The streets of the city were both ancient and new. Boulevard from former dynasties branched into newly constructed alleys that nevertheless, seemed to blend in with perfect harmony. The mellow heat from the sun was not enough to melt the snow, and the street was rather isolated with little effort made to shovel the snow. This left the carriage to roll down the street at a slow pace.
As the white carriage moved by, it drew little attention from the tight road it travelled through. Reaching the Jing manor, it was casually parked outside one of the manor’s entrances, blocking the stone lions from expressing its’ stoic aura to the world.
Yang’er lept from the coachmen seat, and opened the carriage door. She extended her hand to Jing Wen, helping him to step down from the carriage. After Zhou Aimin also left, she entered into the carriage compartment and, covering herself with a thick blanket, began to sink into the dream world.
Without surveying his surroundings, Jing Wen walked before the main gate of the Jing estate. Reaching within his sleeves, he took out a bronze key that appeared slightly worn, with scraps of green by its’ bow but the blade itself remained untainted. The key turned in the keyhole smoothly after it was inserted, and the door itself opened with a gentle push from Jing Wen.
Jing Wen had only left for a month. While it was enough for dust to accumulate, it was not enough for the walls to begin crumbling and green ivy to begin growing. Most of the valuables in the Jing manor was moved to Jing village or sold, so very little thievery occurred during his absence.
After Jing Wen entered, Zhou Aimin closely followed behind, taking the opportunity to admire the extravagant rock gardens and artificial lakes typically present in the estate of a significant official such as the Prime Minister. After looking for a while, he could not help but find it bizarre that it was so… lacking in splendour.
Compared to his father’s manor, the former Prime Minister’s estate was like a candle to a sun. Even the area the estate itself was built on was far away from the Imperial Palace and the wealthier portions of the capital that housed the nobility.
This made Zhou Aimin recall a rumour from the early days of the empire. At that time, it was said that, included in Princess Kang’s dowry, was an unused and irrelevant estate. Yet Jing Ping had surprisingly chosen this building as the main manor of his household, raising contempt from the nobility for living off the wife.
This actually made Zhou Aimin a little awkward. Even the Taoist temple he studied at seemed to have a better decorated courtyard that that of the Jing manor… he felt that Jing Wen’s situation was somewhat pitiful.
Zhou Aimin sped up his footsteps, arriving beside Jing Wen. Curiously, he asked, “Fellow Jing, your estate at Jing village had plenty of luxury goods. Why is the manor at the capital so desolate?”
The answer the little Taoist asked was a little inappropriate, but Jing Wen answered earnestly regardless, “The estate was granted to my father earlier in his career. As time passed, he managed to collect those sort of things from the emperor, but he never bothered to move the location of the residency.”
Jing Wen walked beneath the shade of a willow tree, it’s trunk bearing may small scars caused by countless arrowheads. The tree itself appeared lush and graceful, but the flowers surrounding it were withering. “It was also partially due to my influence. The distance from the Imperial Palace made it more overlooked than other parts of the capital. The people here are under less supervision from the Emperor, so I could practice my martial arts undisturbed.”
Zhou Aimin smiled. “The people of the capital all possess a spirit of freedom and passion. It seems like Fellow Jing is no different.”
“What Venerable Taoist say is indeed true,” Jing Wen complimented. “But the people in the capital will still be familiar to you. The martial traditions still carry in times of peace and, if you look around, four out of ten will carry swords.”
The Zhu Dynasty had originated from the northern borderlands of Yanjing (燕京), where the winter is harsh and the lands are barren. Furthermore, they had to frequently fend of nomadic riders, so they had no other choice than to become more savage than the nomads in some ways. When Zhu Gaozu, conquered the lands under heaven, the tradition was spread to the more historically peaceful south. Youths were often encouraged to buy a sword with three month’s salary and journey around Zhili.
The Xinqingnian was another factor encouraged by the former Emperor to create a martial tradition. Individuals like Ming Haoran, Hong Ling and Jing Wen himself would inspire countless individuals to pursue the path of martial arts
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It was rumoured that Qi Qi, who took Jing Wen’s place as the number one bow user among the younger generation, was one such individual who picked up the bow in hopes of heroism and adventure.
The sudden emergence of Qi Qi became a more recent topic among gossipers. Still, most people were still most invested in the topics of the court scandals like the matter regarding Jing Ping’s manor, or which concubine was the most attractive in the Emperor’s harem. It could be said that few people would notice Qi Qis’ rise were it not for Jing Wen’s other identity as the son of the Prime Minister.
Now that a month has passed, the topics of Xinqingnian had largely faded. Most people would have moved onto more interesting topics by now. After all, Jing Wen was a ruined man - you can only speak about someone with no future for so long.
Yet the return of Jing Wen to his family’s manor would undoubtedly bring his name and the month-old gossip to new vigour.
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In later years, Jing Wen’s return to Jing manor would be exaggerated greatly by later scholars, with Jing Wen and Zhou Aimin accompanied by an entourage of hundreds of prominent officials and their servants.
