Chapter 59

(Votes, please...)

A week had passed, and it was another fine autumn day.

The day before, Bi Mingjun had moved into the Qing County Yamen. He was not there because of his position as an official wine merchant but due to his personal relationship with Magistrate Song.

Magistrate Song was Lady Song's younger brother, making him both Lady Song's cousin and Magistrate Song's cousin.

The two had feasted and enjoyed themselves in the rear quarters of the yamen last night, only retiring with courtesans in the early hours of the morning. If not for the day's business, they would have slept until noon.

With a heavy heart, Bi Mingjun got up. After being attended to by the maids, he dressed and made his way to the front hall, where he found Magistrate Song already dressed and having breakfast.

"Young people are so energetic, getting up so early..." Bi Mingjun sat down and accepted a bowl of bird's nest porridge from a servant.

"I couldn't sleep well because of the matter on my mind," Magistrate Song said, with dark circles under his eyes. "I might as well get up early." He then said with a gloomy face, "I didn't expect Li Jian to be such a tough nut to crack!"

"Truly unexpected," Bi Mingjun exhaled. "I thought a poor man who suddenly became wealthy would be easily intimidated! Who knew he would be so stubborn..."

"This is frustrating..." Magistrate Song said with a hint of resentment. "When I first took office, I listened to your advice. Now it seems you were too hasty."

"Cousin, you're overthinking it," Bi Mingjun said nonchalantly. "Every county has a few stubborn people. You hold the power of the county; if you don't show them who's in charge, how will others obey you in the future?" He pretended to be casual, "Let's do what we discussed last night. We'll go for the inspection today. If he can't produce a hundred barrels of original wine, we'll lock him up and deal with him slowly. I don't believe he can hold out for long!" He spat, "A scoundrel who refuses a good offer and accepts a bad one!"

"Ah, as the magistrate of a hundred li, dealing with a small wine merchant shouldn't be a big deal," Magistrate Song said with a troubled expression. "But the imperial decree only required ten barrels, and it didn't specify original wine... Moreover, the price for the purchase has been reduced by seventy percent..."

"What's the problem with that? Even if it comes to light, you'll be in the right. The tribute travels by water, and it's customary to add a thirty percent 'loss' fee. The rapids of the Three Gorges cause more damage, so you need to add more to be safe. As for whether it's original wine or not, how can you, an outsider, tell? You just need to ensure the best is offered to the officials. As for the purchase price... the imperial funds are stripped layer by layer by the time they reach you. Do you think you should bear the responsibility?"

"I understand all that..." Magistrate Song said with a bitter face. "But the higher-ups must be willing to turn a blind eye. If they decide to get serious, it could be disastrous." He looked worried, "The new Magistrate Tian has been cracking down on corruption and prohibiting officials from harassing the people. If this matter is reported, it could be catastrophic!"

"Fear not, it's just the new official's three fires," Bi Mingjun said nonchalantly. "After the fires, it's back to business as usual. He'll be charmed by the beauties of Jin Guan City and won't care about the affairs of a small county."

"Let's hope so." Just as Magistrate Song was about to stop talking and have breakfast, he heard footsteps outside. He looked up to see his personal attendant at the door, "What is it?"

"Sir," the attendant said with a strange expression, "The streets are very lively today..."

"When are the streets not lively?" Magistrate Song said unhappily.

"But today is especially lively," the attendant said. "The colorful pavilions on the main street are all decorated with banners congratulating the Huangjiao Wine Yard on being selected as a tribute..."

"Ridiculous!" Magistrate Song's heart sank. "This matter was kept secret by the county, how did it become known to everyone?" He couldn't sit still and went to the front courtyard, climbed a ladder, and looked out. He saw the colorful pavilions on the main street, each adorned with red and green banners with various congratulatory messages:

'Huangjiao Wine, famous nationwide! One family's tribute, the whole county's pride!'

'Today, Li Yi is a court-appointed official, the whole county rejoices!'

'Pay tribute to the Huangjiao Wine Yard, learn from the Huangjiao Wine Yard!'

'Congratulations to Huangjiao, Li Yi, and the Pan Family Wood Workshop!'

'...'

And below the pavilions, there were lion dances, drums, and fireworks, all ready to go... as if the whole county was getting married.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"My goodness..." Seeing the festive scene, Magistrate Song felt dizzy and almost fell off the ladder. His attendants quickly supported him.

