Through the Wards (4)

In early summer, as the thin mist dispersed and the bronze bowls rang to open the streets, Zhang Xing and Junior Officer Zhao launched an impromptu, small-scale crackdown.

The first day was devoted to sweeping through Xiūyè Ward.

For this purpose, Feng Zongqi specifically gathered the more capable hangers-on from the various wards and placed them at the two men's disposal.

The two wore headbands and regulation close-fitting uniforms, with curved sabers in Embroidered-Mouth Saber scabbard covers at their waists, cutting quite imposing figures. Behind them were seventy or eighty hangers-on, almost everyone carrying a club or some other weapon. They had eaten breakfast in Jingshan Ward, received ten copper coins apiece up front, and heard the company commander's instructions. Now, marching under an official banner behind two bona fide "officers" to raid businesses in another ward, every man was brimming with enthusiasm, eager to make a little windfall to boast about to his wife back home.

The crowd advanced in a mighty procession. First, they drew lots to select thirty men to watch the other three ward gates. Then the remaining fifty or sixty surged through Xiūyè Ward's north gate behind the two officers, startling Ward Chief Liu so badly that he hastily called his wife and daughter inside to take shelter before coming over to inquire.

Zhang Xing wasted no words. He plainly explained the circumstances, asked which establishment was closest, and checked it against the list Feng Yong had provided. Finding no discrepancy, he left Ward Chief Liu's tavern, stalls, and casual-labor brokerage behind and headed straight for the gambling den.

The gambling den had only just opened one half of its doors. Its owner and employees were squatting inside eating, the sleep still crusted in their eyes, when dozens of burly men swarmed in. They were bound with ropes, their equipment was smashed, and the little loose cash lying around was divided up by the hangers-on who had rushed in first.

At this sight, the gambling den's owner, who had been led out into the alley, finally shook off his drowsiness and hurriedly shouted, "Officers, if you two need money, just say so! Why smash up my livelihood? Junior Banner Officer Han takes a regular cut here! If he finds out, he certainly won't let you off!"

"Who's this Junior Banner Officer Han?! Who won't let whom off?!"

Zhang Xing naturally remained unmoved by this, but whatever erotic dream Junior Officer Zhao had enjoyed last night, he was already so excited that his eyes were bloodshot. At these words, he berated the man while drawing his curved saber and tossing it aside, then discarded its embroidered cover as well. Gripping only the scabbard, he charged forward and began raining blows down on the man's head and face.

For the first few blows, the gambling den's owner kept talking back. By the tenth or so, his face was swollen and bruised, and he was in too much pain to speak. But Junior Officer Zhao did not stop. He kept beating him until the owner went limp all over and sank to his knees, shielding his face.

"I'll ask you one more time... who's this Junior Banner Officer Han? Who won't let whom off?"

Though Xiao Zhao had stopped hitting him, he still showed no sign of letting the matter rest. He thrust the bloodied scabbard in front of the man's head, then bent down, seized his topknot, and continued questioning him with a sneer.

"No... no... Han, no Junior Banner Officer Han." The gambling den's owner wept bitter tears, his mouth so swollen that he could barely form his words. He could only submit. "I... I was running an illegal business myself... please... Officer... spare me... up, up on the roof beam... there's a bag of silver... don't... don't touch my family."

The earlier words were one thing, but at the last part, Xiao Zhao looked rather bewildered.

The surrounding hangers-on, however, understood instantly. They swarmed back into the gambling den and immediately searched the roof beams of its seven or eight rooms. Sure enough, they found a small bag of broken silver in one spot and brought it before Xiao Zhao and Zhang Xing. By the look of it, there were at least seven or eight taels.

Zhang Xing paused, seemingly feeling that something was amiss, but quickly understood. He took the two largest pieces from the bag, pushed one into Junior Officer Zhao's hand, and kept the other himself. Then he singled out a man.

"Go find something in the gambling den to weigh silver with. If there isn't anything, borrow it from the neighbors!"

The hangers-on understood. With a great roar, even more invigorated than before, they rushed about the task. In moments, they had actually produced seven or eight balances and small scales. They quickly weighed the silver on each, discarded several obviously inaccurate ones, and arrived at roughly six taels and three mace remaining.

Seeing this, Zhang Xing did not distribute it immediately. Instead, before everyone's eyes, he rolled up the silver bag and tied it securely to Junior Officer Zhao's bloodied scabbard. He raised it high and turned in a circle before speaking.

