Chapter 1: The Master of the Righteous Hall

In the northwest of Shaoguan, about twenty miles away, there is a mountain town called Chenjiachong. Due to its unique geographical location, some merchants who were unwilling to pay tariffs bypassed the Shaoguan checkpoint by taking a detour through this place. As a result, this small mountain town became as prosperous as the county town of Shaoguan, and in some ways, even more so. However, what puzzled the passing merchants was that the Qing dynasty's garrison in Shaoguan seemed to turn a blind eye to this phenomenon. Perhaps it was because someone in Chenjiachong had influence, or perhaps the Qing court was more focused on the revolutionaries in the south. Whatever the reason, Chenjiachong became a haven in this chaotic world.

Chenjiachong, as the name suggests, is predominantly inhabited by people surnamed Chen. Although the mountain town has officials appointed by the Qing court, the true authority lies with the head of the Chen family, Chen Deshang. The Chen family's main line, which Chen Deshang belongs to, originally came from Suzhou. An ancestor served as the Governor of Jiangsu during the Kangxi era and later as the commander of the Han army in the Jiangnan Green Standard Army during the early years of the Yongzheng era. Unfortunately, he was soon implicated in the corruption scandal involving the Cao family in Jiangnan and was dismissed from office, nearly losing his family's fortune. Later, due to his ancestor's talent in military leadership, he was recommended by Nian Gengyao, a trusted slave of Yongzheng, and was reinstated to his former position. He then joined Nian Gengyao in the northwest to quell rebellions, and through his military achievements, became a valiant general under Nian Gengyao, on par with Yue Zhongqi.

Unfortunately, good times did not last long. As Nian Gengyao was deliberately suppressed by Yongzheng, the Chen family's ancestor was also dismissed and transferred south, eventually being assigned a nominal position under the Viceroy of Liangguang. After experiencing several rises and falls during the Kangxi and Yongzheng eras, the Chen family realized the complexity of the political arena and, after receiving advice from a wise man, decided to resign from their official positions and turn to business. Following the wise man's guidance, they bought a piece of land in the northwest of Shaoguan and built a small village, which became the predecessor of Chenjiachong.

Although the Chen family faced setbacks in the political arena, they achieved great success in business. After several generations of operation, they became the wealthiest family in Huguang, with their shops spread across the southern provinces of Huguang, Zhejiang, and Fujian, and even established some businesses in the north. As their wealth increased, Chenjiachong expanded by more than ten times, transforming from a small mountain village into a large mountain town. Over the years, many descendants of the Chen family passed the imperial examinations and entered government service, even if they did not pass, they would still serve as clerks or tax collectors in the southern regions.

Although the positions held by the Chen family's descendants were minor, the family's successive heads were skilled in business and used various means to increase their influence in the southern political arena. They also frequently engaged in charitable activities, earning a good reputation among the people. Over time, the Chen family's influence in the south grew significantly. By the Daoguang and Xianfeng eras, the newly appointed Viceroy of Liangguang would first visit the head of the Chen family in Chenjiachong rather than the local officials, making the Chen family head a de facto ruler in southern China.

As the Qing dynasty's power declined, the Chen family, under the guidance of the wise man's successor, began to form alliances with various forces, allowing them to remain stable amidst the chaos. Even during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's rebellion in the south, the Chen family remained unscathed. Following the wise man's successor's advice, the Chen family took the risk of being labeled as "foreign lackeys" and actively formed alliances with foreigners, engaging in illegal trade with them, which earned them the foreigners' absolute trust and made them the chief agents of foreign merchants in the south.

During the Tongzhi era, when Empress Dowager Cixi began to rely on the Westernization Movement leaders such as Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, and Li Hongzhang, the Chen family's relationship with foreigners became more public, and their political influence extended to the north. However, this also brought the Chen family's political and economic power to the surface. Cixi, sensing the Chen family's overwhelming influence in the south, wanted to eliminate them but dared not act directly due to their ties with foreigners. Therefore, she supported a Huizhou merchant named Hu Xueyan, hoping to use him to suppress the Chen family and win over the foreigners' support.

