Jiankang

The city of Jiankang had no walls, only palisades. Generally speaking, when high officials and nobles came and went, they entered and exited through the Northern Fence Gate, as it connected directly to the Jingkou Road, and the aristocratic quarters lay in the east of the city, north of the Qinhuai River, making it the most natural route. By contrast, commercial traffic was far more straightforward: bulk commodities flowed straight down the Qinhuai River into the urban district, while smaller trades entered through the Eastern Fence Gate and the Three Bridges Fence Gate north and south of the river—which, in essence, still meant following the course of the Qinhuai. This was because the northern and southern banks of the Qinhuai River formed the largest, most bustling high-end commercial district in Jiankang—and quite possibly in all of China at that time. It was said that along both banks alone stood hundreds of shops with permanent structures, offering everything under the sun. Moreover, every time it was devastated by war, it was swiftly rebuilt. It could not be helped: the realm's premier market was here, the wealth and population of Sanwu were here, and an unbroken premium trade network formed by the Yangtze, the Grand Canal, and the Qinhuai flowed right through it. It would have been difficult for it not to flourish. Early that morning, Liu Cheng and Liu Jili set out carrying two shoulder loads of split peachwood firewood. They reached the Three Bridges Fence Gate before noon, where, under the bizarre gaze of the gatekeeper clerk, they set down a prepared bundle of mixed kindling to pay their one-in-ten toll, before stepping calmly into the city of Jiankang. Upon first entering Jiankang, Liu Cheng—a native of Qiao Commandery—did not feel as though he had returned to his ancestral home. Instead, he felt a faint sense of detachment. There was no other reason: though Jiankang was so close to Jingkou, they seemed like two entirely different worlds. Outside, though parts of Jingkou were bustling enough to exhibit distinct urban traits, the place was simply too vast. There, beside the Jingkou Road, one could always clearly see the Yangtze, the wilderness, the hills, the forests, and the cultivated fields; see the penniless northern refugees who had just arrived in Jiangzuo; see the lower-class folk who, after scraping by for a few years, barely made ends meet through petty handicrafts and peddling; see the followers of the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice involved in virtually every link of production throughout villages and towns; and naturally see the carriages of the great clans traveling the Jingkou Road as well as the Northern Garrison troops stationed in their garrison posts... One could even see tigers. Liu Cheng had felt it back then, inwardly describing Jingkou as "brimming with vitality, all creatures vying to thrive." In short, in Jingkou, the youth had never once doubted whether what he saw was real. For that place truly embraced everything—north and south, rich and poor, noble and base—and in doing so, clearly reminded the transmigrator that this was the Eastern Jin and Sixteen Kingdoms. Every hallmark of the era one could imagine was present. Better yet, if you were an escapist unwilling to think and observe, you could even bury your head and hide away for a time. For instance, if you were an adherent of the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice, your life could consist solely of the sect and nothing else; or if you were a soldier in a garrison post, you could pretend that life held nothing beyond the garrison army. Even if you were an ordinary refugee, so long as you ignored the blade-and-axe retainers you had to dodge on the Jingkou Road from time to time, and forgot everything north of the Yangtze, you could almost pretend that the two greatest hallmarks of the era—the aristocratic clans and the Five Barbarians' upheaval—did not exist, and simply live day to day. Provided, of course, that you could manage to survive day to day. Now, stepping into Jiankang, all those filthy, savage, impoverished, uneasy, complex, and organic realities were abruptly shut out by that palisade wall. Had he transmigrated directly into Jiankang from the beginning, Liu Cheng surely would have assumed he had arrived in the Luoyang or Chang'an of the glorious Tang or mighty Han, or perhaps a southern city of the Song or Ming with a thriving marketplace culture. He would have believed he could thrive like a fish in water amidst this city full of worldly bustle and commercial activity, thinking he had been dealt the ultimate winning hand. Yet very quickly, that illusion vanished, for he caught sight of something familiar. "Blade-and-axe retainers are coming!" At a low cry, the people on the street did not erupt into chaos as they had on the Jingkou Road; instead, they calmly and composedly ducked into side alleys. Some even pushed their wheelbarrows around in a detour without slowing down in the slightest, clearly practiced to perfection. Standing by the roadside, watching the convoy of ox carts crawl past, Liu Cheng suddenly snapped out of his reverie and turned with a laugh. "Gathering all the wealth and revenue of Jiangzuo into a single city to support a hundred-odd families—no