Chapter 15: The Hundred Riders (Part I)

"Your Majesty, Bi Gou, the Minister of the Directorate of Waterways, and Yan Wuming, the Chief Craftsman of the Directorate of Palace Buildings, unexpectedly crossed paths today at the residence of Zhang Qian, the Vice Minister of the Directorate for Weaponry, alongside Fang Gong, the Magistrate of Weinan County!" In the imperial study east of the Zichen Hall, Zheng Kejun, Deputy Director of the Hundred Riders, stood slightly hunched, reporting in a low voice.

"Oh? And what did they go to find Vice Minister Zhang for?" Emperor Li Xian, the Yingtian Shenlong Emperor, who was busy reviewing memorials, looked up with dark circles under his eyes.

Zheng Kejun gathered his thoughts and replied truthfully: "According to the report from the Weinan County patrol captain, Zhao, Magistrate Fang went to see Vice Minister Zhang regarding the workshop clerk, Wei Liang. More than three months ago, this clerk blocked Zhang Qian's door to demand he perform corvée labor. At the time, under the pretext of 'repairing river channels,' the clerk returned the tax payment the Zhang family had made before autumn..."

"Corrupt official! He deserves to die!" Li Xian slammed his hand hard against the desk, interrupting with a sharp tone, clouds of fury gathering on his plump face.

"Your Majesty is wise!" Startled, Zheng Kejun shivered and took a half-step back before steadying himself, adding cautiously, "Magistrate Fang thoroughly investigated all of Wei Liang’s past transgressions and has already sentenced him to be exiled to Yumen Pass as a frontier soldier in accordance with the law. Magistrate Fang went to the Zhang residence today specifically to inform Vice Minister Zhang of this outcome."

"Hmm—" Li Xian’s anger remained unpacified. He shoved the memorial to the edge of his desk and let out a cold, deep grunt.

Years ago, when he was exiled to Luling, he had seen with his own eyes how local corrupt officials intimidated the common people. Relying on the backing of the local government, those men would fabricate pretexts to extort others at will. They were particularly ruthless toward those with small families or those who had migrated from elsewhere.

Zhang Qian, three months ago, had likely just settled in Weinan. He was a man without connections, a commoner at the time. Whether the clerk Wei Liang returned the tax money and blocked his door to force him into labor for public duty or private gain was self-evident.

And that Magistrate Fang Gong’s behavior was even more detestable. An incident from over two months ago was only "discovered" after Zhang Qian had been appointed Vice Minister of the Directorate for Weaponry!

If Zhang Qian had not become a Vice Minister? Or if he had remained a mere eighth-rank registrar? One feared that Fang Gong would never have discovered the extortionate behavior of his own subordinate.

If they dared to act this way toward an eighth-rank registrar, they surely cared even less about the common people under their jurisdiction. And this was in the capital region, less than twenty miles from Chang'an. If this were in Hebei or Jiangnan, the common people would likely have been devoured alive by such dogs of officials!

My Great Tang shall never allow such dogs to act with impunity!

When the Empress Mother was in power, corrupt officials plagued the people, and I was powerless to stop them. Now that I am finally the master of my own house, I must clean out these parasites!

Thinking of this, the Yingtian Shenlong Emperor felt his rage rising further. Just as he prepared to send an oral decree to the Ministry of Personnel to arrange for a thorough investigation into the performance and discipline of local officials, he heard Zheng Kejun’s cautious voice again: "Your Majesty, Bi Gou and Yan Wuming went to see Zhang Qian regarding the manufacturing costs of the windmills and water-lifting machines. According to the Hundred Riders' investigation, the Directorate of Waterways and the Directorate of Palace Buildings received the imperial decree to mass-produce these machines using the methods provided by Vice Minister Zhang. However, the cost could never be brought below thirty-five strings of cash. Thus, Minister Bi and Chief Craftsman Yan visited today to seek guidance and ask Vice Minister Zhang to point them in the right direction."

"Hmm—" Upon hearing that the cost of the windmills and machines had not met the target, Li Xian immediately set aside his thoughts of purging the local officialdom. He furrowed his brows and pondered for a moment before asking in a deep voice, "Did Vice Minister Zhang point out where the problem lies? And how did Minister Bi and Chief Craftsman Yan react?"

"Your Majesty, forgive me!" The Deputy Director of the Hundred Riders looked up, the shame on his face clearly visible in the candlelight. "I am incompetent; I have been unable to plant anyone in Vice Minister Zhang's household. Therefore, I only discovered the purposes of their respective visits, but I could not find out exactly what was said once they entered the Zhang residence."

