Chapter 637: - The Hungry, Thirsty Blade!

A faint cloud of dust rose from the road.

Marquis Zheng, dressed in a black python robe, sat astride his Pixiu and watched the approaching procession.

Across from him, Xu Wenzu rode an ordinary horse. The beast’s breathing was noticeably heavier than that of the horses around it, and froth mixed with the white vapor spilling from its nostrils.

It was plainly having a difficult time.

Perhaps because Zheng Fan had finally climbed into truly high office, he found himself increasingly prone to chewing over the past.

He still remembered the first time he saw Xu Wenzu.

It had been on a street in Tiger Head City. He and the Blind Man had still been arguing over their earliest understanding of this world.

Then

Xu Wenzu rode past on his Pi Beast and shattered the half year of peaceful life that had belonged to Zheng Fan and the Demon Kings.

Perhaps there really was some will of Heaven moving invisibly through the world.

Over the years since then, they had attacked Qian, campaigned against Jin, driven out the Savages, and invaded Chu...

But if Zheng Fan had not happened to see Fatty Xu ride past on his Pi Beast that day, then perhaps on the night the Demon Kings asked whether he wanted to become a wealthy gentleman or stir up some trouble, he truly might have chosen the former.

Once, a fat butterfly had flapped its wings and changed the entire political situation of the East.

“Hahahaha! Little Brother Zheng! Your elder brother has missed you to death!”

Xu Wenzu swung himself down from his horse.

The moment his feet hit the ground, he stumbled backward several steps.

Perhaps he was simply too excited.

Perhaps he wanted to show off a little youthful spryness.

Or perhaps, after not seeing one another for years, the sight of the other man already wearing a python robe left him with a touch of unavoidable nervousness.

Whatever the reason, Fatty Xu lost his balance and landed flat on his backside.

“Hahahahaha!”

Marquis Zheng burst out laughing.

He made no attempt to restrain himself.

Then he dismounted from the Pixiu and walked over on his own.

Xu Wenzu’s personal guards tried to help him up, but he pushed their hands away.

Zheng Fan naturally stepped forward. One hand gripped Xu Wenzu by the shoulder, the other caught his hand. With a little qi and blood behind the movement, he pulled Xu Wenzu back to his feet.

Then Zheng Fan dusted the dirt from the man’s back and backside.

Everything about it was perfectly natural.

“Tsk, tsk...”

Xu Wenzu smacked his lips.

Zheng Fan smiled.

“Moved?”

“Son of a bitch. You’re even better at putting on an act than your elder brother. Hahahaha.”

Zheng Fan shook his head and took half a step back, studying Xu Wenzu’s face.

Time seemed to have left almost no marks on him.

In the past, people used “ageless” to describe women born beautiful who still looked young even after the years piled up.

But now Zheng Fan felt the word was truly best suited to fat men.

Pale and fat the year before last.

Pale and fat last year.

Still pale and fat today.

In this age, fatness was not regarded as unhealthy. On a man, being fat was even considered attractive, a visible sign of prosperity.

A body covered in good fat performed almost the same function as a luxury car or expensive watch in later generations.

“We’re still a full day from Yingdu,” Xu Wenzu said.

“If I waited in Yingdu to receive you, Elder Brother, that would seem far too careless. I had to come out and welcome you properly.”

“Hahaha. Good. Good.”

“I set up a camp ahead. Let Elder Brother settle your nerves there.”

“Mm. As you should. As you should.”

The camp was not large.

It had not been built for a campaign, after all.

Besides, the guards on the perimeter and the cavalry Zheng Fan had brought from Fengxin City were more than enough to guarantee his safety.

Never mind that Xujia Fort had been “made rebellious.”

Even if a Ding Family Fort or Li Family Fort suddenly rebelled right now and several Jin battalions marched against him, Marquis Zheng would never shut himself inside the camp and defend.

He would personally lead his men out to kill them.

That was how confident he was.

Once they entered the command tent, Xu Wenzu sat down first.

The relaxed expression he had worn outside disappeared.

He sighed.

“Little Brother Zheng, these Jin lands are much less stable than your elder brother imagined.”