wonder it is so prosperous." "This is the unique trait of our current dynasty, completely different from the former Han," Liu Jili nodded gravely. "In days past, it was 'Wang and Sima share the realm', followed by the Yu clan, and now it is Huan and Chu... no, Huan and Xie are rising, along with the Xi clan's grip on Jingkou. These great clans truly hold military power and divide the court's authority." Evidently, their thoughts were not aligned, and they were talking about entirely different things. Liu Cheng was mocking the grotesque prosperity of Jiankang, which essentially rested on a hundred-odd top aristocratic clans lounging around and sucking the blood of the entire Jiangzuo region. Liu Jili, on the other hand, was emphasizing that after crossing the river, the great clans possessed genuine power, and the present court was nothing like the Two Han dynasties. Yet intriguingly, in Liu Cheng's eyes, his companion's reply inadvertently suggested another perspective: these aristocratic clans certainly monopolized nearly all resources to sustain themselves, but what if they were replaced by a formidable imperial house? Would it not still be the entire realm sustaining a single person or a single family? At the very least, compared to the Western Jin before them—where a foolish emperor had triggered a succession crisis, leading several princes to throw the realm into chaos—these aristocratic clans who did nothing but lounge in Jiangzuo and enjoy life actually seemed quite tolerable by comparison. Progress was still needed: to see who could succeed in the Northern Expedition, who could unite the realm, and who could introduce the imperial examinations and equal-field system to improve social fairness and upward mobility. Yet thinking of it that way, as someone bent entirely on building a fortified manor, did he even have the right to mock those aristocratic clans? Was he really that rotten? Liu Cheng had no desire to pursue the discussion further with Liu Jili, letting his thoughts wander instead. Soon, however, his reverie was cut short, for he witnessed something that dealt a crushing blow to their differentiated firewood enterprise: an ox cart loaded with charcoal rolled past them. How could commoners afford charcoal? Conversely, the aristocratic clans enjoyed every luxury; when they could clearly burn charcoal, why would they ever use firewood? Liu Jili panicked as well. After standing dazed for a long while, he turned to the daydreaming Liu Cheng. "Are we still going to Wuyi Lane?" "We've already come all this way, so why not?" Liu Cheng was actually feeling flustered inside, but he did not let it show on his face. "What's the big deal?" With his mind in turmoil, Liu Jili could only nod and continue leading the way with his shoulder pole. Thus, the two continued along the street on the south bank of the Qinhuai River, dodging the entourages of great clans at least three or four times, until they finally turned past a small walled town and arrived on its western side. Lowering his load, Liu Jili pointed to the small walled town to the east and explained, "That is the commandery seat of Danyang Commandery, which Jiankang belongs to." Liu Cheng put down his load as well and nodded. Liu Jili continued, pointing toward the street opposite the commandery town: "That lane across the way was originally the barracks district for the garrison stationed at Stone City back during Eastern Wu. Because the troops stationed at Stone City were the elite Wuyi Guards of Wu, who all wore black garments, the lane came to be called Wuyi Lane... Times have changed. As both sides of the Qinhuai River grew prosperous, and with the commandery seat right here guaranteeing safety, the lane where ordinary soldiers once lived has now become the eminent residence of families like the Wangs, the Xies, and the Lius." Understanding dawned on Liu Cheng, and he could barely resist reciting: "The swallows that grace the halls of Wang and Xie today, In former times entered common soldiers' homes." "Winter has just begun, so where would you find swallows before the halls?" Liu Jili replied, speechless. "Well? Do we go in and take a look or not?" "Why wouldn't we?" Liu Cheng rallied his spirits. "Even if we give up on the firewood and just try to cadge some aid, where else can we go? Isn't the Xie family our only chance?" That was the honest truth. Turning to the authorities yielded only evasions. Going to Gao Jian was out of the question—accommodating Liu clan members had already stretched him to his absolute limit, and the garrison troops had their own corvée laborers to gather firewood. As for the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice, given Lu Song's attitude, it was plainly impossible to squeeze anything more out of them... Not to mention that the cart of charcoal earlier had virtually snuffed out Liu Cheng's firewood scheme. What else was left? Was it not literally that, aside from the Xie family, they were completely out of options? And very quickly, beyond being out of options, the two Lius learned a new phrase: no door through which to enter. Families like the Wangs, Xies, and Lius were all first-rate clans of the second rank, their genealogical prestige towering high. Even the lowest among them, the Liu clan of Pei, had a