By the time the young couple reached Chishan, it was already getting late.
This was Song Fengsui’s first time in Chishan. When his father, mother, and second uncle had moved here earlier, things had been so hectic in Yanzhen that he had been unable to leave the wounded he was caring for. As a result, he had never had the chance to escort his family here and help them settle in. It had been Duan Yan, who was familiar with the area, who had accompanied them to Chishan.
The heavy snow that followed made it inconvenient to go out, and they had been forced to wait until today before finally finding an opportunity to come and take a look.
Although the sky was overcast and the snowfall so heavy that people had to hold up umbrellas, the streets were visibly livelier than those in Yanzhen. The shops lining the main road were still open for business.
Yanzhen was a small place, with only three streets and six lanes. One could walk through the entire town in less than an hour. Chishan, on the other hand, had broad streets and a dense network of alleys; it was more than twice the size of Yanzhen.
Song Fengsui had not seen such a lively marketplace in a long time. He wanted to get down and have a look around, then walk back to the residence so that he could familiarize himself with the way.
Duan Yan had originally thought that after braving the wind and snow all the way here, Young Master Song—whose health was already somewhat delicate—should go straight to the residence to rest. That way, he could warm up properly and avoid catching a chill.
But when he met that pair of bright, eager eyes, he could only helplessly abandon the thought.
He dismounted first, then reached out and lifted Song Fengsui down. He handed the horse’s reins to Lin Er and told him to lead the others to the residence and get everyone settled.
“Tell the servants to prepare the young master’s room. Have them bring in a charcoal brazier ahead of time and warm the room.”
Lin Er acknowledged the order and led the others to the residence.
Duan Yan shook out the large umbrella they had brought and opened it. Song Fengsui immediately slipped beneath it, pressing close to him.
Looking at the fluffy-haired young man beside him, warmth filled Duan Yan’s eyes. Holding the umbrella in one hand, he reached for Song Fengsui’s hand with the other. Despite having kept it covered and warm throughout the journey, the young man’s hand was still nowhere near warm; at least it was no longer icy to the touch.
He reminded him, “Take it slowly when we walk. I noticed that the snow on the ground hasn’t been cleared properly. Once it’s packed down, it becomes as slippery as ice.”
The moment he finished speaking, there came a sudden skidding sound, followed by a dull, heavy thump.
The two of them instinctively turned toward the noise and saw a four-man patrol passing by.
The soldier at the front had both hands tucked together in front of his stomach, his neck hunched as he sniffed the cold air. He looked both freezing and half-asleep. The two men behind him were bent over at the waist, and the sabers fastened to their belts had nearly slipped down to their buttocks. They could not even be bothered to pull their hands out and adjust them, allowing the weapons to hang loosely from their waists.
The one who had fallen was the man at the very back. No one knew what he had been looking at; his eyes kept darting around, and he had fallen far behind the rest of the patrol without even noticing. He stepped onto a patch of freshly fallen snow and staggered before managing to steady himself. Even after that slip, he still had not come to his senses, his eyes continuing to wander over several young men nearby.
It was only when another dull thump rang out and he landed flat on his back that he finally woke up.
Duan Yan furrowed his brows and hurriedly tightened his grip on Song Fengsui’s hand.
Song Fengsui watched as the man crawled several times across the ground. Each time he seemed on the verge of getting to his feet, he slipped and fell again, provoking the soldiers in the patrol group to laugh so hard they doubled over. Song Fengsui’s brows drew tightly together.
“What patrol unit is this? How can they be so utterly undisciplined?”
It wasn’t that people were forbidden from slipping and falling on snowy streets. But these men were patrol guards, and every one of them looked listless and dispirited—less spirited even than the common folk passing by. What sort of patrol were they supposed to be conducting?
They had not the slightest trace of discipline or the seriousness expected of soldiers. To the civilians watching, they looked like a farce. And when one thought of how the grain and taxes provided by those civilians were being used to support such a sorry bunch, it was enough to make anyone’s heart ache—especially in a year of disaster like this one.
“If they can slip and fall just walking down the street, the roads must be terribly difficult to navigate. How is it that no one has been assigned to clear away the snow and ice?”
One truly didn’t realize how great the difference was without something to compare it to. In Rock Town, soldiers were constantly patrolling and guarding the streets. Even after fighting a battle, Song Fengsui had never seen a soldier become as slack and lazy as these men.
If this scene had taken place in Rock Town, two strokes of the army rod would have arrived before the laughter. There would have been no need for Duan Yan, the chief drillmaster, to step in—the patrol leader would already have reprimanded them first!