"Everyone, Officer Zhao and I have already taken our shares from this bag of silver. The rest is all yours... but don't rush. With so many of us, dividing silver isn't easy. Besides, there are still so many illegal establishments to sweep through. Dividing the silver after every stop would only hold up everyone's money-making. And there are dozens of brothers guarding the gates-we can't leave them out either... now I've tied this silver to the scabbard that represents our official standing. I'd like a tall brother to hold it up where everyone can see it, so nobody can pocket it in secret. We'll carry on with the sweep and divide it equally by head at noon, then again in the afternoon, and once more when the sweep is finished... what do you say?!"

What else could they say? The hangers-on below all but wanted to rip out their hearts to show the two officers their devotion. After handing the scabbard to a tall hanger-on, Zhang Xing simply consulted the list and dragged the still somewhat dazed Junior Officer Zhao toward their next destination.

The hangers-on behind them were more inspired than ever. Some retrieved the saber, some led the way, some cleared the streets, and some flattered the officers. Fifty or sixty men clustered around the two "officers" like an army marching to war, escorting the raised scabbard as they continued onward.

With morale like this, everything naturally went smoothly afterward.

Whether someone was a junior banner officer's brother-in-law or styled himself some local wolf, before an official banner and an overwhelming advantage in numbers, he was nothing but a little brother.

Even the few enforcers they encountered who had clearly made headway in cultivation and tried to flee using strength bolstered by True Qi were surrounded on all sides by several groups of hangers-on, then beaten to the ground with long staffs.

One man they encountered that afternoon had, by Zhang Xing's estimate, opened one or two more of the Twelve Orthodox Meridians than he had-about Qin Bao's level of cultivation. He had heard the news from the outset and prepared well in advance. Now he emerged wearing an iron wok on his head and bamboo slats strapped around him, then drove his True Qi into a headlong charge. He truly swept all before him, almost forcing Zhang Xing to intervene.

But how could the hangers-on, who had just received another share of silver, allow the two "officers" to exert themselves? Some clever fellows immediately devised a solution. They "borrowed" sheets and bedding from the neighbors to use as barriers and soon entangled the fellow. Once they dragged him to the ground, they pried off his pot lid, cut away the bamboo slats, and swung their staffs, beating him even harder.

That "cultivation expert" held out for a quarter of an hour, but in the end, he could only lie wrapped in a sheet on the ground, clutching his head and begging for mercy. The sight made Zhang Xing's eyelids twitch.

All he could say was that there really was a reason Bai Yousi had said ninety-nine percent of cultivators in the world remained stuck at the Meridian Opening stage.

Leaving aside the effects of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, the Twelve Orthodox Meridians stage alone seemed far too poor a bargain... it was not difficult, exactly, but after cultivating so painstakingly, tempering the body and hammering away at the meridians almost every day, month after month and year after year, all one gained was somewhat greater strength and a few usable properties of True Qi that could not even be sustained for long. Never mind proper soldiers in armor wielding sharp weapons-even a gang of hoodlums could beat them. Who would not grow discouraged and weary when stuck at this stage?

It was like the bratty children in the world he had come from. Everyone knew that studying hard and getting into a good university would make life better, but from primary school through junior high and then senior high, what proportion of those brats could grit their teeth and keep from falling behind?

And that was with nine years of compulsory education, parents supervising, and teachers managing them. In a feudal age like this, where everyone had to understand and bear their own hardships, and everyone's knowledge was incomplete, there was even less to be said.

"You don't need to guard the gates anymore?"

Shortly after noon, Zhang Xing, who had been forced to oversee another distribution because the money bag could hold no more, looked up in surprise as he ate a meat pie the hoodlums had pooled their money to buy.

"Don't worry, Officer. Only three unlicensed brothels remain. They all have the same owner, and they're all together. His girls and his establishments are over there. He certainly wouldn't dare run," a hanger-on hastily explained.

"They're all unlicensed brothels? With the same backer?" Zhang Xing was momentarily puzzled. "What a coincidence."

"It's no coincidence," Junior Officer Zhao answered beside him, also chewing on a meat pie. "Unlicensed brothels have to hide in out-of-the-way corners to begin with. They don't dare go near any of the ward gates. And Xiūyè Ward has another particular circumstance... as you know, Brother Zhang, Minister Zhang of the Ministry of Justice lives to the north. He's the head of the Ministry of Justice. Though the Luling Zhang Clan isn't one of Guanlong's Eight Supreme Pillars of the State or some great surname or illustrious lineage, it still counts as a middling distinguished clan... the unlicensed brothels have no choice. They don't even dare approach the ward's central crossroads, let alone head north, so they can only huddle together over here. As time passed, Wei Liouzi naturally swallowed them all up."

"Oh."

Zhang Xing gave a perfunctory response. He had no interest in the geographical economics of unlicensed prostitution. "I just regret that I won't get to distribute silver to everyone a few more times."

Everyone burst out laughing. Someone tried to seize the opportunity to tell a dirty joke, only to be slapped down by a more seasoned man.

