The Governor-General of Liangjiang stood at the very pinnacle of a subject's power.
As a Han official, Zhang Ji had been able to rise to this position not only because he was capable of handling real affairs and patching up the court as it declined day by day, but, more importantly, because he had always been upright and strict. Treacherous villains feared him. Even in a national atmosphere broadly afflicted with a fear of foreigners, he could still remain neither servile nor overbearing and argue his case with reason.
To win the respect of others, one first had to respect oneself.
A foreign governor had once made a special trip from Hong Kong to pay his respects to Zhang Ji. His wife had likewise paid her respects to Mrs. Zhang. Such dignified diplomacy had been absolutely inconceivable in that era.
Fine, since you're so capable.
Even the foreigners treat you with such courtesy.
Then the position of Governor-General of Liangjiang—where you'll have to deal with foreigners frequently, often play the grandson, and most likely offend both sides—will be handed to you!
In the position of Governor-General of Liangjiang,
Zhang Ji had worked diligently without ever slacking off. He had to preserve the court's dignity and defend its honor, while also keeping a firm grasp on the limits and avoiding rashly provoking a border conflict. The difficulty had been immense, but fortunately, his luck had been decent. He had done quite a few practical things for the country and the people, without provoking the foreigners into launching a major war. All things considered, he had managed to answer to everyone.
Doing this well was enough.
If he did any better...
As a Han official, the court might decide one day that he had a bad leg and send him straight back to his hometown to recuperate. That glass ceiling might be invisible, but it had always been there, hanging above every official's head.
Zhang Ji's good luck had run out today.
When the urgent news that many foreign ironclad warships had been sunk on the Yangtze reached the governor-general's office, Zhang Ji sprang to his feet. His vision suddenly went black, his chest seized up, and he sank back into his chair.
The foreigners' ironclad warships had been sunk?
Who had done it!?
What? It wasn't the navy? Neither the Liangjiang nor Liangguang navies had moved. With only those few battered ships, if they had really formed up against the foreign ironclads and traded broadsides, the urgent message delivered now would have said that the entire navy had been wiped out, and that the murderous foreigners were on their way to discuss treaties and security.
What? It wasn't the Imperial Court's navy? Could it be that the foreigners had turned on each other?
The deathly pallor on Zhang Ji's face faded somewhat.
Amid the shock, he sent people to inquire while waiting for news. Yet the speculation inevitably brought a heavy sigh. Two years ago in Liaodong, two tigers had fought. As the host, he had been forced to remain neutral while facing those savage, blood-chilling maws. What helplessness and incompetence that had been. Could such a thing be happening here again today?
Zhang Ji had originally wanted to leave the governor-general's office and investigate personally.
But at that moment, the people were in a panic.
He feared that the moment he left the governor-general's office, the entire office would succumb to its fear of foreigners.
Zhang Ji soon received another piece of good news.
The culprit who had sunk the foreign ironclads was an immortal. The immortal had flown toward the city, so the foreigners couldn't blame us!
"Absurd!!"
"Do you take me for a fool you can fob off?"
"An immortal?"
"I think you've been bewitched and want to consort with the Remnants of Honglian again."
Faced with the Governor-General of Liangjiang's roar, the officials trembled like leaves. With such a huge accusation from their superior crashing down on them, none of them dared make a sound. They were as silent as cicadas in winter.
Most of the wicked fire in Zhang Ji's heart had been vented. After calming down, he waved his hand decisively. "Investigate again. Check again." He would first call the foreign envoys and governors in the concessions to sound them out, then think about how to report this heaven-shattering disaster today. Could he, the dignified Governor-General of Liangjiang, really be so incompetent as to use "an immortal" as his explanation?
Two hours later.
Looking at the telegram prepared for Tianjing, which conspicuously contained phrases such as "a white-haired immortal took action," "commanded thunder," and "blasted the foreign warships to the bottom," Zhang Ji fell into a long, profound silence.