"Oh?" Li Xian’s brows arched quickly, a hint of disappointment appearing on his round face.

"Your Majesty, forgive me!" Zheng Kejun shivered again and hurriedly added in a low voice, "It is not that the Hundred Riders are not diligent, but in the last four months, Vice Minister Zhang has not recruited a single new person. Even after he was promoted to Vice Minister of the Directorate for Weaponry, although nearby farmers offered to pledge their land to him and various opportunists tried to sell their services, they were all blocked by his two house stewards."

"Why?" Li Xian was immensely curious, glancing at Zheng Kejun with a smile, pressing for an answer.

This was completely different from the image of a rising star he knew. In the past, other low-ranking officials who were suddenly promoted would, even if they didn't immediately buy houses or land, at least quickly fill their government-allotted quota of servants. After all, the expenses for recruiting and feeding these servants could be reimbursed by the imperial court. If they didn't spend the money, it wouldn't end up in their own pockets anyway.

"Vice Minister Zhang’s household consists only of himself and one personal maid. The existing housemen and servants were already sufficient." Zheng Kejun’s report continued, tinged with a hint of disdain. "The two stewards in his residence have never worked in official households before and know nothing of the rules. They worry that new recruits would threaten their own status and that of the old staff, and they fear that new people might cause trouble and drag them into disgrace. So, they simply play deaf and dumb. As long as Vice Minister Zhang doesn't speak, they won't let anyone benefit from their master’s position!"

"Insolent servants bullying their master!" Li Xian found this both infuriating and amusing, and he couldn't help but tap the desk again. "Are they not afraid of shaming their master? He is, at the very least, a fifth-rank official of the imperial court. If he shows no prestige, how will he deal with his colleagues in the future..."

Halfway through his sentence, he recalled the previous reports from the Hundred Riders about Zhang Qian, and his voice trailed off as he helplessly shook his head.

One could hardly blame the two stewards for their lack of worldliness; Zhang Qian himself was an unconventional character. Back when he was an eighth-rank registrar of the Great Tang, he actually took off his hat and official robes to engage in a fistfight in the mud with a Tibetan military officer.

Fortunately, he won that day. If he had accidentally lost, the face of the Great Tang imperial court—or at least the face of the entire Directorate for Weaponry—would have been completely lost!

However, the fellow could be considered both scholarly and martial. He had actually managed to knock a Tibetan elite officer unconscious with his bare fists. If every civil official of the Great Tang were this fierce, there would be no need to send out military generals to fight on the battlefield! A fourth-rank prefect leading an army would be enough; sending out the generals of the Sixteen Guards would be nothing short of bullying!

"Your Majesty, Vice Minister Zhang is an old friend of the Remonstrance Official He Zhizhang. Should we arrange for a new steward to be placed in his home through He Zhizhang..." Sensing that Li Xian's mood had shifted from overcast to clear, Zheng Kejun leaned forward and suggested in a low voice.

"Forget it!" Li Xian glanced at him and shook his head with a smile. "He Zhizhang is a notoriously decent man. If you were to do this, how would it be any different from forcing him into retirement? Let it be. Take it slowly; there is no rush!"

"This subordinate understands; this subordinate will have the men continue their efforts!" Zheng Kejun felt a sense of relief and hurriedly bowed to accept the order.

"Treat him the same as other officials; no need to specifically assign people to watch him. He is not a man of ambition; I can sense that!" Although he looked extremely exhausted, Li Xian’s mind was very clear. He waved his hand and added with a smile.

However, before Zheng Kejun could respond, Li Xian suddenly locked eyes with him and asked sharply, "How is the investigation into his master's school coming along? Any leads at all?"

"Your Majesty, forgive me! The Hundred Riders have searched almost every inch of the Zhongnan Mountains, but found nothing!" Zheng Kejun’s face turned deep red, and he hung his head, stuttering as he reported. "The only clue is that, according to the monks at Xiangji Temple, on the day Vice Minister Zhang appeared, the great bell of the temple rang without being struck. At the same time, the smoke from the incense and candles all pointed toward a direction west of the temple, as if something over there were drawing in a deep breath!"

"Hmm?" The brow that Li Xian had only just relaxed furrowed tightly again. He racked his brains, but he could not fathom what kind of situation could produce such a bizarre phenomenon.

Zheng Kejun, the Deputy Director of the Hundred Riders, was very good at reading expressions. Seeing Li Xian struggling, he lowered his voice and added cautiously, "Your Majesty, regarding this matter, I specifically sent men to probe Li the Daoist of White Cloud Temple. However, his words may not be entirely trustworthy!"

