Mu Chun said, “I’m afraid they’ll be disappointed. My heart has already been given to someone else.”
Chen Xuan: “Ah?” Could it be that Lord Mu has turned into a heartless demon?
Mu Chun said to his subordinates, “Everyone put down your weapons. This is their territory, and we’re here as guests. We should have laid down our weapons at the gate.”
His subordinates obeyed. Chen Xuan translated this in Yi language, but the Yi people remained angry, furiously spouting off.
Chen Xuan’s translation went: “They say Lord Mu is talking nonsense, clearly here to collect taxes. Han people are all the craftiest foxes in the forest, insidious wolf packs, rats in the latrine, the most detestable fools.”
In short, none of them were human.
Mu Chun said, “Everyone, our Southern Expedition Army has only one enemy, and that’s the Northern Yuan Prince of Liang, Bazalawaermi. You are our allies. Whatever misunderstandings there are, let’s sit down and talk slowly. As long as you submit to the Great Ming’s jurisdiction, anything can be negotiated.”
Chen Xuan translated, and the other party pointed at Mu Chun, chattering away. Chen Xuan said, “They’re asking what green onion you think you are? What rank of official? The current Guizhou Guard Commander is Ma Ye, and it’s not your turn to speak.”
It was time to start name-dropping. Mu Chun said, “I am the eldest son of Marquis Xiping Mu Ying, Commander of the Right Imperial Forest Guard, a first-rank military official.”
Hearing Chen Xuan’s translation, the other party showed some reaction and replied a few sentences. Chen Xuan translated, “They say you have no hair on your mouth and can’t handle affairs properly. They doubt your words carry weight. The Guizhou garrison only listens to Commander Ma Ye.”
Mu Chun said, “Your leader is a young woman, yet you still listen to her. This shows age isn’t the issue. Moreover, you’re now clashing head-on with the Guizhou garrison without any advantage. Once you rebel, it will bring catastrophic disaster to your entire tribe. If you don’t want your whole tribe to die, sit down and negotiate.”
The other party’s anger hadn’t subsided, and they replied a few more sentences.
Chen Xuan said, “Lord Ma stripped and whipped Lady She Xiang, humiliating their chieftain. For the Yi people, this is an unbearable disgrace. If you want to negotiate, Lord Ma must come to apologize in person and commit suicide in atonement. Otherwise, the Yi people would rather die in battle than suffer such humiliation.”
One side making outrageous demands, the other bargaining on the spot. Mu Chun took off his upper garment, exposing his broad back. “How about this – you can give me a beating too. Lady She Xiang is the Deputy Prefect of the Pacification Commissioner’s Office, a fourth-rank court official. I hold the first rank, so beating me would be quite profitable. However many lashes Lady She Xiang received, give me the same number.”
Mu Chun took an unconventional approach. Hearing Chen Xuan’s translation, the other party was stunned… then picked up a whip, dancing it through the air with fierce vigor.
They were really going to beat him! Mu Chun was dumbfounded. This was bad – he couldn’t back down now. What to do?
Chen Xuan saw Mu Chun’s predicament and also stripped off his shirt, saying in Yi language, “When the master is humiliated, the servant must die. I am a Great Ming Battalion Commander, a fourth-rank court official, willing to receive the whipping in place of Lord Mu.”
Battalion Commander Shi and the other subordinates also stripped off their shirts, expressing willingness to receive punishment in Mu Chun’s place.
Mu Chun was moved to tears and said to Chen Xuan, “Negotiate with them – each of you take one lash for me. Equal opportunity, no fighting over it. Everyone gets a share.”
Everyone thought: Lord Mu is truly shameless!
Though cursing Mu Chun in their hearts, they still had to save face for him. They didn’t put their removed shirts back on and began lining up bare-chested to receive lashes.
The first was Chen Xuan. Just as the Yi person was about to strike, the main hall doors burst open with a crash, and a group of people emerged. Leading them was a bearded old man who shouted in Yi language, “Stop!”
This group included both men and women, dressed in colorful, dazzling clothes that made Mu Chun’s eyes blur with the riot of colors.
Chen Xuan saw this group and his eyes lit up. He said to Mu Chun, “This is Lord Liu from the Guizhou Pacification Commissioner’s Office—”
Before Chen Xuan could finish speaking, Mu Chun hurriedly ran over to the elder who had shouted “stop” and cupped his hands in salute. “Lord Liu, I am the eldest son of Marquis Xiping Mu Ying, commander in charge of aftermath for the Southern Expedition Army. My name is Mu Chun. I’ve come to the Pacification Commissioner’s Office to negotiate.”
