Chapter 200: What Is the Meaning of Victory?

South of Mizhi county town.

Fushun Tower, one of the city's most renowned restaurants, was uncharacteristically shut tight today, a "Closed for the Day" sign hung out as it turned guests away early.

Yet inside, far from the quiet of a closed establishment, the scene was one of raucous, heated clamor.

"Six-six-six!"

"Eight horses! Drink!"

The spacious main hall was packed with brawny, barrel-chested men.

Robes thrown open to bare their dark chests, faces flushed crimson, they bellowed at the heavens in drinking games.

The waiters darted like butterflies threading through flowers, swift-footed, bearing steaming platters of hearty dishes in an endless stream.

Roast chicken, braised pork, river fish — every dish was piled high to overflowing.

Empty wine jars were stacked waist-high in the corner, a sight that made the innkeeper behind the counter bloom with delight.

Big business, hahaha!

At the very center of the feast sat Gao Yingxiang and the menfolk of Li Hongji's family.

"Uncle! Delicious! So delicious!"

A brawny youth, cheeks stuffed with glistening pork belly, shouted indistinctly — it was Li Hongji's nephew, Li Guo.

Beside him, Li Hongye, Li Hongji's third younger brother, was burying himself in a large pork hock at a pace no slower than Li Guo's.

A half-grown lad can eat his father to death.

The Li parents had died early; only the eldest brother Li Hongji had managed to get a job as a post-station groom, yet he also had to support the two other males, Li Guo and Li Hongye.

Naturally, their days were pinched, and they rarely saw a trace of meat or fat.

"Hahahaha!" Gao Yingxiang, seated in the host's place, drained his cup in one gulp and let out a hearty laugh. "Eat more if it's good! Follow your uncle from now on, and you'll have meat at every meal!"

His face was ruddy and his spirits high, clearly a man elated by good fortune.

Seated below him, Li Hongji, usually a man of grim countenance, wore a rare smile as well.

He reached out, seized the roast chicken before him, and with a powerful tear, ripped off both plump drumsticks.

One he handed to his younger brother Li Hongye, the other to his nephew Li Guo.

Once the two youngsters were settled, Li Hongji picked up the wine pot, filled Gao Yingxiang's cup to the brim, and asked, "Uncle, such extravagance today — did that deal beyond the frontier come through?"

"It came through! Smooth as could be!"

Gao Yingxiang slapped his thigh, his pride written all over his face.

"Last time, after heeding your advice, I pooled together over a hundred iron pots with the brothers and took a trip beyond the frontier."

"Heh, guess what? It wasn't any Jurchens — it was the Tiger Khan's forces from the eastern Chahar tribe attacking."

"My shipment arrived just in time for the perfect moment! A pot that costs one tael of silver here, over among the Tumed, I named a price of five taels straight up!"

He lowered his voice and asked mysteriously, "Guess how much your uncle cleared on this one trip?"

Li Hongji silently calculated for a moment, then extended an open palm and asked in a low voice, "This much?"

Five hundred taels?

The smug grin on Gao Yingxiang's face instantly froze, and then his palm smacked right onto the back of Li Hongji's head.

"You dumb fool!" he cursed in exasperation. "You think silver coins are just blown in by the wind?"

"The officials have two mouths — one to eat grain, one to eat men. You think you can pick food from an official's mouth without stuffing it full first?"

"The border troops' checkpoints — I don't need to grease them? The taiji on the Mongol side taking the goods — I don't need to pay my respects? You think the Nine Frontiers are run by our Old Gao family?"

Li Hongji had been beaten by this uncle since childhood and took no offense: "Your nephew was thinking too simply. So — just how much was the profit?"

Gao Yingxiang gave a snort, but his expression softened.

He extended two thick fingers, flipped them in front of Li Hongji, and lowered his voice even further: "This much!"

Two hundred taels!

Even though the sum had shrunk by more than half, Li Hongji was still stunned.

