the new Inspector arrives, I will likely be sent to prison.”

Xue Song sighed as if to speak, but just then a magistrate called, “It’s about time, colleagues. Let us go forth to welcome our new Lord.”

The company responded in agreement, and Xue was pulled along by several acquaintances, joining the others as they left the city to meet the new Inspector.

Before departing, he glanced at Xu Du, still seated, and asked, “Will you not come with us, My Lord?”

“I’ll not go,” Xu Du shook his head. “I am already a criminal. It makes no difference whether I go or not.”

Xue Song could only join the others and head out to meet the new Inspector.

It was still early spring. The officials, dressed in their formal robes, walked in groups of threes and fours along the official road, the cold wind making them shrink their necks like quails as they trudged forward.

At last, the new Inspector’s carriage approached and stopped. From within, a young man poked out his head. He appeared to be twenty-eight or twenty-nine, with striking brows and eyes, a neat mustache, and an air of vigor.

Seeing the magistrates lined up on either side of the road to greet him, he frowned slightly, then stood up in the carriage, clasped his hands, and greeted them, “Colleagues.”

“I am Cui Shao, the new Inspector of Xuanzhou,” he announced in a clear voice. “Let us not waste time here. I will proceed into the city and await you at the Prefect’s Office. We shall meet there.”

With that, the carriage moved on into Xuanzhou.

Next to Xue Song stood the Taiping County Magistrate, a man in his late forties. Familiar with Xue, he shook his head and clicked his tongue, “He doesn’t even step down from his carriage. In this biting cold, we’ve pressed our eager faces to a cold backside.”

Xue replied helplessly, “Did you not hear his surname?”

The Taiping Magistrate paused, then laughed silently. “Ah, yes—Cui.”

“That explains it.”

He tugged at Xue’s sleeve, saying with a smile, “Come, let’s see what extraordinary qualities this new Lord has.”

Among the more than ten magistrates present, their expressions varied. The younger ones, upon hearing the surname “Cui,” immediately grew animated and discussed excitedly among themselves. Those who were close to Inspector Tian, however, grew visibly uneasy.

The group made their way back into Xuanzhou and finally met the new Inspector at the Prefect’s Office.

Cui Shao, who had been in plain clothes in the carriage, now wore the official robes of his station. He greeted the gathered magistrates with courtesy and had seats arranged for them, with Xue and the others sitting in a row before him.

Once all were settled, the new Inspector began, “I am newly arrived and unfamiliar with many people and matters in Xuanzhou. During this period of acclimation, should there be any error or oversight, I ask you all to speak frankly; there’s no need for restraint.”

He paused, then continued, “However, there is one matter I must make clear at the outset.”

Cui Shao cleared his throat and spoke, “This is likely already known to you all: the rebel Qiu in Yuezhou has risen in revolt.”

“Yuezhou is a vital city in the southeast. His Majesty is deeply concerned by this upheaval. When I left the capital, the Emperor personally instructed me to pay close attention to Yuezhou’s situation from Xuanzhou.”

“Since we are so near to Yuezhou, this matter is our inescapable responsibility. On my way here, I have already contacted Lord Zheng, the Observer and Disciplinary Envoy for Eastern Jiangnan.”

“Lord Zheng said that the most crucial element in suppressing the rebellion is funds and provisions. With enough resources, the rebels in eastern Zhejiang will sooner or later be destroyed and sent to the capital to answer for their crimes.”

Cui Shao coughed and continued, “I have already promised Lord Zheng that Xuanzhou will do its utmost to support the campaign in Yuezhou.”

“At present, the rebel Qiu has grown powerful and seized the local granaries. The need for resources there is great.”

He spoke gravely, “Thus, Xuanzhou must provide provisions and funds for the government troops in Yuezhou. We cannot allow the soldiers at the front to go hungry.”

“This matter has been settled with Lord Zheng,” he said, stroking his mustache as he looked at the officials before him. “Each month, Xuanzhou will send two thousand shi of grain and corresponding funds and supplies to the front lines in Yuezhou, to ensure the campaign can continue.”

“The sooner this is settled, the sooner the pressure on Yuezhou will ease.”

He swept his gaze over the assembled officials, his expression unreadable. “Each county, step forward and acknowledge your share of the funds.”

“How forceful,” the Taiping Magistrate muttered under his breath to Xue, “So ambitious—he’s barely warmed his seat in Xuanzhou and already seeks to curry favor with others using our resources.”

This new Inspector, as soon as he took office, was using Xuanzhou’s supplies to ingratiate himself with two parties: first, naturally, His Majesty the Emperor; second, Lord Zheng, who was locked in battle with the rebels in Yuezhou.

Master Xue looked up at the young Inspector, then lowered his head and murmured to his old friend, “He seems to be a man of achievement.”

The Taiping Magistrate lowered his head slightly. “That depends on the nature of those achievements. Some so-called achievements only bring suffering to the people.”

“Say no more,” Xue Song cautioned in a low voice.

The Taiping Magistrate chuckled, “Just watch, Brother Yueji. With such a superior, I fear the coming years will not be easy for either of us.”

No sooner had he spoken than Cui Shao called their names, “Xue Song, Du Ying.”

When the two stepped forward, Inspector Cui looked them over unhurriedly and asked, “How much grain and money can Qingyang and Taiping counties provide?”