Chen Xuan jumped in anxiety: Ah, this fool! He’s got the wrong person! Can’t you let me finish what I was saying!
The elder stepped back, and a young woman wearing what must have been seven or eight pounds of gleaming silver ornaments that clinked as she walked stepped forward, speaking in standard Great Ming official language:
“I am Liu Shuzhen, Pacification Commissioner of the Guizhou Pacification Commissioner’s Office. Since my husband Song Qin died, I have been acting as Pacification Commissioner.”
A Pacification Commissioner was a third-rank official, one rank higher than Lady She Xiang’s fourth rank, and she was a formidable widow at that.
The scene became somewhat awkward for a moment. Fortunately, Mu Chun was extremely thick-skinned and maintained his smile. “My apologies, I’m new here and failed to recognize Mount Tai. Lady Liu is a heroine among women – I was blind.”
Actually, Liu Shuzhen had been secretly observing Mu Chun and his men’s behavior from inside the main hall. Mu Chun’s humble and accommodating attitude, as well as his actions of laying down weapons and taking Ma Ye’s beating, showed very sincere intentions. Combined with Mu Chun’s noble birth, all this left a good impression on the Pacification Commissioner.
Liu Shuzhen not only spoke Great Ming official language but also understood official courtesies. She said, “Lord Mu has traveled far and must be weary from the journey. As our guest at the Pacification Commissioner’s Office, we have been remiss in our hospitality. Someone, arrange for Lord Mu and his entourage to rest in the guest quarters. Tonight we will offer the finest wine with singing and dancing for entertainment to welcome our honored guest.”
After speaking, she also said a few words in Yi language to the Yi man who had been wielding the whip. The man put away his whip, bowed to Liu Shuzhen, cleared the way, and made an inviting gesture for Mu Chun and his group to go rest in the guest quarters of the Pacification Commissioner’s Office.
As soon as they reached their room, Mu Chun asked Chen Xuan to tell him about this Lady Liu’s background. Chen Xuan dipped his finger in some tea water and drew a line across the middle of the table. “Guizhou is divided by the Yazhihe River into Eastern Waters and Western Waters, each ruled by different native chieftains, commonly called the Eastern Waters Family and Western Waters Family. Both family heads have died, and their wives won the succession struggles, inheriting their husbands’ official positions. The Eastern Waters Family is Liu Shuzhen, and the Western Waters Family is Lady She Xiang…”
Two women governing the local indigenous people. Such native officials had existed since the Song and Yuan dynasties, always accepting court appointments while governing themselves, not paying taxes, only bearing military service and corvée labor conscripted by the court, plus providing annual tribute to the emperor. When the emperor received tribute, he would invariably bestow upon the native chieftains items worth several times the value of the tribute.
Mu Chun became even more puzzled and asked, “Ma Ye participated in the Southern Expedition Army for almost a year. He should know Lady She Xiang’s status. Why did he suddenly demand the Western Waters Family pay taxes and strip and whip her? This was clearly forcing the Western Waters Family to rebel. Also, the Eastern and Western Waters Families divide and rule across the river – why demand taxes only from the Western Waters Family?”
Chen Xuan frowned deeply. “My family used to be in the Chengdu Guard, so I don’t know much about Guizhou affairs. However, based on my father’s past experience dealing with native officials, it’s possible there’s internal strife among the Yi people. The Eastern Waters Family wants to swallow up the Western Waters Family to rule all of Guizhou, so they borrowed Ma Ye’s hand, using tax collection as a pretext to force the Western Waters Family to rebel, then join with Ma Ye to destroy the Western Waters Family. The world unites after long division and divides after long unity – this rule applies whether in the southwestern borderlands or the Central Plains.”
Mu Chun was greatly alarmed: “Liu Shuzhen has such great ambition! If she already has an agreement with Ma Ye, then tonight is probably a Hongmen Banquet. We must be careful.”
Just as he finished speaking, someone knocked on the door. “Lord Mu, our Lady Liu requests that you tour our settlement.”
Mu Chun: “Just me alone?”
The person said, “You may bring all your guards, but according to our rules, once you enter the mountain stronghold, guests must lay down all weapons, and we will be responsible for protecting Lord Mu’s safety. This is our custom for receiving guests – we will pay any price to protect honored guests.”