"My lord, send it," an aide beside him urged.
"But..." Zhang Ji was torn beyond words.
"My lord, the foreigners themselves said it had nothing to do with us, that the immortal did it. We aren't cawing like a flock of senseless crows," the aide urged again.
As long as the foreigners did not go berserk and launch a war against the Imperial Court, then even if this telegram sounded somewhat absurd, it would not be treated as the crow that had exposed the disaster.
Zhang Ji still shook his head. The telegram in his hand felt as heavy as a thousand jun.
"Ruisheng, I'm at the age when one knows the will of Heaven. I probably don't have many years left. At the end of my life, all I want is to look up and have no shame before Heaven, and look down and have no shame before the earth."
As a clansman, Zhang Ruisheng nodded in agreement, his expression becoming solemn and respectful.
His clan elder was truly a gentleman.
"If I send this telegram, I fear I'll be judged incompetent and helpless. If that were all, it would be fine. What I fear is that the court will think I've gone mad, refuse to listen or believe me, and miss this one and only opportunity. They might even end up helping the tyrant do evil. When the immortal flies into a rage, how many heads in our country can withstand an ironclad?" That was what Zhang Ji was worried about.
Having eaten the ruler's salary, one had to be loyal to the ruler's affairs.
After verifying the matter through multiple channels, reaching the scene, investigating in person, and conducting interviews himself, Zhang Ji had no choice but to admit that the immortal was real.
The people of an entire city, along with the foreigners in the concessions, had all seen it.
There was no way to fake it.
Since it was real, and the immortal was so ferocious, this was a heaven-sent opportunity! If the immortal could enter the court as Imperial Preceptor, his might would surely sweep away the decline, restore the nation's prestige, and cow the barbarians!
"In that case, the telegram can be held back for now," Zhang Ruisheng suggested, his eyes turning.
"Oh?" Zhang Ji raised an eyebrow.
"My lord, do you think the foreigners can win?"
"Difficult." If the foreigners were confident, they wouldn't have asked Zhang Ji to assist with the full force of his authority in capturing the attackers.
"Then do you think the immortal can win?"
"Mm, also difficult." A fear of foreigners could not be cured in a day or two. The foreigners' strength had already taken deep root in everyone's hearts.
Zhang Ruisheng spread both hands.
"No matter which side wins, the court certainly won't. If the immortal can't win, then he isn't an immortal. If he really is an immortal, one sentence from him will be far more useful than the telegram in our hands."
More useful even than the imperial seal.
Even from a legal standpoint, an immortal was equivalent to Heaven. The Son of Heaven was Heaven's son. If the father disciplined the son, that would surely be better than foreigners mutilating the son, wouldn't it?
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ji gave his clan younger brother a deep look. His clan younger brother had always associated closely in private with the likes of Nong Jinsun. Now, his intentions were hardly worth concealing anymore.
That immortal had ultimately landed at the International Journalists' Club, and today also happened to be the day the Jingwu Gymnastics Association was founded.
Just as Zhang Ji was thinking,
a telephone call came into the governor-general's office.
Zhang Ruisheng waited a while before going up to answer it.
A moment later,
Zhang Ruisheng hung up. A trace of excitement leaked into the voice of this usually modest and reserved aide.
"They're anxious! Bringing up guns was useless! Guns! Useless! Next, they're bringing up artillery! Bringing up ships!"
"All right, stop talking. I'm feeling somewhat unwell. I'm going to lie down and nurse myself back to health. Don't let anyone disturb me." Zhang Ji decisively cut Zhang Ruisheng off, then rose and walked toward the rear hall, his figure somewhat bleak.
Whether intentionally or not, Zhang Ji left the great seal representing the authority of the Governor-General of Liangjiang on the desk. Without changing expression, Zhang Ruisheng slipped it into his sleeve, then hurried out of the governor-general's office and raced toward the Yangtze Navy's station without stopping.