Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 795 Escorting the Seven Mile Sea

As dusk fell, the sun sank to a mere sliver of orange, casting a warm glow on the mist drifting from Qilihai. The villages along the way had long lost their daytime liveliness; the wooden doors of each house were tightly bolted, and even the barking of dogs was sparse and infrequent.

Suddenly, the dull thud of donkey hooves on the ground came from the end of the official road, followed by the crunching sound of mule cart wheels rolling over gravel. The cart bounced up and down, and the oil-paper lanterns swayed in the twilight, illuminating the faded lettering of the "Yuanwei Escort Agency" flag beside the cart, as well as the figures of two young men walking alongside it.

The two young men, both wearing blue cloth leggings, followed behind the donkey rider, their eyes scanning the shadows of the trees along the roadside warily. The procession continued until it stopped in front of the only house with a light on beside the main road.

The house looked quite ordinary, with mud-brick walls that were mottled and worn. Under the eaves, there seemed to be a cracked wooden sign. The light swayed in the wind, and the words "guesthouse" could be vaguely seen.

At that moment, the waiter was dozing off at the square table in the middle, but he immediately perked up when he saw the customer. He quickly took the blue cloth draped over his shoulder, flicked it into the air, and made a crisp "smack" sound.

"Uncle Jiu, Uncle Ren! We have guests! Come out and take off your makeup!" The waiter's eyes crinkled with laughter as he called out, "Father, please come out and greet them, five distinguished guests have arrived—"

"Coming!" As soon as the words were spoken, two men, one tall and one short, darted out from the inner room. The taller one wore a faded brown shorts with the cuffs rolled up to his knees; the shorter one wore an apron around his waist, and his hands were still covered in soot. Both men were around thirty years old, with warm smiles on their faces. They rushed over to the livestock, one reaching out to take the donkey reins from the bodyguard, while the other went to the back of the mule cart to unload the rattan boxes from it.

The bodyguard swiftly and cleanly dismounted from the donkey. He wore a wide-brimmed straw hat, the brim pulled low to conceal a shallow scar on his forehead. His tight-fitting blue cloth outfit was tightly bound, and a long object wrapped in oiled leather was slung diagonally across his back. This concealment was actually of little use; even without looking at the leather-covered tip, an outsider could immediately tell it was a spear.

When the bodyguard saw the tall man come to take the reins, he handed them over and then turned to walk towards the mule cart.

At this moment, the third young man driving the car lifted the curtain, and the only passenger in the car also poked his head out.

The passenger was a young man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. He had curly brown hair, bright black eyes that seemed to be bathed in light, a straight nose that was somewhat striking, and deep-set features that made him look like a foreigner in a painting.

The strange appearance startled the shopkeeper who came to greet him. The shopkeeper approached, intending to ask for instructions, but upon seeing the "strange" appearance, he tripped and staggered back half a step, almost dropping the account book he was holding.

The two busy workers stopped what they were doing. The taller one had his hand hanging over the donkey saddle, while the shorter one squatted by the cart. Both of them looked a little confused, their eyes glancing at the young man.

The bodyguard didn't pay attention to the reactions of others. He reached into the carriage and firmly supported the young man's arm.

The young man got off the car and stretched. "Ah, Master Jiang," he said, rubbing his back and moving his wrists. Although his tone was a little tired from the journey, there was no trace of a foreigner or a southerner's accent. "Where are we?"

Master Jiang tightened the belt around his waist, making the long object on his back more secure. He pondered for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the outlines of the surrounding villages: "We passed Qilihai more than an hour ago, we should have reached Nanhuaidian by now." As he spoke, Master Jiang turned to look at Manager Feng, who was still in a daze, "Manager, am I right?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" The shopkeeper suddenly came to his senses, withdrew his curious gaze from the young man, and nodded repeatedly, saying, "This master is right. This area is indeed the territory of Nanhuaidian, or more specifically, Fengjiazhuang in Nanhuaidian."

Just as Master Jiang was about to ask something, the young man spoke first: "Since this is Feng Family Village, then you must be Manager Feng?"

"Huh? Me?" The shopkeeper was taken aback, looking over with surprise and uncertainty. "My surname is Feng."

"May I ask, Manager Feng?" the young man bowed to Manager Feng with perfect manners, "how long will it take to get to Beitang from here?"

