The afternoon sky had turned overcast, gray clouds drifting past in the wind.
Inside Jiangning, the afternoon session of the martial arts tournament was underway. Crowds had gathered in the taverns and teahouses near the arena, and all sorts of people moved through the streets on their own business. After each closely-watched match ended, runners dashed through the streets carrying betting slips to and from the nearby gambling dens — some celebrated having won their bets, while others, having lost, were tossed out into the street with sour faces and chased and kicked by the crowd. Amid this lively atmosphere, factions large and small, along with businessmen looking to strike deals, mingled together in a scene of general merriment.
On the east side of the city, the men who’d left the Gathering Worthies Inn at Zhong’an Ward soon dispersed through the streets. Shi Weiyang paid some passing attention to the exciting matches now underway in the city center, but soon put the thought aside, and together with Wu Chennan, made his way discreetly and naturally toward the Five Lakes Inn.
The first time he’d rushed over to the Five Lakes Inn to make arrests, he hadn’t expected the inn to be no pushover — that they’d actually resist and fight back, and that his brash, showy approach would end up ruining everything. This time, having taken Wu Chennan’s advice to heart, he made sure to prepare his men properly beforehand and sent scouts ahead, quietly surrounding the inn.
Once outside, though, he still felt a lingering unease.
“My father… he really won’t be angry about this, will he…”
Seeing him hesitate, Wu Chennan wasn’t surprised, and said with a smile, “If Lord Shi truly forbade it, young master, there’s no way you could have brought these men out here at all.”
“…That’s true enough.” Although Shi Weiyang hadn’t reported this deployment of Baofeng Trading Company’s men directly to his father this time, it had received a nod of approval from several of the managers at Gathering Worthies Inn — thinking of this, he relaxed somewhat. But then he added, “Still, if… there really is something shady going on at that inn, could this blow up into something we can’t control… I mean, what my father — what kind of outcome would he actually want here…”
“I don’t think the young master needs to worry too much,” Wu Chennan said. “You’re Lord Shi’s son. His future achievements won’t hinge on one or two minor matters. You’re going out to handle this to show everyone that you still hold power in your hands, and that you know how to wield it. What Lord Shi wants to see is your drive to advance — not the fine details of this or that particular incident…”
The Fair Party had only risen to prominence over the past two years, and Baofeng Trading Company’s rise, followed by Shi Weiyang stepping up to take charge of matters, was even more recent still. Having held considerable power early on, with flattery coming from all sides, it was only natural he’d grown somewhat inflated. After the string of setbacks over the Yan Yunzhi affair, his confidence had turned shaky and anxious once more.
Wu Chennan was a scholar who’d read too many books and liked to compare himself to Zhou Yu or Zhuge Liang. After the Shi family had first risen to prominence, he’d been left out in the cold for a long time; now that he’d finally won Shi Weiyang’s trust, he thought things through carefully while comforting this childhood companion whose temperament wasn’t exactly magnanimous.
“Of course, as for how to handle the Five Lakes Inn matter in detail, Lord Shi surely has his own thoughts on it — but those thoughts aren’t something I could presume to guess. Weiyang, you and I, as men living through troubled times, should simply meet whatever comes our way and deal with it as it arises. When trouble comes, you should act decisively and resolve it. Lord Shi may have scolded you for your past conduct, but I think what he’d least want to see is you truly confined at home, hanging your head and sighing all day. Don’t you think that’s right?”
Shi Weiyang trembled all over. “Chennan really sees things clearly.”
The two rode on, talking as they went, and Shi Weiyang’s resolve gradually firmed up, making the purpose of this outing all the clearer to him. As they passed through several long streets, chatting idly about the martial arts tournament at the city center, Wu Chennan waved a dismissive hand. “That arena over there is just a bit of spectacle to attract outside attention. As far as our Fair Party is concerned, the truly important matters lie elsewhere. Whether this assembly goes smoothly is what will really matter for the future of this world.”
He then went on to explain in detail the recent progress of the assembly, discussing the sharpest point of conflict — between Zhou Shang and the others — and mentioning the “Great Dragonhead” and a few other minor factions, before inevitably bringing up the “Reading Society” connected to the Five Lakes Inn.
Shi Weiyang said, “I’ve heard privately that this Reading Society might have ties to the southwest’s Black Banner.”
