Chapter 35: A Hellish Start

In late autumn, the inner courtyard of the residence of Shi Guangzhu, the Assistant Regional Commander of the Tongguan Garrison, was steeped in an atmosphere of decadent indulgence.

Shi Guangzhu reclined on a daybed draped in snow-white fox fur, wearing only a loose, moon-white silk robe. Around his exposed neck hung a string of massive East Sea pearls, each one plump and lustrous, shimmering with subtle light under the glass lanterns suspended from the veranda.

With his left hand, he toyed with a mutton-fat jade thumb ring, while his right hand rested casually on the bare shoulder of a maidservant beside him. The maid, dressed in thin, flimsy attire, knelt on the floor, carefully using a silver pick to feed him a slice of freshly cut cantaloupe.

On a low table before the couch sat a complete set of Jingdezhen imperial kiln pastel tea ware. A maid in a jade-green vest was pouring water from a silver pot into a covered bowl; the rising steam mingled with the scent of tea and the ambergris burning in a nearby copper censer, weaving a cloying, intimate fragrance into the air.

Under a nearby flower trellis, two musicians played the pipa, singing seductive, languid melodies that drifted like cotton wool over the blooming chrysanthemums filling the courtyard.

Shi Guangzhu squinted, swaying his feet gently to the rhythm. At his feet, a Persian cat curled up lazily, stretching from time to time to reveal its snow-white belly.

Just then, a steward in a plain blue cloth gown and graying hair walked in on tiptoe. He cast a sidelong glance at the maidservant and, seeing the dark, blue-black bruises covering her back and thighs, sighed inwardly, "Poor thing, truly poor!"

The steward stopped a few paces from the daybed and bowed low, whispering, "Master, the newly appointed Assistant Captain of the Huayin Battalion, Wu Tiande, is here to request an audience on official business."

The contentment on Shi Guangzhu’s face dimmed slightly. He frowned, spat a melon seed into the silver dish held by the maid, and said with a hint of impatience, "Wu Tiande? Which Wu Tiande?"

As the words left his lips, he seemed to recall something. His expression darkened, and his previously relaxed body instinctively straightened.

Shi Guangzhu remembered: this Wu Tiande was the very person Jia Zhen of the Ningguo Mansion had mentioned in a letter last month. In the letter, Jia Zhen described Wu Tiande as a man of rigid character who detested the extravagant ways of hereditary military officers, begging Shi to teach him a lesson and promising a handsome reward afterward.

"A pathetic wretch like you dares to look down on me?" Shi thought viciously. "I shall make you crawl on the ground and call me 'Grandfather' yet!"

"Tell him I am not here. Tell him to get lost," Shi commanded sharply.

"This, this, this..." The steward hesitated for a moment before venturing, "He did bring silver with him, sir. One hundred taels as a greeting gift is not a small sum. It is said that Commander Sheng Mao and Vice Commander Qi Jianhui received the same amount."

The steward’s implication was clear: one takes the money to do the job. If they intended to refuse his favor and instead suppress him, they would have to return the hundred taels. Furthermore, Wu Tiande was spreading his bets among Sheng Mao and Qi Jianhui; if Shi targeted him too blatantly, he would have to consider the feelings of those other two superiors.

"He only offers one hundred taels here, but isn't Jia Zhen supposed to give me at least five hundred?" Shi retorted.

Though Shi was prone to indulgence and rarely left his home, he often sent men to gather gossip from the streets. He might not know of every minor disturbance in the Tongguan Garrison, but he was generally well-informed. The rumors regarding Jia Zhen’s custom of paying for favors had been circulating widely in Tongguan City, and they sounded authentic enough for Shi to believe.

Since receiving Jia Zhen’s letter, Shi had been eager to handle this matter elegantly—both to show off his influence to an old friend and to pocket five hundred taels. Why not?

However, the steward’s logic was sound. "The five hundred from Master Zhen is something to look forward to, but the hundred here is money in hand. Master Zhen may have encouraged you to deal with Wu, but how and when is entirely up to you."

Shi realized this was true. Jia Zhen’s money was a promissory note, while Wu’s was immediate and carried no strings. He began to feel a sliver of dissatisfaction toward Jia Zhen. They were old friends; why couldn't he pay up front? And what exactly did "a handsome reward" entail?

Delving deeper, Shi grew angrier. If he offended Sheng Mao and Qi Jianhui, and even caused friction with Prince Wang Ziteng, the Regional Commander of the Capital Barracks, only for Jia Zhen to "reward" him with a single banquet, where would he go to seek justice? To offend people without receiving the silver would make him a total fool.

Considering this, Shi actually felt a slight surge of goodwill toward Wu Tiande. Despite his lowly origins, the man understood the rules.

"Very well, keep the silver, but I shall not see him. Order half the troops from the Fuyu Garrison to report to Tongguan for a three-month rotation. That will serve as a warning to this Wu fellow, and I shall have an explanation for Jia Zhen when I return to the capital. If he expects me to do his dirty work without providing hard cash, then Jia Zhen is the one who has lost his sense of propriety," Shi ordered.

"Yes, yes," the steward nodded. He thought to himself that troop rotations were routine anyway—it made no difference if it were a year early or late. He could comfortably keep the five taels Wu had slipped him personally.

Wu Tiande did not mind being denied an audience with Shi Guangzhu. As an Assistant Captain, receiving the cold shoulder was normal; as long as his registration process remained unobstructed, everything else was manageable.

In Tongguan City, Wu Tiande bought a shop and entrusted it to the mother-son duo, Mrs. Bu and Jia Yun, leaving the maids Lin Hongyu and Zhang Xiaohua to assist them.

