A stew of the Red Chamber

Chapter 11 Going Through the Motions

There's no need to elaborate on how Granny Liu bargained with Madam Bu.

Wang Qing went to the Ministry of Personnel to report for duty. After completing the onboarding procedures, he received the official seal and waist token amidst pitying glances, and then rushed to the West City Military Command without stopping.

With an air of indifference, he entered the West City Military Command, waved the official seal in front of the gatekeeper, and tossed out, "Summon everyone!"

He then walked straight in.

The Wucheng Military Commandery was quite a peculiar government office.

In modern terms, it is a behemoth that integrates police, fire, urban management, and market supervision.

However, in such a government office that can meddle in everything, the commander in charge is only a sixth-rank official.

Let alone Yingtian Prefecture, where power overlaps, any one of the five cities' military commands in the capital would be enough to give the Five Cities Garrison a run for its money.

Over time, this led to a situation where the government could manage everything but dared not manage anything, turning the government into a place where officials received salaries but did not perform their duties, and where the sons of nobles used their positions for personal gain.

They could only do jobs like firefighting, night watchman, or navigating main streets—jobs that weren't lucrative and were thankless.

The title of Commander of the Five Cities Military Command sounds impressive, but according to the military system of the Great Xia Dynasty, it is a sixth-rank military officer, which is only equivalent to a centurion.

Therefore, the number of people under his command was limited. Excluding those who were not officially employed, such as night watchmen, sewage workers, and liaison officers, even including clerks and clerks, the total number of officially employed people was no more than a hundred.

Of these, only eighty were regular soldiers, as they were also responsible for firefighting and extinguishing fires.

As for those who held official positions, only Commander Wang Qing, along with four deputy commanders and one clerk.

This was a government office that was essentially a place where people received salaries but did not perform their duties. With Commander Wang Qing having been delayed in taking office, the subordinates naturally took the opportunity to slack off.

Because the nighttime is the peak period for fires, only one of the four deputy commanders was on duty, and of the eighty soldiers, only a few were on duty, and they were all listless.

Looking at the sparse crowd that had gathered at the training ground, the clerk said somewhat awkwardly, "I've been extremely busy these past few days, and I didn't even know you would be here today, sir..."

Wang Qing waved his hand dismissively and said loudly, "It's nothing. I just happened to be passing by. I have some personal matters to attend to these past few days, so I won't be coming to the yamen. If you need to find me, go to the Rongguo Mansion."

The clerk was taken aback upon hearing this.

The only remaining deputy official looked surprised and asked loudly, "The Rongguo Mansion?! Are you perhaps a relative of the Rongguo Mansion, sir?"

"Yes! I just arrived in Beijing yesterday and haven't had a chance to explore yet."

Wang Qing nodded casually, looked at the speaker, and asked, "Who are you?"

The man bowed respectfully: "This humble servant, Nie Chong, greets Commander!"

Wang Qing beckoned to Nie Chong and said, "Perfect timing. I'm new to the capital and just wanted to take a stroll around. You're free anyway, so come with me."

He waved to the officials and the crowd, saying, "I just happened to be passing by and wanted to see everyone. You can all go home now!"

Having said that, he left the stunned crowd behind and strode away.

"Sir, sir!" The clerk finally realized what was happening and hurriedly chased after him. "There's still business waiting for you at the yamen..."

Wang Qing said impatiently, "It's just about the thief! Sharpening your axe won't delay your work. What's the matter? Can't we wait a few days? Go and inform them first. I'll come back the day after tomorrow. Remember to gather everyone."

Upon hearing this, the clerk was taken aback at first, then seemed to understand something and hurriedly nodded and bowed, saying, "Don't worry, sir, I will definitely bring everyone here without missing a single one."

Wang Qing then waved his hand and, amidst the bewildered gazes of the crowd, leisurely led Nie Chong away.

They left the West City Military Commandery.

Nie Chong glanced around discreetly, then lowered his voice and said, "Finally, I see... my lord again!"

The fact that he was able to ask at just the right moment whether Wang Qing was a relative of the Rongguo Mansion was clearly a pre-arranged act of a straight man.

Nie Chong was one of the assassins trained in his early years.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wang Qing changed the subject: "Although this is serving His Majesty, it is also an opportunity for us to make our mark!"

Fame and fortune are not ranked arbitrarily. In ancient times, fortune was merely a byproduct of fame and fortune.

Who wouldn't want to bring honor to their family and ensure their family's prosperity?

Although Nie Chong and his group were the emperor's confidants, assassins often had to remain hidden from the light of day and could not openly make a name for themselves, which became their biggest weakness.

