Chapter 988

Pan Yun and Xue Shao were both good-looking, with the appearance and accent of outsiders, and since Lady Lin had sent them wine and snacks, they drew particular attention.

Not long after, the person Xue Shao was waiting for came to them voluntarily.

A young man dressed as a scholar tugged his companion over, his gaze sliding past Pan Yun, and smiled at Xue Shao: "Brother, where are you from? I'm Huang Quan, a student at the county school."

Xue Shao bowed in reply: "I am Xue Wen, from Hedong. This is my junior sister Pan San. We are traveling to study, and hearing of this poetry gathering, we came specially—never expecting it to be so grand."

Huang Quan burst into laughter, waving his hand: "Prefect Lin promotes learning, so all of Chaozhou are devoted to study. This poetry gathering isn't just held in Fucheng—word has it every county below is holding one too. In time, this gathering will become Chaozhou's finest tradition."

Pan Yun had little interest in poetry gatherings—what was the point of a bunch of scholars reciting verses together? True works are rooted in the people and the heart; these poetry gatherings were merely socializing under the guise of composing poetry.

Just look at the well-dressed scholars gathered in the pavilion.

Xue Shao asked: "How often is this poetry gathering held? Only when interest arises?"

Huang Quan said: "It used to be once a season, now it's monthly, so many scholars from outside come to join. This is my cousin Dai Fu, from Chaoyang County, who came specially for the gathering."

Dai Fu was dark and thin; when silent, he looked older than Huang Quan, but once he reacted, his shyness lowered his apparent age, revealing he was indeed younger than Huang Quan.

He softly greeted Xue Shao and Pan Yun, and nodded to Xi Jin, who stood behind Xue Shao.

His accent was heavy; Pan Yun could barely understand him, yet both treated him warmly—warmer even than they treated Huang Quan.

Xue Shao knew he had only recently arrived in Chaozhou, and immediately said: "Perfect. Let's explore Chaozhou's cuisine together."

Xue Shao called over a server, ordered the tavern's signature dishes, and had two jugs of wine brought.

Huang Quan was thrilled, firmly pulling Dai Fu down to sit, declaring he knew Chaozhou inside out—if they wanted to see anything or eat anything, they should ask him, and he would answer without holding back.

Pan Yun immediately asked: "Then you know all the city's gossip too?"

Huang Quan smiled: "Of course I can't know secrets, but if it's gossip, it must be circulating outside. Even if I haven't heard it, I can find out a bit."

Pan Yun said at once: "We were wandering earlier and saw a notice for a martial arts contest to win a bride posted on the announcement wall outside the Prefect's office."

Huang Quan's eyes brightened slightly, his enthusiasm rising. He lowered his voice: "Are you interested in this, Brother Xue?"

Before Xue Shao could deny it, Pan Yun pressed his hand down: "I'm interested. I'm asking on his behalf—and on behalf of my senior brother and his disciples."

Huang Quan chuckled: "Then Miss Pan has come to the right person—good eye. Commander Feng is over fifty, with only one daughter, naturally doted upon. Marrying into the Feng family means endless wealth and honor."

Dai Fu tugged at Huang Quan's sleeve.

Huang Quan brushed his hand away, shot him a silent glare, and smiled sweetly at Xue Shao: "Brother Xue, though the Feng family requires martial prowess, they also demand literacy. Someone like you—good-looking and a scholar—might not even need martial skill to try."

Pan Yun: "Commander Feng? He's the Chaozhou Garrison Commander?"

"Of course. Who in Chaozhou doesn't know him?"

Pan Yun frowned: "He's just a commander—how much wealth could he have?"

She pointed at Xue Shao: "My senior brother's family is modest, but we're a farming-and-learning household. Our ancestors once produced a fourth-rank official. Ordinary wealth doesn't interest us."

"You said 'ancestors,'" Huang Quan whispered. "A county official is no match for the current one. Commander Feng controls the Chaozhou Garrison—every garrison soldier and farmland in Chaozhou falls under him. And word is the imperial court plans to revive the navy, even splitting off a maritime force. Chaozhou is near the sea—his future is limitless."

"Who knows what the future holds? Besides, my senior brother isn't military household—he'll pursue a civil path. Civil and military are different paths. Even if Commander Feng is powerful, he can't help my senior brother's career," Pan Yun said. "Talking about wealth in terms of garrison lands is pointless—those belong to the court, not him."

Huang Quan stared at her as if she were hopeless, asking: "If you hold him in such low regard, why did you just say you'd ask on his behalf?"

