Chapter 128: A Chance Meeting on the Road — Interesting, Most Interesting

Past Zhuozhou, another day's hard ride brought them at last to Liangxiang.

From here to the capital was barely fifty li — half a day by fast horse.

Lu Xiangsheng rode ahead as usual to scout, hoping to find farmers in the fields and inquire about fodder matters.

For some reason the weather had cleared in an instant the day before; now the sky was a spotless wash of blue, the temperature had risen slightly, and traveling was thoroughly pleasant.

If only… the surrounding fields were not marred by one patch of desolate waste after another.

The party was riding along at a brisk pace when a rush of urgent hoofbeats swept in from the distance, drawing rapidly nearer.

A dozen or so sturdy men, every face masked with a cloth, swords and bows slung at their waists, came whooping up from behind and overtook them, then immediately wheeled their horses and loosely encircled the group, circling round and round.

Their leader sized up the party's baggage and, seeing no bows in evidence, grew considerably bolder.

He urged his horse forward, held his bow before his chest, and drew the string lightly back and forth without nocking an arrow — purely for intimidation.

"This gentleman, by the look of it, has come a long way? We brothers have been riding hard for days and find ourselves a little short. Might the gentleman see fit to oblige us and stand the brothers a round of drinks?"

He paused and held up his fingers to indicate the amount.

"Not much at all. Ten of us brothers, ten cash apiece — round it off, one mace of silver will do. What say you?"

Before Lu Xiangsheng could speak, one of the household retainers the Feng family had sent as an escort could contain himself no longer.

He spurred his horse a step forward and bellowed, "Impudence! Have you never heard the name of the Feng family of Zhuozhou? How dare you run wild in this place!"

The bandit leader's grin froze at those words. He cursed inwardly: Damn it all, should've checked the almanac before stepping out.

Zhuozhou was over seventy li away — even the Zhuozhou magistrate had no authority over him here.

As for some dog-fart Feng family, he had never even heard of them.

But for a house servant to be this brazen, the family must have power and influence. If they reached the capital and filed a memorial, his Chiliarch would make sure he paid dearly for it.

It was just business, after all — nothing shameful about it. If this flock couldn't be fleeced, there was always another. Plenty of fat sheep in the world; no need to ram heads with this one.

At that thought, the lead man did not even bother with a parting tough word. He gave a sharp whistle, and at once he and his men wheeled their horses around and vanished into the dust.

A clash that had seemed imminent dissolved, just like that, into nothing.

Seeing this, the Feng family retainer's face promptly filled with an ingratiating smile. He sidled up to Lu Xiangsheng to claim credit: "You see, Sir Lu? Our master feared precisely such sordid trouble on the road might disturb your peace, which is why he specially dispatched us to escort you."

Lu Xiangsheng gazed after the retreating bandits, his eyes deep and unreadable. He merely nodded faintly, but in his heart he gave a soft sigh.

The bandits around the capital region seemed somewhat more restrained than in the year he passed the metropolitan examination — yet they were still brazenly rampant.

Today's party, counting the Feng family retainers, amounted to six or seven mounted able-bodied men. The bandits numbered barely a dozen, yet they had dared to surround them and demand reward money.

Lu Xiangsheng's brow furrowed; he could not help but fall into thought.

The banditry around the capital had persisted for a hundred years and long since developed its own rules.

From travelers and merchants they would extort a little money, rarely taking lives. In essence, it was nothing more than another form of transit tax.

If some fool truly committed a capital murder, the garrison commanders entrenched across the capital region would not wait for the Patrol Battalion to come knocking — they would kill the man themselves and deliver his head, with all due deference, to the Patrol Battalion's gate.

And how did Lu Xiangsheng know this so clearly?

Because he had already witnessed this exact play when he served at the Linqing Granary in Shandong.

Only there the robbers did not ride horses on land — they rowed small boats along the Grand Canal, that was all.

The problem at the root was the same.

Across the Great Ming realm, guard stations and patrol inspectorates were intermingled with civilian settlements. Discipline was lax, annual pay and rations were irregular, and so those hereditary military households who possessed armed force naturally found ways to use that force to run a little cost-free side business.

And even when the pay and rations did arrive on time, could that stop the officers everywhere from wanting to fatten their own purses a little?

Lu Xiangsheng could not help but ask himself:

If this matter were placed in my hands to resolve, where should I begin?

Start by overhauling the guard stations? Or start by overhauling military pay?

As he let his horse carry him forward, Lu Xiangsheng turned the question over and over in his mind, and unconsciously a faint smile crept onto his lips.

