Su Minguan had wasted nine years of training at the Guangdong Assembly Hall. Having never burned incense, he couldn’t be considered to have formally “paid respects at the dock.”
This was his fatal weakness.
After all, his background was there for all to see. Though the Thirteen Firms had deep connections with secret societies, after the Opium War, to protect themselves and preserve the enormous wealth they had made from foreigners, they cast off their relationship with the Heaven and Earth Society like discarding a poor relative. Some began to straddle both sides, seeking refuge with the authorities—though naturally, this didn’t lead to any good outcomes either.
Su Minguan had come seeking them out on his own, concealing it from his family. In the beginning, his every word and action clashed with those seasoned revolutionaries.
And this unfortunate child never knew how to change his ways. He was never respectful toward the founding masters, and his words and behavior were often improper. The previous Jin Lanhe always thought he would improve once he grew older.
This waiting continued until the rebellious youth turned eighteen, when everything came to an abrupt halt.
So, if one were to speak strictly, Su Minguan had no relationship with the Heaven and Earth Society whatsoever, and should have been told to pack up and leave on the spot.
Most of those who knew about this matter had their heads hanging on the city walls. He Weicheng was one of the few who slipped through the net.
Today, Uncle Cheng’s act of “righteously destroying kinship” was already a declaration of his position.
Su Minguan’s eyebrows twitched, just about to explain something, when suddenly the small boat in the creek swayed, and a slight figure leaped out in great strides, running toward him.
“Even the Qing court has begun to reflect on their pile of old, broken rules,” Lin Yuchan, not yet steady on her feet, shouted toward Mr. Li, breathless and launching directly into her challenge. “Yet certain people in the Hongmen still obsess over ancestral methods—truly laughable.”
Su Minguan was slightly startled, instinctively moving to stop her, but hearing her speak half a sentence, he withdrew his hand and let her finish.
Only when she brushed past him did he whisper a reminder: “Heaven, Earth, and Man—show proper respect.”
Mr. Li was born in the Qianlong era and had held the title of Dexing Dragon of Jiangzhe for fifty years. It wasn’t that he was greedy for the position of helmsman—rather, his three sons, seven grandsons, and nine beloved disciples had all sacrificed themselves in the anti-Qing struggles over the years. Now he had no successor, facing the same predicament as Su Minguan: unable to abdicate, he could only press on.
Therefore, regardless of how great their differences were, he must be respected.
He feared this rash girl might act impulsively and be misled by her anger.
Lin Yuchan did indeed perform the junior’s ritual quite smoothly, her attitude extremely respectful.
The reason was simple: a person of such advanced age must have some mental decline. Today, he was probably being manipulated by these scheming “big brothers” around him.
He Weicheng was the first to react with shock: “…Little Sorceress?”
A year had passed, but this girl’s appearance remained vivid in his memory. Only because her madness was so distinctive—having just escaped death from government soldiers, she still didn’t forget to chant her incantations with righteous indignation, something about “overthrowing the feudal system and driving out imperialism”—who could understand such gibberish?
Mr. Li was also startled, his hand holding the pipe trembling slightly. Su Minguan had kept his mouth too tight, revealing nothing about there being another person on the boat.
“This person is…”
“Bai Yushan,” Su Minguan said steadily. “Surname Lin, from Guangzhou, I’m her introducer, and she has paid respects to both Heavenly Father and Earthly Mother.”
Lin Yuchan: “…”
Which two deities were Heavenly Father and Earthly Mother? When had she ever paid respects to them?
And he was just making things up as he went along, casually assigning her some title just now?
Anyway, it wasn’t a good designation. Probably like Jin Lanhe, it was another person heavily wanted by the authorities. She might have even seen the previous holder’s head.
She thought to herself that once they left this forest, she would quickly ask him to fire her.
“This is Mr. Li,” taking advantage of everyone’s confusion, Su Minguan lowered his voice again, giving her emergency training. “The other seven people are called… forget it, there’s no time to remember. They’re all at least two generations senior to us—just call them ‘predecessors.'”
Someone reacted, seeing that Lin Yuchan was wearing men’s clothing in an ambiguous manner, and said coldly: “Bringing a woman to a meeting—child’s play!”
Lin Yuchan immediately responded, saying softly: “There was no choice—Boss Chu’s people smashed up my home, and I had nowhere else to go.”
