Chapter 5: Passing the Buck to Each Other

What Wang Zhong meant by this was, in essence, that he still wanted money. When it came down to it, everything in the Ming Dynasty was a matter of money. Even if one spoke of rescuing a County Magistrate, even if it were merely suppressing Wokou pirates or fighting the Northern barbarians, one had to first pay the mobilization silver and then provide the food allowance; otherwise, the troops wouldn't be commanded just the same. The Emperor did not lack hungry soldiers, and the Jinyiwei were similarly meticulous people who wouldn't release their hawks without seeing a rabbit first.

Yang Chengzu knew that if he forcibly ordered a rescue, these people would most likely just go through the motions, but the effectiveness of such an action was uncertain. Perhaps if someone acted impulsively on their own, Zhang Jiayin could be promoted directly to the sixth rank. Furthermore, these people were all his seniors; if he truly turned hostile, he wouldn't be able to survive in this place in the future.

However, he had long been prepared for their reaction. Without a word, he simply returned to his room and said to Lady Liu, "Mother, I still need to use that chest for a bit. Don't worry, it's just passing through my hands. Once County Magistrate Zhang is rescued, what should be ours will be ours."

Lady Liu naturally could not go out to meet a group of rough men; she merely sat by the edge of the kang, clutching a small wooden chest tightly in her hands, her eyes staring blankly. Hearing Yang Chengzu's words, she seemed somewhat reluctant, but ultimately she handed the box over and said

"Chengzu, this family estate was originally yours; how you wish to use it, how could Mother have any objection? Even if you don't come back, Mother will accept it. Come to think of it, if it weren't for my womanly meddling, you wouldn't have to involve yourself in such a massive affair. You must be extremely careful. Keeping yourself safe is what matters most; wealth is merely an external thing. Mother has an old house in the countryside, so we will have a place to live eventually..."

Yang Chengzu had no choice but to kowtow again. He went outside, opened the chest, and revealed a shimmering expanse of silver. "Our Yang family has been Jinyi for generations, but we haven't accumulated much; all our capital is right here. There is over two hundred taels of silver here, plus the deeds to our forty-eight mu of land at Baimapo, and even the deed to this house. Roughly converted, it can yield about six or seven hundred thousand cash, give or take. Consider it a small reward for all you uncles and elders. As long as we rescue County Magistrate Zhang completely unharmed, even if I have to risk my life, I will fight to secure another reward for everyone. If any injuries occur during the engagement, you all need only come to me."

With him taking full responsibility like this, even Wang Zhong found it difficult to speak up. After all, the Yang family had been Jinyi for generations and certainly wasn't without connections; the reason Yang Chengzu had been marginalized was simply that he lacked seniority. But to push him to the point of selling off his family assets would be somewhat unreasonable, as the Yang family had their own circle of close acquaintances. Wang Zhong, priding himself on his status, could not bring himself to lower his dignity to mutter complaints, but naturally, someone else stepped in to back him up.

Song Liansheng, the sworn brother of Yang Daxing, straightened his face and said, "Nephew, who are you picking a fight with? The seniors weren't talking to you; is there any need for you to come out and act tough? This matter involving the yamen—it's enough that we're even getting involved. If someone loses their head, it's the yamen that has to pay. If there's no money for rewards, let them borrow money themselves to buy coffins for you lords. Is that our place? This is the money your father risked his life for; you can't squander it like this. Put it away quickly."

"Uncle Song, I know you're taking my side, but since I've taken this on, I have to see it through. Consider this money as an advance from me. County Magistrate Zhang is a man of principle; he won't be able to default on my account, will he? And you, Jiao Rong—what are you doing standing there like a wooden post? Hurry and go buy some wine and meat for everyone. We need to discuss the proper way to rescue the man."

