Chapter 164: Nanjing

On the morning of the second day, the carriage continued on. Houses and shops gradually grew more numerous. Market towns dotted the road, and wherever there was a bridge, there was a market. The area was densely populated, and an endless stream of pedestrians, carts, and horses filled the road.

At the first quarter past noon, they arrived at the northern edge of Nanjing. At first glance, the gate tower was not particularly imposing. Above the archway were written the two large characters "Yaofang." Liu Minyou jumped down from the carriage and looked to both sides. The city wall to the left and right was only a short section faced with brick; behind it was all earthen embankment. Chen Xin said, somewhat disappointed, "This is Jinling?"

Chen Tingdong, looking completely unruffled, said, "This is merely the outer wall of Nanjing. Apart from the gate, there is only an earthen embankment. The outer wall is one hundred and twenty li in total, with forty li of earthen embankment and eighteen gates in all. The Yingtian prefectural city is still further ahead."

Liu Minyou and Zhou Laifu both shot him a dissatisfied look. Every time, this man deliberately waited until everyone was puzzled before explaining, making them all look like country bumpkins. What was worse, he was Liu Minyou's subordinate, yet he showed not a shred of humility when speaking in front of Liu Minyou. Both of them then resolved not to give Chen Tingdong any more opportunities, keeping silent and sullen. Only Chen Xin still chatted with Chen Tingdong from time to time.

While they were queuing, an old farmer carrying a load of oranges beside them overheard their conversation and asked from the side, "Are you young gentlemen from the north?"

Chen Xin turned to size him up. The old farmer wore a short jacket of homespun waist-loom cloth, kept very neat and tidy. He replied politely, "Indeed. We have long heard of Jiangnan's prosperity and have come to travel."

The old farmer chuckled and said, "Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand li. Since you, young sir, have arrived in Yingtian Prefecture, you must certainly see the Forty Scenes of Jinling, or the trip will not be worthwhile."

Chen Xin was somewhat surprised that an old farmer could say such a thing. He asked with a smile, "In that case, I must certainly go and see them. Your words flow like a composition, old sir — have you also studied?"

The old farmer shook his head and said, "This old man knows a few characters, but has never studied. It is you, young sir, who has a refined and genteel bearing, with attendants before and behind — you are surely either rich or noble."

As he spoke, it was already their turn to enter the city gate. Cheerfully, he scooped oranges from his carrying pole and gave one to each of Chen Xin's group. Liu Minyou hurriedly thanked him and fished out some copper coins, but the old man waved his hand, shouldered his pole, and entered the city. After passing through the archway, he did not forget to turn back and call out, "The Forty Scenes of Jinling — young sir, you can buy the 'Illustrated Odes of Jinling' at a bookshop. It explains far more clearly than this old man can."

Liu Minyou shook his head and put the copper coins away. Chen Xin pointed at the old man's retreating figure and asked Chen Tingdong, "That old farmer is probably not really a farmer."

Chen Tingdong said, "General, he is indeed a farmer. In Jiangnan, every household has cotton and mulberry trees. Commerce flourishes, and most people must trade with others. Therefore, many are literate. This old man lives near Yingtian; he has seen many officials and experienced many things, so he is not afraid of anything. He naturally possesses a certain composure."

Song Wenxian also smiled and said, "At the foot of the imperial city, such people are common. It is said that a ministry hall official in the capital once encountered an old woman on the road. When his sedan chair bearers told her to make way, she rebuked them instead, saying that according to our dynasty's regulations, a woman on the road need not yield to an official's sedan chair. The hall official was left speechless. In the end, the old woman even remarked that capital officials are as numerous as dogs, and a hall official is nothing more than a sesame seed or a mung bean."

Chen Xin burst out laughing. "Only such common folk make life interesting."

As they spoke, the carriage passed through Yaofang Gate and continued southward. They were now inside the outer wall. This area was already quite bustling, with carriages and horses flowing like a stream. The sedan chairs and carriages were exquisitely decorated; some sedan chair window lattices were even made of ivory. Women out on excursions laughed and chatted loudly along the street, a style vastly different from Shandong and other places.

