Early that morning, the old madam was scattered and anxious, rushing about. She went off to the wounded soldiers’ camp to find someone and borrow the first almanac issued by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau this year, bringing it home and insisting Qiqian’er pick an auspicious hour.

If the old madam hadn’t reminded her, Qiqian’er wouldn’t have thought of it herself. Only once the old madam brought the almanac back did she remember — with the whole family going out, they really did need to choose a good hour for it to be auspicious…

She suddenly froze, staring blankly at the window lattice for a good while before breaking into a rueful smile. Wasn’t this exactly what she’d always wished for? Now, all at once, she had a bustling, lively family.

Yes, yes, they really did need to pick a good hour to send Official Chen back to Yandu.

Grandmother and granddaughter lay together on the kang studying the almanac for a long while, and finally chose the first quarter-hour of the Si hour for their departure.

The Si hour wasn’t too cold nor too fierce with heat, but as they stepped out the door, the sun would climb higher and higher along their journey, growing warmer and warmer. A fast horse could reach Yandu in an hour, and by the time they arrived at the gate, it would be exactly high noon with the sun blazing overhead.

Leaving the house at the good hour, once out of the lane, Chen Dasheng and the others stopped at the estate gate to tighten their horses’ girths. The group of women gathered again, watching with envy, but none of them came closer this time.

These past days, some households had naturally received letters from home, but most families still hadn’t heard anything from their loved ones.

They often wondered — now that these men had made good, would their own days become like this too? But as letters from home grew fewer and fewer, some had already reduced their hopes to just one wish: they didn’t need anything else, just for their person to come back.

Everyone had changed back into the clothes they’d arrived in, quietly looking at the home behind them. It was a real home now — no telling when they’d be back again, but they would be back, eventually.

Meng Wanquan drove a cart over; he was going to Yandu with them too.

When these men had first arrived, they’d had nothing but the clothes on their backs and a little savings. But as they left, Qiqian’er and the old madam had loaded up a whole cart of goods for them.

Theirs was an ordinary household too — everything used day to day was part of Qiqian’er’s dowry. Naturally, what these men were taking with them as they left was, once again, their little sister-in-law’s belongings.

The old madam was surely reluctant to part with it — after all, it wasn’t all going to her own grandson — but Qiqian’er insisted on giving it, and she had no say in the matter, so she could only quietly ache over it.

Meng Wanquan’s cart was loaded full: copper kettles for boiling water, wooden basins for washing up, bamboo tea sets for entertaining guests, thick winter bedding, spare bed linens, lacquered buckets for carrying water, fine-tooth combs, bronze mirrors for grooming, small blades for shaving, seven rolled mats, seven rolls of cut moisture-proof wool felt padding, and a mismatched set of black-glazed bowls and dishes for eating… Right now, there was nowhere else these men could have obtained such things.

They worried that if these men had nothing at all, and needed such essential everyday items, they’d have to go begging people again and again — and the more one begs, the less one’s worth becomes.

The household didn’t have particularly fine things, but remarkably, they’d still managed to put together a full set for them. After all, these men were going out to serve as officials now — some dignity had to be maintained.

Qiqian’er hung a small bundle on Chen Dasheng’s saddle and told him: “Some habits really need to change. You’re all grown men now — seven strapping fellows, and every day wiping your noses on your sleeves. I cut these out these past few days, hemmed handkerchiefs for you. I don’t care what the rest of you do, but you, Official Aide, please spare your sleeves.”

Chen Dasheng’s face burned with embarrassment. He’d prepared at least three sentences of proper thanks the night before, and now he’d forgotten every one of them in an instant.

Tenderness — what was even the point? Forget it!

He nodded, then looked over at his grandmother standing silently by the millstone, walked over, and lifted his robe to kneel — but the old madam grabbed him at once, glaring and scolding: “I’m not dead yet! Do I need this kneeling from you? This — this is your new robe, satin too, you’ll get it filthy! It’s not easy to wash and starch, why don’t you know how to take care of things, day after day, why can’t you just let me be at ease!”

Whatever scrap of warm feeling had remained in Chen Dasheng’s heart toward her vanished into thin air right then. There was no grief left to grieve, no hurt left to feel hurt over.

Fine. Time to go!

The old madam glared at him again and asked: “It’s really not far, right?”

Chen Dasheng nodded: “I’ll be right back. An hour on a fast horse.”

