Chapter 577: Do Not Miss, Do Not Wait

Youzhou was in turmoil, and Yihe was the turbulent epicenter. In this tragedy, Yihe city alone saw over forty prominent families from twenty-four surnames, many of them military clans, suffer greatly. More than seven hundred local powerful figures were killed outright within Yihe city. Those implicated but not killed were mostly conscripted into the border army.

The local gentry who had wisely chosen to protect themselves, according to continuous reports from the spies, now harbored little resentment. It was simple: with people dead, more territory became available. Although the largest portion went to Beiliang, the remaining "scraps" were still considerable and were taken over by these opportunistic families. With ample provisions and money, they could easily acquire retainers and servants. The women and maids from other families they had long coveted, along with the cheaply sold curios and calligraphy, were all tangible benefits. After Xu Fengnian entered the city, he lifted the curtain several times and saw many cold gazes—filled with numbness, disgust, fear, and hatred, among other emotions.

Xu Fengnian returned to the general's residence, but Song Yan and Wang Xihua had not yet returned. The winding-up of Yihe's affairs was not directly handled by these two high-ranking officials from Lingzhou, who were temporarily transferred to Youzhou. Instead, it was primarily overseen by General Huangfu Ping and Prefect Wang Peifang, the two principal officials of Youzhou. Xu Fengnian wondered how these two political rivals could possibly work together. He had decided to summon them both to Youzhou. He intended for Song Yan to serve as the Youzhou Deputy Prefect, assisting Hu Kui, the new Prefect who came from a military background. This was not because he distrusted Hu Kui, who had achieved remarkable success during his tenure as Prefect of Liangzhou. Rather, in the future, the four prefectures of Beiliang were bound to have a system where civilian and military officials complemented and checked each other. This trend was not limited to the superficial roles of General and Prefect. As for Wang Xihua, whose literary accomplishments were outstanding in Beiliang, his presence was somewhat like "bringing good fortune" to Youzhou, a region constantly plagued by bloodshed and funerals. Moreover, the Qinglu Cave Academy needed a respectable literary master to anchor it. Starting anything is hard; scholars coming to Beiliang could not all be immediately placed in official positions. This was a relatively gradual process. Furthermore, among scholars, there were many who merely filled a quota. They needed to be "sifted" and "aired out" in the academy first to sort them into rough categories of quality. Xu Fengnian sat in Huangfu Ping's unusually simple study. There were hardly any books, let alone decorations or furnishings. It was a bleak and cold room, much like Huangfu Ping's own character.

Xu Fengnian was flipping through a mediocre book on physiognomy. Without raising his head, he said, "Come in."

The person who entered the room was named Liu, the head spy of Yihe City. He reported to the Prince of Beiliang what he had gathered today, which were fragments of conversations between Song Yan and Wang Xihua. It turned out that after witnessing the bloodshed in Youzhou and learning the reasons behind it, the two had no objections to the handling of the Huang family of Yihe. However, they had a serious disagreement regarding the confiscation of property belonging to the patrons in the teahouse. Wang Xihua insisted that the sixty-five people who had listened to the storyteller, whether commoners or gentry, did not deserve such heavy punishment from the Prince of Beiliang. Song Yan, who always advocated for Legalism, believed that everyone was guilty to some extent. The two had traveled to Youzhou, and originally, Song Yan was expected to serve as Youzhou Deputy Prefect, while Wang Xihua would oversee the prefecture's education. Unable to resolve their dispute, they made a wager: if Wang Xihua won, they would switch official positions. Song Yan, however, claimed he was certain to win, and if so, their positions would remain unchanged, but Wang Xihua would thereafter have to perform the courtesy of a subordinate officer greeting a superior whenever they met.

Hearing this, Xu Fengnian put down his book and chuckled, "These two gentlemen certainly have a lot of leisure and refined taste. Are they going to investigate all sixty-five people one by one?"

Spy Liu softly said, "Not at all. Wang Xihua only selected three people."

Xu Fengnian nodded, "That's scholarly integrity, fearing an unfair victory. Continue, which three did he select?"

The unassuming chief spy of Yihe respectfully reported, "They are Cao Sheng, a descendant of the Cao family of Yihe; Qi Fengnian, the shopkeeper of Qiji Silk Shop; and Han Laicai, a villager. Among the three, Cao Sheng was a regular patron of Jingyixuan Wine House. The Cao family was one of the minor military clans in Yihe. Qi Fengnian was a matrilocal son-in-law, and he had a good reputation on Yihe West Street. Han Laicai pretended to enter the building to buy wine, but in reality, he was short on money and hid in the back, seizing the opportunity to listen to the storyteller. Song Yan and Wang Xihua had both carefully reviewed the archives after making their wager. Wang Xihua selected the three individuals within the time it takes an incense stick to burn, and Song Yan nodded in approval."

