He didn’t hear the rest of the words clearly—he only remembered that line “Pray Heaven protect us suffering men.” Yun Ye kept humming this phrase softly to himself, trying every kind of tune. His heart felt warm. He wasn’t the only unlucky person in this world—there was someone even more miserable. Thinking of this, everything looked pleasing to the eye. Wang Cai resting his head on the rear end of Liu Jinbao’s warhorse ahead was so adorably naive. The snotty-nosed child by the roadside was so cute. Even the cripple beating his wife now swung his arm with such aesthetic grace…
This state lasted a full day, making the local officials think the marquis had gone mad, because the marquis actually praised his three mouse whiskers. They sent off the noble marquis like sending off a plague god. When the marquis arrived, his ships were loaded with rice grain; when he left, they were loaded with kelp. In any case, they were all packed full. Regarding the marquis using his own money to purchase these useless things, the local officials believed this was a concrete manifestation of the marquis’s noble character—it was just a roundabout way of giving disaster victims some money so they’d have a bit of cash in hand to improve their lives. Most precious of all, the marquis planned to continue this charitable act, giving money to Hebei’s disaster victims every year.
The local surveillance commissioner specially composed several poems to praise the marquis’s generosity. Meanwhile, the Bai Qi Si agents investigated from another angle. Their final conclusion was that Yun Ye wasn’t trying to win people’s hearts—it was just his wastrel spendthrift nature flaring up again. He couldn’t bear to see people work hard. It didn’t count as excessive behavior.
Officials pocketing a bit on the side—the common people had long grown accustomed to it. It wasn’t a big deal, especially when an eccentric spendthrift paid a high price for over a dozen ships of pig feed. For a time, it became the biggest joke in Hebei. Liu Jinbao gloomily reported this news to his family’s marquis, but the marquis just laughed heartily, saying that if he couldn’t leave behind a good reputation, leaving behind a joke to entertain the people was also a good thing.
Traveling upstream on the canal was extraordinarily difficult. At each prefecture and district, common people performing their so-called three obligations of rent, corvée labor, and tribute—one of which was this labor service—pulled ropes step by step along the shore, sending official ships beyond their own territorial boundaries. Official ships all used this labor for free without spending a single wen.
The fanciful Marquis Yun pulled another stunt—he prepared to pay. When officials heard about this, they were scared out of their wits. This was terrible! If Yun Ye opened this terrible precedent, would the official ships behind him also have to pay? When officials transported their private goods on official ships, would they also have to pay? What did one become an official for? Wasn’t it precisely for these benefits? Without these conveniences, who would bow down for five pecks of rice? Couldn’t I find five pecks of rice to eat somewhere else?
Officials who came to persuade him were chased away. Those who firmly insisted that the marquis must use the labor for free were thrown into the water by the naval soldiers. The marquis said that unless the officials pulled the ropes themselves, the Yun family wouldn’t take advantage of those poor wretches. The ships were all loaded with the marquis’s private goods. Even for using official ships, the marquis planned to pay fees, let alone for those hardworking laborers.
Wu She, He Zhongwu, and Hong Cheng all sat in the cabin listening to Yun Ye explain his reasoning for doing this.
“Since ancient times, becoming an official has been about glorifying one’s parents, raising one’s reputation, and preparing to be superior to others by sucking blood from the common people. Bullying people is the foundation of happiness! This evil conduct has extended across this land for several thousand years. Ever since Yu the Great had selfish desires and transferred his power to his son Xia Qi, dynasties appeared. The so-called ‘family world’ began at that time, and from that time people began to differentiate into high, middle, and low ranks.”
“I can’t say whether it’s good or bad. This thing called class is very strange. Sometimes it can motivate people to improve, but more often it’s just an excuse to exploit others. Those people pulling the boats outside are fulfilling their duties. If the ships weren’t loaded with kelp, I would use them with a clear conscience. We are warships and have the right to enjoy their labor. But with the kelp, our ships are no longer warships—they’re merchant ships. So we’ll pay, not a single wen less, restoring the true face of rent, corvée labor, and tribute.”
“For those black-hearted people who use official ships, we’ll cut off this route. Not only because they’re taking advantage of the state, but even more detestable is that their transported goods will cost a huge chunk less in shipping fees than privately transported goods. They can buy the same things cheaper than the private sector, yet their profits are higher than others. This won’t do! You’re already ahead when you start running. If this goes on for a long time, all merchants will become official merchants, all private trading houses will close up and go raise sheep, some will become highway robbers, and the Great Tang will be in danger. Remember one thing—officials don’t pay taxes.”
Having finished speaking, Yun Ye went out the door, not caring whether they understood or not. The Cheng family’s steward actually dared to come crying and complaining—he really had eaten a bear’s heart and leopard’s gall! He wouldn’t be satisfied without a good beating. This is how one establishes one’s reputation.
Yun Ye hadn’t gone mad. He just believed that now that he was an official, he should play that role well. When he went home as a merchant, he would play the merchant’s role well. He must do it meticulously. As an official, he must do it until he himself believed he was a good official. As a merchant, he must reach the peak of his ability. As a teacher, how could he not cultivate a few good students? This journey that nearly cost him his life taught him one principle—even if it’s just acting, one must throw oneself into it completely.
