The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 146 Jiaofang Division

That night, the foreign troops took the rebel Luo Sigong back to the Beizhenfusi Yamen.

Two generations of the Luo family were loyal to the Ming Dynasty and had unclear ties with the Donglin Party. They were finally targeted by Wei Zhongxian and their entire family was exterminated. Only a few of the more than one hundred people in the family escaped.

Captain Shen asked Zhao Yuanzhi to take people into the backyard room. After rummaging through the drawers and cabinets, he took out several thousand taels of silver. As usual, he kept the bulk of it as a filial tribute to Eunuch Wei and divided the remaining 500 taels among his brothers.

After the spoils were divided, people from the Imperial Household Department, the Five Cities Military Department, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Personnel were allowed in to search the house.

Li Yongzhen, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, had some experience with writing and could compose memorials. He often helped Eunuch Wei draft documents and review cabinet memorials, making him a considered a think tank within the eunuch party. Shen Lian handed the remaining tasks over to him, saving him the trouble of reporting back to the factory master tonight.

He wiped the blood off the embroidered spring knife. The girl lying on the ground still had her eyes wide open, as if she had died with her eyes open.

A pair of clear and lifeless eyes stared at Shen Lian.

"Well, it's better to die than to be sent to Fuleyuan to suffer." (Note 1)

As he spoke, he gently closed the girl's eyes, turned around and led the Jinyiwei out of Luo Mansion, walked north along Zhengyangmen Street for a while, and turned onto T-shaped street.

Zhao Yuanzhi saw that Shen Lian was not going to Yuehua Tower and said with a smile:
"Captain Shen, why don't you go drink wine? The brothers are waiting."

Shen Lian looked displeased.

"Go ahead. My eyelids are twitching badly today, and I'm feeling a mess. I don't want to touch women anymore. Let's go to the alley north of the Jiaofangsi (Note 2) to listen to some music and drink some wine, then go back to the government office."

Zhao Yuanzhi said: "That's right, it's all that girl's fault. She insisted on cutting her own neck. With her appearance, she could have lived a good life in the Jiaofangsi."

Shen Lian was silent.

He rewarded each of his men with ten taels of silver and walked north. A few of his trusted followers were afraid of being murdered by the remnants of the Donglin clan, so they did not go out to drink and all followed Shen Lian north.

The women in Yanle Hutong are indeed very beautiful, but they can only play musical instruments and sing, and do not sell their bodies.

The barbarians had no interest in elegant music such as stringed instruments and wind instruments. They had just killed someone and were looking for a woman to vent their anger. So on New Year's Eve, they would not follow Captain Shen to listen to the sad music.

After receiving the silver, everyone thanked the captain loudly, and then separated on Yandai Street, some going home, some enjoying wine and feasting, and each went their own way.

Nine drum beats rang out from the drum tower, signaling the beginning of the night (nine o'clock). The streets were still crowded with people. Shen Lian, accompanied by three trusted aides, rode to the entrance of the Jiaofang Office. From afar, they could hear the sounds of stringed instruments emanating from within the office.

Zhao Fengluan, the head of the Jiaofang Bureau, looked indifferent and lazily leaned against the door (Note 3). When he saw Feiyufu from afar, he immediately put on a smiling face and went forward to greet her.

"Master Shen, if you don't want to arrest anyone today, you can still come to Jiaofangsi Hutong."

Shen Lian reached out from under his Feiyu suit and took out a few taels of silver and stuffed it into Zhao Fengluan's hand.

"There's a lot of trouble in the government office at the end of the year. Old Zhao, are there any private rooms left?"

Zhao Fengluan did not refuse, he took the silver and put it into his sleeve.

He was a small ninth-rank idle official with a meager salary. He worked as a turtle official in the Jiaofangsi (officials of the Jiaofangsi were called turtle officials in Ming Dynasty novels) and was discriminated against. He usually came and went and did not dare to offend the dignitaries of the capital easily. Moreover, the Captain Shen in front of him was a favorite of Eunuch Wei.

"Master Shen is always so polite. I am so embarrassed. We do have private rooms, but I am afraid there are not enough musicians. And Master Shen doesn't like those rouge and powder."

Seeing that he spoke respectfully, Shen Lian also smiled and said, "No problem, just order some and bring some more wine and food, please."

"Got it!"