"This..." Manager Feng stared with curious old eyes, and woodenly returned the greeting, "May I ask, sir, where are you from?"

The young man smiled slightly, a faint curve appearing at the corners of his mouth. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper. The paper was slightly larger than a typical travel permit, about fifteen inches long and ten inches wide when unfolded, with its edges pressed flat, as if it had been carefully tucked away for a long time.

“I am a Christian from Italy in Europe, named Luo Yagu,” he said, handing the paper to Manager Feng. “This is a travel permit issued to me by the Ministry of Rites. Please take a look.”

Manager Feng took the road sign blankly, walked under the lamp and was immediately startled by the pattern in the middle.

The paper depicts a strange-looking man with curly hair, wearing an indeterminate robe. He has his hands outstretched, and a faint halo of light hangs above his head, resembling the sun. On either side of him sits a servant, presumably dressed in Song Dynasty official robes. The surrounding landscape is simply depicted with mountains and rivers.

Looking further to the right, there are several columns of ink characters:

"The Emperor created heaven and earth."

"The Emperor divides light and darkness."

"The Emperor called light 'day' and darkness 'night'."

"The Emperor created mankind in his own image, in the image of the Emperor; and he created them, both male and female."

Shopkeeper Feng was quite literate, but he still stumbled over his words. He felt that these mystical phrases looked somewhat similar to the scriptures in temples, but upon closer examination, they were quite different. However, Shopkeeper Feng was fairly certain that the man in the middle was probably the so-called "Emperor."

Below the character "墨" (mo), there are several lines of seemingly official explanations:

"The fasting believers recite 'Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us,' marking each recitation with a dot on a piece of paper. Every thousand recitations constitute one scroll, requiring 1,888 scrolls, or 1.88 million recitations of 'Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us.' Upon completion of the fast, a travel permit will be issued as proof." At the end of the explanatory text is a vermilion seal in nine-fold seal script, its strokes winding and coiling, conveying a sense of solemnity and importance.

Next to the seal were two signatures: one was "Jin Nige" from the Yelu Division, and the other was "Xu Guangqi" from the Ministry of Rites. Manager Feng had no recollection of the former official surnamed Jin, but he vaguely remembered the latter name; it seemed to be that of a high-ranking official in the capital.

Then came the date of issuance of the travel permit and the name of the holder, Luo Yagu.

Manager Feng examined the travel permit over and over again, his brow furrowed so deeply it could practically trap a mosquito. "Master Luo," he said cautiously, handing the paper back, his voice full of doubt, "what is this Yelu Division of yours? I've lived forty or fifty years, and I've never heard of such a department within the Ministry of Rites."

Luo Yagu took back the travel permit and smiled gently: "Manager Feng, please don't be offended. This Jesuit office is a newly established government office by imperial decree, just like the Buddhist monks' office and the Taoist priests' office." He paused, then pointed to the signature on the travel permit and added, "This Mr. Nicolas Trigault is not only the current president of our Jesuit order, but also the Left Shepherd of the Jesuit office."

Manager Feng said "Oh," but his mind was clearly not fully engaged yet.

He had indeed heard of the Buddhist and Taoist Registries, and knew that the monks in temples and the Taoist priests in Taoist temples were all under the jurisdiction of these two departments. But the Yelu Department, which was in charge of "Jesusism," was something he had never heard of before.

Manager Feng glanced at Luo Yagu, then at Master Jiang, and couldn't help but wonder whether he should entertain these guests, until his gaze fell on the "Yuanwei Escort Agency" flag hanging on the mule cart shaft.

"Master Jiang," suddenly, Manager Feng seemed to remember something, and pointed to the shop sign, asking Master Jiang, "If I remember correctly, doesn't your escort agency have a master surnamed Wu?"

Upon hearing this, Master Jiang raised an eyebrow under his hat brim, and his previously wary gaze instantly turned somber: "The manager's memory is truly excellent. Our escort agency does have such a Master Wu. He was the one leading the escorts on this trip to Beitang."

"Hey, I was wondering why this escort flag looked so familiar." Manager Feng's confusion lessened, and a smile returned to his lips. In these days, for those traveling the martial world, the reputation of an escort agency was more reliable than anything else, especially a long-established agency like Yuanwei Escort Agency. Their mere presence at the inn was like a living advertisement, more effective than any travel permit. "Master Jiang, why are you here today? Where's Master Wu? Did he go on another escort mission?"