In this border region, the most elite household retainers, who wore their heads on their belts all year long, earned at most thirty or forty taels in annual pay and rations.

Yet these two hundred taels were pure profit that Gao Yingxiang had made in under a month!

Seeing his shocked expression, Gao Yingxiang felt even more pleased with himself. He fished a heavy coin pouch from his bosom and tossed it into Li Hongji's arms.

"Here's twenty taels. You didn't go beyond the frontier, but since the idea came from you in the first place, this deal was only possible — you deserve a share of this venture."

"A man, without money in his hands, can't stiffen his spine."

At these words, Li Hongji's dark face flushed involuntarily; he knew his uncle had seen the sour looks his wife, Han Jin'er, had been giving him at home.

He squeezed the coin pouch and thought to himself: That woman — tonight when I get back, I'll have to make sure she learns her lesson again!

Gao Yingxiang downed another large cup of wine and, three parts drunk, clapped Li Hongji on the shoulder: "Hongji, my boy, your uncle's trade is now officially open for business."

"This horse run also got me connected with a taiji under the Prince of Shunyi."

"While they're fighting, we'll run a few more loads of iron pots. Once we've built up the goodwill and connections, we can move on to cloth, to silk! That's the real business where a penny earns a pound!"

His eyes gleamed, full of hope for the future, and he extended the invitation: "So, what do you say? Come work with your uncle? As the saying goes, father and son in battle, blood brothers against the tiger. If your uncle wants to grow this operation, what I'm missing is a reliable man of our own like you!"

Li Hongji's heart gave one violent thump.

Riding horses beyond the frontier, eating meat in great mouthfuls, drinking wine from great bowls, dividing silver by the scale!

A hundred taels of pure profit in one trip — how much would that be over a year?!

But this surge of hot blood only rushed upward for a moment before it stopped abruptly at a strange place.

Riding horses beyond the frontier — the money was good, but how many months of the year could you stay home?

Twenty-one-year-old Li Hongji was a man in his fierce prime, only newly initiated into the pleasures of the flesh a few months ago, and now at the stage where the taste only deepens the craving.

The thought of Han Jin'er's pale, bare body, those soft, plaintive pleas for mercy, made him feel a faint heat in his lower belly — no rush, no rush, at least get back the full cost of marrying a wife before broaching this matter.

He turned it over in his mind, but what came out of his mouth was a different excuse: "Uncle, a matter this big — how about letting me think it over a bit more?"

"Giving up the post station job is no small matter after all. How about I give you an answer once spring comes?"

Gao Yingxiang had spoken on the courage of drink just now, and the moment the words left his mouth he already felt three parts regret. This nephew of his — his father had died early, and his second brother had died of illness. Now, of the Li family line, only Hongji and Zijing, the two brothers, remained. In the next generation, there was only Li Guo, a single shoot.

If he really dragged Li Hongji out there and something happened beyond the frontier, how could he face his own sister when he went to the grave a hundred years from now?

Seeing Li Hongji refuse, far from being displeased, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

A post station groom was fine too — though the earnings were meager, it was still a stable job after all.

"Good, good, good! We'll talk about this next year." He immediately laughed heartily and brushed the topic aside. "No rush, no rush! Come, drink up, drink up!"

The group began exchanging toasts again, and the atmosphere grew lively once more.

After three rounds of wine and five courses of food, men can never resist holding forth on the realm.

The topic gradually drifted from personal livelihoods to the great affairs of the realm.

"Come to think of it, this new Emperor of ours seems clear-sighted and wise," a fellow said, downing a cup of wine and smacking his lips. "The moment he ascended the throne, not only did he remit past land taxes, he even paid out the enthronement bounty in full."

"My brother on the border garrison told me — that Official Ma they sent is a truly formidable character."

The other men clearly lacked such border garrison connections and hurriedly pressed him: "Just how formidable? Don't keep us in suspense — out with it, out with it!"