The old madam nodded, muttering: “Good that you’ll be back, good that you’ll be back…” Then she looked up again: “Won’t be gone many days, right?”

Chen Dasheng nodded: “Not many days. At most half a month and I’ll be back.”

“Oh, good, that’s good!” The old madam smiled and sat cross-legged back on the millstone, forgetting all about the little cushion she was supposed to use now as a woman of means.

The send-off procession was lively, full of people and smiling faces, everyone talking at once. No one noticed when a sweet little girl wandered over from the estate, swaying as she walked, a small basket on her back.

This girl was none other than Xique. No telling what her mother had told her, but she wandered around among the crowd, not seeming to know where to go, until she spotted a familiar-faced woman standing nearby, and someone quick-mouthed pointed her the way: “Go on, go on, your brother’s over there.”

So Xique wandered over toward Chen Dasheng and the others, sucking on her finger, her eyes fixed on the old madam.

Seeing her, the old madam climbed down from the millstone, and when she saw the dozen or so boiled eggs sitting in the basket on Xique’s back, she pursed her lips and turned to say to Chen Dasheng: “Take them along, eat them on the road. She owes us anyway — what’s the harm in eating a few of her eggs!”

Chen Dasheng smiled and didn’t stand on ceremony, bending down to gather the dozen-odd eggs and hand them out to his brothers, then placing the last one into Xique’s hands.

Xique naturally knew this was a good thing, and held it up first with a delighted smile, then carried it over to the old madam — not to give it to her to eat, but gesturing for her to peel it.

The old madam was fond of this girl and didn’t think much of it, still grumbling as she complained: “You’re a sly little thing, you know what’s good to eat. Rare for you to be this generous, and your brother didn’t even get to eat it — you ate it yourself instead.”

She cracked the shell, peeled off the white, split it in two, gathered Xique into her lap on the millstone, sat her with her back to the wind, and let her eat.

Xique held up the egg white to feed the old madam. The old madam pretended to take a bite, then suddenly froze. She looked up carefully at her grandson, but her grandson was busy talking to his wife and hadn’t noticed.

The old madam slowly let out a breath, then sighed heavily.

Chen Dasheng said to Qiqian’er: “Fourth Uncle — he’ll come back eventually, and when he does, Grandma’s going to have a hard time of it.”

Having been a mother herself, how could she not understand the old madam’s feelings.

Qiqian’er smiled, seemingly unconcerned: “Whatever the old madam does about it isn’t something I can manage. They’re mother and son by blood — if there’s resentment between them, there’s surely more to it than what shows on the surface. If the old madam can hold it in and not tell me, I’m not about to go looking for trouble by getting involved.

A good cry, a good scene — surely the old madam wouldn’t drive her own son to his death over money. Elders’ matters are for elders to sort out themselves. I’ll just take good care of the old madam and live my own life, that’s enough.”

Chen Dasheng nodded, and finally spoke his true thoughts: “You’ve had it hard. Actually, no one blames Grandma. Before, we didn’t even know if we’d make it back — that money we brought was scraped together along the road, and we just didn’t want it going to outsiders. As for Fourth Uncle, he… he thinks we don’t know.”

Qiqian’er’s eyes went wide in an instant.

Chen Dasheng’s usually honest face showed a rare trace of mockery: “If we didn’t know, he’d have a guilty conscience. If we did know and it came out into the open, what more could happen? Would we drag him before the magistrate to be beheaded? Not knowing, at least he’d treat Grandma a bit better. My grandfather used to say, when the age of elder generation isn’t proper, there’s no respect left. I… I think Choutou’s brothers feel the same way I do…”

Qiqian’er was stunned: “You all… actually knew? And still kept giving to him again and again?”

Had they all gone mad?

Chen Dasheng scratched his head: “Mm! Choutou’s cousins probably know even more detail than I do. What I know isn’t fit to speak of. Their units in the central army were stationed close together, and my cousin-in-law is sharper than us, hears more news. Last year when he passed through, he even sent me a sheepskin vest, and we talked about this then.

My cousin-in-law said, the mountains are high and the roads are far, the fighting’s uncertain, no one knows how many more days their own heads will stay on their shoulders. Both our families only have this one old grandmother left. If something happened to her, who knows who’d benefit from it. If Fourth Uncle and his wife have any shame left in them, that’s for the best — for the sake of the money, if we’re all gone someday, at least there’ll be someone left to wear mourning white for Grandma and see her off properly. We may not know our letters, but we’re not fools. Fourth Uncle’s reputation in the army is quite something — Chen Afraid-to-Die, who doesn’t know that.”

