Chapter 269: Beneath the Overturned Nest

Chapter 269: When the Nest is Overthrown

The courtyard lay in ruins, its debris scattered as chaotically as the shattered remnants of two reclining chairs that had once stood side by side, their splintered wood now mingling with the tattered silk of a red lantern hanging beneath the door lintel.

Zhai Mancang, his expression unburdened, offered Li Jun a paper cigarette, while even the old Ma, who lacked lungs and heart, pinched one between his fingers.

As Ma Wangye himself might say, whether to smoke or not is a matter of function, while whether to accept it is a matter of courtesy. Out in the world, one cannot afford to slight others.

Thus, the two sat side by side on the steps beneath the eaves.

As for Huang Shiyuan, whose bones had been crushed and rendered a cripple, he had been carelessly discarded in a corner.

Ma Wangye gestured toward Huang Shiyuan with his chin, his voice tinged with bewilderment: "Brother Zhai, you said earlier that you needed to purchase this wokou to secure your position as a hundred-household. Don't blame me for prying, but I simply don't understand—how could your position as a hundred-household be so precarious?"

Ma Wangye's confusion mirrored Li Jun's own doubts.

In theory, though the Imperial Guards were no longer what they once were, those who oversaw a prefecture as a hundred-household still wielded considerable authority.

Even if they couldn't rival the local gentry with their official ranks, they at least bore the faint prestige of the imperial court. So long as they avoided self-destruction and refrained from meddling in others' affairs, most would keep their distance out of respect.

Moreover, those who attained the rank of hundred-household in the Imperial Guards, even without the formidable power and connections of Yan Baha, were at least at the peak of the seventh sequence.

Surely they wouldn't have fallen so low as to scrape the bottom of the barrel, buying merit to cling to their posts.

Upon hearing this, Zhai Mancang let out a low chuckle, shaking his head with a wry smile: "What else could it be? No merit, no reward."

"In the late emperor's time, the Imperial Guards were a distinguished office. Though they couldn't claim to dominate the three teachings or tread upon the nine schools, in a place like this—near the four coastal garrisons—I could strut about like a crab, and others would grudgingly praise my dragon-like strides and tiger-like steps, calling me a fine man!"

"But after the 'Great Debate of the Court,' things changed completely."

Zhai Mancang inhaled deeply, finishing half the cigarette in one drag, savoring the smoke until his face flushed red before exhaling slowly.

"When the Ministry of Rites collapsed, it dragged the Northern Military Command down with it. We local Imperial Guards became orphans, left to fend for ourselves."

"Though the breasts of those mothers weren't exactly ample, at least they'd feed us when pleased. Now, not only do we get no milk, but we're beaten senseless whenever they please."

Ma Wangye glanced instinctively at Li Jun, who sat smoking in silence, as if prompting him to speak: "Vivid imagery, indeed!"

"This Shandong Provincial Administration oversees six prefectures, fifteen provinces, and eighty-nine counties. Most are ancestral lands of Confucianism, while the eastern two prefectures along the coast are the strongholds of the other sects. Here, we're guests under someone else's roof, forced to dance to their tune in all matters."

"If you're lucky, they'll humor you and let you arrange some food and drink. But if you cross someone with a temper, even the stove for cooking will be overturned!"

Zhai Mancang crushed the cigarette butt underfoot and offered another to the group before continuing: "I'm just an unlucky fellow. As the hundred-household of Laiyang Prefecture, the various associations and organizations of the other sects wouldn't deign to deal with us. All avenues of profit are sealed tight—no soup to sip, not even the privilege to lick a bowl."

"Don't mistake me for blaming your sect, brother. I'm just venting."

Ma Wangye interjected quickly: "I understand, I understand."

"But if you can't rake in any wealth, how could it come to the point where even your official status is at risk?"

The question came from Li Jun.

"Not everyone is like you, brother, with the martial prowess and audacity to strike."

Zhai Mancang sighed, tracing a small circle in the air with his hand.

"The monthly stipend from the Ministry of War is meager to begin with. After passing through the Northern Military Command, what reaches our local offices is barely enough to scrape by. The sequence itself is a bottomless pit of gold. If we can't find profit on the surface, what of our subordinates? Should we replace the old weapons? Should we update the outdated equipment? Even if we seek other sequences, entering the celestial realms or the land of the hanging monks requires silver taels."

"Without funds, we can only sell off military equipment from the Ministry of Works, and fearing discovery, we dare not sell them whole—only in pieces. Without weapons in hand, our combat strength inevitably weakens. But with weapons, our bellies go hungry."

"It's a vicious cycle. Over time, the combat strength of our Imperial Guard offices grows ever weaker. When faced with wokou like Huang Shiyuan, who infiltrate the homeland to kill and burn, we're no match for them."

"And if you have no achievements to show for a long time, the Ministry of War will send inquiries. Repeated offenses inevitably lead to dismissal."

After hearing Zhai Mancang's impassioned words, Ma Wangye finally grasped why Li Jun had ceased raising his price.

There was no other reason—leave a way out, and you might meet again someday.

Though this hundred-household of Laiyang might still have some wealth, Li Jun couldn't bring himself to push someone to the point of stripping them bare.

"Still, this state of affairs is largely my fault. If I had the courage and skill of Yan Laodao from Chongqing Prefecture, my subordinates wouldn't have to endure such hardship."

Zhai Mancang shuddered in his ornate silk robe, mocking himself: "I focused on learning how to curry favor, only to end up as less than human in others' eyes."

"Brother Zhai, don't overthink it. Even if it were Yan Laodao in your place, the worst outcome would be mutual destruction. Nothing changes in the end."

Li Jun's voice was heavy: "When the nest is overthrown, how can the eggs remain unbroken?"

"Indeed."

Zhai Mancang finished the last of his cigarette, slapped his cheeks, and rallied with a hearty laugh: "But meeting you this time has been a great help! Once I toss this wokou into the imperial prison, the Northern Military Command will surely reward me with a fortune in operational funds. With that money, I won't be cursed by my brothers to the point of bloodied beatings."

"To be honest, even the two million silver taels I gave you were cobbled together from every household in Laiyang Prefecture."

Zhai Mancang joked: "If you'd raised the price any higher, I'd have had to kneel and kowtow to you."

Li Jun furrowed his brow slightly: "That sixth-rank martial arts infusion device?"

"Exchanged for the merit points I've accumulated over the years in the penal realm."

Zhai Mancang waved his hand: "Though, it's not important. Our generation has no hope of promotion to thousand-household anyway. Once it's used up, it's used up."

"If we can complete the task at hand, that's enough."