Under normal circumstances, someone with a swift stride needed only two or three shichen to reach Dingyuan City, the prefectural capital.
This time, however, everyone was traveling with families and carts both large and small, which naturally slowed their pace considerably.
"Shoucheng, you always keep a low profile, so I didn't expect you to have quite so many good things," Tian Muchuan remarked, glancing at the goods packed onto Wei Yuefu's donkey cart.
"It's just food and medicinal herbs," Wei Yuefu replied straightforwardly. "As you know, Lord Tian, I have a voracious appetite and get hungry easily. These were really the only things I had to bring along."
"Then you must go through quite a bit of grain in a single day," Tian Muchuan chuckled. "Eating like that, saving up enough to take a wife won't be easy. How about this—I'll lend you some silver, interest-free. Once we reach Dingyuan City, I can work my connections and arrange a match for you. Wouldn't that solve everything? You have to realize, you're a Bronze Badge constable now. While you won't hold as much authority in the prefectural capital as you would in a county, the resources are far better. Plenty of people would take a liking to a promising young talent like you."
Hearing this, Wei Yuefu hastily replied, "No, no, thank you for your kindness, Lord Tian."
He understood perfectly well that Tian Muchuan was trying to win him over. Calling it a loan was just a pretext to give him money and put him in his debt. Arranging a marriage, of course, was meant to bind him even tighter. After all, if Tian Muchuan found him a wife, Wei Yuefu would naturally be seen as part of Tian's camp.
The trouble was... the whole business about wanting to marry was merely an excuse Wei Yuefu had concocted.
As the saying went, when women do not hold the heart, the sword strikes with divine grace. Now that he had become a World Proxy, there was a fair chance of attaining immortality. If he were to trip himself up over the trivialities between his legs, the loss would be catastrophic. Adding a weakness to his armor for the sake of petty desire simply wasn't worth it.
"Right now, I can barely support myself, let alone provide for a wife," Wei Yuefu said with a rueful grimace. "I'd better save up a bit more. Otherwise, if I have to keep running to you for loans every few days without being able to pay them back, that would be terrible."
Tian Muchuan thought about it and realized there was truth in that. When the time came, not only would he have to support his own household, but he would also be subsidizing 'Ding Shoucheng' and his family... Not that he couldn't afford it, but as time dragged on, resentment would inevitably breed friction. When that happened, it would harm both of them. Moreover, he knew well that excessive benevolence could turn into bitter enmity. Hearing Wei Yuefu put it that way, he pressed no further.
"Fair enough. If you take a fancy to some young lady down the road, come find me," Tian Muchuan said, shifting his approach. "I'll act as your matchmaker. After all, I'm a Silver Robe head constable; I have at least that much sway."
Afterward, the party chatted idly on and off.
They had little reason to fear danger along the way. Traveling in such a large group was safe in its own right, not to mention that they all belonged to Six Doors. No petty thief would be foolish enough to cross their path.
Even so, Wei Yuefu noticed a troubling detail: displaced refugees were beginning to appear on the road. Though small in number, it was an ominous sign. Refugees didn't materialize out of thin air; there had to be an underlying cause. He wasn't the only one who noticed, but everyone held a tacit silence and refrained from asking questions. If anyone wanted to know the truth behind it, they would have to wait until reaching Dingyuan City—and even then, it was likely kept confidential.
After a bumpy journey, they finally arrived safely in Dingyuan City.
Compared to Songyang County, Dingyuan City was far larger and vastly more prosperous.
Upon entering the city, Wei Yuefu keenly detected signs of martial law, though they were subtle.
Entering proved easy enough for them, given their Six Doors credentials. While they had little direct connection with the military, both served the imperial court. Moreover, with a Silver Robe head constable like Tian Muchuan leading them, no one was likely to give them trouble without a conflict of interest.
Once inside, they headed straight for the Six Doors yamen and quickly completed their handovers and lodging arrangements. Someone must have smoothed things over in advance, as this group from Songyang County was not assigned quarters anywhere near Shen Qianjun's residence.
Having few belongings, Wei Yuefu settled in the fastest and stepped out to gather intelligence. Today was considered time off; their official duties would not begin until morning roll call tomorrow.
By the time he finished strolling the streets and returned, night had fallen.
Discreet inquiries had yielded zero clues regarding the Dragon Marrow Blood-Tempering Pill, but he had gathered plenty of news about Shen Qianjun.
Upon his return, Tian Muchuan intercepted him, led him to a pavilion, and laid out tea and pastries before asking, "You've been out wandering all afternoon. What did you find out?"
Wei Yuefu made no secret of it; he had gone out in broad daylight.
"Shen Qianjun's reputation is sharply divided," Wei Yuefu said. "In the eyes of the common folk, he's upright, willing to stand up for justice, and an exceptionally righteous constable. But to his peers, he's a thorn in the side and a needle in the flesh. He's ruined quite a few people's illicit profits, but because he has Silver Robe head constable Xia Miaozheng backing him, no one can touch him. What I don't understand is, Xia Miaozheng is just a young woman. How did she earn the rank of Silver Robe? Even if she's the prefect's daughter, that wouldn't grant her such connections or authority."
In response to Wei Yuefu's remark, Tian Muchuan explained, "Do you really think Xia Miaozheng is the prefect's daughter? How could a man of a prefect's standing ever allow his child to take the mother's surname? Rumor has it there is more to this female Silver Robe than meets the eye. As for what that hidden truth might be, I have no idea. Just like you, I'm from the countryside. How could people like us ever be privy to such matters?"
Hearing this, Wei Yuefu fell silent. This pattern seemed all too familiar...
If nothing went awry, could the Dragon Marrow Blood-Tempering Pill—which sounded like a top-grade treasure just from its name—be in Xia Miaozheng's hands? Or had she procured it? After all, Xia Miaozheng clearly possessed an extraordinary background; for even the Prefect of Dingyuan to sacrifice his reputation just to pose as her father, her backing had to be immense.
At this moment, Wei Yuefu understood why Tian Muchuan had abandoned his advantages in Songyang County and brought his whole family to Dingyuan City. With a figure like her present, if anything went wrong, the probability of Dingyuan City receiving priority reinforcements skyrocketed.
"Then, Lord Tian, shouldn't you be doing your best to curry favor with Silver Robe Xia?" Wei Yuefu teased.
"Naturally," Tian Muchuan replied with a grin. "Still, don't underestimate Silver Robe Xia. She may have powerful backing, but her discernment is just as sharp." At this, his smile faded. "Right away, she recognized that Shen Qianjun was no ordinary fellow. That old bastard Meng Wei was bold enough to recommend him, and she was bold enough to employ him."
The reason Shen Qianjun had been able to leap into the position of Six Doors Patrol Envoy was that Meng Wei had an old acquaintance with Xia Miaozheng; through his recommendation, Shen Qianjun had ascended to the heights in a single bound. Even so, Xia Miaozheng possessed tremendous boldness to actually place Shen Qianjun in such an elevated post. Under normal circumstances, one would start as an Iron Ruler constable and build up some modest prestige first.
Unfortunately for Shen Qianjun, Wei Yuefu's scheming had cost him the post of Patrol Envoy. Yet even so, he had still become a Bronze Badge constable—a rank far beyond the reach of most people's wildest dreams.
Chapter 26