Xu Fengnian stood up and said, "Wang Xihua believes that human nature is inherently good and everyone possesses compassion, whereas Song Yan's philosophy is that human nature is inherently evil. Their dispute is not about moral treatises; ultimately, it's about human nature beyond what's written in books. If I were to guess, the moralist Wang Xihua certainly lost, but the victory was unfair for the old fox Song Yan. If the challenge were reversed—to find good deeds among a group of evildoers—Song Yan would naturally lose, but he wouldn't agree to such a wager in the first place."

The spy chief, whose surname was Liu, hesitated for a moment but then mustered his courage and said, "In my humble opinion, Song Yan's victory was not unfair. Besides Cao Sheng being involved in two murder cases, even the wealthy merchant Qi Fengnian and the villager Han Laicai, by law, should have faced imprisonment."

Xu Fengnian waved his hand, "In a place like Beiliang, chivalry is valued, but integrity might not be. It's easy to commit wrongs; it's hard not to."

The spy fell silent.

Xu Fengnian smiled, "Many families in Yihe City are busy lining their pockets this time. Liu Jingxing, why don't you intercept some gold and silver from them? Consider it a reward for your brothers. There's no reason for you, who work so hard, to just stare empty-handed while those who do nothing reap all the benefits. I doubt they'd dare not cough up some fat. However, I must tell you beforehand, this is an exception, not a new rule for how you operate in the future."

Liu Jingxing grinned cheerfully, still showing none of the shrewdness outsiders might expect from a clever spy; instead, he seemed increasingly simple and honest, far from the cold spy who casually referred to Song Yan and Wang Xihua by name. Xu Fengnian resumed reading his book, and Liu Jingxing discreetly took his leave. As he stepped over the threshold and gently closed the door, his peripheral vision caught sight of a little girl, giving him a big fright. Liu Jingxing had not noticed the girl at all during his entire visit. She had a golden hairpin tilted in her hair and was squatting next to a half-human-sized blue and white porcelain vase, looking directly at Liu Jingxing. Liu Jingxing quickly averted his gaze, lowered his head, and fully closed the door. Not long after Liu Jingxing left, Song Yan, still temporarily the Deputy Prefect of Lingzhou, knocked and entered. Xu Fengnian held his book and pointed to the chair across the table. Song Yan sat down calmly. Xu Fengnian teased, "Our Officer Wang truly walked right into your trap."

Song Yan was not surprised that the spies knew about today's events. Spies were ubiquitous in Yihe City during this period, and he and Wang Xihua were quite conspicuous, so it was only natural. Song Yan said with some resignation, "Wang Xihua was originally considered a relatively tactful civil official in Beiliang. Even so, it's clear that governing Beiliang is a long and arduous task."

Xu Fengnian smiled at Hehe, "Please bring two pots of wine."

The girl silently departed and indeed returned with two pots of green ant wine. Xu Fengnian and Song Yan each took a pot. Xu Fengnian sighed with emotion, "I used to know the principle that it's not easy to be a master, but only after truly sitting in this position can one understand just how difficult it is. One has to contend with people, with evildoers like the Huang family of Yihe, and even with good people like Huangfu Ping and Wang Xihua. One must even contend with heaven. In the past, listening to rain or enjoying snow were pleasures, but now I must consider the harvest in our territory. I currently have a pile of secret letters to deal with. Some report that Song Tanglu, the palace steward, colluded with officials to alter genealogy records for his nephew. A Lu family member embezzled fertile land and was exposed. Also, an elder from the Lu family bought calligraphy and paintings with a large sum of money, only to find them fakes. Since they couldn't be returned or exchanged, they were causing trouble. A minor martial master was at a brothel in Liangzhou, vying for attention with a descendant of a military clan. The latter called people to gang up on him, and the former mercilessly killed them. Neither side was good, and frankly, killing both would be less trouble. Furthermore, the youngest son of Wei Tieshan, the Deputy Commander of the infantry, moved to the neighboring Hezhou, taking a large amount of wealth with him. Cases of illicit gold and silver were seized by border patrols, and soon rumors spread that the border guards had insulted Deputy Commander Wei's daughter-in-law first. And a young commandant highly valued by Gu Dazu was inexplicably beaten half to death outside the pass."

Song Yan calmly said, "As long as one has a family, there will be conflicts. Even between fathers and sons, or husbands and wives, there are disagreements, let alone in a vast territory like Beiliang?"

Xu Fengnian smiled, "From now on, all the intricate affairs of Youzhou will be handled by you, Hu Kui, and Huangfu Ping together. The Chief Administrator has always championed you, saying that you, Song Yan, possess the methods, techniques, and authority but lack a place to apply them. He hopes that after bringing you to Youzhou, you will have opportunities to use your talents."

Song Yan nodded and said, "I will naturally serve with utmost devotion."

