Chapter Thirty: Clearing the Field?

After Lu Bing “taught” the troublesome Bai Yu a lesson and finished arranging the personnel assignments, he got up and left.

Centurion Qian could not tell whether he felt happy or sad. He said to Bai Yu, “Tomorrow, you and I will report to the Xi’an Gate. For now, go and say your goodbyes to the others.”

Nominally, their transfer to the Xi’an Gate was a demotion, yet the other guards in the duty room shed tears of envy. While the Meridian Gate was more important than the Xi’an Gate, and the status of the officers stationed there was higher, the officers at the Xi’an Gate were in a position to rake in money! Did they think people enjoyed playing cards in the duty room all day? When stationed at the Meridian Gate, facing a crowd of Grand Secretaries, Secretariat Drafters, secretaries from the Six Ministries, and high-ranking court officials, how could one possibly line their pockets?

The strong never complain about their environment. Having been “demoted,” Bai Yu hummed a little tune as he finished his shift. If he wasn't allowed to engage in “keyboard politics” legally, he would just go make money instead; at least he finally saw a glimmer of hope for getting rich. One must never say money is unimportant, nor should one think that seeking profit is vulgar. To give a simple example: when taking the imperial examinations in the future, if one happened to encounter a corrupt examiner, it would be quite awkward to have no money. Since the top of the bureaucracy was crooked—with even the supreme leader Yan Song setting the standard for corruption—how could one expect those below to be clean?

The next day, Bai Yu arrived at the intersection of Xi’an Gate Street, met up with Centurion Qian, and the two went to report for duty together.

Because of its strategic location and complex affairs, the area outside the Xi’an Gate was overseen by a Deputy Chiliarch, who commanded the Embroidered Uniform Guard officers in the vicinity. In common parlance, this Deputy Chiliarch was known as the “City-Seated Officer” of the West City, and he reported to the West Division Office of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. This fully illustrated the complexity of the guard's internal structure; not even the guards themselves could often make sense of it. Regardless, Bai Yu wasn't at a level where he needed to understand the entire organizational structure; for now, he was just a low-level surveillance officer looking to earn a living, under the direct command of Centurion Qian.

The duty room for the Xi’an Gate officers was on the West Street of the Imperial Wall. Centurion Qian, familiar with the layout, led Bai Yu inside. The Deputy Chiliarch in charge, surnamed Feng, was roughly the same age as Centurion Qian—both men in the prime of their lives.

“Old Qian, long time no see!” Deputy Chiliarch Feng said coolly, as if he and Qian were old acquaintances.

Centurion Qian replied, “I never imagined I’d have the honor of working with you again. It truly is fate. I look forward to your guidance in the future.”

Deputy Chiliarch Feng added, “Not at all, not at all. Things are quite busy here. The Commander-in-Chief sending a veteran like you over is a significant reinforcement.”

Standing behind Centurion Qian, Bai Yu felt dazed, as if he had been transported into a cliché bureaucratic novel. Even a tactical department like the Embroidered Uniform Guard had such a bureaucratic side!

Centurion Qian was the first to lose his patience with the pleasantries. He cut to the chase: “Since Officer Bai and I are new here, what are our duties?”

Deputy Chiliarch Feng pondered for a moment and said, “The area we monitor outside the Xi’an Gate carries heavy responsibilities. Roughly, it spans north to Fuchengmen Street, south to Fengcheng Alley, west to Jinchengfang Alley, and east to the Xi’an Gate. Within this area, there are several key locations. The first is the Xianling Palace. That was the place of the former Imperial Preceptor, the Taoist Master Tao. Although Master Tao has retired to the mountains, his son remains, and the Emperor’s favor still lingers. The temple fair around the Xianling Palace is also quite lively; trade in both food and goods is very prosperous.”

Bai Yu felt a surge of joy—it sounded like a lucrative spot. Surely this would be assigned to Centurion Qian? But Deputy Chiliarch Feng took a turn: “Unfortunately, that area is already under someone else’s charge.”