The man from the border garrison laughed heartily. "How do you think? In the past, when military pay passed through, the commanders always swallowed a few shares, and the civil officials swallowed a few shares too."

"This Official Ma, on the other hand — first he accepted the customary payments as usual, but then announced he had imperial orders to inspect the troops."

"The generals at the garrison thought they had fed him enough and could just muddle through, so naturally they cooperated with a parade-ground review."

At this point, he pushed his wine cup aside, his face full of smug satisfaction, but said nothing.

The others understood his intent and hurriedly refilled his cup, urging him on again.

The border garrison man downed the wine in one gulp, and only then continued with satisfaction: "So this Official Ma, when he reached the parade ground, he directly displayed all the gold and silver he had received, announcing it was gifts from the officers — leaving every one of those generals utterly unable to save face."

"Then, right there on the parade ground, he called the roll and had the Company Commanders step forward to receive the bounty. He distributed it handful by handful in open court, saying that if anyone dared skim off any, they should report it on the spot."

"He was Ma — Ma something, damn it!"

The fellow suddenly slapped his own forehead, overcome with regret, and sighed: "I've actually forgotten the name of that upright lord — truly unforgivable."

He sighed and continued: "In any case, that Official Ma said he would stand right there that day, and whoever dared to skim — he would record it, and impeachment memorials would be sent up of their own accord!"

"And so this whole pay distribution went on from the hour of Mao all the way until midnight, the hour of Zi."

"Once all the pay had been collected — guess what happened?"

The other men could not stand this fellow's repeated teasing, but they were right at the most thrilling part and simply could not hold back. They had no choice — some poured wine, some pounded his back, and they managed at least to coax him into continuing.

Only then did the border garrison man say: "It turned out Official Ma had already arranged meat and wine in advance, and as soon as the pay distribution was done, he bestowed it all upon the troops. And the cost of that wine and food — came precisely from the silver those very officers had offered as tribute!"

"Excellent!" As the tale concluded, the men present all boiled over with excitement.

The border garrison man let out a long sigh and said: "Good officials are hard to find. Gentlemen, let us raise a cup together to Official Ma! May Official Ma rise step by step, enter the Grand Secretariat, and become a minister!"

The men all raised their cups in unison: "May Official Ma rise step by step, enter the Grand Secretariat, and become a minister!"

But though Official Ma was an honest official, an honest official nonetheless, this still did not quite scratch everyone's itch.

No sooner had the cups been raised than someone spoke up indignantly: "If that Official Ma could have called forth the imperial sword on the spot and cut down a few Regional Commanders and Assistant Regional Commanders — now that would have been satisfying!"

Others nearby chimed in: "Exactly, exactly! This parade-ground pay distribution was splendid, but in the end, it still wasn't enough!"

Gao Yingxiang had been listening carefully off to the side, nursing his wine cup. Only at this point did he snort derisively: "You lot can't read a single character and never glance at the Capital Gazette. You don't even know that the men sent to distribute bounty on the Nine Frontiers are merely officials from the Messenger Office — not Governors-General or Governors. Where would they get an imperial sword?"

At this, emboldened by drink, he added with a dark chuckle: "Besides, if you're going to cut someone down, you ought to cut — "

Before Gao Yingxiang could finish his sentence —

With a thunderous "Bang!", the two heavy wooden doors of the Fushun Tavern were kicked violently open from outside by some tremendous force!

The October wind howled in like a wild beast, instantly scattering the warmth of wine and conviviality throughout the hall, leaving only a bone-piercing chill.

The clamor filling the hall came to an abrupt halt.

"What blind dog dares disturb your grandfathers' drinking pleasure!"

A drunken fellow slammed the table and shot to his feet, grabbing a wine bowl to hurl toward the doorway.

But his wrist was seized by a stronger hand.

It was Gao Yingxiang.

