Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 1001: Distinguished Guests

In the Qing Dynasty’s official system, the Commander was responsible for overseeing the provincial Green Battalion, under the control of the Governor-General and the Provincial Governor. However, this subordinate relationship only held during times of peace; in chaotic times, power emerged from the barrel of a gun, and whoever held the troops was the true leader.

Li Kexiu was quite capable; within just a few short years, he had turned the Green Battalion of Jiangnan into an ironclad force, issuing commands that completely sidelined the Governor-General and the Provincial Governor. Therefore, although his official rank was below that of the Governor-General of Liangjiang, Ma Leji, and the Provincial Governor of Jiangning, Ma You, all the factions knew who truly held power in this fertile region.

In truth, the officials of the Manchu court were not fools; they would not allow a Han person like Li Kexiu to dominate so easily. Originally, besides the Green Battalion composed of Han soldiers under Li Kexiu, there was another military force stationed in the Jianghuai region—the Eight Banners, made up entirely of Eight Banner youths, responsible for field battles and monitoring the Jiangnan Green Battalion.

In the past, the Eight Banner soldiers were indeed valiant and skilled in battle, managing to hold their ground against the Ming Dynasty’s most elite cavalry, the Guanning Iron Cavalry, only by relying on city walls for defense. Unfortunately, after entering the pass, the decline of the Eight Banner youths was rapid; let alone the once formidable army, nowadays, few of these Eight Banner youths even retained their archery and horsemanship skills.

Moreover, Yangzhou was notoriously a den of vice, with numerous brothels and entertainment venues. Over the years, the indulgence in pleasure had led to an astonishing decline in the combat effectiveness of the Eight Banner stationed troops. Thus, to the discerning eye, Li Kexiu had already become the actual power holder in the Jianghuai region.

“Recently, coastal areas have been plagued by pirates and bandits, and Lord Li is currently stationed with the army to suppress them,” Governor-General Ma Leji replied, his tone sounding rather strange, clearly indicating that even he did not fully believe this statement.

“Suppressing bandits?” Song Qingshu’s expression was half-smile, half-sneer. Li Kexiu was aware that he had become a coveted figure in the eyes of various factions; he could not afford to offend anyone, so he used this excuse to avoid meeting them, cleverly offending no one.

“Marshal, after your long journey, I have arranged a banquet at the Huaiyang Road magistrate’s office to welcome you and wash away the dust of travel. There is also a distinguished guest present, who I believe will resonate well with you,” Ma Leji gestured invitingly.

“Distinguished guest?” Song Qingshu’s interest was piqued, but no matter how he probed, Ma Leji remained smiling and silent.

*****

Watching the grand procession of people entering the gates of Yangzhou, a woman in a nearby tea house could not help but spit in disdain: “What a grand display! Father, these corrupt officials truly have a keen eye for wealth. When we came to Yangzhou before, we were only met by a mere Assistant Minister and the Yangzhou Prefect!”

The two wore bamboo hats and raincoats, dressed like woodcutters, yet the voice of the speaker was crisp and pleasant, creating a stark contrast that was quite strange.

Though only a portion of her chin was visible beneath the hat, its smoothness was like jade, something no ordinary farmer’s daughter could possess. Not to mention her long, straight, and beautiful legs, which were striking; what farmer’s daughter could boast such a graceful figure?

Now, with various factions flooding into Yangzhou, the undercurrents were already stirring. Everyone, for the sake of safety, adopted an attitude of “sweeping the snow before their own door.” Even if nearby people noticed the oddity of this father-daughter pair, who would recklessly rush to expose them?

“Xian’er, we can’t blame these officials. Our Liao and Jin have been sworn enemies for generations, and we have fought against the Qing several times in recent years. It’s already generous of them not to arrest us and throw us in jail; how could they possibly treat us with sincerity? Moreover, this time, Li Kexiu has carefully selected forces to ally with. Our Liao Dynasty is no longer what it used to be; it is already difficult enough to ensure our own survival, and with such a distance from Jianghuai, how could Li Kexiu possibly take notice of us?” The man speaking had a square face and broad eyes, indicating that he must have been a strikingly handsome young man in his youth. However, for some reason, he now spoke with a blank expression, adding an eerie and sinister air to his demeanor.

From their conversation, it was clear that they were envoys sent by the Liao Dynasty. The young girl was an old acquaintance of Song Qingshu, the top martial artist of the younger generation from the Liao Dynasty, Yelu Nanxian, while the middle-aged man was her father, Yelu Yixin, the envoy of the Southern Privy Council of the Liao Dynasty.

“Since we are destined to be unable to win over Li Kexiu, why bother to travel such a long distance to wade through this muddy water?” Yelu Nanxian asked with a frown.

“Although we cannot win over Li Kexiu, we can find a way to make him side with forces that align more with our interests in the Liao Dynasty,” Yelu Yixin replied, while secretly pondering that the more important goal was to obtain that item…

When Song Qingshu arrived at the Yamen of Huaiyang Road, he saw a middle-aged man with a smile that was almost lecherous and couldn’t help but chuckle. Not only was he a nobleman, but he was also an old acquaintance. 

“Ah, Suo Etu greets Lord Tang Kuo,” the smiling middle-aged man was none other than Suo Etu, whom Song Qingshu had previously worked with in the Qing court.

“So it’s Lord Suo, I’ve long admired you,” Song Qingshu responded enthusiastically while internally mocking how this lecherous-looking man could have a daughter as charming as Wu Yunzhu. Was his neighbor surnamed Wang?

Currently, Dongfang Muxue was stationed in Yanjing City, gradually supporting her own faction, but this was not something that could be accomplished overnight. The Sheheli family, to which Suo Etu belonged, was powerful; his father, Suo Ni, was one of the four regents alongside Aobai, holding a position even above Aobai.

Moreover, Suo Etu had played a significant role in the downfall of Aobai, which led to Kangxi promoting him vigorously. Over the years, his rise in rank had been as rapid as riding a rocket.

After Song Qingshu and Dongfang Muxue took control of the Forbidden City, they continued to rely heavily on Suo Etu and others. This was both to appease their families and because they indeed had the capability; many aspects of the nation’s operations still depended on them.

As they aged, old ministers like Suo Ni retired to the background, and now the most prominent figures in the Qing court were Suo Etu and the Mingzhu of the Nalan family, who were privately referred to as “Lord Suo” and “Lord Ming” by many officials.

It was one thing for the officials in Yanjing City to call him that, but now even the top figure in the Jin court addressed him in such a manner. Suo Etu felt as if he had eaten a ginseng fruit, every pore in his body felt comfortable, and his eyes squinted into slits as he said, “Marshal, you are too polite. Please, come inside!”

“Lord Suo, please!” Song Qingshu responded while his mind raced. His purpose for this trip was clearly to win over Li Kexiu, yet the governor of the Two Rivers had arranged for him to be with Suo Etu. 

After all, the Jin Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty were brother nations; it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to undermine Li Kexiu right under Suo Etu’s nose, would it? Being with Suo Etu, it seemed that the Jin envoy’s trip to Yangzhou was destined to yield no results.

Of course, Song Qingshu had not originally come to win over Li Kexiu for the Jin Dynasty. Now that he had this cover, returning to Daxing Prefecture without any achievements would be easier to explain. Therefore, he didn’t mind Mareji’s arrangement; in fact, it was somewhat to his advantage.