“How is western Jin?” Zheng Fan asked.

“Much steadier than eastern Jin.”

Zheng Fan nodded.

“That is because the court almost exterminated the Helian and Wenren families back then. Even if a few fish slipped through the net, they cannot stir up much of a wave.”

The conversation became serious almost instantly.

Neither man needed much warming up.

“But Prince Cheng Residence is difficult,” Xu Wenzu said, licking his lips. “Too many eyes are watching it. And right now they still come as the standard set: an orphan and a widow.”

“Didn’t the founding emperor of Qian bully an orphan and a widow to seize his foundation? And didn’t Qian’s Emperor Taizong spend generation after generation killing and crippling his elder brother’s line? If the Jin people, if that princely residence, are willing to live peacefully, then we let them live peacefully. But if they insist on creating chaos, then we bring the club down and wake them up.”

Xu Wenzu nodded.

“That is true. Before coming, I also thought about the situation in Yingdu. In the end, there are only two things to do. First, guarantee logistics for your Marquis of Pingxi Residence. You, Little Brother, help me settle everything in the surrounding regions that requires soldiers. Second, bring Yingdu fully under Great Yan’s rule. If some people still cherish their old state in their hearts and merely drink wine while grumbling, fine. But anyone who not only thinks about it but prepares to do something gets his claws chopped off without mercy.”

At that point, Xu Wenzu deliberately looked up at Zheng Fan.

“But the second task, if handled badly, can easily blow the whole situation apart.”

Zheng Fan smiled.

“For the next few years, only I will be riding onto the snowfield to raid them. The Chu are in no condition to launch a northern expedition for years either. If we do not use this interval to properly sort out the Jin people, it would be a genuine waste. Besides, first there was the banquet poisoning, then the Fifth Prince was attacked and left bedridden. You, the new Prefect, have not even taken office yet and someone has already delivered an excuse for you to act directly onto your desk. Usually a new official has to run all over the mountains looking for the fuel for his three fires.”

“This incident?” Xu Wenzu narrowed his eyes.

At last, the topic came around to the attempted attack on Xu Wenzu himself.

Zheng Fan shook his head.

“If we want to hold the Jin lands, we must rely on Jin troops. Put plainly, someone was still directing things from behind this incident. But unless absolutely necessary, we should avoid publicly carrying out a major purge of the Jin army. How about this? I’m already out here anyway. I’ll make another circuit of the Jin army camps around Yingdu for you. Warm up the stage before you arrive. After that, whether you want to strip someone of his command, dismiss someone from office, or put someone new in place, everything will be much easier.”

The Prefect already combined military authority and local civil administration.

In newly conquered Jin territory like Yingdu, that authority was even greater.

“Little Brother, you are a Marquis now. Your fief is not here. Your elder brother knows you are doing this for my sake, and I am certainly happy to have you do it. I understand even better that after you make this circuit, military authority around Yingdu will be much easier for me to hold. But... if word gets out, people may criticize you.”

The Censorate might submit memorials.

Your Marquis Residence is in Fengxin City. Are you still not satisfied? Do you now intend to gather the Jin armies around Yingdu beneath your own influence too?

Zheng Fan shook his head freely.

“So long as something benefits Great Yan, I, Zheng Fan, will do it. Why should I shrink from it merely because it may bring fortune or calamity?”

“Ah, Little Brother. You haven’t changed. You are still Zheng Fan. Still this elder brother’s Little Brother Zheng!”

In truth, from Xu Wenzu’s fall from his horse at the beginning to the concern he had just voiced, everything had contained an element of probing.

After three days apart, a man had to be viewed with new eyes.

Now the positions of the two men had reversed.

Xu Wenzu kept calling him “Little Brother Zheng” with great enthusiasm, but whether the friendship between them was still truly there, whether it still carried any practical weight, Xu Wenzu himself could not be certain.

People changed.

Zheng Fan, in turn, gave him a pill to settle the heart.

They had once been superior and subordinate.

For a period, Xu Wenzu had even been the target Zheng Fan and the Blind Man spent a great deal of time planning how to win him over.