But in truth, Jing Wen and Zhou Aimin had simply offloaded their luggage at the Jing estate. Spending little time in the building before they returned to the carriage.
Earlier, when Jing Wen say that the people of Lin’an possess a martial tradition like the inhabitants of Shuntian, he was very correct.
However, he had failed to mention something. Shuntian was a fortress first and a city second. There were scarce few sources of light outside pubs and gambling dens. Lin’an meanwhile, was a true metropolitan. As night approached, countless lanterns lit up the night sky, appearing even livelier than it had during the day. Beneath these lanterns were countless stands attracting an endless flow of passersby.
The people of the capital wore extravagant clothing. The men wore long, flowing robes that hanged loosely around their body, yet not restrictive enough to prevent the use of their swords hanging from their belt. A few could be seen with tight shirts and pants commonly worn by the natives or Yanjing.
Women wearing elegant clothing frequently walked beside these men, occasionally pulling their male counterpart’s sleeves intimately, pointing at some shop or performer by the street. They appeared charming and clever in their silk robes enveloped by a warm wool jacket.
Despite the limited colours one could wear due to the ongoing national mourning of the prime minister, it seemed that it did not in the slightest, limit the heroic and tender nature possessed by the coexistence of swords and beauties, merchants and street performers.
Jing Wen, as he had promised, was currently leading Zhou Aimin and Yang’er through the streets. The two from Shuntian constantly eyed the stream of people and light with admiration, as would a child from the countryside would when arriving in a big city. Nevertheless, they paid close attention to following closely behind Jing Wen, with Yang’er so bold as to hold onto the corner of Jing Wen’s sleeves as they navigated through the crowded street.
Zhou Aimin stood by Jing Wen’s side, speaking aloud whatever store that attracted his attention. This would prompt Jing Wen to search through his memories, and occasionally giving brief explanations on well-established stores to the two visitors.
Perhaps Jing Wen was a little affected by the enthusiastic nature of the two around him, but at some point, he recalled there was a particularly famous confectionery store that the Crown Prince had once recommended for him. Stopping by, he brought Zhou Aimin and Yang’er eight Long Xu Tang (dragon beard candy) carefully wrapped by a bamboo leaf. The master and nucai pair were surprised, yet happily accepted it.
They had paid for the carriage carrying him to Lin’an - it was only natural for them to receive some compensation in return, they thought.
Zhou Aimin and Yang’er both brought a Long Xu Tang from the bamboo leaf to their mouth, savouring it slowly.
However, before the Long Xu Tang in their mouth had finished dissolving, someone in the distance shouted abruptly. All of a sudden, the already massive crowd on the boulevard gathered at that place, becoming an impassable wall of bodies.
Zhou Aimin quickly moved to a nearby stool and peeked over the heads of the crowd. When he saw what caused the crowd to gather, his brows wrinkled as he returned to the side of Jing Wen.
“It seems that a fugitive has been captured by the Imperial Guard. The crime he commits seems quite severe as well. Even the Zhifu (知府 - prefect) himself has appeared before the criminal, and the city garrison is blocking off access for commoners,” Zhou Aimin explained what he saw.
“This is not our matter,” Jing Wen answered. Patting off the snow that had gathered on his shoulder, he checked the weight of the pouch to make sure nothing was stolen. “To offend the Imperial Guard is to offend His Majesty - it’s best not to make enemy with them if we want to foil Hua Quanfu’s plot.”
“What if the man’s innocent?” Zhou Aimin asked.
Jing Wen was silent for a moment before he answered, “The division of Imperial Guards under my authority would not punish a person without a proper confession… it should be the same for the other divisions as well. Moreover, even if the fugitive committed a serious crime, he can still choose castration in place of execution.”
The street was clearer now, with most of the crowd gathered around the criminal. As they walked through the street, Zhou Aimin looked at Jing Wen’s face and asked, “Regarding your role as the captain of an Imperial Guard division; what happened to your subordinates?”
“I’m not too sure, but it shouldn’t be too bad. Although most of those under my command did not have a prominent background, most of them earned enough money to last a lifetime. They acted with proper conducts as well. I doubt they had offended anyone.”
Calmly and peacefully, Jing Wen said, “Regardless, we shouldn’t stir up any troubles for the time being. It would be best if the two of us act like cats, bide our time and strike with what energy we have.”
Zhou Aimin shook his head and said, “We are humans, not cats. How can we possibly detach ourselves from everywhere and hide like moles?”
Jing Wen was prepared to ignore Zhou Aimin and continue walking away from the scene. However, his footsteps were interrupted when the Zhifu called out ruthlessly, “Gao Shu (高属), Gao Shu, how long have I searched for you. It’s been almost a month. If it had taken me any longer, I would have been dismissed by the Emperor!”
Hearing the name of the fugitive, Jing Wen was filled with shock. With the soles of his shoes kicking against the stone pavement, he rushed out toward the centre of the crowd.
The next moment, Jing Wen stood before Gao Shu’s figure. The white cloth covering his eyes was still unsettled as he coldly said, “How absurd.”