Worldly wisdom

The moon rose above the treetops.

Yang Ge sat inside the county office, leafing through its public accounts from recent years.

Fang Ke hurried in and cupped his fists. "Banner Commander, we've finished the count. There were seventy-six people in the entire compound, including the clerks and constables on duty. That little girl was the only survivor."

Yang Ge asked, "Has the county magistrate's body been examined?"

Fang Ke replied, "Yes. We've confirmed beyond doubt that it was Geng Rong, the magistrate of Luting County!"

Yang Ge set down the ledger and let out a heavy sigh. "This is going to be a major incident!"

Killing an official was no small matter, no matter the dynasty or era.

Not only were those words glaring enough to pluck at the fragile nerves of certain corrupt officials with guilty consciences.

The words most often appended to them were: rebellion!

And Luting County bordered the capital region, making its location rather sensitive...

Fang Ke glanced at Yang Ge, discreetly moved two steps closer, and lowered his voice. "Banner Commander, we have a witness who can prove that Geng Rong himself brought those villains into the compound. Even if the ones in the cells don't spill a word, we can first charge Geng Rong with 'poor judgment of character and consorting with bandits,' then issue a few nationwide warrants afterward for the three who escaped... that way, this fire won't spread to us!"

Yang Ge nodded. "I know. That's why I assigned extra men to protect the girl. But I'm afraid that if one scheme fails, the people above us will hatch another, dump this blame on our heads while they're at it, and force another round of the game!"

Though he had no evidence, his instincts kept telling him that this incident in Luting County had to be an arena where the court's big players were pitting their powers against one another.

If they couldn't bring Tartar experts into the capital to stir up trouble, pinning the murder of an official on the Embroidered Uniform Guard would muddy the waters just as well!

As the famous Canyon Relativity stated: slowing the enemy down was the same as speeding ourselves up; if the enemy gained nothing, that meant we had gained.

As long as the court heavyweights in Shen Fa's faction were left scrambling with scorched heads and singed brows, the other faction could seize the chance to regroup, even if they couldn't bask in the spring breeze of success!

Fang Ke studied the worry between Yang Ge's brows and said quietly, "Your subordinate thinks the gentlemen above us will take this opportunity to cut ties. After all, everyone knows what really happened. If this continues, no one will come out ahead!"

Yang Ge gave him a sidelong look. "Is that what you meant earlier, when Gu Tong said the ringleader had escaped and you muttered that it 'might not be a bad thing'?"

Fang Ke smiled sheepishly.

Yang Ge said bluntly, "Naive! You've handed them the initiative, and you still expect them to quit while they're ahead? If they really knew when to advance and when to retreat, would they have let things reach this point?"

The two of them had more or less opened their hearts to each other today, and Fang Ke no longer played dumb as he had before.

He said softly, "Banner Commander, how the big shots above us fight is their concern. Men like you and me may be officials in the eyes of ordinary people, but to those big shots, we're nothing more than sesame-sized ants. With a casual stretch of their hands, they can crush whole swathes of us!"

"So, with a case like this, if we swallow a little injustice, at worst we'll go back home and tend horses for a few years. But if we insist on getting to the truth, our names might be crossed off and our households erased!"

"We can't stake our lives and everything we own on the gentlemen following the rules every single time, can we?"

"Doesn't the old saying go that nine out of ten gambles end in losses?"

"If some big shot really comes after us, our own people might not be able to protect us..."

Those words truly came from the heart.

Even Yang Ge couldn't help giving him a peculiar look.

He had thought Fang Ke was on the third level while he himself was on the fifth.

Who would have thought that he was on the fifth level while Fang Ke was up in the stratosphere!

"Who taught you all this?"

Yang Ge asked in puzzlement, "At your age, you couldn't have worked out all these intricacies unless someone taught you!"

Fang Ke cupped his fists in admiration. "Speaking of age, aren't you a few years younger than your subordinate, Banner Commander?"

Yang Ge shook his head. "We're different. I only look young. When it comes to taking needless detours, I've walked far more of them than you!"

Fang Ke smiled and offered a compliment. "No wonder your subordinate often feels you resemble the Thousand-Household Commander. So it's the tempering of worldly experience."

Something suddenly occurred to Yang Ge. "The Thousand-Household Commander said you've been with him for two years. Given your age... does your family belong to a hereditary military household of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

Fang Ke cupped his fists. "Your mind is truly nimble, Banner Commander. You infer the whole from a single clue. Your subordinate is deeply impressed... my father, Fang Xiaotang, once served as Banner Commander of the Upper Central Office."

Yang Ge waved a hand and said apologetically, "Your father is..."

Since Fang Ke had inherited the position and was now in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, his father must have retired-or passed away.

Fang Ke smiled and answered with seeming nonchalance, "My father passed away three years ago. Both the physician and the coroner concluded that he died of illness. But I've never understood how a perfectly healthy man who could eat two jin of lamb and swing a fifty-jin saber the night before could be gone by morning-and from a damned illness, at that!"

Understanding dawned on Yang Ge. He nodded apologetically. "I shouldn't have pried."

Fang Ke cupped his fists. "No need to apologize. You and the Thousand-Household Commander are the sort of men your subordinate admires most. But your subordinate was born base and cannot become a man like either of you. I wish only to follow in your steed's wake, Banner Commander, and win merit and make my mark. I would not shrink from ten thousand deaths!"

"All right, enough flattery!"

Yang Ge waved a hand and said slowly, "I agree with what you said earlier. There's nothing wrong with wanting to protect yourself and stay alive!"

"But in the end, we eat from the Embroidered Uniform Guard's rice bowl. Even if we can't bring it glory, we can't smash its cooking pot, can we?"

Fang Ke looked puzzled. "You mean..."

Yang Ge's expression grew serious, and he said crisply, "I mean that we need to protect ourselves, but I don't want this pot of blame either!"

Fang Ke considered this, then bowed. "Forgive your subordinate's dullness. Please enlighten me, Banner Commander..."

Yang Ge said, "Didn't the ringleader escape? Take two squads of our brothers at once and make a great show of pursuing him out through the west gate. Keep chasing until you meet up with the Thousand-Household Commander and his men... tie the case at the county office to the ambush of the Tartar experts outside the city!"

Fang Ke froze for two seconds, then clapped his hands. "Brilliant! That way, the big shots above us won't be able to blame us, and our Embroidered Uniform Guard will hold the initiative in this matter!"

Yang Ge nodded. "Exactly. Anyone who wants to dump the blame on us again will have to overturn the case of the Tartar experts entering the capital as well!"

He spread his hands. "Surely our Embroidered Uniform Guard can't have both colluded to bring Tartar experts into the capital and intercepted them to keep them out? That makes no sense!"

Fang Ke cupped his hands. "A masterful plan, Banner Commander. Your subordinate is convinced, heart and soul!"

After all that talking, this was the one remark in which his words truly matched his heart.

Yang Ge waved a hand. "Get moving. If we delay any longer, the Thousand-Household Commander and his men will be back!"