In the eighth month, after autumn began, Chu Pou-the empress dowager's own father and Great Jin's supreme commander of punitive expeditions and military affairs in Qing, Xu, Yan, Yu, and Yang Provinces-raised an army for a northern expedition. Barely more than a month later, his vanguard suffered a defeat at Dai Slope of Qingzhou, and he returned to Guangling in disgrace. Yet during his stay in Pengcheng, Xu Province, people of the Central Plains had flocked to him by the thousands each day. The supreme commander's headquarters plainly treated these refugees as spoils of war and granted them special permission to cross the river for resettlement. Jingkou, already a gathering place for refugees from the Central Plains and the seat of the relocated administration of Southern Xu Province, naturally gained tens of thousands more inhabitants upon his return.
This also made the markets along Jingkou Avenue noticeably livelier that autumn.
But to be fair, ever since Minister Xi Jian had begun developing Jingkou, the newly arrived refugees had been no different from those who had first come here over the preceding decades—just as poor, just as disruptive to public order, and just as dependent on resettlement and relief from the court.
So when these people came to market, they had no money to buy anything. All they could sell were old clothes and tattered garments, straw sandals and split firewood. At most, once winter arrived, they could add their sons and daughters to the list.
It was bustle without substance.
Still, these northerners always managed to bring the people south of the river some fresh novelty... in the open-air market, someone selling sandals and mats was actually playing a flute to attract customers.
Music, after all, was something only gentlemen—or, at the very least, men of humble scholarly families, monks, and Daoist priests—could play and appreciate. Of Jingkou's hundreds of thousands of northerners registered in the White Register, eighty percent were refugees who had fled here over the past few decades. When had they ever heard anything like this?
And those who had heard it would not come here anyway.
Thus, even though the whole market was full of people selling straw sandals and mats, this stall still did the best business and sold its goods the fastest... its stock also seemed consistently plentiful and well made. It had been here only a little over half a month, yet it was already famous.
There was even a small wooden board hanging from the stall, with "Lord Ren's sandals" written on it in charcoal, making it all the more conspicuous.
"Trouble! Armed slaves!"
The flute's rendition of "Two Tigers" was on its third repeat when someone suddenly called out in a low voice. Immediately, not only the men, women, old people, and children packed together listening to the music, but also the neighboring vendors began rolling up their goods, shouldering or dragging them out of the way to the roadside.
The boy playing the flute wore a Coarse Tunic and Trousers, and a headcloth. He looked only fifteen or sixteen, but he was already thoroughly familiar with this commotion. With a sigh, he and his companions packed up the stall and pushed the cart, then vanished in a flash into the little ditch behind a large tree nearby.
Then, as always, the entire market watched the convoy of a gentleman, its path cleared by blade-and-axe-wielding slaves, disappear into the distance. Only after a long while did order return.
"Armed slaves again? We were selling so well!" one of his companions complained furiously. "Acheng's flute had drawn half the market's customers over, and now they're all gone."
"Brother Jili, do these southern aristocrats' armed slaves really slash people in the street?" Liu Cheng was somewhat angry too. Still gripping the flute, he questioned the man at the neighboring stall: Liu Jili, the flute's former owner.
The latter stood to one side with his arms folded. The Liang Guan on his head was gone, replaced by a headcloth—the last time they had come to market, it had happened to rain. While packing up, Liu Cheng had personally watched the fellow pushing a cartload of mats, slipping, and falling into the ditch. His worthy scholar's cap, probably long since rotted, had smashed against the large tree beside him.
Yes, exactly as one might imagine, Liu Jili was now also leading a few men in selling straw sandals and mats!
As it turned out, after exchanging names last time, they had discovered that this fellow's background was almost "identical" to Liu Cheng's. He too claimed to belong to the Liu Clan of Pengcheng, claimed that his father and grandfather were somewhere in the north, their fate unknown, and had sought refuge with a Refugee Commander from the Liu Clan of Pengcheng. He got by on the saying, "A man of the same surname who comes a thousand miles to seek refuge is no different from blood kin." He had merely arrived in Jingkou two or three years before Liu Cheng.
