Chapter 589: A Complaint

"The Nanjing Council has recommended the General Manager of Lower River Baishun Hall — it's Mao Guifen, the Manager of Yangzhou Baishun Hall."

In the Central Army Secretariat of the Anqing General Military Command, Mr. Yu held a petition paper as he made his report. Pang Yu, seated behind the desk, looked somewhat surprised. He took the paper and read it, then raised his head to look at Mr. Yu. "All five votes went to Mao Guifen?"

Mr. Yu continued, "The candidates under discussion were Jiang Shuqiong and Mao Guifen. Before the council deliberation, the Silver Bank, Newspaper Office, Shipping Company, and Canal Gang each received a complaint — all against Jiang Shuqiong. They were all delivered by hired laborers from outside; it's unknown who directed them."

Pang Yu grunted in acknowledgment. "What exactly did they accuse her of?"

"Using Baishun Hall's silver to handle private affairs for a certain manager in Nanjing. Mainly, she used a pawned courtyard to set up a secondary residence for him, and also helped purchase maidservants and household slaves. Jiang Shuqiong arranged positions for a total of seven relatives at various Baishun Halls, and also helped other managers place relatives at Nanjing Baisun Hall. Additionally, she falsely inflated prices when purchasing cosmetics and meals to line her own pockets. Her husband dined every day on courtesan meals at the attached brothel without paying."

Pang Yu grunted again. "It implicates a certain manager in Nanjing. I fear the Silver Bank, Shipping Company, Newspaper Office, and Canal Gang are all entangled in this. That's why no one dared to recommend her."

At this point, Mr. Yu raised his eyes to look at Pang Yu. "That must be the case. Otherwise, with her seniority far surpassing Mao Guifen's, she wouldn't have ended up with zero votes."

"Zhou Yueru also voted for Mao Guifen. If it involves a certain manager, did Jiang Shuqiong set up a secondary residence for her too?"

Mr. Yu said cautiously, "The Shipping Company sent the complaint letter to the Document Receiving Office. This subordinate took it and read it. The complaint did not mention any names; it only wrote the words 'a certain manager.' I don't know if Zhou Yueru was involved."

Pang Yu did not ask who had filed the complaint. He pondered for a moment, then said, "Bring me the financial reports for Nanjing Baisun Hall from the past two years."

Mr. Yu gestured to the assistant waiting nearby, who immediately went to the outer study. He returned a moment later, holding two small ledgers.

Pang Yu took them and began flipping through. Mr. Yu said in a low voice, "This subordinate recalls that in recent years, besides the gambling dens, Nanjing Baisun Hall has also opened brothels, pawnshops, and jewelry stores. They certainly haven't earned little silver."

"Annual profits have grown by thirty percent. Among all the Baishun Halls across various regions, its growth is the largest. Even the Yangzhou Branch lags somewhat behind." Pang Yu closed the ledger. "Mr. Yu, of all our many businesses, the one that truly earns ready cash is Baishun Hall, and Lower River is the most profitable of all the regions."

Mr. Yu bowed slightly. "In recent years, more and more wealthy people from Upper River, Zhongjiang, and Jiangbei have been moving to Lower River. That may be one reason. But Jiang Shuqiong has always managed affairs well at the Silver Bank too."

Pang Yu nodded. "Since someone has filed a complaint, let Liu Ruogu investigate and verify it. Until the investigation is complete, Jiang Shuqiong will remain in charge of her original duties, but the accounts must be managed according to the new regulations. Since the Nanjing Council has recommended a candidate, we will follow their intent and appoint Mao Guifen as the General Manager of Lower River Baishun Hall."

Mr. Yu acknowledged the order, then added, "Liu Ruogu has another petition, asking whether the Gambling Den General Manager should join the council."

Pang Yu did not take the petition paper. "Too many would be inconvenient. The Gambling Den General Manager will not join for now. Is there anything else from Lower River?"

"This is a petition submitted by Zhang Shuangwei. It concerns opening a sea route southward from the Capital Silver Bank within the year. Currently, they lack seagoing ships. The ships previously ordered from the shipyard had already been placed with a deposit, settled with banknotes. Now he feels the shipyard's construction is taking too long, and the ships likely won't be usable this year. He wants the silver from the shipyard refunded and to purchase Guangdong ships from the coast instead. This would require ready silver. Nanjing has used revolving funds, so he wants a formal allocation made to the Shipping Company to replenish the revolving funds. Secondly, regarding the overland route from the Capital's silver and VIPs to Tianjin, the Shipping Company does not wish to take it on. Zhang Shuangwei's intent is for the Shipping Company to be responsible only for the sea route, while the stretch from the Capital to Tianjin would be handled by the Covert Operations Camp. The authority and responsibility of both parties must be absolutely clear. Thirdly, he wishes to search for a harbor in the Wusong area. Ordinary locations are feared to be unsafe, so he requests that you, my lord, find a way through Xu Strengthening to secure a dock at the Water Camp in Wusong Town."

