On the last day of September, Cheng Zhili finished his wedding leave and came to Jiangling. Instead of going straight to Cangcheng to pay his respects to Chief Zhang, however, he entered the main camp outside the city and submitted a document to the Traveling Office through it... This was, of course, entirely in accordance with procedure. Personnel Commissioner Yan Qing therefore replied in accordance with procedure, then, equally in accordance with procedure, sent him a further, unofficial document bearing the names of Chief Zhang Xing, the newly appointed Deputy Commander of the Traveling Office Chen Bin, and Military Law Commissioner Xiong Bonan, asking whether he would accept a transfer to a commandery governorship.
Perhaps because it was rather late, Cheng Zhili did not reply that day.
What Chief Zhang did not know, however-or would not have cared about even if he had known-was that Great Dragonhead Cheng visited Xu Shiying that very evening.
Xu Shiying had money. His family owned shops outside Jiangling City and a house inside it, properly purchased, with three successive courtyards. He had never asked for one of the simple little residences with front and rear courtyards in Cangcheng.
Cheng Dalang actually had money too. Although he had been forced to move from Henan to Hebei in his early years and then back again, he now owned shops and a large residence in Jiangling City. After marrying a daughter of the Cui Clan, reputedly Hebei's foremost aristocratic family, he had also acquired grand residences in Qinghe Commandery City and Wucheng, where the Cui Clan was concentrated.
Of course, Cheng Dalang had not come this time to discuss how to "start from nothing and get rich again" with Xu Shiying. He had come sincerely seeking advice on a few matters.
"Now that I've offended Chief Zhang,