Yun Zhongzi arrived at Chaoge. He had barely passed through the city gates when he heard a vendor's cries.
"Heartless vegetables for sale! Heartless vegetables!"
Yun Zhongzi looked around. This was the marketplace, and as the central city of Great Shang, Chaoge was exceedingly prosperous.
Mundane goods were of no use to him. An immortal of his cultivation had long since ceased needing food, but curiosity led him over to ask.
Yun Zhongzi nodded slightly and waved his fly-whisk. "May I ask, good woman, how much are these heartless vegetables?"
"One Copper Shell for four bundles."
"Not expensive at all," Yun Zhongzi said.
The old woman picked up a bundle of tender green heartless vegetables, looking most enthusiastic.
This was the common people's wisdom. With the Wan Nian Calendar available, people knew the seasons and weather and could farm more effectively. At the next harvest, there would surely be more people selling grain in the market. Selling at a slightly lower price now would let her capture the market first.
"How many bundles would you like, Daoist?"
Yun Zhongzi shook his head and said bluntly, "Those who cultivate the Dao have no need of Foxtail Millet."
Even if he had wanted to buy some, he had no money.
No money? Off you go, then.
The old woman looked somewhat disdainful. Why ask the price if you aren't buying? It was the same last time. Some fellow in fine clothes asked questions forever, then bought nothing.
Just then, several burly men with bulging bellies approached her.
"I brought my brothers along today!"
In this era, ordinary people had virtually no chance of growing fat. Merely having enough to eat was already a blessing.
Anyone who could accumulate a body's worth of fat was invariably a lord or noble.
Yun Zhongzi saw their rough movements and overbearing manner. Their gait in particular was truly beyond description. One glance told him they were no decent men.
What are they planning? Surely they aren't going to seize the heartless vegetables by force?
As a virtuous man, Yun Zhongzi had already decided to intervene. If these men dared lay hands on the common people, he would suppress them with thunderous force.
Seeing the burly men approach, the old woman smiled. "Guard Yin, you're here!"
The arrivals were none other than Yin Pobai and the other former Emperor's Royal Guards. Since laying down their armor and returning to civilian life, they had been living in Chaoge City.
Yin Pobai patted his increasingly prominent little belly and laughed. "Don't call me a guard anymore. We're all ordinary folk now!"
"All right, Guard Yin. It's getting late, so I'll pack up and head home. Sorry for the trouble with repairing my house. You can take all these vegetables later." The old woman packed up her stall and led Yin Pobai and the others north.
"You're too kind. These days, all we brothers have to offer is a bit of strength to help everyone. It's only right."
Well...
Yun Zhongzi was rather puzzled. Why were these burly men, who were clearly quite wealthy, so friendly with an old woman selling vegetables?
But they had already gone far away, so he found an old man selling oil nearby and voiced his doubts.
"You mean Guard Yin and his fellows!"
"They used to be King Zhou's Royal Guards. They rendered meritorious service, then laid down their armor and returned home. Their rewards were generous enough to keep them fed and clothed for life. With no need to worry about making a living and nothing to do all day, they started thinking about helping the neighborhood. They repair houses and carry water, and whenever they hear that a family has fallen ill or suffered misfortune, they lend a hand. They settle disputes too. Everyone around here is very grateful."
"You can tell from their size how strong they are, and they used to be Royal Guards. They may look a little overbearing, but they're honest men who fought for the country. They say a hundred of them went north to suppress a rebellion, leading the charge, and only thirty-odd survived. So everyone trusts them."
Yun Zhongzi knew something of mortal affairs as well. These Royal Guards were in their prime and had earned merit. They should have been promoted to military commanders. A ruler had no reason to send them home unless he had another purpose in mind.
Seeing these Royal Guards helping the common people, he understood the reason. Each one was effectively a local administrator, serving at the level of a town, a township, or a village. They might have little talent for administration, but their courage, loyalty, and righteousness inspired trust and could reduce a great deal of unnecessary friction and conflict.
Once he understood, Yun Zhongzi said, "Then would you say that the reigning King Zhou is an enlightened ruler?"
"An enlightened ruler?" The old man nodded, then shook his head. "You could say that, but there are plenty of rumors in the streets. They say King Zhou behaves nothing like a proper sovereign, choosing consorts in great numbers and lusting after beauty. For his own selfish passions, he nearly drove a lord's daughter to her death and even forced the Feudal Lords into rebellion. Now they say he's so consumed by beauty that he's undertaking massive construction projects, exhausting the people and draining their wealth..."
Yun Zhongzi asked again, "Then King Zhou is a tyrant?"
The old man shook his head. "Not that either. Those are only street rumors. How would common folk like us know what happens inside the palace? But the calendar they calculated has certainly benefited us. Many people are deeply grateful."
After hearing this, Yun Zhongzi could no longer make out just what sort of ruler King Zhou was, so he turned the conversation to the calendar.
"There are capable people at court!" the old man said with feeling. "They say the Seasonal Official received King Zhou's instructions to calculate the workings of the heavens, discover their patterns, and determine the seasons accurately. So long as we sow on the dates recorded there, next year is sure to bring a plentiful harvest."
"Where can I see this calendar?" Yun Zhongzi's interest was piqued. Only immortals like him, whose mastery of the Dao reached into the mysteries, could calculate the workings of the heavens. Could a mere mortal really do it too?
"Right over there."
Yun Zhongzi looked toward a stone wall. Sure enough, a seasonal calendar was carved upon it. He checked its calculations as he read and found virtually no errors.
"Truly inconceivable."
Yun Zhongzi bowed, bid the old man farewell, and continued through the marketplace.
Along the way, he heard many more rumors, praise and condemnation in equal measure. This only deepened his confusion. Just what sort of man was King Zhou?
Yun Zhongzi had not come to Chaoge solely because he had divined that a demon lurked in the palace and, hating evil as his mortal enemy, made a special trip to vanquish it. He also carried a mission from Yuanshi Tianzun.
According to Yuanshi Tianzun's original divination of heaven's secrets, Xiqi would establish Zhou, which would replace Shang as the supreme power of the Human Race. At that time, the Chan Sect had decided to help Zhou destroy Shang.
But at some unknown point, heaven's secrets had fallen into chaos, and the Investiture Calamity had changed. Unwilling to put all his eggs in one basket, Yuanshi Tianzun had sent Yun Zhongzi to show goodwill toward Great Shang. Removing the demon in King Zhou's palace would earn him a share of fortune.
If something truly changed in the future, there would at least be a thread of opportunity to turn things around.
Just then, someone suddenly approached and cupped his hands toward Yun Zhongzi. "I am Senior Grandee Yang Ren. May I ask your name, Daoist?"
Holding his fly-whisk, Yun Zhongzi offered a Daoist salute. "This humble Daoist is Yun Zhongzi. My greetings."
Yang Ren asked, "Where have you come from, Daoist?"
Yun Zhongzi replied, "This humble Daoist has come from Cloudwater."
Yang Ren asked, "What is Cloudwater?"
Yun Zhongzi said, "The heart is like white clouds, forever free; the mind is like flowing water, wandering east or west."
Yang Ren asked again, "When the clouds scatter and the water dries, where should one return?"
Yun Zhongzi replied, "When the clouds scatter, the bright moon hangs in the sky; when the water dries, the shining pearl appears."
At these words, Yang Ren was delighted. This Daoist was certainly a true cultivator who had attained the Dao!
Disregarding the clamor of the marketplace, he immediately bowed solemnly. "Please, Daoist, save our Great Shang!"
The Beacon Tower was under construction.
Here's the second update. I went out for dinner tonight and got home a little late.
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