Xu Fengnian did not pick up the still half-full wine pot. He stood up and walked out of the study with Song Yan. Song Yan then took his leave. Xu Fengnian found Wang Xihua, who was temporarily residing in a side courtyard of the general's residence, and told him he was going to meet someone. Wang Xihua, bewildered, followed him out of the residence, got into a carriage, and left Yihe City for the outskirts. Here was an irrigation ditch that nurtured a relatively lush reed marsh. The land in Beiliang was barren, so reeds, which had many uses, were considered valuable, like "grass worth a thousand gold." Near the reed marsh were several small villages clustered by the river. A cool breeze wafted, and the spring sunlight was warm. Walking on the narrow dirt path, the air was filled with the grassy scent of green reeds. Village children, in groups of three to five, were gathering tender shoots. Xu Fengnian and Wang Xihua slowly arrived at a small ferry crossing by the river. Clumps of reeds swayed gracefully together, a rare sight of gentle beauty in Beiliang. Xu Fengnian held a hollow stem of green reed in his hand, resembling a crude reed flute. He sat on the pebble-paved ferry crossing and blew into the reed pipe, producing a mournful, lingering sound. Wang Xihua did not sit. He stood by the river, thinking that perhaps the young Prince was displeased with him for making that wager with Song Yan and for questioning his actions in Youzhou. He mused that it was only out of consideration for him being a semi-confidant that the Prince hadn't used common political tactics to deal with him.

Xu Fengnian stopped playing the reed flute, looked up, and pointed northeast. "There was a poor scholar from Beiliang who went to the capital for seven years and finally made a name for himself. The year before last, he became a Chamberlain for Imperial Annals, a close attendant to the emperor. Last year, he was promoted to Director of the Ministry of Personnel's Evaluation Bureau, assisting Minister Zhao Youling and Grand Councillor-designate Yin Maochun in overseeing the capital's evaluations. This year, he's even participating in the major evaluation of fourth-rank officials in Liyang's prefectures. In early spring, he secretly visited the south with Crown Prince Zhao Zhuan. After returning to the capital, he got married. The emperor personally bestowed a mansion upon them, and both the Crown Prince and Crown Princess attended, adding great honor. On their wedding night, with large red candles and a red veil, the woman was a 'golden branch and jade leaf' from the Zhao family. This scholar is destined for a meteoric rise in his career; even becoming a grand councilor is within sight. In seven years, he sent only two secret letters to Beiliang: one about the choice of Crown Prince, and another about the health of the Zhao Emperor. This scholar, who rendered great service to Beiliang, merely wrote two words at the end of each of these two secret letters, asking Beiliang to relay them to one person."

Xu Fengnian paused, then said blandly, "'Don't worry.'"

"'Don't wait.'"

Wang Xihua sighed.

Xu Fengnian slowly continued, "Before this scholar achieved prominence, a Zhao Gou spy had been stationed here, watching for many years. So, even these simple four words, the person who cared, the person who waited, never knew them."

Wang Xihua softly asked, "Is that devoted woman still waiting?"

Xu Fengnian nodded, patting the stone of the ferry crossing beside him. "She saw the scholar off here when he went to the capital for the imperial examinations. Since then, she never married. Whenever she missed him, she would come here and wait because he had personally promised her that he would return to his hometown and marry her, regardless of whether he achieved official recognition."

Wang Xihua genuinely sighed, "Such a scholar and such a woman should have become a loving couple. It wouldn't be excessive even if the Prince of Beiliang personally officiated their wedding."

Xu Fengnian ignored him and said, "Since the end of last year, the woman stopped coming to the ferry crossing to wait for anyone."

Wang Xihua was stunned.

Xu Fengnian tossed the hollow reed stem into the water. Without turning his head, he pointed a finger to a distant spot beside Wang Xihua. "She died in the reed marsh, and she's buried there too."

Xu Fengnian tucked his hands into his sleeves. "I came to Youzhou, to Yihe, to kill. You, Wang Xihua, secretly accuse me of indiscriminately killing the innocent. I think no matter how innocent those powerful figures were, they were not as innocent as this woman. Moreover, Youzhou has countless women like her and countless such tragedies. You scholars constantly speak of peace for all under heaven. I, Xu Fengnian, believe that peace for all is too distant. Peace right here, around us, is so much closer, and it must be achieved first."

Wang Xihua's face turned pale.

Xu Fengnian stood up, shook his sleeves, and bowed towards a small grave mound in the reed marsh.

Turning, he walked away, leaving Wang Xihua slumped on the ground. Xu Fengnian said in a deep voice, "Fortunate enough to be born human, yet they don't treat others as such. Since they don't act like humans, in Beiliang, if I see one, I'll kill one."

Over a hundred Youzhou assassins appeared from the reed marsh, believing they had seized an opportunity to kill the lone "butcher prince" on the spot.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Xu Fengnian, in one swift motion, dismembered all hundred men with a single impact.