"What did he say? Repeat it to me! Whether it is trustworthy or not, I have my own judgment!" Li Xian had always been skeptical of Buddhist and Daoist matters. Seeing Zheng Kejun being so mysterious, he couldn't help but feel intrigued and ordered with a smile.

"He said that the Buddhists speak of 'hiding Mount Sumeru in a mustard seed,' and the Daoists speak of 'grotto-heavens and blessed lands'—they actually mean the same thing. Many famous mountains and great rivers have hidden worlds deep within them. Ordinary people have no chance to enter and cannot find them no matter how hard they look. But sometimes, when the entrance to a grotto-heaven opens, people and objects nearby will sense it." Zheng Kejun did not dare to hide anything and reported in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

"Oh, that actually aligns with Zhang Qing's own explanation!" Li Xian nodded lightly, though his expression remained skeptical.

Zheng Kejun dared not say another word, keeping his head down as he waited for the decision. He waited for nearly half the time it takes to burn a stick of incense before hearing a new voice from behind the imperial desk: "Forget it. Since we cannot find anything, let it be. The weather is freezing, and your men have worked hard. Later, give everyone who was ordered to investigate this matter two months' worth of salary. Then, stop the operation, file the process and results, and seal them away for future reference!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Zheng Kejun breathed another sigh of relief, feeling as if every bone in his body had relaxed.

Although the Yingtian Shenlong Emperor was a "benevolent ruler," according to court rules, one could not simply let a person of unknown origin control a vital department like the Directorate for Weaponry. Therefore, ever since Zhang Qian entered service, Zheng Kejun had been assigned an important task: to uncover the man's true background and his real purpose for coming down from the mountains.

At first, Zheng Kejun thought he had received a plum assignment where he could make a name for himself in front of the Emperor. He was so happy for several days he couldn't stop grinning. However, once the investigation officially began, he was stunned to find that the plum had turned into a ball of iron caltrops.

Unlike the hermits who took the "Zhongnan Shortcut" in the past, such as the brothers Lu Zhengming and Lu Cangyong, who had huge families behind them—where the Hundred Riders could find out everything, even which day as a child they didn't study hard and were hit on the palms by their teacher—Zhang Qian, who claimed to be from the Qin Mohist school, had no trace of existence in the Great Tang before he met Ren Cong. His hometown, place of birth, neighbors, classmates, and friends were all a blank slate!

He was also unlike the swindlers from the Tianzhu Kingdom who, no matter how they played the ghost or god, were all after one thing: money. Zhang Qian, the disciple of the Mohists, though his ability to make money was in no way inferior to the Tianzhu swindlers, had never—and disdained to—play the ghost or god. According to the Hundred Riders' investigation, he had more than once denied being a "Celestial Master" or "Great Master," even detesting these titles so much he would turn against others over them.

As for his attitude toward being an official, based on the investigations of the Hundred Riders and Zheng Kejun’s own deductions, it was quite indifferent. Having been promoted several ranks for his meritorious service in protecting the Emperor, he showed no great joy. When he initially offered the gunpowder and the sterilization method, he was only given an eighth-rank registrar position, and no one ever heard him utter a word of complaint.

Yet, this man was not a person of cautious words and deeds; otherwise, he would not have taken off his official robes to fight a Tibetan officer in the mud. Nor would he have become brothers with a member of the imperial clan just after becoming the Vice Minister of the Directorate for Weaponry.

...

The more he investigated, the more confused Zheng Kejun became. He felt like a fly trapped in a gourd—everything around him was pitch black, he could see nothing, and he could only bump around by feel. He was left bruised and dizzy, yet he could never find a way out.

And today, he had finally been set free.

Since the Yingtian Shenlong Emperor himself had ordered him to abandon the pursuit and archive the files, he would not be foolish enough to keep trying to figure it out. Even if Zhang Qian’s origin was forged and there was a shocking conspiracy behind it, the force capable of cleaning up all traces so thoroughly before he emerged from the mountains was definitely not something a small Deputy Director of the Hundred Riders could provoke.

Not letting go when one can is the same as wishing for an early death! Having served as Deputy Director of the Hundred Riders for so many years and possessing both Li and Wu family bloodlines, Zheng Kejun knew very well how to gauge the situation.

"That medicinal elixir he put on consignment—have you sent people to investigate it?" Just as he was secretly rejoicing that he no longer had to be the fly in the gourd, the voice of the Yingtian Shenlong Emperor Li Xian came from behind the desk again. It was very slow and very soft, sounding less like a person speaking and more like a deity in the heavens had suddenly opened his mouth. "Is the efficacy truly so miraculous? Can it really make a dying person feel as lively as a dragon in an instant?!"