So Zheng Fan knew the man very well.

Xu Wenzu was an ambitious fat man.

He would never be content merely to follow established precedent and preserve the situation left by his predecessor.

He would inevitably create achievements that belonged to himself.

More importantly, deep in his bones ran a strong vein of Great Yan chauvinism.

In earlier days, he had been loyal to the Marquis of Zhenbei.

Now the Marquis of Zhenbei’s position was perfectly clear.

So long ago, Xu Wenzu had transformed his lifelong ambition into supporting Great Yan and helping it contend for supremacy beneath Heaven.

From the bottom of his heart, he looked down on the Jin people.

So Zheng Fan’s earlier suggestions were not deliberately fanning the flames.

Xu Wenzu was going to act regardless.

And when he did, he would inevitably act harshly.

Perhaps the court had chosen Xu Wenzu to replace Mao Mingcai precisely because it wanted to tighten control over Yingdu another step.

Mao Mingcai’s policy of unity had played an enormous role during the eastern expedition and the later campaign against Chu.

Now the wars were finished.

It was time to clean house.

The meeting began with old friendship.

Soon afterward, the two men reached complete agreement.

Xu Wenzu could clean and purge to his heart’s content.

If disorder erupted, the Marquis of Pingxi Residence would take responsibility for suppressing it.

The period immediately after a new official took office was the best time to strike hard.

If anything went wrong, it could always be blamed on the predecessor.

Say the predecessor dug a pit and you were filling it.

Or say he left a festering abscess and you were finally cutting it open.

In any case, so long as the matter did not grow into a large-scale military mutiny or uprising, the court would likely close one eye.

And the guarantee against those disasters was military force.

More precisely, the support of the Marquis of Pingxi Residence.

“Haaah... exhausting.”

Once the serious business was finished, Xu Wenzu finally relaxed.

He was not afraid of having many things to do.

He only hated being forced to work with his hands tied.

Now, instead, he felt almost eager to fly straight to Yingdu and begin.

“Heh. I prepared a hotpot over there.”

“Hahaha! Good, good. The dishes at your place are always exquisite and delicious. I’ve been craving them for years. But...”

Xu Wenzu hesitated.

Then he still said:

“Little Brother Zheng.”

“If something is on your mind, Elder Brother, say it. The two of us have been through life-and-death situations together. You used to be my superior, and now my noble rank is above yours, but I, Zheng Fan, am not an ungrateful man. I have always remembered how you promoted and supported me back then.”

“The court has already let word out. In the second half of the year, the two Princes are going to enter the capital.”

“Mm. I may have to go too,” Zheng Fan said with a smile. “Most likely they are going to settle the foundation of the state.”

Xu Wenzu lowered his voice.

His eyes narrowed slightly, but because there was too much flesh on his face, they simply became two thin slits.

“Little Brother, only the foundation of the state?”

Zheng Fan looked at him.

Xu Wenzu gritted his teeth.

Then continued:

“And military power.”

...

Night had fallen.

Gou Moli walked over to He Chunlai and found him sitting alone, drinking.

“What? First time betraying your own people. Feels unpleasant?”

He Chunlai shook his head.

“I told Master Liu Hun that I work for the Marquis Residence now. That I am serving Marquis Pingxi.”

“Oh?”

Gou Moli looked genuinely surprised.

“Master Liu Hun told me that was a good thing. He himself taught in Prince Cheng Residence to put food in his mouth. A man always has to eat.”

“Heh. The old gentleman was clear-eyed.”

“Master Liu Hun said he had already accepted Yan rule. But during the campaign against Chu, the Yan breached the dikes to send their navy through. He could not accept that. He was depressed. There was anger trapped in his chest. Master thanked me. He said I had given him a chance to carry human remains to the relay station and curse the new Prefect to his face.”

“Free and easy.”