Nie Chong's breathing became heavier, and he said in a deep voice, "I have witnessed your abilities, sir. Now that I am fortunate enough to work under you, I will do my best to cooperate with you."

Wang Qing nodded, then asked, "Who led the group to Rongguo Mansion the other day? Did they take anything with them?"

"My lord, you may not know this, but at first, we were worried that things weren't big enough. We were thinking of taking the risk of rummaging through some antiques and paintings to make all the high-ranking officials and nobles feel the pinch."

Unexpectedly, upon inquiring, it turned out that quite a few more lost items had appeared out of nowhere. Since the things taken from these mansions were hardly treasonous anyway, they decided to just let them make a fuss and let them do as they pleased.

Seemingly worried that Wang Qing might suspect someone was hiding something, he quickly added, "The ones who impersonated thieves this time were all trained by you back then, sir. They would never be reckless. At Rongguo Mansion, in order to make a big commotion, they only broke a few vases."

Wang Qing was not surprised. He had already suspected it when he heard that rose dew had been stolen from Madam Wang's courtyard, and now he was even more certain.

It seems that all crows are black, and it's not just the Rongguo Mansion that's involved; people in every mansion are hoping for a chance to settle scores.

However, it's understandable that Jia Lian was fooled by his servants, but was Wang Xifeng also kept in the dark?

Wang Qing couldn't help but recall the scene in Rongqing Hall where, when Madam Wang inquired about the losses in the outer courtyard, Wang Xifeng pushed the blame onto Jia Lian.

He couldn't help but sneer, "Ha! It seems some are happy while others are sad. I'm afraid some are even hoping for more trouble. Your success is largely due to their half-hearted efforts!"

Nie Chong said thoughtfully, "A new broom sweeps clean. Should we take this opportunity to make a couple of examples, or put on a show for you, sir, to display your power?"

Wang Qing shook his head: "A skilled warrior does not achieve great feats. We are serving the Emperor, so we cannot only think about showing off."

Nie Chong assumed he was just saying one thing and meaning another, and quickly said, "Since you're new here, it's a good opportunity to establish your authority by taking them down, which will make things easier in the future."

We haven't wronged them. If we want to make this a solid case, there are ways...

"Where...does it really require framing someone?"

Wang Qingyuan originally intended to ask Nie Chong where he learned these underhanded tricks of framing and slander, but considering that Nie Chong had been secretly working for the emperor, he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

Then he explained, "When we serve His Majesty, we can't just focus on our own tasks; we must also take a long-term view. Using our talents to establish authority is a waste of our abilities."

"Using such talent as a waste?" Nie Chong asked, puzzled.

Wang Qing whispered a few words to Nie Chong, who, upon hearing them, couldn't help but feel a deep respect: "Sir, you truly have foresight! You've managed to dissect this matter so thoroughly and utilize it repeatedly. My own tricks are truly a waste!"

The phrase "wasteful" almost made Wang Qing laugh. He said seriously, "Alright! Stop flattering me. Go back and compile a list of all the thefts from each prefecture."

"Understood, sir!"

As they were talking, the two arrived at a shop selling the Four Treasures of the Study. Wang Qing picked out a few reasonably priced items and packed them up to take away.

Speaking of which, the relationship with the Shi family is even closer. Yesterday, it was still possible to say that the order of seniority was followed and that they went to pay their respects to Grandmother Jia first. But today, it would be quite unreasonable not to go to the Shi family.

Ke Huiwen was a special gift for Grandmother Jia; Wang Qing neither had the means to provide it nor the need to send something so valuable.

As for the Four Treasures of the Study, just like tobacco and alcohol in later generations, they can never be given as gifts.

He was too lazy to think about it, and considering that he might still need to visit the Ning family and the like, he simply packed everything up at once, since the stuff wouldn't spoil anyway.

In front of the Marquis of Baoling's residence, Wang Qing announced his name, and the gatekeepers were unsurprisingly completely baffled.

Finally, an older steward stepped forward, looking troubled, and said, "So you're the old lady's grandson. The master hasn't returned from the yamen yet. Perhaps you could come another day?"

"Then I won't bother you any longer. Please give this to my cousin and tell him that the old lady has asked me to stay at the Rongguo Mansion and that I will visit her another day."

Wang Qing knew that the Shi family was not like the Jia family; they were much larger and more powerful, and they probably thought he was just there to freeload. So he didn't say anything more, handed over the wrapped gift, and took his leave.

Next, he went to the residence of Marquis Zhongjing, but as usual, he did not enter the residence, but only delivered gifts.

……