Chapter 2217 - The Road Ahead is Uncertain

These words utterly shattered Sun Dabiao. Bi Xuansheng's arguments were airtight; try as he might, Sun could find no flaw to refute. He understood now: his "straddling two boats" game of watching which way the wind blew could no longer be played. Even if his "good brother" Feng Haijiao hadn't dropped a chamber-pot on his head, the Australian County Magistrate Wang would never tolerate him sitting here as a "local tiger."

"...This student does not presume to guess," Bi Xuansheng said, now fully in control, "but within three to five days, the Hair-Clippers will seize on this incident to demand that Master Sun hand over Dalang Market. They won't ask for your household or your property; they won't even ask you to 'punish the culprits'..."

Sun Dabiao had lapsed into a daze. Bi Xuansheng lowered his voice. "Master Sun, time waits for no one. You thought to respond to all changes with constancy—but what the Hair-Clippers despise most is precisely that 'constancy.' Wherever they go, they stir up towering waves, upending centuries of established custom. Even if you have no wish to be a Ming official—when Ming held sway, you could do as you pleased in this county. Did the yamen ever object? Plainly put, as long as you didn't rebel, you were the 'official' of Yangshan. But the Hair-Clippers won't have it. Supporting Ming is supporting yourself—I urge you to reconsider."

After much deliberation, Sun Dabiao finally made his decision: board Feng Haijiao's boat! Still, a sliver of hope lingered—perhaps County Magistrate Wang wouldn't demand Dalang Market. If so, there might yet be room to maneuver. Unwilling to commit fully, he sent for Zhang Tianbo to "discuss matters."

When Zhang Tianbo received the message, he was shocked. Feng Haijiao's audacity had far exceeded his expectations. But what was done was done; complaints were pointless. The three of them were now grasshoppers on one string—if one suffered, the others wouldn't fare well. He agreed with Sun Dabiao's thinking: no matter what, they should first try for "leniency."

"...Go sound out the terms," Sun Dabiao said. "What price does County Magistrate Wang want? Though I am loyal to Ming, I have no wish to cross swords with the Australians just yet."

"And how far may I go in negotiating?"

"As long as he doesn't take my Dalang Market, I'd give him my wife." Sun Dabiao said. "The rest goes without saying."

As it turned out, County Magistrate Wang had no interest in Sun Dabiao's wife. What he wanted was Sun Dabiao's heart's treasure—Dalang Market.

That viper Feng Haijiao! Hearing Wang Chuyi's terms, Zhang Tianbo knew: there was no undoing this. The only question now was where he himself would stand.

He bowed his head and folded his hands. "I will return to Dalang Market at once and convey Your Honor's meaning to Sun Dabiao. Only, Dalang Market is Master Sun's ancestral property. He treasures it beyond anything—he'd sooner part with his wife than Dalang Market..."

"Dalang Market was once Ming territory—how did it become his ancestral property? Besides, this is now the realm of Great Song." Wang Chuyi smiled. "Go. Tell Sun Dabiao that as long as he agrees, I guarantee his family fortune will be safe. He can live out his days as a comfortable, peaceful rich man."

"Yes, I understand." Zhang Tianbo sighed inwardly and withdrew.

Back at his lodgings, Zhang Tianbo pondered his options. Among the "Three Tyrants of Yangshan," he was the weakest—only his "Constable Squad Leader" title had allowed him to stand alongside Feng Haijiao and Sun Dabiao. Now, though he had been given the title "Detective Squad Leader," he had no real influence in county affairs. Security was handled by naturalized cadres the Australians had brought—Luo Yiming and You Ciren only questioned him for information; they never included him in actual operations. He could sense that these two "false Hair-Clippers" didn't trust him at all—indeed, they were openly hostile.

If he had a role at all, it was merely as a go-between and persuader.

Now Feng Haijiao had accepted the court's pacification, and Sun Dabiao was embroiled in this mess... With Zhang Tianbo's wits, he understood perfectly: he was now a useless man. Sooner or later, the Hair-Clippers would make an example of him to win the people's hearts. He had no shortage of enemies. Since the Australians arrived in Yangshan, the yamen had been flooded with complaints against him—some formal petitions accompanied by the beating of drums, others anonymous denunciations slipped under doors... His apprentices and cronies who had been retained at the yamen secretly warned him: all these materials were piled up in County Magistrate Wang's office, "stored in a special paper folder."

Though Wang Chuyi had suppressed these materials, he hadn't, as legend had it, burned them in front of Zhang Tianbo to "buy his heart." That made Zhang Tianbo secretly uneasy—when the day of "the bird caught, the bow discarded" came, these would be ready-made iron evidence.

Zhang Tianbo pondered and paced, caught between two fires. At last, he went to consult Li Shuangkuai again.

"This is not difficult at all." Having heard his disciple's troubles, Li Shuangkuai smiled faintly. "I have a plan. Only, the odds are fifty-fifty. If you lose, there's no second chance—you're finished forever."

