Chapter 398: A Piece of Skin

Chapter 398: A Layer of Skin

"You mean the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

Xu Zhun smiled bitterly. "I know you and that Lord Yan of the Hundred Households had dealings before in Chengdu Prefecture, but this is a matter of life and death. Even parents and brothers cannot always be relied upon, let alone friends bound only by a thin connection of shared incense."

Xu Zhun wet his lips. "And if I may speak bluntly, the relationship between the Confucian Order and the Martial Order is quite delicate. Back when the world was divided into martial orders, the Confucian Order may not have struck directly, but behind the scenes they did plenty to fan the flames and kick a man when he was down. In the end, the lion's share of the benefits fell into their laps, and they trampled on the corpses of the Martial Order to become the foremost of the Three Teachings."

"Even if the Confucian Order later left a path of survival for the remnants of the Martial Order to keep the Buddhists and Taoists from getting too comfortable, such hypocritical tricks can hardly fool discerning eyes."

Xu Zhun paused for a moment, his expression grave. "Especially now with Su Ce, the thousand-household commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the Wo district. I've heard rumors within the Guard that Su Ce has made up his mind to designate the Yan Lord as his successor. What if—"

"What if Su Ce still harbors hatred toward the Confucian Order? Then even if the Yan Lord wishes to assist us, he would be constrained by fear of repercussions and dare not act rashly."

Yang Baize asked, "That's what you mean, isn't it, Elder Xu?"

Xu Zhun nodded. "It seems you had already considered this, my lord. I have spoken out of turn."

"Elder Xu, you treat me as your own nephew, and that is why you share such heartfelt words with me. I am well aware of that."

Yang Baize said calmly, "But I believe Commander Su is not that kind of man, and neither is the Yan Lord."

"I too am loath to groundlessly speculate about others, but the human heart is hidden behind flesh and bone!"

"I have no need to see their hearts, because I trust not their character but their temper."

Yang Baize waved his hand and laughed, a look of soaring spirit spreading across his handsome, delicate face.

"If they truly bore hatred for the Confucian Order, they would never vent it on you or me. Instead, they would take up their blades and swords, cross mountains and seas, and seek out the great clans that once schemed against the sect's Martial Order. They would cut their throats, sever their heads, end their lineages, break their bloodlines, and settle every grievance with vengeance! This is what Su Ce and the Yan Lord would do."

Xu Zhun, advanced in years yet stirred by this soaring youthful vitality, felt a competitive spark kindle in his heart. He promptly said, "Even if the two of them are clear in their loves and hates, why would they help us? Do not forget, my lord, what they will face then is not the buried Honghu rebels, but towering imperial great clans! That falls beyond the duties of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

The seasoned bureaucrat Xu Zhun sought to awaken the callow idealism of the young Yang Baize with the cold realities he had learned through decades of struggle.

"Without the slightest benefit, why should anyone risk their lives to help us?"

Xu Zhun said coldly. "Betting your life and fortune on the righteousness of others—I believe Duke Pei would not wish to see you take such a risk."

"That is also my teacher's wish."

Xu Zhun's expression froze. Before he could recover from his shock, he heard Yang Baize continue, "And who says there is no benefit?"

"What benefit could there be?"

"On that, you need not worry. It will surely be the thing our Quanshan Hundred-Household commander needs and desires most. Friendship is the bone, interest is the flesh. Once we place that thing in his hands, he will not hesitate for a moment to draw his Embroidered Spring Blade and shield us from the hidden arrows shot from other great cities."

Yang Baize did not speak plainly, but kept it a secret.

"Very well, since you have made up your mind, I shall cease my useless prattle."

"What you said was no prattle, but words of gold and jade. Your earnest teachings, Yang Baize holds them in his heart."

The young man's expression was solemn as he cupped his hands and bowed to the old official.