"Now we can't hide this anymore..." Bi Mingjun was also taken aback by the situation.

"Report to the magistrate," another attendant said, "The people from the Huangjiao Wine Yard are asking when you will arrive. Mr. Li has already set up a banquet and is waiting for you to start it."

"Start what?" Magistrate Song jumped down from the ladder, fell to the ground, and held his official hat, furious. "Go ask Li Jian what he's up to!" Even a fool could see that Li Jian was challenging him!

"Yes, sir." The attendant hurried back.

"Cousin, what's going on?" Bi Mingjun pulled Magistrate Song up, also panicking. "Has Li Jian lost his mind?"

"Who cares what he's eaten," Magistrate Song said with a dark face. "He must have been advised by someone and guessed that the purchase amount was inflated." He brushed off the dirt and said angrily, "He wants to make this known to everyone so we can't overcharge him!"

"Should we make them take down the banners and stop the noise?" Bi Mingjun asked uncertainly.

"Ridiculous," Magistrate Song glanced at him. "Didn't you see they call Li Jian 'court-appointed official'? This means that in the eyes of the people, Li Jian's ancestors must have done something good for his wine to be chosen... even the whole county is proud. If I, the county magistrate, don't join in the celebration, it will look like I'm guilty. I'll be drowned in their criticism!"

"What a cunning plan," Bi Mingjun said, impressed. "A commoner daring to challenge the government!"

"Indeed..." Hearing his words, Magistrate Song calmed down and said darkly, "You're right. A mere commoner trying to challenge the government is sheer delusion!" He said firmly, "I am the official, he is the commoner. Even if he's in the right, I can still make him suffer in countless ways!"

"Don't go ask him, it will make it look like I'm afraid of him!" He called the attendant and said loudly, "Prepare the full ceremonial procession, I am going to the wine yard!"

At the magistrate's command, the attendants in the yamen started working. It took a full incense stick's time to prepare the full ceremonial procession.

Magistrate Song also changed into his green silk official robe with a wide collar and sleeves, a horizontal hem, a leather belt, and a hard-angled headdress, the most formal attire outside of sacrificial ceremonies.

This made Bi Mingjun uneasy, and he whispered, "What if they stick to their claim that we inflated the purchase amount?"

"Does he have any evidence?" The attendant lifted the sedan chair's curtain, and Magistrate Song sat inside, saying calmly, "He definitely doesn't, otherwise why would he go through all this trouble?" He looked at Bi Mingjun and said firmly, "This is no longer about the Huangjiao Wine Yard. It's about a commoner daring to challenge my authority. Stay in the yamen and don't get involved anymore!"

He then put down the curtain.

"Carry the sedan chair!" the attendant called out.

The main gate of the yamen slowly opened, and twenty attendants, carrying green flags, blue umbrellas, green fans, and bamboo sticks, led the way with gongs, guiding the blue silk sedan chair out in a grand procession.

"Finally, he's out!" The people on the street, who had been waiting, cheered and urged, "Start the dance! Start the drums!"

"Bang, bang, bang, bang..." The street was immediately filled with the sound of drums and lion dances, fireworks, and firecrackers, like a pot of boiling porridge, indistinguishable from each other. The colorful pavilions were crowded with people, and the cheers were like thunder, making the street impassable.

The yamen was short of people, and the attendants were all part of the procession, so no one was clearing the way for the magistrate. At least six lions were circling the magistrate's procession. Sitting in the sedan chair, Magistrate Song heard the deafening drums and fireworks and saw the red and green fake lions, almost breaking down.

With no choice, he had the attendants roll up the curtain, forced a smile, and waved his hands, shouting, "Congratulations! We are all proud!"

Seeing the magistrate's response, the lions became even more enthusiastic, performing all sorts of tricks, drawing cheers from the crowd.

"Good... good... good..." Although he wanted to burn all these paper and cloth lions, Magistrate Song had to pinch his beard and smile, pretending to be enjoying the celebration.

Finally, the sedan chair started moving forward. Just as Magistrate Song was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he saw another group of lions waiting at the next pavilion. Looking further down the long street, he realized there were many more checkpoints waiting for him.

"Help!" Magistrate Song was on the verge of madness, wishing he could jump out of the sedan chair and run away.

The attendants also stopped the procession, holding hands, and bravely escorted the magistrate into the next group of celebrators.

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