“Master did not support raising troops again. He believed the people in the Jin lands who still wanted to create trouble would never accomplish anything. Perhaps there had once been a chance, but after the Marquis of Pingxi Residence was established, there was none left at all. If people kept trying to make trouble after this, all they would accomplish was making more living beings suffer and giving the Yan even more reason to regard the Jin people as weeds underfoot. The price would not be worth it. Master said that in the end, we are all people of the Xia realms. Eight hundred years ago, the ancestors of the Jin and the ancestors of the Yan served as officials in the same court and bowed before the same Son of Heaven. We were originally one family. One family split into two. Now the two join together again. It is not such an earth-shattering matter.”

“Hehehe.”

Gou Moli laughed.

“This is what makes me most uncomfortable about you Xia people. You can beat one another until your brains spill onto the ground, then put away the blades and spears and say you were one family all along. What about us Savages? We were beaten flat centuries ago, but look at it now. Jin, Chu, Yan... every one of you still treats Savages as heretics.”

“It will get better,” He Chunlai comforted him. “I feel that in the Marquis’s eyes, there is hardly any distinction between Yan, Jin, or even Savages.”

Gou Moli yawned and ended the subject directly.

“What else did the old man say? What about his family? Did he ask you to protect them?”

“Master had no children. After his first wife died, he never remarried.”

“Not bad. He left cleanly. Before leaving, he got to curse the new Prefect properly too. Worth it.”

He Chunlai hesitated.

“That new Prefect may be fat, but someone capable of laughing and talking so freely with the Marquis cannot possibly be ordinary.”

“In this world, any man capable of eating himself that fat without being swallowed by someone else is not an easy man to provoke.”

“I only worry that another storm of blood is about to sweep Yingdu.”

“That old gentleman wasn’t worried. He cursed to his heart’s content. What are you worrying for? You think he did not understand what his actions meant? Before the new Prefect even takes office, he offended him as deeply as possible and stuffed his chest full of rage.”

“Then...”

Gou Moli patted He Chunlai on the shoulder.

“The ones who die in a bloody purge are powerful officials and great families. What does that have to do with ordinary people? I even suspect the old gentleman agreed to cooperate with you so readily because he had hated Yingdu’s officialdom and powerful families for a very long time. Perhaps he has been waiting to see those turncoat officials suffer even worse ruin.”

He Chunlai let out a long breath.

“Hearing you say that makes me feel much better.”

“See? Sometimes you just need to make up a few lies and tell them to yourself. Life becomes much easier. Hehehe.”

He Chunlai nodded, relieved.

Then he seemed to remember something.

“The Marquis seems not to intend to return to Yingdu for now?”

“Mm. We’ll remain outside for another two days.”

“Remain outside?”

“Because, for the moment, returning would be inconvenient.”

...

Yingdu’s new Prefect, Xu Wenzu, arrived to take office.

His procession entered through Yingdu’s western gate.

On the former Heavenly Street, now called Shangguan Street, wine and refreshments had already been laid out to welcome him.

Yingdu’s civil and military officials were all waiting.

Mao Mingcai had even put on his official robes and stood there supported by attendants.

After Xu Wenzu entered the city, a long series of ceremonies followed.

Crowds of commoners gathered along both sides to watch.

The moment he saw Mao Mingcai standing there with support, Xu Wenzu immediately dismounted, hurried forward, and personally took hold of him.

“The weather is cold and your health is poor. You truly should not have come. And even if you came, you should have ridden in a sedan chair.”

Mao Mingcai smiled.

“Great Yan’s civil officials do not favor sedan chairs. People would laugh.”

Then

Mao Mingcai gripped Xu Wenzu’s hand.

“My work here is finished. I sought no merit, only that I commit no great fault. At least I managed to hold the situation together for these past two years. Now the wars are finished. What comes next depends on you. I have already had the Prefectural Yamen prepared for you. Tonight I will move to the relay station. All the procedures and handover matters have been arranged in advance. I want to return to the capital. I miss His Majesty.”

To bare one’s heart in public like this was, in truth, one of the most sincere forms of political declaration.

Of course, neither Mao Mingcai nor Xu Wenzu was some tender shoot in officialdom.

They were old crocodiles.

And old crocodiles were skilled precisely at completing transactions of interest in broad daylight before everyone’s eyes.

Mao Mingcai’s free and unhesitating departure, with no clinging to office, bought two things.