The common people's attire was also more splendid. The women's clothing they saw vied in novelty and beauty. In just a short stretch, they saw four different shades of red alone. According to Chen Tingdong's explanation, these were divided into water-red, gold-red, lychee-red, and eastern-color. Other colors like sky-blue, jade, light blue, and goose-yellow were all very vivid, showing that dyeing in the Ming Dynasty had already reached a very high level. Not only were the colors bright and gorgeous, but the styles of women's clothing were also more numerous. There were not only long robes but also male-style outfits with a jacket over a skirt. These women's garments were mostly fastened on the left side, completely different from the north.

After walking south along the main road for a stretch, they turned west at Jiangmiao. Chen Tingdong told Chen Xin that the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum was on the hill east of Jiangmiao, and to the west were the locations of the Three Judicial Offices — namely the Court of Judicial Review, the Censorate, and the Ministry of Justice. These three departments were all outside the Yingtian prefectural city, beside Xuanwu Lake.

Liu Minyou recalled the Forty Scenes of Jinling the old man had mentioned and asked Chen Tingdong about them again. Chen Tingdong said with some disdain, "Just a few idle dandies putting on airs of refinement. A broken hill can be called a scene. Wuyi Lane is nothing but ordinary homes, yet they add a 'Wuyi Sunset' — in the end, is one looking at the lane or the sunset?" He pointed westward. "That Xuanwu Lake over there is also one of the Forty Scenes. Xuanwu Lake is just a pool of water, with a Taiping Embankment beside it. They name it 'Viewing the Lake from the Level Embankment' and call it a scene. Flaunting romance, nothing more than that."

Liu Minyou turned his head away, disgruntled. If everyone thought like Chen Tingdong, there would not be a single scenic spot worth seeing in the world. Chen Xin leaned close to his ear and said, "Probably just like the tourism industry in our time — they create a gimmick and call it a scene, insisting on rounding up the number to a few dozen or some auspicious figure."

Liu Minyou replied, "If there's time, I still want to go and see. I can't be bothered to ask Chen Tingdong anymore. I'll buy a copy of that thing myself — Jinling what?"

"Illustrated Odes of Jinling."

The group walked past Taiping Embankment and finally arrived at Taiping Gate on the north side of Nanjing, where they beheld this once largest city in the world, a magnificent walled city.

The capital city wall of Nanjing was expanded in the early Ming Dynasty. The wall's circumference was about sixty li, with seventeen thousand battlements and over two hundred guard huts on the wall. Thirteen city gates were established, known by the saying: "Shence, Jinchuan, Yifeng Gate; Huaiyuan, Qingliang to Shicheng; Sanshan, Jubao connect to Tongji; Hongwu, Chaoyang settle Taiping." Here, mirroring the Six Ministries and Nine Chief Ministers of Beijing, an identical set of offices was established, called the Southern Directly Administered Region. With the added advantages of the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal, it was both the political center of Jiangnan and one of its economic centers.

The group disembarked from the carriage at Taiping Gate and paid the livestock toll. Taiping Gate was grand and imposing, finally matching the image of Nanjing they had in their minds.

After entering Taiping Gate, Chen Xin planned to first look for the address Zuo Changhao had left. He asked about the location of Zhongzheng Street, but Chen Tingdong was also unclear. Nanjing had countless streets and alleys; he could not figure it out either and only knew the general layout. Like Wanping and Street Fighters in Beijing, the city of Nanjing was also divided into two counties: Jiangning County and Shangyuan County. South of Taiping Bridge was Jiangning County, and north of it was Shangyuan County. Both county seats were located toward the south side of the city, where the general population and commerce were concentrated. North of the Bell and Drum Towers were the military camps and parade grounds of the various guards, and to the east was the imperial city. The Five Chief Military Commissions and the Six Ministries were all south of the imperial city.

Song Wenxian inquired at a nearby shop and learned that Zhongzheng Street was in Shangyuan County. They were currently in the north city and still had to walk a stretch to get there.

