Chapter 280: Late Tang Performance Art

During this period of closing his doors to visitors, Fang Chongyong had not been entirely without guests.

Liu Yan, Di Wuqi, and others came to visit every couple of days to discuss matters concerning the jiaozi. As for Yang Shenjing, he was responsible for the operation of silk and other goods in the jiaozi warehouses and was not involved in the issuance of jiaozi, so he never once came to Fang Chongyong's door.

In the end, everyone worked out a compromise plan for issuing the first batch of jiaozi.

Specifically, the six regions of Guanzhong, Hebei, Hedong, Henan, the two Huai regions, Jiangnan, and Shu would each issue a version of jiaozi that could not be mutually exchanged for silk through official channels, but was permitted for general use among the common people. They would be uniformly printed in Chang'an.

Meanwhile, the main jiaozi office in Hexi would issue jiaozi circulating throughout the Hexi Corridor, Longyou, and the vast Western Regions. Since it had already been rolled out there first, no new printing blocks would be made.

Hexi jiaozi likewise could not be exchanged for silk in other parts of the Great Tang, but could be swapped with other jiaozi among the common people—jiaozi for jiaozi.

Jiaozi operating and circulating in different regions could only be redeemed locally. As for whether merchants and commoners were willing to exchange jiaozi from different regions, and what the "exchange rate" would be, it was entirely voluntary—the government would neither interfere nor participate.

After the jiaozi in various regions had been operating smoothly for three years, if the results were good, they would consider a model of replacing one edition per year, gradually replacing all the different jiaozi on the market with a unified version that could circulate and be redeemed for cloth throughout the entire Great Tang.

Although Fang Chongyong felt that the plan proposed by Liu Yan and the others was still far too naive, he nonetheless told the two of them about many problems that might arise in the circulation of paper currency.

For example, to prevent counterfeit jiaozi from appearing, the notes must be replaced with a new edition every year, retiring old notes and issuing new ones, so that those intent on printing counterfeit money would have no way to proceed.

For example, silk redemptions had to be paid in full, and the issued jiaozi had to bear a "date stamp," with a minimum of one month before they could be exchanged back for cloth at a jiaozi office. This was to prevent opportunists from deliberately staging a run on a particular region's jiaozi shop.

Furthermore, when the government collected taxes, it must never refuse to accept jiaozi—otherwise the jiaozi would rapidly depreciate. The best approach was to have the commoners submit a portion of their taxes in jiaozi at a set ratio.

And so on with such minor details—Fang Chongyong said everything that needed to be said. Liu Yan and the others bowed their thanks and departed, and he had no idea whether these people had actually taken it to heart.

The so-called principle of doing one's best and leaving the rest to fate was nothing more than this. Fang Chongyong felt he had already fulfilled all his responsibilities.

He was not the official in charge of jiaozi; not everything was within his control.

That evening, Fang Chongyong lay on the bed in the bedroom, chatting with Wang Yunxiu about trivial household matters. Somehow, the conversation turned to the coup that had taken place in Chang'an last time.

"The imperial household is the most ruthless of all. Being the Sage's son is truly the worst luck in eight lifetimes."

Fang Chongyong could not help but sigh with emotion.

Recalling that the Prince of Shou was now the Crown Prince—what this Crown Prince must be feeling right now was, as the saying goes, like drinking water: only the drinker knows whether it is cold or warm.

Fang Chongyong felt it probably was not too pleasant.

"Yes indeed, born into the imperial household—if you have no chance at that seat, you have to play the fool for all you're worth.

Prince Teng, Li Yuanying, the youngest brother of Taizong, understood this path well. He played the madman and feigned stupidity, making himself a good-for-nothing who posed a threat to no one.

Even Wu Meiniang couldn't be bothered to lay a hand on him."

Wang Yunxiu likewise said with a sigh of emotion.

Li Yuanying was the youngest son of Tang Gaozu Li Yuan, and also the son born while Li Yuan was under house arrest by Li Erfeng. Whether or not he inherited the state of mind Li Yuan had at that time—eating, drinking, and making merry—Li Yuanying displayed a talent for being a profligate scion from a young age.

After reaching adulthood, he committed every manner of wicked deed.

Of course, the self-portrait he presented was that of a "incompetent villain" with an exceedingly obstinate nature and exceedingly lacking ability. He only caused destruction among the common folk and ran roughshod over local officialdom, posing absolutely no threat to the high officials and the emperor in Chang'an.