He continued, “The second most important place is the West Courtyard Alley of the Ministry of Rites’ Music Office. I don’t need to explain that to you, do I?”

Bai Yu’s spirits lifted again. This was the premier high-end entertainment district in the capital. If he could follow Centurion Qian there, he’d be living the high life! Wasn’t it the ultimate dream of his missing “good brother” Liu Cunyi to be a bouncer at the West Courtyard Alley?

But Deputy Chiliarch Feng took another turn: “Unfortunately, that, too, is already under someone else’s charge.”

*Damn it!* Bai Yu felt his blood pressure spike. He felt a sudden urge to commit insubordination and charge over to beat the man up. What was the point of talking about duties if all the profitable ones were taken?

Centurion Qian remained composed. “Then what is left for us to do?”

Deputy Chiliarch Feng said solemnly, “Recently, public lecturing has become rampant, spreading ‘pseudo-learning’! This situation openly defies the Emperor’s instructions from years past. The influence is deplorable, and the audacity is extreme! Since you two have been transferred to the Xi’an Gate, you shall be responsible for cracking down on this ‘pseudo-learning’!”

Centurion Qian sighed helplessly and replied, “Understood.”

Bai Yu was speechless. He had come to the Xi’an Gate with such high expectations, and this was it? “Cracking down on pseudo-learning” sounded like a thankless, unprofitable task. Lecturing was what scholars did; what good could come from taking action against them?

Once they stepped outside, Bai Yu couldn't hold back anymore. He asked Centurion Qian, “Do you and Officer Feng have a history of bad blood?”

Centurion Qian sighed. “There is indeed a hint of a grudge.”

“Then what do we do?” Bai Yu asked.

Centurion Qian replied, “Arguing with him to his face won’t help. We’ll just have to do the work for now while I pull some strings to try and get us a better assignment.” This was the old-fashioned, steady approach: when you hit a problem, you use your connections to smooth it over.

Bai Yu couldn't be bothered to waste his AI's usage quota, so he asked offhandedly, “What exactly is this ‘pseudo-learning’?”

Centurion Qian did know a little. “Years ago, Wang Yangming founded the School of Mind. It was quite the trend. However, twenty years ago, the Emperor officially labeled the Wang Yangming School of Mind as ‘pseudo-learning,’ though he couldn't stop it from spreading among the common people.”

Bai Yu: “...”

So, the “pseudo-learning” they were supposed to crack down on was the famous Wang Yangming School of Mind. Unable to resist, he opened his AI assistant to look into the situation. It might seem incredible to many, but while the Jiajing Emperor appeared “eccentric” and “unpredictable,” he was a die-hard, extreme conservative in academic matters. He had always revered the orthodox Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism and detested the School of Mind, which led to the bizarre situation where the School of Mind was officially declared “pseudo-learning” during the Jiajing era.

Centurion Qian thought for a moment and said, “If all else fails, we’ll just have to raid a few lecture halls to get the work started, so that Old Feng can’t find fault with us.”

Bai Yu: “...”

What kind of ridiculous job was this? Other officers got to raid gambling dens or entertainment houses; he was stuck raiding lecture halls?

Centurion Qian waved at Bai Yu. “Stop daydreaming. Let’s go see the men assigned to me so we can get acquainted!”

Bai Yu suddenly closed his AI light screen and asked in a low voice, “Officer Qian, do you know who the biggest secret backer of these School of Mind lecture halls in the capital is?”

“Who?” Centurion Qian asked curiously, as he wasn't privy to such high-level intelligence.

Bai Yu replied, “Grand Secretary Xu Jie is the biggest backer of the School of Mind in the capital, and he is also an ally of our Commander-in-Chief.”

“Damn!” Centurion Qian couldn't help but curse. “That bastard Old Feng—he’s trying to set me up!”