Upon hearing this question, Master Jiang's stiff shoulders slumped slightly: "Master Wu is gone."

"Gone! How could that be?" Manager Feng's smile froze, and the ledger in his hand crumpled. "Did he run into bandits who were robbing the caravan?"

“I suppose so.” Master Jiang took a deep breath and wiped his face. “This April, he was leading a group of镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) on a shipment to Haizhou in Liaodong when they unfortunately encountered Tartars coming from outside Guangning Pass. Although government troops quickly came to their rescue, he was still wounded by a Tartar arrow. The brothers who returned said that although the arrow was removed, the wound never fully healed, and it started to fester and ulcerate just after passing Xining. He recuperated in Haizhou for a few days, and then he passed away.” Master Jiang’s tone grew heavier and heavier, and towards the end, it seemed to carry a faint sob. The three young men who followed him also lowered their heads in empathy.

"Oh dear!" Manager Feng sighed heavily, shaking his head repeatedly. "Those damned Tartars! Master Wu was such a good man. He even had a couple of drinks with me at this inn last autumn. He seemed so full of life then, how could he just be gone like that?"

"Life and death are predestined. Those of us in this line of work are prepared for this day from the day we start our journeys." Master Jiang rubbed his sore eyes and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, let's not talk about these sad things anymore. Please arrange some lodging for us quickly, we still have to continue our journey tomorrow."

"Okay!" Manager Feng snapped out of his daze and quickly responded. He then turned and shouted, "Old Ren, Old Jiu, Little Liu, don't just stand there! Quickly lead the donkey to the backyard to feed it, unload the luggage from the mule cart and move it into the house, and park the cart under the shed!"

The three men, who were peering at Luo Yagu from around the mule cart, sprang into action at the shout. The taller one, Lao Ren, led the donkey to the backyard, while the shorter one, Feng Lao Jiu, carried the rattan chest into the house. Feng Liu, who had been dozing in the main hall, also ran up to help the young man driving the mule cart to the shed in the backyard. In no time, the house and yard were filled with the sounds of things being moved.

Manager Feng turned to look at Luo Yagu, his face regaining some of its usual hospitality: "Master Luo, how many rooms would you like? Our inn may be small, but the rooms are all clean, with both shared rooms and single rooms available."

“Two rooms are enough.” Before Luo Yagu could speak, Master Jiang interrupted, “One room is for Master Luo and me, and the other room can be shared by the three of them.”

Although Master Jiang only asked for two rooms, Manager Feng wasn't unhappy at all: "Alright! How about one room for two and one room for three young masters? The room for two has two beds, which is just right for the two of you; the room for three young masters is spacious and won't be crowded."

"Shall we arrange it this way?" Master Jiang looked at Luo Yagu.

“Okay, I’ll do as you say.” Luo Yagu nodded.

"Would you all like to eat?" Manager Feng's gaze fell on Luo Yagu again. "You have been traveling all day, and you must be hungry. Although my shop cannot serve you any delicacies, we can certainly provide you with wine and meat."

This time, Master Jiang didn't interrupt: "Of course. Thank you for your help."

Manager Feng was about to ask for details, but then he remembered something and changed his mind, saying, "By the way, Mr. Luo, are there any taboos regarding food and drink in your Christian faith? For example, can you eat meat?"

“My teachings only prohibit meat and food during the major and minor fasts; it’s fine on other days,” Luo Yagu said, shaking his head. “Today is not a fast day, so there are no restrictions; it’s all fine.”

"That's good." Manager Feng nodded and suggested, "It's market day in Nanhuaidian today. My shop bought half a lamb this morning, and after selling all day, we still have a lamb leg and four ribs left, hanging in the well. We'll roast them all. Also, we'll kill a chicken and make a soup for everyone. What do you think?"

“Okay, thank you for your trouble,” Luo Yagu replied.

"Oh, no need for such formalities. Please come in, all five of you. Rest in the main room for a while and have some hot tea. The food will be ready soon!" Manager Feng waved his hand, gesturing for guests to enter, then turned and shouted towards the kitchen, "San'er! Drain all the mutton from the well for the guests, and put it on a fire to roast! Also, tell your wife to go to the backyard and catch a chicken, kill it, and make soup!"

"Alright!" A deep, resounding reply immediately came from the kitchen.

(End of this chapter)