Tiger Guards

Chapter 727 Anxiety about the Future
As night fell and the evening drums sounded, Wang Lang, unable to enter the palace in time, hurried home.

When the third evening drumbeat abruptly stopped, the head of the Xiji Pavilion, who was enforcing the curfew, urged his soldiers to begin moving deer antlers to block the roads leading north and south in the western city. At the same time, he sent soldiers to close the wooden doors at the entrances of alleyways.

During the curfew, apart from fires, only two things are allowed to open the alley gates: seeking medical treatment and pregnant women giving birth.

In the southwest corner area where Wang Lang lived, the neighborhood construction was not yet fully formed, while in the other three completed pavilions in the northwest corner, there was already a well-established neighborhood system.

When the curfew is enforced at night, each pavilion only needs to block the four entrances and exits of the two main streets under its jurisdiction; other matters can be handled by the residents themselves.

Each neighborhood had government-run grocery stores and clinics. Except for fires that required assistance from other neighborhoods, most other problems encountered in daily life could be solved within the neighborhood.

Aside from the funeral procession, they will eventually be buried outside the city.

Given Wang Lang's status as an advisor and his own personality, he would not dare to force his way through the curfew.

I wouldn't dare to do this normally, let alone now.

Helpless, he could only rest in the communal sleeping quarters in Xijiting with other officials who had been blocked.

As for ordinary business travelers or residents who were stopped, they could only sleep in haystacks to get through the night.

The pavilions didn't like to stop too many people, so they naturally wouldn't provide them with a good place to stay overnight. Even getting hot water at night required paying for firewood and charcoal.

"At three-quarters past Hai hour (9:45 PM), go to bed early and get up early!"

Inside Xiji Pavilion, a pair of night patrol soldiers set off from outside the pavilion. The young soldier carried a lantern with thin cotton paper wrapped around its bamboo frame and the words "Xiji" and "Night Patrol" written on it.

Another older soldier, with a sword at his waist, wearing sleeveless leather armor, and carrying a wooden clapper, would walk a dozen steps and strike it three times before announcing the time.

Wang Lang was already a light sleeper in this unfamiliar pavilion, and was startled awake by the sudden sound of the time announcement. He then heard the sound of the clapper and the time announcement gradually fade away.

He rolled over and sat up abruptly, slightly annoyed, pushing aside the thin blanket he had rented for five coins, and leaned against the cold wall, lost in thought.

His hands, hidden under the covers, were clenched into fists, and his mind was in a fierce struggle.

Jinyang was merely a temporary residence for the court overseen by the Empress Regent and the eldest prince; the main court was located in Luodu.

It was the rebellion of the officials in Xudu that led to the taking of the emperor hostage. The eldest son of the emperor was too young, which was the only way that the empress had to take over the country.

Personally, Wang Lang disliked this arrangement.

It's not that he dislikes women's involvement in politics, but rather that the current situation is very bad.

After the rebellion of the officials in Xudu, there were serious vacancies among the ministers and officials; the Empress Dowager was very good at saving expenses and basically did not promote anyone without merit.

During the reign of Grand Tutor Zhao Yan, there were no instances of him lavishly rewarding officials and nobles to win over famous scholars and virtuous people.

Such a large court cannot be so rudimentary.

Many people, including Wang Lang, were waiting for Grand Tutor Zhao to enter the court. They were waiting for the Grand Tutor to reward those who had made meritorious contributions, and also to fill the vacant positions of high-ranking officials and government offices in the court.

For too many people, this is equivalent to being promoted one or several ranks out of thin air... Otherwise, if things continue to be so rudimentary, it will be very difficult to manage once those brutes and warriors have gone through a few more years and their military ranks have also been raised.

Wang Lang naturally understood that the Zhao family, relying on their fierce military strength, were unwilling to be granted official positions or share power.

This is not only a power that this generation can hold in their hands, but also a valuable resource and family heirloom that can be passed down to future generations.

Why should the Zhao family give up such a valuable resource to you?

He had just dealt with the Liangzhou rebels with swift and decisive action, a move that could be described as sweeping them away and utterly eliminating them; then, he dealt with the Pei clan under his rule, completely crushing Pei Mao, who had been a potential threat to the power of the Zhao family.

Given Zhao Ji's personality, he cannot be intimidated or threatened by words, whether soft or hard. The more forceful you are with Zhao Ji, the more likely you are to provoke his competitive spirit by saying that not rewarding famous scholars will not convince the people of the world, which will likely backfire. As for the less likely scenario, it is not that Zhao Ji will be convinced, but that he will not take these words seriously.