So that was it, that was really it! No wonder her cousins-in-law and their wives, when they came back to visit family, never once brought this up, while Chen Siniu and his wife always acted so humble every time, nothing like elders at all.

She’d assumed, back then, that it was because the fourth branch had a cushy post in the central army and were simply currying favor with whoever mattered.

Who would have guessed — they simply couldn’t be bothered to argue over it, and had used this one leverage to hold the fourth branch in check for a lifetime.

Back then, everyone had assumed that as long as there was an elder in the family, the family still counted as a family. But once Grandma passed, from then on, they’d never speak to each other again.

Qiqian’er wanted to ask Choutou why he’d never told her this. But then, thinking it over, she sighed inwardly.

Of course. When it’s family deceiving you, there’s still some room to save face over it — for the old madam’s sake, for the sake of dead parents, for the sake of blood ties, one endures it and lets it go.

But who was she? Not a blood relative, not tied by any real affection at all. The old madam had first been deceived by her own son, then shortchanged by her daughter-in-law, and on top of that, had scraped together whatever she could — stitching by stitching, coin by coin — only to have most of it siphoned off by her stepmother.

Ten strings of cash, fifty jin of grain scraped from between someone’s teeth, sent off to buy someone who was good for nothing… how could she possibly forgive that? That was true hatred.

After everything, it turned out she was the one truly at fault, the one living off the old madam’s lifeblood.

And yet she herself couldn’t accept it, always thinking — I’ve served your elders, raised your son, how can you people have no conscience?

No wonder that no matter how wronged she felt, no matter how she tried to make up for it, she could never earn their forgiveness.

Chen Dasheng led his horse slowly outward, and Qiqian’er walked alongside him.

Looking at the distant mountains, Chen Dasheng spoke of what was on his mind: “I used to always ask, why us? Why did the flood have to drown our village? Why did those bandits have to hurt our… people! Why is it always us with the bad luck, is Heaven blind? So many people out there scraping by, and it just had to be us who got cheated… But later, I stopped asking.”

He stopped walking and looked at Qiqian’er: “Actually, there’s no ‘why’ in this world at all!”

Qiqian’er looked up and smiled at him, noticed his belt was crooked, and reached out to straighten it for him.

Strange, really — they’d started opening up to each other now.

Chen Dasheng rarely said this much, but today the words came smoothly.

“My cousin-in-law said some things back then — he’s older than me, and he’s seen more, so he thinks things through more thoroughly than I do. I thought about what he said afterward, and it does make sense… As long as Fourth Uncle is alive, Grandma still counts as having a son, and our family isn’t short a generation.

No matter how much we want to be filial to Grandma, we can’t overstep the son who carries the family line.

Grandma surely thinks the same way in her heart — no matter how much she complains, she’ll never say a bad word about her son to outsiders. It’s always been this way — if one person in a family is unfilial, the whole family looks unfilial to outsiders. Outsiders only see that your family isn’t doing well, they don’t bother figuring out who exactly is to blame. The more scheming there is in someone’s heart, the more they become like a ghost themselves, and it just drags them lower. I didn’t understand what ‘lower’ meant back then, but I understand now…”

Chen Dasheng reached out and straightened Qiqian’er’s headscarf, and seeing a bit of her bare scalp peek through, he wanted to laugh, but held himself back out of consideration for her, and instead said, holding back a breath: “Hah… Fourth Uncle’s whole life has been ‘lower.’ He can never rise above it. His back stays bent, his spirit crawls on the ground, he’s no one out in the world, and even at home no one cares about this ghost of a man.

Heh, I almost feel bad for him — living, yet like a dead ghost already, and he doesn’t even dare die, since Father and the others are waiting to settle accounts with him.

That’s fine by me. If he ever comes back, whatever he and his mother have to say to each other, let them say it. Just don’t get involved yourself, that’s all. Our life these days is our own — living it however we please is still better than what they have.”

Yes — and these days, everything did taste sweet.

Qiqian’er looked back and saw Qiao Shi walk over to the millstone, apparently meaning to lean in and say something to the old madam, only to get chased off with a whack from the old madam’s pipe.

It had been the same in her past life too — except back then, it had been two people getting struck away, each more ghost-like than the other.

Once a person has done something wicked, they lose all dignity — living becomes worse than death.