Wu Chennan shook his head with a smile. “It’s just some scheming types using the southwest’s name to stir up trouble in secret. If you had to sum up Yama King’s faction in three words right now, it’d be ‘go to extremes.’ If you had to sum up the Reading Society, it’d be ‘establish rules.’ They’re borrowing the southwest’s name to claim the Fair Party’s internal discipline is too lax. Their recently circulated pamphlets say that even Fair King He Wen himself, along with all five factions, can’t last — but from what I hear, the content in those pamphlets isn’t even the original southwest material anymore; it’s been altered by people with their own agenda.”
“So who’s behind it, then?”
“The young master needn’t concern himself with that,” Wu Chennan said with a smile. “Does the young master know whose tiger skin our Fair Party borrowed when it first rose up?”
The question was too simple; Shi Weiyang raised an eyebrow. “The southwest, of course.”
“Exactly. When we rose up, we borrowed the tiger skin of the Huaxia Army in the southwest. But by now, everyone within our own ranks knows perfectly well that the Fair Party and the Huaxia Army are two entirely separate things. We used that borrowed skin as our banner, and that’s how the five Great Kings came to hold power. So if someone now wants to borrow the southwest’s tiger skin again, what exactly is he trying to do? And whose taboo would that violate most severely?”
Wu Chennan shook his head with a smile. “Since ancient times, the emperor has been the Son of Heaven — once he’s declared himself Son of Heaven, would he ever allow someone else to claim that same title? He Wen borrowed the Huaxia Army’s name to gain his authority in the first place. If someone else now dares claim to represent the true Huaxia Army, what else could his ambition be but to seize power? Young master, in the game of power since ancient times, sharing power can be negotiated — but seizing power always means a fight to the death.”
“That’s exactly why, after the Fair Party’s five Great Kings, other forces like the Great Dragonhead have been allowed to slowly rise, even to sit down and discuss matters together. But the Reading Society — for half a year now, all five factions have wanted it dead… Whoever’s behind it has far too much ambition. His feathers haven’t even fully grown in yet, and he already dares call himself the true heir of Huaxia orthodoxy. It’s laughable that some ignorant people out there even claim the Reading Society is secretly directed by the Fair King himself — what a joke… Haha, would His Majesty rebel against himself?”
Wu Chennan spoke eloquently, gesturing expansively, and all of Shi Weiyang’s doubts were resolved. He looked at his childhood friend with newfound respect. The two of them found a teahouse in an alley near the Five Lakes Inn and sat down to wait while the various arrangements were finalized. During this time, Shi Weiyang pressed Wu Chennan further about his ambitions, and only then discovered that this companion who’d once preferred staying home reading books was in fact deeply learned, and was likewise hoping to make something of himself amid these turbulent times.
Shi Weiyang felt a pang of shame, realizing now that his own success and the flattery he’d received over the past year or two had been rather like playing a game. He opened up to Wu Chennan about his feelings, saying, “…I’ve been frivolous and reckless in the past. Going forward, whatever comes my way, I ask that Brother Wu stay by my side and advise me — and if I ever act foolishly again, Brother Wu should feel free to scold me back to my senses. We men ought to accomplish great things in this world — only then does life feel truly worthwhile…”
Wu Chennan took his hand and bowed in return. “We’re brothers, you and I — there’s no need for such formality, it’s only right that I help…” He struck the pose of Zhuge Liang finally meeting an enlightened lord. Both of them were young, one having found his enlightened lord, the other having found his patron, and for a moment the whole teahouse seemed to radiate with a kind of inspired ambition.
After this display of mutual appreciation between “host and guest,” their subsequent conversation took on a broader and more grounded perspective. By now, the preparations for dealing with the Five Lakes Inn were largely in place, and the scouts sent ahead had begun reporting back information about the inn. Amid all this planning, Wu Chennan offered Shi Weiyang another scheme, as if presenting a token of loyalty.
“…Setting the Five Lakes Inn aside for a moment — everything that’s troubled the young master these past days traces back to Miss Yan’s departure. But in my view, though Miss Yan left with great resolve, getting her back might not actually be as difficult as it seems.”
“Oh?” Shi Weiyang’s eyes went wide. “Actually… a while back at the Golden Tower, Manager Jin and his men nearly caught that Yan Yunzhi, but she got away in the end. If even Manager Jin’s methods couldn’t bring her back… does Chennan have some clever plan? Don’t keep me in suspense.”
