Chapter 3: Identity Dilemma

Setting aside whether Jiao Rong was a good or bad person, he was nonetheless a shrewd and cunning individual. Upon hearing these words, he naturally knew that Yang Chengzu was about to step in. If he didn't even want to get involved, how could a random deity's intervention be any of his business?

He cursed the little brat inwardly. He had swallowed his pride to come and beg, yet his words weren't even as effective as those of his father's concubine; this was a massive blow to his dignity. If it weren't for the fact that he needed him right now, why would Lord Jiao endure such indignity? He would surely teach him a lesson sooner or later. However, his face remained as bright as a blooming flower.

"So righteous of you. The Yang family is truly a clan of fine men. The Old Master died for the country in Weihui Prefecture, and you are also a loyal and upright official. I admire you, truly admire you." As he spoke, he found a stone stool to sit on and reached out to grab the teapot on the stone table.

"That's tea made from leaves I just bought; you can't afford to drink it." Yang Chengzu had no intention of giving him face. "Cut the nonsense. What exactly is going on? Which group of rogue soldiers is causing trouble? Speak up. Let's lay the ugly words out first: you know very well how many men our Jinyiwei have in this county. Other people's children are just children, but the people of the Jinyiwei are also human beings. I won't be the one leading men to charge into blades."

Jiao Rong smiled bitterly. "That, that. We are family, after all... Don't glare at me. I mean my brother-in-law—isn't he your senior? I can't go framing my own people, can I? It's just that, the ones who came to cause trouble this time, they aren't rogue soldiers. They are Jinyiwei."

Yang Chengzu slapped the table. "So, you woke up early this morning with nothing better to do than come here to amuse me? The Jinyiwei performing their duties is called 'causing trouble'? What does Zhang Jiayin being stripped of his seal have to do with me? Do you expect me to lead men to resist the Imperial Guards from the capital?"

Seeing him flare up, Jiao Rong hurriedly apologized again. "No, I didn't explain clearly. They claim to be Jinyiwei, but the Great Master says they are not. Furthermore, they didn't come to strip his seal or arrest him; they came to demand money."

It turned out that recently, several widows who had maintained their chastity had appeared within the jurisdiction of Hua County. According to the rules for honoring virtuous widows, these families were eligible to apply for a Chastity Archway. However, setting up such an archway was not as simple as just erecting a gateway; families with a Chastity Archway were entitled to tax exemptions. Once these privileges were granted, the county magistrate's office would lose revenue.

Although Zhang Jiayin came from a background of scholarly success, he could not act as a dictator in the county. Thus, last night, Master Zhang brought several subordinate officials to the "Xiangman Restaurant" to discuss how to honor the virtuous widows and how to distribute the tax deficit to minimize the burden on the common people.

To his surprise, before they had even finished a few cups of wine, over a dozen burly men burst in and immediately moved to seize them without a word. Although the Ming Dynasty had regulations forbidding officials from frequenting brothels, regulations are rigid while people are flexible.

In the Music Bureau of the capital, one could easily find many censors and officials just by casting a wide net, let alone in the provinces. Years ago, the story of the Three Yangs and Old Ji flirting was still considered a beautiful tale; a County Magistrate dining with his assistants to discuss the serious matter of honoring virtuous widows—who would dare to arrest them?

These burly men, however, ignored all that. They first bound the men and then revealed their identities: they were Jinyiwei from the capital. They claimed that because a major case was being investigated in Henan, and they had heard that the Magistrate of Hua County was corrupt and lawless, they wanted five thousand taels of silver to ensure peace. Otherwise, they would follow the Great Code and skin him alive.

Zhang Jiayin was an upright official. In his less than a year in office, he had only managed to secure about three thousand taels for his family, plus a renovation of his ancestral graves. Where would he get five thousand taels? The east and west granaries of the county magistrate's office did contain over five thousand piculs of newly collected tax grain, but with just the men they had, could they even move it?

He was quite reasonable, suggesting they write a note to the wealthy families in the county so they could advance the money. Of course, this matter could not alarm the Jinyiwei office; someone from the county had to step forward. Jiao Rong was the Magistrate's confidant and a clerk in the Household Department, making him the perfect person for the job.

However, when the two men delivered the note to Jiao Rong, he was dumbfounded upon reading it. The names written on the note were not those of the county's wealthy families, but rather several constables from the magistrate's office. What was the situation? It was clear that the Great Master was using this method to send a signal to the outside: he was being held up by criminals, and they needed to mobilize troops quickly to rescue him.

At this point, Yang Chengzu began to understand why Jiao Rong didn't dare go to Weihui Prefecture to call for troops. The place where his master was being held was simply too awkward. If the Prefect of Weihui used this incident to make a political move, Zhang Jiayin's future would be bleak. But why did he think to come to him? Was he trying to set him up?

"I say, there are so many masters in your magistrate's office. If the Great Master isn't looking for the Second Master, the Second Master isn't looking for the Third Master. If all else fails, find the Instructor. They are all people from your office anyway; just issue a warrant and arrest them. Why come to me?"

The "Second Master" and "Third Master" he referred to were the various subordinate officials like the County Vice-Magistrate, the Registrar, and the Clerk. Additionally, although the Hua County Instructor was not responsible for public security, since the Great Master was currently being held up, wouldn't it be inappropriate not to step forward to rescue his superior?

"Don't even mention it. They are all at the Xiangman Restaurant. I heard those two rogue soldiers say that when the Instructor was being tied up, he was in the middle of lecturing Lan-jie'er on the teachings of Confucius and Mencius. He was so engrossed in his lecture that he didn't even bother to put his clothes on." Jiao Rong had never gotten along with this Instructor, and being a man of the Magistrate, he naturally didn't mind losing face for him at a time like this. "All the masters of our Hua County have been dealt with by those rogue soldiers. Even the Great Master's closest aides have been tied up tight. Right now, I am the one with the most authority in the county."

He spoke with a sense of helplessness. If the master's closest aides were all tied up, why hadn't he been? If they all went to the Xiangman Restaurant to discuss work, why hadn't he gone? Ultimately, it was because he hadn't stayed close enough to the leadership; his status wasn't high enough. But as he spoke, Yang Chengzu realized that this matter was indeed quite troublesome.

Whether those people were rogue soldiers or Jinyiwei, Jiao Rong couldn't be certain at all. His belief that they were rogue soldiers was based entirely on the analysis of the note passed down by the Magistrate. In other words, Zhang Jiayin believed they were rogue soldiers, but even he wasn't sure.

Thus, it was not difficult to understand why, after a whole night had passed, neither the county's military office nor the patrol office had intervened. Firstly, they had to be careful about the impact; it wasn't appropriate for too many people to know about this. Secondly, even if the heads of those offices knew, they had to pretend they didn't.

Under the premise that the Jinyiwei were not wearing their uniforms, the difference between them and rogue soldiers wasn't that large. If one were to act rashly and arrest the wrong person, who would clean up the mess? Even if the opponents truly were rogue soldiers, they were using the Jinyiwei's name. Song Zhaonan, the Jinyiwei Thousand-man Commander in Henan, was no pushover. If he were to complain later, saying, "Good lad, you dare to decide for us whether someone is a real or fake Jinyiwei?" wouldn't he be in deep trouble? Was it worth inviting such trouble? It would be better to contact the Jinyiwei and let them handle their own internal affairs.

Yang Chengzu thought for a moment, and suddenly his face darkened again. "Jiao Rong, you old fox, you dare to set me up? Even if we need to find the Jinyiwei, there are several seniors in the county town. There's no place for me to speak. If you don't go to them and instead come to me, what is your intention?"