Chapter 59: A Major Matter

"Silver, silver."

Inside the Fast Squad duty room, a pair of feet were propped high on the table, twitching idly. Pang Yu reclined comfortably in a peachwood chair; tilting his head, he could see through the window to the Yamen Runner Room opposite.

Both copies of the detailed report sent to Anqing Prefecture did indeed list Pang Yu's name, clearly identifying him as the primary contributor. Anqing Prefecture also sent separate dispatches to Wang Gongbi of the Anchi Military Defense Circuit and the Yingtian Grand Coordinator. According to the information Mr. Yu had gathered, Tongcheng's detailed report was attached to both, so Pang Yu's name would at least reach the level of the Yingtian Grand Coordinator. Whether it could go further up to the Capital was hard to estimate.

Transportation was inconvenient at this time, and the delivery of official documents was even more cumbersome. News from Anqing Prefecture came back somewhat faster, but from the Yingtian Grand Coordinator and the Regional Inspector it was much slower.

Fang Zhongjia did not appear in public. The information Pang Yu received was that he was still alive. But the Fang Family had neither threatened Pang Yu nor tried to win him over, which left Pang Yu slightly troubled. It meant he had to continue holding Wang Guohua in secret confinement as a bargaining chip, waiting for an opportunity to trade.

After confirming his primary contribution, Pang Yu felt much more at ease than before. As the Fast Squad's strength slowly grew, his confidence when facing Fang Zhongjia would also become increasingly solid.

So now, sitting in the Runner Room and looking at the Yamen Runner Room opposite, he felt a certain inexplicable sense of accomplishment.

The Runner Room had three bays in total. Ruan Jin had assigned an entire bay to Pang Yu. The Fast Squad currently did not have many people, so Pang Yu intended to enjoy the taste of a private office for a few days. Once everyone was recruited later, he would still have to partition off half a bay. But as a squad leader, not having a separate duty room always brought considerable inconvenience.

So Pang Yu felt that the Yamen Runner Room opposite was far too wasteful. The Runner Squad under Wang Dazhuang had only about ten people in total, yet Wang Dazhuang alone occupied the middle room. Pang Yu was already thinking about how he could snatch one of the Runner Squad rooms for himself.

Wang Dazhuang's figure came through the Ceremonial Gate. His face dark, he stopped in front of the Yamen Runner Room. As if reacting to Pang Yu's gaze, he looked up and spotted Pang Yu, froze for a moment, then turned and entered the Yamen Runner Room.

Pang Yu gave a mocking smile. During the civil unrest, Wang Dazhuang had vanished. He apparently did not go around joining the looting, but he also did not come to the yamen to work. The Runner Squad people followed their superior's example and scattered completely, leaving not a single one behind. Naturally, this did not leave a good impression with Yang Fangzao. It was just that Wang Dazhuang had been perceptive enough to act early, returning to the yamen the very next day after Huang Wending was wiped out. At that moment, Yang Fangzao needed to restore the yamen's operations, so he temporarily accepted Wang Dazhuang continuing as squad leader, but his expression was certainly not pleasant. These past few days, Wang Dazhuang had received no shortage of scoldings. News traveled fast in the yamen, and everyone knew Wang Dazhuang was out of favor.

Outside the main gate, there was again a clamor of voices. Pang Yu realized with frustration that although Huang Wending's gang had been wiped out, the chaotic conditions in Tongcheng had not disappeared with them. These past two days, more trouble had arisen. Although the Fast Squad was not the one causing trouble, in the end it would probably still fall to the Fast Squad to solve the problem.

Pang Ding came in through the doorway and leaned close to Pang Yu. "Young Master, those runners have been muttering over there, asking when some of the wages and provisions silver can be paid out. Before the unrest, Jiang Fan and Ruan Jin both spent money to buy several license tickets, originally planning to go to the countryside for the tax grain comparison. But once the unrest came, they never went. They're all saying their families have no silver to start cooking."

Pang Yu twitched his foot idly. "Understood. Tell them, if they need money urgently, they can come borrow from me. Wages and provisions silver is paid monthly, counting from the day this squad leader took office. If they make no mistakes or omissions within the month, they will naturally receive the full amount."

Pang Ding acknowledged, then lowered his voice further. "Young Master, are you planning to use that silver? Others will grow suspicious."

"That is my own silver. This is the yamen's Fast Squad — how could I pay out of my own pocket?" Pang Yu closed his eyes and thought for a moment. "I still need to see Tang Weimin about this, see if he can allocate more from the Household Office."

