Chapter 435: Yingtian Prefecture

Chapter 435: Yingtian Prefecture

“There is no helping it; the official duties in Edo City are simply too overwhelming at present. I find myself stretched thin, unable to be in two places at once.”

Liu Dian offered a gentle smile and patted Supervisor Qin on the shoulder. “However, even if I lack the time to inspect the entire Book-Sunken Hall, I can discern the fruits of your governance from the spirit and bearing of these scholars. You have done quite well.”

“You flatter me, Excellency. The current achievements of the Book-Sunken Hall rely primarily upon your support and that of the Xuanwei Division Yamen.”

“Support is only what is due. The Confucian Temple is the very crux of the Empire’s New Policy. As the saying goes, a skyscraper rises from the ground up; if the foundation is not laid firmly, the structures above risk collapsing at any moment!”

“You are absolutely right, Excellency. Upon my return, I shall organize the various academies and classes to study and internalize your words thoroughly.”

Liu Dian nodded and smiled. “Very well, let us end it here. When I have leisure, I shall return to the Book-Sunken Hall. I hope that by then, I might witness the full extent of the educational achievements you and your colleagues have attained.”

“Naturally. Please rest assured, Excellency.”

At the outermost edge of the crowd, Changqi Feng stood looking utterly despondent. The green scholar’s robes he wore were marred by large, glaring streaks of red lacquer, making him an eyesore.

Yet, at today’s gathering in the Book-Sunken Hall, no one had the inclination to pay him any mind.

Every eye was fixed upon the handsome and elegant Deputy Prefect Liu—the illustrious Lord Liu.

A ‘Baiyi’ carriage, manufactured by the Imperial Divine Engine Works, glided silently into the crowd. Fully armed guards flanked the four corners of the vehicle, their right index fingers pressed firmly against the triggers of their Duanyan Guards' rifles. Beneath their rounded helmets, their eyes glinted with a faint red light, carrying a cold sense of disdain.

“Fellow scholars.”

Standing beside the opened carriage door, Liu Dian turned to look back at the dense sea of heads and the pairs of fervent, adoring eyes.

“I hope you will study diligently within the Book-Sunken Hall, grasping the essence of Confucian thought, and strive to break your shackles and advance your ranks to become true Confucian Order practitioners. If you are diligent enough, perhaps before I depart the Wa District, there may still be an opportunity for us to work together.”

“We shall hold Lord Liu’s teachings close to our hearts!”

Amidst the synchronized roar of the crowd, a single, somewhat shrill voice rang out abruptly.

“Excellency, will there come a day when you leave the Wa District?”

Supervisor Qin, who had specially commissioned a chest-length magnificent beard, looked toward the source of the shout. With a single glance, he broke into a cold sweat.

He saw Changqi Feng, clad in soiled green and red garments, fighting his way from the rear of the crowd to the front, gazing at Liu Dian with a face full of fervor.

Without a word, Supervisor Qin shook his head at the surrounding instructors who were preparing to rush forward, his expression dark and grim.

“An official’s term is always finite. Sooner or later, I must depart to take up office elsewhere.”

Liu Dian looked at this ‘unconventional’ scholar before him and smiled warmly. “But not right now.”

“You just said you hope to work with us one day. If, by the time you leave your post, I have yet to earn my official merits, where shall I go to follow you?”

“Zhang Feng, how dare you!” Supervisor Qin’s fury flared, his gaze turning fierce.

Seeing the enraged supervisor, Changqi Feng instinctively shut his mouth and lowered his head in retreat.

But when his gaze fell upon the glaring red lacquer on his own person, he seemed to instantly forget the fear in his heart. He looked up at Liu Dian and said with solemn gravity, “I wish to follow you.”

“Then come to Yingtian Prefecture.”

The smile on Liu Dian’s face remained unchanged. “I shall wait for you there.”

***

The Imperial mainland, Yingtian Prefecture.

A carriage tore through the South Gate, charging recklessly through the crowded long streets, inciting waves of screams.

An Yingtian Guard on patrol was just preparing to apprehend this arrogant speedster when his captain reached out, grabbed him, and slapped him hard on the back of the head.

