Chapter 7: Jizhou

The night passed without incident. The two took turns keeping watch by the sound of the bell until the sky began to lighten. When they heard the voices of shop assistants in the courtyard, they stopped taking shifts and both collapsed into deep sleep. Hai Gouzi and the others did the same. Only Wang Daixi rose very early. He called out twice from outside, but seeing the two were still asleep, he went back to his room. They slept until around ten o'clock, then got up and washed their faces. Wang Daixi bustled about, fetching water and handing over cloths. Once everything was tidied up, they roused Hai Gouzi and the other two and set off along the official road into the city.

Jizhou, anciently called Yuyang. To the east, where the valley they had traversed the day before ended, lay Jizhou itself. About two li beyond the southern wall were hills like Cuiping Shan, with the Lihe River flowing past their base. Less than two li from the northern wall, the land was also hilly. Legend held that Fujun Shan (then called Kongtong Shan), where the Yellow Emperor sought the Dao from Guangchengzi, was located here. To the west, a small stream originating in Wuming Shan flowed south along the city wall to join the Gushui River, beyond which stretched the flat expanse of the North China Plain.

Because it had been a strategic stronghold controlling the northeast's entry into the North China Plain since ancient times, the Ming Dynasty invested heavily in it, establishing Jizhou Guard, Yingzhou Right Garrison Guard, and Zhenshuo Guard here. The city walls were tall and imposing, the entire fortress octagonal in shape, with the east and west sides protruding outward and the north and south sides straight. The wall perimeter was nine li and thirteen paces, and including the parapets, the walls stood three zhang and five chi high. They were faced with brick in the fourth year of the Hongwu reign. There were two thousand and forty battlements, with corner towers at the four corners. Its most distinctive feature was the absence of a north gate. The east, west, and south gates all had barbicans built outside them, with the barbican gates opening to the side. Tall archery towers loomed atop the walls, and a moat encircled the city's exterior.

Liu Minyou looked at the two imposing characters "Wei Yuan" (Awe-Inspiring Distant Might) above the east gate and clicked his tongue in admiration. "Ancient cities really were solidly built. How many lives would it take to capture one of these?"

Chen Xin surveyed the strategic terrain around him and muttered quietly to himself, "To think someone could infiltrate past this place. Truly talented."

Liu Minyou, absorbed in the sight, didn't hear clearly and asked back, "Talented at what?"

Chen Xin grinned. "I said I'm a man of striking talent. Let's go, enter the city."

The group mingled with a crowd of vegetable farmers and entered through the east gate. The barbican gate opened to the north. The six of them followed the gate tunnel in and saw that atop the wall behind the barbican stood another gate tower. Beneath the walls on either side of the gate tower were troop-hiding caves. But all the soldiers they saw along the way were frail and weak, their padded jackets worn and tattered, standing or squatting listlessly. Chen Xin observed this and shook his head inwardly.

They walked onto Jizhou's East Gate Street. The bluestone-paved road was not very wide. In several places, garbage, excrement, and filth had been piled up, with flies and mosquitoes swarming chaotically. A nauseating stench of decay filled the street. The buildings on both sides were mostly two-story or single-story brick and tile structures. The ground floors were shops, with wooden plaques and cloth banner signs hanging outside. The street was crowded with pedestrians, most dressed plainly. Both men and women wore their garments with the right lapel over the left. Men mostly wore square caps, net caps, or square hats. Monstrosities like Pangzi were virtually nonexistent.

Liu Minyou covered his nose and sighed, "How can it stink this badly? Isn't there some municipal department to manage this?"

Wang Daixi quickly interjected, "The dung carts come in the morning. After the appointed hour, people just dump it anywhere."

Liu Dahui also chimed in, "The capital is even filthier. There are dry dung heaps everywhere. In winter, when it's cold, we'd dig a hole in a dry dung heap and sleep inside it to stay warm."

Liu Minyou's stomach churned. Not daring to continue this topic, he quickly shook his head to banish the image of dry dung heaps from his mind and asked Chen Xin, "Where are we going now?"

"First, let's eat some dry dung heaps—no, I mean, first breakfast, then we'll buy clothes. After buying clothes, we'll leave the city today for Tianjin." Chen Xin pointed ahead to a small shop with a cloth banner hanging out front that read "Double-Sifted White Flour Steamed Cakes."

The four children cheered. Each of the six had two steamed cakes. To Liu Minyou, they tasted much like the mantou of later ages. The four children, however, ate with great relish. The price was much higher than the mixed-grain flatbreads of the day before—five wen each. Wang Daixi said to Liu Minyou, his words muffled by food, "I haven't eaten double-sifted white flour in many years!"

Chen Xin asked the shopkeeper where to find clothing and shoe stores. The shopkeeper suggested going near the City God Temple, where there was often a market and many shops...