"The Anqing Shipyard side can be refunded, but the shipyard must continue attempting to build seagoing ships. He is permitted to first purchase ten Guangdong ships. For the rest, report the cost first. The ship captains must come from the Anqing Water Camp. It's reasonable that he doesn't want to take on the Tianjin land route. When it truly comes time to flee for one's life, the land route is not easy to travel. Only the Covert Operations Camp can handle it. Assign this matter to Zhang Mazi. As for the dock at Wusong Town..." Pang Yu looked up at Mr. Yu. "Xu Strengthening has the merit of coming to the Emperor's aid. He should also be promoted to Regional Commander. With him in charge of Wusong Town, it's better than anyone else. Arrange a meeting for me with him. I'll explain things to him clearly first."

Mr. Yu noted it down in his own ledger. At that moment, the clerk from the outer room hurried in. "My lord, urgent report from Commander Jiang of the Covert Operations Camp."

"Let him in."

A moment later, Jiang Fan strode quickly into the room. Seeing Pang Yu, he immediately said, "My lord, Liu Ruozai has submitted separate memorials to the Prefectural Office and the Huaining County Yamen, mentioning Anqing's training of private soldiers, privately recruiting red-haired barbarians, and other items. The person who delivered the memorials explicitly told the government offices that Liu Ruozai will personally memorialize the Emperor."

Pang Yu's expression was calm as he grunted in acknowledgment. The memorials Jiang Fan mentioned were a channel provided to the common people in the Ming Dynasty. Though said to be for the common people, it was basically a channel exclusively for the gentry, facilitating communication between the gentry and the court. However, in actual implementation, it required the prefecture and county seals before being reported upward. The real control still lay in the hands of the prefecture and county, who could choose to report it or not, mainly depending on whether it was beneficial to the yamen. Sometimes, when the yamen had matters inconvenient to report directly, they would use the name of a gentry member to submit a memorial. But Liu Ruozai's status was somewhat different; he had previously been a trusted confidant before the Emperor.

Jiang Fan continued, "Liu's mother passed away seven days ago. According to the information obtained, Liu Ruozai often personally cared for his mother. As her illness grew more severe, Liu Ruozai became utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally. His health has been deteriorating all year. These past few days, he has been unable to take tea or food. Three days ago, he became bedridden. The Covert Operations Camp's analysis is that Liu Ruozai is a stubborn man. He has mentioned the matter of private soldiers to Du Shengjia many times before. After his mother's passing, he likely knows his time is short and has fewer concerns about the aftermath. He is determined to report the situation at Shipai to the Emperor. His submission of the memorial through the prefecture and county was merely to leave some leeway for the two levels of government, so they wouldn't be held responsible for shielding and conniving. The day before Liu Ruozai sent the memorial to the Prefectural Office, two household servants of the Liu family disappeared. This subordinate judges that they have already left Anqing. Liu Ruozai returned to his hometown late. We have only just managed to insert our people, so we learned of this too late. The Covert Operations Camp bears responsibility for this matter."

Pang Yu said, "The men have already been gone for two days. What is the Covert Operations Camp's current plan to deal with this?"

"Both men followed him back from the Capital. We've found that one is a native of Anqing and are currently investigating his relatives, friends, and other connections. However, since both men were in the Capital long-term, very few people are familiar with their appearances. We have currently dispatched fast riders on both land and water routes to intercept them with full force along the way. Here in Anqing, we continue to investigate to determine where in the Capital they are headed, so we can make separate preparations in the Capital."

Pang Yu stared at the desk for a long while without speaking. Jiang Fan stood opposite the desk, head lowered. There had been signs of this matter before, and the Covert Operations Camp had been monitoring it. Later, when Liu's mother fell gravely ill, Liu Ruozai devoted himself entirely to her care, and the Covert Operations Camp had relaxed their vigilance.

No one had expected that Liu Ruozai, without leaking a single whisper of information, would have the letters sent out. Here in their main base of Anqing, the Covert Operations Camp had made no small blunder.

