Sworn Brotherhood!

West City, the Fan Residence.
Inside the study.

Fan Wencheng let out a long sigh and tossed the memorial he had just finished writing into the brazier.

"Father, your son was wrong."
"I don't blame you. The other day at the Meridian Gate, Jiang Qingyun forced you to state your position on the suppression of the Plain Blue Banner right in front of Oboi. That shows he was already anticipating my attempt to impeach him! Just thinking about it sends a chill down my spine."
"Father, what if I had clearly and firmly expressed my opposition back then?"
"Jiang Qingyun and Oboi would have joined forces to crush you, beating you until your bones were broken, and the Plain Blue Banner would still have been suppressed just the same. Not only would you have suffered a brutal beating for nothing, but your official career would also have ended right there. Do you know why?"
"My stance?"
"Correct. A stance supersedes everything. If you opposed the suppression of the Plain Blue Banner, you would have placed yourself in direct opposition to the Emperor. Jiang Qingyun's intentions are truly venomous..."

Father and son looked at each other in silence.
Fan Wencheng fixed his gaze on an inkstone on the desk.
He muttered to himself:
"I originally intended to submit a memorial impeaching Jiang Qingyun for undermining the foundations of the Great Qing through his suppression of the Plain Blue Banner, demanding severe punishment. I imagined the Empress Dowager would support it, and other officials would too. If handled properly and allowed to ferment step by step, it would have created a strong court public opinion. Then, by unearthing some of his other misconduct, even the Emperor would find it difficult to protect him."
"But now, the moment this memorial reaches the imperial presence, that man Jiang will use you as a shield, making us father and son fight to the death. This man will surely become the Li Linfu of our time."
"Isn't Father worrying too much? He is merely a minor censor, and a Han Chinese to boot; he is miles away from becoming a grand secretary."
"As long as he does not lose the Emperor's favor, he remains safe."
"So, the key still lies with the Emperor?"
"Remember this, Mo'er: while court politics may seem intricate and tangled with a thousand threads, in reality, there is only one thread, and that is imperial power. Whatever you manage to accomplish is merely what imperial power wants you to accomplish. The reverse is equally true."
"Your son understands."
"Of course, we need not worry overly much. The Mongol Eight Banners stand behind the Empress Dowager, and Her Ladyship is the divine needle that calms the seas of our Great Qing. At the critical moment, the Empress Dowager will make her move."

Outside Zhengyang Gate, Dashilan.
Commerce was thriving, and the stream of pedestrians was endless.
Two officials from the Court of Diplomatic Reception walked and chatted along the way.
"I’ve only been away for a month, so why does everything feel so different?"
"The roads have been paved, the storefronts renovated, and the ground swept."
"Have you noticed? The distance from every shop to the street is roughly the same, and the ground has been raised a few inches with bricks."

Upon reaching a restaurant, the two of them called over the manager and asked, and they immediately understood.
"If it please the two masters, the section by the entrance is called the setback. The Southern City Garrison Command requires that the setback must be no less than one zhang and no more than three zhang, and it must also be five inches higher than the road."
"Who pays for the labor and materials?"
"All the merchants in Dashilan pooled their money for unified construction. The bricks are designated, the craftsmen are designated, and rumor has it that the manager is a relative of Censor Jiang's concubine."
"I see. Censor Jiang certainly knows how to make a fortune."
The two men smiled ambiguously.
The restaurant manager thought for a moment and added, "To speak the honest truth, the prices are reasonably fair. And with the front entrance fixed up like this, business really has improved."