Duan Yan knew that things here were in poor shape, and seeing it with his own eyes left him simmering with anger as well. He patted Song Fengsui’s hand soothingly.
“We can’t rush everything in a single day. The Red Mountain Army is like a nest of rotten ants right now. It’ll take time to set things in order.”
Song Fengsui let out a breath of stale air. He understood that this place was vast, that they had only just taken it over, and that there were countless matters to deal with. It wasn’t something that could be sorted out in one go.
He gave a soft acknowledgment and did not go over with Duan Yan to deal with the men. He had memorized a few of their faces; there would be plenty of opportunities to make them suffer on the drill grounds later.
The two continued forward in silence. Duan Yan coaxed him along as he said, “Third Son Qian told me there’s a pastry shop on North Street that makes a kind of yam and red-date paste cake that’s supposed to be quite good.
“You only had a little porridge at noon, and we’ve been on the road for so many hours. You must be hungry by now. Let’s see whether our luck is any better—perhaps there’ll be a fresh batch of yam and red-date paste cakes waiting when we get there.”
Song Fengsui’s mood improved somewhat, and he agreed. “Do they have roasted chestnuts? Mother likes them.”
“We’ll have to go and see. The weather’s been dry this year, so the chestnuts in the mountains haven’t grown well. The chestnut chicken stew I made for you a few days ago used this year’s crop. Every chestnut was small, and none of them had filled out properly.”
As they spoke, the two arrived at the pastry shop.
The shop was a small two-story building. Warm steam drifted through the air, suggesting that a fresh batch of pastries had just been made. It was also unusually crowded inside, far livelier than the shops around it.
Catching the sweet fragrance in the air, Song Fengsui tugged at Duan Yan’s hand, and the two hurried into the shop.
“The yam and red-date paste cakes will take a little while longer,” the shop assistant told them. “The moment the freshly baked batch was brought out, it was all bought up.”
Duan Yan turned to see what Song Fengsui thought. When Song Fengsui nodded, indicating that he was willing to wait, Duan Yan asked the assistant about roasted chestnuts.
“We don’t have sugar-roasted chestnuts here,” the assistant replied. “But we do have chestnut cakes made with fresh rice. They’re soft, chewy, and sweetly fragrant.”
Song Fengsui wanted to try those as well. Delighted, the assistant beckoned the two of them upstairs to get some.
The shop was crowded, with everyone lined up to buy the hot pastries fresh from the oven. In winter, people were fond of something warm to eat, and there was hardly enough room for the crowd to move about. The shop was so busy that no one had the time to personally escort customers upstairs.
Duan Yan glanced up at the tall, winding staircase, then looked at Young Master Song. He led him to one side and asked for a bench. “I’ll go upstairs to get it. You can look around for a while, or sit here and wait for me—whichever you prefer.”
Song Fengsui nodded and sat down on the bench, watching as the man took the stairs two at a time.
Everyone in the shop, whether openly or covertly, kept glancing toward Song Fengsui. When the young women and men saw him, they could not help looking back at their own clothes and shoes, then touching their hair ornaments, wondering when such a handsome figure had appeared in town.
There were not many men among the customers at the pastry shop, only a scattered few. Earlier, with the tall and imposing Duan Yan standing there, they had not dared look too closely at Song Fengsui’s face. Now that Duan Yan had gone upstairs, they wished they could glue both eyes to Song Fengsui.
Song Fengsui himself was perfectly at ease. He had been accustomed to drawing people’s attention from childhood. As long as no one came looking for trouble, he was generally quite tolerant, and so he calmly sipped the hot tea a shop assistant had brought over.
Still, to be fair, after coming and going through the streets of Yanzhen for so many years, he no longer attracted quite so much attention there. Most people respected him for his medical skills, or were wary of the domineering presence of his husband and family.
The people of Chishan did not know him, so their gazes were naturally more blatant.
The shop’s focus remained on Song Fengsui for only a short while before it was interrupted by a man who came swaying into the shop, swaggering as though he owned the place, and loudly demanded walnut pastries.
“C-Constable, the walnut pastries just sold out. We’ll have a fresh batch of yam-and-date cakes out soon… Ah!”
The young shop assistant was speaking cautiously to the man who had just entered. Before he could finish, the uniformed constable, a knife hanging at his side, raised his foot and viciously kicked him in the stomach.
“I come to buy pastries and you say there aren’t any! Yet when other people come, you have them! You damned well did this on purpose, didn’t you? Are you afraid I won’t pay?”
The shop assistant was kicked to the floor. Clutching his stomach, he did not even dare cry out, merely moaning over and over.