Jiao Rong was sent out to buy food and drink like a grandson being bossed around, but his heart was blooming with joy. *You little brat, you won't give me face and refuse to let your stepmother marry me, but sooner or later I'll show you my prowess. It's easy for you to advance this money, but if you want it back, it has to pass through my hands. When the time comes, if you don't make such a mess that you're forced to offer up your stepmother yourself, I'll change my surname.*

The dozen or so Jinyiwei felt a bit embarrassed to actually take Yang Daxing's money; after all, they had been comrades for many years, and taking it this way felt somewhat improper. It was Wang Zhong who spoke up

"We are men among men; let us not be concerned with such trivial formalities. I trust you, kid; I know you won't embezzle our money. However, those military remnants outside are all following us to make a living; they don't even have official military status and rely on extra work to survive. If we don't give them money, I'm afraid they won't risk their lives. These small bits of silver should be distributed to them. As for the bulk of the silver, I will hold it for you and help you exchange it for smaller denominations. Once this matter is resolved, if even a single cent of this silver is missing, you can tear down my house."

"Old gentleman, what kind of talk is that? We are men among men; if I can't even trust you, who else can I trust?" With Yang Chengzu using such flattering words, Wang Zhong could no longer make things difficult for him. The youth had already humbled himself and adopted the posture of a junior; if the elder continued to use his seniority to pressure him, others would surely speak up.

Since the tone for the rescue had been set, the next issue was the method and approach. Wang Zhong said, "Speaking of this, it is quite a thorny matter. With so many commanding officers involved, if someone is careless and injures the County Magistrate, that becomes a liability. If we don't get involved, the responsibility lies with the yamen. But if we do get involved, who can say for certain where the responsibility lies? I'm not afraid of trouble, but I have seen too much. The more you do, the more mistakes you make; the less you do, the fewer mistakes. It's better to do nothing at all, so no one can blame you."

Yang Chengzu also knew that the old man's words actually made sense. If anything happened to Zhang Jiayin during the Jinyiwei's arrest, the blame would most likely fall on the Jinyiwei. After all, those people were impersonating the Jinyiwei, and if the Magistrate died during the struggle, it was highly likely the Jinyiwei would take the fall.

Furthermore, after this night passed, who knew if Zhang Jiayin was even still alive? But as he calculated further, he realized this group of people came out seeking profit, not trouble. What benefit would they get from actually killing the Magistrate? The goal now was to ensure no mistakes were made during the rescue, striving for a single, decisive strike. Of course, there was still a hidden danger: if those people truly were Jinyiwei, the aftermath would be difficult to manage.

Eating the meat-wrapped pancakes Jiao Rong had bought, Song Liansheng frowned and said, "As for this matter, I think the people from the county yamen should step forward. If you go with a group of strangers, those commanding officers might get suspicious the moment they see you and chop up the County Magistrate; don't blame us then."

"That's true, that's true. Our yamen will certainly provide men, but they are just a bunch of useless gourds and rice bags; I'm afraid they won't be of much use. When it comes time to make the arrest, it will still be up to you brave heroes to act. As long as our Great Lord escapes safely, he will surely be grateful for your great kindness."

These bailiffs weren't actually unable to fight that group of bandits; what they were actually worried about was their own superiors making a wrong judgment. If the targets turned out to be real Jinyiwei, they might not be able to retaliate against a seventh-rank official, but surely they could retaliate against a group of bailiffs? Thus, they sought out the Jinyiwei to shift the blame.

But wasn't the Jinyiwei calling upon the bailiffs also an attempt to shift the blame? If something did go wrong with Zhang Jiayin, since the yamen men were following along, they could easily pin the accident on the bailiffs.

Both sides harbored intentions to set the other up, yet on the surface, they acted like brothers, being exceptionally cordial. Constables were all creatures of the earth, and their heads were as formidable as city gods; who among them was easy to get along with?

The local head constable, Tie Zhongying, was also a burly man in his thirties. After a few cups of wine, he slapped his chest loudly. "Our yamen men will follow the orders of you Jinyi lords completely; whatever you tell us to do, we will do. It's just that our skill lies in catching thieves; catching a great bandit like this is truly outside our expertise." Well, here was another professional at shifting blame.

Yang Chengzu didn't want to watch them bicker, so he cut in, "Brother Tie, I actually have an idea for this."