The Land God Shrine

Zhang Qingyun's wife had passed out. She was carried home and soon regained consciousness, but stayed silent, not uttering a word. Steward Zhang was at a loss, too. For the affairs of this world, with the wisdom he'd accumulated over all his years, he could find a solution to nine out of ten problems so long as he calmed down and thought them through. But the Ancestral Spirit's disappearance was an event that might not happen once in a hundred years. Though he was old and shrewd, he was utterly stumped. He could only send someone to report the news to the county first, then notify the clan.

Zhang Qingyun's wife said nothing, leaving Steward Zhang to handle the household affairs. Steward Zhang's heart tightened. Madam has suffered blow after blow. She may be near the end of her strength.

All he could do was order the servants to simmer ginseng soup for her. There was nothing else he could do. The priority was still to arrange Zhang Huaizheng's funeral.

Steward Zhang had managed the Zhang household for many years. Though somewhat flustered, he still sorted everything out and assigned the tasks clearly. Before long, the entire Zhang family had changed into mourning clothes, hung white lanterns, set up a funeral hall, and sent out notices of the death.

The Zhang clan lived together in Qingxi Township, so word reached them quickly. These relatives, who had always trembled before Zhang Huaizheng, couldn't help secretly letting out a long breath of relief. But they couldn't show it now. They put on mournful faces, changed into mourning clothes, and came to pay their respects.

The funeral hall was set up in the front hall. A room in the rear hall had been cleared out, and after paying their respects, those dressed in finer clothes were invited inside. They were all people of some standing in the township, summoned together to divide up the interests anew. They could have been left out, but they would surely gather in private and carve up the spoils anyway. That would mean losing the initiative, so it was better to invite them all and lay things out plainly.

Zhang Qingyun's wife sat in the seat of honor, with Steward Zhang standing beside her. Looking at the relatives seated on either side, he sighed inwardly. They were all a pack of hungry wolves, and Madam was silent. He was just about to speak for himself when she spoke first.

Her voice was hoarse as she said, "My husband died young and tragically. I thank all of you uncles and elders for coming to pay your respects. Alas, the household is beset with countless matters, and I am but a woman with little idea what to do. For now, I can still manage things, but I truly cannot continue as clan head and village head. Please choose someone of high virtue and standing to take on this heavy burden."

As she spoke, she brought out two things: a genealogy and a waist token. The clan head kept the genealogy, while the waist token was the village head's credential. The village head ranked among the clerks, and by regulations had no official appointment document or seal—only a waist token as proof. With the token, the appointment was practically half settled. All that remained was to pay a little money at the county office and register it. Since the candidates were all from the Zhang clan, the county would certainly approve.

Zhang Qingyun's wife had offered up the two items partly in the hope that the others would fight among themselves, leaving her to reap the rewards. Even Steward Zhang secretly thought it a clever move. Unfortunately, though everyone below looked eager, not one said a word. After watching them carefully, Steward Zhang finally realized they were gauging the reactions of two men. His heart sank. These fellows have moved fast. Have they already met in private? Just then, someone gave a soft cough. The entire hall fell silent. Steward Zhang saw that it was one of the two men, Zhang Qing, the township's second most powerful figure. Zhang Qing stroked his three long whiskers and spoke in a clear voice. "The clan head must be someone of high virtue and standing. I nominate one person: Elder Zhang Jingyun. He has always been fair and upright, and I have long admired him. He is surely fit to lead our Zhang clan to even greater heights!"

Zhang Jingyun shook his head with a smile. "Qing, by seniority, I could serve as clan head. But in terms of ability, how could I match you? Your family is thriving more and more. I can't help but envy you!" Zhang Jingyun was of such senior standing that he was even a generation above Zhang Huaizheng. But he was fond of throwing his weight around as an elder, and Zhang Huaizheng had never liked him.

Zhang Qingyun's wife watched the two of them perform their little charade of refusing the position three times before accepting it in front of everyone. She bit her lip so hard her teeth nearly drew blood. Then Zhang Qing said, "...Uncle, there's no need to refuse any longer. This is what everyone wants. Isn't that right?"...

The other relatives chimed in with praise, saying Zhang Jingyun was a man of high virtue and standing, the choice everyone wanted. Zhang Jingyun's deeply wrinkled face blossomed like a chrysanthemum. Only then did he accept, taking the genealogy from Zhang Qingyun's wife. His heart swelled with satisfaction.

After putting away the genealogy, Zhang Jingyun spoke again. "I think Qing is quick-witted and well suited to the post of village head!"

At this, Zhang Qingyun's wife wanted to object, but the others seemed to have agreed beforehand. They all threw their support behind Zhang Qing, leaving her no chance even to offer terms before the matter was settled.

By the time Zhang Qing snatched the waist token from Zhang Qingyun's wife, her face had gone completely bloodless. She suppressed her grief and said coldly, "Since everything has been settled, my household still has matters to attend to. I won't keep you any longer!" She didn't even call them uncles and elders anymore. She had heard of the cruelty of struggles among great clans and thought those tales mere jokes. She had never imagined it would happen to her today.

Zhang Jingyun smiled and said, "There's one last matter. Huaizheng was a dutiful son! A few days ago, he told me that the township's clan school had long been dilapidated and needed major repairs. He was also worried the ancestors weren't receiving enough offerings, so he planned to donate two hundred mu of land to the clan to educate the children and honor the ancestors."

Zhang Qing chimed in. "He told me the same thing, and even signed the deed!" He took out a document. Zhang Qingyun's wife accepted it with trembling hands. The words in black and white did indeed say that two hundred mu of land were to be donated to the clan. But when she looked at the handwriting, though it was her husband's, it seemed stiff. She immediately spotted the flaw and cried, "This... You forged this! How shameless... My husband has barely passed away, and you're already bullying a widow and her children..."