The City God Temple was in the northwest corner of the city. The six of them headed west all the way to the Guandi Temple, then turned north. Along the way, they saw the Garrison Commander's residence, the prefectural hall, and several memorial archways on South Street, with their flying eaves and interlocking bracket sets, exquisitely constructed. Chen and Liu found it all quite novel and didn't feel tired.

When they reached the City God Temple, there happened to be a market that day. Pedestrians jostled shoulder to shoulder, a bustling and lively scene. There were vegetable farmers, fortune-tellers, monks, and idle loafers—all sorts of people. The cries of itinerant peddlers hawking their wares were incessant. Inside the temple, a Kunqu performance of "The Plantain Kerchief" was underway. Someone was selling admission tokens at the door, and the lilting singing within was quite lively. It somewhat resembled a rural market fair back in their original time.

The group squeezed through the crowd to watch a variety performer juggling a fire fork. He didn't use his hands at all, only his shoulders, back, arms, and legs—kicking, blocking, pushing, and catching. The fire fork spun up and down, the iron rings on it clanging loudly. Liu Minyou watched with rapt interest; this Great Ming Dynasty wasn't entirely boring after all. When the performance ended, they naturally didn't pay and quietly slipped away.

They found a clothing shop. Hai Gouzi was at the very front and was about to enter when suddenly someone came from the side. The two collided. It was a man dressed in a blue cotton gown, looking like a steward. Enraged, the man kicked Hai Gouzi, and a cry of "Aiyo!" rang out. Hai Gouzi sprawled on the ground like a dog. The man then shoved Liu Erhui and the others aside, cursing, "Get lost, get lost, don't block the way."

Having said this, he turned his head and immediately switched to a fawning smile, saying to a woman behind him, "Madam, please come inside."

The woman was richly dressed, accompanied by a maidservant and an old nursemaid carrying a small child.

Liu Minyou was about to step forward and argue, but Chen Xin pulled him back and pointed. Behind the woman were two soldiers carrying sabers. Liu Minyou quickly swallowed the words on his lips. When encountering the armed forces of the Ming Dynasty, one still had to show some respect.

Before Hai Gouzi could get up, the old nursemaid also cursed, "You little dog, why don't you scram faster? If you bump into our young master, I'll have you beaten to death."

Wang Daixi pulled Hai Gouzi up, and they scrambled and scurried to the side. The noblewoman cast a contemptuous glance at them and said to the steward, "Steward Wen, I want to have a summer outfit measured for Bao'er. Don't let anyone else in to disturb the peace." Then she said to the old nursemaid, "Old Xu, let's go."

Steward Wen nodded repeatedly, saying, "Rest assured, Madam." With that, he faced the street and stood at the doorway with the two soldiers.

Chen Xin turned his head, not letting the steward see his face, and pulled Liu Minyou aside. From inside, they heard the shopkeeper's wife loudly greeting, "Madam Yan, are you here today to have summer clothes made for the Commander? I have newly arrived fine silk and satin materials here..."

Chen Xin muttered quietly to himself, "Commander Yan," then chuckled and said to Liu Minyou, "Do these count as bad people? How about a Hope Project operation?"

Liu Minyou said, surprised, "Of course they do, but these are bad people with blades. Better forget it."

"No problem. We need to buy clothes anyway. Let's change our outfits first. Have Liu Dahui keep watch here and see where else they go."

"Rob them? Steal their money?"

"Robbing people with blades is asking for death, isn't it? Did you see the pearl on that child's hat? It's definitely a fine item."

Chen Xin wore a round-collared, jade-colored robe with blue trim, made of satin. On his head was a six-panel guala hat, his feet in Songjiang cotton socks and double-faced shoes, a leather belt cinched at his waist. Dressed up like this, he looked every inch the elegant young gentleman. This outfit cost over one tael of silver. Liu Minyou, loath to spend money, asked for a straight-cut summer hemp robe, the whole set costing six qian of silver. The clothing shop had no ready-made garments, so Chen Xin paid an extra two qian and took an outfit someone else had ordered custom-made.

After buying the clothes, Chen Xin tracked the earlier group all the way to the front of a gold shop. The street was bustling with people. Madam Yan and her maidservant went inside to look at jewelry, closing the door behind them, leaving the old nursemaid with the child and the steward waiting outside. The two soldiers were still listless. The child was about three years old. On his gauze cap was inlaid a crystal-clear, lustrous Dongzhu pearl. He was now toddling around everywhere, the old nursemaid following with a stooped back, afraid he might fall...

Chen Xin kept only Hai Gouzi with him and told Liu Minyou to take the other three to wait for him at the South Gate memorial archway. Liu Minyou was quite uneasy when he left. Chen Xin repeatedly assured him it would be fine, saying it was a training exercise for the younger generation.