So, after coaxing that trade secret out of Liu Acheng that day, the man had shown not a shred of martial honor: he had immediately gone back to his own Refugee Commander and set up a similar work group to make straw sandals and mats.
Of course, his business did not seem to be doing very well.
The main reason was that the straw sandals and mats he brought were clearly inferior in quality. He probably had not worked through the technical problems, and likely had not actually assigned his best men to the task either.
Besides that, the flute he had traded for straw sandals had also worked against him-Liu Acheng had no experience playing a flute, but he had briefly learned a little electronic keyboard in his youth during his previous life, and knew the bare basics of music theory. By experimenting, he had managed to work out how to play.
In all fairness, even Liu Acheng could tell that he was barely carrying a tune, and sometimes not even that. But in this day and age, practically nobody was willing to play music for ordinary people, so the effect was remarkable. All the customers went over to his stall to listen.
Under those circumstances, it would have been strange if Liu Jili's business had prospered.
"Actually..." Liu Jili folded his arms and began to explain.
"Don't wrap it in mystery or tell me what ought to happen. Right now... just tell me, do they slash people or not?" Liu Cheng was growing impatient.
"I really am not trying to be mysterious." Liu Jili smiled helplessly. "Here's how it happened. When our dynasty first crossed south, those armed slaves really did slash people... if commoners crowded around to watch an aristocrat, the aristocrat would simply order his armed slaves to hack a path through, splashing blood five paces away. And it wasn't just slashing people. When marrying off a daughter, some had thousands of Slave Retainers carry torches, scorching all the trees along both sides of the road and then burning down an entire village. Others, short of money at home, took their Slave Retainers and blockaded a ferry crossing to rob everyone in turn. They also slaughtered their own Slave Retainers at will... every cruel and lawless act you can imagine, they committed. I've heard people call it the legacy of Luoyang!"
What a fine legacy of Luoyang!
Liu Cheng listened with relish, his anger forgotten, and merely urged him on. "Then what happened?"
"Then, once the situation had settled somewhat, our dynasty's Emperor Yuan appointed several stern ministers, who punished a good many people according to the law... for a time, those aristocrats didn't even dare violate Jiankang's curfew." Liu Jili abruptly grew serious. "But you should know what happened afterward. Precisely because of that, the Wang Dun Rebellion broke out. Those punished scions of great houses either rallied directly to Wang Dun or held their troops back and watched him stir up rebellion. Some went further: they received an imperial order to defend Stone City, then handed it straight over as soon as Wang Dun arrived. In the end, those ministers either died or fled, and even Emperor Yuan himself died under murky circumstances."
"Tsk." Liu Cheng was growing more interested. What did he know about the Wang Dun Rebellion, let alone its details?
"After Emperor Yuan died, those aristocrats naturally slipped back into their old ways. But not long afterward came the Su Jun Rebellion. Su Jun was a Refugee Commander from Yuzhou. He broke straight into Jiankang, stripped all the court's great aristocrats naked, and dumped them on Mount Jiang to perform forced labor. Situ Xi could only rely on Jingkou's refugees to build an army and fight him... it was after that affair that the forces of the Western Command and Northern Command truly flourished, and refugees began to receive more lenient treatment."
"So that's how it happened." Liu Cheng finally understood.
He had heard endlessly that the Wang clan and the Sima clan shared the realm, and that aristocratic houses governed the country. He had never imagined there was also a Refugee Commander whose rebellion had beaten some value into the refugees as allies. No wonder all Jingkou belonged to the refugees, and aristocrats did not come here to encroach upon them on a grand scale.
"So I'm not brushing you off." In the end, Liu Jili still gave an ambiguous answer. "In practical terms, after the Su Jun Rebellion, no great aristocratic house has any reason to slash people for no cause on Jingkou Avenue... but then again, with the Wang Dun Rebellion as a precedent, if they really did slash you, what could you do about it? Besides, who still dares restrain these great aristocratic houses now? It all depends on their consciences."
"Acheng, you must be confused. How could the authorities control those great houses?" Grandpa Liu San, who had been listening beside them for some time, suddenly interjected. "Even back in the lands north of the Huai, the authorities wouldn't interfere when an ordinary wealthy household beat someone to death... others might not know that, but surely you do?"