He had risen at some unknown moment, his face grim as he stared at the doorway, while unobtrusively pulling Li Hongji, Li Guo, and the others behind him.

He glanced instinctively at the tavern keeper behind the counter, only to find the keeper equally stunned — clearly, this had nothing to do with him.

Not the tavern's enemies?

Thoughts raced through Gao Yingxiang's mind.

Could the horse-smuggling have been exposed?

He had only just returned to Mizhi — and someone was already at the door?

Which deity had he failed to grease? Was it Garrison Commander Li of the Yulin Guard? Or Assistant Regional Commander Wang of the Yansui Garrison?

Damn it all, this is way too fast!

Before Gao Yingxiang could think it through —

From outside, a great swarm of bailiffs wielding water-and-fire staves surged in like a tide, instantly surrounding the entire hall so tightly not a drop of water could leak through.

The men who had been boisterous and swaggering moments before now all fell silent. They had seen official deployments before, but a scene of this magnitude — this was a first.

They looked at one another, and in the end, every gaze turned to Gao Yingxiang.

Though the bailiffs were many, they were not enough to intimidate these men who had roamed far and wide.

But whether to fight or flee, and what this whole affair was even about — the leaders had to speak first.

Gao Yingxiang swept his eyes through the crowd and spotted a familiar figure — none other than Head Bailiff Wang of the Mizhi County yamen.

His heart settled a little. As long as it was the county yamen, there was always room to maneuver.

He immediately pushed through the crowd, stepped forward, and cupped his hands toward Head Bailiff Wang, forcing a smile onto his face: "Head Bailiff Wang, what wind has blown you here? We brothers were just drinking together — I don't know what has warranted your trouble. Is there perhaps... some misunderstanding here?"

As he spoke, a small piece of broken silver had already slipped silently from his sleeve, extended toward Head Bailiff Wang's hand.

Constable Wang, quick of eye and hand, scooped the silver into his palm, the fleshy folds of his face twitching with satisfaction. He leaned close to Gao Yingxiang's ear and lowered his voice: "Third Brother Gao, don't panic — it's no bad thing. A great fortune is about to land on your family!"

What sort of great fortune comes delivered like this?

Gao Yingxiang was utterly baffled and was about to press for more details.

But then he saw the group of runners suddenly part to either side, clearing a path.

A small squad of men with embroidered-spring sabers at their waists strode into the restaurant. The Embroidered Uniform Guard!

The previously somewhat steady atmosphere in the main hall instantly turned deathly silent — even the sound of breathing was clearly audible.

But deep down, Gao Yingxiang actually breathed a sigh of relief.

Whatever else, his little side deal smuggling a hundred or so iron pots could never in a million years alarm such a lofty power as the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

As long as they weren't here for him, all was well.

The lead Embroidered Uniform Guard entered and swept a hawk-like gaze slowly around the room, until it landed, with pinpoint precision, on Li Hongji, who stood behind Gao Yingxiang.

That single glance made Li Hongji's skin crawl, as if he had plunged into an ice pit.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard did not even bother to announce his own name or office, but spoke directly: "Li Hongji, why did you not report for duty at the post station today, and came here to drink instead?"

"You've given this officer quite a search. Come — Eunuch Gao of the Directorate of Ceremonial wishes to see you."

Every gaze in the room swiveled in unison toward Li Hongji.

Li Hongji's face drained of all color, turning deathly pale.

He trembled all over, his mind a complete blank, utterly failing to grasp what was happening.

Was missing a day's duty really enough to bring out the Embroidered Uniform Guard?

No — it was that Directorate of Ceremonial!

But that made even less sense!

He was a mere stable hand at Yinchuan Post. His direct superior, the postmaster, was only an unranked official of the ninth grade.

How could he possibly be connected to the fabled Directorate of Ceremonial, whose power overshadowed the entire court?

Was he — even worthy?

"Sir, surely there's been some —"

Seeing his nephew scared out of his wits, Gao Yingxiang forced a smile and stepped forward to speak on his behalf.