And so Li Yuanying lived well right up until his death. Even Wu Meiniang, whose hands grew tired from slaughtering the Li imperial clan and royal in-laws, couldn't be bothered to look into Li Yuanying's sordid affairs.

"My lord, tell me—was Li Yuanying, that good-for-nothing scoundrel, always this way by nature, or did he deliberately act like this after seeing the infighting among the imperial clan?"

Wang Yunxiu asked curiously.

"Hmph, need you even ask? He was definitely faking it.

If he hadn't played the fool, Li Yuanying in those days would certainly have had no choice but to join the bloody struggle between certain factions of the Li imperial clan and Wu Meiniang.

The result would have been weeds growing five zhang tall on his grave. He was better off just eating his fill and waiting to die."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand and snorted dismissively.

Many things may not have been difficult to deceive the people of the time. But to deceive people of later generations was not so easy.

Because people of later generations had a perspective that transcended their era—they could see trends of change that contemporaries could not.

Li Yuanying may have lacked talent, but he certainly understood the way of preserving himself.

The sordid deeds Li Yuanying committed—such as "abducting common women," "seducing the wives and daughters of officials," "plundering the people's wealth," and "seizing land everywhere to build viewing pavilions"—were, in the eyes of the emperor or those in power, precisely ironclad proof that he was harmless, someone who could be safely set aside and ignored.

An absurd life was merely Li Yuanying's protective coloring.

A profligate who doesn't know his limits has no such scruples, and they will always kick against an iron plate they shouldn't. The fact that Li Yuanying could live through the reigns of Taizong and Gaozong and die a natural death could only mean that this fellow was a deep-cover operator who never showed his true hand.

"Li Yuanying was notorious from a young age. He can't be compared to my lord.

Do you know what those seductive ladies in Chang'an's circle of noble daughters say about you?

They all say you can pacify the nation with letters and stabilize the realm with arms, that you're a genius unseen in the Great Tang in a hundred years, and that being your wife is utter bliss—they envy me to death.

For decades to come, the Great Tang will be my lord's grand stage. They all say even Genü back in his day couldn't hold a candle to my lord!"

Wang Yunxiu said with great pride, growing more and more smug as she spoke, until she couldn't resist hugging Fang Chongyong's arm and giving it a bite.

"This is bad. Getting carried like this means trouble isn't far off."

Hearing Wang Yunxiu's words of praise, Fang Chongyong sighed with a worried expression, finally understanding what had felt off to him lately.

No matter the occasion, Fang Chongyong always gave outsiders the impression of being a "clear-headed person," someone whose abilities far surpassed those of his peers.

But clear-headed people are used by rulers to get things done. Someone like Jige was a ruthless character who would use you and then discard you without a second thought—he wouldn't spare a moment's consideration for his henchmen's retreat.

A smart person needed to turn himself into a "confused fool," so as to facilitate self-preservation. "Confusion" was the protective coloring of a clear-headed person.

At the very least, he must not appear "brilliant and formidable" before outsiders, much less seem flawless and invulnerable!

Fang Chongyong was still young, yet already seemed to have limitless prospects—what would happen when he grew up?

In the eyes of outsiders, who in the future would be able to keep him in check?

This was a question that truly could not be pondered too deeply. If he thought too far into it, Fang Chongyong couldn't help but worry that Jige might someday come up with some "baseless charge" to kill the donkey once the grindstone was done.

"My lord, you… what's wrong?"

Seeing Fang Chongyong's expression change several times, Wang Yunxiu asked with some concern.

"Nothing."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand and said nothing more.

Telling Wang Yunxiu about such things would be useless anyway—it would only add needless worries.

……

Early the next morning, Fang Chongyong summoned He Changqi and the dozen or so soldiers of the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army who had returned to Chang'an with him, and told them what he wanted to do today.

Originally, Fang Chongyong had thought this sort of thing was already outrageous enough, but to his surprise, He Changqi and those dozen soldiers burst into loud laughter upon hearing it. He Changqi even said, treating it as a badge of honor rather than a disgrace:

"Hah, I thought it was some matter of great importance."

"Jiedushi Fang, it's not my place to run my mouth, but you're simply being too polite."

"The Yinqiang Xiaojie Army will be the Son of Heaven's personal guard in the future—our status is exceptional."

