Chapter 43: The Imperial Court's Lapdogs?

This Magistrate Sun was originally selected through the official examinations and had served as the magistrate of Yong'an County for nearly ten years.

In a remote border city like Luyang Prefecture, serving as a seventh-rank magistrate essentially meant being forgotten by the imperial court. This was the reason why Magistrate Sun had not received a promotion in ten years.

However, in the past two years, Luyang Prefecture had become very prosperous due to border trade. Consequently, Yong'an County had caught the attention of certain individuals.

According to intelligence from the Black Ice Platform, someone from the prefectural government had made arrangements two months ago to move Magistrate Sun. They intended to transfer him horizontally to another location within the prefecture to continue serving as a magistrate.

This was effectively a demotion. After all, one side was a territory he had managed for ten years, while the other was an unfamiliar land.

Everyone assumed that Magistrate Sun, the Yong'an magistrate who had achieved nothing in ten years, would obediently move. Unexpectedly, he moved in a different way: by borrowing troops to suppress bandits.

Not only did he eliminate the bandit menace spanning over a hundred miles along the Guangji River, but he also persuaded the chieftain of Gutang Fortress to accept amnesty, forming an escort team and organizing the construction of a Guangji River fleet. He turned bandits into legitimate businessmen and cleared a hundred-mile waterway for trade routes.

According to Young Master Tao's calculations, the greatest beneficiary of this move was Sun Ze, the magistrate of Yong'an County. With his merit in suppressing bandits and clearing the Guangji River, Magistrate Sun would likely be promoted by at least one rank.

This was no longer a matter that could be resolved with a horizontal transfer. The prefectural government would have to provide a sufficiently high position to accommodate him. To fail to reward merit would mean waiting for an impeachment from the Censors to reach the Emperor's ears.

For many years, the Great Qin had faced numerous problems due to foreign incursions and the monopolization of resources and legacies by great families and powerful factions. Yet, two fundamental principles of the founding of the nation had never changed: merit must be rewarded, and military merit stands supreme.

Magistrate Sun's desperate counterattack had stirred up massive waves. It was estimated that those behind the scenes who had pushed for his removal had essentially "lifted a stone only to drop it on their own feet."

"Those maneuvering in officialdom are all old foxes," Zhang Yuan said, folding the paper scroll in his hand and shaking his head slightly. When he had met Magistrate Sun by the banks of the Guangji River, he truly hadn't thought the man possessed such methods.

"Regarding Wang Qinian's side, we've discovered who is pushing the Kong family in Liaoyang Town," Young Master Tao said, pulling out an invitation and lowering his voice. "Xiao Renguang, the Northern Border Warden of the Yan Kingdom."

The border between the Yan Kingdom and Great Qin met at the Western and Northern borders. The Western Border Warden was Ouyang Shucai, and the Northern Border Warden was Xiao Renguang.

Five years ago, the Northern Border Warden Xiao Renguang had been driven back repeatedly by the Great Qin's Northwest Army, losing five cities. Meanwhile, Ouyang Shucai's Western Expeditionary Army had occupied an entire county of Great Qin. After that battle, Ouyang Shucai was enfeoffed as a Marquis, while Xiao Renguang, whose cultivation and military strength were not much inferior to Ouyang's, was reprimanded by the Emperor of Yan.

Zhang Yuan had not only personally participated in the Battle of Fengtian County but had also spent over a month in the Red Scale Army, hearing much from Bai Shaoting and Han Xiao. Han Xiao was a disciple of Zhou Chang, the current Vice Minister of War who presided over that battle; the secrets he knew were beyond what ordinary people could grasp.

Han Xiao had once analyzed the difference between Xiao Renguang and Ouyang Shucai. Ouyang Shucai's own cultivation was advancing, and he was nearing the Grandmaster Realm, so he had little interest in wasting energy fighting Great Qin. Furthermore, due to certain other connections, Great Qin clearly had plans to defect Ouyang Shucai.

In contrast, Xiao Renguang was a cunning man. Once his cultivation reached a plateau, he focused entirely on cultivating his family's power and increasing the combat strength of the Northern Border Army. Even the Emperor of Northern Yan kept a quiet watch on him.

According to Han Xiao, it was actually easier to win over Xiao Renguang than Ouyang Shucai, but the former was a man who could never be truly tamed; he would inevitably turn against you. When officials plan military matters, they must bear responsibility for future victories or defeats—rewards for success, punishments for failure. Today, whoever defected Xiao Renguang might rise in rank due to merit, but there was no guarantee that in a few years, when Xiao Renguang turned again, it wouldn't result in a devastating betrayal.