As he spoke, Shi Weiyang cupped his hands together with a smile, and Wu Chennan smiled back. “The young master’s temperament is far too kind-hearted. As for Manager Jin’s side — perhaps it’s a case of the darkness right under the lamp. Weiyang, you’ve all overlooked one thing. Although Miss Yan left Zhong’an Ward without a backward glance, she isn’t entirely without family. She still has kin here in Jiangning right now. I’d wager, young master, that even though Yan Yunzhi left, she’s surely still keeping tabs, in private, on how her Second Brother Yan is faring — and also on whether the business dealings between the Yan family and your Shi family have been genuinely affected.”
“Chennan means…” Shi Weiyang blinked. “…But the Yan family is still, after all, a guest of my Shi family…”
“You’ve taken excellent care of the Yan family, young master. When your initial recklessness first frightened Miss Yan away, you went out of your way afterward to apologize publicly and worked hard to bring about an alliance between the Shi and Yan families. Under these circumstances, if Second Brother Yan happens to run into some small misfortune here in this chaotic city of Jiangning, who could possibly find fault with you, young master?”
Wu Chennan spoke these words slowly, then took a step back. “Of course, this scheme might be a bit too underhanded. Ah, the young master has such a kind and generous heart…”
Before he could finish, Shi Weiyang seized both his hands and said firmly, “No! A real man doesn’t fuss over petty details when getting things done — Brother Wu has enlightened me. Who would have thought that such a thorny problem could be resolved with just a few words from Brother Wu? Going forward, if Brother Wu ever has an idea, please speak it frankly — if I let womanish scruples get in the way, how could I ever accomplish anything great?”
He delivered this bout of self-criticism with great fervor, and just as he finished, someone came to report that the preparations for surrounding the Five Lakes Inn were now fully complete. Although it appeared the troublemakers from last time had already fled, this had been expected from the start — putting on a show here to restore the second young master’s authority was now assured of success.
Shi Weiyang waved his hand decisively. “Let’s go. Deal with the Five Lakes Inn today first, and slowly round up that bunch from last time afterward, one by one. Brother Wu, since you and I have decided to accomplish something great, we shouldn’t fuss over small details! Let’s move!”
Moments later, Shi Weiyang and Wu Chennan walked out of the teahouse and headed down the street toward the stone bridge in front of the Five Lakes Inn. The sky had already darkened, and groups of men converged on the inn from all directions. Within moments, the lead fighters had already broken through the doors and windows.
Jiangning had never been particularly peaceful to begin with, and seeing this menacing force bearing down on them, the people inside the inn didn’t simply surrender — their first instinct was to draw blades and fight. This first wave of resistance was quickly cut down in a pool of blood, and only then did the shout ring out from the surrounding crowd: “Arrest the Reading Society criminals!”
Group after group of people were dragged out. Searchers pulled some Reading Society pamphlets from the bodies lying in the blood, and then found a large quantity of additional “evidence” hidden within the inn’s walls. Shi Weiyang and Wu Chennan strode into the inn and lit the first fire, then came back out to the street at the bridgehead, where they loudly interrogated some of the captives, demanding to know where the Reading Society criminals who’d blocked them last time had fled to.
Someone shouted, “We’re men of Nong Xian Zhao Jingci! How dare you do this!”
Wu Chennan said, “The men here last time were also Zhao Jingci’s men — they were still here a few days ago, and the moment something went wrong, they vanished. Clearly they’ve got a guilty conscience! You lot are in league with them too—” He and Shi Weiyang shouted this while flinging the seized Reading Society pamphlets in the man’s face.
The flames grew, and the commotion swelled.
Shi Weiyang said, “Last time I came here, the onlookers hanging around were clearly accomplices of the people in this inn too. Drag them out as well, and interrogate every last one of them — find out whether they’re connected to the Reading Society!”
This operation by Baofeng Trading Company had been carefully planned this time, catching everyone off guard. At Shi Weiyang’s command, the enforcers surrounding the area rushed off in all directions to make arrests. He remembered clearly that last time, it was these very onlookers who’d helped block him from succeeding. On the spot, many people who’d simply been watching and hadn’t managed to flee in time were dragged over, interrogated, and beaten to the ground.
