"Just under seventy taels of silver, plus four or five taels of gold. Gold and silver are scarce these days; at market prices, this would buy four or five houses north of the Luo in the Eastern Capital. All I ask is that you slow your pace a little, Brother Xin Seventh. Will you? As long as you deliver the documents to Minister Duan before dawn, it still counts as an overnight delivery, and you'll have fulfilled your assignment properly."
Under the brilliant moonlight, on the highway due east of Daxing, Wang Daiji sat on horseback, brow furrowed and eyes wide, speaking with a large bundle of gold and silver in his hands.
Sweat streamed from the hair above his forehead, gathered in the yellow beard twisted almost into a knot beneath his chin, and finally dripped onto the gold and silver. He looked utterly ridiculous. Where was the usual bearing of Wang Ninth, the Ministry of War's Timely Rain?
Now, the temporary court here was not like the Eastern Capital. Both Chancellors had remained at Mount Li in haste because of the rumor incident, with hardly any Southern Office personnel of their own available. Thus, whether by good luck or bad, the man pressed into carrying a message to Minister of War Duan Wei in the Western Capital of Daxing was also a bureau secretary from the Ministry of War. His surname was Xin, his given name Yan, and he ranked seventh in his clan.
As a fellow mid-ranking Ministry of War official, he naturally knew Wang Daiji, and understood perfectly the connections behind this incident.
Yet this very Xin Seventh, who understood those connections, fell silent when his colleagues caught up, stopped him, and drew him to the roadside, confronting him with this windfall and this simple request.