Chapter 631: The Tedious Days in the Capital

Zhao Jin and Wang Zhaojing exchanged a bitter smile. They naturally did not take this as a slight. They could only instruct the servants to help Wang Youshan retire early to rest, then gathered the four guards and, under Uncle He's guidance, headed toward the Shanxi Guild Hall.

This was the foot of the imperial throne after all. Aside from the scenes of squalor and filth, there was also an air of towering solemnity and displays of magnificent splendor.

Along the way, some high official or noble passed by, and Zhao Jin and Wang Zhaojing stepped aside to yield the road. This entourage was orderly and resplendent from top to bottom; even the guards wore light armor draped in brocade robes, their sword scabbards gleaming.

"Elder Brother, if Father had spoken those words three years, two years, or even just one year ago, I would certainly have been despondent for a long time. But hearing them today, I feel a sense of relief. This capital is not so great after all; wouldn't returning to Xuzhou be even better?" Wang Zhaojing's attention was not on the street as he casually remarked with a smile.

Zhao Jin nodded and replied, "With your father returning to Xuzhou, he can be of great help to us."

By the time they reached the Shanxi Guild Hall, it was already dark. The capital was under curfew at night. Although high officials and nobles were exempt, it was still troublesome for ordinary people to risk violating it.

Wang Youshan's faction might have fallen from power, but small matters like calling in favors and arranging accommodations were still quite simple. Upon seeing the name card of a certain Vice Director, the manager of the Shanxi Guild Hall immediately became very warm and attentive, leading Zhao Jin, Wang Zhaojing, and their party inside.

Compared to the other places they had seen along the way, the Shanxi Guild Hall was larger in scale and appeared considerably newer, though it was relatively quiet and deserted inside.

With just over ten days until the grand examination, the guild hall was already housing many provincial graduates, yet it was not filled with the expected sound of constant studying. Instead, there was loud laughter and conversation, clearly from drinking parties and gatherings.

This was not strange. With only a dozen or so days left before the grand examination, last-minute cramming was futile. Besides, some knew they would not pass and lived quite comfortably as provincial graduates back in their hometowns. The reason they came was to travel, enjoy themselves, and network with graduates from their own province. Wasn't it better to have a pleasant time?

The manager was very thorough. Given that Wang Zhaojing had arrived so late and was staying in a guild hall for an outside province, he did not look like someone seriously here to take the exam. He could have been placed in a crowded, noisy area, which might have even suited a young master's temperament better. Yet the guild hall manager still arranged for Wang Zhaojing to stay in a relatively quiet area, without the slightest negligence.

After settling in, the night passed without incident. The next day, some provincial graduates staying at the guild hall came to pay a visit. Once they heard Wang Zhaojing's accent and made a few inquiries, they exchanged a few pleasantries and left. Hardly anyone came to bother them.

They had originally thought to say Zhao Jin was Wang Zhaojing's servant, but his bearing and mannerisms were simply not fitting. So they told outsiders he was a good friend who had come to the capital together for sightseeing. In any case, no one at the Shanxi Guild Hall paid them any attention; if they were not from the same province, socializing was utterly meaningless.

Zhao Jin and Wang Zhaojing found themselves extremely bored staying in the guild hall. As for the capital's scenery, a day or two of cursory sightseeing was enough to see most of it, and they could not get too close to the truly important areas. Yet the vast capital housed so many troops in the Four Great Camps and the Capital Garrison. Walking around circle after circle, they did see some elite, strong government soldiers, but their numbers were far too few. The vast majority they saw were still ragged paupers or even beggars.

Wang Zhaojing never opened his book chest. Having lived in this capital for over ten years, he acted as both tourist and guide, wandering here and there. The two even rode out of the city once to Tongzhou, allowing their accompanying guards to rotate shifts.

In the evenings, the two would engage in spirited discussions in their room. Whatever they saw during the day, whatever they heard while drinking tea, they would bring it up and talk it over. The capital was the capital after all. If the two were in Xuzhou, they would know whatever others knew. But in the capital, from commoners to bailiffs, from officials to eunuchs, everyone talked about everything—true or false, from the emperor's private affairs down to military intelligence from the border garrisons—nothing was off-limits.

Much of the talk was utterly worthless, but even when many words were false, piecing them together could still reveal something. Zhao Jin and Wang Zhaojing were both deeply involved in the Zhao Camp's overt and covert intelligence and reconnaissance systems, and they had mastered a set of methods for gathering information. Many things the speakers merely mentioned in passing, but they could extract meaning from them.

For instance, many people also held little hope for Yang Hao's grand army, but not from any analysis of combat strength. Rather, they felt that if Yang Hao suffered a great defeat, they could seize the opportunity to topple the faction currently in power at court and install their own people.

Talk of this kind was abundant and varied, coming from both the outer court and the inner court, along with secrets of the palace harem—how the Zheng family was increasingly losing favor, and that those who had basked in their past glory were now headed for misfortune.

Hearing such talk was interesting at first, but after several days of it, it truly became stifling and nauseating.

"The capital is truly tedious. With things as they are and talk like this, it's better not to see or hear it. Whether I take this grand examination or not really doesn't matter." Even Wang Zhaojing, with his level of composure and refinement, was beginning to lose his steadiness.

