Chapter 545: Winter in Linqing

He was just getting into it when he noticed Zhao Jin looking over, and quickly stopped. Zhao Jin didn't scold him, but nodded and continued, "That's right. To outsiders, we have an inappropriate amount of money without the status or means to protect it — no surprise if someone sets their sights on us."

"What do we do?" Chen Sheng asked curtly.

"Whatever those spies do, we just do our own thing. The spies come in the shadows — we won't spot them every time, and we can't possibly keep that tight a watch. But here in Xuzhou, we have trusted eyes and ears everywhere. If they get close to the He Family Estate, it's even more impossible for them to hide. On our turf, no one can stay in the dark. No one can act behind our backs. Everything's out in the open, and we can deal with it calmly. In the end, it just comes down to tearing off the masks and crossing blades. Are you afraid?" Zhao Jin spoke at length, then suddenly asked.

But this question had been asked on various occasions before, and everyone's answer had long been the same. Wang Zhaojing simply smiled and said, "When it actually comes to a fight, there's nothing to be afraid of."

Zhao Jin smiled, waved his hand, and said, "Tearing off the masks and going all out is the bottom line. We don't want to go that far — but do they? If our Zhao Camp starts moving in South Zhili, what kind of situation would that create? Have any of you thought about that? Can they bear the consequences of such a crime?"

Everyone laughed, their smiles carrying pride and confidence in the Zhao Camp.

"Big Brother, the Smelling Incense Sect made these marks inside our He Family Estate, and we still haven't traced their origin. Zheng Quan came to look too and couldn't say anything useful. I've also had men watching him — he hasn't lied." Liu Yong brought up another matter.

That the Smelling Incense Sect had been operating covertly inside this very estate was no small matter. The Zhao Camp had been searching, outwardly relaxed but inwardly tense, yet had found nothing at all.

"Keep investigating, and get the joint-village defense and the baojia system up as fast as possible. Leave these scum no place to hide!" Zhao Jin's words carried a trace of anger.

The Great Ming itself had a baojia system, but like most regulations, it had long existed in name only. Now Zhao Jin wanted to revive it. Once the baojia household registration was implemented, every household in every village, town, and market would be part of the system. Even better, Zhao Jin himself held the title of Bao-Zheng, making this entirely legitimate.

After saying this, Zhao Jin turned to Ruhui and Zhou Xuezhi and said, "Zhaojing will be going to the capital for the examinations the year after next. Next year he needs to read more and focus on his scholarship. I'll trouble you two gentlemen to put more effort into the baojia and joint-defense matters."

Ruhui and Zhou Xuezhi hurriedly agreed. Wang Zhaojing also quickly said, "I won't let either side suffer, and I can't let the two gentlemen overwork themselves."

Chen Sheng let out a cold laugh from the side and said icily, "If you're staying, then stay with peace of mind. If you're leaving, then leave sooner. Don't say you won't let either side suffer — in the end, you'll end up with nothing on both sides."

For a moment, Zhao Jin didn't know what to say. The others either looked away or lowered their heads. Wang Zhaojing, however, said cheerfully, "Of course I'm staying. But I've passed so many exams on this scholarly path already — it would gnaw at me not to take a shot at the final hurdle. It'd be a regret. So I still have to go."

In the past, whenever this came up, Chen Sheng's attitude would turn quite sour, and Wang Zhaojing's response would be heated. But now, Chen Sheng was merely sarcastic, and Wang Zhaojing's reply was tactful enough. A few jokes and deflections, and it passed.

Just as they were talking, someone came in from outside to report that there was business for Master Yong's subordinates. Liu Yong stood and went out. No one found this strange — Liu Yong's affairs involved confidential matters that couldn't be reported in public.

Not long after, Liu Yong returned. Normally, everyone pretended not to notice the Internal Guard's affairs — after all, Liu Yong and Lei Cai reported directly to Zhao Jin. But after stepping out, Liu Yong's face had turned so grim that it was impossible to ignore. And ever since Liu Yong had started working with everyone, despite his young age, he had always been the most reserved. What kind of matter could make his expression turn this ugly?

"What happened? Tell everyone." Zhao Jin spoke in a deep voice. He knew Liu Yong's temperament — if he was showing that face, he likely didn't intend to hide it from everyone, and it was something serious.

Liu Yong cleared his throat and said, "Just now, our men and Zheng Quan's men reported back. They've found Smelling Incense Sect secret marks all over the city — at the distillery, the freight yard, and around Big Brother's, Second Brother's, and Third Brother's residences. They look like they were left about a month or half a month ago. According to people inside their sect, these marks are for pointing the way — a reminder to those who come later that someone's been here before."

When the Zhao Camp had crushed the hundred thousand roving bandits beneath Xuzhou's walls, many of the Smelling Incense Sect's core and elite members among the bandits had been abandoned in Xuzhou and then recruited by the Zhao Camp into the Internal Guard. Through some maneuvering, quite a few of them, along with other jianghu men recruited from elsewhere, had joined the Xuzhou branch of the Smelling Incense Sect. The branch's leader, Zheng Quan, had only become leader through chance and happenstance and wasn't particularly shrewd or capable. As a result, while the Xuzhou branch of the Smelling Incense Sect appeared independent of the Zhao Camp, it was in fact under their control.

The day the secret marks left by two different groups of the Smelling Incense Sect were discovered inside the He Family Estate, Liu Yong and Lei Cai had treated it as a grave threat and immediately ordered the city searched as well. A city as vast as Xuzhou naturally couldn't be watched everywhere, but key locations had to be re-examined carefully — hidden corners that had never drawn attention before now had to be scrutinized.

