The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the Carpenter Prince!

The 17th day of the 12th lunar month, the hour of Mao (5-7 AM).

The fog had not yet dissipated under the porch of the Hejian Prefecture post station.

Wang Tiezhu stopped at the foot of the steps, leading his donkey. Liu Danian followed behind, clutching a dry bran cake. Wang Chengen, perhaps having not slept well the night before, had dark circles under his eyes and stood under the pillar for a moment before coming out. He neither asked any questions nor asked anyone to stay, but simply nodded and let them pass.

Wang Tiezhu bowed and reported back, lowering his voice, saying only that he was going to investigate the tail end of the silver deposited into the warehouse on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, and that it would definitely be returned before sunset.

Wang Chengen nodded again, said no more, and turned to go back into the house.

Wang Tiezhu led the donkey out, with Liu Danian following behind. After walking thirty paces from the post station, Liu Danian spoke in a low voice: "The magistrate has been acting strangely these past two days."

"Um."

"We don't care."

"right."

After crossing the icy stone bridge, Wang Tiezhu raised his hand and pulled down his cotton hat to cover the gap in his right ear.

He had arranged this assignment himself. The Hejian Prefecture had a garrison under its jurisdiction, eighty li from the post station. On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, a sum of silver was transported via this route, accounted for as Liaodong military pay, but the escort warrant was for the Hejian Circuit. When Chief Clerk Wang was reviewing the files, he found a transaction; the amount matched, but the date didn't. When the registrar mentioned this, Wang Tiezhu was taking notes nearby.

It doesn't matter if the numbers don't match; what matters is that no one cares.

Wang Tiezhu didn't intend to ask any questions. His purpose in coming here was merely to "check things out," and he would return afterward. The task of asking questions was not for the errand boy. He only wanted to see one thing: the appearance of the Imperial Guard's battalion.

If the appearance is correct, there's no problem with the account; if the appearance is wrong, that's a different story.

As for what exactly happened, one of the "four no's" that His Highness instructed him before his departure was "no judgment," so he, the errand boy, did not presume to make any assumptions.

The donkey's hooves clattered as they stepped on the frozen road.

Liu Danian took a bite of the bran cake: "When will you arrive?"

"Near the hour of Wei (1-3 PM)."

"Um."

They could travel eighty li a day on a donkey. This distance was nothing to the veteran, and even less to Liu Danian. The two fell silent and continued their journey northward.

…………

It was nearly noon when we arrived.

The camp of Commander Wei was set up on a low slope, with low earthen walls and a gate tower that looked freshly painted. Two guards stood on either side of the camp gate, their cotton-padded coats neatly tied up.

Wang Tiezhu led the donkey to the gate and glanced at the two guards.

The seams of those two jackets were newly cut.

It's not surprising that the jacket was newly tailored. Although the fabric was old and the cuffs had been worn, the stitching under the collar and on the shoulders was so dense and shiny that there were no signs of wear.

Veteran soldiers' coats don't look like this at all. Even if they change to a fresh coat after washing, the seams should be covered with a layer of sweat and oil, which will soften after half a month and would never be so stiff and sticking up.

These are new recruits, having been in the camp for less than ten days.

Wang Tiezhu made a mental note of it, but remained silent.

The guards did not stop him, but only asked what he wanted. Wang Tiezhu announced the name of the person in charge, Wang, and handed over half of the tally copy. The guards glanced at it, then turned and went inside to report.

Before an incense stick had burned long enough, an officer emerged from inside. He was about forty years old, dressed in a dark brown captain's uniform, with broad shoulders and a steady gait. He immediately stepped forward to greet him, bowing and exchanging pleasantries: "Sir Wang sent someone; I apologize for being late in welcoming you."

"Lord Wei, you're too kind. I'm just passing on a message," Wang Tiezhu replied with his hands clasped, not stepping over the bar.

Commander Wei smiled and led the two into the camp.

Passing through the first camp gate, you'll reach the stables.

The stables of ordinary garrisons are mostly stocked with thin, emaciated post horses. But here, the stables have three fine horses, plump and shiny, with neat manes and newly forged horseshoes.

Wang Tiezhu's gaze lingered briefly on the three horses.

There were no branding marks on the back of the horses' ears.

He knew the rules of the army. Officers' horses were registered as military personnel and had a brand behind their ears, one curved and one straight, indicating the year of service and garrison, which was checked annually. Private horses did not have brands.

Three fine horses were tethered side by side, without any branding marks.

Wang Tiezhu stopped looking and followed Wei Qianzong inside. His fingers tightened and loosened inside his sleeve.

A decade of military experience has honed an eye that can recognize both living people and inanimate objects. The seam of a coat is one detail, the absence of a brand on a horse's ear is another. These two details are etched in my mind; only the final detail remains.

To be fair, the Ming Dynasty's grassroots levels were never short of shrewd and capable people. This set of rules for doing things—observing more and speaking less, and never getting involved in any trouble—is a deep-rooted wisdom from the old bureaucrats, and is the true secret to surviving in the quagmire of the Ming Dynasty's officialdom.

Inside the signing room, the charcoal fire burned brightly, and hot tea had already been served. Commander Wei sat in the main seat and invited Wang Tiezhu to take the guest seat.

Where are Director Wang and his entourage currently located?