recently deceased patriarch who had married an imperial princess and served as the Governor of neighboring Danyang. As for the Xie clan, their objective on this trip, one of its heads commanded the military power of the Western Garrison while the other served as the Minister of Personnel at court. Consequently, inside Wuyi Lane, every gate was fronted by full ceremonial guards. These were not merely the blade-and-axe retainers seen during travels, but light armored guards clad in iron lamellar vests and gripping proper spears, flanked by dozens of blade-and-axe retainers seated and standing before the gates. Had the two Lius not been carrying loads of firewood, wearing crimson headwraps, and keeping their heads bowed as they walked honestly through, it would have been hard for them to even enter Wuyi Lane in the first place. If they had attempted to bluff someone as they had at the Celestial Masters' fortified manor, they would surely have been beaten on the spot and driven out... It made sense, though: these were the grand halls of Wang and Xie! Clans that truly wielded state power by turns and shared the realm with the Sima house. Indeed, these two or three families occupied what had been the entire barracks complex of the Wuyi Guards; it had originally been a military encampment, entirely different from the rural villas of the great clans in Jingkou. After passing through the lane, cold sweat drenched both of them. Sitting beneath a roadside tree, they looked at each other in silence. Liu Cheng patted the flute at his waist—originally intended as a prop—and found the notion utterly laughable. "How about we just forget it?" After an unknown stretch of time, Liu Jili spoke up earnestly. "We can just gather and sell mixed kindling honestly. That's a path too... Who knows, maybe this winter will be mild and we can scrape by?" "It's not impossible," Liu Cheng could only force a wry smile. "Who told us to have no connections? As for burning charcoal, we don't even know how large a kiln to dig..." At that point he trailed off, seemingly halfway resigned to his fate. "Even if someone by some chance knew how to burn it—knew how to dig a kiln and make charcoal—without a guaranteed sales channel, would we dare spend the time and labor to dig and burn?" Liu Jili shook his head repeatedly, then turned to comfort the youth beside him. "A-Cheng, don't feel bad. You've done your best. Truly, as you said before, even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice... We have no capital at all. We've tried every method and avenue. Our conscience is clear." Liu Cheng merely nodded. Seeing this, Liu Jili felt a pang of pity. He turned to pat his companion's shoulder to offer further comfort, but just as he turned, he froze. Looking toward the end of Wuyi Lane across the street, he stared in astonishment, his head turning slightly to follow something, before he could not help shouting: "A-Cheng!" "What?" "I recognize that man." Liu Jili sat up straight, pointing toward an elderly man driving an ox cart, neatly dressed, with four or five burly men following behind the cart. "I recognize him!" "Who is he?" "He must be a leading figure among the Xie manor's bondservants—a guest-receiver, a steward, or the like... He was the one who turned me away on Mount Hua." Staring firmly at their receding backs as they headed south, he said with conviction, "It's him!" "Let's go," Liu Cheng said tersely, immediately rising and shouldering his load. Liu Jili got up as well. Just like that, as if clutching at a lifesaving straw, the two Lius followed the ox cart from a distance, heading south along the bustling street. Soon they entered a bustling market—this market was distinctly different from the high-end shops along the banks of the Qinhuai, dealing mostly in basic provisions. The two could see clearly that this head bondservant of the Xie manor truly seemed to be a steward or something similar, for he was making purchases. Sitting on the cart, he simply pointed, and the burly men following him went into the shops to carry goods out, while the shopkeepers merely bowed and nodded, evidently well accustomed to the routine. Consequently, the ox cart was soon piled high with goods. The two Lius conferred and decided that no matter what, the moment the cart turned back, they would step forward directly to offer their firewood to the steward and take things from there. They even agreed that if this steward proved ruthless enough to order his accompanying bondservants to beat them, they would simply chalk it up to bad luck. Interestingly, once the ox cart was nearly full, the steward did not turn back toward Wuyi Lane. Instead, he tossed a small pouch to several of the bondservants, who caught it with grins and headed straight into an adjacent tavern. Only a single young bondservant remained, accompanying the steward and the ox cart as they continued south. The two Lius exchanged a look, suppressed their curiosity, and continued carrying their firewood with heads bowed, following all the way. To their surprise, they passed a Buddhist temple called Jianchu Temple and entered a residential area enclosed within the southern palisade wall. In this district, everything to the north from the temple to the Qinhuai River was typical urban commercial