Qiqian’er nodded seriously at Chen Dasheng: “I understand.”

Seeing how quickly his wife caught on, and that she’d said so little today, Chen Dasheng grew bold and asked carefully: “You… got nothing to say to me?”

Qiqian’er wanted to laugh, turned her head aside and laughed it out, then turned back with a serious expression: “I have plenty, actually. Quite a lot, and a bit long-winded. Will you get annoyed?”

Never would he dare!

Chen Dasheng had asked without thinking, and hearing this, he felt struck by lightning, and after a long pause murmured: “Then — then say it. I’ll — I’ll listen to whatever you say.”

Qiqian’er nodded, satisfied: “Alright, I’ll tell you some things I heard from elders in my past — you might not understand it all now, just remember it, and slowly work it out over time.”

Chen Dasheng’s heart went cold as ash, and he nodded stiffly: “Okay.”

“Remember, you’re flesh and blood, you can die…”

Chen Dasheng burst out laughing, but caught himself halfway through, seeing Qiqian’er’s eyes go wide as she pinched her nose, and he coughed: “Cough — mm, mm! I know, I’m a mortal man, I can die. You — go on.”

“From now on… when you meet the type who likes to show off, stay away from them. When they want to show off, they always need something to stand on, and you’re so simple, you’ll always be the first one they step on — they’ll want you to vouch for them, to prop them up, and in the end, step on you to jump even higher… His Majesty only pays you a laborer’s wage, not blood money for your life. Just do your laborer’s job well for him, and nothing else concerns you…

In the palace, among officials, there are always the quiet types, the ones who seem unimportant — you’re a gatekeeper, so you’ll often know how many times a month such people go to see His Majesty. This type usually has no real ability and no way with words, but still wants to live well, so what do they do? They take whatever you say as idle gossip and pass it on to His Majesty or your superiors. If His Majesty values you, he likes hearing about you, and being close to him becomes their social currency…”

This was complicated, and Chen Dasheng didn’t understand, so he tugged Qiqian’er’s sleeve. She stopped and looked at him: “And also — it’s very possible these people are His Majesty’s eyes and ears. Whatever you say carelessly could very well reach His Majesty’s ears the moment you turn around. Remember, don’t look down on anyone, don’t look up to anyone either, keep to your own place, and having no desires makes you unshakeable.”

Chen Dasheng nodded seriously to show he’d remember, but muttered under his breath: “I… do have some wants…”

Qiqian’er didn’t catch what he’d said, still ahead of him, trying hard to recall her own shallow store of life experience: “You don’t need to understand whatever casual orders His Majesty gives you, but you can’t be careless about them either. The more insignificant something seems, the more likely it’s actually a deliberate move he’s planned. Just do as told, no need to ask why…

…No matter who tells you something is easy, simple, no trouble at all — refuse it on the spot. It’s definitely not simple…

…The more you want something, the less likely you’ll get it — so don’t even think about it, and it’ll come to you when you’re not looking…

…Whoever His Majesty favors most, rewards most generously, elevates highest, holds the most power — stay far, far away from that person. They’re bound to be the first to die. Even if His Majesty doesn’t want them dead, others will make sure they die. That’s just how people are — success makes people lose their heads. Stay far away from people like that, don’t say even one extra word to them, remember that!”

“Oh, and Little Hua, Little Hua…”

“Little Hua has no power and no standing. Once you’re by His Majesty’s side, you’ll find Little Hua is just Little Hua.”

“Oh.”

“…No matter what you do, there’ll be people who look down on you. However you act, they’ll still look down on you. However you try to curry favor with them, they’ll still look down on you. Might as well just look down on each other right back…

…It doesn’t help for you alone to be clever — you’re only safe if the people around you are clever too. Keep a close eye on those six, they’re each more foolish than the last…

…Whoever tells you ‘I’m an expert, I do this all the time, no worries’ — that kind of person can never be trusted with anything important. When things go wrong, it’s always the so-called experts, since it’s only those who’ve suffered half a lifetime who exercise extreme caution… We’re — we’re here.”

Muttering on and on, rambling endlessly, and now the old official road lay ahead. Qiqian’er finally stopped walking, looking at Chen Dasheng with tremendous unease.

He was about to walk a completely different path now, and she had no grasp at all on what kind of people he’d meet, what kind of things might happen to him.

Chen Dasheng instead reached out and patted her shoulder: “I’ve remembered it all. Anything else?”