Taiping Gate lay between Longguang Hill and Fufu Hill. Not far to the south was the imperial city, which they could not pass through. So the group followed the main road westward toward Fufu Hill. They passed the Small Parade Ground and the West Eighteen Guards, crossed Pearl Bridge to the Imperial Academy. Along the way, waterways crisscrossed endlessly. Everywhere were small bridges over flowing streams. The personal guards, all from the north, watched with great interest.

They headed south from the south gate of the Imperial Academy onto the New Floating Bridge. Just as they stepped onto the bridge surface, a figure in red came from the opposite direction. Chen Xin initially thought it was a woman, but upon closer inspection, it was a man with his hair bound with a red silk ribbon, his lips painted with rouge, his face dusted with white powder and touched with a bit of red blush. From his leather belt hung a red sachet with a jade pendant. He wore a red Daoist robe underneath, embroidered with a python pattern on the hem, and over it, he had actually put on a red inner garment.

Chen Xin whispered to Liu Minyou with a laugh, "Underwear worn outside. Still, this person is rather handsome and refined, much better than that freakish fat man in Jizhou."

Liu Minyou had seen the fat man in Jizhou before, so he was not too astonished. The personal guards behind them, however, were completely dumbfounded, whispering and pointing at the man. The simple monk Sha, his mouth agape, his eyes following the man as he turned. When the man passed by, Sha asked blankly, "Are you a man or a woman?"

The man rolled his eyes at the simple monk Sha, spat, and said, "Country bumpkin!" He tossed his head and walked away.

The simple monk Sha froze for a moment, then turned to Nie Hong and asked, "Captain Nie, he cursed me. Can I beat him up?"

Before Nie Hong could answer, Liu Minyou came over and rapped him on the head, scolding, "You asked someone if they were a man or a woman — who else would he curse? We're here on business. Who told you to go around beating people up? From now on, no more talking nonsense."

The simple monk Sha rubbed his head, muttered a couple of words under his breath, and remained resentful, turning back from time to time to glare at the man.

Chen Tingdong spat in the direction of the man's retreating figure in the bizarre clothing, his face full of disgust.

Song Wenxian said to Chen Xin with a smile, "In the time of the Great Ancestor, all headwear and clothing had fixed regulations. For scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants, musicians, and the debased classes, the length, material, and style of their clothing and hats were all clearly specified. Otherwise, they would be charged with a crime. Even the umbrellas and sedan chairs used by officials were the same. Now, everyone has overstepped the regulations, and there are even such freakish people as this. It is truly lamentable."

"That's why people shouldn't take themselves too seriously." Liu Minyou shook his head and said quietly, "Zhu Yuanzhang was certainly a man of great talent and vision, but to think he was all-knowing and all-powerful was to think too highly of himself. Even what people wear and how they wear their hats he wanted to control. The world is vast; he could not possibly be wiser than every single person, nor could everyone live their lives exactly as he envisioned."

Song Wenxian heard him call Zhu Yuanzhang by name and was about to advise him against it, but seeing that Chen Xin was listening without the slightest concern, he swallowed his words of caution. Fortunately, Liu Minyou had spoken quietly and was not overheard by Chen Tingdong, a devoted admirer of the Great Ancestor.

Chen Xin sighed with some emotion, "Women wearing men's clothes, men wearing women's clothes — the customs of Jiangnan are indeed different."

Song Wenxian chimed in to amuse him, "The outfit that man just wore is what they call 'freakish attire.' But it's not something that only appeared now. Back in the day, Tang Yin, who was peerless in both poetry and painting, once received guests while wearing women's clothing. There were even scholar-officials who rode deer through busy markets, swaggering through the streets."

"Riding deer?"

"Yes, real deer. That is why in Jiangnan, there are all sorts of strange and eccentric people."

Liu Minyou glanced back at Chen Tingdong behind them and whispered to the two, "The one behind us is another example. He sold off his family property and traveled a thousand li to serve the king. In the end, he got nothing and didn't even ask the court for a reward."

Song Wenxian laughed, "Exactly. Most people, hearing the Tatars were coming, would run as far as they could. He, on the other hand, eagerly delivered himself to their doorstep."