Zhao Fengluan quickly called two musicians and led the four people in. Shen Lian changed out of his Feiyu suit in a side room and dressed up as an ordinary merchant. The three small flags did the same.

There are a lot of troubles at the end of the year. The Censorate and the Military Affairs Commission would occasionally come to the Jiaofang Bureau for inspection. If they encountered some small officials with little foundation who were looking for prostitutes, they would take the opportunity to extort money from them - according to the rules set by Taizu, only businessmen could enter the Jiaofang Bureau.

The four of them went upstairs and found a private room, where they sat down at an eight-person table in front of a screen. Shen Lian gave Si Le a few taels of silver and asked him to bring some wine and food. Si Le thanked him repeatedly, then slowly retreated out of the room, leaving the door ajar. Soon, someone brought in some wine, food, and fruit.

The eight-immortal table was filled with food like cured goose, wonton chicken, steamed mutton, bean soup, and tea. The four men, having just fought and walked a long way, were already starving, so they immediately grabbed the cured goose and began to eat it.

"Old Zhao, you're starving, eat slowly. We're not in Beizhen anymore."

Shen Lian cursed and drank his tea slowly. The scene of the murder just now kept appearing in his mind. Suddenly, the door creaked and a head came in.

It turned out to be Si Le who collected the money just now.

"Master Shen, I'm truly sorry for offending you. I've searched for you several times, but none of the musicians in the neighborhood are available. The only one left is a girl from the Mengyang (Burmese tribe). She's a bit ugly, so I'm afraid she won't be of your liking."

"Damn it, you guys are so quick to collect money, even a woman..." Lu Jianxing, who was sitting next to Zhao Yuanzhi, became furious and slammed the table and shouted.

Shen Lian kicked him, and Lu Jianxing, who was usually arrogant and domineering, stopped complaining and sat there obediently.

"Outside the theater is also fine, as long as they can sing and play the guitar,"

Shen Lian waved his hand and asked Si Le to bring people in.

A moment later, a thin girl came in. She was quite pretty, dressed in a simple and elegant outfit, wearing a smoky-colored double-breasted jacket, and bowed to the four people.

"What's your name? Why haven't I seen you before?"

"My name is Cai Lian, and I am still young, so I cannot serve you."

In the 11th year of the Wanli reign, Liu Jing led his army to attack Wang Mang Yingli of Burma. Together with Deng Zilong, he defeated the Burmese army south of Yaoguan Pass. This was a rare victory in the Ming-Burmese War.

The Ming army captured over 300 Burmese women. The most attractive among them were personally transported to the capital by Liu Zhaosun's adoptive father and presented to the Ministry of Music. During the Ming Dynasty, music households in the Ministry of Music were considered lowly, and their children were forbidden from becoming officials, engaging in business, or farming. They remained lowly for generations, and only through a substantial payment could their household be redeemed by the Ministry of Rites, allowing them to be released from the Ministry of Rites.

Cai Lian is one of the descendants of this group of foreign women. She grew up in the Jiaofangsi and had long forgotten the customs of her homeland. Now she can't speak Burmese, but speaks fluent Ming Dynasty official language.

Shen Lian nodded slightly. He was no longer drunk and lowered his head, looking a little tired.

Zhao Yuanzhi saw that the woman was thin and unattractive, and said impatiently, "Our Master Shen is bored today, so he came here to play with you. Hurry up and sing a few nice songs. If Master Shen is happy, he will reward you with a lot of silver!"

Cai Lian bowed again, said nothing, and walked behind the screen with a swaying figure.

The three men started gnawing on the pig's trotters again. Shen Lian took a sip of wine and felt tired all over. His eyelids became heavy.

A mournful and mournful sound of the Xun drifted out from behind the screen. The ancient and mournful Xun music shot into people's hearts like sharp arrows, as if thousands of ghosts were crying in the cold night.

Shen Lian was still drinking alone. These days he had vaguely sensed that the factory manager's attitude towards him had changed. He also felt that Xu Xianchun and others looked at him with some hostility. Today he had killed a little girl for no reason, and he felt indescribably upset.

The sound of the xiao penetrated his eardrums, and he woke up suddenly. He shook his head vigorously and stared at the screen in a daze.

The three flag bearers were startled by the mournful music and put down their pig's trotters. Lu Jianxing was furious and stood up to beat the foreign musician.

"What the hell is that? It's a funeral whistle!"