Before she could finish, Zhang Jingyun snatched the document from her hand and sneered, "It's all here in black and white. The land is being given to the clan, not some outsider. What could be false about it? Huaizheng's wife, have you been overcome by grief and lost your senses?" Zhang Qingyun's wife opened her mouth, wanting to say more, but blood spilled from her lips and she fainted.

Zhang Qing stepped forward. "Since Sister-in-law is unwell, we'll come visit another day. We'll take our leave!"

As the group left the Zhang residence, one man sneered, "Zhang Huaizheng was always overbearing. At last, he got what was coming to him. My heart is glad!" Zhang Qing nodded. "Other great clans may have their dirty laundry, but they keep it hidden. Zhang Huaizheng was shameless about it. He even dared to falsify the accounts and pocket clan land. He also kept down talented young people in the clan. This is what he gets."

Another man sighed. "Still, the matter of the Ancestral Spirit is deeply troubling!"

"Hmph... What's there to worry about?" Zhang Jingyun cut in. "Young Master Xu Zheng, you're still too young and inexperienced. The ancestral tablets in that shrine belonged only to Zhang Huaizheng's branch. And Zhang Qingyun cared only for his branch, giving the rest of us whatever scraps he felt like. Look at us: whenever we went down to the villages, something would happen, while his family never had so much as a whiff of trouble. An ancestor so biased isn't worth having!"

Zhang Qing said, "Even so, this matter is cause for concern. Fortunately, our township is surrounded by four villages, and I hear all four are protected by Land Gods, who keep ghosts out. With that line of defense, we'll be safe for now. But in the long run, we'd better make plans early."

Zhang Jingyun's eyes lit up. "Rebuilding the altar would take too long to show results. As for inviting another Ancestral Spirit, setting aside whether we could even find one, the question of which branch it would favor would be troublesome. In my view, we might as well worship the Land God directly. I hear the deity is fair to everyone and offers ample protection. A hunter from Qingyu Village spent a whole night in the mountains and came back without a scratch!"

Zhang Qing nodded. "That's an option, too!" He looked around at the others and said with a smile, "All right. We and Uncle Jing don't want the two hundred mu of land we got back from Zhang Huaizheng. Discuss it among yourselves and divide it up!"...

Everyone immediately cheered. Zhang Qing sighed inwardly. If this had happened to another family, most people would have felt at least a little ashamed. Here, all he saw was a crowd cheering and jumping for joy. That was just how unpopular Zhang Huaizheng had been. He resolved to take the lesson to heart and make sure to teach his own children well when he got home.

Everyone divided the land among themselves. Although it would be registered as clan land, they still had to decide which families would farm it and how the proceeds would be split. There were many tangled interests involved. Fortunately, Zhang Jingyun and Zhang Qing mediated and set the rules. In the end, everyone got a share; no one went away empty-handed. Truly, when the Zhang family fell, the whole clan ate its fill.

The next day, in his capacity as clan head, Zhang Jingyun announced that the Zhang family ancestral shrine would be taken over by the clan. The Zhang family was to remove its ancestral tablets and take them home; after the deadline, there would be no exceptions. The shrine would then be turned into a Land God shrine. He also ordered a life-sized statue of the Land God to be made, consecrated, and then brought into the shrine at an auspicious hour.

Without the Ancestral Spirit's protection, the villagers felt uneasy. When they heard that the Land God would be invited to guard them, they were delighted; they had long heard how effective the deity was. Everyone went about the work with considerably more enthusiasm.

Only the Zhang family objected. They had been the ones to forbid worship of the Land God in the first place, and now that they were replacing their old deity with that one, who knew what the Land God might do to them? Unfortunately, Zhang Qingyun's wife had been bedridden ever since she vomited blood. Steward Zhang came out to speak for her and handle matters, but he had no proper standing to do so. Whenever he managed to make himself heard, the rising tide of opposition soon drowned him out.

The twentieth day of the fifth month was an auspicious day, so they chose it for welcoming the Land God into the shrine.

The former Zhang family ancestral shrine had already been transformed beyond recognition.

Only its general outline still hinted at what it had once been.

The plaque over the entrance had been replaced. The old Zhang family ancestral shrine plaque had long since been taken down, and Zhang Qing himself had written the three characters for "Land God Shrine." He had an artisan make them into a plaque and hang it here. Zhang Qing had some scholarly talent; his characters were sharp as iron and hooked like silver, with quite a bit of flair.

By then, everyone in the township except the Zhang family had arrived, packing the small square in front of the shrine and chattering noisily.

When the auspicious hour arrived, the crowd streamed into the shrine. They couldn't help being surprised. The central hall had been remodeled into a grand main room, and a statue stood in the middle, wrapped in red silk. An offering table in front of it was laden with incense, candles, and sacrifices.

The room on the right had been a storeroom and had barely changed. On the left, it was no longer where Zhang San lived. Someone else had taken his place: a sturdy, well-built man dressed as a temple attendant. He was Li Dazhuang, transferred from Qingyu Village by Fang Ming.

Qingxi Township had more than two hundred households, as many as the other four villages combined. It stood at their center and was of the utmost importance, so Fang Ming naturally took it very seriously. He had transferred Li Dazhuang there as temple attendant partly to keep troublemakers in check. Fang Ming had arranged it by appearing in Zhang Qing's and Zhang Jingyun's dreams, which also let the two men witness the Land God's divine power and deepen their faith.