Pang Yu's voice was heard saying, "The Covert Operations Camp will proceed according to this plan."

Jiang Fan let out a breath of relief, glanced at Pang Yu's expression, and withdrew.

Pang Yu propped his chin on both hands and continued to ponder something. Mr. Yu did not disturb him. After a good while, Pang Yu looked up at him. "Mr. Yu, do you think this complaint from Liu Ruozai is truly a major matter?"

"This subordinate believes that before the seventh year of Chongzhen, it would have been a matter of the utmost gravity. Now, that may not necessarily be the case."

Pang Yu smiled. "Then let us first attend to our own major matters. Have the Advisory Room bring the spring troop movement orders for each division. We'll start with the Yinghuo Mountain Area."

"By order of Lord Pang: On the third day of the second month, the First Battalion, First Brigade, Musketeer Camp will mobilize with the Left Route and garrison Yingshan County Town. Accompanying them will be the Mountain Camp, First Brigade; the Personal Guard, Second Brigade, Second Company; and Logistics, First Company. The Second Battalion, Second Brigade, Musketeer Camp will mobilize with the Right Route and garrison Huoshan County Town. Accompanying them will be the Mountain Camp, Second Brigade; the Personal Guard, First Brigade, Third Company; and Logistics, Second Company. The combat objective is to clear out the Roving Bandits around the two county seats, build watchtowers and forts along the supply routes, and prepare to mobilize three thousand civilian laborers to construct encampments in the county towns."

In the Director's Office of the Shipai Martial Academy, Wu Dacai took the order letter and examined it carefully, as if he could now recognize all the characters on it.

"The main force of the Cavalry Battalion is to be redeployed to Suizhou, where it will rendezvous with the Personal Guard, Second Battalion, Third Brigade, and then proceed to Gucheng to rotate with the unit originally garrisoned there under Yao Dongshan. The Musketeer Battalions are not being redeployed to Huguang for now, but the Advisory Room has a separate order: the First and Second Musketeer Battalions must reach full strength by the sixth month and complete battalion-level offensive and defensive drills. The Third Musketeer Battalion must complete its formation and training by the ninth month." Cao Shuban looked at Wu Dacai. "It's just that the Musketeer Battalions have only just finished drilling, and the drill manuals aren't even perfected yet, and now they're being sent out to fight Roving Bandits."

Wu Dacai waved his hand dismissively. "Drilling alone won't tell you if you've trained correctly. Troops and horses must be taken to the battlefield to gain experience."

Cao Shuban handed over a petition and said in a low voice, "Both Thousand-Leaders going on this campaign have requested to reduce each company by one Fire Lance Company and add one Long Polearm Company. That would make two Fire Lance Companies and two Long Polearm Companies."

"Both of these men have been to Qingliuhe. They had their courage shattered by Cao Cao's Mounted Bandits and are afraid of the bandit cavalry charging their lines. When has cavalry ever truly been able to charge a formation? Denied!" Wu Dacai drew a large X on the petition and threw it back to Cao Shuban. "Lord Pang originally set it at two Fire Lance Companies plus one Long Polearm Company. After drilling, everyone discussed adding another company, and what was added was a Fire Lance Company. This was reported to the Central Army Secretariat long ago. They didn't say a word before, and all the drilling was done according to this. Now that war is coming, they want to switch to polearm soldiers. Do they think you just pick up a stick and stand there?"

"My lord, they are also worried that the Firearms Soldiers are unreliable. This humble one has a few words to say to you, my lord. In any case, the Musketeer Battalions have finished drilling. Although they will transfer to the Military Office once the campaign starts and no longer fall under the Martial Academy's jurisdiction, they were, after all, trained by you, my lord. A great deal of funds and grain for the barracks have been expended. It would still be better to be prudent. I have heard you say, my lord, that having many polearm soldiers does not make victory easy, but it also makes defeat difficult. Since both Thousand-Leaders have proposed it, let them have a few more polearms."

Wu Dacai was unmoved. "During drills, we all tested volley fire with fire lances. You can't just count how many holes are in the wooden boards and say one hole kills one man, can you? War isn't fought that way. One hole kills one, the ones around him panic, and then you follow up with a few cannon shots. That kind of shock and awe is something polearms can't match. Too few fire lances won't do."

