Chapter 37: Fleeing Disaster

On the main road inside the North Arch Gate, heads surged like waves — commoners with relatives outside the city were all heading out to flee disaster.

Because the north gate did not lie on the Official Road, it was originally a rather quiet spot; the bustling ones were Dongzuo Gate, Xiangyang Gate, and the South Gate. But today, corpses hung high at both the South Gate and Dongzuo Gate, and the gate tower of Dongzuo Gate had even been burned and half-collapsed. So even though the Coroner and Corvée Laborers had already taken the bodies down, no one wanted to pass beneath there.

Pang Yu had no wish to take his parents through the east gate either, so he chose the north gate to leave the city. From the look of it now, many people had thought the same.

Pang Yu's father was the sole male heir for three generations, with only one older sister married off in East Township — not convenient to trouble. Fortunately, Pang Yu's mother's maiden family was in Kongcheng Town, and there was still a second maternal uncle in the countryside; the family home there at least had several rows of tile-roofed houses where they could temporarily take shelter. The journey was about twenty-some li. They had arranged to travel with several fellow townspeople also living in the county seat and return to the countryside together. To reach Kongcheng Town, the north gate happened to be the shortcut.

Just as they neared the city gate, a clamor of voices suddenly rose ahead, and the crowd turned back one after another.

Pang Yu grabbed a porter pushing a wheelbarrow. "What's happened at the North Arch Gate now? Could there be corpses there too?"

"Corpses there aren't, but they say the road outside the city can't be traveled. That gang that killed people last night has raised a banner at Hu Family Village, right beside the main road. Who'd dare go now."

An old man nearby, overhearing, added, "They say there are a thousand tall, strapping fellows."

Pang Yu quickly asked, "A thousand fellows — what sort of people are they? Who's the leader?"

"Who knows that. But they all have swords and horses. They say the leader carries a long sword and wears a silver helmet — the man at the east gate was cut down by him in a single stroke."

The porter beside him also said, "Dongzuo Gate can't be used — everyone's heading for Xiangyang Gate."

At that moment, another porter hurried over. He called out to the first porter: "Someone up ahead says Hu Family Village raised that banner to summon men, says they want to right wrongs for the common folk, to go kill Fang Xiangqian. And anyone with a grudge against families like the Wu Family or the Ye Family in the city — they can all go with them to take revenge."

That porter was a rather honest sort and shook his head repeatedly. "I've got no grudge against anyone. Getting out of the city early is the proper thing. You come back to the village with me too — what'll you do if your wife asks after you."

"A man's business isn't for womenfolk to chatter about. Anyway, Hu Family Village isn't far — I'll just go take a look first. Plenty of people have already gone. I heard it from a man who came back into the city to fetch his clothing and belongings. That gang doesn't kill indiscriminately — they said they'll only kill the evil gentry and their Household Slaves."

The two porters began arguing on the spot. People nearby were heading in both directions, but those fleeing disaster were still the majority. Although Pang Yu very much wanted to go to Hu Family Village and see for himself, wearing a full Constable Uniform was not safe — he could easily get cut down by those bandits. So he still planned to escort his parents out of the city first.

He asked around and learned that Hu Family Village was right beside the Official Road at the foot of Dice Mountain. If they left by the north gate, it would be directly on their path. Everyone was afraid, especially since they all had womenfolk with them. Although going to Xiangyang Gate meant a long detour, safety came first after all. Seeing that the crowd was mostly heading south, the several families traveling together conferred briefly and had no choice but to follow toward Xiangyang Gate as well — that was the only city gate still passable.

This trip from the North Arch Gate to Xiangyang Gate was no short distance. His mother, fortunately, came from a rural woman's background — she had done farm work since childhood, and the family had no time to bind her feet. With her rough hands and big feet, she needed no one's care. Accustomed to working in the Medicine Shop every day, her stamina could fully handle it.

As she walked, she complained anxiously, "Why can't those thousand fellows find a proper trade? Why must they do these beheading offenses? What's to be done."

"Mother, don't you believe this talk of a thousand fellows. The city has no soldiers or generals, and the constables number barely over a hundred — among them, the ones who can actually fight, I reckon, don't even reach ten. If there really were a thousand sword-bearing fellows, they'd have long since stormed into the city."