Her voice was light and soft, not deliberately pitiful, but among all these grown men, this delicate voice stood out sharply, immediately lowering the masculine atmosphere in the maple forest.
Everyone was slightly shocked, some looking at Chu Nanyun’s already covered corpse.
Su Minguan glanced at her, subtle amusement hidden in his eyes.
This girl was quite good at adapting—it seemed that nap hadn’t been wasted.
The others’ expressions weren’t nearly as pleasant. Allowing Chu Nanyun to take revenge had originally been intended as a test for Su Minguan—if he could handle it well, the test would become a gift package. They hadn’t expected Chu to break the rules, not going to Yixing first, but targeting women and children instead!
But this couldn’t be blamed on them either. Who knew that Jin Lanhe had a closely related little girl by his side?
And that she didn’t even live with him!
The Heaven and Earth Society upheld the principle of suppressing the strong and helping the weak. Regardless of how much of this tenet could still be implemented, it was still politically correct.
No matter what relationship this little girl had with Su Minguan, in any case… what happened last night was not a glorious affair.
For a moment, the forest was filled with infinite awkwardness.
Su Minguan gave his subordinates a meaningful look, and Shi Peng and the others, having held back for so long, now spoke like opened floodgates, their tongues flying as they competed to tell about the case that had occurred at Boya Hongkou in the first half of the night.
“…Three people, with knives and guns, clearly intending to sweep that courtyard clean…”
“…Fortunately, Minguan knew what kind of person Chu was…”
“…And fortunately, Miss Lin was fearless in the face of danger, taking down one of them first, otherwise… otherwise, when we arrived, we probably wouldn’t have seen her alive!”
“…Even spent a lot of money to prevent the patrol from getting suspicious…”
Lin Yuchan had only wounded one person’s leg. But Shi Peng and the others had only heard gunshots without seeing the details. Su Minguan had also deliberately not told them the specifics.
The expressions of the others immediately became colorful. Such a delicate girl knew how to use guns and could wound people?
These youngsters were indeed quite interesting.
Mr. Li finally looked at her properly, saying mildly, “Hmm, truly a woman among heroes. You were frightened.”
Lin Yuchan was somewhat amused by this false reputation, lowering her head to hide her expression.
Successfully seizing the moral high ground, earning herself the qualification to be looked at directly.
“But what you said just now about the Qing court being able to reflect and progress—that’s a woman’s view, childish talk. If this were the old days, such statements that boost the enemy’s morale would be severely punished. Minguan, you must teach her more about the principles of proper conduct in the future.”
Mr. Li, probably seeing her young age and not deeply misled, spoke the longest passage since the meeting began, lecturing her: “Haven’t we heard enough of the court’s fine words? How many of our brothers have they lured to their deaths and split apart with those fickle promises of wealth and honor? You’re young, but you must understand this. If the Qing court truly reasoned with people, they should retreat beyond the pass and return this great land to us Han people. We’ve struggled for this for hundreds of years, and will continue struggling. Little girl, when you have time, you should also advise Minguan—young people having new ideas is understandable, but they cannot forget our original intention…”
“The Westernization Movement.” Lin Yuchan suddenly interrupted this endless prattling, her clear eyes sweeping across the entire meeting ground. “Has anyone here heard of this term?”
These four characters were too unfamiliar, and everyone momentarily forgot to pursue her rudeness in interrupting an elder’s speech, all shaking their heads in bewilderment.
Even Su Minguan asked quietly: “What is this?”
As expected. Because these four characters were summarized from history books. Probably no one called it that yet in the current era.
“The slogan is ‘Learn from the foreigners’ strengths to resist the foreigners,’ conducting industrialization and modern… er, modernization movements throughout all of China, from top to bottom.” Lin Yuchan flipped through the history book in her mind, calmly highlighting key points. “Having been beaten by the great powers with no ability to fight back, forced to sign a string of bandit treaties, even the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the most conservative ministers have begun to reflect painfully, proposing reform ideas in hopes of enriching the country and strengthening the military. Establishing the Zongli Yamen, opening the Tongwen Academy, mining and establishing factories, purchasing new-style warships—though this matter has been shelved, they will certainly make a second effort—in the coming decades, with enormous support from customs duties and civilian taxes, whether military or civilian industry, the Qing court will begin rapid progress…”
She deliberately slowed her speech, choosing new vocabulary that had already entered China but had not yet become widespread, listing more than ten new government policies in one breath, finally lowering her voice to conclude:
“…And the gap between anti-Qing civilian armed forces, such as the Hongmen Heaven and Earth Society, will only grow larger and larger.”
