Chapter 651 The Council

Originally, this place was the ancestral hall of the White Miao tribe, where the spirit tablets of ancestors from the Miao villages were enshrined. No wonder there was a strange, lifeless atmosphere upon entering. Lin Wanrong watched as Sister An knelt on the cushion, respectfully kowtowing, while he stood beside her, looking extremely solemn.

Muttering to herself, An Biru devoutly bowed down. After a long while, she stood up, looked at him and softly said, “This is a sacred place of the Miao people, where we worship our ancestors, including my father and mother. Come and pay your respects too!”

“Oh,” Lin Wanrong replied, sincerely kneeling on the cushion and deeply kowtowing, saying cheekily, “Father, Mother, I bow to you–”

Sister An quickly kicked him lightly on the buttocks with her little foot, her face showing a rare shyness of a young girl, her eyes reddening as she said, “Don’t talk nonsense in front of my parents.”

“It’s only a matter of time!” he muttered under his breath, feeling aggrieved. Putting his hands together, he changed his address, “Uncle, Aunt, my name is Lin Wanrong, also known as Lin San, the little brother of my Master Sister. In the future, I will become her husband. Sister An and I share a deep mutual love. In heaven, we wish to be birds of the same feather, and on earth, branches of the same tree. I pray for your blessing from the heavens, for a harmonious life and the birth of noble children. I bow to you both!”

The first part of his speech was somewhat decent, but then he reverted to his usual manner. An Biru laughed helplessly, her face growing hot.

After respectfully kowtowing several times, Lin Wanrong stood up proudly, winking provocatively at Sister An.

An Biru, unable to hold back her laughter, gave him a half-annoyed, half-amused glance. She reached out her delicate hand and fiddled under the shrine, and soon there was a light clattering sound. The wall next to the shrine split open, revealing a stone door.

An Biru twisted his hand sharply in amusement, saying, “It’s not clear who’s protecting whom!”

She gracefully stepped over the threshold, with Lin Wanrong closely following.

Beyond the door was a stone cave, deeply carved into the rock wall, hidden under the cover of stilted buildings, extremely concealed. Ahead, a dim yellow light shone, and the sound of people talking could be heard.

Sister An turned her head, looking playfully at him, and giggled, “Remember, be careful with your words!”

Careful? About what? Lin Wanrong was puzzled but saw Sister An smiling beautifully and walking ahead.

“Welcome, Holy Maiden!” A chorus of respectful and orderly voices suddenly erupted in the stone chamber. Lin Wanrong peeked inside to see seven or eight Miao elders bowing to An Biru. The eldest among them, Hannong, who led him here, stood at the forefront. The youngest, Yilian’s father and the chieftain of the Red Miao Village in Yingyue Hamlet, Buyi, looked excited yet uneasy, his hands tightly clasped together, unsure of where to place them.

“You uncles need not be so formal!” An Biru said with a relaxed and gracious smile. Her gaze swept over the elders and rested on Buyi, nodding and saying, “So you are Uncle Buyi from Yingyue Hamlet! I’ve long heard of your great reputation.”

The old man, excited, his beard trembling, bowed deeply while holding his hatchet, “Buyi pays his respects to the Holy Maiden!”

An Biru smiled and shook her head, “Uncle, there’s no need for such formalities. You are the leader of Yingyue Hamlet, known for your wisdom and capability, highly respected and recognized in the Miao villages. It’s only fitting that Elder Hannong recommended you to join the Council of Elders! Thank you for your hard work in traveling here through the night.”

It turned out that the old men in the room were all elders of the Miao villages, responsible for deciding all important matters of the Miao community. No wonder Sister An had said the ancestral hall was the most important place. Apparently, Uncle Buyi had only been notified to join the council a few days ago, which explained his hasty and dusty arrival at Wulian Peak.

In the center of the room, there was a large tiger-skin chair for the leader. An Biru sat down slowly, and only then did the other elders take their seats on either side.

The room, which had been noisy, now turned quiet. Once everyone was seated, they realized there was still one person standing in the middle. All eyes turned to him.

“Hello, uncles, hello!” Lin Wanrong, feeling the intense scrutiny of so many elders, quickly bowed in greeting.

Among the elders, only Hannong and Buyi knew him, and their impressions were not exactly favorable. The others looked at him, puzzled, until one elder suddenly recognized him, “Oh, I remember now, you are the Red Miao mi duo who just won the horse race!”

At this, the elders’ gazes warmed up considerably.

“Ah, my apologies,” Lin Wanrong quickly bowed, embarrassed, “Uncle, you look so kind and gentle, like a deity of longevity. I wouldn’t dare deceive you! Actually, I’m not Red Miao mi duo, my name is Lin San, from the capital, and I’m a Hua person.”

“Hua person?” The elders were startled and then angrily said, “If you’re from the Hua people, what are you doing at the Flower Mountain Festival? And sneaking around in Red Miao clothes, what are you plotting?”

Clearly, the elders didn’t have a favorable view of the Hua people. As they spoke, anger rose in their voices. Lin Wanrong quickly glanced at An Biru, who was looking at him with a smile, silent, seemingly an outsider.

Lin Wanrong blinked rapidly, realizing: This Miao Elder Council was clearly Sister An’s family, and by bringing him here, she was introducing him as a prospective son-in-law. The attitude of the elders towards the Hua people, however, indicated that this might be challenging.

Thinking quickly, he smiled and waved his hand, “Uncles, you misunderstand. I dressed in Miao attire because I enjoy making friends with the Miao brothers and sisters.”

“You enjoy making friends with us? Bah, who would believe that!” an elder retorted angrily, “Every Hua people is deceitful and scheming, saying one thing and thinking another. Our Miao community has come to this dire state because of people like you!”