Pang Yu's father also said worriedly, "Since they've raised a banner, the men can't be few. With so many outside the city, there must certainly be some inside as well — otherwise, how did the city gates open last night?"

Pang Yu was speechless for a moment. Yesterday, Wang Instructor had indeed arranged to close the city gates early and assigned extra men from the Zhuang Squad and Fast Squad to guard each gate. But in the middle of the night, someone had opened the gates — no one knew who. Now that his father mentioned it, there must have been Inner Responders inside the city who opened the gates, and they might even have been constables. Otherwise, how could the gates have been opened without a sound?

Moreover, both the South Gate and the East Gate had been opened by someone. The Ye Family at the east gate and the Wu Family at the south gate both had their gatehouses burned. Apart from Yin Deng at the east gate, a human head had also been hung at the south gate. Rumors flew through the city with no consensus, and Pang Yu still had no idea whose corpse that was. (Note 1)

But those two corpses proved that the anonymous posters from the night before last were not mere empty threats. That was why, by the early morning of the twenty-fourth, a peak exodus from the city had begun.

Rumors abounded all along the way — some said they were Roving Bandit vanguard troops, others said another group of Household Slaves from Tongcheng, and still others said they were Volunteers from somewhere, merely seeking to right wrongs for the common folk. His parents kept urging him to leave the city, and Pang Yu had not yet had time to go to the county yamen that morning; he did not know whom to believe.

The shops along the route had all put up their door planks. Some people whispered together at the street sides. The usual pole-carrying peddlers and hawkers who roamed the streets and alleys had vanished without a trace, and a steady stream of people kept merging into the fleeing crowd.

In a flurry of panic, they reached Xiangyang Gate. The city gate was still open, thankfully. There were no constables at the entrance. Pang Yu paused before the gate arch — in a conspicuous spot, that "Substitute Imperial Law Enforcement" poster was still pasted there. He did not know if it had been put up again last night.

Pang Yu swept his gaze around and suddenly felt an uneasy sensation, as if someone nearby was watching — as if whoever tore down the poster would face retaliation from those people.

Pang Yu drew a deep breath. He knew this feeling was mostly a psychological suggestion, especially after the intense shock of that corpse at the east gate. Yet he simply did not dare tear down that poster. He stood frozen for a long while, still not daring to reach out his hand. Shaking his head, he quickly exited the gate arch.

Pang Yu stopped outside the gate and handed the bundle to Pang Ding. "Pang Ding, you escort our father and mother to the countryside. Remember — the medicine sword is inside this bundle."

His mother clutched tightly at Pang Yu's sleeve. "My son, come with your mother to the countryside."

"But the Medicine Shop still needs looking after. There's so much medicinal stock stored inside — we can't move it all. If no one watches the place, any random person who comes along will steal it."

"No amount of medicine is more important than our Yu'er. If the medicine is lost, we can slowly earn it back. As long as the people are here, everything can be managed."

Pang Yu shook his head. He did not even fully know why he was determined to stay. But ever since he saw that corpse, he had merely felt some discomfort at first, yet afterward he had been in a state of both fear and Excitement.

Pang Yu had experienced this feeling many times before — it was a particular trait of his own personality. But since crossing over, this was the first time it had appeared, only triggered under these conditions. And now, he was actually relishing the sensation.

He thought for a moment, then coaxed his mother, "On this matter, we can't listen to you, and we can't listen to me either."

His mother asked, astonished, "Then who should we listen to?"

"We must all listen to the white-bearded old grandfather. He said I will certainly be fine, and that I absolutely must stay — that I can live to eighty-four."

"But Yu'er, what are you staying in the city to do?"

Pang Yu declared with righteous solemnity, "Because this is my duty as a constable — I must scrupulously fulfill my post. When there are troublemakers in the city and the common people are in a state of panic, how can I worry about personal safety? Your son is a man who stands upright between heaven and earth — though thousands oppose me, I shall go forward."

"Yu'er, don't go forward. Mother doesn't want you to stand upright between heaven and earth. Mother just wants you to live well, so we can rely on you to care for us in our old age."