"Then you'd better ask clearly soon, to set their minds at ease. Otherwise, if the city gets a bit more chaotic, these people will run off again."

Pang Yu smiled. "Young Master is not buying them off with silver, but what should be given must be given. Did you go out to scout? What is the situation in the city today?"

"At the south gate, two men from the Zhuang Squad were beaten. In front of Fengyi Lane, some people are gathering, saying they want the Fang Family to hand over the Da Hang who set the fires."

"Look at the things they've done..."

Before Pang Yu could finish, a figure appeared outside the window — it was one of Yang Fangzao's dihou.

Pang Yu hurriedly stood up and said ingratiatingly, "Brother Wen, what instructions do you have?"

The dihou shook his head. "His Honor requests Squad Leader Pang to come to Tuisi Hall to talk."

Yang Fangzao sat in the seat of honor, brows furrowed. He asked Pang Yu, who stood before him with perfect decorum, "I hear you posted recruitment notices on the Eight-Character Wall. How many usable men does the Fast Squad have now?"

"Replying to His Honor, there are fifteen men. Nine are retained from the original Fast Squad personnel. Six are newly recruited and still have no duty uniforms to wear, so they cannot yet go out on assignments. Four of them are former auxiliaries of the Fast Squad — they can handle assignments as soon as they start. The other two..."

Yang Fangzao waved a hand. "Use whoever you see fit. What matters most is that they are useful. These past two days, hunting down criminals in the city has stirred up more trouble. Since you are in charge of the Fast Squad, you must produce some tangible results."

Pang Yu kept his head lowered. "Your Excellency sees clearly. These two days, the Fast Squad has been going through the streets and alleys, capturing seven escaped rebel conspirators, and has not stirred up any trouble. The Punishment Office and the South Prison handle matters right inside the yamen, yet they have provoked boiling public resentment. Regarding the current unrest in the city, this humble one already has a tentative plan to share Your Excellency's burdens, but in the end it is all futile effort. No matter how diligent my Fast Squad is, we cannot withstand them undermining us from behind."

Yang Fangzao stared at Pang Yu for a moment, then sighed softly. Pang Yu knew Yang Fangzao was displeased, but the words had to be spoken clearly. He could not be left to carry the blame for others in confusion.

During the three days he was away at Yunji Temple and Liantan, those Da Hang had been everywhere seizing rebel bandits and recovering the silver the rioters had taken. Even some relatives of the rioters were implicated.

Yesterday, a relative of Huang Wending was beaten and injured at home by the Da Hang, and his house was half burned down. It was only thanks to the neighbors' timely rescue that it did not turn into a full fire.

The Da Hang's pursuit of the rioters cast too wide a net, and their methods were somewhat vicious. They did not even spare the homes of those rioters who had been killed. Even while a family was in the middle of funeral arrangements, the Da Hang and household servants still went in to search, forcing them to cough up the dirty silver. This led to clashes with the rioter's relatives and friends who were attending the funeral, stirring up enormous public anger.

These several incidents had caused no small trouble in the city. Before the yamen could even deal with them, a major incident occurred in the Punishment Office.

The rebel bandits captured that day were all detained in the South Prison and brought before the Punishment Office daily for interrogation. The interrogation records at this stage would determine their future convictions. The family dependents of those prisoners, thoroughly frightened by the Fast Squad that day, no longer dared to gather on County Front Street. But they all sought connections to work through the Punishment Office. Tongcheng was a small place; those connections wound around and around. Even if they truly could not find one, they could still seek out those auxiliaries. In the end, they could always reach someone in the Punishment Office or the South Prison.

They wanted to reduce the charges against their relatives and friends — the ringleaders had to become mere accomplices. The Punishment Office and the jailers were no saints; naturally, they made exorbitant demands. The base price for reducing a charge was at least two hundred taels, and those auxiliaries, acting as middlemen, also wanted their cut. In just a few days, a complete industry chain had developed, treating those rioter captives like the Tang Monk's flesh.

Those rioters who had grabbed a lot during the rebellion might be able to afford it, but some had not received nearly that much. Moreover, the gentry's Da Hang were also pursuing recovery, and a large portion had already been reclaimed. How could those rioter family dependents possibly produce it?