Once they were gone, Chen Xin observed a nearby alley. The alley led to another street; from this end, one could see the street on the other side. After looking it over, he mentally rehearsed his plan once more, then took out a handful of copper coins he had just gotten as change at the shoe shop and gave them to Hai Gouzi. "Hide in a crowded spot and just watch me. Whatever you do, don't speak. In a moment, if I run off, you go to the South Gate archway by yourself. If someone chases me, the moment I shout 'Money dropped!', you scatter all these copper coins and also shout 'Pick up money!', as loud as you can. Remember?"

Hai Gouzi took the money with a silly grin and nodded, though it was unclear if he understood. Chen Xin, uneasy, made him repeat it. After Hai Gouzi recited it back, he said to Chen Xin earnestly, "Big Brother, I'll fight with my life to keep them from catching you." Chen Xin chuckled, patted his shoulder, and turned to walk toward the steward.

The steward, bored with waiting, was standing on the steps watching a Mohe acrobatics performance in the distance. The child was doing handstands and flips atop a pole, extremely thrilling. The steward was staring fixedly when suddenly his head hurt. Turning to look, a tall, handsomely dressed man stood before him. Just as he was about to get angry, the man struck him on the head again.

"You... you, why did you hit me?! Do you know who I am?!" The steward was both shocked and furious. Pointing at the young gentleman, he was about to call the two soldiers to help beat him.

"You what, you? You're just a steward named Wen. I hit you, so I hit you." The young gentleman cursed, raising his hand as if to strike again.

Hearing the other party call out his surname and seeing his luxurious attire, Steward Wen couldn't gauge his background and didn't dare retaliate. He quickly dodged away. He was the steward of the Zhenshuo Guard Commander's household. After the mid-Ming period, the guard battalion system had fallen into decay, and the Nine Border Garrisons had effectively all switched to a garrison defense system. Under this system, the advantage of a Guard Commander was that he still had some military households and military farmland to exploit; the disadvantage was his low status. Civil officials aside, compared to field army officers, a Guard Commander's status was only about equal to a Squad Commander in the field army. In this city of Jizhou, there were plenty of people he couldn't afford to offend.

Seeing Steward Xu dodge away, the young gentleman then pointed at the two soldiers and said, "What did Commander Yan send you here for? To watch plays and acrobatics?"

The two soldiers looked at each other. It sounded like this man knew the Commander, but they had never seen him before. Not knowing what to say, they could only offer up smiles and bow obsequiously to Chen Xin.

"Every one of you is only focused on watching the acrobatics, leaving Old Xu alone to take care of Young Master Bao'er. This street is teeming with people. If he trips or bumps into something, or worse, is abducted by a child-snatcher, even cutting off your heads wouldn't be enough! If I see this again, I will certainly go to Commander Yan and file a complaint."

Hearing that he even knew about Old Xu, the steward no longer dared to talk back, assuming he was some young master from a family acquainted with the Commander. He said repeatedly, "I won't dare next time, I won't dare next time. I earnestly hope you, young master, will raise your hand in mercy and forgive my poor eyesight. May I ask which young master you are...?"

Chen Xin put on the fullest airs, snorted, "You don't even recognize me? How do you serve as a steward?" He ignored him, left the three men, walked over to Old Xu, crouched down to look at Bao'er, and smiled, "It's been so long since I last saw Yan Bao'er. Bao'er, do you still remember what to call me?"

Old Xu, having overheard the previous exchange, also assumed he was an acquaintance or relative of the Commander. She quickly said to Bao'er, "Young Master Bao'er, quickly greet the gentleman."

The child, of course, didn't recognize the person before him. Seeing Chen Xin's pleasant face, he giggled and reached out to touch him. Chen Xin let him touch for a moment, then nudged him twice in the chest with his head. The child laughed even more happily. The steward stood to the side, watching with an ingratiating smile.

Chen Xin played with the child a bit more, deliberately leading him a few steps to the side, drawing the steward and the others to a position where they couldn't see into the alley. Suddenly, he stood up, snatched the pearl-studded hat off the child's head, and laughed, "Quick, call me, or else I'm taking your hat away."

The child, half-understanding, just looked at Chen Xin and giggled.

"Your hat is so pretty, and you still won't call me? I'm really taking it now, and I won't give it back." Holding the hat, Chen Xin retreated all the way to the mouth of the alley. Hidden behind the wall, he poked his head out and made faces at Bao'er. Bao'er clapped his hands in delight. The steward and the two soldiers also joined in the amusement. Old Xu even chimed in from the side, "Young Master, if you don't call him, he's going to take your hat."

After Chen Xin hid himself again, he waited for a while. When Steward Wen saw that the young gentleman still hadn't reappeared, he suddenly sensed something was wrong. He quickly ran to the alley entrance. People were coming and going, but there was no trace of Chen Xin. He stood there dumbly for a moment, let out a miserable cry, and collapsed to the ground.