He had not even finished speaking.

Crack!

A dark shadow flashed — an Embroidered Uniform Guard lieutenant, without a single word, had lashed out directly with his whip!

The whip was fierce and swift, clearly the product of years of practiced skill. The tip snapped out and struck Gao Yingxiang squarely across the face.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard is conducting business — who gave you leave to squawk? Get lost if you want to live!" the lieutenant barked.

As his words fell, several Embroidered Uniform Guards surged forward like wolves and tigers.

They did not seize him, nor did they draw their blades. They merely extended a hand toward Li Hongji, gesturing.

Li Hongji felt an invisible pressure bear down upon him from above. His legs went weak, and involuntarily — thud —

he dropped to his knees right there on the floor.

One lieutenant curled his lip, but still stepped forward and hauled him up with both hands, a smile on his face: "This is great fortune knocking at your door — what's there to panic about!"

With that, half-dragging, half-pulling, he hustled Li Hongji toward the door.

The more vague his words, the more frantic Li Hongji's heart became.

What great fortune? What Directorate of Ceremonial? Were they going to — drag him into the palace and make him a eunuch?!

His neck was stiff as rusted iron as he turned his head with difficulty to look at his uncle.

But all he saw was his uncle prostrated tightly on the ground, not daring to raise his head.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards had come as swiftly as they left.

In the blink of an eye, they had swept the dazed and despondent Li Hongji out the door and vanished, leaving behind only a mess and a few county constables maintaining order.

Only then did Constable Wang let out an "Aiyo" and stepped forward to help Gao Yingxiang up: "Third Brother Gao, why put yourself through that? What was the point of sticking your neck out? You took that lash for nothing."

Supported by him, Gao Yingxiang found a bench and sat down. Only then did he dare raise a hand to wipe the blood from his face.

He gave a bitter laugh: "I've roamed these parts of Shaanxi for years, but I've never laid eyes on an imperial envoy of the Embroidered Uniform Guard from the capital. How was I to know they'd be so overbearing — before I could finish a single question, a whip across the face."

He turned to Constable Wang and asked urgently: "Brother Wang, do you know what this is all about? That Eunuch Gao — from what I read in the Capital Gazette, isn't he the newly appointed seal-holder of the Directorate of Ceremonial after His Majesty ascended the throne? What would bring him to this tiny Mizhi County to look for my nephew?"

Constable Wang's face creased into a chrysanthemum of a smile. "Why fret over the reason? We've watched that boy Huangwazi grow up — could he possibly have committed some capital crime? The minds of such great figures from the capital are beyond our guessing."

Gao Yingxiang had wiped for a long while and finally managed to staunch the bleeding somewhat, but the terror in his heart had not lessened by half.

He asked again: "Could it be — he's being taken into the palace?" As he spoke, he made a snipping gesture with two fingers.

Constable Wang laughed heartily: "That I wouldn't dare say. But why fret so much? To be connected with the seal-holder of the Directorate of Ceremonial — what sort of great fortune is that? How many men beg for that snip and never get it! It's just that —"

He shifted his tone, putting on an air of mystery.

"Whether this fortune actually lands on Hongji's head is far from certain. Who knows — when the time comes, he might want the snip and not even get it!"

Gao Yingxiang stared blankly: "What do you mean by that?"

Constable Wang lowered his voice: "Today the Embroidered Uniform Guard came to Mizhi. They went first to Yinchuan Post, gathered everyone at the station, and demanded by name a man called Li Zicheng. But as you know, is there anyone by that name at our post station?"

"That Official Zheng was decisive — he rounded up every man surnamed Li at the station: Li Ziqian, Li Wanyou, Li Chengye — took the whole lot of them away together!"

"Only after questioning did they discover Hongji had taken leave today and not reported for duty. That's when they sent us to find the boy."