quarters, while to the south lay what appeared to be a pond, with many boats moored in the distance, though it was unclear whether it connected to the Yangtze... In any case, there was no reason for soldiers or blade-and-axe retainers to stand guard in a place like this. On the contrary, the two followed them all the way to an intersection before a narrow alley, where they watched from afar as the ox cart came to a halt. Though the surroundings were lively, it was only a few young boys playing on bamboo hobbyhorses, while atop the neighboring walls, several young girls of varying ages leaned over, giggling and watching. Under these circumstances, when the two set down their firewood, no one paid them any heed. "Little sisters, do you know the family of the man driving that cart?" Liu Cheng pointed toward the distant ox cart, stepped beneath the wall, and openly asked the girls leaning over above. "We're supposed to deliver firewood to his home, but we ended up following him all this way." The girls chattered in response, prompting the boys on hobbyhorses to chime in incessantly as well. Coupled with the fact that the children all spoke Wu dialect, it was impossible to make out what they were saying at first. It was Liu Jili, who had spent several more years in Jiangzuo, who understood and quickly translated: "They say the man is named Qian, a steward for the noble family in Wuyi Lane. A few years ago, he married a widowed auntie from around here..." Liu Cheng immediately grinned. "A-Cheng, this is inside Jiankang. Don't lose your head in desperation and do anything reckless," Liu Jili warned hastily upon seeing his expression. "Where is your mind wandering? I'm just borrowing his connections," Liu Cheng laughed. "This is what they call 'Where hills bend and streams wind, the path seems lost; beyond dark willows and bright flowers, another village appears.' We're here to do business." "Still, it would be best to intimidate him!" Liu Jili had no time to ponder the two lines that had popped out of Liu Cheng's mouth, but urged him instead, gesturing with his chin. "Shall we go?" There was no help for it; this truly was their only lifeline. Looking from afar, Liu Cheng saw the young bondservant still unloading goods into the small courtyard. He nodded, shouldered the peachwood firewood, and started walking toward the alley. After a couple of steps, he turned back to ask the children: "Little sisters, what is this place called?" This time, the children chimed in with one voice: "Changganli!" Liu Cheng actually understood. With that, shouldering his firewood, he walked into the alley, chanting loudly as he went. It went: "My hair had barely covered my forehead, When I plucked flowers and played before the gate. You came riding on a bamboo horse, Circling the bench and tossing green plums. Together we lived in Changganli, Two little ones without suspicion or doubt. At fourteen I became your wife, My bashful face never opened into a smile..." Having recited up to here, he clearly forgot the rest of the lines and started over from the beginning. Just as he reached "two little ones without suspicion" on his second rendition, old Grandpa Qian, the steward, stepped curiously out of the courtyard to look. Seeing two people in crimson headwraps carrying firewood, he lost interest at once and turned to head back inside. Yet no sooner had he turned his head—before his body could even pivot—than he snapped back around, staring fixedly at the two newcomers, his jaw dropping in shock. Seeing this, Liu Cheng did not hesitate. He burst into hearty laughter on the spot: "Steward Qian, Grandpa Qian, it has been too long! Last time, our libationer spoke with you about granting our Celestial Masters the exclusive right to supply firewood and charcoal to the Xie manor come winter, and you told our order to bring two loads of firewood to your home first to see if the fire burns bright. Well, we've brought them to you today!" Steward Qian stood dumbstruck, either lost in thought or simply having no idea what to think. Meanwhile, the young bondservant beside them, who had paused to glance at the two porters from the Celestial Masters, lowered his head upon hearing this, scooped up a bolt of cloth, and brushed past them into the gate... truly without suspicion or doubt. * * * When Taizu was destitute in Jiangzuo, he carried peachwood firewood to Changganli one day. In that neighborhood lived a family surnamed Qian; the patriarch was advanced in years and newly wealthy, having taken a merchant's daughter as concubine. She was extraordinarily beautiful and never stepped outside the house. Master Qian beckoned Taizu to carry the firewood inside, but the moment he set foot at the courtyard gate, a mournful wail erupted from the bedchamber. In an instant, a white fox shot out like an arrow and fled into the reeds of South Pond, while the merchant's daughter also vanished without a trace. That night, Master Qian had a dream in which a white fox appeared and spoke to him: "In your youth, you saved me at Mount Jiang. Later, by good fortune, I attained the Dao. Pitying your old age, I had wished to spend this life with you to repay your kindness. Why, then, did you usher a true dragon through your door?" —*Soushen Houji*, augmented and revised by Tao Qian of Qi