“The Zhejiang Governor’s Office is in Shaoxing. Once I’m appointed Governor, I’ll need to move there to work. It’s over three hundred li from Suzhou to Shaoxing, a tiring journey by boat and carriage. Li Mei Mei, you and the others should stay in Suzhou. I’ll leave Hua’er and Qin’er here to look after you, and I’ll take Dadao and the others with me,” Zhu Pingan said gently, supporting his heavily pregnant wife, Li Shu, as they strolled in the courtyard under the bright afternoon sun.
Li Shu was in the late stages of pregnancy, with her due date just over twenty days away, likely around the tenth day of the first lunar month, shortly after the New Year.
Zhu Pingan felt for Li Shu, carrying such a burden, and couldn’t bear the thought of her enduring the exhausting journey.
“Brother Zhu, my due date’s still over twenty days off. Didn’t that official from Hangzhou just say he’s well-informed and that your appointment is already on its way, arriving in two days at most? We can pack in advance and head to Shaoxing to take up your post as soon as the appointment arrives,” Li Shu said, shaking her head firmly, counting on her fingers as she explained to Zhu Pingan, her voice soft but resolute. “Jiangnan’s waterways are convenient, with the Grand Canal linking north and south. We can travel from Suzhou to Hangzhou via the canal, then follow the river’s curves straight to Shaoxing. The canal flows south, and from Hangzhou to Shaoxing it’s downstream too. A boat can cover over a hundred li a day downstream, so the whole trip would take just two or three days. It’s all by boat, I’d just stay in the cabin, and I don’t get seasick. It’s not hard at all.”
“I’ll check with Aunt Wang later to see if it’s alright,” Zhu Pingan said, still uneasy, not agreeing right away.
“Aunt Wang, Aunt Wang!” Li Shu called out with a beaming smile, waving toward a figure nearby.
She’d already discussed these matters with Aunt Wang, so she confidently summoned her to dispel Zhu Pingan’s concerns.
For Li Shu’s late-stage pregnancy, Aunt Wang had been on constant standby, staying close during the day and sleeping in a side room of the same courtyard at night, ready to assist.
At the moment, to give the couple some privacy, Aunt Wang was at a corner of the courtyard, basking in the sun while sewing baby clothes.
When Aunt Wang approached, Zhu Pingan shared his concerns and sought her opinion.
“Staying here to prepare for delivery is ideal, of course, but Miss is in good health, doesn’t get seasick, and the baby’s condition is stable. A leisurely boat trip is fine, like a relaxing outing, but you mustn’t rush too hard. Five hours of travel a day at most, ensuring Miss gets plenty of rest,” Aunt Wang replied professionally.
“See, Brother Zhu? A boat to Shaoxing is just a pleasant trip, no problem at all,” Li Shu said, swaying Zhu Pingan’s arm.
“Alright, alright. If the appointment arrives within three days, we’ll go to Shaoxing together. If it’s delayed, we’ll reassess. If possible, I’ll stay with you, but if not, I’ll take Dadao and the others first, leaving Hua’er, Qin’er, and everyone else to care for you,” Zhu Pingan relented.
“Mm-hmm, you’re the boss,” Li Shu nodded happily, “Then I’ll send someone to Shaoxing to find a house near the Governor’s Office.”
Zhu Pingan agreed, “Good, I’ll have Daqiang take twenty men to help, set up the heated floors, get the renovations done early, and prepare everything for the delivery, just in case.”
“Mm-hmm,” Li Shu nodded enthusiastically.
Soon, the household buzzed with activity. Qin’er led a group of maids, servants, and guards, escorted by Daqiang and others, to set off for Shaoxing ahead of time, Hua’er directed people to pack, ready to depart once the appointment arrived, and the steward went to the docks to secure a boat.
At the Shaoxing Governor’s Office, Li Tianchong sighed helplessly. Though the imperial edict hadn’t arrived, he’d already received word. He never imagined that, after Jiaxing’s fall, he’d be the one to take the blame and face punishment, while the instigator, Jiaxing Prefect Zhao Chong, merely got a chance to redeem himself.
Li Tianchong respected Zhu Pingan, his soon-to-be successor. Suzhou wasn’t far from Shaoxing, and after the Suzhou victory, he’d sent people to investigate. It was undeniably a stunning triumph.
Wiping out forty thousand pirates, destroying hundreds of their ships, capturing their leader Chen Dong—no matter how Li Tianchong had viewed Zhu Pingan before, this victory earned his genuine admiration.
Still, he couldn’t accept the court’s decree.
Why could Zhao Chong, the root cause, atone through merit, while he, Li Tianchong, took the fall, stripped of his Left Vice Censor-in-Chief and Zhejiang Governor titles, demoted to a fifth-rank Langzhong in the Ying Tian Ministry of War?
Wine?
Yes, he’d drunk, but only three cups.
It was all because of that damned Yan Party, colluding to suppress dissenters! Zhao Chong was Yan Party, so he got leniency, while Li Tianchong, who’d offended Zhao Wenhua and the Yan Party, bore the blame. Damn Zhao Wenhua, damn Yan Party.
But, though the Yan Party was to blame, wine was indeed an issue.
Recalling Governor Zhang’s warning and this harsh lesson, Li Tianchong steeled himself, grabbed a stick, and stormed toward the wine cellar.
“Master, Master, that’s fifty-year-old Shaoxing Daughter Red, worth fifty taels a jar,” a servant cried out as Li Tianchong smashed the recently opened jar to pieces, the fragrant wine pooling on the floor.
“It’s ruined, all ruined,” the servants clutched themselves in anguish.
Though it pained them, they understood. This jar had cost their master dearly, so it was natural he’d destroy it.
But before they could recover from their distress, they saw their master raise his stick toward another jar.
“Master, that’s top-grade Jinhua wine, part of Madame’s dowry from her family,” a servant managed to shout before Li Tianchong shattered the jar with a few blows.
“Oh no,” they gasped as another jar fell.
“Oh no,” and another.
Amid the servants’ cries, Li Tianchong demolished every fine wine in the cellar.
“From this day forward, I, Li Tianchong, swear off alcohol! No jar of wine will remain in this household, not even cooking wine in the kitchen. No one may drink here, anyone who disobeys will be cast out!”
After destroying the cellar’s stock, Li Tianchong ordered the buried wine in the courtyard dug up and smashed on the spot.
Before everyone, he declared his abstinence and enforced a strict ban on alcohol, with no exceptions.