Qiqian’er blinked, then finally held up one finger: “One more thing.”

Chen Dasheng covered his face, leaning over his saddle, his shoulders shaking for a good while before he turned back, holding his breath: “You… ha… whew… go on, say it!”

Qiqian’er instructed very seriously: “From now on, whatever Little Hua gives you, if it’s worth more than ten strings of cash, don’t accept it.”

Chen Dasheng nodded: “I know, you’ve told me before. Wear shoes worth fifty strings, you’ll need a belt worth fifty strings to match, and clothes worth a hundred strings to go with that. I don’t have the money, I can’t afford to dress like that, and wearing it would just wear me out anyway.”

Qiqian’er nodded, satisfied: “Mm. Next month when you get your salary, don’t send it all home either — first have three sets of plain cloth clothing made for each of them, top to bottom. From now on, no matter what fine fabrics or robes come into fashion in the capital, remember, you’ll always wear just these same three sets. Once they’re used to it, they won’t try to compete with you or find fault with you either. But have the clothes made by a good tailor — that’s about maintaining proper dignity… Now, now you — you should go.”

There was still so much more to say, really, but the auspicious hour had arrived, so — go.

Chen Dasheng nodded, took hold of the reins, and swung up onto his horse.

Qiqian’er held her headscarf and looked up at him.

They both laughed. Qiqian’er thought, I’ve really emptied out everything I carried from my past life today.

Chen Dasheng gave a shout, and the group of riders galloped off, kicking up dust as they vanished down the road.

In about an hour, the group reached Yandu’s east gate, and led their horses winding through the chaotic streets. They’d barely made it back to the Imperial Guard Office, not even through the main gate yet, when a dark-faced, bearded officer sitting in the gatehouse grabbed hold of them and called out: “Ai yo! You gentlemen are finally back! Hurry up, His Majesty’s been calling for you since this morning!”

With that, without even waiting for Meng Wanquan, they were pulled straight off toward the palace.

The process of entering the palace went smoothly, except that at the inner gate, Chen Dasheng and the others had to remove their long blades and waist blades.

The blades were laid out on a table in the Imperial Guard Office, and as they were leaving, they heard a commotion break out behind them. Turning back, they saw a crowd of guards had swarmed around, packed three layers deep, jostling for a look.

Someone outside was even hopping up and down, shouting: “Let me see, let me see…”

“Let me touch it, let me touch it!”

“You bunch of rascals!”

The bearded officer laughed and turned to Chen Dasheng and the others: “These ignorant young fellows! They’ve known your names for a while now, and they admire you greatly! It’s just that you haven’t been staying at the Imperial Guard Office lately, so they never got the chance to meet you — today they finally got their wish! From now on, Registrar Chen and you gentlemen should guide them often, no need to spare my feelings, go ahead and knock some sense into them, let these young ones learn where the sky and earth really are!”

Chen Dasheng had always been plain and honest in dealing with people. His wife had told him he was the slowest-witted, so he might as well just be himself with people — no point envying others’ silver tongues, since that wasn’t something he could learn anyway, so he might as well just stay as he was.

“Can’t train it up! No battles, no chance to test the blade!”

Chen Dasheng relayed this rather flatly, and the officer was momentarily stunned.

Then he quickly clapped his forehead and laughed: “Right! Right… in the end that old bastard Chang Mianshen swept up what remained of the troops, didn’t leave even scraps for our Imperial Guard Office. Well, from now on… it’s not bad either, following His Majesty in and out, no need to live in fear every day anymore, at the very least our wives and children can rest easy.”

Chen Dasheng, feeling this deeply, praised him: “What you say, sir, is exactly what my wife told me too — though I don’t believe I know your name yet?”

What kind of jumbled way of talking was this, leaping back and forth so fast.

The man froze for a moment, then burst into thunderous laughter: “My apologies! My apologies! I’m — oh, this official is Liu Daya, serving as Registrar of the Imperial Bodyguard Inner Guard. It’s just that my rank as Registrar is lower fifth grade, half a grade above Registrar Chen. Of course, Official Chen needn’t concern himself with such things — in our Imperial Guard Office, we’ve always earned respect through ability.”

This was a decent sort of man — he seemed to have looked into Chen Dasheng and his group quite thoroughly, and showed a genuine warmth typical of military men.

Chen Dasheng was startled for a moment, then immediately cupped his hands: “Greetings, Master Liu!”

