Chasing Jade (Zhu Yu)

The journey from the town to the County Government Office wasn’t far. With a brisk pace, it took only half an hour to reach.

Fan Changyu was fortunate enough to run into an acquaintance also heading to the county town, so she hitched a ride on their ox cart. By the time she arrived at the County Government Office, the Yamen Runners had just begun their duties.

She gave Head Constable Wang’s name to the guards at the gate and was soon led into the duty room at the back of the Yamen.

"...Any vagrants or beggars you encounter while patrolling the streets are to be brought straight to the Yamen prison. With the New Year just around the corner, keep your eyes sharp!"

Inside, Head Constable Wang seemed to be giving instructions, so Fan Changyu didn’t barge in and waited quietly outside the door.

Once Head Constable Wang finished, he caught sight of Fan Changyu waiting outside from the corner of his eye and waved his hand. The constables picked up their Yamen-issued sabers and filed out in twos and threes, presumably to patrol the streets.

Only then did Fan Changyu step inside and say, "Uncle Wang, you seem quite busy today. I hope I’m not disturbing you."

The cold outside was biting, but the room was warm with a charcoal brazier burning. Soon, a layer of mist formed on her eyelashes.

Head Constable Wang poured her a cup of ginger tea to ward off the chill. "Busy or not, it’s always like this around this time of year. But this year, the bandits have been particularly brazen, taking many lives. The higher-ups are cracking down on outsiders—anyone without household registration or travel permits is being thrown into prison. These past couple of days, they’ve been rounding up vagrants and beggars too."

Fan Changyu’s hands, already red from the cold, clenched tighter at this. She thought of Yan Zheng, who currently had no household registration.

Head Constable Wang noticed her unease and asked, "Did you come today about transferring your family’s property?"

Fan Changyu nodded.

Head Constable Wang said, "I forgot to mention earlier—Fan Da’s petition has already been submitted. Until the lawsuit is settled, the property can’t be transferred. But don’t worry. Since you’ve taken in a live-in son-in-law, even if this goes to court, the County Magistrate will rule in your favor regarding the property your parents left behind. It’ll just be a bit more troublesome, that’s all."

Fan Changyu hadn’t realized the process would be so complicated.

She recalled the basin of water she’d thrown over the courtyard wall the night before and asked, "What if, on the day of the trial, my uncle doesn’t show up?"

Head Constable Wang glanced at her. "Then the petition becomes void. Moreover, such an act would be seen as disregarding the law and disrupting court proceedings. He’d be given twenty strokes of the rod as a warning!"

Fan Changyu immediately regretted not emptying the entire vat of cold water over the wall the night before.

Head Constable Wang asked, "Why do you ask?"

Fan Changyu coughed lightly. "Just curious."

She cradled the steaming teacup, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the rim. "There’s one more thing I’d like to ask for your help with."

Head Constable Wang said, "Go ahead."

Only then did Fan Changyu explain Xie Zheng’s situation. "My husband’s money and household registration documents were all taken by bandits. Now that he’s married into my family, I’d like to help him get a replacement registration."

Head Constable Wang’s smile faded. After a long pause, he said, "Given the current situation, getting a replacement registration won’t be easy."

But if Fan Changyu and Fan Da went to court, and she claimed to have taken in a live-in son-in-law, the County Magistrate would surely ask where her husband was from. Without proof of registration to verify his identity, there was a chance her husband might be thrown into prison as well.

In that case, not only might she lose her property, but her husband could also suffer.

Head Constable Wang paced back and forth in the duty room a couple of times before finally stomping his foot decisively. He turned to Fan Changyu and said, "Come with me."

The Record Keeper in charge of household registration in Qingping County was a friend of Head Constable Wang’s. Thanks to this connection, he managed to help Fan Changyu secure a replacement registration for her husband.Fan Changyu expressed her endless gratitude to Head Constable Wang, but he merely said, "Just don't mention this to outsiders, or I’ll be in trouble. Your father once saved my life, and helping you today is my way of repaying his kindness..."

Changyu quickly assured him, "You’ve done me such a great favor—I’m too grateful to even think of blabbing about it carelessly."

Head Constable Wang sighed, reminiscing about his old friend. "Your father was a strange man. With his skills, he could’ve easily worked in the Yamen back then, but he insisted on becoming a butcher."

Changyu replied, "My father used to work as a caravan guard when he was younger, and my mother was always worried sick. After he retired, he just wanted a stable job to ease her mind."

These were all stories she had heard from her parents.

Knowing his old friend’s temperament, Head Constable Wang sighed again and said no more.

After bidding farewell to the constable, Changyu went to her younger sister’s favorite candy shop and bought a pack of malt sugar.

Originally, she had planned to sell a few acres of land in the countryside after transferring the property deed, using the money to buy New Year supplies and funds for purchasing pigs and piglets.

But plans often go awry. With the property transfer temporarily impossible, all she had left in her pocket were the small monetary gifts from neighbors who had attended the wedding banquet the day before—less than one tael in total.

Naturally, she couldn’t afford the tonic she had intended to buy for Yan Zheng. But she didn’t want to return empty-handed either. Spotting a street vendor selling hair ribbons and bands, she spent a few coins to buy a dark blue hair ribbon for him.

Apart from their wedding day, he had almost never tied up his hair.

Changyu guessed it was because he lacked a hair ribbon—the red one from the wedding wasn’t suitable for daily use. Might as well get him one.