"I understand, Mother." Pang Yu hung all the bundles onto Pang Ding and bluffed casually, "The white-bearded old grandfather's word is never wrong. You go take shelter at my second uncle's house first — only then can your son set his mind at ease and protect the common folk."

Tears streamed down his mother's face. "At worst, we just quit this constable post. We won't do it for any amount of wages and grain silver. As long as we have our son, that's worth more than any silver."

Pang Yu looked at his mother's aged face. He had never felt any special attachment to this role of "mother" before him, because in reality he had not spent much time with this old mother and could not build deep feelings. He had rarely considered things from the perspective of his cheap old mother and father.

But now, facing his mother's eyes, he could read the care that flowed from them so naturally, and a strange feeling suddenly stirred in his heart.

It was his father who stepped in and said to his mother, "We settled everything at home. Now at the last moment you want to change things back and forth. Since Yu'er says it's the immortals' will, let him stay. That immortal has always been remarkably efficacious anyway. If you truly can't set your mind at ease, just leave Pang Ding here."

"Let Pang Ding first escort you back to the countryside..."

His father cut him off. "We're traveling with several families, and only bringing a few clothes and valuables. Why would we need Pang Ding to escort us back and forth? More talk is useless. You two go back to the shop yourselves — someone needs to look after it to be safe."

Pang Yu did not want to continue arguing. There were indeed several families from the same hometown traveling together, all living near his mother's maiden home, so they could look after one another. He agreed on the spot. Reluctantly, Pang Ding took all the bundles back off and placed them onto a fellow townsman's pushcart.

His mother looked back with every step she took, still turning to gaze even when she was far away. Pang Yu waved to her constantly, signaling that she need not worry — though he did not know if his mother could understand that hand gesture.

Beside him, Pang Ding said with a mournful face, "I don't want to stay in the city. Young Master, let me go to Second Uncle's house to look after the Master and Madam, alright?"

Pang Yu did not even answer his question. "Father and Mother have gone back to the countryside. Now I can set my mind at ease."

Pang Ding's face was crumpled as if about to cry. "Young Master, why must you stay? The city is in such chaos — that burned man was hung right on Dongzuo Gate. Aren't you afraid?"

"Of course I'm afraid. But people who don't dare take risks can't make a great fortune. Where there is Danger, there is opportunity. In dangerous times, every investment carries leverage — the gains are magnified, and the losses are magnified too. Just thinking about it feels thrilling."

"What does 'thrilling' mean?" Pang Ding eyed his young master cautiously. "Young Master, what are you talking about again?"

"I mean, be bold in spirit, but cautious in action."

Pang Ding said, his heart trembling with fear, "I wouldn't dare take any action."

"There's no need to take action right now. Your young master isn't acting blindly — otherwise it'd be no different from gambling. Our first priority is gathering information. The yamen's information is easy to inquire about, but we don't even know who those rebels are. We need to find a Method to scout them out."

"How do we scout them out?"

"The yamen, after all, has more information than we do on our own. I'll go to the yamen. You go to Hu Family Village to gather information on that rebel gang."

Pang Ding dropped to his knees with a thud and began wailing right there by the roadside. "Young Master, spare me! I won't go! That's a Bandit Spawn den — they'll chop heads off! I'll lose my life if I go! Even if you beat me to death, I won't go! Let me go catch up with the Master and them, please... Wah..."

Pang Yu kicked Pang Ding on the ground several times. Pang Ding took the hint and collapsed to the ground, lying there like a dead dog and refusing to get up no matter what.

In the end, Pang Yu could do nothing about it. He kicked him a few more times to vent his frustration, then frowned at Pang Ding sprawled on the ground and said, "Why is it so damn hard to find someone who can get things done? Fine, get up first. I won't send you. Go back and watch the shop. This young master will go to the yamen first, then I'll go to Hu Family Village myself!"

……….

Note 1: The account of the Tongcheng Uprising references the Tongcheng Incident Record written by Tongcheng Government Student Jiang Chen, and Zhang Guowei's Draft Letters on Pacifying Wu. The figures Huang Wending, Wang Guohua, Zhang Ru, Zheng Lao, Zheng Chao, Yin Deng, Yin He, Wu Bing, Yue Ji, and others mentioned in the text were all real people of that time.