How would I know? Is he implying I should have seen it north of the Yellow River? Then what does north of the Huai have to do with anything? Did Liu Huzi enjoy casually beating people to death like that?
Liu Cheng was inwardly speechless, but merely nodded. "That's right. It seems the authorities really won't interfere. Best to keep out of their way."
And so, that afternoon, Liu Acheng did eventually play "Two Tigers" a fourth time before packing up early and heading back... rumors had been circulating for several days that a tiger was prowling Jurong Road behind them. They dared not travel after dark.
As soon as they set off, Grandpa Liu San began to ramble:
"Acheng, don't think I'm being long-winded. Though we aren't blood kin of the same clan, we share a lineage and surname, and we've both left our homes to survive here south of the river. So that saying applies... a man of the same surname who comes a thousand miles to seek refuge is no different from blood kin... right? Besides, we shared sweetness and hardship on the road. I truly regard you as my own nephew. And surely you know how Lord Ren treats you?"
"You and Lord Ren both treat me no differently from blood kin. Your kindness and loyalty are as weighty as a mountain." Liu Cheng was baffled, but he did know how to respond.
"If that's so, don't let your heart stray in three directions and your mind in two!"
"Let my heart stray?" The boy looked distinctly astonished.
Seeing the young man react like this, the old man first let out a relieved breath. Then he stopped on the road and spoke to him quietly. "You're young, after all, and don't know to guard against people. Besides, these past few trips you've been busy playing the flute, so you haven't paid attention. That fellow is no good... warm toward you one moment and cold the next, and all of it with ill intent... first he saw how young you were and tricked your sandal-weaving methods out of you. Once he started making them himself, he saw you drawing customers with your flute and watched coldly several times. If he weren't worried about Lord Ren backing us, he would probably have resorted to violence long ago. And today he turned friendly again. Isn't that just trying soft tactics because he doesn't dare use hard ones, hoping to coax you over to do business for him?"
"He actually meant that?" The boy patiently heard him out, then hastily put on a horrified expression.
"Would I lie to you...?" The old man stamped his foot on the spot and turned to the other companions for confirmation.
Naturally, the others all chimed in with agreement and reassurance.
As they spoke, they had walked a hundred-odd paces beyond the market. Just then, a voice suddenly rang out behind them. "Liu Acheng!"
The boy hurriedly turned to answer, only to find that it was once again the tall, slightly stooped Liu Jili... Grandpa Liu San and the others immediately grew tense.
"A word of advice." Whether or not he had noticed the wariness of the men beside Liu Cheng, Liu Jili stood at the junction a dozen or so paces away and did not pursue them further. He merely gave a cold smile. "Don't think being able to play music will make people recognize you as a gentleman... after so many years, without officials your father and grandfather knew pulling strings and vouching for you, none of it means anything! If your father or grandfather offended someone, they might even take revenge on you! And as for music, remember that it isn't only gentlemen who can play. There are also performers kept penned up by great houses as slaves and Slave Retainers!"
Liu Cheng froze, then understood, and solemnly bowed to him.
Seeing that he had understood, Liu Jili said no more. He turned and went back to the market to sell his straw mats and sandals... now that his flute-playing rival was gone, if he held out a little longer, he might sell a few things and have fewer sour looks to face when he returned.
-------A dividing line for fewer sour looks-------
Emperor Gao, the Great Ancestor... was quick of thought and swift of understanding, accomplished in many arts. Born to an aristocratic household, he studied literature, divination, history, and music. Cast adrift in his youth, he learned weaving, mounted archery, and even charcoal burning, ferrying, ironworking, and animal husbandry to make a living, earning the name "Master of a Hundred Skills."
-New Account of Tales of the World, "Precocious intelligence," entry twelve
P.S. Thank you to Moon Is the Night's Wound for the double alliance-leader reward! Thanks to Porridge with Water Isn't Zhou, thanks to Pale Color, thanks to Heavenly Drive Returns to Dust, and thanks to Moon Unending QD for the alliance-leader rewards. Most are familiar faces, but there are new patrons too. I'm endlessly grateful.
Just under four thousand characters. Another chapter at six.
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