As she paid, a ragged figure suddenly sprinted toward her, knocking over several stalls in panic. Several officers chased after him, shouting, "Stop!"

The fugitive didn’t dare pause, fleeing desperately while the officers gave chase.

Changyu initially thought the man had committed some crime, but someone nearby clicked their tongue and remarked, "New officials love to make a show of authority. The newly appointed Military Governor of Huizhou is truly a member of the Wei family—instead of sending troops to suppress bandits, he’s targeting refugees fleeing from the north. How cruel to persecute these displaced, innocent people..."

So the officers were chasing a refugee. Changyu recalled Head Constable Wang’s words and felt a strange unease.

She glanced at the speaker. He and his companions wore identical long robes—the same style Song Yan had worn. It was the uniform of the county school, meaning they were all scholars there.

One of his companions sneered, "The Wei family holds absolute power while the imperial authority crumbles. The entire Great Yin dynasty is already rotten to the core! Now, with Huizhou’s military power in their hands, I say it’s only a matter of time before the dynasty bears the Wei name!"

Though Changyu had never left Qingping County, she knew exactly who they meant by "the Wei family."

Wei Yan, the current Grand Chancellor, had seized control of the court sixteen years ago after the Chengde Crown Prince died in battle at Jinzhou and the Old Emperor succumbed to grief. For over a decade, he had ruled as regent for the young emperor. Now, the people of Great Yin knew only the Chancellor, not the Emperor.His son, Wei Xuan, even compared himself to the Crown Prince, with his hands stained by the blood of countless loyal ministers and valiant generals. It would not be an exaggeration to say he was steeped in evil.

Commoners, preoccupied with their daily struggles for survival, only heard the news deliberately released by the authorities. The true intricacies of these matters were better understood by the scholars who sought to analyze the political climate for their examinations.

Fan Changyu couldn’t help but prick up her ears to listen further.

The scholar who had spoken earlier continued, “Without Wu’an Marquis guarding the northwestern frontier, how long this peace will last is anyone’s guess. Even if Wei Yan harbors such ambitions, he likely lacks the courage to sit on the dragon throne!”

The name of Wu’an Marquis, Xie Zheng, was indeed thunderous in the current dynasty, though opinions about him were sharply divided.

His birth father was Xie Linshan, the Guardian General of the Nation, who had followed the Chengde Crown Prince on the expedition to Jinzhou. Pierced by countless arrows, he had refused to fall, standing tall even in death, his body propped against the army’s banner.

His maternal uncle was Wei Yan, who had held sway over the court for over a decade.

Such a background was inherently controversial, and to make matters worse, he had been raised by his uncle. Thus, court officials regarded him as a member of the Wei Faction.

Xie Zheng’s methods were indeed as ruthless and brutal as his uncle’s.

His famed battle at seventeen, when he recaptured Jinzhou, still sent chills down people’s spines. It was said that after taking Jinzhou, he massacred the entire city, sparing not even children. The armor of his eight hundred personal cavalry was drenched in blood, earning them the moniker “Blood-Clad Cavalry” from then on.

The Northern Turks trembled at the mere mention of his name. The twelve prefectures of Liaodong, seized by the Northern Turks since the previous dynasty, were also reclaimed by him.

With such illustrious military achievements, he was enfeoffed as Wu’an Marquis at the tender age of twenty.

“Wu’an”—pacifying the realm through martial prowess. Throughout history, he was the only one to bear this title.

Wei Yan wielded him like an unstoppable blade, enabling him to occupy the position of chancellor, manipulate imperial authority, and control the court to this day.

Court officials condemned Xie Zheng as a member of the Wei Faction while simultaneously relying on him to defend the borders.

Some even asserted that as long as he guarded the frontiers, the realm would remain at peace; but if he turned his ambitions toward the court, chaos would ensue.

Now, hearing the scholar say, “Without Wu’an Marquis guarding the northwestern frontier,” Fan Changyu felt a sudden unease. Someone else voiced the question before she could: “What happened to Wu’an Marquis?”

The scholar replied, “Haven’t you heard? After the battle at Chongzhou, Wu’an Marquis’s fate is unknown. However, his military authority in Huizhou has already been taken over by Wei Xuan. It seems he has perished.”

The crowd erupted in murmurs, many questioning the veracity of the scholar’s words.

Though the world despised Wu’an Marquis as Wei Yan’s blade and feared his disregard for human life, no one could deny that he was the pillar of the Great Yin dynasty in the northwest.

With this pillar broken, it was uncertain who in the Great Yin court could now hold up the northwestern sky.

Bombarded by the crowd’s skeptical questions, the scholar grew exasperated and retorted, “If you doubt my words, go and find out for yourselves! See if the Military Governor of the northwest has just been replaced!”

Fan Changyu, having absorbed these weighty matters of state, walked home with a heavy heart.

Jizhou bordered Chongzhou. If the flames of war spread to Jizhou, she had no idea where she and her younger sister could flee for safety.

Remembering that Yan Zheng had fled from Chongzhou, she thought she might ask him about it when she returned. Perhaps he knew something about Wu’an Marquis’s fate on the Chongzhou battlefield.

Chongzhou was merely a rebellion by a Rebel King. How could it have claimed the life of the Great Yin’s God of War?Just around the corner from the alley entrance, she ran into a woman who lived in the neighborhood and greeted her warmly: "Aunt Tao, are you going grocery shopping?"

The woman nodded but seemed hesitant to speak, her expression looking rather odd.