"It's only normal for Jiedushi Fang to run wild in Chang'an. If you were too well-behaved, it would actually make the powerful families in Chang'an look down on us."

"Rest easy, your subordinate will take the lead today."

He Changqi slapped his chest with resounding thumps.

"Yeah, yeah, what the hell are we afraid of."

"We all follow Jiedushi Fang's orders!"

The soldiers in the courtyard egged each other on one after another. No one stepped forward to object, and quite a few were fanning the flames.

Sure enough, Tang-era social mores were uninhibited—people admired toughness and despised weaklings. This bunch of soldiers were no meek and pious souls.

Fang Chongyong now had a clear picture in his mind. He put on a stern face, nodded, and said: "This Jiedushi has only one requirement: no killing, no looting."

"Understood!"

He Changqi and the others clasped their fists in salute in unison. Then each of them took a long spear, removed the spearhead and tossed it into the courtyard, and used the shaft as a wooden club. The group marched grandly southward, arriving at Shengping Ward, several streets away from the south side of Yongjia Ward.

In front of the ward gate, the warden of Shengping Ward was on duty at that spot. Seeing Fang Chongyong's group approaching menacingly, he hurriedly blocked them and asked: "Why have you come, and why do you carry so many clubs?"

Neither Fang Chongyong nor He Changqi and the others were wearing official or military uniforms. They looked like Chang'an ruffians and thugs who had thrown on brocade robes to impersonate the servants of nobles. It was hardly surprising that the ward ward questioned them.

"Official business—step aside!"

Before Fang Chongyong could open his mouth, He Changqi kicked the ward warden to the ground and pointed at him, cursing loudly: "Do you have a death wish! Get lost, now!"

He glanced back at Fang Chongyong, saw him give an impassive nod, and immediately pressed a few copper coins into the ward warden's hand, then muttered in a low voice for a good while. The ward warden was no fool either—he vaguely guessed that Fang Chongyong and the others had extremely powerful backing. After accepting the money, he led them to the gate of a large mansion, then quietly slipped away, running faster than a rabbit!

"Knock on the door."

Fang Chongyong said to He Changqi.

The latter picked up the bronze ring on the door and knocked three times.

A white-bearded old man opened the courtyard gate. He Changqi shoved him aside and swung the gate fully open. Fang Chongyong led a dozen or so personal soldiers of the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army charging straight toward the main hall!

"Hey, hey, hey! What do you think you're doing?"

A bald middle-aged man wearing a futou cap blocked Fang Chongyong. This person was none other than the uninvited guest who had come knocking late at night a few days prior: Dugu Li!

Fang Chongyong was dressed in casual clothes. In his moment of bewilderment, Dugu Li did not recognize him and assumed that bandits had broken into his home in broad daylight.

"Bandits! There are bandits!"

Dugu Li shouted toward the courtyard.

The servants and lackeys of the Dugu residence instantly surged forward from all directions. But their half-baked skills meant not a single one was a match for even a single blow from the soldiers Fang Chongyong had brought. After a round of punching and kicking, the ground was covered with fallen men, all groaning and wailing.

By now Dugu Li had come to his senses and recognized Fang Chongyong. He pointed at him and cursed: "Jiedushi Fang, a high official of the court—what do you mean by forcibly breaking into a private home? I haven't yet settled accounts with you! That day you sent a servant to demand my Thirteenth Lady—it was simply outrageous!"

"That's right, so where is Thirteenth Lady? I've come today to take her back to my residence."

Fang Chongyong asked with a false smile.

"I—I will have His Highness the Prince of Ying submit a memorial against you! You! You… you just wait!"

Dugu Li was so furious he could barely speak clearly.

"Search! If you can't find her, take away every female member of the Dugu family!"

Fang Chongyong said coldly to He Changqi. At this moment, he looked exactly like a dissolute young lord whose brain had been addled by lust.

"Hold on!"

Dugu Li hurriedly blocked Fang Chongyong, looked him up and down again and again, and finally let out a long sigh.

"You are not to enter the rear courtyard! I will bring Thirteenth Lady out right now."

Dugu Li glared furiously at Fang Chongyong, then walked through the courtyard gate leading to the rear courtyard. Before long, he brought out a young lady of about sixteen or seventeen, wearing no makeup.

This young woman wore a deep-red silk dress that showed off her well-developed figure, and she was quite tall.