The joy of practical achievement truly surpasses mere literary composition. Interesting — most interesting!

The closer they drew to the capital region, the more abandoned fields lined the official highway.

At Zhuozhou the proportion had been no more than one in ten; here, as far as the eye could see, two or three fields in every ten were choked with withered yellow weeds.

Lu Xiangsheng at last spotted a farmer still hurrying to sow his field and rode up to question him.

From that exchange he obtained the fodder levy rates for the vicinity of the capital: one bundle of hay per mu of land.

A simple conversion made that one hundred bundles per qing!

Far exceeding the levy rates all along the route from Daming Prefecture.

In a sense, the more people fled famine, the heavier the taxes fell on those who remained — because the total quota never decreased; the yamen simply kept piling the tax burden onto the remaining populace.

A single bundle of hay — it did not sound like much.

Yet one mu of wheat, a full year's toil, yielded a single dan of grain and, beyond that, no more than fifteen bundles of straw.

That was, in hard fact, a one-in-fifteen tax.

Moreover, wheat straw had its uses in an ordinary farming household — either to feed livestock or to sell for cash. It was not, after all, a worthless thing.

Lu Xiangsheng's brow furrowed again.

Along the journey, he had gradually come to see clearly where the problem with this fodder matter lay.

If the task were simply to root out the corruption in the purchase of fodder, in his view the difficulty would be no greater than governing the Linqing Granary had been.

The ennobled, the palace eunuchs, the officials, the clerks — greedy as they were for profit — so long as the Emperor truly took the matter seriously, few fools would stubbornly defy the imperial will to court death.

But was he, Lu Xiangsheng, really going to confine himself to the matter of fodder alone?

Master Zhu had said:

The realm's malady has long since penetrated the vitals!

Every man can recognize it, every man wishes to speak of it — yet, holding no office that bears the responsibility, though he may long to display his skill, he has nowhere to apply it.

He, Lu Xiangsheng, had now been summoned to the capital by imperial decree and could be said to hold an office that bore the responsibility. Was it possible, then, to propose a remedy that could cure what had penetrated the vitals?

Lu Xiangsheng pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

No, he should not act so rashly.

These past few days, having received the imperial summons and traveled toward the capital, his mind had been wholly occupied with the matter of horse fodder — so much so that he had not even glanced at the Capital Gazette.

He knew nothing of the new sovereign's temperament or his policies of governance. At this moment, everything was mere idle speculation.

It seemed that, after entering the city, his first task must be to gather information.

With this thought, Lu Xiangsheng turned his horse and said to his page, "Ride back and find the two gentlemen. Tell them that I am going ahead into the city today to seek lodgings and will not wait for them to enter the capital together."

"After you have delivered the message, come into the city and find me at the Cheng'en Temple by the Xuanwu Gate."

The page answered with a word of assent, wheeled his horse, and departed.

Lu Xiangsheng then turned to his household retainers, who still stood motionless, and frowned. "What are you waiting for? Go back together and escort the two gentlemen."

The retainer hesitated. "But… those bandits just now…"

Lu Xiangsheng's eyes narrowed slightly. He said nothing, merely casting him a faint look.

The retainer's heart jolted with alarm. He dared not say another word and hastily called the others to turn back with him.

Rid of the Feng household's retainers, Lu Xiangsheng rode on alone, his pace quickening considerably. Before long, he had crossed the Lugou Bridge.

The towering walls of the capital were already visible in the distance.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, his attention was suddenly caught by a strange structure beside the official road.

Eh? What was that odd thing that just flashed past?

Lu Xiangsheng reined in his horse and turned to look.

There had originally been a relay post for transmitting dispatches by the official road, but now a wooden platform over two zhang high had suddenly been erected beside it.

Atop the platform, an I-shaped wooden pole of curious design had been mounted.

Seeing that it was still early in the day, Lu Xiangsheng could not, in the end, suppress his curiosity. He turned his horse and rode toward the high platform.

Drawing near, he could make out three soldiers busily working on the platform.

The youngest of them, a lad of about seventeen or eighteen, was actually wearing a flying-fish robe. He held a single-tubed brass pole in his hands, peering out from a window in the platform and muttering something under his breath.

Another, slightly older, was concealed behind him; Lu Xiangsheng could vaguely see that he seemed to be holding a brush and rapidly recording something in a booklet.

The last man, who looked to be in his early thirties, stood furthest back. It was unclear what he was doing, but it seemed to have some connection with the I-shaped wooden frame on the platform.

Lu Xiangsheng did not call out to disturb them. He simply stood quietly to the side of the platform, watching them work.