Zhang Tianbo thought: That's the same as saying nothing!

"Please instruct your disciple, Great-grandfather."

Li Shuangkuai coughed up phlegm and said in a low voice, "The Australians and us—we're not the same kind of people."

Zhang Tianbo's eyelid twitched. "Great-grandfather! We yamen runners have always played a different game from the officials..."

Li Shuangkuai shook his head. "There you think wrong. Though we runners are lowly serfs, we share a common fate with the officials. We depend on their authority to get by; they depend on us as their claws and fangs. Whether it's Hai Rui or Grand Secretary Yan—clean or corrupt—they all need us. The only difference is whether the rules are tighter or looser. But the Australians?"

Zhang Tianbo hesitated. "Now that you mention it, they are indeed different from Ming..."

"Exactly." Li Shuangkuai's expression turned grim. "Though I no longer serve in the yamen, I've learned a thing or two about Australian affairs and the county's goings-on these past days."

"Great-grandfather, you mean..."

"The Australians and Ming—they don't run on the same track." There was a note of sorrow in Li Shuangkuai's voice. "They have no use for the likes of us."

Zhang Tianbo understood. Staying with the Australians meant "no rice bowl," regardless of the outcome.

"Your disciple understands."

"Good." Li Shuangkuai said. "But Ming, as I see it, is also a hopeless case. Don't expect the imperial army within three to five years... How to choose—that's up to you..."

Zhang Tianbo left Li Shuangkuai's house in a daze. Suddenly, a hand clapped his shoulder, startling him. He looked—it was Jiang Xiaotian.

Jiang Xiaotian was a highway robber who had been hiding on Li Shuangkuai's estate as a "farmhand"—but being unable to practice his trade, life was dull and impoverished compared to his freewheeling bandit days. He had grown restless. Now that order in Yangshan was slowly being restored and merchants were once again traveling the roads, his fingers itched to pull off a few "jobs."

Since ancient times, a lone wolf robber needed connections in the yamen. But when the Australians came, the familiar faces in the yamen vanished—those retained were all people with clean records. Even old acquaintances who had once been on friendly terms fled like rabbits at the sight of Jiang Xiaotian. If cornered, they mouthed only evasive nonsense. Jiang Xiaotian was shrewd; he knew none of them could be relied upon.

After much thought, he fixed on the former Constable Squad Leader, now Detective Squad Leader. He and Zhang Tianbo were old friends; he had paid generous "tribute" over the years. They were quite familiar. Only, he hadn't had an opportunity until now. Seeing Zhang Tianbo emerge alone, he wasn't about to let him slip away. He dragged him off for a drink.

Zhang Tianbo, frustrated and without prospects, was in the mood to drown his sorrows. With a pull and a push, he found himself at Jiang Xiaotian's quarters—this was the countryside, with no taverns. The Li household brewed its own rough wine; Jiang Xiaotian produced some silver, had the kitchen slice up some cured meat and bring out dried and fresh fruit. The two sat down in Jiang's room and began to drink.

Cup after cup, the wine took hold. Jiang Xiaotian hinted that he wanted to resume his "trade" and hoped Zhang Tianbo would "provide cover."

"...As long as Elder Brother is willing to help, we'll follow the old arrangements." Jiang Xiaotian said. "Earning a bit more silver is good for any unexpected need. Times have changed too fast."

Zhang Tianbo laughed bitterly. "You expect me to help you? I don't even know who can help me!" Riding the wine, he poured out all his grievances.

"...I count for nothing at the yamen now. 'Detective Squad Leader'—bah." He waggled his little finger. "The Australians don't care for people like us! They only use the false Hair-Clippers they brought from Qiongzhou. Even when they promote a few old hands, they pick the dull, useless blockheads."

"I see." Jiang Xiaotian nodded. "If the Hair-Clippers are so ungrateful, Elder Brother, why stay with them? Why not strike out on your own?"

"On my own? Easier said than done." Zhang Tianbo was six or seven parts drunk now; he sighed. "I'm not like Feng Haijiao or Sun Dabiao—they have turf, they have followers. I, Zhang Tianbo, got by in this county on reputation alone. Now that the Australians won't give me face, what do I have left?"

"If this place won't keep you, there's always another!" Jiang Xiaotian slapped the table. "Working this miserably—why bother?"

"If not this, then what? The court has fled. I'm just a constable. Going home and idling is easy enough—but I'd eat through my savings. And after all these years as a constable..."

He didn't finish, only sighed. Jiang Xiaotian knew: Zhang Tianbo had made many enemies in Yangshan. Without an official title to protect him, he wouldn't sleep soundly at home. Looking at it that way, there really was no way out. Jiang Xiaotian sighed along with him, rather disappointed. Then he remembered Bi Xuansheng, who had quietly visited here not long ago. He asked:

"Brother Zhang, do you know Bi Xuansheng—the new secretary Feng Haijiao hired?"

(End of Chapter)