“Of course, whether these so-called ‘learning from foreigners’ strengths’ can effectively ‘resist foreigners’ remains to be determined, but they’re more than sufficient to ‘suppress the people.’ Little girl would like to ask Mr. Li: how many Yixing wooden sand boats would need to be sold to match one foreign warship, one foreign artillery regiment, or one new-style armaments factory that manufactures cannonballs?”
Having finished speaking, she waited patiently, meeting the expected deathly silence.
After half a minute came the expected storm.
“Little Sorceress is spouting nonsense again! If the court were that capable, could they be beaten to the ground by foreign devils?”
“Impossible! Even if the Emperor had that intention, wouldn’t all that money just be embezzled by corrupt officials?”
“The Qing wants to ‘resist foreigners’—would the foreigners agree? Would they sell them warships? What a joke!”
“Where did you hear such rumors? Hey, Minguan, what’s this girl’s background? She’s not a government spy, is she?”
Lin Yuchan sighed wearily in her heart, smiling helplessly at Su Minguan.
This wasn’t her first time spoiling history. It wouldn’t cause any uncontrollable butterfly effects like in movies—historical participants immersed in the situation would only treat her statements as wild fantasies that didn’t know the height of heaven and earth.
Su Minguan was actually no exception. He lacked a god’s-eye view, only having a bit more open-minded acceptance than others.
If these anti-Qing revolutionaries were asked to propose a hundred scenarios for how the Qing’s fate would end, the seemingly natural version in history books would probably also fail to make the list.
So she was quite calm, smiling: “So what if it’s alarmist talk? If you have ears and eyes in the court, these signs aren’t hard to inquire about. The foreign-run newspaper North China Herald also occasionally…”
Mr. Li smiled: “We don’t have these conditions. Do you have ears and eyes in the court?”
“I’ve worked for the Maritime Customs and heard this news directly from foreigners.”
Lin Yuchan blurted this out, then, seeing everyone’s expressions, realized this job was like being a foreign firm’s comprador—not something to boast about, more like a personal stain.
So she immediately added half a sentence: “…Minguan assigned me to infiltrate the enemy’s interior, to know both ourselves and our enemies…”
Su Minguan pressed his lips together, hiding an unexpected shallow smile, cooperatively nodding.
Perhaps because she felt secure with him beside her, she had no worries in her heart today, being exceptionally able to adapt and respond, not even needing him to help smooth things over.
Tsk, this girl was truly pleasing to the eye, no matter how he looked at her.
And on his other side, the rebels weren’t feeling nearly as good.
“The Maritime Customs employs Chinese people,” “The Maritime Customs employs women,” “The Maritime Customs actually would hire such a young girl”—these three topics had people discussing for another ten minutes. Everyone questioned her repeatedly before reluctantly admitting her credentials were impeccable.
“Foreign guns, cannons, machinery, ships… oh right, I’ve also seen the foreign warships the court wants to purchase…”
Lin Yuchan continued her alarmist talk. Although the Osborn Flotilla had already been auctioned off, she had been involved in the entire affair and had handled some related materials, specifically memorizing basic ship data.
“For example, that flagship: displacement of 1,200 tons, two 68-pound cannons, four 18-pound cannons, speed of 9 knots, 1,200 horsepower…”
Among the attendees, He Weicheng had worked in grain transport, and the Yixing personnel were all knowledgeable. As she spoke, people quickly interpreted these terms, converting them into combat power units commonly used by the Chinese.
Mr. Li’s smile gradually stiffened, his withered hand stroking his yellowed beard.
Unimaginable. A girl of marriageable age couldn’t make up such things.
Even the most conceited martial artists knew this was completely beyond what human strength could achieve.
Someone suddenly said in a low voice: “Right, I heard foreigners organized foreign gun units, called something like the ‘Ever Victorious Army,’ training Chinese to use guns and cannons, fighting against the Taiping Army.”
Someone immediately retorted: “We can use foreign guns too. We shoot more accurately than government soldiers.”