After about the time it takes a stick of incense to burn, the young man in the flying-fish robe abruptly lowered the brass tube in his hands and slapped his thigh in excitement.

"It's done! Guangning Gate has reported back!"

He shouted, "Sending and receiving can be done at the same time! No errors!"

The other two, hearing this, were instantly filled with delight.

"Chief Wang, you've struck it rich this time! Efficiency doubled in one stroke!"

"Right, that first prize of a hundred taels of silver is surely yours!"

The young man in the flying-fish robe gave a hearty laugh, but then shook his head and sighed with some unwillingness. "Damn it, I'll probably only get a runner-up prize at best."

He slammed his fist against the railing beside him and cursed.

"That fellow Zou's method is just too damn clever! To think he'd encode common phrases directly!"

"That way, 'the barbarian chieftain with three thousand men raids Ningyuan' goes from eight codes to four! And if you tidy up some military orders, you can even go from eight codes down to two, or even one!"

The young man in the flying-fish robe was so consumed by envy that his face was utterly distorted. He ground his teeth.

"The night before, I had a vague inkling of it just before I fell asleep, but who'd have thought that by the time I woke up, he'd already reported it! That bastard stepped in dog shit and struck it lucky!"

"One day! Just one day! Otherwise, both the first prize and the runner-up would have been mine!"

Lu Xiangsheng listened quietly from below the platform, merely committing these baffling terms to memory.

Only when they seemed to have finished their work and were taking a rest did he clear his throat lightly and cup his hands. "May I ask, gentlemen…"

At this sound, the three men on the platform were badly startled.

"Who goes there!"

The three turned almost as one. With a ringing clatter, three waist sabers were drawn from their scabbards, and the small platform descended into chaos.

The young Embroidered Uniform Guard's brows shot up as he bellowed fiercely.

"Hah! Where did this thieving scoundrel come from, daring to spy on military secrets here!"

Before his words had even faded, he did not stop to think. Grabbing a rope beside him, he leaped down from a height of over a zhang! His movements were agile, and he landed without a sound.

Another soldier followed his example and jumped down after him, but carelessly struck his body against a protrusion on the tower platform, letting out a muffled grunt. Yet, enduring the pain, he still limped forward, blade raised menacingly.

The last man, the middle-aged one, hesitated for a moment. Probably judging that his own agility was not up to the task, he ultimately clambered down the ladder in an honest and straightforward manner.

In short order, the three formed a triangle and surrounded Lu Xiangsheng, the blades of their sabers gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

Lu Xiangsheng, however, showed not the slightest alarm. He merely smiled faintly, cupped his hands with composure, and said, "I am no villain. I am Lu Xiangsheng, Prefect of Daming Prefecture, summoned to the capital by imperial decree. Seeing this curious structure, I came over specifically to inquire about it."

So saying, he drew his travel permit and credentials from his sleeve and openly presented them.

The three men looked at one another. The young Embroidered Uniform Guard who led them still had doubt in his eyes.

At his signal, the middle-aged soldier stepped forward, snatched the permit, and examined it closely.

A moment later, the misunderstanding was resolved.

The three soldiers sheathed their sabers and introduced themselves.

The spirited and brash young man was none other than Wang Shide, Assistant Guard Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The new sovereign of the Yongchang reign had ordered the selection of young men of unblemished record to remake the face of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

As a result, his own father had been purged in the very first round of screening.

He himself had then passed the assessment by virtue of his superb archery and horsemanship and his passable literary skill, directly taking over his father's post.

And so he had become a full fourth-rank Assistant Guard Commander at the age of nineteen.

The other two were Embroidered Uniform Guard Centurions Chen Sanqiu and Mo Xianzu.

Not worth mentioning — both were poor grunts who'd ground away for years without ever rising. Unless fortune smiled on them in this life, they'd likely stay Centurions forever.

The three of them then gave Lu Xiangsheng a rough explanation of how this thousand-li lightning signal relay station worked and what it was used for.

"What?!"

Lu Xiangsheng's eyes went wide. He pressed them in disbelief: "So, according to this… method of yours — "

"A piece of military intelligence, sent from Jinzhou Guard in Liaodong to the capital, at its fastest… takes only half a shichen?!"

Wang Shide, seeing how utterly provincial the man looked, planted a hand on his hip in triumph.

"That's right! It used to take a full shichen — only thanks to yours truly improving the transmission and reception method can we achieve such speed!"

Lu Xiangsheng instinctively looked up at that tall platform again.

And suddenly felt that the platform was not strange at all.

Every edge and corner brimmed with power and beauty! Truly the masterpiece of a great master!