"My lord, as the leader of this group, you have painstakingly built this Musketeer Battalion from nothing. Over these months of drilling, with officer appointments, equipment, armor and weapons, horses, gunpowder, and all manner of preparations, you have offended quite a few people. Now that it has just taken shape, it's being sent out to war. This subordinate worries that the Musketeer Battalion has low monthly pay and poor equipment. If by any chance it suffers a major defeat at the hands of the Roving Bandits, there will be people in every camp ready to come out and drag you down."

Wu Dacai shook his head. "The Musketeer Battalion is not as good as the veteran troops, but they still drill every day. Their pay and rations have never been in arrears. Which unit in the imperial court can compare? There's no reason they should lose to mere Roving Bandits."

"My lord, you have said yourself that nothing is certain in war. Our Anqing Battalion has never suffered a major defeat in battle, but it's hard to say for this Musketeer Battalion. The soldiers and officers can't compare to the old camp soldiers. If they encounter bandit cavalry and these troops break formation, it could very well be a major defeat. When that happens, all the blame will fall on your head, my lord. You are still the Acting Chief Secretary; you cannot afford to be careless at this time. I hear that He County Yamen is still vying for the position."

Wu Dacai's movements paused. He hesitated for a moment, and the look he directed at Cao Shuban was no longer as certain as before.

"Even if we win, the credit will likely go to the Mountain Troops and the Personal Soldier Battalion. My lord, in carrying out this military system reform, you should not seek merit, but only avoid fault. First, remove that 'Acting' title and become the Chief Secretary. There will be time to make further changes later."

Wu Dacai took back the petition, hesitated a moment, then placed it back on the desk. He reached out and picked up his brush again.

After a long while, Wu Dacai looked up. "What does the presiding official want?"

Cao Shuban was stunned. Before he could answer, Wu Dacai continued, "In the old battalions, it was mostly polearms. Lord Pang specially established this Shipai Martial Academy and invested so much funds and grain into military system reform. What does he want? He doesn't want polearms. What Lord Pang wants is fire lances."

Wu Dacai suddenly slammed the table. "In deploying troops for war, do they think they can change things back and forth as they please? No changes allowed! Three companies of fire lances per company, one company of polearms. Right now, I am still the Reform Group Leader. I can dismiss a Thousand-Leader with a single word. Whoever brings up changes again, I'll dismiss him from his Thousand-Leader post."

Cao Shuban dared not say more and hastily voiced his agreement. Wu Dacai's lingering anger had not subsided. He tugged at his collar and rested a moment before speaking. "Are the manpower, equipment, powder and shot, and uniforms all fully prepared?"

Cao Shuban took out his own ledger. "Among the officers, one Centurion, one Banner Commander, and two Team Leaders are ill. Today, twenty-three soldiers were injured in drills or are seriously ill. We plan to make up the numbers from other Thousand-Leader Headquarters. We are short one Tailor. The Veterinarians assigned to the two battalions have both been transferred away by the Military Office. They said the Cavalry Battalion is going to Huguang, a long journey, so the cavalry's needs must be secured first. The shortage of veterinarians is the largest, but the Mountain Troops have some. We can negotiate with them to share."

Wu Dacai nodded. "So many sick before even setting out. Continue — livestock, armor, weapons, and equipment."

"The self-igniting arquebuses for both brigades are fully prepared. The cannons were originally fully prepared, but the day before yesterday, the breech of one cannon in the Second Brigade cracked. It has been sent back to the firearms workshop. The newly made cannon has been withheld by the Central Army Secretariat and not issued. We are short one bronze cannon and must temporarily borrow one from another camp. The two brigades are short thirty-one packhorses. Livestock have been falling ill frequently lately; it would be best to supplement up to fifty. We need seven more carriages. We need to supplement fifty-one waist sabers. Three hundred fifty items including shoes, socks, coconut ladles, waist belts, and powder flasks. We are short one thousand five hundred conical hats..."

"One thousand five hundred?" Wu Dacai looked up, interrupting. "The conical hats were decided long ago. They've been on order for two months. Why are we still short one thousand five hundred?"

Cao Shuban flipped through the pages of his ledger. Following Wu Dacai, he had to handle many matters daily — not just the Musketeer Battalions, but also a pile of tasks for the Martial Academy and the Document Team. The numbers were reported by others; how would he know the details of a few hundred conical hats? He couldn't answer for a moment.

Wu Dacai said coldly, "Find out immediately."

Cao Shuban went out from the inner office. This military system reform group was housed in one large open room. Initially, for ease of communication, everyone sat together. Only after the Musketeer Battalions' drilling was mostly complete were small partitioned rooms created for a few officers. The clerks sat outside.