“Are you blind, boy, or has your intellect been clouded by lust? Did you not see the insignia on that carriage? You dare attempt to intercept a private vehicle of the Liu family? You truly have no regard for your own life.”

In that brief moment of delay, the vehicle had already vanished from the young guard’s sight.

The captain, a guard with white whiskers upon his lips, looked thoughtfully in the direction the carriage had gone. He adjusted his ballistic cloth armor and rolled his eyes at his grimacing subordinate, snapping, “You nearly got us killed.”

“Thank you, Captain. Otherwise, I would have caused a catastrophe just now.”

The young guard, finally realizing the gravity of the situation, broke into a cold sweat and hurriedly cupped his fists in gratitude.

“But Captain, in broad daylight, why is the Liu family driving so fast?”

Having narrowly escaped disaster, the young guard could not suppress his curiosity. He scratched his head, asking with a look of confusion.

The captain did not answer immediately. Instead, he cautiously scanned his surroundings. Seeing that the commotion in the street had subsided, he pulled his subordinate into a quiet, dead-end alleyway.

After a few kicks to wake and drive away a ‘Yellow Millet Addict’ writhing in a corner, the captain carefully deactivated the recorders on their helmets.

Only after completing these tasks did he speak slowly. “Who is the Liu family? They are one of the first-class clans of our Yingtian Prefecture. Ordinarily, they conduct themselves with the utmost stability and composure. For them to act so erratically today, the person in that carriage must be facing some extraordinary urgency. If you had collided with them at such a time, would you not simply be seeking your own death?”

The young guard had an epiphany, his face clouding with lingering fear.

“You are still too green. Let me tell you, to be a good guard—especially a guard of our Southern Zhili—knowing how to fire a gun is not enough. You must learn to read the wind, discern the situation, and understand policy!”

“If you only know how to charge blindly, even if one day your ancestral graves emit auspicious smoke and your genes boil like a cauldron, allowing you to luck into the Eighth Rank of the Soldier Order, you will at most be a large ant in Yingtian Prefecture. You could be crushed to death in an instant.”

The captain found a step to sit on and sighed. “The intricacies of this are too deep and too many. You, my boy, have much to learn.”

Hearing this, the young guard hurried closer, bowing with a fawning smile. “Then please, old sir, tell me more, lest I accidentally offend one of those Great Lords. If I die, it matters little, but if I were to implicate you, Captain, I could not atone for it even if I died a hundred times over.”

“Died a hundred times? Do you think you are of the Dao Order?”

The captain sneered repeatedly, narrowing his eyes at the youth.

The young guard understood immediately. He hurriedly reached behind his gambeson-style ballistic vest and pulled out a palm-sized square box, handing it over.

“A few days ago, while raiding a smuggling gang in the south of the city, we recovered these ‘Shuntian Special Mellow’ cigarettes from their warehouse. Top-tier goods. I specifically intercepted a pack just to pay my respects to you, sir.”

The captain’s eyes brightened. He reached out to take the box, though he let out a cold snort. “I am only giving you these pointers because I see you have some sense. This is experience bought with the lives of predecessors; I would never tell anyone else.”

“Of course, of course. Thank you for your mercy, Captain,” the young guard said, bowing and scraping.

The captain smiled with satisfaction. He unslung his firearm, shifted his body into a more comfortable position, coughed twice, and said, “Now, you should know what the Empire’s most pressing matter is, shouldn't you?”

“Of course. The New Policy in the Sinner Districts,” the young guard nodded. “Not long ago, a shipment of ships carrying Wa laborers docked, and I even participated in maintaining order.”

“What you know are merely the scales and claws!”

The captain said contemptuously, “Do you think the Imperial Court is spending such immense effort to bring them out just so they can work? Nonsense. Think about it—what use would the Imperial mainland have for so many Wako whose very language we cannot even decipher?”

“Is that not the purpose of the New Policy? I heard others say it is to remove the fuel from under the cauldron...”

“That is merely the first step.”

The captain sneered. “Before long, these able-bodied Wako will be sent to other Sinner Districts.”

“To do what?”

“To carry guns, and to kill!”