While Zhang Xing smugly played at being a "Lord Mengchang reborn"-though he had no idea whether this world even had a Lord Mengchang-the overall situation in the Eastern Capital continued to deteriorate.
The deterioration in the political situation was the most obvious.
Minister of Justice Zhang Wenda was not all talk. A man from a second-rate southeastern aristocratic Lineage, he had risen to head a ministry precisely because, during a major treason case involving Supreme Pillars of the State years earlier, he had suddenly come forward to inform against his own patron and superior: Gao Lü, the serving prime minister, a minister entrusted with the late emperor's heir, and a Supreme Pillar of the State.
Three Supreme Pillars of the State had died in that case.
The ostensible cause, naturally, was that when the current emperor ascended the throne, some Supreme Pillar of the State commanding troops in the provinces had refused to accept him and risen in rebellion... Given the traditions inherited from the preceding age of chaos, this sort of thing was hardly remarkable. In reality, of course, once the new emperor had gradually consolidated his power, he had grown dissatisfied with the restraints imposed by several veteran ministers. In particular, Yang Shen's father, Yang Bin-who could almost be called Great Wei's foremost founding contributor-had died just the year before, reversing the balance of power between sovereign and ministers. The emperor had therefore seized the opportunity for a political purge, to the point that Gao Lü, Duke of Ping, and Heluo Fu, Duke of Wei, had only been charged and executed alongside that Supreme Pillar of the State in the third year after his rebellion.
That affair was what it was. It was genuinely difficult to say whether justice lay with the emperor or the veteran ministers; it could only be considered a typical struggle for power.
And when, after the struggle ended, upstarts like Zhang Wenda who had tasted its rewards became targets of contempt both at court and among the common people, they had no one to blame.
But no one had expected that once would not satisfy him, that he would do it twice-and the emperor could not be bothered to change knives either.
Of course, viewed another way, the court had no shortage of Supreme Pillars of the State and Great Generals anyway.
At its very beginning, the so-called Eight Pillar State System had originated two dynasties before. Those military strongmen had fled to Guanlong and, unable to contend with Emperor Shenwu of Eastern Qi, had been forced to establish a **** system: a military-first structure comprising eight Pillars of the State, Twelve Guards Great Generals, and four recording staff officers.
At the time, the twenty-four core figures of this so-called Eight Pillars of the State bloc had belonged to just fourteen Lineages in total.
Through the intervening changes of regime, internal power struggles, and military mutinies and coups at the drop of a hat, fully half those fourteen Lineages had been exterminated. Only seven remained now, and that number might very soon become five.
Meanwhile, whenever a new regime or political leader came to power through a coup, they inevitably had to distribute authority to new contributors and old friends to placate them. Old friends aside, these newcomers could hardly be unrelated to the subordinates and marriage connections of the original old friends. Thus, by now, the so-called Eight Pillars of the State bloc had actually expanded to more than thirty Lineages.
These Lineages intermarried and recommended one another for office; break their bones, and the sinews still held them together.
So when someone rebelled every so often, implicating two or three other Lineages along the way was only to be expected.
To put it plainly, no one should underestimate political traditions, political inertia, and, most importantly, the influence of institutional continuity.
Thus, when Minister of Justice Zhang Wenda immediately arrested more than fifty of Bai Yousi's assorted relatives and declared them Yang Shen's co-conspirators, no one was taken aback... They merely thought that the thunderclap had finally struck.
Still, at this stage, it was only thunder, not rain... They were merely assisting an investigation; things had not yet reached the point of pinning a decisive charge on any core Lineage higher up, nor had the affair spread widely among those below.
What those at the bottom cared about most was, essentially, that prices had risen again... Rice and flour were going up, as were firewood, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea. Silver, gold, and brocade grew more expensive, while ordinary silk fabrics, copper coins, spices, and jade were worth less and less. Worse still, rents and house prices seemed to be falling too.
And this was the Eastern Capital!
In other words, the Eastern Capital's economic situation was deteriorating sharply as well.
"What are all those people doing outside, under the wall?"
That day, because he had to transfer his yellow horse to the boarding stables of the Jing'an Directorate on the island, Zhang Xing returned a little late and had to climb the ladder again, whereupon he discovered a peculiar sight outside the ward gate.
"They're all hangers-on sent by the city's powerful families." Brother Liu shook his head as he held the lantern up ahead. "There are some inside the ward too, all squatting outside Minister Zhang's residence, waiting to buy news from inside. Whenever there's news, they pass it out over the wall... We don't dare stop them."
Zhang Xing nodded blankly.
But as they reached the entrance to the side courtyard where he lived, he finally remembered his business and reached back to catch the other man. "Brother... There's something I need to tell you. Now that I'm a mounted patrolman, I no longer have to patrol the streets of these four wards. Instead, I'll often have to await orders in Lide Ward, so it won't be convenient to keep living here."
"I'd already guessed as much." Brother Liu merely nodded at this. "And judging by the state of Xiūyè Ward, I doubt we'll have any peace for the next six months. Leaving early is a good thing... Have you found a place?"
"No need to look. I was thinking of moving straight in with that friend who came to see me before." Having broached the matter, Zhang Xing dispensed with further formalities. "All I have here are a few clothes and a quilt. I can go anytime."
Brother Liu paused slightly at that, seeming hesitant, but still spoke. "There are some things it isn't really my place to say, but since you're leaving, little brother, I might as well... About moving in with your friend-have you settled it with him? Firmly agreed on it?"