Across the street, there was a newly opened private-kitchen restaurant!
It had a private courtyard with no shop sign hanging at the entrance. The environment was quiet and elegant, the dishes exquisite, and it served only one table of guests per day. Guests had to make reservations in advance, or they would be turned away.
"Running a restaurant inside a private residence—first time I've seen it, quite novel."
"This is called a private-kitchen restaurant. It's convenient for discussing matters with complete privacy. There are already several such places in the South City."
Jiang Qingyun proactively poured wine for Wu Yong and Zhou Shao.
Zhou Shao: "I reckon it won't be long before private-kitchen restaurants become the new favorite for official banquets. Brother Jiang, Brother Wu, let's have a toast."
Outside the window.
Raindrops pattered against the pond, sending out ripples in concentric circles, creating quite a romantic atmosphere.
Zhou Shao and Wu Yong had originally been strangers with no prior interaction, but having Jiang Qingyun as a common friend made sitting together for a meal entirely natural.
"Congratulations, Brother Zhou, on your brilliant appointment as the West Factory Ambassador of the Revenue Bureau's Treasure Spring Office. Come, let's have a toast~"
The three raised their cups and drank in a single gulp.
"A mere ninth rank, not worth mentioning." Zhou Shao waved his hand repeatedly.
"Although the West Factory Ambassador is only a ninth rank, it is the absolute top of the ninth rank. Master Zhou’s methods are extraordinary."
Wu Yong's words carried a deeper meaning as his gaze drifted toward Jiang Qingyun, who was burying his head in fierce eating.
Jiang Qingyun pretended not to hear.
The position of West Factory Ambassador at the Treasure Spring Office was scorching hot. Even with Zhou Shao's good connections in the Ministry of Personnel, he had still spent around 1,500 taels in bribes to secure this true ninth-rank official post.
1,000 taels of that sum came from Jiang Qingyun's sponsorship. To be precise, it was silver Jiang Qingyun had borrowed from the Qiao Family's Draft Bank.
Zhou Shao remained modest: "Not at all, not at all."

After three rounds of drinks and six courses of dishes, Wu Yong walked over to the window, gazed at the rainy scenery outside, and casually plucked a string of the guqin. *Zheng~*
The lingering sound of the zither carried far away.
A moment later~
Two young maidservants appeared at the stairhead, their steps transitioning from heavy to light with practiced measure. As soon as they spoke, their voices sounded like jade pearls rolling on a silver plate, crisp and pleasing to the ear.
"Master, what are your orders?"
Wu Yong was slightly startled and waved his hand.
"Nothing, you may withdraw."
"Understood."

"Rest assured, Director Wu, the South City is my turf; no one dares to eavesdrop."
Jiang Qingyun simply pierced straight through the fellow's intentions.
Wu Yong blushed and returned to the table.
"Having spent too much time in the palace, I always worry that walls have eyes and ears. Brother Jiang, please don't take offense."
"Care is the mother of safety, entirely understandable."
"Brother Wu, I toast you. Regarding the aftermath of the Plain Blue Banner incident, if you hadn't helped, little brother probably wouldn't have gotten off so easily."
"A trivial matter, not worth mentioning."
The two men shared a tacit understanding.
Among the injured of the Plain Blue Banner reported upward, 11 succumbed to their injuries two days later, and by five days later, the death toll had surged to 53.

"Brother Jiang, what do you reckon will be Minister Hong's ultimate fate?"
"Certain death, beyond a doubt."
Zhou Shao and Wu Yong raised their heads in unison, looking surprised, though not entirely unexpected. Their surprise lay more in why Jiang Qingyun chose to proactively pierce this matter open at this very moment.
Could it be~
Jiang Qingyun straightened his posture, his voice dropping low.
"My two elder brothers, these times are difficult, and official life is even harder. Since we are like-minded and share the same ideals, why don't we swear oath as sworn brothers right here and now? We shall advance and retreat together, live and die together, acting as mutual support and flanking horns for one another in this imperial court."
"What do you say?"
Zhou Shao nodded!
Wu Yong nodded!

Seniority, respect for the elder, and precedence for the younger were fine traditions.
The sworn brotherhood had to be ranked by age: Zhou Shao became the eldest brother, Wu Yong the second brother, and Jiang Qingyun the third brother.
Jiang Qingyun picked up a bowl of sea cucumbers without even looking and splashed them straight out the window.
No sea cucumbers eaten~
An empty bowl remains~
Since the eldest brother was the chief imperial physician, having him wield the knife to cut their fingers felt very reassuring.
*Drip, drop, drip, drop~*
The bright red blood of the three men mixed together with the clear liquor.
*Hiss~*
What a turbid bowl of brotherly wine!
Spring thunder rumbled outside the window.
"The Sovereign Heaven above, the Sovereign Earth below! Zhou Shao, Wu Yong, Jiang Qingyun—we three, sharing the same ideals and ambitions, hereby pledge ourselves as sworn brothers of different surnames. From this day forward, we shall share blessings and misfortunes together, and act as one in all matters. Should we violate this oath, may we die by violence and our clans be exterminated, our infamy lasting for ten thousand generations."
"Eldest Brother."
"Third Brother."
"Second Brother."
The three men embraced warmly, their eyes brimming with hot tears.