Xu Zhun, white-haired yet remarkably nimble, sidestepped to avoid the disciple's salute, raised his hand, flicked his sleeve, and laughed heartily. "But even if the Quanshan Embroidered Uniform Guard ultimately stands by and does nothing, this old servant still has a few pounds of weight left in these bones. Escorting you out of the Wo district should not be too difficult."

"Of course."

Yang Baize teased, "I once heard my teacher say that in your youth, Elder Xu, your temper was no less fierce than the Martial Order. With a sword in one hand and a gun in the other, you once fought your way from the east end of Confucius Temple Street in the capital to the west end, thoroughly disciplining those self-important sons of great clans."

"Lord Pei exaggerates. I never had the skill to truly fight through an entire street." Xu Zhun waved his hand. "Half a street at most."

Yang Baize picked up the thread: "Because the blade had been blunted and the bullets spent."

The old and the young exchanged a glance and burst into hearty laughter together.

The gloom that had been gathering in Xu Zhun's heart scattered like smoke.

In that moment, Xu Zhun vaguely understood why Pei Xingjian thought so highly of Yang Baize, going to great lengths to send him to serve in the Wo district and assigning him to assist.

Xu Zhun thought to himself, "Perhaps these genes of mine, about to be locked away, might yet continue for a few more years under this new policy..."

"Ah, yes."

Xu Zhun suddenly remembered a piece of news he had just learned. "My lord, the latest official dispatches say that the two Honghu leaders who organized and participated in the 'Edo Rebellion,' Chu Ke and Suishui Godo, have been executed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Only Huai Guo and the chief culprit Kamakura are still at large. I believe they will soon be captured one after the other."

"I rather think the Embroidered Uniform Guard will not continue to waste energy on this matter."

Yang Baize pondered for a moment. "On the one hand, the execution of Chu Ke and the others has flushed the grass and startled the snakes. It will be very difficult to find the remaining Honghu now. On the other hand, this so-called King of Kamakura is clearly just a layer of skin. Killing him or not is no longer of great importance."

"A layer of skin?" Xu Zhun's brow furrowed deeply.

"Correct."

Yang Baize nodded. "After the Edo Rebellion, I immediately consulted all the records in the Pacification Commissioner's Office concerning the Honghu King of Kamakura. I discovered that this Honghu prince's activities in the Wo district were actually not very frequent. He had never committed any astonishing major crimes. Compared to another King of Peace, his actions were far more low-key."

"It was only after the start of this New Year's Day, when the Empire began to promote the new policy, that he suddenly became high-profile, constantly leading men to attack various great cities."

Xu Zhun was puzzled. "What is strange about that? The new policy poses a great threat to the Honghu as well. Once Confucian doctrine spreads widely, it will be difficult for them to incite the common people. So it is only logical that he would want to hinder the implementation of the new policy."

"That reasoning holds water, but during their repeated arrests, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has not been able to extract any valuable information about Kamakura's identity from the minds of the captured Honghu. In fact, up to now, we cannot even determine if they are male or female. That is somewhat abnormal."

Xu Zhun suddenly understood what Yang Baize suspected.

It was a well-known fact throughout the Great Ming Empire that the Honghu were skilled at concealment.

But no matter how great a person's skill at hiding, as long as they participate in recruiting members or organizing actions, they are bound to leave some traces.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard does not lack information about the King of Kamakura; in fact, there is a great deal, but these traces are extremely varied, male and female, across all orders.

"This means either the Guard and we are utterly incompetent, unable to discern the King of Kamakura's true identity from these obfuscations, or this so-called King of Kamakura is merely a title and not a real person at all."

Yang Baize said in a deep voice, "I do not believe that in such small region as the Wo district, a Honghu prince could exist for so many years and yet leave no clues. The only possibility is that the King of Kamakura is nothing but a layer of skin. When needed, a person is sent to wear it; when the task is done, the person is killed and all traces erased. The next time he needs to be used, another person is made the King of Kamakura, cycling on and on!"