Among the prisoners was one called Zhang Cai. The Da Hang had already recovered most of the dirty silver from his wife. To save Zhang Cai, she went begging to a clerk in the Punishment Office. The silver was not enough, so the clerk forcibly took the woman, and in the end she did not even get a definite answer. The more the woman thought about it after returning home, the more aggrieved she became, and she hanged herself. Although her family saved her in the end, the matter was exposed because of it.

These two matters combined to reignite the public anger of the city's common people. Rumors spread throughout the city; someone was organizing a disturbance. Yesterday, two yamen runners from the Zhuang Squad who went out were severely beaten by commoners at the south gate.

The main target of the last civil unrest had been the gentry and household slaves. The rioters had even tried as much as possible to avoid conflict with the authorities. If unrest broke out again this time, the Tongcheng County Yamen might be added to the list.

So for Yang Fangzao, the situation remained extremely perilous. If civil unrest erupted again, he would certainly lose his position, not to mention that his very life would likely be forfeit.

In the original history, after Wang Guohua was captured, he was escorted through the main street to the county yamen. Halfway there, learning that his role in capturing Huang Wending might not be counted as a merit, Wang Guohua began making a scene in the marketplace, wanting to expose the hidden truth behind it all to the public.

But after Wang Guohua had spoken only a few sentences, he was stabbed to death in the street from behind by a sturdy servant of some local gentry family. This incident once again ignited public anger, and this time it was no longer directed at household slaves but directly at the gentry. In their terror, the gentry could only invite the Chizhou Troops to garrison the city — that was Pan Keda's unit. From then on, Tongcheng always had troops stationed there.

But now, because Pang Yu had hidden Wang Guohua, this incident had not occurred. Yet the gentry and the xuli would always find a way to court disaster, pushing matters toward an irretrievable direction.

Yang Fangzao was powerless to restrain the gentry, but he could be furious with the Punishment Office. During the civil unrest, the Punishment Office had only two or three people on duty and played no role whatsoever. Now that things had barely calmed down, they came to add more chaos.

Zhou County Deputy had also originally been dissatisfied with that Clerk. After the two conferred, Yang Fangzao had already made up his mind. Although he was only an Acting Magistrate, when handing over to the New Magistrate, he would, no matter what, recommend that the New Magistrate mark the Punishment Office Clerk's performance evaluation as failing.

Yang Fangzao trusted Pang Yu somewhat more. After thinking it over, he said, "For the subsequent interrogations, each hearing cannot have only Punishment Office personnel present. The Fast Squad and the Punishment Office will handle it together."

"This humble one obeys." Pang Yu was outwardly calm, but inwardly he felt a twinge of glee. Interrogation was an important power. Although the authority to convict and carry out sentences did not lie with the county yamen, the higher authorities based their decisions primarily on these interrogation records. It was just that this appointment had come suddenly; Pang Yu had not yet figured out how to wield this power.

"The primary task is still to calm public sentiment. Squad Leader Pang mentioned earlier that you already have a tentative plan. Tell this official first."

"This subordinate believes that whenever there is civil unrest, there must first be a trigger. There is a sense of grievance among the common people, and then they are incited by certain individuals with ulterior motives. There is never a shortage of people who crave chaos at any time. But as long as there is no trigger, these people will naturally have nothing to stir up."

Pang Yu observed Yang Fangzao nod slightly and continued with more confidence. "Setting aside the last civil unrest for now, looking at the hidden dangers this time, they stem from the gentry's excessively harsh pursuit and the Punishment Office's boundless greed. This subordinate's opinion is that we cannot simply disperse and suppress those commoners. Public sentiment can be channeled but not blocked. Since that Punishment Office clerk has aroused the greatest public anger, arrest him and throw him in prison first. Once the people's anger is appeased, those agitators will be powerless."

"That makes some sense." Yang Fangzao paused in thought. As long as the situation could be stabilized, that clerk's fate was not within his consideration at all. "What about the gentry side?"

The gentry all held official examination degrees. Yang Fangzao, a mere County Magistrate, could not touch them, yet here he was asking a squad leader. It was clear he had not the slightest willingness to take responsibility.

The gentry's power was far too immense. He could not think of a good solution right away and could only stall. "It is difficult to devise a comprehensive plan in haste. This subordinate still needs to deliberate carefully. The best approach would be to avoid direct conflict with those gentry while still appeasing public anger."

"Then you must hurry. Do not let the unrest spiral out of control."