The role Yun Ye was now playing was that of an upright and impartial good official. The Cheng family steward was dragged away and beaten with the rod, then rewarded with ten strings of cash. Lying on his bed, he both groaned and laughed.
As soon as the ships left a territory, Yun Ye would bring out his abacus and calculate meticulously how much to pay the trackers—not a wen less, not a wen more. Any official ships following behind the fleet that carried private goods also obediently paid up, or else Yun Ye’s fleet would stubbornly block the way ahead, preventing them from advancing a single step.
Yun Ye did this idle, painful thing all the way until Li Er sent an edict ordering him to hurry back to the capital. Don’t learn from others about self-defilement when you have nothing to do. He already stank throughout the streets—what was he pretending for? Hurry back! If he was late, his legs would be broken.
Yun Ye sighed three times to the heavens and ordered full speed return to the capital. Li Er was a fox—would he die from being a bit stupider?
Liu Jinbao was extremely confused, Hong Cheng was extremely confused, He Zhongwu’s face showed worship, and Wu She hid alone in the cabin laughing like a duck about to breathe its last.
He was afraid of returning to the capital. Right now, the capital was a huge hornet’s nest, and the role he played was the stick poking the hornet’s nest. The mastermind behind the scenes was of course Li Er. Yun Ye wanted to do some absurd things so that Li Er would order his dismissal from his command position. He didn’t want to be the stick—not at all. The hornets in the capital could bite, each with a mouth the size of a fist. How much flesh did he have on his body? Could it withstand so many hornets biting here and there?
Li Er didn’t take the bait. He didn’t mention dismissal at all. Dismissal would only happen after poking the hornet’s nest. Li Er was single-mindedly prepared to wait until Yun Ye was bitten down to a skeleton before removing his naval post. This wouldn’t do—he had to think of a solution! The nobles in the capital usually called each other brothers. Everyone had a whole bunch of beautiful wives and concubines to support. With such a large sum of money gone, wouldn’t they fight someone to the death? Fighting Li Er to the death would cost one’s life. Only Yun Ye was not too big, not too small, not too fat, not too thin—beating him wouldn’t hurt one’s hand, kicking him wouldn’t hurt one’s foot. He was a natural punching bag.
In just one day, worry made Yun Ye’s gums swell high. He couldn’t even find a suitable scapegoat. Old Cheng, Old Niu, Old Qin weren’t suitable. If he really used them as shields, forget about conscience—Grandmother would beat him to death.
Li Jing was a good scapegoat, but he was hiding far away at the frontier, hard to catch. Li Xiaogong? That wouldn’t work either. Last time the old man had taken ten thousand strings from home to help him in an emergency. He owed him that favor. Zhangsun Wuji? Forget it—thinking about his future authority was frightening. Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui—his qualifications weren’t enough to use them as scapegoats.
Night after night he couldn’t sleep. His cheeks swelled until they shone. Countless boils grew on the back of his head. Just as he gritted his teeth, steeled his heart, and prepared to shoulder this matter himself, things took a turn.
Old Zhuang ran along the canal for a long time to deliver letters from home—a thick stack. It looked like Xinyue had a lot to say. When he opened them, he discovered there were many letters inside. Na Rimu had also drawn two people kissing crookedly on paper—you couldn’t tell if they were male or female, all with square heads, flat bodies, stick arms and legs. Very much in the style of Yinshan rock paintings. He knew this foolish woman missed him very much. He smoothed out her letter and pressed it under his pillow to appreciate carefully at night. Grandmother’s letter simply told him to take care of himself and come home early. Daya, Xiaoya, Dongnanxibei, Runniang, Shishi, Xiao Wu all had letters—full of longing and worry.
He saved Xinyue’s letter for last. Hers was also the thickest, describing the recent situation of everyone at home, especially the incident of Yun Baobao and Yun Shou angrily bursting into the golden throne hall with her. She described it like a myth, emphasizing in particular how Yun Baobao, not yet one year old, already showed the bearing of an important minister. The empress held him for a long time and he didn’t pee—such an obedient baby! When leaving the palace, he even babbled commands at the palace maids and eunuchs to clear the way for him. Truly the makings of a future marquis!
Reading the letter, Yun Ye was so moved he almost cried. I finally have an enemy! Zhang Liang, what a good man! Since you took the lead in donating Lingnan’s profits and carried a big black pot for His Majesty, then carrying another small black pot for me, you surely won’t mind. The Lingnan affair was all forced by Zhang Liang! He, a dignified duke, named names and demanded that I donate his family’s wealth, not leaving a single wen, or else state law wouldn’t permit it. His words were sharp, his tone was certain, his attitude was resolute, but his meaning was veiled—nothing more than wanting Yun Ye to turn a blind eye and casually submit some money to deal with the emperor. Although letters like this came from every duke and prince—this was also why Yun Ye was thinking about how to use these people as scapegoats—now that he had an enemy, everyone else’s letters could be burned. Keeping Zhang Liang’s as evidence was enough.
What a good person—truly timely rain among timely rain! That night, Yun Ye hugged Na Rimu’s letter and had spring dreams all night long.