Pan Yun waved dismissively: "We're outsiders. We didn't know the Feng family was just a commander. Seeing his notice posted on the Prefect's front gate, we thought he was some mighty figure—at least equal to Prefect Lin—so we wanted to inquire."

Huang Quan immediately perked up again, whispering: "Miss Pan, your perception is correct, but your experience is lacking. In Chaozhou, Commander Feng is far more useful than Prefect Lin."

"Oh?" Both Pan Yun and Xue Shao sat upright, fixing their gazes on Huang Quan: "You mean Prefect Lin answers to Commander Feng?"

"Not exactly. Prefect Lin handles civil affairs; Commander Feng handles military. They're separate. But Prefect Lin must give Commander Feng some face—otherwise, how could the Feng family post their martial contest notice on the Prefect's front gate?"

Pan Yun muttered: "So Commander Feng has that much face?"

"Of course," Huang Quan glanced upstairs, then behind him. Seeing no one paying attention, he whispered: "Commander Feng is like this in Chaozhou. Not just Prefect Lin—even the Guangdong Provincial Administration Commissioner must give him some respect."

Pan Yun stared, stunned, turning to Xue Shao: "That powerful? Does he have some background?"

"He's the adopted son of Wang Weng, the late Emperor's favorite!" Huang Quan declared proudly.

Pan Yun nearly spat out her tea, coughing violently.

Xue Shao's expression was equally strange. He pulled a clean silk handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to Pan Yun, murmuring: "Is that really what people say about Commander Feng?"

Huang Quan looked bewildered, nodding: "Yes. Everyone says it. Commander Feng has connections in court—no one dares offend him."

Xue Shao lowered his gaze.

Wang Zhen had been dead for a year. Even in death, he was condemned by the imperial court—his corpse was destroyed, his home seized.

Not just his home in Jingcheng, but also his ancestral home and all his uncles, cousins, and nephews—all were purged, one by one.

Some are still imprisoned in the Imperial Prison, awaiting judgment.

When I last returned to the capital, my uncle was litigating this matter with the Northern Capital Garrison and the Censorate.

The Northern Capital Garrison wanted to execute them all; the Censorate wanted to make an example. But Xue Xuan didn't want to expand the case.

Many of those arrested were indeed Wang Shi clan members who had abused power under Wang Zhen's protection.

Like Wang Shan—some were placed in the Northern and Southern Capital Garrison as Embroidered Uniform Guards; others were shoved into the Six Ministries as minor officials.

They couldn't become high officials, but as minor ones, they had little work and high pay, and used their positions to do all kinds of things outside.

That's how Wang Zhen built his power.

Xue Xuan didn't care if they died, but many were innocent bystanders. Some households were relatives of Wang Zhen and his first wife's family—though they came to the capital to live, they had almost no contact with Wang Zhen, merely running businesses or working as artisans.

One family even lived in the slums, never believing they were related to Wang Zhen, never using his name for profit.

When Wang Zhen died and the great purge came, they were arrested—simply because their grandfather came from the same village as Wang Zhen and shared the same clan register.

Who knows? He'd never returned to his ancestral home since birth. How the Censorate even found them is beyond me.

After Wang Zhen's downfall, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guards was beaten to death by officials. The remaining Embroidered Uniform Guards in the capital were few; few survived from the battlefield.

To distance themselves from Wang Zhen, they would have dug up his corpse and ground his bones to dust. The Censorate, once it found anyone linked to Wang Zhen, arrested them all—and wanted to expand the net by double.

For example, the slum family's son-in-law and neighbor were arrested too, because they were close, and suspected of secret ties to Wang Zhen.

If Commander Feng were truly Wang Zhen's adopted son, his grave would be over ten feet tall with grass by now.

Since the Embroidered Uniform Guards haven't come to arrest him, this rumor must be false.

And for Lin Prefect and the Guangdong Provincial Administration Commissioner to show him such respect, there must be another reason.

The so-called adopted son of Wang Zhen is merely a decoy.

But does Feng Battalion Commander know what people outside are saying about him?

Doesn't he fear that censors might report rumors, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard will verify them?

Xue Shao could think of it, and Pan Yun naturally thought of it too; both became more interested in Feng Battalion Commander.

Hmm, also quite interested in Lin Prefect and the Guangdong Provincial Administration Commissioner.

Both of them oversee local administration—how did they end up entangled with a Battalion Commander?

Xue Shao posed another question: "If this Feng Battalion Commander is so powerful, why are so few willing to become a son-in-law?"