"No." Zhang Xing shook his head. "I only said I was planning to go over to his place."
"That's good, then." Brother Liu offered his advice sincerely. "The way I see it, little brother, you have your own ways. Even with the closest of friends, there ought to be a wall between you... As for friendship, it doesn't depend on sleeping and eating together. Getting too close isn't necessarily a good thing."
Zhang Xing knew the advice was well meant, and after a little thought, found it all the more reasonable. He nodded readily. "True enough. Then I'll go to Chengfu Ward tomorrow and look at houses again. I'll find somewhere near my friend... Only, I've just transferred, and they haven't given me much leave to settle in. I don't know if I'll find anything suitable in time."
"That's easy." Brother Liu smiled at once. "If you trust me, little brother, I'll put in a word with Old Han at Chengfu Ward's north gate tomorrow. We'll find you the most suitable place right away."
Naturally, Zhang Xing could not thank him enough.
And so, that evening, Zhang Xing and Ward Chief Liu still enjoyed a pleasant conversation, but the night that followed was decidedly less agreeable, because it was far too noisy...
The people clustered like hedgehogs around the ward gate and on either side of its walls kept coming and going. Every so often, a few martial practitioners would vault the walls and gates as though no one else existed. It infuriated Zhang Xing so much that he wanted to stand in the courtyard and shout, Do you really think this is a public latrine, where you can come and go as you please?
However, considering that the martial practitioners employed by those high officials and nobles were probably all experts, and that there were so many of them, shouting might only earn him a beating. Defiant as Zhang Xing was, he could only narrow his eyes and pretend to sleep.
Interestingly enough, despite all the bustle that night, by the fourth watch the following morning, before daylight, the area around the ward gate suddenly cleared completely. The reason, again, was Minister Zhang: the Minister of Justice, now one of the great men of the Southern Office, was going to court. His carriage had stopped early before the ward gate as usual, first in the queue waiting for it to open.
Minister Zhang was quite accustomed to seeing the Eastern Capital's sun at the fourth watch.
This time, however, there was a slight complication.
Hadn't Minister Zhang been promoted?
Hadn't he been granted authority over a special investigation?
And so Brother Liu, the ward chief, cautiously took the unusual step of approaching and bowing from a distance to ask Minister Zhang's household servants for instructions: since His Excellency was so busy, should they open the gate early?
Minister Zhang had not let it go to his head. His answer was exceptionally direct; he even bypassed his servants and called out publicly through the carriage curtain-the laws of the state must not be set aside.
Truly, he brimmed with righteous spirit and spoke with justice on his side.
Only then did Brother Liu feel reassured.
The sun rose, and the ward gate opened to traffic. Having taken moving leave, Zhang Xing was in no hurry to leave. Instead, he first strapped on his saber and made a circuit inside Xiūyè Ward, plainly reminding Wei Liouzi and the others that someone like him still existed in the Eastern Capital.
Only after finishing his patrol did he turn back and catch up on his sleep in the courtyard.
By noon, Brother Liu had already brought definite news: there was a particularly suitable courtyard house, with separate suites on the left and right, a reception hall and main courtyard in the middle, and a rear courtyard where a horse could be kept. It suited one person or two, and with two residents, they could maintain a comfortable distance while still being close.
Even three or four people could live there. Once his salary arrived and he had ready cash, it would be perfectly suitable to hire a groom who could double as gatekeeper, and then someone to cook.
Most importantly, because the owner's uncle had once served as one of Yang Shen's personal guards, the whole family was preparing to flee overnight. The rent was therefore exceptionally cheap. They only hoped to rent it quickly to someone in government service, in the hope that, should trouble break out, the courtyard house might be preserved as far as possible.
Since it was so suitable, and Zhang Xing was a bachelor with next to nothing to his name, he agreed at once... At worst, he could live there alone, and Qin Bao could come if he wanted... Then he set about moving.
For all the talk of moving, apart from the new outfit and saber he wore, there were only a few books, a few changes of clothes, a quilt, and, of course, that Compass.
Zhang Xing made no fuss. He simply borrowed a cart from Ward Chief Liu, hired no one and accepted no help. With Ward Chief Liu leading the way, he pushed it over himself and left it outside the family's gate. He had the ward chief of Chengfu Ward's north gate come out in person to draw up the rental papers, tossed his things inside, and asked Brother Liu to take the cart back himself.
Truly, he had come in haste and gone in haste.
Life as a bachelor drifting through the Eastern Capital was just that straightforward.
Having moved at noon, Zhang Xing, still on leave, set out for the island that afternoon, intending to discuss the matter with Qin Bao and bring his horse back while he was there.
Yet when he reached the island, he was astonished to find that people from the Ministry of Justice had come again.
"Prisoners this time?"
Drenched in sweat, Zhang Xing turned to ask the other brocade-clad mounted patrolmen beside him, whose faces were all dark.
"What else?!" One brocade-clad warrior practically ground the words out between his teeth. "The Ministry of Justice has gone too far! Since the Jing'an Directorate established itself in the Eastern Capital, we've never handed prisoners over to outsiders..."
"And the Intendant just sent orders forbidding us to interfere with the Ministry of Justice's official business!" Another man was furious. "Otherwise, we'd have thrown those Ministry of Justice bastards underground along with them already."
Zhang Xing frowned slightly too.
P.S. Thanks to Guandong Liufei for becoming a league patron! This book's forty-second league patron.
And happy birthday to Hanmen, Qisui, and Xiaoxiao, who all share a birthday.
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