The Logistics Battalion officer was not present. Cao Shuban found two Logistics Battalion clerks, and they immediately began rummaging through documents on the table.

Wu Dacai's expression was poor as he sat in his seat flipping through other documents.

After a long while, a clerk from the Logistics Battalion came in and said, "Reporting to Your Excellency, this item was issued to Pozidun, with two orders totaling one thousand nine hundred hats. It was issued two months ago, but only four hundred hats have been delivered."

"The wide-brimmed hats are for use in wind and rain, to block the rain when loading Gunpowder. With Battle imminent, you're still short! Something this critical was issued to Pozidun — what kind of people are in there, that they dare delay Military Supplies? Do you think I won't cut your heads off!"

That clerk dropped to his knees with a thud in fright. In the large common room outside, hearing the commotion, no one dared speak. Cao Shuban quietly questioned another logistics clerk, who answered in a trembling voice, "It was Pozidun that made them. This lowly one has already urged them twice; I will go urge them again at once."

The Logistics Battalion representative in the Reform Group was the battalion's deputy commander, who had participated in the northern expedition to rally to the king and had met frequently with Wu Dacai at the time. The Infantry Firearms Battalion's Military Supplies were also mostly delivered on time, and there would be many occasions to rely on them in the future. Scolding a clerk was one thing, but when dealing with the deputy commander, Wu Dacai did not want to blow the matter up.

After calming down for a moment, Wu Dacai stretched out a hand toward Tang Sheng, who hastily handed him his cane and then helped Wu Dacai to his feet.

"Bring the clerk. I will go to Pozidun personally to press the matter."

……

The Martial Academy and Pozidun were separated by only a single wall. Wu Dacai had passed by many times, always hurrying through with a group of subordinates, but had never once entered.

Because Pozidun had the function of supplying Forage, its drying yard occupied a vast area, and the Fortified Village was very spacious. The outer side bordered the Wan River, and the inner side facing the street was also very long, where an entire row of shop fronts had already been built.

This main road connected to the main route of Shipai Town. Livestock came and went in an endless stream, and the road surface was covered everywhere with dung and scattered Forage, trampled by passersby into a complete mess. Pedestrians all walked along the edges of the street.

Wu Dacai, riding on horseback, pointed at the roadside and said, "Some of this horse dung here looks like it's from Yesterday. Cao Shuban, come by in the Evening to check. The silver for hiring street sweepers comes from our Martial Academy's accounts — see whether they are actually sweeping diligently or not."

"When this subordinate returned from the Cavalry Battalion Yesterday, I happened to look. The sweepers were cleaning, but there were still many people on the road near Nightfall, making it inconvenient for them to sweep. By the time Nightfall came and they still hadn't finished, the sweepers simply went back."

Wu Dacai hesitated a moment, then said, "Then we must add more men. When His Excellency Pang came last time, he gave specific Advice that the road surface must be swept clean every day. His Excellency Pang will come again in a few days — how can we explain it if everything is this filthy?"

"The real problem is that the cavalry has too many animals. If we moved some of the cavalry out, shifted their camp area further away, this Pozidun could also be moved outward, and the market streets wouldn't have to be this dirty and chaotic."

Wu Dacai looked along the way. When he had first arrived, the area around the drying yard had been all fields and wasteland, and Pozidun was just a bare patch of dilapidated shacks. In just half a year, construction was underway everywhere, and the edge of the drying yard had become a street.

An entire row of shops had been built along the drying yard. Most were hastily erected shacks, but quite a few sites had begun construction on Brick Houses and Tile-Roofed Houses, and there were even two two-story buildings whose roof beams stood a full section higher than the rest. All of this was Pozidun's property.

Cao Shuban said in a low voice, "My lord, look. The people inside Pozidun were all captured at Susong. After all, they spent time in the Roving Bandits' camp. His Excellency Pang was merciful and gave them a way to live. Originally, having them handle Forage was their proper duty. But now, seeing Shipai prosper, these women have gotten crooked ideas. Look how many businesses have opened in these shop fronts — Food Stalls, Inns, general goods, never mind all that. Inside there are at least three Brothels and one gambling den. Last month, the Martial Academy caught three men who climbed the wall at night, all of them went to Pozidun to visit prostitutes. It truly corrupts military morale."