“Yes, there’s not a single good person in the Hua people!” several elders exclaimed loudly, and the stone chamber immediately became noisy.

Xuzhou, located at the confluence of three rivers, is known for its beautiful mountains and rivers, and its talented people. It should have been a wealthy area in Sichuan and Chongqing, but unfortunately, Nie Yuanqing had been entrenched there for many years, indulging in luxury and levying harsh taxes, causing resentment to boil over and making life unbearable for the people. This has led to the deep rift between the Hua and Miao communities. It’s like a single rat ruining a whole pot of soup.

Lin Wanrong silently shook his head and sighed, “I understand your feelings, uncles. In fact, I admit that there are indeed some rotten elements in the Hua people. They act lawlessly, bully men and women, and cause immense harm. Anyone with a conscience would despise such scoundrels, and this includes both the Miao villagers and the Hua commoners.”

Elder Hannong snorted, “Since you admit that there are bad apples among the Hua people, what else is there to say?”

“There are bad people in the Hua people, but does that mean everyone in the Hua ethnic group is bad?” he lamented, “Please, Elder and uncles, think about it. Xuzhou is a place where the Hua and Miao have coexisted. Many ordinary Hua people work and trade with you daily. Are they all unforgivable villains? If we look back a hundred, a thousand years, have the Hua and Miao always been estranged, never supporting and living in harmony with each other? Our ancestors were like brothers; why can’t we be like them today?”

His questions left Elder Hannong and the other elders deep in thought, while An Biru looked at him with sparkling eyes.

“Indeed, there are good persons among the Hua people!” one elder grunted, “But those who bully us are also from the Hua people! How do you explain that?”

“Yes, how do you explain that?” several elders echoed.

Lin Wanrong shook his head slightly, “I know what you all are thinking. The prefect of Xuzhou, Nie Yuanqing, is indeed no good person. He’s a disgrace to the Hua people. But the acting leader of the Miao, Zhaguo, has also done things that are disgraceful! Just because of these two, should we deny the goodness of the ordinary people of both the Hua and Miao ethnic groups? Can the faults of one person be extended to the whole community?”

He boldly named Nie Yuanqing and Zhaguo, surprising the elders with his audacity. They looked at each other, unsure of the intentions of this man posing as a Red Miao mi duo.

“So, according to you, there are many good persons in the Hua people, and they are not at fault!” Buyi looked at him coldly, “But what about the Miao villagers, who are driven to desperation by those Hua scoundrels? What about that?”

Buyi’s gaze was filled with anger. He was Yilian’s father, and the clothes Lin Wanrong was wearing were once worn by him at his wedding, borrowed by Yilian from her mother after much pleading. Feeling guilty, Lin Wanrong couldn’t meet his gaze and quickly turned his head away, “Rest assured, Uncle Buyi, those who harm the Hua and Miao people will be dealt with. It won’t be long, perhaps it’s already near at hand!”

Elder Hannong shook his head and laughed coldly, “So what if one is dealt with? If one leaves, another can come. Can you guarantee that the next prefect will definitely be just and incorruptible? And what about the one after that? And the next?”

Indeed, the elder was highly respected and had exceptional insight; his question hit the nail on the head. All the other elders nodded in agreement.

Lin Wanrong gave a thumbs up, sincerely praising, “Elder Hannong is remarkable, that’s an excellent question! You’re right. If we only rely on one generation of officials, their integrity might bring good days to Xuzhou for a while, but it won’t last forever.”

“What solution do you have then?” This time, it was the Holy Maiden who spoke, looking at Lin Wanrong eagerly, her eyes flashing rapidly.

‘So, the sly vixen can’t hold back anymore?’ He thought angrily, feeling cornered by the questioning of her family members, and worried about being ousted if he slipped up. The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became. He huffed and turned his head away, “I haven’t thought of one yet!”

“Really?” An Biru giggled, “That’s a pity. I heard that a female Khan in the desert was poisoned, and I was thinking of going to see her–”

“I’ve thought of it, I’ve thought of it!” Lin Wanrong suddenly brightened up.

Sister An glared at him fiercely and giggled, “That female Khan is indeed a fascinating character, making you think so quickly. I was contemplating giving you more time!”

The Holy Maiden’s demeanor was charming, but her slightly jealous tone was unmistakable. Lin Wanrong dared not retort and quickly said, “To solve this, actually, is not difficult. We could establish a Miao Elder Council in addition to the Prefect of Xuzhou, to check and balance each other!”

“A Miao Elder Council?!” This term was novel, and everyone listened in astonishment. An Biru urged, “What do you mean? Explain quickly!”

“The so-called Elder Council,” he explained, “would consist of seven to eight Miao elders chosen by the Miao community within the whole Xuzhou area, led by the Miao leader. They would enter the government office to discuss affairs, implementing self-governance for the Miao villages within the state. All matters within the Miao community, including agriculture, commerce, education, and so forth, would be decided by the Miao people and then submitted to the prefect for implementation. Except for central policies that must not be resisted, any new policies implemented on the Miao must first be proposed by the prefect and approved by the Council for implementation. Otherwise, they would not be executed. The government office and the Council would check and balance each other. If a proposal is rejected and the two sides have irreconcilable differences, it can be referred to the Sichuan-Shaanxi Governor for a decision. If there is still disagreement, it could be reported to the Emperor for final judgment.”

“This, this–” Elder Hannong, Buyi, and the others were astounded. Sister An was even more pleasantly surprised. The mind of her little brother was unfathomable; his proposal for the Elder Council was akin to creating a half-prefecture!

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