First, Xu Wenzu could take over quickly.

Second, the trusted subordinates and original staff Mao Mingcai left behind would directly become Xu Wenzu’s people.

It was also Mao Mingcai’s final explanation to those who had followed him.

The opportunity has been given to you.

Whether you can cling to the new thigh depends on your own ability.

Xu Wenzu, by his attitude, made it clear he accepted the arrangement.

Because next, Xu Wenzu was going to be very busy.

His great blade had already been hungry and thirsty for far too long!

He had neither the time nor the interest to proceed slowly, insert his own confidants one by one, and play another round of factional games.

Time waits for no man.

Seize the day and the hour.

I just want to cut people down!

Still holding Mao Mingcai’s hand, Xu Wenzu turned around.

Yingdu’s civil and military officials came forward to greet him.

At their head stood none other than Prince Cheng, Situ Yu.

In his capacity as a Prince, he stood at the very front and prepared to offer Xu Wenzu a half-salute.

Xu Wenzu immediately handed Mao Mingcai over to an attendant and hurried forward to support Situ Yu before he could complete it.

“Your Highness, Your Highness, this cannot be. Absolutely cannot be. This subordinate should be the one asking after Your Highness’s health. How could Your Highness salute this subordinate?”

A warm current immediately rose in Situ Yu’s heart.

No one knew the affairs of one’s own household better than oneself.

The sky over Yingdu had long since ceased belonging to the Situ family.

It belonged to the Yan.

But for a young man barely into his teens, receiving enough respect was already a rare courtesy and satisfaction.

It seemed this new Prefect was a good man.

A man who understood propriety.

“This little Prince...”

Situ Yu had only just begun offering the expected polite remarks when Xu Wenzu cut him off directly.

Still holding Situ Yu’s hand, Xu Wenzu leaned his body backward and called toward the civil and military officials behind him:

“This official heard that assassins appeared in Yingdu recently. Many people died, and the Fifth Prince was attacked too?”

Situ Yu froze for a moment.

Then immediately nodded.

“That is correct. Fifth Highness is still...”

Xu Wenzu interrupted Situ Yu again.

This time his voice was even louder.

“This official also heard that at Stone Mountain, in order to protect Your Highness’s precious safety, Marquis Pingxi ordered that Your Highness be carefully guarded. If Your Highness leaves the residence, every registered guard in Prince Cheng Residence is guilty of dereliction of duty?”

“This...”

Situ Yu’s face began to pale.

At that moment, Mao Mingcai, already sensing what was coming, turned his gaze toward his trusted subordinate and favored officer, Ran Min.

But Ran Min did not even wait for Mao Mingcai’s signal.

The moment Xu Wenzu finished asking, he stepped forward and saluted.

“Replying to my lord, that is correct!”

Xu Wenzu turned toward Ran Min.

“You are?”

“Replying to my lord, this subordinate is Ran Min, Commandant of Yingdu’s City Patrol Office, a native of Tiancheng Commandery.”

By stating where he came from, he was telling Xu Wenzu that he was Yan.

One of his own.

Xu Wenzu nodded.

He reached out and patted the back of Situ Yu’s increasingly cold hand.

His voice became gentle.

“Your Highness, rest assured. With this subordinate here, your safety will absolutely be guaranteed.”

“Many... many thanks, my...”

Once again, before the Prince could finish, Xu Wenzu suddenly roared:

“Commandant of the City Patrol Office, receive your order!”

“This subordinate is here!”

“The guards of Prince Cheng Residence have neglected their duties and ignored His Highness’s safety. Their crime is unforgivable. By the prefectural command tally bestowed upon this official by the Son of Heaven, I order you to immediately arrest every registered guard belonging to Prince Cheng Residence.”

Ran Min immediately dropped to one knee.

“This subordinate obeys!”

But Ran Min did not rise yet.

Instead, he continued:

“My lord may not know, but Yingdu has arrested many thieves in recent days. The prisons are already full.”

Xu Wenzu smiled.

“If that is the case, then there is no need to put them in prison. Just... behead them all.”

[End of Chapter 637]