Seeing that things were going badly, the shopkeeper hurried out from behind the counter and bowed apologetically. “Constable, he’s new here and doesn’t know how things are done. Please be magnanimous and don’t hold it against him. Why don’t you sit for a moment? We’ve just made some fresh pastries, still piping hot. We’ll pack up a bag for you. Would you do us the honor of trying them?”
The constable looked at the shopkeeper’s obsequious bowing and saw that everyone around them was holding their breath. He snorted, then said smugly, “That’s more like it. Hurry up. I’m on a schedule.”
The shopkeeper hurriedly agreed twice and exchanged a glance with the assistant on the floor. The boy was in considerable pain, but he could only scramble to his feet and get out of the way.
Everyone had evidently grown used to such scenes. No one dared say a word. They lowered their heads and continued choosing the pastries they wanted. Those who were more timid did not even finish their purchases; they quietly picked up their umbrellas and slipped away.
Following the sound, Song Fengsui set down his tea. He had only meant to come over and take a look—the constable’s beating had happened before he arrived, and now that restless fellow had caused yet another incident in the meantime.
The constable was lounging against the counter, his beady eyes fixed on the young woman who was settling her bill at the edge of it. He smacked his lips, then suddenly slapped her on the buttocks and gave them a heavy squeeze.
“Such a petite little thing, yet you’ve got quite a bit of flesh here. Have you been promised to anyone?”
The young woman let out a startled cry, scattering the pastries all over the floor. She had no time to pick them up and hurriedly tried to run.
But the constable turned and blocked her path, seizing her by the arm. “What are you running for? It’s your good fortune that I’ve taken a fancy to you. Look at that coquettish face of yours—don’t pretend to be some untouched maiden. I’d wager you’ve been yearning for a man so badly you can hardly stand it.”
His words were filthy. As he spoke, he ignored the woman’s desperate struggles and continued trying to paw at her in broad daylight.
“Let go of her! What filthy lecher crawled out from under a rock? How dare you prey on a woman in broad daylight!”
At the sound of the cold rebuke, the constable’s cheek twitched. He turned around impatiently. “Which ignorant bastard thinks he can stick his nose into my business? I’ll—”
He came face-to-face with a young man dressed in purple, his features as radiant as the moon. The constable stared blankly for a moment, then swallowed almost involuntarily.
He did not even notice when the young woman slipped free of his tightly clutched hand. Only after a while did he recover himself. Like a fly drawn to meat, he looked the young man up and down, leering shamelessly as he moved closer.
“Where did this heavenly little beauty come from? What a delicate, pretty thing. Let big brother have a good—”
Before he could finish, the constable let out a shriek. Clutching his hand, he recoiled as the razor-sharp dagger in the young man’s hand sliced a long gash through it, leaving flesh split and blood spilling freely.
The pain brought anger to the constable’s eyes. He was shocked that Song Fengsui had actually dared to draw a blade without saying a word, and humiliated that he had been wounded by someone who looked so frail and delicate. He immediately reached with his blood-soaked hand for the saber at his waist.
“You little bastard, how dare you raise a hand against me? Today I’ll strip you naked right here in the street and—”
“Bang!”
Before he could finish his poisonous threat—and before he could even draw his saber—someone kicked him squarely in the chest. He was sent flying straight out the door, his body crashing heavily into the snow outside. Passersby holding umbrellas cried out in alarm.
The people inside the shop were equally frightened, covering their mouths in shock.
Duan Yan paid no attention to whether the man on the ground was dead or alive. He hurried over and gently supported Song Fengsui, then looked at the bloodstained dagger in his hand and asked anxiously, “Are you hurt?”
Song Fengsui shook his head lightly and slid the blade back into its sheath. Instead, he turned to look at the young woman who had just been harassed.
“Urgh—the hell! You… who are you?”
Lying on the ground, the constable felt as though he had been smashed into eight pieces in an instant, every bone in his body broken. He could not move a muscle.
Looking up at the cold, stern man striding toward him, he was furious and humiliated. Though he could not move, his mouth was still as fierce as ever. “I’m the chief captain of the patrol guards! If you’ve got the guts, don’t run! I’ll—I’ll tear you apart!”
Duan Yan hauled him up with one hand and drew the blade at his waist with the other. “Then let me tell you this: Pei Shan, the magistrate who spoiled you lot into becoming this lawless, was killed by this very blade of mine.”
The man had already been beaten by Duan Yan until he had no strength left to resist, yet he had remained brazen. But upon hearing those words, his face changed abruptly, and he began to tremble. “C-Commander Duan! I didn’t know it was you, sir. This lowly one failed to recognize Mount Tai. P-Please spare me this once. I’ll never dare do it again!”