"I stayed at the government office inn last night."

"Further north, we will enter the territory of Jizhou." Commander Wei nodded and reached out to refill Wang Tiezhu's tea.

Wang Tiezhu stood up and thanked him.

In the instant their hands met, his sleeve brushed against the back of Commander Wei's hand.

Wei Qianzong's fingers trembled slightly.

This wasn't shivering from the cold. A persistent chill caused his entire hand to shake. But at this moment, it was merely a slight twitch in his fingertips, a single, imperceptible movement to anyone else.

Wang Tiezhu had spent ten years in the military and was extremely familiar with such reactions.

He has shaken countless hands. An honest person's handshake is steady, while a guilty person's is quite different. The slight tremor of the knuckles and the twitch of the waist are the same thing; they cannot be hidden.

He calmly took his seat, then, while drinking tea, hid his face behind the teacup: "Lord Wei, I am ignorant and dare to ask a question."

"speak."

"Will any silver from Liaodong pass through this route on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month?"

The teacup was held very steadily in Wei Qianzong's hands, and his expression remained unchanged.

But Wei Qianzong's pupils suddenly contracted.

The movements were so subtle and fast that no one else could detect them.

Wang Tiezhu lowered his head and drank his tea, as if he hadn't seen anything.

Commander Wei put down his teacup and smiled: "It's all right. The documents are on the books, and the escort warrants are all in order. If Steward Wang wants to investigate, I'll send someone to retrieve the files right away."

"No need to check, no need to check." Wang Tiezhu hurriedly waved his hand. "I'm just here to ask for directions, not to check the accounts. Manager Wang instructed me that if any silver passes through this area, just ask about it and report back."

"Then there's nothing to worry about." General Wei smiled and saw the guest out.

Wang Tiezhu thanked him repeatedly and took his leave.

…………

The two men led the donkey out of the camp and traveled half a mile.

Wang Tiezhu suddenly tightened the reins and looked back.

Someone mounted a horse at the camp gate.

It was a fine, well-fed horse with a glossy coat, but it wasn't one of the three in the stable; it must be tied up somewhere else. The rider bent down, pulled on the reins, and galloped off towards the capital.

The man did not have a document box hanging behind his saddle.

Wang Tiezhu withdrew his gaze, loosened the reins, and continued forward.

Liu Danian also glanced back and said, "This person..."

"Let's go."

Liu Danian did not ask any further questions.

…………

After traveling ten miles from the camp, the two stopped their donkeys to rest.

There was an abandoned teahouse by the roadside. The two tied up their donkey and sat down under the broken eaves.

Liu Danian took out half a bran cake, broke it in half, and handed one half to Liu Danian: "Should we report it or not?"

Wang Tiezhu chewed on a biscuit and shook his head: "His Highness gave four instructions before he left: no counting, no judging, no discussing, and no taking sides. None of these four rules require us to meddle in such trivial matters."

"Um."

"We'll go back and report the figures; we won't get involved in anything else."

Liu Danian nodded in agreement.

After chewing the bran cake and licking the bran off his teeth, Wang Tiezhu suddenly spoke again: "However..."

"Um?"

"His hands were shaking, they were really shaking."

Liu Danian looked up at him.

Wang Tiezhu said no more, shook the reins, and led the donkey to its feet.

…………

As night fell, the two stayed at a dilapidated inn.

The side room was drafty, the earthen bed was cold, and the fire in the charcoal brazier was extremely dim.

Liu Danian turned over and fell asleep, snoring loudly.

Wang Tiezhu did not go to bed.

He sat on the edge of the couch, and by the dim light of the lamp on the table, he took out two items from his sleeve one by one.

The first item was a vermilion lacquered wooden plaque from the Imperial Pharmacy. The plaque was about the size of a palm, with three border lines and three small raised characters. He found it in the snow on the day he left Chenhewan. At the time, he first weighed it down with the sole of his boot, then tucked it into his sleeve, keeping it close to his body until today.

The second item was a piece of blue cloth the size of a fingernail. It was cut from a piece of cloth behind the woodshed at the Chenhewan Post Station, with extremely fine stitches and a subtle pattern. The knife mark on the waist badge of the postmaster of Hejian Prefecture was made by the same hand as this stitch.

He laid the two objects flat under the lamp, without touching them.

When the light shines on them, the two objects look like a pair.

Wang Tiezhu stared at the two items for a long time.

One matter involves the capital, the other involves the area beyond the Great Wall. Today, Commander Wei is merely a middleman.

There must be a mastermind behind this.

He had spent ten years in the army, handling grain, provisions, salt, and iron, and had seen countless people. Those with trembling hands were mostly caught in the middle, while the leaders rarely showed any fear. The errand runners caught in the middle were the most terrified, fearing both blame from above and discovery from below, suffering from both sides, to the point that they couldn't even hold a teacup steadily.

General Wei's tremor today was definitely not his first offense.

Wang Tiezhu reached out and carefully put the item away, tucking it neatly into his sleeve.

The oil lamp flame flickered twice.

He bent down and blew out the lamp.

The night breeze rustled through the eaves, making the thatch sway. Liu Danian continued to snore loudly.

Wang Tiezhu lay flat in the darkness with his eyes closed.

We need to rush back to Hejian Prefecture tomorrow.