The Great Ming in the Box-Chapter 98: Are You of the Donglin Party?
Gao Yiye leaned in slightly and whispered verbatim into Thirty-Two’s ear what the Deity had just said.
To Liang Shixian’s eyes, this gesture meant, “This woman refuses to speak directly with a mere seventh-rank County Magistrate like me, so she has her steward relay the message.” Such arrogance!
Thirty-Two had been wavering earlier, but upon hearing the Deity’s words, he instantly felt a wave of pride rushing through him. Ah! I thought the Deity no longer wished to save the impoverished good citizens, but I was overthinking it. He remains the benevolent Deity he always was. This time, I haven’t followed the wrong man—no, the wrong god!
Now invigorated, Thirty-Two declared, “County Lord, my master’s wife has just stated: the Li Family will provide grain. But every single grain we give must reach the bellies of the famine victims. As for the tax silver…” He chuckled coldly. “Surely County Lord Liang knows that most tax silver ends up in the pockets of corrupt officials. So I must apologize—not a single copper coin will be paid.”
Liang Shixian was speechless.
Thirty-Two’s words caught him off guard. He shot to his feet, exclaiming urgently, “I am no corrupt official! If you pay the taxes on the people’s behalf, I swear every coin will reach the imperial treasury!”
Thirty-Two wore a strange expression. “And after it reaches the treasury? Whose hands will it fall into? Can you guarantee it all enters the national coffers? And even then, will it truly serve the people?”
Liang Shixian fell silent, utterly deflated. After a long pause, he managed stiffly, “Without the tax silver… this hurdle… is insurmountable…”
Gao Yiye listened to the voice from above, then leaned close to Thirty-Two to whisper two brief sentences.
Thirty-Two’s spirits soared once more. “County Lord, you’ve been sent to this wretched place, Chengcheng County, at such a critical moment. You must have offended someone powerful?”
Liang Shixian stiffened, then sighed. “The Eunuch Party wishes me dead.”
Thirty-Two raised an eyebrow. “The Eunuch Party wants you dead? Then… are you of the Donglin Party?”
Liang Shixian straightened abruptly, fury flashing across his face. “I am nothing of the sort! Only petty men engage in factional strife. I merely attended a few lectures at the Donglin Academy and found shared ideals with some scholars there!”
Thirty-Two was speechless.
Li Daoxuan nearly snorted. Naturally, Donglin affiliates never call themselves a “party.” In their eyes, they’re merely upright officials who formed no faction.
The earliest Donglin adherents might truly have been noble-minded. But after toppling the Eunuch Party, their power swelled. Their goals shifted. They forgot their original aspirations, burying their former ideals.
This was “The demons he fought eventually took the shape of himself.”
Seeing Liang Shixian’s anger, Thirty-Two tactfully avoided the term “Donglin Party.” “Since you have friends at the Donglin Academy, this hurdle isn’t necessarily insurmountable.”
Liang Shixian frowned. “How so?”
After listening to Gao Yiye’s hushed words, Thirty-Two explained, “County Lord, write a memorial detailing what you’ve witnessed here in Chengcheng. Send it to your Donglin Academy friends. Let them see this devastation. They are learned men who care deeply for the nation and its people. Once they read your account, their hearts will ache for these citizens. Then they’ll… gather a large group of Donglin academics…” He nearly said “party” but caught himself. “…They’ll rally those scholars to jointly petition the court. Chengcheng County’s tax silver can then be waived. If not waived entirely, it can at least be deferred for a long while.”
Liang Shixian sank into deep thought. After several seconds, he looked up sharply. “Do my Donglin Academy friends truly hold that kind of influence?”
Thirty-Two, merely a humble county Clerk, knew little of the Donglin Party’s reach. But the Deity immediately relayed a message through Gao Yiye. Thirty-Two straightened, replying with conviction, “Yes. Their influence is immense.”
Liang Shixian struggled to see it. Most of his scholar friends were despised by the Eunuch Party, persecuted, scraping by. Why did this Li Family believe them so formidable?
He needed to think carefully.
Knowledgeable in many matters, Liang Shixian plunged into deep reflection. Memories surged—scenes, experiences, faces—spinning like a lantern show through his mind. Suddenly, with a mental ding, one image crystallized: a group portrait of the Donglin Academy lecturers.
Gu Xiancheng, Gao Panlong, Qian Yiben…
He recalled each man’s status, and a jolt of realization struck him. These were not merely scholars. Every one held high office at court!
If these friends combined their efforts to speak for Chengcheng’s people… it truly might succeed.
“Fine!” Liang Shixian declared. “I shall draft several letters to my Donglin Academy friends. They must petition the court to waive Chengcheng County’s tax silver!”
Li Daoxuan chuckled. This Donglin-affiliated official is fascinating! He genuinely intends to do it. Excellent. Prove yourself willing, and I shall consider you a potential ally for now.
“Yiye, tell Thirty-Two to discuss famine relief specifics with the Magistrate. Ensure every grain we give reaches the victims, untouched by corrupt clerks.”
Inside the miniature realm, Thirty-Two and Liang Shixian dove into relief details—a morass of minutiae. Li Daoxuan listened for a few minutes: locations for distributing congee, cooks, daily portions, preventing graft, informing villagers across the county…
His head throbbed. Nothing but drudgery!
But such drudgery was Thirty-Two’s specialty. Former Clerk to Magistrate Zhang Yaocai, he knew Chengcheng County’s inner workings far better than its newly arrived County Lord. His intricate plan soon baffled Liang Shixian, who couldn’t grasp its finer points.
Flustered, Liang Shixian summoned his own Clerk. Round two began. Both stewards marshaled their expertise, debating furiously in exhaustive detail—every logistical inch, every trivial constraint.
Li Daoxuan stopped listening. Such granular affairs were beyond his concern.
Time to check my TikTok account…
Yesterday, he’d uploaded new footage: the Village Chief of Gaojia Village weaving a bamboo basket. The clumsy caption read: “The Village Chief is growing old. The few tasks left to him are weaving small bamboo baskets, hampers, chairs…”
The video panned slowly from above Gaojia Fortress, zooming onto the Old Village Chief’s close-up weaving work before sweeping back out over the entire fortress.
Would viewers respond?
He opened the app. Beneath the video, countless comments flooded in:
“Love the Tiny Kingdom aerial shots! Ha! This ‘Gaojia Fortress’ is clearly just a model. I saw through them instantly.”
“Yeah, obvious model. That roof is composite material board. Even spotted poorly concealed wheels! A real fortress with wheels? Hilarious!”
“I recognize that model kit! It’s from ‘Chonglin Noble Houses.'”
.
!
Chapter 98: Are You of the Donglin Party?
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