He clicked his tongue in wonder and shook his head: "So you see, the man Eunuch Gao is looking for is Li Zicheng."

"But among these four who've been taken away, which one is him and which one isn't — who can say?"

"Anyway, Official Zheng has already given the order for the county office to sift through every man surnamed Li in the entire county. Anyone whose name is Li Zicheng — take them all away first and ask questions later!"

Gao Yingxiang listened, utterly dumbfounded.

So this was what lay behind it all?

Travel a thousand li just to find a "Li Zicheng"?

Has Eunuch Gao lost his mind?

What is this supposed to be? Not quite a windfall, not quite a calamity — what sort of game is he playing?

The affair was too bizarre, completely beyond Gao Yingxiang's comprehension.

He pondered for a long while but could make no sense of it.

He opened his mouth to press for more details, but Constable Wang had no wish to waste further words on him.

After all, a one-in-four chance at riches was not worth that much of his energy.

Constable Wang cupped his fist in salute and said, "Third Brother Gao, I'll be off now. The yamen's short-handed and busy — I need to hurry back and report. If anything comes up later, just send word!" With that, he swept out with his constables in a flurry of motion.

Leaving only a drafty front door panel and a roomful of big men staring at each other, their drunkenness entirely gone.

— And the innkeeper and waiters, who had just now poked their heads up from behind the counter.

"Uncle — — is Big Brother — — is he ever coming back?"

In the end, it was Li Hongye who broke the silence. He walked shakily to Gao Yingxiang's side and asked, his voice thick with tears.

Gao Yingxiang forced a smile, but it inadvertently tugged at the whip marks on his face, making him wince and grimace in pain.

He stood up, looked at Li Hongye — whose height already reached his shoulder — and patted him on the head.

After a moment of silence, he sighed heavily and said, "You're not so young anymore. It's about time — — we found you a wife."

Gao Yingxiang gazed out the door, his expression complicated.

"As for your brother — — let's wait for news. Constable Wang did say it's not certain he actually entered the palace."

"If he really did enter the palace — — then your brother's ancestral line will depend on you having a few more sons, so you can pass one to him as an heir."

Mizhi County, the county yamen's main hall.

The presiding magistrate's seat, normally occupied only when the county magistrate held court, was now taken by an outsider.

Zheng Shiyi, Squad Leader of the Eastern Bureau of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, sat there with an imposing, wide-legged stance. In his hands, however, was not a case file but a copy of the Great Ming Times, which he was perusing with close attention.

Below the dais, two gray-bearded old men in fine silk robes stood with bowed bodies, too afraid to even breathe loudly.

The magistrate of Mizhi County hovered to the side, back bent, his face plastered with an obsequious smile.

"Sir Zheng," the magistrate said with extreme caution, "the major Li clans in Mizhi County are primarily the two branches: the Li of Second Jia, Tai'an Ward, and the Li of Shilou, Yonghe. Both clan heads and their genealogies are here."

"As you instructed, the genealogies have been examined. Two individuals named 'Li Zicheng' were found. One passed away ten years ago. For the other, runners have already gone with Banner officers to summon him — he should be brought here shortly."

Zheng Shiyi did not even raise his head. His eyes remained fixed on the newspaper as he waved a hand impatiently: "Noted. All of you, dismissed."

"Yes, yes."

As if granted a great reprieve, the magistrate and the two clan heads bowed and carefully backed out of the hall.

Official copies of the Great Ming's Capital Gazette, by regulation, were relayed from courier station to courier station, traveling one hundred and fifty li a day.

From the capital to this remote Mizhi County, routine dispatches took nearly twenty days.

Thus, the newspaper in Zheng Shiyi's hands was naturally twenty-day-old news.

The front page carried the contents of the second Daily Lecture, in which the new sovereign, His Majesty Yongchang, posed the soul-searching question: "What is the problem with the Great Ming today?"

But that was not what concerned Zheng Shiyi.