“However, ordinary people need connections to buy a foreign gun, secretly ordering from abroad while avoiding attention.” Lin Yuchan remembered the origin of her own Derringer 1858, quickly joining the conversation. “While the court colludes with foreigners, they can have as many Western firearms as they want.”
This was also irrefutable. Someone cleared their throat, unable to speak.
In the past, decadent Manchu nobles could dismiss Western inventions as “good-looking but useless,” letting red-coat cannons rust in warehouses without even testing them. But now, they too had swallowed their pride, begging foreigners for those strange devices.
The court could squeeze the blood and sweat of the entire nation’s people to exchange for cannons. What did the Heaven and Earth Society have?
Finally, when everyone’s expressions had turned ugly, Lin Yuchan said: “Shanghai is full of foreign concessions, with city defenses far more advanced than Qing territory. We’ve discussed this—the disparity in enemy and our forces is too great, even worse than during the Small Sword Society period. The Heaven and Earth Society has already lost many members and cannot make meaningless sacrifices. It’s better to continue keeping a low profile.”
Her words were somewhat exaggerated. The Taiping Army had attacked Shanghai multiple times, had even occupied considerable suburban land, and the concessions weren’t exactly impregnable. There was once when even Xujiahui Church was occupied. They didn’t lose any property, but rather gained some things—right next to the crucifix and holy images, they added a shrine for the “Brother of Jesus,” with some fruit offerings placed below.
But the current priority was protecting Yixing. Not to mention other grand principles—her Yixing shares couldn’t go down the drain.
When Su Minguan was being “tried by three courts,” Lin Yuchan hadn’t been idle either. She had already thought it through on the boat: she could discuss historical materialism with Su Minguan without worrying about being kicked away by him, but with these old predecessors, forget it—their concepts were deeply rooted, and their understanding and practice of rebellion probably remained in the Qianlong period.
She could only use the freshly minted “Westernization Movement” to knock some sense into them.
She supported rebellion wholeheartedly, but not like this current situation—playing whack-a-mole across the country, here a hammer, there a stick, all isolated rebellions in individual cities or counties. The court only needed to transfer some troops from surrounding areas to leave them isolated and unsupported…
Single rebellion impoverishes three generations, single rebellion ruins a lifetime—all kinds of bloody lessons in history books.
At least they had to wait until modern weapons flowed into civilian hands, until there were railways and telegraphs enabling nationwide coordination…
By then, it would be the Xinhai year, perfect timing.
History’s clock couldn’t be forcibly accelerated, or it would cause all sorts of problems.
Mr. Li called over a subordinate, quietly inquiring about something.
These old predecessors all had deep composure. Lin Yuchan couldn’t guess from their expressions how much weight her words carried. She was biting her lower lip, thinking about how to be more “alarmist,” when suddenly her finger felt warm—Su Minguan had quietly squeezed it.
He hadn’t slept all night, his mouth showing weary smiles, but his eyes remained sharp as always, only occasionally softening when meeting her gaze.
“Bai Yushan is the military strategist at the helm. This position has been vacant for eighteen years,” he said quietly. “She has the right to speak freely, not bound by various taboos.”
Lin Yuchan was stunned for a long while, asking quietly: “Don’t others have the right to speak freely?”
He showed a mocking smile at the corner of his mouth: “Ancestral methods.”
Lin Yuchan also smiled helplessly, silently taking back her earlier thought of “asking him to fire her afterward.”
She asked quietly: “Will this work?”
She was also gradually understanding. Why had Su Minguan brought her here today? Wasn’t it to let her use her strengths to brainwash these old diehards?
Besides having memorized some dragon-slaying techniques, she was incompetent in both literature and martial arts—what else could she do?
Su Minguan patted her shoulder with his gaze, chuckling: “Now I feel like I’m using you.”
Lin Yuchan glared at him coldly: “Remove the ‘I feel like.'”
How harsh to say “using.” He had saved her life tonight, worthy of her devoted reciprocation.
Having been hit with Lin Yuchan’s bombshell, the meeting’s content had now turned into “how to conduct a Westernization Movement within the Heaven and Earth Society.” As for the specific details, mixed with many coded references to people and places, Lin Yuchan couldn’t fully understand.
Suddenly, someone called to her: “Bai Yushan, Miss Lin, do you have any suggestions?”