As for Zhao Yan, he was far too familiar with these rhetoric and tactics, and with such a capable and skilled fighter by his side, he would pay no heed to such persuasion.

It's far too difficult to deceive someone into taking an official position like you did with Dong Zhuo. Therefore, traditional methods are no longer reliable, and new approaches must be adopted.

Having already submitted to the Zhao family of his hometown... why couldn't he submit even more humbly?
If the Zhao family continues to operate in this way, anyone who dares to rebel or plot a rebellion will be eradicated by the Zhao family. Once Zhao Ji's power base grows stronger, it will be too late for them to even become lackeys of the Zhao family.

Wang Lang pondered the current situation, for which he had a very good reason.

Cao Cao's army twice massacred Xuzhou, and even carried out massacres in various counties in the western part of Donghai Commandery. Wang Lang's relatives and friends were also killed.

The Zhao family killed Cao Cao and captured nearly 100,000 families of Cao Cao's soldiers, turning them into government slaves. This had already greatly avenged the blood feud of the people of Xuzhou.

Given such a great favor, it is only natural and reasonable for him to repay it. Out of anger towards Cao Cao's army and gratitude towards the Zhao family, he is willing to become the Zhao family's protector. No one would criticize him for this.

Without public criticism, through proper management and operation, they might even become a model of gratitude.

Look at Zhang Hong. Although he is loyal to the deceased Zhao Yu, how could Zhao Yan and Zhao Ji, grandfather and grandson, despise Zhang Hong?
Then there's Zhang Zhao, who stayed in Langya to manage the Zhao family's base in Xuzhou. Zhang Zhao's influence on the people of Xuzhou in the future is simply immeasurable.

All the people from Xuzhou who became affiliated with the Zhao family through Zhang Zhao will become the vehicles for Zhang Zhao's future influence.

It's one thing to lag behind others, but Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong, both from Xuzhou, were not from traditional prominent families. Like Wang Lang and Zhao Yu, they were outstanding figures of their time who rose to prominence overnight after generations of family accumulation.

It was precisely because of their similar backgrounds, experiences, and ages that Wang Lang found it difficult to calmly observe the changing situation.

If joining the Zhao family leads to the downfall of the Zhao family, then those descendants will naturally sink and drown as well.

With risk comes reward. At this critical juncture when the Zhao family has just dealt with Pei Mao's rebellion, if he were to take the initiative to step forward, it would serve as a powerful example for the Zhao family, demonstrating the power of buying a horse's bones with a thousand pieces of gold.

As he pondered, Wang Lang's gaze grew brighter and more piercing, his eyes seemingly veiled by a layer of light in the dimly lit building.

"Squeak."

A large rat that relied on the inn also crawled out from under the communal bed. As it peeked out, its small, black, and shiny eyes looked around. When it saw Wang Lang, the rat turned around and crawled back into the communal bed, disappearing silently through its burrow.

The two hunting dogs kept in the pavilion were lying lazily in their low kennels. Although they could hunt large rats, they didn't catch them or bark at them.

After several years of development in Jinyang City, these hunting dogs have also learned the ways of the world.

Their mission is to bark at strangers who approach the inn, not to catch large rats.

The guards also disliked the noise they made when catching the large rats.

Inside the post station, the guards and hunting dogs each have their own duties. If they do their jobs well, they will naturally receive their salaries. Why bother making trouble for themselves?

As Wang Lang pondered alone, determined to change his own and his family's fate.

On Longshan Mountain in the west of the city, Wang Li, who had been reinstated as the Grand Astrologer, was leading his subordinates and students from Longcheng to observe the stars at night.

With the coup in Xudu and the emperor being held hostage by treacherous officials, it became necessary to restore the Imperial Academy in Luodu or Jinyang.

The Imperial Academy is naturally of a higher level than the universities in Hedong and Longcheng. The position of Grand Historian is not what Wang Li is looking for, but it is very important.

His statements in this position represent the most authoritative judgments of our time.

Looking up at the unremarkable stars tonight, Wang Li stroked his beard repeatedly, perhaps only in this way could he calm his inner anxiety.

Even though Grand Tutor Zhao has returned to Jinyang, why are there no unusual celestial phenomena?

Wang Li was very anxious, feeling that a special celestial phenomenon was bound to occur, but he hadn't been able to observe it.

Well, that must be the case.

So I've decided to check the recent astrological records after I wake up from my nap tomorrow at noon.

(End of this chapter)