Pang Yu cursed inwardly. Everyone in the yamen knew what the Punishment Office was doing. It was clearly dereliction of duty by Yang Fangzao, the presiding Hall Officer, to allow the Punishment Office to run wild at such a delicate time, yet now he was pushing everything onto Pang Yu.

Thinking of this, Pang Yu said in a low voice, "This subordinate has only just taken over the Fast Squad. I hear that Li Squad Leader has not yet distributed this year's wages and provisions silver to the Fast Squad. If we want those runners to work hard, we must first issue some to set their minds at ease."

As soon as silver was mentioned, Yang Fangzao interrupted impatiently. "Go discuss this matter with the Household Office yourself. Have the Household Office do its utmost to raise the funds, that is all."

"Everything Squad Leader Pang says is reasonable. The Household Office is also struggling to make ends meet. If there were even a single tael of silver in reserve, it would of course go to the Fast Squad first. But there truly is none." Clerk Zhao said to Pang Yu with earnest sincerity. "Young Brother Pang personally handled the account books and local retention from the first half of the year. The autumn grain tax has not yet begun to be collected when this great chaos erupted. The treasury is truly empty."

Pang Yu said ingratiatingly, "What Lord Zhao says is naturally the truth. If it were ordinary times, having none would be one thing, but now with undercurrents surging in the city, we still need these Fast Squad men to stabilize the situation. Could Lord Zhao perhaps make a slight adjustment? Even a hundred taels of silver would do."

Clerk Zhao shook his head slightly. "There really isn't any. Little Brother Pang just took office — don't let those Runners lead you around by the nose. They certainly have money of their own. Besides, even if the yamen hasn't paid their wages for a while, hunting criminals and quelling unrest is their duty. How can they bargain with the squad leader over it?"

His tone remained gentle, but his words were utterly firm. Pang Yu knew that no matter what he said, there would be no result.

But Pang Yu did know one thing: a few days ago, Xiucai Fang and some other gentry in the city had raised silver for the county yamen. Ruan Dacheng alone had contributed a thousand taels. There was silver in the treasury. Yesterday, Clerk Zhao had disbursed a large sum from the Household Office — yet he sent men to repair the half-burned gate tower of Dongzuo Gate.

Pang Yu had not yet found out exactly who that silver went to. But at such an urgent moment, instead of first stabilizing the yamen runners, the money was used for construction that was anything but urgent.

For a dozen or so Runners, the wages came to less than thirty taels. Because the situation was somewhat dire and called for some incentive rewards, Pang Yu had only asked for a hundred taels of silver. Clerk Zhao refused outright. For a moment, Pang Yu did not know what to say.

Tang Weimin, standing beside him, saw that Pang Yu had been rebuffed and quickly pulled him out the door. He accompanied Pang Yu out through the Ceremonial Gate and back to Pang Yu's single room, where they sat down.

Seeing that Pang Yu's spirits were somewhat low, he sighed and said, "Little Brother Pang, don't take it to heart. The court has been running deficits for years. The Ministry of Revenue always targets the localities, draining every bit of local retention from each county. The Household Office has never had much silver. The three deputy offices, seven departments, three squads, one pavilion — plus the county school, the medical clinic, the Yin-Yang Office, and every other office needs silver. Inside and outside the Ceremonial Gate, several hundred people depend on the yamen for their livelihood. Everywhere you look, it's silver. But the rations and pay collected are never enough to cover the full amounts, so some get more and some get less. The Three Squads are always last in line."

Pang Yu felt a headache coming on. He did have silver on hand now — not that he meant to be some miserly country landlord — but this silver could not see the light of day. If he suddenly produced a large sum, anyone would suspect how much he had skimmed from Yunji Temple.

And this was official business. He could not keep funding the Fast Squad with his own money forever. He had to find a stable source of funds. In the past, Li Squad Leader had swallowed all the Runners' wages. The men of the Fast Squad usually relied on gray income from gambling dens, brothels, brokerages, and the like, but the amounts were not large, because behind all those trades stood the gentry.

Their main income still came from buying license tickets from the Household Office and going to the countryside to compare tax grain. The Runners were like individual operators sitting in the Fast Squad room, with no cohesion whatsoever. Pang Yu naturally could not run things that way. He did plan to earn money from those trades, but that would take time. The best approach was still to secure funding from the Household Office.

"But this humble man has limited experience. I must ask Tang to put some thought into this on my behalf — where might I go to contend for it, to have a better chance?"