Lin Yuchan’s face immediately flushed red. How to conduct a “Westernization Movement” within the Heaven and Earth Society?
This she hadn’t studied…
So-called dragon-slaying techniques were “techniques” that could dominate the world but were useless in most times and places.
Besides everyone giving up their broadswords to practice with foreign guns, what else could they do?
She could only think on her feet, speaking slowly: “Hmm… the court wants to build factories and buy military equipment, so Western technology will have opportunities to flow into civilian hands… but we must wait for opportunities… need financial resources… Yixing Shipping must be preserved, with unlimited prospects in the future, able to earn considerable money for everyone…”
Su Minguan timely interjected, cutting off the bombshell’s aftershocks.
“Gentlemen, dawn is breaking,” he smiled. “Are you returning to Jiangsu or Zhejiang? Yixing can provide an escort—don’t miss the sailing time.”
Only then did the others realize with shock. The forest was so dense that it made them ignore changes in light and darkness. Looking up, the layers of maple leaves already showed their colors—crimson, orange-yellow, bright yellow, half-green, half-red—each leaf crystal clear.
Mr. Li’s expression darkened.
To catch Su Minguan off guard, he had specifically chosen to notify at the last minute. For this, he had dragged his aged body from his Jiangsu hometown, not even catching his breath, rushing to meet before the fourth watch.
He thought this young man, who had confusedly inherited Jin Lanhe’s position, should be easy to subdue—at most half an hour’s work.
But now… where had all the time gone?
He had listened to a bellyful of heretical nonsense, shaking his head with ears that could spill out foreign guns and cannons, blocking his so-called “original intention,” making him momentarily forget why he had decided to meet today.
Su Minguan’s gaze swept across, seeing that well-behaved little girl in the bushes winking at him.
“Bai Yushan”—advancing, she could muddy waters; retreating, she could stall for time—truly an essential companion for home and travel. How had no one recognized the value of this position for the past eighteen years?
He smiled calmly, suggesting, “How about we discuss Yixing’s matters another day?”
The Jiangzhe representatives’ expressions grew worse. The Heaven and Earth Society’s structure was loose, being hunted by the court—whether they could survive to next year was questionable, and still “another day”?
Next time these people gathered together, they’d probably be playing mahjong in heaven.
Was their sword, sharpened through years of repeated defeats and battles, enduring wind and rain, polished with their entire lifetimes, to be worn away once again in disputes and waiting?
“Yixing’s assets need not be sold for now.” Mr. Li suddenly spoke, having people help him from his chair, looking intensely at Su Minguan, slowly saying: “However, I also cannot watch it become a tool for certain people to show off their talent for accumulating wealth.”
When Mr. Li stood up, he was unexpectedly tall, his spine straight as a rod, his long robe hanging to the ground, his pipe hanging at his waist. It was as if he had suddenly become thirty years younger, his every gesture emanating the prosperous spirit of the water towns.
“The third layer of Yixing’s main counter has a hidden compartment containing maps of shops and factions friendly to the Hongmen from the Small Sword Society’s heyday. Within three years, throughout all of Shanghai, I hope to see the Heaven and Earth Society restore its influence and recover all this lost territory. Is this acceptable?”
Mr. Li had people help him, tremblingly stepping onto his small boat. Turning back, he smiled again: “If you’re unwilling, then I have no choice but to brazenly invite all the old brothers like Qinglian Feng, Lianzhang Xiang, and Jinxiang Lin to come and judge this matter, asking Jin Lanhe to take leave and return home, to go to the Guangdong Assembly Hall and burn those three-and-a-half sticks of incense first. As for Yixing, though I have few people here, I still have several candidates for appointing a manager.”
This wasn’t a discussion, but a statement. Su Minguan, therefore, didn’t answer, bowing deeply to the ground, watching Mr. Li’s boat depart.
He and his subordinates carefully cleaned up the scene, smoothing traces of where people had sat, tying stones to the corpse, and sinking it to the river bottom. Finally jumping onto the small boat, loosening the mooring rope, looking ahead, raising his hand to block the brilliant sunlight on the right side.
“There’s a hidden compartment in Yixing’s counter.” In the cabin, Su Minguan didn’t mention the meeting’s content at all, only looking at Lin Yuchan, half excited, half unwilling, smiling: “I didn’t discover it in a whole year. Do you think I should get glasses?”