Chapter 4: Inspecting the Troops

As previously mentioned, Hua County was a typical place where the temples were small but the demonic winds were great, and the ponds were shallow but the "things" were many. The Jinweiwei were all old foxes; in terms of seniority, they were either peers of Yang Daxing or even his elders. To them, Yang Chengzu was merely a junior, and since he was also low-ranking as a Xiaoji, it was only natural that they wouldn't give him any face.

Jiao Rong had even dared to let a matchmaker come to the door saying he wanted to take Lady Liu as his wife; would he still have any respect for a mere Xiaoji? From a common-sense perspective, after receiving the note, Jiao Rong should have contacted those old seniors to have them step forward to handle this matter; that would have been much more appropriate than coming to him.

With a bitter face, Jiao Rong said, "I looked for them, but all they said to me was one sentence: to hurry to the several wealthy households in the city to borrow money. They guaranteed that as long as there was money, the County Magistrate would be safe. Beyond that, they couldn't be bothered."

*Cough*, these people truly had the nerve. Yang Chengzu also knew that in the eyes of these old foxes, they indeed held no respect for Zhang Jiayin.

It wasn't that Zhang Jiayin lacked a solid foundation; as a successful candidate in both the provincial and imperial examinations, his standing was naturally much firmer than that of a Jinweiwei in a small county. The problem was that they belonged to two different systems; you couldn't control me, so why should I follow your lead?

Furthermore, during Zhang Jiayin's tenure in Hua County, his style had leaned towards being forceful, especially regarding taxation, where the bailiffs were overly proactive. The taxation of the Ming Dynasty operated on two lines: one was the imperial grain and national tax paid to the state treasury, which was not something to be contested. The other was the local miscellaneous taxes, also known as "customary rules and regulations." Everyone relied on these customary rules to survive; fighting over them meant drawing blood and risking one's life.

Because the yamen was so forceful, the Jinweiwei's portion of these customary rules was greatly compressed. Lacking a leader, they had instead fallen into a disadvantage in their struggles with the bailiffs. Thus, in their hearts, these old foxes actually hoped Zhang Jiayin would be chopped to pieces, as that would save them the trouble of acting themselves.

"I say, Jiao Rong, aren't you still playing me? Even if the opponents are just *Tangjiang* and not Jinweiwei, there are still over a dozen of them. If a fight breaks out and there are casualties, who will pay for the compensation, the burial, and the medicine for the wounded? I am still observing the mourning period for my father; it seems inconvenient for me to handle this. I'll give you an idea: go find our county's Xunjian. He has about a hundred archers under him. Just give the order to 'attack Xiangman Lou,' and I reckon even the Great Lord might be rescued, at most sustaining some injuries."

"Young Master Yang, please stop teasing me. This matter can only be resolved by asking you to step forward now. You are, after all, their superior. If you say a word to rescue the Great Lord first, we can deal with the rest after he is safe, alright? I am just a Jingcheng; even if I promised you some benefit, it wouldn't count."

If it weren't for Lady Liu, Yang Chengzu truly wouldn't want to meddle in this nonsense. He had no personal connection with Zhang Jiayin; what did it matter to him if the man was chopped up? But since his mother had spoken, he had to take this on. Moreover, living off savings wasn't a permanent solution; if he could use this opportunity to regain control over the Jinweiwei, wouldn't that allow the customary rules to be collected, providing a source of income?

Ultimately, he wasn't one of those protagonists who, upon transmigrating, immediately wanted to change the world and end up being executed by a firing squad. His thoughts were simple: eat well, drink well, and live a peaceful life here. As for other matters, he didn't want to involve himself too much; how to secure more income for himself was what truly mattered. Besides, he was seventeen and nearing the age to marry; shouldn't he save some money for that?

In this small town, when those old Jinweiwei received the note from this young nephew saying they were invited to his home for a chat, they knew exactly what was happening. At this moment, it would be impolite not to give him face. Everyone knew what was going on: this was the perfect time to push the Xiaoji into the eye of the storm.

If he said he wouldn't rescue the man, even if superiors investigated later, he would have this scapegoat to take the blame, and the lightning wouldn't strike him. If he said he would rescue him, he could take the opportunity to make demands: rescuing him wasn't impossible, but who would bear the responsibility? If the man truly was a Jinweiwei, who would shoulder the blame? Furthermore, is there such a thing as a free rescue? He would also have to guarantee the matter of the "facilitation fee."

In the end, it all came down to money controlling the servants and skill controlling the trades. Who told Yang Chengzu to be young, low-ranking, and inexperienced? If Yang Daxing were still alive to support his son's gradual training, these troubles wouldn't exist; for now, he could only endure it.

In the Yang family's small courtyard, there were now over a dozen Jinweiwei. The various military remnants acting as hangers-on weren't qualified to enter the courtyard, so they squatted or stood in the alleyway, forming a dark, dense mass of heads. This caused all the young girls and young wives on the street to be too afraid to go out.

In the courtyard, the second-in-command of the local Jinweiwei, the Zongqi-rank Old Man Wang Zhong, was plucking his silver beard while speaking in metaphors to scold them. "Well now, Jiao Rong, do you look upon us Jinweiwei as if we were raised by a stepmother? Are you saying that because others won't touch this lightning rod, we must? Today, you must explain this matter clearly to this old man. If you can't, we aren't finished. If something happens to your Great Lord, what does that have to do with us? Since ancient times, blades and spears have no eyes; if an accident occurs, who bears the responsibility?"

Wang Zhong was already over sixty this year, but his constitution was still quite robust. His voice was loud when he scolded, and he could go for a long time without catching his breath. In terms of seniority, he was still an elder to Yang Daxing, but because his official rank had never risen, he was constantly suppressed by the younger generation of the Yang family. It was impossible for him to feel at ease.

Taking this opportunity, he wanted to voice his own opinion and declare an attitude: *Little Yang boy, you must understand respect for your elders. In this part of Hua County, you can't just command people whenever you feel like it.*

Having lived two lives, how could Yang Chengzu not see through this? He smiled slightly and bowed to the crowd. "Uncles, elders, and seniors, I am but a child in your presence. If my words are improper, please do not take it to heart. Strictly speaking, today's matter indeed does not fall under our jurisdiction. However, there is one point: a group of Jinweiwei from out of town arrived in our Hua County without paying respects to the local authorities, and instead went straight to Xiangman Lou to arrest people and demand money. Do they have no respect for the men of Hua County? Since they have no respect for us, why should we give them face? Furthermore, think about it—could the Jinweiwei from the capital who lead a team to arrest a County Magistrate be illiterate?"

In this era, literacy was a privilege; it wasn't until after the establishment of the Great Dynasty that literacy became a benefit enjoyed by the masses. Before that, illiteracy was everywhere.

It was quite normal for an institution like the Jinweiwei to have illiterate members, but it would be highly unusual if an entire squad capable of arresting a seventh-rank County Magistrate were all illiterate. If not a single one of them could read, how would they understand the arrest warrant?

"Therefore, your nephew analyzes that this matter is most likely a group of *Tangjiang* impersonating our Jinweiwei to extort money. This is improper behavior. They get the silver, and our Jinweiwei take the blame? If we don't teach them a lesson, we won't be able to hold our heads up in the eight prefectures of Henan in the future. Besides, Magistrate Zhang is a man of standing. As long as we preserve his dignity, he won't make things difficult for us. After all, we all eat in the same county; there is no harm in looking out for one another."

"Youngest son of the Yang family, so you mean our Jinweiwei should handle this? But even if they are *Tangjiang*, there are still over a dozen of them. If there are casualties, whose fault will it be?"