But these were just words. Having prepared so much, traveled so far, and taken such great risks to come here, abandoning it halfway was truly unjustifiable.

Fortunately, the two had ways to cope. After returning from a stroll, they would discuss and record what needed to be noted. Sometimes they would go home to share a meal and chat with Wang Youshan. The rest of the time, they sparred in the guild hall courtyard. With so many eyes around, they could not really fight with real spears and sharp swords, so they simply did as they had in childhood—a long staff against a short stick, treating them as spear and sword.

Ever since the two began sparring, even fewer Shanxi provincial graduates came around, and along with them, Shanxi merchants and gentry also vanished completely.

The civil was esteemed and the martial despised—this went without saying. Wearing a sword was considered an ornament; actually taking it out to fight and kill was seen as coarse and low-class. A young provincial graduate from South Zhili being so unconcerned about this was truly a loss of scholarly decorum. Moreover, martial displays elsewhere were always brilliant and dazzling, but these two—one with a long staff, the other with a short stick—just kept thrusting at each other. Who knew if they even knew martial arts? It was probably just pure flailing.

True combat techniques indeed lacked flashy spectacle. Both launched attacks with thrusts, striving to be as direct and fast as possible. But to onlookers, these moves seemed like a dull and uninteresting trick.

Yet Zhao Jin and Wang Zhaojing did not care about others' opinions. As Wang Zhaojing put it, "If others thought this was how it should be, I would begin to doubt myself." Sparring like this several times a day loosened up their bodies and greatly refreshed both mind and spirit.

Before they knew it, it was the twenty-fifth of the first lunar month. The laughter and feasting in the guild hall ceased. The metropolitan examination was, after all, a major event. Whether one expected to pass or not, it had to be treated with gravity; even those with no intention of taking it had to be considerate of those who did.

Zhao Jin and Wang Zhaojing maintained a regular daily routine. They walked around various parts of the capital, looking not at scenery but at the locations of government offices, the imperial city and palace city, and several military camps within the city. They pondered the reasoning behind these arrangements to see if there was anything worth emulating. They regularly went to drink tea and eat, for in teahouses and wine shops there was always a stream of useful and useless gossip to hear. After returning to the guild hall, they sparred as usual. The guards rotated in and out on schedule, and no one suspected or tailed them.

Though the people who had come from Xuzhou said nothing, every one of them longed to return early.

"It's already the twenty-fifth. Traveling south from Xuzhou, the further you go, the more you can feel the warmth and sense the arrival of spring. But here, it's still freezing cold, no different from winter." It was already afternoon, time for their sparring session. Both were relaxed and chatting idly.

Zhao Jin shook the long staff in his hand and said with a smile, "But back in our Xuzhou, winter isn't as comfortable as it is here. Here, you can wear a single layer indoors. In our Xuzhou, you have to bundle up thickly inside the house during winter."

"Nowadays, wealthy families are all following your example, Elder Brother. They have heated walls, heated brick beds, or underground flues at home, so they don't need to use a brazier or charcoal stove in winter, which can easily cause death from toxic fumes," Wang Zhaojing replied with a smile.

Some changes in Xuzhou customs were all because of Zhao Jin. People said Zhao Jin did not seek comfort, but he paid great attention to many details in daily life—for example, brushing teeth with a strangely shaped fine-bristle brush dipped in fine salt. Many laughed at first, but after following suit and finding their breath much improved, the practice spread.

Zhao Jin's long staff and Wang Zhaojing's short stick clashed, and both stepped back two paces before beginning their sparring. Despite the difference in weapon length, Zhao Jin did not hold much advantage. Wang Zhaojing could parry once and then quickly close in, often forcing Zhao Jin to sweep sideways to deflect. At that moment, the short stick Wang Zhaojing used to simulate a longsword became very convenient.

"Elder Brother, our Zhao Camp values the spear above all, but we cannot neglect the sword and saber either. In combat, the sword and saber have their uses too." Wang Zhaojing's short stick tapped Zhao Jin's chest, and both stopped their movements. This round was decided. They distanced themselves again for the next bout.

Zhao Jin leveled his long staff and said, "In personal duels, the sword and saber are indeed not bad, but on the battlefield they won't do. In the future, our household troops can wear swords, but the spear will still be primary, with sword and saber as secondary. You're gaining the advantage now, but when the household troops form ranks, with rows of spears leveled front and back, how would you get close?"

The two were integrating insights from their sparring into the Zhao Camp. Zhao Jin's long staff flicked and pulled back, then smoothly retracted and thrust out. This time, Wang Zhaojing's parry was useless, and he was directly struck in the chest. This round was decided. Zhao Jin stepped back and stood firm, saying, "And when our regiments face battle, they'll be equipped with archers. Short-weapon men with swords and sabers won't even have time to parry and support, let alone close in. If we use firearms in the future, it will be even harder."

"Elder Brother, we can already muster nearly three hundred household troops who can draw a bow. That's already quite formidable. Why seek out firearms? Those will only cause mishaps on the battlefield. Didn't they say there were great cannons on the walls of Qinghe Fort? But how many Tartars did they kill? Wasn't the fort still taken in a single day?"

"Assembling these archers was far too difficult for us—those Mongols Wang Ziyang recruited, the hunters from neighboring counties, and the sons of those who trained in archery and horsemanship from the three Xuzhou Garrisons..."

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