This search gave them a shock. Around the outer perimeters of the Zhao, Chen, and Wang residences, around the freight yard and the distillery — secret marks had been left everywhere. And not recently, either. That meant one or two months ago, scouts from the Smelling Incense Sect or some other sect had circled the Zhao Camp's critical core areas. They hadn't gone inside, just along the edges — but what did this signify? What would they do next? It was deeply unsettling.

After Liu Yong finished, the room fell silent for a moment. Zhou Xuezhi's face paled somewhat; the others remained relatively composed. Wang Zhaojing mused, "This is rather strange. Whether openly or in secret, coming to us is a dead end for the Smelling Incense Sect. What are they trying to do?"

Zhao Jin paused, then asked, "How many groups left these marks in the city? Are they still two different groups, like inside the He Family Estate?"

"Just one group — the one that doesn't quite look like the Smelling Incense Sect." Liu Yong's face showed considerable agitation. A straight fight would be one thing, but this baffling, inexplicable business was the most maddening.

Zhao Jin looked at his companions. No one could offer anything. The matter was truly baffling — they kept feeling the other side was up to something, yet had no idea what they were actually scheming.

"Strengthen the guards in the city. If anyone feels uneasy, move to the He Family Estate for now. We have to prepare for the New Year anyway — it won't delay any real business." Zhao Jin cursed under his breath, but could only make this standard, unremarkable arrangement.

Everyone's mood had soured considerably, all because of the Smelling Incense Sect's inexplicable movements. Yet they were also baffled — after all those clashes, big and small, did the Smelling Incense Sect still not understand how dangerous they were?

Xuzhou had enjoyed passable weather this year, and the common folk were in a normal frame of mind, preparing New Year's goods and looking forward to the celebrations. But in Linqing Prefecture in Shandong, the year had been nothing short of harrowing. Listening to the dreadful tales from other parts of Shandong, watching countless refugees and famine victims pour in every day, the people there felt as if they were living in hell on earth.

By year's end, whether the meager relief distributed by the court had taken effect, or whether those destined to die had mostly died off, Shandong had barely managed to quiet down. A few heavy, swirling snowfalls, and those who knew such things said the coming year's harvest wouldn't be bad — this at last gave people a sliver of hope.

A harrowing year. Though Linqing Prefecture had remained as prosperous as ever, being in the midst of famine, gentry and commoners alike had lived in constant fear, dreading when the calamity might reach them. Now they could finally breathe a sigh of relief, with the feeling of having survived a catastrophe. This New Year, naturally, had to be celebrated with exceptional grandeur.

Han Well Famous Liquor was never cheap, but in the twelfth month in Linqing Prefecture, its price still jumped by thirty percent out of nowhere. Drinking to get drunk — Han Well Famous Liquor was the best choice for that. Those with money spent it lavishly; those without scraped together what they could. An atmosphere of revelry had sprung up from nowhere.

Beyond this, regardless of wealth or status, everyone did one thing: they went to pay homage to the Holy Maiden and pray for blessings. Folk belief had long held that Linqing Prefecture had remained peaceful and safe solely through the Holy Maiden's protection — otherwise, with so many refugees and famine victims flooding in, why had it stayed unscathed?

Rumors aside, the Holy Maiden had indeed done a great deal. When the refugees and famine victims poured in mid-year, Linqing Prefecture's city gates dared not open. The soldiers and militia were on high alert, and the magistrate was preparing to request reinforcements. It was the Holy Maiden who persuaded the wealthy households to contribute manpower and grain to set up porridge stations outside the city, and urged the city's powerful and rich to buy more servants and hire more laborers. In ordinary times, this would be the human-trafficking act of breaking apart flesh and blood — but in such a season, it was a great mercy that saved lives.

Because so much was done, the refugees were continuously dispersed and never gathered in numbers large enough to cause a major disaster. By contrast, Linqing Prefecture's several temples and abbeys, with their thriving incense offerings, had kept their gates firmly shut throughout the refugee influx. Even when the authorities issued orders for them to provide relief, they were unwilling.

Moreover, when the refugees poured in, the Holy Maiden did not fear the filth and exhaustion, toiling day after day, telling the refugees that heading south was the way to survive, sending these desperate people down along the canal. This, too, was a great blessing and virtue she accumulated for Linqing Prefecture. Not to mention the children and youths she took in at the charity hall she founded herself — every bit of incense money people donated went to this cause. Truly, she was a living immortal of compassion.

With the Holy Maiden of great divine power right here in Linqing, how could people not rush over to burn incense and pay homage? The world was full of disasters and hardships — with the Holy Maiden's protection, one might well turn misfortune into fortune.

However, the Holy Maiden's incense assemblies and blessing ceremonies were held at irregular times. Whether one could attend depended on karmic affinity. The Holy Maiden spared no effort in saving the common people and dispersing disaster victims, but in these matters she was not particularly diligent.

Many of Linqing Prefecture's great and wealthy households, in order to catch the Holy Maiden's blessing incense assembly, specially assigned servants and retainers to keep watch outside this estate — now already called the Hall of the Holy Maiden. The moment there was any news, they would hurry back to report. Around the estate where the Holy Maiden resided, there were even inns and eateries set up specifically for pilgrims, a testament to the thriving popularity of this place.

By the twelfth month, those destined to starve had long since starved, those who were to leave had long since left, and those with somewhere to go had been taken in. A few heavy snowfalls, and everything was draped in silver. Even the corpses by the roadside were buried beneath the snow. The world between heaven and earth was pristine and clean.