The South China Sea Governor-General's Office was located within Huai'an City. It had to be said that this place was vastly better than the former Guangzhou Admiral's Office. The admiral's residence had always looked dilapidated, whereas this place was a beautiful Suzhou-style garden. Perhaps because the Governor-General of Riverways oversaw engineering projects, and because the emperor stayed here during his southern tours, it possessed the grand style of northern imperial gardens.
In particular, the Peaceful Tranquility Courtyard in the governor-general's western garden contained the Peaceful Banquet Pleasure Boat, a stone structure built like a painted pleasure boat, where "boat banquets" could be held. It was said that the Summer Palace had a nearly identical one, but Qianlong's favorite was the Lotus Fragrance Academy in the Peaceful Tranquility Courtyard. He received Jiangnan scholars and officials there, and sometimes even wrote vermilion comments on memorials there.
To the west of the Peaceful Tranquility Courtyard stood a Guan Di Temple, where the incense offerings were exceptionally prosperous. People even came from Hebei to burn incense. According to the rules of Chinese cities, civil temples were built within the city walls, while martial temples were constructed outside them. However, this Guan Di Temple had likely existed since the mid-Ming dynasty, before the South River Governor-General's Office was built. Guan Yu was also a God of Wealth, and because Huai'an's Guan Di Temple was considered highly efficacious, many people came to burn incense there.
Guan Yu had been a general during the Three Kingdoms period, as recorded in the Records of the Three Kingdoms and many other historical books. Huai'an lay within Wei State during the Three Kingdoms era, meaning it fell within Cao Cao's sphere of influence. Yangzhou was formerly called Guangling, and it was the border between Wei State and Eastern Wu.
Eastern