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29 The Pious Governor-Genera l Prefect Sh i eventuall y succeede d i n becomin g a disciple o f Grand Secretar y Xu. In spite of the Grand Secretary's hatred for Lieutenant-General Sh u and his repeated petitions to His Majesty to have him executed, he was unable to have his wis h du e t o Hi s Majesty' s magnanimit y an d unwillingnes s t o punis h grea t officials withou t ver y compellin g reasons . Besides , wit h th e effort s o f Gran d Secretary Hua and Uncle Hei doing their utmost to resolve the matter, Genera l Shu was allowed to remain in prison awaiting the final verdict . Grand Secretary Xu was most annoyed that he was unable to move LieutenantGeneral Shu. Not only did he detest the General himself, his loathing was extended to all those recommended by him. If anyone should so much as mention that soand -so ha d bee n recommende d b y Lieutenant-Genera l Sh u o r ha d serve d i n Guangxi Province, he would regard him as a bad character. This time fortunatel y for Prefect Shi, he had made use of Wang Bogao's connection. Wang was old man Xu's favoured discipl e and well knew his master's character. Smoothing th e path for Prefec t Shi , he said to his master, 'Thoug h Sh i ha d been recommende d b y Shu, Sh i i s smart an d able , an d h e ha s neve r serve d i n Guangxi.' I n orde r t o reinforc e hi s words , he simultaneousl y presente d Prefec t Shi's gift fo r th e Gran d Secretary . When th e ol d ma n checke d th e amount , h e noted that it was much more generous than what his other disciples offered. Turning now from loathing to great delight, all the misunderstanding was instantly dispelled! Taking advantage of the timing, Fat Aunty Huang persuaded Prefec t Sh i t o present two substantial gifts to Grand Secretary Hua and Chief Steward Hei. The 258 Officialdom Unmasked Prefect was in turn interviewed by the two great men. From this time on, it was as if the clouds had been swept aside for Prefect Shi and he was again able to see the blue sky. His name too, was gradually known to people in the Capital. No longe r was it necessary for him to keep a low profile. Prefect Sh i wa s ver y ambitious . H e wante d t o b e a n ambassado r overseas . First, he sought Grand Secretary Xu's advice. But this man was as slippery as ever and neve r wante d t o tak e th e slightes t responsibility . Besides , he wa s an ultra conservative . Shaking his head vigorously, he protested, 'Not safe! Not safe! To be an ambassador, you are obliged to go overseas, which means having to travel on a steamship. The ship has to travel on the seas for several days and nights and never comes nea r th e shore . I f anythin g untowar d shoul d happen , yo u wil l have n o means of resorting to heaven, nor i s there a way leading you underground. Eve n though I am your master, I cannot save you. It is but a small matter if I am unable to save you, but you still have a family at home! If they should come and demand that I produce you, where am I going to get you from? I think it is best for you to serve in a province for a few years to gain experience. This is the safest way ' Prefect Sh i pressed on , ' I have alread y bee n appointe d t o a post i n Jiangsu Province. Bu t I request a specia l favou r fro m you , master . Pleas e giv e m e tw o letters of introduction. ' The request was finally accede d to. After idlin g in the Capital for half a month, he settled everything an d too k the trai n to Tianjin. Whils t ther e he paid a call on the Governor-General. Thi s dignitary was a Bannerman and a connoisseur of all things that pleased the senses. As Prefect Shi was an...

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