Had he not been held aloft, he would likely have fallen to his knees and kowtowed to Duan Yan by now.
In Duan Yan’s usually calm and even eyes, Song Fengsui caught a fleeting glint of murderous intent. He hurried over, caught hold of him, and shook his head. “You mustn’t.”
Duan Yan’s chest heaved heavily twice. Then, with a thud, he threw the man back onto the ground. “Someone go fetch the patrol guards!”
Seeing a constable beaten, everyone in the shop—as well as passersby on the street and merchants from neighboring stores—gathered around to watch the commotion.
“What happened here? How’d the man named Wang get beaten into such a state? Who’s got the nerve?”
“Oh, that bastard went to Manager Zou’s shop to freeload again. Then he harassed a young woman and tried to lay hands on that brother who looks like an immortal. He got kicked right out.”
“Serves him right! Why didn’t they beat him to death?”
“How could they dare kill him? Once this turns into an official case, the one who laid hands on him will be the one to suffer. Looking at how badly Wang got beaten, I’m afraid the man who did it won’t even keep his life.”
“Exactly, exactly. But I heard the one who beat him is Lord Duan!”
The townsfolk along the street whispered among themselves, not daring to raise their voices. They kept asking who this Lord Duan was, and why he would strike an official who was practically in league with their local yamen.
Before long, two people who had heard Duan Yan’s order hurried off to bring over some patrol constables.
The arriving constables looked utterly bewildered. Seeing the man lying on the ground, they cried out, “Captain Wang!” and rushed to help him up. Then Duan Yan barked, “Arrest this criminal and throw him in prison to await judgment!”
The constables looked at the unfamiliar Duan Yan issuing commands, then at Captain Wang, panting and wearing a miserable expression. They were even more confused. Wasn’t this completely backwards?
Just as they stood there at a loss, a helpful bystander said to them, “That’s Lord Duan—the one who beheaded the former one.”
The constables shuddered. Captain Wang, whose arm they had been carefully supporting moments earlier, suddenly had it twisted behind his back as he was forced into the posture of an arrested criminal.
“You villain! How dare you defy Lord Duan! Off to prison with you!”
Duan Yan’s anger had yet to subside, but seeing the number of townspeople who had gathered to watch, he tempered his temper somewhat. In a solemn voice, he said, “As constables, supported by the grain taxes paid by the people, you ought to be faithful to your duties and safeguard the common folk’s peace! Yet some officers are morally corrupt, exploiting the authority of their posts to oppress the people. Such conduct is truly shameful and vile!”
“Today, Constable Wang beat an innocent shop assistant and brazenly harassed a woman. The yamen will certainly give everyone a fair account of this matter before long!”
The gathered townspeople all burst into cheers.
“How things were run in Pei Shan’s day is no longer our concern. The yamen of Chishan Town now has new leadership, and with it, new rules. Should any household within or outside the town suffer oppression at the hands of public officers in the future, you may report it directly to the yamen. We also welcome reports of misconduct by officers. The yamen will show no leniency toward any officer who violates discipline!”
“Good!”
The households along the street broke into resounding applause, their faces visibly bright with joy.
The young shop assistant who had been beaten thanked him again and again. The young woman who had been harassed was badly shaken, and as the matter was truly embarrassing, she did not come forward to offer her thanks before so many people. Still, she was deeply grateful in her heart.
“I had no idea Lord Duan had come to our humble town. Now that I know who you are, I’ll remember it.”
The shopkeeper had suffered no small amount of bullying from Constable Wang. Ever since the man had become a squad leader, he had not only done this at the shopkeeper’s establishment, but at most shops along the street that lacked powerful backing: whenever he bought something, he no longer paid for it. He called it putting it on the tab, yet the shopkeeper had never once seen him settle a bill.
Some people had found it unbearable and gone to file complaints before, but the outcome needed no explanation. The officials at the yamen protected one another. Not only had the man named Wang failed to pay back what he owed, but the merchants who had complained were reprimanded instead.
In the past, the constables had been powerful and the common people insignificant in this town. These past two years, with chaos raging outside, the soldiers had become even more lawless. Even when the people were bullied and wronged, they could only swallow their suffering in silence.
The shopkeeper was so grateful that he insisted on giving Duan Yan and Song Fengsui some pastries, refusing to accept any money.
Song Fengsui nevertheless insisted on paying. Otherwise, they would be no different from the man named Wang, taking advantage of the common people.
Afterward, they personally escorted the badly frightened young woman home.