Wu Tiande told Jia Yun clearly: if the fast-food shop turned a profit, he would take half; if not, it didn't matter, provided he helped keep an ear to the ground for news in Tongguan.

"Conversely, if there is any disturbance in the city and you fail to pass the news to me in time, I shall have to find someone else," Wu warned.

"Yes, yes, I understand!" Jia Yun quickly agreed. The shop had high foot traffic, and he would surely hear useful information while purchasing vegetables at the market. Moreover, he was the one who had handled the bribe for the steward in Shi’s residence; with such a secure and covert channel, what secret could escape him?

Wu Tiande also sent men to find Jia Zhi and Jiao Ya, who were hiding in a local inn. Upon hearing that the Ningguo Mansion had sent pursuers to capture them, the two were overcome with relief. Had they not followed Wu’s advice to leave early, Jia Zhi would have faced punishment, and Jiao Ya would have inevitably been forced to become a concubine for that old painter Fan in Tianjin. They would never have known the blissful life they now enjoyed as a young couple.

With this, Wu Tiande’s business in Tongguan was settled.

Over the next few days, Wu led his group in resting and arranging for Mrs. Lou to purchase supplies—rice, flour, oil, clothing, and silk. The craftsmen, including Zhang the blacksmith, Zhao the stonemason, and Pan the carpenter, each bought their own tools and took on a few apprentices. Wu didn't have to pay these apprentices a cent, only feed them, yet the local families scrambled for the opportunity.

Finally, it was time for Wu Tiande to head to the Fuyu Garrison at the foot of Mount Hua to take up his post. The escort mission taken on by the Fuwei Security Agency had officially concluded, and they were no longer responsible for the safety of Wu’s party. However, Old Master Cui and Lin Pingzhi persisted, insisting on accompanying him to the foot of Mount Hua.

Their reasoning was simple: although they could visit the Huashan Sect themselves, having Wu Tiande to speak a good word for them made a world of difference. If Wu, who was now stationed right next to the Huashan Sect, maintained a good relationship with them, it would be beneficial for both parties. If he didn't, the Huashan Sect would be the ones to suffer. If Wu were to die mysteriously at the foot of the mountain, could Yue Buqun escape suspicion? If the imperial court grew angry and sent an army, not even a hundred Yue Buquns could withstand it.

Yue Buqun, no matter how powerful, had to show Wu Tiande some face. Wu understood their intentions and, since he needed their help as well, he agreed.

The journey from Tongguan to the foot of Mount Hua was only thirty or forty miles. They pushed hard and arrived by the afternoon.

Even though Wu Tiande and his wife, Qin Keqing, had mentally prepared themselves, they were still deeply disappointed. The garrison was far more dilapidated than they had imagined.

The so-called "city wall" was more like a mound of dirt, collapsed in many places and exposing the yellow earth beneath. There were no battlements, only a few rusted flags hanging listlessly in the wind. The gate consisted of two cracked wooden panels, their iron rivets mostly gone and the hinges covered in cobwebs and dust; they groaned when pushed, as if they might fall apart at any moment.

Inside, the air was thick with the smell of dust, animal dung, and cheap tobacco. The streets were narrow and muddy, lined with houses built of adobe, their roofs missing tiles or patched with thatch.

Occasionally, one could spot a garrison soldier in worn-out armor, the lacquer long gone and replaced by rust. They sat or squatted in corners, staring into the distance with hollow, exhausted eyes, completely devoid of military spirit. Their families, dressed in patched, coarse rags, looked gaunt and sallow, chopping wood or washing clothes in silence. When they saw Wu’s party, they merely cast a numb glance before returning to their chores.

In the center of the fort lay a small drill ground choked with weeds. Only a small patch in the center was packed firm, featuring a crooked flagpole that stood alone, bare of any banner.

Looking out from the high ground of the fort, one saw only rolling, barren hills of yellow earth, devoid of vegetation save for a few gnarled, ancient locust trees. The entire place felt like a forgotten corner of the world, suffocated by a deathly silence.

The acting commander, Sheng Hong, had known of the new Captain’s arrival. Upon hearing of the large party entering the fort, he rushed to greet them. After verifying Wu’s official credentials, Sheng Hong exhaled a breath of relief. Managing this garrison for over a year had been a torment.

During the handover, Sheng Hong explained, "The Fuyu Garrison jurisdiction extends north to the mouth of the Huashan ravine, south to the Luonan border, east to the Tongguan Left Battalion, and west to the Huayin County militia. It includes the entire Mount Hua, covering an area of thirty to fifty miles."

After a pause, he continued, "We have 8,300 mu of farmland, 1,400 of which is irrigated, and 6,900 of which is dry. We have 62 soldiers on duty, totaling 287 people including families. We are short 50 soldiers, and the vacancy has never been filled, leaving a large amount of land to go to waste."

Sheng Hong’s voice dropped, his face pained. "As for the tax arrears... I am ashamed. Last year, due to summer drought and autumn floods, the harvest plummeted. We owe the authorities thirty-five shi of grain. Combined with the 120 shi of historical arrears, we are 150 shi short. My predecessor was forced to resign because of this."

Wu Tiande frowned deeply. He looked at the surrounding ruin and then at Sheng Hong’s weary face. "Natural disasters and man-made troubles are not your fault," he said solemnly. "But the tax arrears are being pressed by the court; we cannot drag this on forever."

He paused and added, "Take me to inspect the granary and the tool storehouse. Then, summon the soldiers. I want to hear the situation from them directly. Also, have the cook prepare some food; the men have been traveling all day and are exhausted."

"Yes, sir! I will arrange it at once!" Sheng Hong replied and hurried away.

Qin Keqing walked to Wu’s side and whispered softly, "Husband, the situation here is even worse than we imagined. It is truly a hellish start."