As the fire inside the inn grew fiercer, Shi Weiyang shouted to those around him:
“Whether or not you lot have ties to those Reading Society criminals, from today onward, pass the word to any bandits who used to hide out at this Five Lakes Inn — even if some of them got lucky and escaped today, this young master will hunt down every last one of them, without exception—”
The wind fanned the flames, and in the firelight, strange pamphlets danced through the air above the street. Baofeng’s men continued searching the area and turned up more “evidence.” Shi Weiyang had his men haul off the inn’s manager, waiters, and other staff to be jailed, while the rest were interrogated, beaten, and eventually let go one by one. Several minor leaders from the Fair King’s faction who’d come by were forcefully driven off by Shi Weiyang, who pointed at the pile of “evidence” on the ground, arguing that if last time had really been just an ordinary quarrel, why would the managers have fled? Clearly something was seriously wrong. The other side found itself unable to argue back.
And so the second young master’s dignity was restored.
…
The sky had turned somewhat overcast.
At Gathering Worthies Inn, Shi Baofeng sat on the breezy balcony of the upper pavilion, hands clasped together, eyes closed in quiet rest.
Footsteps sounded, and chief manager Jin Yongsheng came up from downstairs to report.
“Please sit, Old Jin,” Shi Baofeng said, gesturing to one side. “How did it go?”
“Same situation at the assembly,” Jin Yongsheng said. “In my opinion, if the boss doesn’t attend, nothing will come of it.”
The seventh was the fourth day of the Fair Party’s assembly. Shi Baofeng had attended in the morning, but after returning home at midday, he’d been too lazy to bother going back in the afternoon. At the assembly, the various factions were still discussing their views and terms regarding the issues He Wen had raised. Shi Baofeng’s sudden absence meant that the Equality King’s faction could no longer make any final decisions, and progress on that front had stalled.
“If nothing comes of it, so be it,” Shi Baofeng said with a smile, then let the smile fade. “In a negotiation like this, it’s always better when everyone takes their turn speaking. Old He raised his questions at the first meeting, and we discussed our thoughts at the second and third — but our dear Mister He just sits back calmly like he’s fishing, seemingly waiting for everyone else to lay all their cards on the table before he says a word… Something doesn’t feel right to me.”
He paused. “And… I have a vague sense that something’s off.”
“What has the boss noticed?”
“…It’s too normal.” Shi Baofeng said. “He Wen raises his questions, Zhou Shang butts heads with He Wen, everyone states their position, and in the end things get worked out through discussion — I just feel like it’s all too normal. He Wen… he doesn’t strike me as someone that normal…”
A cool autumn breeze blew in from a distance, and the balcony fell quiet for a moment. Jin Yongsheng said nothing. After a while, Shi Baofeng turned his head and smiled. “Sit down, Old Jin… If it were just the assembly’s progress, you wouldn’t need to come report it to me in person. That unworthy son of mine — no problems there, I hope?”
Only then did Jin Yongsheng step forward and take a seat nearby. “The second young master can shoulder responsibility well enough — the arrangements were all handled properly.”
“Nonsense — if you hadn’t given the word and kept an eye on every step, he wouldn’t know the first thing about arranging anything.”
“The operation over there went through without any major problems.”
“If there’s a major problem, I’ll skin him alive!” Shi Baofeng said. “And then, that… Chennan fellow?”
“A young man with drive and ambition. I think he’s not bad.”
“Let him keep charging ahead for a while, then. Since Old Jin already says he’s got drive and ambition, going forward… I’ll trouble you, Old Jin, to teach him a bit of restraint at the right moment.”
“That…” Jin Yongsheng hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Very well.”
The balcony fell silent for a while. Seeing that Shi Baofeng seemed lost in thought, Jin Yongsheng rose to take his leave, but Shi Baofeng turned his head back toward him, his expression dark and serious.
“Old Jin,” he said. “What do you make of this Reading Society business?”
“Same view as before… we still haven’t managed to actually catch anyone — it’s hard to say which side is really behind it…”
“Word outside says it’s He Wen’s doing — what do you make of that?”