By the time the commotion was over and the two returned to the residence, night had already fallen.
Just as they shook the snow from themselves and put away their umbrellas at the entrance, Song Wushen and Song Xuemu happened to be returning from the yamen as well.
The two groups met at the gate, calling out greetings as they entered the residence together.
Song Wushen had been busy at the yamen. When his subordinates brought in an officer who had committed an offense and threw him into the cells, the penal office came to report it, and he learned that the two youngsters had arrived.
“It’s good that you came. I meant to call for you a couple of days ago. The militia here in Chishan are truly outrageous—fawning and ingratiating themselves before their superiors, while acting like tyrants toward those beneath them.”
Song Wushen sipped tea as he ate the pastries they had brought back. From the look of him, he had been so busy at the yamen that he had not even had time for a single cup of tea.
He had not been here long himself. Over the past few days, he had been taking stock of Chishan’s supplies. The most urgent matters were naturally the weapons and the state of the mines; he simply had not had the time to deal with other issues, such as the soldiers’ discipline.
Meanwhile, Song Xuemu was inspecting the defenses here. Regardless of how well or poorly they had been constructed before, their own people first had to become familiar with them. Any later alterations could be dealt with in due course.
In short, the two of them were equally overwhelmed with work.
Duan Yan asked, “There must be plenty of matters at the yamen. Are the people below cooperating?”
“There are one or two who refuse to submit, naturally, but Tax Official Liu is a sensible man. With him taking the lead in following orders and getting things done, there are still enough people to keep matters moving along.”
Duan Yan nodded. “Father and Second Uncle need not worry. I’ve brought Suisui along with me this time. We’ll certainly set the Red Mountain Army’s discipline straight.”
Mu Linghui came in with the servants to lay out the dishes. “Let’s eat first. We can talk after dinner.”
They were all hungry, so they finally set the matter aside and ate their evening meal together.
That night, Duan Yan lay in bed, gently stroking the back of the person in his arms. The more he thought about what had happened that day, the angrier he became. What sort of filthy soldiers had Pei Shan brought with him? It would have been one thing if they were merely lax, scattered, and lazy, but they were also so vile—harassing civilians and behaving lewdly.
The chaos of the past had already caused Song Fengsui no small amount of distress. It had taken great difficulty for him to have a few months of peace, only for him to run into such low, disgusting people again. If Duan Yan had not wanted to keep the man alive as a warning to the others, he would never have let him draw another breath that day.
Curled up in his arms, Song Fengsui raised his eyes and watched Duan Yan for quite some time. Seeing that the man had not even noticed, he could not help poking him lightly in the waist.
“What are you thinking about? You look so absorbed.”
Duan Yan came back to himself and lowered his gaze to the young master in his arms. Leaning down, he kissed him.
“Nothing. I was just thinking about how to deal with them tomorrow.”
At that, Song Fengsui pushed himself up a little beneath the blankets. Propping his chin on his hand, he asked Duan Yan, “If that brute today hadn’t come to provoke me, would you still have been this angry?”
“I would have been angry all the same. Anyone who harasses and molests women or young masters like that is intolerable to me.”
Duan Yan’s voice was cold and stern.
Then, looking at Song Fengsui, his tone softened.
“But because he came after you, I was indeed even angrier than I would have been otherwise.”
Song Fengsui laughed softly and rubbed his head against Duan Yan’s chest.
“Why don’t you teach me some martial arts? You know what I’m like—if someone dares offend me, I certainly won’t be polite. Today, I only poked a hole in that filthy hand of his, but I still let him off too easily. If I had better skills, I could make sure he’d be too frightened ever to harass another girl or young master again.”
Duan Yan gave a dry cough. Inwardly, he thought that Song Fengsui was already formidable enough. That brute’s hand had only been pierced today, but before that, Young Master Song had kicked him as well. Fortunately, Song Fengsui had not had much strength at the time; otherwise, that solid kick would have required serious treatment.
Still, after a moment’s thought, Duan Yan realized it was actually a good idea.
He wanted to protect Song Fengsui at every moment, but there would always be times when he had to turn away. If Song Fengsui became more capable, Duan Yan could rest easier too.
“If you truly wish to learn, I’ll teach you whenever we have the time.”
Song Fengsui’s eyes brightened when Duan Yan actually agreed.
“You truly would?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
Duan Yan pulled the quilt over him. “I’ll protect you, and I’m more than willing to do so. But I also hope you’ll be capable of protecting yourself.”
Song Fengsui kissed Duan Yan’s chin and, completely satisfied, said, “Go to sleep.”