Chen Xin smiled without speaking. The customs of Jiangnan were indeed different. They continued south, asking for directions along the way, and finally found Zhongzheng Street. This street happened to be right next to the county office of Shangyuan County and was two or three li long. The street was thronged with pedestrians, and wooden shop signs stood like a forest on both sides. Zuo Changhao had only told them the shop was called Fuxing Goods Firm, so the two had no choice but to search for it shop by shop.

Midway down the street, they finally spotted the shop. It was a three-story storefront. Above the door lintel were written the four characters "Fuxing Goods Firm," and the cloth sign outside read "All Goods from East, West, South, and North — Everything Available," which was quite direct.

Chen Xin left the seven personal guards outside and went in with Liu Minyou and the others. Chen Xin surveyed the interior. Sugar, tea, shredded tobacco, and brocade were all available, sorted on different shelves, each compartment labeled with a paper strip bearing the product name. He said to Zhou Laifu and Liu Minyou, "We should learn from their layout. Laifu, pay more attention to the details."

The shopkeeper, seeing their refined attire, came up and asked warmly, "Would you gentlemen like to buy some sugar goods?"

Chen Xin got straight to the point: "We have come from the north specifically to pay a visit to Brother Zuo. Is he in, by any chance?"

The shopkeeper put away his smile, carefully sized them up, gestured for them to follow, and led them to a small room at the back. Only then did he ask, "When did you gentlemen become acquainted with this Brother Zuo?"

"In May of this year. Zuo Changhao, entrusted by a certain lord, came north to see me and told me of this place. Have I come presumptuously?"

The shopkeeper clearly knew about Zuo Changhao's trip north. After hearing this, he calculated the time briefly, and his expression relaxed. He bowed and said, "So that is how it is. This humble one understands now. However, he and my master have gone elsewhere, but they should be back soon. May I ask you, sir, to come again in a couple of days?"

Liu Minyou interjected, "May I ask where they have gone? We dare not delay long. Could you tell us, so we may go and find them ourselves?"

The shopkeeper shook his head with difficulty and said, "It is not that this humble one deliberately acts this way, but truly, this humble one does not know. My master has a formidable adversary and has always been very cautious. This humble one does not know his whereabouts at all. Even when he is in Yingtian Prefecture, he does not reside here. Only when Zuo Changhao comes to ask about certain matters do we learn that he has arrived."

Chen Xin nodded. That adversary was, without a doubt, Zheng Yiguan. On the surface, he certainly could not do anything to Xu Xinsu. Knowing his character, this was probably not the first or second time he had tried to strike at Xu Xinsu from the shadows.

He figured the shopkeeper truly did not know. Even if he did, it would be impossible for them to go looking for him elsewhere — that would likely be even more difficult. So he said to the shopkeeper, "In that case, thank you. When Brother Zuo returns, tell him that his friend from Wendeng came by. Once we have arranged our lodgings, we will send someone to inform you, sir."

The shopkeeper immediately said, "There is no need for you to seek lodgings. Zuo Changhao left instructions that for anyone coming from Wendeng, food and lodging are to be provided by our shop. If you do not mind, please follow this humble one. It is just by the river at Huaiqing Bridge, not far from here."

Chen Xin thought for a moment and replied, "In that case, we shall trouble you, shopkeeper."

The shopkeeper immediately went out. Seeing Chen Xin's retinue — a total of thirteen people in their group — he showed not the slightest look of surprise. He led them eastward for a stretch to an inn. He called the innkeeper over and booked the rooms. Chen Xin had a room to himself. He pushed open the window. Outside the window was a place where two rivers converged. Weeping willows were planted all along the bank. Looking out, they were lush and green like mist. Some pleasure boats with carved beams and painted rafters were slowly drifting southward on the river. Many women were beating clothes on the washing stones across the river, flinging out strings of water droplets.

Chen Xin immediately felt relaxed and refreshed. Just then, a waiter came in to deliver the chamber pot. Chen Xin asked, "Little brother, what is this river outside called?"

"Young Master, this is the Qinhuai River." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to come to (.) to cast recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)