“…That would turn the whole world upside down.” Jin Yongsheng weighed his words carefully. “But honestly, that possibility seems slim. Why would Mister He bother? I’d sooner believe it was Ning Yi from the southwest acting directly. Most likely it’s some opportunist, or one of these ambitious upstarts like the Great Dragonhead trying to make a name for himself… Frankly, even a faction with a real shot at power like the Great Dragonhead wouldn’t take such an extreme gamble — that’s just making enemies on every side and courting death, isn’t it?”
“Zhou Shang’s out in front, making him the most likely one to clash with He Wen — which has actually made a lot of people forget about the Reading Society entirely… And He Wen’s slow, deliberate pace has been bothering me too. If he doesn’t state his position soon, I’m not going to the assembly anymore.”
“Mm.” Jin Yongsheng nodded.
“Also, with the second boy stirring up trouble at the Five Lakes Inn like that — on the surface, it’s a slap in the face to Nong Xian Zhao Jingci. He’s got his cover story from framing them, but there’s still going to be some back-and-forth between the two sides that won’t be easy to settle. Old Jin, please keep a closer eye on it for me. On one hand, it’s good training for him and Chennan, but on the other hand, let’s not let it actually blow up into a real mess — this thing could go either way. Still, compared to the bigger picture, it’s nothing much.”
“Understood.”
“I’ll use this Reading Society pretext to test the waters with He Wen… probably won’t lead anywhere… and that’s for the best if it doesn’t… as for what comes after…”
Shi Baofeng sat in his chair, twirling his thumbs together, and by the end he’d drifted into talking to himself. Jin Yongsheng nodded and withdrew silently. As he left the pavilion, the sky had turned overcast, as if rain were coming soon, and somewhere in the distance the city’s bustle seemed to continue on — but none of that bustle amounted to anything of real significance. The truly important matters always unfolded quietly, beneath the surface…
Having made his show of force at the Five Lakes Inn — arresting people, beating people — Shi Weiyang directed his men to withdraw in an orderly fashion. He’d even arranged for water-pump carts to be brought in, making sure the fire at the Five Lakes Inn burned only that one building and didn’t spread elsewhere, to avoid further criticism.
Having been through all this, and with Wu Chennan’s guidance, he’d resolved to become a man who thought of everything. As his men withdrew, he’d already begun looking into the whereabouts of those who’d escaped the inn last time — these people absolutely had to be caught. And as for the plan Wu Chennan had laid out for recapturing Yan Yunzhi, he’d already begun forming some initial ideas of his own.
Once he got Yan Yunzhi back, he decided, he wouldn’t let himself be constrained by petty romantic sentimentality any longer. On the surface, he’d put on a show of magnanimity toward her — but of course, some of the methods in between would simply be the ordinary, unavoidable ruthlessness that came with being a real man of action.
The dark clouds rolled in overhead, and those with great ambitions kept their eyes fixed on greater horizons still further away. Back at the Five Lakes Inn, the fire still burned, and some of the battered, bloodied lesser folk crawled up off the ground and limped home in tears. After a while, a physician was brought in to look at some of the wounded and bandaged them up with cheap medicine.
Just as the physician was about to leave, a staggering figure came running up along the roadside — a man with a limp, weak and unsteady, his gait strange. He ran up to the physician and dropped to his knees, kowtowing. The physician listened to his stammering explanation, then followed him over toward the stone bridge’s archway nearby.
Beneath the bridge’s arch lay a weak woman, her head bloodied, her breathing faint and intermittent. The physician examined her for a moment, then shook his head helplessly — her current injuries weren’t actually all that severe in themselves, but combined with the long-term toll her body had already suffered, there was nothing a barefoot doctor like him could do.
The lame, stammering man clung to him and kowtowed, refusing to let him leave, his dark face streaked with blood, snot and saliva mingling together. Unable to shake him off, the physician finally handed him a cheap packet of wound medicine and left.
At some point, a light rain began to fall from the sky.
The man named Xue Jin held his wife under the bridge arch. He couldn’t get a fire going, and everything around them grew damp. His wife’s head was wrapped in bandages, but she no longer responded to anything he said. He didn’t know whether to let her rest or try to do something. He held his unresponsive wife and wept loudly in the rain, like a stray dog with a broken body, dying by the roadside, whimpering as it licked at wounds that would never heal.
“Aaaaaaaaaaah…”
The rain fell on and on. The people out there doing great and glorious things would never spare a thought for these small, fading lives.
Deep into the night, someone came…