Her skin in particular had an indescribably healthy fairness, as tender as freshly made tofu. Her face was like a lotus flower, her eyebrows like willow leaves. She wore the double-conch hairstyle common among young girls, and her face still seemed to carry a trace of childishness.

She was indeed a fresh and ethereal little beauty—only, the expression on her face seemed quite complicated.

There was fear, there was worry, and also a faint glimmer of anticipation.

"I… I have met Jiedushi Fang. I… I am Dugu, Dugu Thirteenth Lady."

The young lady said timidly, stammering a bit.

"Good, good, good! Wonderful! This Jiedushi is very pleased with you!"

Fang Chongyong laughed heartily, walked over, scooped Dugu Thirteenth Lady up in his arms, and planted a firm kiss on her face!

The sight was exceedingly sleazy and cringeworthy! He showed none of the grace and etiquette expected between nobles—instead, he looked like a soldier who had never laid eyes on a woman and was now desperate to break his fast.

His impatient behavior so startled the young Lady Dugu that she could not help but cry out.

"This Jiedushi will now take Thirteenth Lady home to chat about life and aspirations. Whenever we're done chatting, I'll send her back."

"General Dugu need not send anyone to urge us on!"

"You lot—you've beaten up someone else's servants. Why don't you offer the master of the house an apology?"

Fang Chongyong winked and grinned as he jokingly scolded He Changqi and the others.

"Ah, please forgive us, please forgive us. We're all rough men. Our Jiedushi simply wishes to have a chat with the young lady—no other intentions."

"Hahahahaha, what are you all standing around for? Let's head back now!"

He Changqi offered Dugu Li a perfunctory apology, his tone not lacking in mockery. Then he took the lead, and the group escorted Fang Chongyong, who was carrying the beauty, as they departed Dugu Li's residence.

"Jiedushi… Jiedushi Fang, could… could you please set me… d-down, down?"

They had already left Shengping Ward. Dugu Thirteenth Lady's face was flushed crimson as she asked, stammering. She could faintly feel that the eyes of every passerby on the street were upon her.

This made her both excited and ashamed, to the point that her whole body was trembling.

"As the Jiedushi, I'm eager for beauty, so of course I should openly let everyone in Chang'an see! Why hide it, and what's there to be embarrassed about?"

Fang Chongyong shouted loudly, and immediately He Changqi and the others also burst into loud laughter; this scene was truly more exciting than a folk bride‑snatching. The few passersby on the street were all drawn over to watch the fun, and quite a few even started causing a disturbance.

However, Fang Chongyong's group acted as if they were performing performance art, feeling no shame at all, thus proving the saying: if I'm not embarrassed, then the embarrassed ones are others.

Soon the onlookers grew tired of watching and dispersed in all directions. Although parading a young lady through the street like this isn't very refined, it's certainly not the first time anyone has seen such a thing.

Du Gu Shisan Niang seemed as if she had been drugged; her body went limp and she couldn't move, offering no resistance at all as she buried her head in Fang Chongyong's chest and stayed still.

After returning home, Fang Chongyong had Fang Dafu look after the still‑shaken Du Gu Shisan Niang. Facing Wang Yunxiu's doubtful gaze, Fang Chongyong merely waved his hand lightly, telling his wife to rest well and not worry needlessly.

As expected, late at night Du Gu Li brought his son‑in‑law, who was none other than Prince Ying and also the magistrate of Wan'nian County, Li Yi. Behind them followed several Jinwu Guard soldiers, as well as Vice Commander Zhang Guangsheng of the Left Jinwu Guard, and the party marched to the manor where Fang Chongyong was staying.

When Du Gu Li arrived, he was emotionally agitated, but upon reaching the gate he hesitated instead.

He glanced at Li Yi and asked, "Your Highness, should we knock on the door now?"

Several hours have already passed; my daughter is probably now stewed in a big pot. What's the point of going to confront Fang Chongyong face to face?

"It's getting a bit late… let's do it tomorrow, after all he's the Hexi Jiedushi—he can't just run away."

Li Yi let out a soft sigh, equally feeling helpless.

Unlike the agitated Du Gu Li, Li Yi sensed something unusual in this affair.

Fang Chongyong took his personal troops to the Du Gu Manor to abduct the young lady awaiting marriage in the inner chambers—does he really need to play such a game?

Li Yi suddenly realized that this matter was not simple at all; he actually couldn't see through the other party's intentions!

(End of chapter)