Registrar Liu kept smiling, but returned the gesture with real sincerity: “Greetings, Official Chen! No need for such formality from now on — our twenty-eight guard offices are all equal in rank, your Long Blade Guard and ours are equivalent offices, it’s just that your household has fewer people and mine has more.

Speaking of which, that courtyard of yours was originally part of our rear guard office. Later, His Majesty gave the order, and Master Zeng thought our courtyard was too spread out, so he carved off a section for you all. We’re colleagues and brothers now, and neighbors going forward too. My family’s all out in the provinces, so let’s look out for each other from now on, shall we?”

Having said this much, Chen Dasheng felt he ought to say something in return too.

He struggled for a good while, but could only nod earnestly at the man: “Good! I’ll look out for you!”

By his judgment, this man really was a good one — clear-eyed, straightforward in his dealings, no dragging things out, and a neighbor besides — easy to get along with.

It reminded him of the old stable master back in the day, who’d also been that direct and forthright, and who’d looked out for them daily when he’d seen they had nowhere to eat.

This kind of consideration and respect never looked at family background — it was something they’d earned with their own ability, risking their lives, earned with the blade.

Registrar Liu let out another booming laugh, then led them further inside.

Actually, Chen Dasheng had been to the palace more than once before. The first time, he’d come in through the very center, the Meridian Gate — the south gate.

His wife had told him that the Meridian Gate was extremely dignified — even an empress might pass through it only once in her whole life.

But that night, he’d cut down no small number of people right beneath that gate, blood splattering high, staining even the door studs red.

In the chaos of that night, this courtyard had felt like just an ordinary place to him, at most a bit larger than most.

But now, walking through again with Registrar Liu, the place suddenly seemed vast and endlessly long.

Registrar Liu kept carefully guiding him along the way.

“Ah, we can’t walk through the middle here.”

“Ah, this path is reserved for the Great Sacrificial Rites…”

Last time with Little Hua, he’d walked in and around freely, however he liked. But this time, it was different.

Those rules constrained a person, yet slowly they gathered into the dignity of this palace, making it feel larger and larger, more and more imposing…

And that familiar, approachable emperor — he too seemed to have changed, become someone unreachably high, someone almost frightening now…

They couldn’t see him directly either — they had to pass through gate after gate, an old road that would normally take half an incense-stick’s time, yet here held eight separate gates.

Finally, they found the place.

Imperial guards and eunuchs sometimes shared similar privileges, both belonging to the palace’s semi-free class of people — they could access most places the Emperor himself could go. The back palace, of course, didn’t count, nor did the consorts’ courtyards.

The two registrars reached the spot and casually found a place to settle, and several young eunuchs immediately brought over straw mats to lay down, even bringing them tea.

Among their own, such courtesies came naturally.

As for the ministers awaiting audience, they weren’t here at all — apparently waiting in a long side chamber near a side hall instead.

Chen Dasheng looked up at the sky and wondered — was it “monkeying” around, or “thickening” their skin waiting? (playing on homophones he didn’t understand)

The Emperor’s familiar voice drifted out from the hall, unhurried and measured. Chen Dasheng immediately turned with his cup in hand and glimpsed through the gap in the door into the side hall.

The Emperor looked thinner after just a few days apart! Today he wore casual clothes, feet bare, reclining on a couch, eyes half-closed as he questioned his ministers.

A few steps from the couch, four or five ministers knelt, reporting back.

The Emperor said, displeased: “…Just a simple edict, and you all insist on dressing it up with flowery language? What do you mean by ‘the air of a new dynasty’? A new dynasty means people should be active, moving! And all day you fuss over this ceremony, that classical text? Can’t you see what’s happening out there? After years of warfare, roads everywhere are choked and impassable, villages emptied of people, the common folk unable to return home! Fields lying untended with no one to farm them! And right around Qingfeng and Yandu, refugees are gathering with no relief in sight?

A few more days of dawdling, and my people will turn into bandits!

The other day I said your former emperor was dragged to his death by parasites like you, and someone wanted to die in protest over it! Well then, die! But no, you didn’t!

Heh! How amusing — you couldn’t bear to die in protest back then, but if you had, I wouldn’t be sitting here now! What nonsense!”

Well, our Emperor had risen from rebellion — this was just his flavor.

Chen Dasheng liked it, in any case.

Whoosh…

A pile of memorials came flying out from inside, landing on the floor.

Chen Dasheng thought, His Majesty really is formidable. Truly an emperor indeed.