Shen Lian stopped Lu Jianxing and murmured, "This xiao sound is so familiar, as if I've heard it somewhere before!"

The three of them stared at the captain in amazement. Zhao Yuanzhi wiped the lard that had overflowed from the corner of his mouth and said angrily:

"Damn it, I dare to ruin the master's mood. I must chop you off today..."

"Do not talk!"

Shen Lian asked him not to speak for the time being. The sound of the xiao gradually became lower, but Shen Lian could hear it clearly.

Like resentment, admiration, weeping, complaining.

After a long recollection, he finally remembered that it was the elegant music he had heard when he was on duty at the Meridian Gate when General Liu was delivering prisoners to the capital six months ago.

Shen Lian slowly raised his left hand towards the candlelight in the room, and saw bloodstains on his wrist from the murder, which he did not wash away in a hurry.

The sound of the xiao lingered in his ears like a spell, its desolate and mournful melody lingering for a long time. In his drunken eyes, he vaguely saw the girl who had just slit her own throat at the Luo Mansion.

He stared at the blood on his wrist for a long time, and suddenly realized that in just one year, he had become so cruel that even a musician from the Jiaofang Bureau was afraid of him.

The three men didn't know what Shen Lian was thinking. Seeing that the captain forbade them to touch the woman, they had no choice but to endure the funeral music, cursing and drinking wine and eating meat with big gulps.

As the alcohol wore off, Shen Lian felt like a small boat drifting aimlessly in the turbulent current, unable to reach the shore.

With a clang, the door was opened from the outside, and Si Le's anxious voice came from outside.

"Mr. Li, there are guests in the house. Captain Shen from the Pacification Division..."

"Go away!"

Several servants escorted a young man from a wealthy family through the door. The young man was handsome, dressed in a brocade robe, and his clothes were luxurious. He was obviously from a wealthy family. A servant stood beside him, looking very aggressive.

"Mr. Li is usually busy with military affairs and hasn't come to the Music Bureau for a long time. Today he has a rare moment of leisure, so he is here to honor you. You killers, why don't you get out of the way! Get out!"

After the servant said this, he took out a handful of silver from his pocket and threw it into the house.

With a plop, silver coins were scattered all over the table, and the dishes on the table were full of silver coins.

"Sir, I'm attracted to this southern barbarian tonight. Take him away!"

The servants rushed forward, knocked down the screen, and tried to catch Cai Lian.

Shen Lian's beard trembled, and the three small flags reached for the short crossbows at their waists.

Shen Lian glanced at the young man sideways, then calmly took out the Embroidered Spring Sword from under the table.

"So you're the eldest son of the governor of the Beijing camp. Don't you know that people in the northern alleys only sell their skills, not their bodies? How could you be so cruel as to lay hands on such a young girl?"

Under the influence of alcohol, Shen Lian shook out the silver and hit the servant in the face.

"I'm really upset today, and I insist on listening to this barbarian play the xiao. There are so many people in the city, be careful not to break your legs! Get out!"

Master Li stared at Shen Lian's embroidered spring sword and said angrily:

"Shen Lian! Don't think you can get ahead of me just because you have Wei Zhongxian backing you up. If this gets out of hand, I'll shut down the Pacification Office! I'll send you to Nanzhili to be small-time singers! What are you still standing there for? Come on, beat me to death. If you die, I'll take the blame!"

Notes: (1) Fuleyuan, under the jurisdiction of Jiaofangsi, was a concentration of courtesans in the Ming Dynasty. Liu Chen’s “Chronicles of the Early Ming Dynasty” states, “Taizu established Fuleyuan at Qiandao Bridge. Courtesans wore black hats and were not allowed to wear fancy clothes when entering or leaving… Civil and military officials and servants were forbidden to enter the courtyard, and only merchants were allowed to enter and leave the courtyard.”

(2) In the Ming Dynasty, the north of Bensi (Jiaofangsi) Hutong was Yanle Hutong, and the south was Neiwubu Street (Goulan Hutong). (Xijin Diary, Rixia Jiuwen Kao)
(3) Ming History, Official Positions, Volume , Jiaofangsi: “The Jiaofangsi consisted of one Fengluan, of the ninth rank, one Shaowu on the left and one Sile on the right, and one Siyue on the left, both of the ninth rank, in charge of music and dance. They were appointed from among the musicians and were affiliated with the Ministry of Rites.

(End of this chapter)