Chapter 677: Vastly Different

Inside and out, everything was in utter chaos. Certain brazen dealings — like privately drilling the local militia, like the unauthorized salt warehouses, like setting up checkpoints to block the road and collect money — all of these had to be temporarily halted, lest the county magistrate see them and bring charges. If a scholar from a humble family had been appointed to this post, the people below might not even have bothered to pay attention. But this Magistrate Sun was different. Setting everything else aside, even if they tore off all pretense and confronted him directly, the dozen or so household guards he had brought, once mounted and in formation, could probably sweep through all of Yongcheng unopposed. Whether by official or private means, he truly could not be offended!

No one, however, worried that the county yamen would be left without anyone to handle official business. Magistrate Sun had brought four private secretaries with him; any one of those four could manage the entire county in perfect order. Besides, only one, Mr. Tian, had accompanied him on this incognito inspection — the other three were still at...

The several prominent households and other concerned parties within Yongcheng County, though fully prepared, saw no sign of the magistrate's party appearing. Yet no one made a sound; everyone assumed the magistrate had gone to the other side, or was still on the road. No one imagined that Sun Chuanting and his party of eight, riding in formation, had already left Yongcheng County via the northeast official road and entered the borders of Xuzhou Prefecture.

Sun Chuanting was dressed entirely as the scion of a wealthy family — or rather, once he shed his official robes, he was a son of a great house to begin with. Mr. Tian played the role of steward, while the six household guards posed as escorts. In truth, they were all simply playing themselves.

This was, in fact, the first time Sun Chuanting had left the county seat to see the countryside below since taking office. After all, he had just assumed his post, and the most pressing matter was to first set the yamen in order. After riding a little over ten li beyond the city, he was quite astonished and could not help but sigh to Mr. Tian, "I never imagined a place like Yongcheng County would still have the inclination to repair its official roads. Look at this packed earth and the roadbed — this kind of work is not the effort of a day or two. Compared to this, those few roads between Taiyuan and Datong, which are the very lifelines of the military garrisons, have fallen into utter disrepair."

Mr. Tian was also squinting as he looked. The road could not be called wide, but it was very smooth, with clear traces of packed-earth repairs. Moreover, the official road was noticeably higher than the ground on either side, indicating that the packed-earth repairs had been carried out over a long period. When their master spoke, the household guards only then took notice and began discussing it among themselves: "Those roads in Taiyuan Prefecture — the cart ruts have become trenches. When few people travel them, grass grows right up. To get a large cart through, you have to send men ahead to fill the ruts and dig up earth. This road here is quite orderly."

The group rode on for a stretch in puzzlement. Spotting a farming household by the roadside, Mr. Tian dismounted to ask a few questions. When he spoke, however, he used the accent of the Kaifeng region in Henan, whereas in the yamen he spoke only in the official dialect, so this would never draw attention to him.

"They said that large carts and the like need to come over from Xuzhou. If the roads were bad, no one would come to do business anymore, so the gentlemen of the township arranged for people to repair them." Mr. Tian gave the answer once he was back on his horse.

"So it was all for selfish gain," Sun Chuanting nodded dismissively.

As they traveled farther, they would find one stretch of road fallen into disrepair, and then, after another stretch, signs of someone's repairs once again.

"It seems the local strongmen of this county all understand that repairing roads facilitates trade, yet there is no unified arrangement — each looks only after his own," Sun Chuanting said in a muffled voice, even more dismissive than before.

A territorial official could not leave his jurisdiction; crossing the border was a violation of the law, punishable by demotion and dismissal. For this reason, Sun Chuanting's party did not linger within Yongcheng County. Moreover, the county seat was not far from the Xuzhou border. Setting out at dawn, they entered Xuzhou territory before the sky had even grown dark.

Upon seeing the boundary marker, they knew they had entered Xuzhou. In truth, even without this marker, they could all sense they were no longer within Yongcheng County. The reason was simple: the official road was more than twice as wide as it had been in Yongcheng, and far more meticulously maintained. The trees planted along the roadside, though not tall, could clearly be seen to have been growing for about two years. Shallow ditches were also visible on both sides of the road — installations meant for drainage. However, Xuzhou saw little rain, so shallow ditches sufficed.

About two li from the boundary marker stood an inn. A banner hung from several thick bamboo poles lashed together, bearing four large characters: Front Rooms, Rear Courtyard. A few horses and two large carts were stopped before the door. There were hardly any travelers left on the road; after all, nightfall was not far off, and with no villages or homes in either direction from this spot, anyone with experience would certainly have found lodging for the night well in advance.

"Young master, that inn ahead seems a bit suspicious — it might not be clean. Shall we ride on a bit further?" the head of the household guards asked.

Sun Chuanting did not answer. He dismounted and paced back and forth on the road, examining it carefully. After studying it for a short while, he gazed into the distance along the official road. As far as the eye could see, it was all this broad and orderly, with rows of saplings lining the roadside and the ditches unbroken.

"Mr. Tian, I have seen few roads of such standard even in the capital. Near the imperial palace, around the mansions of the rich and noble, and in the vicinity of government offices, there are some like this, and some inferior to it. How is it that here in Xuzhou, in such a remote place, there are installations of this caliber?" Sun Chuanting was full of questions. He cited only the example of the capital; other places were not even worth mentioning.