Liu Daya clicked his tongue in open disdain, leaning in to whisper in Chen Dasheng’s ear: “Not one of those fools up front is any use! Tsk — right now we’ve got no one competent to work with, and we’re being pushed around because of it! Tsk! Afraid of them? Hmph! Once the officials from the southern four commanderies arrive tomorrow, hmph, we’ll see!”

The southern four commanderies still had old retainers from the Shao Shang faction — the most crucial force that had supported the Emperor in winning the realm. Naturally, these men couldn’t compare.

Chen Dasheng had also come up through the Shao Shang campaign, so he nodded firmly in agreement, telling Liu Daya: “Useless lot!”

Liu Daya immediately echoed him: “Useless leftovers of the old dynasty!”

“Mm!”

His own hometown had suffered a flood — if not for this useless bunch, why would they have had to suffer so? His Majesty was right to scold them.

From inside the hall came the low sobbing of a middle-aged man, someone saying: “Even — even if we are surrendered officials, we shouldn’t be insulted like this…”

Before he could finish, the Emperor cut in: “Then go ahead and die in protest. You’d be the first since my enthronement. I’ll be sure to give you a proper burial and won’t touch your family at all…”

After another pause, the man wept: “Only — I have an aged mother at home to support, your servant dares not be unfilial, if not…”

“Enough, enough, enough, here we go again — don’t bring up your mother, don’t bring up your father either. All you filial sons — let’s talk about right now. These past few days I’ve been reviewing the old records — never mind Yandu, Qingfeng alone has over eight thousand seven hundred registered shops on the books. Right now every single market and shop in Yandu is closed for business — what exactly have you all been doing with yourselves? Don’t tell me it’s because I slaughtered Yandu’s shopkeepers. I led the men in myself — who did I kill, who did I wipe out? Do you think I don’t know! That’s right! Plenty of people were killed, but not one single shop was touched, and not one single household among the common people was disturbed. The siege has gone on this long, no one’s gone out, so where have all these shops gone?!”

“…Your Majesty, the siege lasted two months — those inside couldn’t get out, those outside couldn’t get in. Without goods, there’s naturally no way for trade to flow…”

“Oh, just be quiet! Pot-menders, bowl-setters, scale-calibrators, knife-sharpeners, organizers, foot-trimmers, fortune-tellers, letter-writers, palanquin-bearers, shoe-menders — do these need trade routes to flow too? Where there’s one shop, there’ll be a second. Only when there’s coming and going does the people’s confidence settle…”

Chen Dasheng listened quietly to the exchange inside, nodding along continuously.

Just as things were getting lively, he saw a eunuch leading a whole retinue of junior eunuchs, arms laden with stacks of scrolls, sweeping past with tremendous authority.

This one was clearly someone important — even Registrar Liu, who’d been sitting there quite grandly the whole time, stood up at once.

Registrar Liu greeted him respectfully: “Uncle She, why have you come at this hour?”

Uncle She gave Registrar Liu a cool nod: “Everywhere’s short-staffed, what am I supposed to do about it? I can’t even replace this whole lot, now I’ve got them working as the Ministry of Revenue’s accountants. And who’s this?”

He looked Chen Dasheng up and down, and halfway through, his icy face suddenly broke into a smile, startling Registrar Liu — he’d never seen this man smile before.

Steward She asked with a smile: “This one, could this be Registrar Chen? Heh — Chen Choutou!”

Chen Dasheng was utterly astonished — this eunuch knew his childhood nickname?

The eunuch was equally astonished, staring fixedly at Chen Dasheng’s melon-round face, and finally couldn’t hold back, leaning against the doorframe and laughing out loud: “My apologies, the last few times you came I was too busy, heh, missed you each time~ heh heh…”

From inside, someone immediately scolded: “Who dares make noise out there!!”

Someone hurried in to report to the Emperor, and moments later the Emperor himself began laughing too, calling out: “Enough! A whole day of this, and finally something amusing to see. All of you, get out! Come back once you’ve drafted a proper memorial. If we don’t settle this today, might as well call yourselves unfilial right now!”

More memorials came flying out, and some of the old officials still dressed in the previous dynasty’s court robes clutched their hats and fled, covering their faces.

From inside, the Emperor’s voice called out, softened: “Is that Dasheng and the others back? Come in. Look how you’ve got Uncle She laughing — it’s been so long, I haven’t seen your Uncle She laugh in ages…”