Wu Dacai's expression turned somewhat grim. Cao Shuban said quietly, "The Martial Academy is a place that nurtures a military spirit. Having Pozidun right next door is truly inappropriate. What if His Excellency Pang sees these Brothels when he comes…"

At this, Wu Dacai nodded involuntarily. Cao Shuban immediately continued, "The Advisory Room wants to organize battalion-level drills. The space is too small as it is. Could we move this Pozidun out and incorporate this drying yard into the Martial Academy? That would open up the interior space, and then battalion-level drills could be conducted."

Wu Dacai grunted again, looking as though his interest had been piqued. Cao Shuban quickly pressed on, "This subordinate believes this land originally belonged to the battalion. All affairs in Shipai are under the Reform Group's jurisdiction, and you, my lord, have the final say. The wall along the front street could be entirely rebuilt into shop fronts. The Martial Academy currently still manages many affairs in Shipai — clearing the River Channel, repairing the Wharf docks all cost silver. Even trivial matters like hiring street sweepers are charged to the Martial Academy's accounts. Every time we settle accounts with the Household Office, we have to put up with their looks. If the Martial Academy took over these shop fronts, the rent could cover these expenses and also help share the Household Office's burden, so we wouldn't have to beg them for every little thing."

Wu Dacai's gaze rested on the shop fronts outside Pozidun. There had been no residents here before, so the shop fronts could be built very large. Though most were just thatched sheds, they certainly looked bustling, and business was clearly good.

"When the time comes, drive out those Brothels and the like, run some proper businesses…" Wu Dacai suddenly raised his hand. "Especially no gambling dens — remember this well, absolutely forbidden!"

Cao Shuban immediately agreed, his expression betraying a hint of Excitement. As they spoke, they arrived at the main gate. A woman at the gate asked a question, but Wu Dacai paid her no attention. Led by the Logistics Battalion clerk, they walked straight in.

There were many women along the paths inside the fort. Some, seeing the men on horseback, recognized them as officers, and the looks they cast over were all ingratiating.

Wu Dacai rode with his head high, his gaze casually sizing up those women. He said to Tang Sheng, who was walking beside him, "Tang Sheng, let me tell you, our military unit is different from others. His Excellency Pang looks for real ability. A person must learn skills; only with skill comes the capacity to bear responsibility, and only then can one live well in the future. In a moment, I will take you to see a man. He simply doesn't understand this principle. Without ability of his own, he has no confidence; without confidence, he has no sense of responsibility. And he's utterly shameless on top of it. Even if he stumbles into some Fortune for a time, in the end he'll ruin it all. He can't live a good life, and can only stay in this fort like these women, as a Dun Household."

At that moment, the clerk leading the way stopped before a thatched shed where a woman stood. The clerk stepped forward and asked, "Our Lord Wu has arrived. Where is your Fort Chief?"

The woman pointed behind her. "The Fort Chief just moved to the Brick House today."

The group turned to look. Amidst the shacks there was indeed a Brick House and Tile-Roofed House, looking brand new — it had actually been completed even before the shop fronts outside. So this was where the Fort Chief lived.

Wu Dacai and the others arrived in front of the Tile-Roofed House. He dismounted first, then examined the Brick House and Tile-Roofed House. The Gate Leaf was open, and the sound of women's voices came from within.

"They say it's the start of spring, but it's actually still freezing. Wrapping your legs and feet up like this keeps them warm. Once your legs and feet are warm, your whole body doesn't feel the cold. As long as the Fort Chief likes it, we'll serve you like this every day. Just when it comes to next month's evening duty assignments, don't forget about us."

Hearing the words "Fort Chief," Wu Dacai knew the person in charge was present. He said to Tang Sheng, "First we press the matter of the wide-brimmed hats, then I'll take you to see that Dun Household who can't live a good life."

With that, he leaned on his cane and reached the doorway. Through the open Gate Leaf, he first saw a charcoal brazier placed in the room, and then a square redwood table.

On the tabletop were laid out seven or eight bowls and dishes, with at least three meat dishes. One woman stood beside the table, a wine pot in her hand, pouring Wine. Another woman sat on a bench, holding a leg stretched over from the Side Path in her lap, the foot tucked under her clothes. The woman's two hands pressed and kneaded that leg and foot without stopping.

Wu Dacai froze for a moment, then took another step inside. His gaze followed that leg upward, and a scabby head emerged from the edge of the door frame before his eyes.

The man was reclining in a lounge chair, with a third woman behind him massaging his shoulders. His mouth was chewing something unknown.

Hearing a sound, he looked up toward the doorway at Wu Dacai, and both men were stunned at the same time.