Unfortunately, Hu Xueyan, while a business genius, lacked political acumen and understanding of international affairs. Under the Chen family head's deliberate guidance, he achieved rapid success in the business world, gradually replacing the Chen family's position in the southern market. However, the Chen family head also manipulated him into challenging the foreigners' interests, causing him to lose their support. As a result, not only did the foreigners dislike him, but Cixi also began to resent him. The Chen family head then set a trap, making Hu Xueyan invest heavily in silk factories and monopolize the domestic silk market. He then used the foreigners to block all sales channels and organized a run on Hu Xueyan's banks and businesses, forcing him to sell his assets to repay his debts.

On the surface, it seemed that the Chen family head orchestrated everything, but in reality, it was the wise man's successor who provided the strategy, allowing the Chen family head to bring down Hu Xueyan with a single move. However, this victory came at a great cost, and the Chen family's own strength was also severely weakened. As a result, merchants from Shanxi, Huizhou, Guangdong, and Huguang took advantage of the Chen family's weakened state to seize the market share left by Hu Xueyan. Although the Chen family later reclaimed some of the market, it was far less significant compared to their previous dominance. Fortunately, they still held the card of their relationship with foreigners, maintaining their influence in Huguang.

Although the Chen family head had significant influence outside, most of the residents of Chenjiachong, except for the direct descendants and close relatives of the Chen family, did not know his true identity. To them, he was just a wealthy and charitable person. The Chen family head's greatest act of charity was collecting the remains of those who died in the chaos of war, identifying them, and sending their remains to their families. For those whose identities could not be determined, he established a Righteous Hall to honor them, preventing them from becoming wandering spirits. Every year during the Zhongyuan Festival, he would invite virtuous Taoist masters from Longhu Mountain and Maoshan, as well as high-ranking monks from various temples, to perform grand rituals to help the souls of the deceased. This tradition, started by the first Chen family head, has continued for over a hundred years and has become a major event in the area.

In 1907, on the ninth day of the seventh lunar month, just a week before the Zhongyuan Festival, high-ranking monks and Taoist masters from Huguang were gradually invited to Chenjiachong to prepare for the Water and Land Ritual. In addition to these spiritual figures, foreign missionaries in the Liangguang region also wanted to participate, hoping to spread their religion. The current Chen family head, Chen Deshang, who was well-versed in Western learning, welcomed them, seeing it as an opportunity to strengthen his position among the foreigners.

Besides these spiritual figures, many clan leaders and gentry from across the country also came to Chenjiachong, hoping to form alliances with the Chen family and the foreigners, and to seek blessings for themselves. The Boxer Rebellion a few years ago had shocked the nation, and due to Cixi's use of it to strike against the foreigners, many merchants who traded with foreigners suffered losses. In recent years, the revolutionaries in the south had continuously launched uprisings against the Qing dynasty, causing instability in the region. Many southern merchants had moved north, mostly to Shanghai. The prospect of leaving their homes made many merchants feel anxious about their future, so they hoped to seek peace of mind through the ritual and to meet the high-ranking monks and Taoist masters to have their bad luck cleansed.

As night fell, the residents of the mountain town gradually lit their lamps, and the number of visitors on the streets did not decrease with the darkness but increased. Many unmarried couples would go to the river outside the town to release lanterns, while merchants would gather in the brothels to socialize. A small road extended south from the west gate of the mountain town, unlike other roads outside the town, which were lit by lanterns placed by the Chen family, this road was dark and desolate, forming a stark contrast to the bustling town, making it feel particularly eerie.

The road continued west and split at the foot of Peach Blossom Mountain outside Chenjiachong. One branch turned southeast, bypassing the mountain town and connecting to a mountain path leading to Shaoguan, while the other continued up Peach Blossom Mountain, eventually crossing it and merging with a path leading into the heart of Hunan. Peach Blossom Mountain was the property of the Chen family, with no residents and only peach trees planted on it. A Righteous Hall was built halfway up the mountain.

