Chapter Six: Old Man Fang
"Heh heh, old sir, although Li Mou indeed has a heart of loyalty to the country, it's not urgent. For now, the most important thing is how to deal with the Qi family... Can you tell me about the specific situation of the Qi family or what you know about them?"
As an official, joking around, don't even think about sacrificing for the Qing dynasty! Li Hankui knew that in less than two hundred miles away from Wuchang tomorrow, a new military uprising was about to erupt. Even if he really went to Sichuan, but at most a month later, that land of abundance - Sichuan would also secede from the Qing dynasty's rule due to its response to the Hubei uprising, what use is an official who will soon be overthrown? Although he had already made up his mind to join this upcoming great uprising and strive for the early realization of a new China. However, although he thought so in his heart, he did not directly refuse the old man's kindness, after all, it was also a kind intention. He just pushed it away, saying that he would solve the current difficulties first, and then talk about the rest later!
"Ah, ah, ah, you see this old man, I'm getting old, and as one gets older, it's hard to distinguish between what's important and what's not. Let me recall for a moment... wait a minute, and then I'll tell you everything about the situation with the Yi estate and the Kui family..."
"This Kui family is actually not considered a big household here, and in the early days, it was just a small household on this side of Jiangxia, with only 30 or 50 mu of land. Although they produced some juren and xiucai, those were all before Guangxu Emperor's reign... As for this Kui family, they also suffered a great calamity - this family actually produced an unfilial son, namely Kui Sheng. He refused to obey discipline and didn't go learn the sayings of the sages, instead following some hoodlums and rascals everywhere, until ten years ago when he met the daughter of a bandit chief from Yilin Peak 100 li away - Hong Xiang. Perhaps it was a case of 'a turtle matching with a green bean', they took a liking to each other, and that's how Kui Sheng became the son-in-law of the bandit chief. Two years later, the former governor-general dispatched troops to suppress the bandits, and in one move, they captured and beheaded the entire group of bandit chiefs who were drunk and unconscious, including Kui Sheng's father-in-law and mother-in-law. However, not long after the imperial army withdrew, he gathered a group of scattered bandits and rose to power again, becoming the habitual bandit chief that plagued our generation..."
Here is the translation:
"Speaking of this, the old man's face clearly turned ugly, and he let out a deep sigh. "To say that it's not because of the ancestors of the Kui family doing evil deeds, giving birth to such a beast. After Kui Sheng took power, the first thing he did was lead a group of horse bandits to destroy the entire Kui family, getting tens of thousands of silver! He also used this money to buy horses and bribe officials in nearby counties. Over time, his power grew stronger and stronger, and he gradually became able to fight against other local martial arts groups and not lose. In recent years, he even bloodily slaughtered the Zhao family's Paper Workshop - that was no ordinary household, but a truly wealthy and influential family in Jiangxia. I heard that the Zhao family had tens of thousands of acres of land, and since the Qing dynasty entered the pass, they have been one of the largest families in Hubei. Their stored gold, silver, and land deeds were probably worth hundreds of millions... Logically speaking, with Kui Sheng's thousand-strong horse bandits, it was impossible to break through the Zhao family's walls. But this Kui Sheng is cunning and ruthless - first, he kidnapped the Zhao family's second young master, who was the favorite son of Old Master Zhao. Then, he ordered someone to sneak into the Zhao family's mansion and put poison in the well... Ah, yes! Now the Yi Zhuang is actually the original Zhao Fu..."
"Alas, the imperial court's intentions have become increasingly incomprehensible over the years. To think that this scoundrel has committed such a great evil, killing off the entire Zhao family of over a thousand people, and yet the imperial court still dispatched troops to quell him? But instead, he simply bribed his way out with money, not only avoiding further calamity but even receiving an edict from the Huguang Governor's office welcoming him back... and granting him the position of commander of the Jiangxia Patrol Camp in Zhuzhai Paper Mill. Doesn't this openly encourage his arrogance? Look at what he's done in the years since then! He opened pawnshops, gambling dens, opium houses, and brothels in nearby counties. These have all been used to fleece our fellow villagers... They've even come to our side wanting to buy up our water fields - who would dare sell to them?! They resort to underhanded tactics, getting people hooked on opium, gambling, and usury, then sending their goons to collect debts, using these methods to seize people's land. Not only that, but they've even sent their henchmen to raid our villages every month, taking away grain, cloth, and other goods under the guise of collecting "protection fees" for maintaining public order! Before the fall of Lu Da Gongzi, he didn't dare come here to provoke us, but since his downfall in Chengdu, we've been plagued by these scoundrels! Everyone has long since grown to hate them... A few families who knew how to write joined together to file a complaint against the Gui family's bullying and lawlessness, only to be thrown into the county jail. Those with money could bail out their loved ones, while those without were left to languish inside... The Gui family also has a mansion in the county seat, but that's just for housing their thugs - he rarely goes there, usually staying at his estate on the outskirts of the county seat, about 25 miles from our village..."