It seemed the people of the Northern Border Army had set their sights on the iron chains and pulleys of Qingshan Fortress and wanted to use Kong Baitang's strength to obtain them. Great Qin and the Yan Kingdom remained enemies; it was only the area around Fengtian County, controlled by the Western Expeditionary Army, that had seen a relaxation of relations. For members of the Northern Border Army to enter Qin territory was espionage. For the Kong family to work for the Northern Border Army was the crime of colluding with the enemy.

It appeared that the Black Cavalry of Luyang Prefecture could finally be deployed.

Zhang Yuan unfolded the invitation handed to him by Young Master Tao. It was an invitation from the head of the Kong family, Kong Baitang, asking Young Master Tao and him to attend a banquet in a few days.

"I wasn't planning on going," Young Master Tao said. "Wang Qinian said that Kong Baitang has sought out several Buddhist maidens from Liang Yuanyu who are skilled in the celestial dance."

Liang Yuanyu? If it had nothing to do with the matter of the Sarira, wouldn't that be a bit too coincidental?

"Then let's go and see this Buddhist celestial dance," Zhang Yuan said with a smile, handing the invitation back.

Young Master Tao looked up at the smile on Zhang Yuan's face and frowned slightly. "We agreed—be a bit more gentle with the ladies. Don't go snapping people's necks every chance you get."

Zhang Yuan only smiled and said nothing.

***

Upon leaving the academy, Zhang Yuan carried his baton to the Martial Guard Office. The guards at the entrance looked at him with strange expressions. When he reached the hall, he saw Feng Cheng and the others with their heads hanging low, being scolded by Hu Yang.

"Disgraceful!"

"You left Chen Wu there all alone? How do you have the nerve?"

Seeing Zhang Yuan arrive, Hu Yang's face remained stern as he pointed at Feng Cheng and the others. "Erhe, you've come at the right time. Tell me, when has anyone from our Martial Guard Office ever lost a fight?"

A fight?

Zhang Yuan looked at Feng Cheng. Feng Cheng ducked his head and whispered the story.

It turned out that last night, a group of Martial Guards had arranged to go drinking, but they ended up getting into a fight in a restaurant.

"Those people said we Zao Yi Guards are just the Emperor's lapdogs and black dogs," one of the new recruits interjected.

"Brother Chen Wu couldn't stand it and went to argue with them. They were the ones who struck first."

"Right, Brother Chen Wu didn't even need a few moves to knock them all down."

Imperial lapdogs. Black dogs. Indeed, some commoners used these nicknames for the Zao Yi Guards, but shouting them to their faces was a provocation and a slap in the face to the Martial Guard Office.

Feng Cheng gave Zhang Yuan a look, pulled his sleeve, and walked to the side, whispering, "Last night, I had my sister dress as a man to go with us. I told them she was my younger brother. Others might not know, but Brother Chen Wu certainly would have recognized her. When the fight broke out, Brother Chen Wu told us to leave first."

The end result was that Chen Wu fought off seven or eight people single-handedly before the prefectural bailiffs arrived and took both Chen Wu and the others to the yamen. According to Feng Cheng, they were likely the children of some prominent family in the city.

Zhang Yuan knew that Chen Wu was generally steady and wouldn't cause trouble for no reason. However, with a woman he liked present, it was only natural to try and act the hero. At that age, it wasn't a major issue.

"I'll head to the prefectural yamen to bring Chen Wu back." Zhang Yuan looked at Hu Yang and said with a smile, "That fellow Chen Wu is getting old. It's time he settled down and found someone to keep him in line."

Hu Yang waved him off. As Zhang Yuan turned to leave, he muttered, "Talking like an old man... you're not exactly a kid yourself, boy."

...

The prefectural yamen was not far from the Martial Guard Office. When Zhang Yuan arrived, he did not go directly to the cells but instead went into the office to see the Sergeant, Qian Mu. The Sergeant was the supervisor of the Martial Guard Office; for matters concerning the guards, one naturally had to seek him out.

"It's about Chen Wu, isn't it? If it weren't for this, you wouldn't be coming to see me," the Sergeant said as his first words upon seeing Zhang Yuan.

Zhang Yuan smiled but said nothing.

"He hit someone from the Tang family—the Tang family from Anle District in the south of the city," the Sergeant said with a look of helplessness.

"The Tang family..." A sharp glint flashed momentarily in Zhang Yuan's eyes.