Tang Weimin's face filled with difficulty. He frowned in thought for a moment, then finally said, "As for the Three Squads' silver, there is actually a source. Normally, those yamen runners all want to join the Runner Squad, or else the Fast Squad. Few are willing to join the Zhuang Squad, because the Zhuang Squad works hard and has no money. But in the land tax, the Zhuang Squad actually gets the most silver. Our Tongcheng Zhuang Squad has a total quota of one hundred and ninety-two men. The Militia Squad Silver is levied at six taels of wages per man. That comes to over a thousand taels a year. The Zhuang Squad actually has only twenty-some men. That surplus — Little Brother Pang could contend for it."

Pang Yu looked at Tang Weimin. He knew about this Militia Squad Silver too. The Zhuang Squad had the largest authorized strength. Every year the Household Office collected the full amount. But in reality, the Zhuang Squad had few men — the yamen was effectively drawing empty payroll. Part of this surplus silver went to yamen operations, and part was divided among the clerks and officers. Though it produced no visible results, over the years a fixed distribution method had been established. If he tried to fight for a share, he would certainly offend people. Tang Weimin was not being so kind out of pure goodwill — Pang Yu would still have to step forward himself.

Yang Fangzao and Zhou County Deputy would at most express support, but in the end he would still have to petition Clerk Zhao. Judging by Clerk Zhao's attitude today, Pang Yu would likely not get what he wanted. Or even if he fought and won a share, more than half would probably end up in Clerk Zhao's own pocket.

Tang Weimin sighed and said, "Tang knows that Brother Pang is wholeheartedly working for the yamen. Without rations and pay to back them, how can those Runners put their hearts into it? It's a pity your elder brother here is only a Clerk. If I were the Household Office's Head Clerk, then Tang can guarantee that Brother Pang's Fast Squad would never lack for money."

Pang Yu thought Tang Weimin was merely speaking from emotion and was about to sigh along with him, when he suddenly realized that Tang Weimin's tone was not just a lament — it carried a pointed meaning. He could not help but raise his eyes and look at the man before him.

Pang Yu probed in a low voice, "This humble man recalls Tang saying last year that Tang had completed the examination for Clerk. As long as a Head Clerk position opens, Tang can take the top post."

Tang Weimin gazed calmly at the tabletop before him. "That is indeed the case. But Clerk Zhao is unwilling to let anyone take the top post. What can be done about it? In this civil unrest, those household slaves — Zheng Lao, Yin Deng, and their lot — were all close acquaintances of Clerk Zhao. I hear that Zheng Lao has been hiding from Huang Wending lately, but he is still in Tongcheng. Clerk Zhao was also fearful and anxious in those earlier days. Who knows if he might change his mind now, and be willing to let someone take the top post."

Pang Yu looked at Tang Weimin and smiled faintly. This Tang Weimin had clearly been eyeing the Household Office Head Clerk position for a long time. He had just heard that Pang Yu was going to take part in interrogating the prisoners. After the unrest was quelled, there would certainly be an inquiry into its causes. Tang Weimin's meaning at this moment was to ride the wind of the pacification effort and implicate Clerk Zhao in the civil unrest, getting Clerk Zhao dismissed and vacating that Head Clerk post.

Though that was his meaning, it was all implied. Not a single word was stated plainly. Everything depended on Pang Yu grasping it himself. If Pang Yu could help him pull Clerk Zhao down, then guaranteeing ample funds for the Fast Squad in the future would be his repayment.

Pang Yu thought it over silently for a moment, excused himself to Tang Weimin, turned, and went next door to the Runner Room.

Inside, Ruan Jin, Jiang Fan, Pang Ding, and the others all hurriedly stood up.

Pang Yu waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "Our Fast Squad is going to handle the number one priority. Arrest two men. The first is Du Fangming, the Punishment Office scribe who violated another man's wife. The second — whoever can capture and bring in the second man will be rewarded with fifty taels of silver."

The ten Runners in the room practically drooled. Ruan Jin asked blankly, "Who?"

"The murder suspect, Zheng Lao." Pang Yu swept his gaze across the Runners in the room. "This man has committed countless evils over the years. What's more, it was his killing of Yue Ji that triggered the great unrest. The first major task our Fast Squad will undertake is to capture this utterly vicious criminal and bring him to justice — to answer the high hopes of His Honor above, and to quell the people's outrage below. Whoever seizes this man within three days, in addition to the fifty-tael reward, will also be directly promoted to Team Leader."

Every Runner in the room showed the same greedy expression.