He praised from the heart: "Such an inspired stroke — I wonder which master of military arts conceived it? Though it borrows from the old beacon-fire precedent, it truly sees what none before have seen, a thunderclap that splits the stone!"

At these words, the smug look on Wang Shide's face instantly transformed into one of fervent zeal. He snapped his hands together in a salute and declared in a ringing voice:

"It is none other than the newly enthroned sovereign, His Majesty the Yongchang Emperor!"

"His Majesty?"

At this, Lu Xiangsheng's earlier shock and admiration cooled in an instant, and his brow could not help but furrow deeply.

Though this method was a sharp weapon of state, that it came from the Emperor's own hand stirred a touch of worry in him.

Would he be another Tianqi?

Without leaving a trace, Lu Xiangsheng reined in his expression, eased his face, and smiled.

"So that is how it is. After I passed the metropolitan examination, I was posted year after year in Shandong and at Daming Prefecture — the road is long, and I have been ill-informed."

"Has the new sovereign, since his enthronement, introduced any other fine governance?"

As Lu Xiangsheng spoke, his hand was already groping inside his sleeve. He produced a small piece of broken silver, about one tael, and held it out. "A trifle for tea — no mark of true respect, but I hope Assistant Commissioner Wang will not refuse it."

Who could have guessed — the silver had barely traveled halfway when Wang Shide, as though stung by a scorpion, sprang backward in a great leap. Clang! He drew his blade once more and bellowed harshly:

"What do you think you're doing!"

This explosive shout, full of vigor from the diaphragm, set Lu Xiangsheng's eardrums buzzing.

His hand, holding the silver, froze there in midair. For a moment he could only stammer wordlessly, unsure what to say.

What the… this is just money. Have you never seen it before or what?

Wang Shide's face was ashen. He stared at Lu Xiangsheng, and at the silver in his hand, as though looking at something filthy.

"I took you for some great personage — turns out you're just another one who only knows how to pave his way with silver!"

He snorted, thrusting his blade back into its scabbard, but his tone remained utterly overbearing.

"His Majesty has decreed: 'To set others right, first set yourself right!' Our Embroidered Uniform Guard has endured for a hundred years, and by now its reputation is no better than that of falcons and hounds, of mongrel curs — how can we still be called the personal army of the Son of Heaven!"

"This Guard touches the very dignity of the state, and it must be reformed! It shall begin with us — we shall make this flying-fish surcoat once more illustrious among men!"

He glared at Lu Xiangsheng as if taking an oath.

"If hereafter you see anyone in the capital wearing this uniform who dares take bribes and extort, who preys upon the common people, you may freely submit an impeachment memorial! When that time comes, I, Wang Shide, will be the first to hunt him down!"

At this point, as though still not vented enough, he added:

"You officials — who knows how much you've embezzled day in and day out, so you assume everyone shares your outlook! You've truly looked down on us!"

Lu Xiangsheng finally came to his senses. He solemnly withdrew the silver and bowed deeply to Wang Shide, saying in a grave voice:

"I did not know Assistant Commissioner Wang possessed such lofty integrity — it is I who have measured a gentleman's heart with a petty man's mind. For this discourtesy, I beg your magnanimity."

Only then did Wang Shide's expression ease a little.

He spat a forceful "Pei!", flung his hand, and said: "Forget it! When words don't click, half a sentence is too much! No more chatting — get lost. We still have several sets of experiments to run today!"

With that, he led the other two and turned back toward the tall platform.

He had taken only a few steps when, in the end, he could not hold back.

He turned around again, raised his blade — scabbard and all — and from several paces away jabbed it fiercely at Lu Xiangsheng.

"You officials can hide things for a time, but you can't hide them forever! Don't you let your Grandpa Wang catch you by the handle!"

"Or else, sooner or later, just like that cur of a magistrate in Runing Prefecture, you'll be utterly disgraced and exposed to the light of day!"

Only after saying this did he climb the tall platform without looking back.

Lu Xiangsheng stood alone where he was, watching that youthfully spirited back. For a moment he did not know whether to laugh or cry.

This young man looked barely touched by the world, yet his words were so blunt and direct that Lu Xiangsheng found them hard to explain away.

He shook his head. Not angry in the least, he turned, cleanly and crisply mounted his horse.

When he raised his eyes again, he gazed toward the distant, towering outline of the capital. The brow that had been tightly furrowed had, without his noticing, gradually smoothed itself out.

He flicked his riding crop and galloped toward the capital.

Only a whisper, too faint to catch, was left behind where he had stood.

"Interesting… truly interesting!"