Huang Quan looked slightly embarrassed: "How do you know there are few?"

Xue Shao smiled faintly: "I noticed you've been urging me to go—could there be a reward for recommending someone?"

"Ha, what reward? That's called a matchmaker's fee," Huang Quan said. "If Brother Xue wins the beauty's heart and secures this marriage, shouldn't you repay me with a matchmaker's fee?"

Xue Shao was momentarily stunned—he actually found Huang Quan's logic reasonable: "How do you know I'll succeed?"

"If you succeed, great; if not, what does it matter? I've only wasted some words," Huang Quan winked at him. "Brother Xue, if you're serious about trying, be sure to bring me along—I'll take you."

Pan Yun couldn't help suspecting: "Is there an introduction fee?"

"No, no," Huang Quan quickly waved his hands, yet grinned. "But there's food—Brother Xue and your companion can stay in the Feng family's villa until the martial contest ends, and the person who recommends you can visit you anytime. I hear the Feng family's three meals a day are exquisite—breakfast alone has eighteen dishes."

Pan Yun gasped: "That sounds incredibly lavish—even the Emperor doesn't eat like that."

The Emperor and Empress advocate frugality; their breakfast has only six dishes: congee, buns, steamed buns, flatbreads, and assorted small side dishes, rotated daily—oh, and one soup.

The Emperor and Empress eat this way; the imperial consorts eat even less—five, four, or three dishes.

The lowest-ranking attendants get only one small side dish each morning, then choose a congee or bun to go with it.

And yet a garrison Battalion Commander serves eighteen breakfast dishes to contestants in a martial matchmaking contest.

Truly, the Emperor is far away.

As they were chatting merrily, the waiter arrived with the dishes.

Xue Shao and Pan Yun now looked at Huang Quan as if he were a treasure—each handed him a bowl and chopsticks, urging him eagerly to eat.

Xue Shao even poured him wine: "Brother Huang, my junior sister and I are newcomers here and know nothing—please guide us. By the way, if I enter the Feng family's martial matchmaking contest, who will I compete against? With such generous terms, there must be many outstanding applicants."

"Many."

Xue Shao frowned: "I'm from Hedong—how can I compete with them? Though it's a martial contest, since it's a marriage, they'll surely check family background first."

Huang Quan: "Brother Xue, don't worry—I think you have a real advantage."

"Oh?"

Huang Quan took a bite of meat and a sip of wine before saying: "The Feng family specifically wants outsiders."

"Why?"

"Because of isolation!" Huang Quan whispered. "The Feng family are military households. Though the son-in-law himself won't become a military household, any children born will be. Military households cannot move freely—so unless the imperial court issues an order, the third generation will be rooted in Chaozhou."

"If the son-in-law's family is far away, contact with his original home diminishes. Affection grows through daily interaction," Huang Quan said meaningfully. "And distance prevents his family from meddling in Feng family affairs—and saves the son-in-law from constantly aiding his 'birth family.'"

Xue Shao suddenly understood.

Pan Yun blinked: "But the son-in-law is weak and alone, and the Feng family has only one daughter—won't they fear that after the Feng Battalion Commander's death, the young couple will be bullied by outsiders?"

"That's why the Feng family sets high standards—not only martial skill, but literacy too. Don't think the literacy requirement is just about reading. I have inside information!" Huang Quan lowered his voice. "Feng Battalion Commander invited the county school's instructor to come daily and evaluate the candidates. So, Brother Xue, if you go, be extremely careful—don't assume the instructor talks to you just to chat; he's using conversation as a cover for testing you."

Huang Quan said: "If the son-in-law is capable and the Young Lady isn't foolish, together they can hold onto the Feng Battalion Commander's assets and connections. Even if the third generation hasn't matured yet, they can ensure the Feng family remains unbroken for three generations."

Pan Yun marveled: "Excellent—extremely clever."

Xue Shao pondered: "A parent's love for a child means planning far ahead. The Feng Battalion Commander has spared no effort for his daughter and the Feng clan."

"Exactly!"

Xue Shao: "But does the Feng family have many assets?"

"They have an enormous amount," Huang Quan said, flushed from several cups of wine and delighted by the conversation. He waved his hand expansively. "Half of Chaozhou City belongs to the Feng family—so they're also called Feng Ban Cheng."

Xue Shao and Pan Yun both looked at him with disdain—you could've just said that from the start!

Pan Yun poured him another cup of wine and sighed: "Brother Huang, next time you try to persuade someone to join the martial matchmaking contest, lead with that sentence—say it first. I guarantee you won't need to say anything else."