Once they had finished their meat pies, the hangers-on mustered their remaining courage and rallied themselves. This time, with no further need to guard the gates, all seventy or eighty set out together, their momentum even greater as they followed the two officers toward the three remaining brothels, which stood close to one another.

Interestingly enough, just as the party reached the eastern entrance to the alley, seven or eight men unexpectedly approached them head-on. Their leader cupped his hands in greeting from a distance, while others behind him brought forward several boxes of copper coins and set them down before them. Farther back stood seventeen or eighteen women, shrinking behind a wall at a distance, only to be forcibly driven out to stand nearby.

Zhang Xing and Junior Officer Zhao stepped forward. The man offering the greeting raised his head, revealing tumors covering half his face.

No introduction was necessary. This had to be Wei Liouzi.

"Officers."

Wei Liouzi raised his head, identified the two men, and cupped his hands in greeting once more. "I don't know what's happened, but whatever instructions you have, I, Wei Liouzi, will certainly obey... I've heard from all the other places that Banner Chief Feng personally ordered business suspended for a while. Then I'll shut down immediately, without another word... also, everyone knows perfectly well how much these three establishments of mine can bring in. This money is my earnings from the past twenty days. It's all here, for the two officers and all the brothers to share... and that's not all. It's still early. Since the brothers have come, why not enjoy yourselves inside? My treat."

Wei Liouzi had capitulated so quickly that, as he went through his offers one by one, the hangers-on lost their aggressive bearing. By the last one, they were simply staring expectantly at the two officers.

As for Junior Officer Zhao, the moment he heard the first offer to close the establishments, his bloodshot ferocity of the morning vanished, and he had long since begun flicking glances at Zhang Xing.

Zhang Xing, however, differed from the others. His expression barely changed at the first two offers, but at the last, he frowned instead. "You're certainly generous, Boss Wei."

"Might you be Officer Zhang?"

Wei Liouzi had spent his life mixing in the streets and had already resolved to submit. How could he not know how to read a man's expression? Yet hearing this, he merely assumed the other man was displeased at receiving no personal offering. This differed slightly from the information he had gathered, but seemed more reasonable. "Forgive my bluntness, but this money truly is everything I could scrape together at short notice. Still, rest assured, Officer Zhang. You live right here in Xiūyè Ward. Once my finances recover in a few days, I'll certainly come to your door in person to apologize."

Zhang Xing frowned and said nothing... he was actually hesitating over whether to meddle.

To put it plainly, as someone who had transmigrated, he naturally disliked gambling dens, usury, and the like, but what he found most intolerable was certainly an unlicensed brothel like this, where people were openly treated as less than human... especially with a dozen or more "girls" driven out to stand before him, every one of them shrinking at the sight of so many lowly hangers-on.

The most immediate issue was this: cutting the fellow down with one stroke would be easy, but how would he provide for the women in the Brothel?

Just then, seeing Zhang Xing remain silent, Xiao Zhao beside him also misunderstood. Moreover, he was now the one most reluctant to stir up trouble, so he actually spoke up to persuade him.

Just then, seeing Zhang Xing remain silent, Junior Officer Zhao beside him also misunderstood. Moreover, he was now the one most reluctant to stir up trouble, so he actually spoke up to persuade him.

"Brother Zhang, Wei Liouzi really isn't deliberately slighting us, and I'm afraid he really isn't deceiving us either... he recently spent a large sum of money, so he probably truly has no savings left. This is likely all he has on hand... there's no need to smash the places up."

"How so?"

Zhang Xing asked in surprise.

"Isn't it because of that rebel Yang Shen?" Junior Officer Zhao explained briefly. "Yang Shen ravaged a dozen or more commanderies in the Central Plains... I heard the banner chief say that, to prevent the surrounding areas from being caught up in the devastation of war and falling into unrest, the court ordered the government troops in each commandery to seal off their own territory and stop refugees wandering about. But they had suffered a terrible war, after all. Their homes and possessions were all burned or plundered, so quite a few ruined refugees had no way out and began selling their sons and daughters... the Eastern Capital is nearby, and it's the greatest furnace for melting gold, so it was bound to take the largest share. From the Thousand-Gold Pavilion in Gentlemanly Ward to the unlicensed brothels in all the major wards, everyone's taking the opportunity to buy people cheaply over there."

Zhang Xing understood, then indeed turned to Wei Liouzi with a smile. "Is that so, Master Wei?"

PS: Thanks to Gūgūgū's Little Pigeon and Holy Light Flash for becoming alliance leaders... the twenty-ninth and thirtieth for this book... have a good weekend, everyone. This is the work of Water-Fearing Grenade: Exorcising the Dragon: Zhang Xing and Bai Yousi.