His fingers repeatedly rubbed over the "Personnel Appointments and Dismissals" column. He read the names and posts listed there over and over, his brow furrowing tighter each time.

How utterly strange!

What kind of game was this new sovereign playing? It was impossible to fathom.

He had moved with lightning speed to seize Wei Zhongxian and the entire eunuch faction, seeming on the verge of rooting them out completely — yet at the critical moment, he had let the matter drop lightly. He had even handed the Minister of Personnel, the very official who controlled all the official hats under heaven, to Yang Jingchen, a universally acknowledged member of the eunuch faction?

What trick was this? Which way was the wind blowing now?

Zheng Shiyi set down the newspaper and rubbed his temples, his mind a tangled mess.

A trusted aide standing nearby saw that his superior had a free moment and hurriedly stepped forward. In a low voice, he said, "Sir, we've used every method available. We've rounded up six men surnamed Li, all told. That should be enough to pass muster, shouldn't it?"

"Could we — — return to the capital and report our mission complete?"

Shaanxi was a wretched place — poor and unruly, nothing like Jiangnan, that blessed land so rich you could wring oil from it.

No one wanted to linger long in such a miserable backwater. They all just wanted to hurry back to the capital, hand in their assignment, and avoid missing out on other lucrative postings.

At these words, Zheng Shiyi's eyes bulged. He slammed the table and roared, "Idiots!"

"What Eunuch Gao specifically requested was Li Zicheng, the groom from Yinchuan Post! Since no such man has been found, it is very likely that Eunuch Gao misremembered the name, or that the man changed his name somewhere along the way!"

"This is the first imperial assignment we have received since the new sovereign ascended the throne. It must be carried out thoroughly and solidly — not the slightest negligence is permitted! If this is botched, can you bear the consequences?"

He jabbed a finger at the aide's nose and cursed: "Put those shirking, corner-cutting schemes out of your mind! Get back out there and search again, at once!"

"Not just the major Li clans — those minor Li clans tucked away in every crack and cranny must also be visited, door to door!"

"You must not let a single possible 'Li Zicheng' slip through!"

The aide, thoroughly dressed down, saw his sweet dream of an early return to the capital burst like a bubble. He could only mumble his assent and retreat with a bow.

Zheng Shiyi watched the man's fearful, retreating back. The anger on his face gradually faded, replaced by a cold sneer that was barely perceptible.

Return to the capital?

Return to the capital for what? To seek death?

A mere Li Zicheng — what did it matter if he was found or not?

A groundless whim of Eunuch Gao's was not worth such an enormous expenditure of effort.

Tian Ergeng had tossed this baffling assignment at him precisely to use the opportunity to kick him out of the capital and prevent him from stirring up trouble.

But this arrangement happened to suit Zheng Shiyi's own wishes perfectly.

It was the ideal chance to put distance between himself and the capital, where a storm was about to break with the new sovereign's accession.

A wise man does not stand beneath a wall on the verge of collapse.

The capital today was exactly that — an invisible wall about to crumble.

The eunuch faction seems to have scattered, yet it hasn't really scattered; the Donglin faction talks of restoration, but they may not actually gain power.

When the wind's direction is unclear, why place a bet?

Let others go first; I will quietly observe the changes. Only thus can one stand on invincible ground.

This is what is meant by seeming slow yet being swift in truth!

In any case, Eunuch Gao's matter doesn't look particularly urgent.

True enough — what urgency could there be in finding a post-station runner?

Zheng Shiyi thought to this point and couldn't help shaking his head with a laugh.

He picked up that newspaper again, his gaze falling upon the other sections, and read it word by word, striving to fathom the thoughts and intentions of this Eternal Prosperity Sovereign.

Outside the county yamen, the entire Li clan of Mizhi County was being turned upside down over an inexplicable Li Zicheng, yet inside this yamen all was quiet and still.

Behind the desk, there was only one man, and one newspaper.