"Oh, does the old master know how many bandits are in Yizhuang?"
"It's not very clear, but I heard that Kui Sheng is currently competing with the Red Gang (Ge Lao Hui) of Wuchang Prefecture for control of the opium trade in several nearby counties. As a result, he has offended many high-ranking members of the Red Gang. Therefore, there are at least hundreds of horse thieves in Yizhuang. In his early years, when Xiao Lao Er had just returned to seclusion, he was invited by Zhao Zhuangzhu to take a stroll around Zhao Zhuang and learned that the huge manor could easily hold over a thousand horse thieves."
Just as the two were talking, a sudden commotion was heard outside, and then the young man called Shi Tou rushed into the house. "Master Fang...Brother Li, I've found almost all the people we need. In our Lou Village, Small Zhuang wasn't able to gather the 50 people that Brother Tian wanted, only 43, but they're all experienced thieves. What do you think we should do now?"
"It's okay", Li Han had also solved his stomach problem, and he didn't know how much time the other party would leave for them, so after thanking Mr. Fang, he put on his bulletproof vest and helmet again, and followed the young man called Shi Tou out of Mr. Fang's house...
"Comrade Li, are you a revolutionary?"
As soon as he came out of Mr. Fang's house, the stone that looked a bit dull suddenly seemed to have let out a sigh of relief, and even the expression on his face became more vivid!
Li Hanyi was taken aback, why is it always this question? However, he shook his head immediately, "It can't be counted as that!"
"But... oh, I understand..." Shi Tou was about to say something when he suddenly opened his eyes wide and glanced sideways at the back of Fang Lao Sheng who had followed him out of the house and was standing in the doorway watching them from afar. A hint of understanding flashed across his face, leaving Li Han feeling somewhat perplexed. What exactly did he understand? Perhaps only he himself knew!
"By the way, Stone Brother, let me ask you about this Old Master Fang, do you know anything about him?"
Li Han thought of Mr. Fang's words earlier, and a strange expression flashed across his face. According to his idea, if Mr. Fang really belonged to some official family, it was impossible for him to come to this remote mountain village after retiring from office. Although the scenery here is pleasant and suitable for retirement, he didn't believe that the Qing Dynasty, which claimed to be "three years of clear government and ten million silver snowflakes", could produce any high-quality officials!
"What? Didn't Old Master tell you?" Shi Tou looked at him in surprise, and after seeing him shake his head, he replied, "As for this Fang Lao, he can indeed be considered the number one big shot from our Lou Village. I heard this from my grandfather, who said that Fang Lao was originally not surnamed Fang, but rather had the same surname as most people in Lou Village, which is Lou. In those early years, during the time of the bandits' turmoil, several high-ranking officials from neighboring provinces came to our Lou Village to avoid disaster. Among them was an official surnamed Fang. At that time, Fang Lao's family members had all passed away due to illness, leaving him alone and relying on the support of his fellow villagers to survive. The official surnamed Fang took pity on him and, having no children of his own, adopted him as his own son. Fang Lao then followed this official surnamed Fang and left Lou Village, first going to Chongqing Prefecture, later to Beijing and Gansu, and finally settling in Chengdu, where he became a high-ranking official under the command of Governor Zhao."
However, this old Mr. Fang is a straightforward person and has helped many villagers who have come to rely on him, but his two deceased sons and eldest grandson are really not worthy of mention. It's said that the second son followed some official children from Chengdu Prefecture and got addicted to opium, causing the originally meager silver savings in Mr. Fang's household to be completely depleted. In the end, he even borrowed a lot of silver from usury lenders, which almost killed Mr. Fang with anger! Finally, he severed ties with his son and drove him out of the house! As for this eldest grandson, I don't even know what to say. He doesn't smoke or gamble, but Mr. Fang had originally hoped that he would take the imperial examination and get a good title. Instead, he spent seven years studying in a foreign country called "Germany" and didn't come back until now. It's also said that he has a foreign wife, which almost killed Mr. Fang with anger... Alas, this grandson is really causing trouble, and even ordinary people can't bear it, let alone Mr. Fang who is already 70 or 80 years old. I heard that in previous years, he was supposed to follow Old Zhao on an inspection tour of the Northeast, but Mr. Fang declined, citing his age as a reason. He submitted a letter and the imperial court allowed him to return home to enjoy his retirement, so he retired to our Lou Village... It's already been two or three years now...