"Young master, let us first continue on our way," Mr. Tian gently urged, though everyone could hear that he was equally curious.

Sun Chuanting nodded and remounted. They had ridden only two paces when Mr. Tian spoke up: "In truth, doing this is not difficult. It is merely a matter of frequently urging the common people."

"Indeed, it is not difficult. But who nowadays would bother to urge them frequently? They are diligent enough only when it comes to collecting taxes and pressing corvée labor," Sun Chuanting said with a cold laugh. Mr. Tian did not reply.

The household guards quickened their horses slightly, encircling Sun Chuanting and Mr. Tian in the middle. The guard who had spoken earlier said, "Any inn that stands alone by the roadside like this, rather than outside a village, is bound to be suspicious. Those horses and carts out front are very likely a trick to lure people in."

"The weather is not yet too cold. If we cannot find reliable lodging, we will camp out for the night," Sun Chuanting said in a low voice. The household guards nodded in agreement. Their young master, though a scholar, was not the coddled type; he understood reason very well.

Their party did not deliberately ride faster, as that would draw too much attention. As they passed the inn, they saw a young man dressed as a waiter dozing on one of the large carts. The setting sun was just right, still warm and pleasant.

Hearing the hoofbeats, the waiter opened his eyes and sat up. Seeing that Sun Chuanting's party was not stopping, he called out impatiently, "Esteemed guests, this is no bandits' den — come stay the night!"

His voice was quite loud, making Sun Chuanting on his horse pause in surprise, then stop with a smile. The men around him also came to a halt. The household guards exchanged glances; they did not take it seriously. The official road was wide — if anything seemed amiss, they could simply spur their horses and leave. What could a mere inn do?

"Esteemed guests, you must think my inn, standing all alone by the roadside instead of outside a village, is a murderous den that robs men of their lives and fortunes, am I right?" the waiter hollered at the top of his lungs. It seemed more than one person had thought so.

Sun Chuanting's smile turned a little sheepish, but Mr. Tian and the household guards remained expressionless. The waiter continued his one-sided shouting: "Esteemed guests, take a look at this banner of our inn, look at the four big characters on it. This is Master Jin's property. White or black, who with no eyes would dare come and run wild beneath this banner?"

They had not had a chance to notice before, but only now did they see the large characters "Cloud Mountain Inn" written on the banner. When chatting with a few of the minor clerks at the county yamen, Sun Chuanting had already learned that any property bearing the two characters "Cloud Mountain" belonged to Zhao Jin.

"No need to puzzle over it. This inn is surely operating at a loss. If not for Master Jin looking out for everyone, why would he open an inn here? Follow this road, and you won't find a village for another sixty li — that would be the next morning. Though spending a night in the wilds is nothing to worry about, how can it compare to the comfort of this inn? Come in and take a look before you go — it costs you nothing." The waiter was quite voluble in his effort to drum up business.

Sun Chuanting was actually swayed. He glanced at the men around him. Mr. Tian pondered for a moment and said, "It wouldn't hurt to go in and look. Just be cautious."

Mr. Tian had great confidence in their household guards and escorts. If anything truly happened, they could fight their way out even on foot. Seeing the guests agree, the waiter immediately beamed and shouted toward the inside, "Eight honored guests, on horseback — give them a proper welcome!"

Once they entered the inn's main hall, Sun Chuanting and his men relaxed considerably. It was rare to see a bandits' den so tidy and clean; the tables, chairs, and utensils were all well-kept. Moreover, there were two tables of tipsy guests drinking merrily. One of them laughed and cursed, "I knew you only stay at this inn for the liquor — otherwise you'd have gone back to Xia Family Village tonight."

"In all of Xuzhou, this Cloud Mountain Inn is the only place that still sells cheap spirits. I'm just trying to save a bit," the other man slurred. A burst of laughter erupted around them.

These men all spoke with the local accent of Yongcheng County natives, and from their appearance, they were dressed as traveling merchants. This set their minds even further at ease. Another waiter came over and said politely, "Esteemed guests, shall I take your horses to the stable to be fed and settled?"

"No need. Leave them by the door," one of the household guards refused. With the mounts right at the entrance, it would be easier to flee if anything happened.

The waiter nodded with a smile and asked further, "Would you like them fed? We have both fine fodder and coarse fodder here."

Oxen and horses could not survive on grass alone; to run and exert strength, they had to be fed grain — this was what was called fine fodder. The lead household guard was taken aback and asked with a frown, "You have fine fodder here in this inn? Made of grain?"

"That's right, sorghum mixed with bran," the waiter answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Mix it three parts fine to seven parts coarse," the guard instructed. As the waiter went off to prepare it, the lead guard remarked with a face full of wonder, "In times like these, in a place like this, they're actually feeding horses with grain."

The innkeeper also came over, opened his ledger, and recorded the names, origins, and destinations of the group. Sun Chuanting's party, of course, used false names, but the innkeeper still noted everything down meticulously. He then asked what they wished to eat. Sun Chuanting and his men adhered to the rules of lodging on the road, ordering only dry rations and pickled vegetables. Only upon hearing that the inn had just bought a wild hare from a hunter did they dare order one with peace of mind. They did not ask for wine.

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