Mu Chun and Chen Xuan exchanged glances, and Chen Xuan shook his head.
Mu Chun understood and immediately lay flat on the bed, playing dead. “Aiya, I’m afraid I must disappoint Lady Liu’s kind intentions. I’m new here and not acclimatized. Right now I’m feeling weak all over and dizzy. Could we do this another day?”
The person said, “Our Pacification Commissioner’s Office has doctors. I’ll have one come examine Lord Mu.”
Mu Chun hastily replied repeatedly, “No need, no need. I’m young and strong – I’ll be fine after sleeping.”
The person didn’t insist: “Then we won’t disturb Lord Mu’s rest.”
After a while, the door sounded again, but this time it was a woman’s voice speaking in official language: “Lord Mu, I am She Xiang. I’m deeply grateful for Lord Mu’s rescue. My subordinates were rash and ignorant, misunderstanding Lord Mu’s good intentions and nearly whipping my savior. I’ve come to apologize in person.”
Injured like that and still able to come apologize?
Mu Chun quickly got down from the bed to open the door. Lady She Xiang sat in a bamboo chair carried by four people, wearing a hat-like headdress, her face pale but naturally beautiful.
Besides Lady She Xiang of the Western Waters Family, Liu Shuzhen of the Eastern Waters Family also stood beside the bamboo chair.
Liu Shuzhen smiled at Lady She Xiang. “You still have more face – Lord Mu wasn’t willing to see me alone.”
Mu Chun felt his face grow hot for a moment. “Lady She Xiang, Lady Liu, you misunderstand. Actually I—”
“I understand Lord Mu’s concerns.” Lady She Xiang interrupted Mu Chun. “Lord Mu is a young hero, kind-hearted, and from a noble family, completely different from someone like Ma Ye – that greedy, reckless, despicable petty man. Ma Ye is vicious-minded. He deliberately demanded taxes from our Western Waters Family while not demanding them from Lady Liu’s Eastern Waters Family, specifically trying to provoke internal strife between us, making us suspicious of each other so he could defeat us separately. First destroy the Western Waters Family, then demand taxes from the Eastern Waters Family with the same excuse of tax resistance, forcing Lady Liu to rebel in resistance, then destroy the Eastern Waters Family.”
Liu Shuzhen nodded. “Our Eastern and Western Waters families share the same roots and branches, and we’re both widows. Above, we must deal with the Northern Yuan Prince of Liang, and below we must suppress those covetous kinsmen who want to seize our chieftain positions. Only by supporting and watching over each other have we achieved today’s stable situation. Though we haven’t read many books, we understand the principle that when the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold. We hope Lord Mu will uphold justice for all the Yi people of our Eastern and Western Waters families and preserve this hard-won peace.”
Mu Chun and Chen Xuan exchanged glances again: We underestimated these two women’s breadth of mind and intelligence. How shameful!
Lady She Xiang endured the severe pain in her back. “Ma Ye humiliated and beat me, yet I didn’t make a sound, because I feared that if my cries were heard by my people, they would take up weapons and charge into the military camp to fight Ma Ye’s army to the death. No matter how bad Ma Ye is, if we strike first, we would be in the wrong. When His Majesty holds us accountable, we would have no defense. I’ve heard that Marquis Xiping Mu Ying is Lord Mu’s father and also His Majesty’s adopted son. Please let Lord Mu serve as witness – if Ma Ye ever forces the people to rebel in the future, it was absolutely Ma Ye who struck first.”
When Mu Chun was young and mischievous, his father had whipped him several times with a switch. At least Mu Ying had shown restraint and hadn’t intended to whip him to death. Though the switch whooshed fiercely through the air, the force when it landed on him wasn’t actually too great – even so, he had rolled around on the ground in pain, his screams piercing the heavens.
But Lady She Xiang had endured pain ten times greater than his without a sound, fainting from pain without making a single cry. She was truly a strong woman.
Mu Chun hastily said, “Lady She Xiang shows great righteousness, enduring humiliation for the sake of peace in Guizhou. I will definitely investigate the tax matter thoroughly. This is a matter of great importance. I will write the truth in a secret memorial to report to His Majesty. During this time, I ask Lady She Xiang and Lady Liu to cooperate with me in putting on a performance to deal with Ma Ye’s tax demands.”