Unlike the Righteous Hall on the east side of the mountain town, this one was considered one of the peculiarities of Chenjiachong. It was built at the same time as the town, when the Chen family head purchased the land and the mountain, and construction began simultaneously. After its completion, the Chen family head entrusted it to a lay Taoist, whose origins were known only to the Chen family head and a few family members. Others only knew his name, Jiu Liu Xianren, and that the Chen family head always treated him with great respect. Subsequent Chen family heads also treated the Righteous Hall master with great courtesy, almost fulfilling all his requests. Whenever the Chen family faced a crisis, the head would seek advice from the Righteous Hall master, and upon returning, the crisis would be resolved, and the family's fortunes would improve.

The residents of Chenjiachong did not know the relationship between the Righteous Hall master and the Chen family, only that the Chen family respected him and designated Peach Blossom Mountain as a restricted area, prohibiting anyone from disturbing him. Although the Chen family treated the Righteous Hall masters with great respect, they did not act arrogantly but remained very low-key, appearing no different from ordinary people. He would often walk around the town, helping residents with their problems, seemingly knowledgeable about everything from farming to national affairs. However, each Righteous Hall master would leave Chenjiachong for five to six years and return with a long period of melancholy, refusing visitors, even the Chen family head.

The previous Righteous Hall master passed away ten years ago, and his position was taken by a seventeen-year-old orphan named Xu Changqing. Xu Changqing's origins were also mysterious. His mother, heavily pregnant, came to Chenjiachong alone and stayed at the largest inn, Fengxiang. That night, she hanged herself. Due to her luxurious clothing and non-ordinary status, the Chen family took the matter very seriously. After investigations, they only learned that she had appeared in Changsha and had a northern accent. The only item that could identify her was a jade pendant with inscriptions that even the most learned people in Chenjiachong could not understand.

The next day, the Chen family head invited the Righteous Hall master, who immediately recognized the inscriptions as a type of script from the Spring and Autumn period that was once popular in the state of Chu. However, this script quickly disappeared from the Chu people, and only a few Chu nobles knew it. By the present day, even the Righteous Hall master could only recognize it but not understand its meaning. Despite the mysterious identity of Xu Changqing's mother, the Righteous Hall master saved the baby, who should have suffocated in his mother's womb, and brought him back to the Righteous Hall to personally care for him. Eventually, he took Xu Changqing as his disciple and taught him various skills.

When Xu Changqing inherited the Righteous Hall, although he was young, no one in Chenjiachong dared to underestimate him. Chen Deshang, following the family tradition, treated him with great respect, addressing him as Mr. Xu, and sought his advice on difficult matters. After helping the Chen family through several crises, Xu Changqing was fully recognized by the Chen family.

On this day, Xu Changqing went to the Chen family to help the craftsmen set up the Water and Land Ritual venue and arrange the seating for the high-ranking monks and Taoist masters from various temples and Taoist observatories, based on their spiritual achievements and reputations, to avoid unnecessary disputes on the day of the Zhongyuan Festival. After dinner at the Chen family's residence, Xu Changqing left alone and headed to the Righteous Hall on Peach Blossom Mountain. Along the way, the local residents of Chenjiachong stopped to greet him, respectfully addressing him as Mr. Xu, a scene that made many first-time visitors to Chenjiachong think he was a significant figure.

Although it was already summer, the temperature in the mountains was still a bit cold. Xu Changqing still wore his simple long robe, with his sleeves slightly rolled up, revealing long, white fingers that seemed to emit a faint white light. His face was delicate, with fine eyebrows and eyes, and his slender cheeks and the lazy look in his eyes gave him a sickly but elegant appearance. If he held a book, he would look like a well-read scholar. Additionally, there was a prominent vertical red mark on his forehead, a birthmark that looked like an unopened eye.

In the south, due to the Qing dynasty's lax control and the influence of foreigners, many young people cut off their queues, a symbol of servitude. However, Xu Changqing, also a young man, did not follow this trend. His long, black queue was neatly combed and extended down to his waist. At the end of the queue, he tied a golden thread with a small golden bell, which made a pleasant sound as he walked, giving people a sense of a clear stream washing over their heads, refreshing their minds and bodies, and alleviating their fatigue and pain. Although Xu Changqing dressed like a Qing dynasty scholar, the elegant Western pocket watch hanging from his chest added a touch of Western style.

---

End of Chapter 1