Sure enough, while the Daoists were still in a daze, someone arrived from the other side. The messenger announced that their young lord requested the True Men of the Way of the Celestial Masters to come and assist in praying for disaster relief and dispelling sickness.
This was not something they could easily refuse.
Setting aside how much the Shen family had donated to the Way of the Celestial Masters over the years, there was one simple fact: they were currently lodging under their roof, and late at night at that. As the saying went, even a fierce dragon could not crush a local snake—to say nothing of the fact that the Shens were the true river dragons of Wuxing, while a band of visiting Daoists staying the night were at best passing earthworms. Given the day’s messy turmoil and Shen Jin’s swinging between euphoria and grief, if they truly annoyed him and he had them all slaughtered and buried right here on the estate, what could they do about it?
So they had to go.
Yet here lay another slight issue: among these Daoists of the Celestial Masters, there was not a single so-called high-ranking preceptor.
One had to understand that the hierarchy within the Way of the Celestial Masters—or the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice—was extremely strict. One part was lineage succession, handed down step by step from father to son and master to disciple; the other was the heavenly register ordination system. Were you an ordained Celestial Official? What rank of Celestial Official? Which divine generals were you qualified to summon? Everything was formally recorded in the precious registers, which was precisely why registers served as the foundation of talismans under their ordination system.
At this moment, however, the party Liu Cheng traveled with was essentially a convoy escorting goods and wealth. They were transporting produce from the fortified manors and specific supplies purchased from Jiankang—along with what was undoubtedly a considerable stash of gold and silver—to Kuaiji, ensuring that Master Du had an ample material foundation in Kuaiji, that second core gathering place for famed gentlemen.
How could there be any proper preceptors among them?
The few robed Daoists were all manor-management types from the fortified manors—stewards and treasurers by trade. Every one of them was sharper and craftier than the next, but they had never conducted such a high-end healing ritual in their lives.
Consequently, their guilty consciences were plain to see. They hurriedly agreed to the messenger's face, saying they needed to return to their quarters to unpack boxes, retrieve items, and make preparations. Yet the moment they returned to their room, they began shoving the duty off onto one another. Watching this made Liu Cheng yawn repeatedly. Why not just muddle through it?
If Lord Shen wanted to dispel sickness for his patron across vast distances, then dispel it for him! Put on a show of exerting every ounce of effort, keep it going all night, and slip away first thing tomorrow morning. Could he verify the results across hundreds of li anyway?
"Brothers, let's stop passing the buck! Right now, our only choice is to stand or fall together. Everyone, put your back into it so the head of the Shen clan sees that we tried our hardest... No one is allowed to shirk!"
"If it were merely trying our best, that would be fine. But the trouble is, if the Shen clan head wants to speak with us, who will answer?"
"Indeed, that's where the real trouble lies. Everyone knows that with General Wang in such a state, he cannot possibly be saved... When we finish dispelling the ailment, what if the Shen clan head insists on asking whether the general will recover? Who answers, and what do they say?"
"If we say he'll recover, and General Wang perishes shortly after, what if the Shens remember tonight, come knocking, and demand to know who made the promise? Who will protect us? If we say he won't recover, given how wildly volatile the Shen clan head was today, what is to stop him from beheading us on the spot?"
"The worst part is, what if the Shen clan head already knows deep down that the man cannot be saved? If we say he will, he might fly into a rage right then and there!"
"This really isn't easy to bluff through. The Daoist might flee, but our vast private market cannot run away... Besides, within the borders of Wuxing, a Daoist probably couldn't escape either."
From the sound of it, these direct stewards were simply too clever for their own good.
"So what you preceptors mean is that you want me to speak on your behalf?" Liu Cheng finally caught on.
"Young Master A Cheng," Daoist Feng, who had grown closest to Liu Cheng along the journey, stepped forward briskly. "It's not that I wish to drag you into this, but misfortune has caught up with us. If things truly go wrong, with the way you're dressed..."
"I know, I know. When the nest is overturned, no egg remains whole; when the boat capsizes, everyone gets soaked," Liu Cheng agreed with a nod. "I'll go with you. I'll handle the talking."
The Daoists rejoiced, but only for a fleeting second. Turning to look at one another, their gloom returned.
What if someone spoke for them? What if the danger was lessened by a fraction? Did that mean danger was gone?
Tonight's trouble was truly a bolt from the blue.
Yet these clever Daoists had no more room to maneuver. Before long, estate stewards arrived flanked by sabered guards to hasten them along. As the saying went, blessings brought no calamity, and calamity could not be avoided. Liu Cheng and four or five others in long robes and crimson headwraps gathered their items and headed over.
Stepping into the brightly lit main hall, they found Shen Jin sitting sideways on the head couch alone. His eyes were bloodshot, his temples disheveled, and he had clearly been weeping. Though the group filed in and bowed with clasped hands, he seemed not to see them at all, remaining lost in a vacant daze.
He was completely unrecognizable from the overbearing, aggrieved man from earlier that day.
Soon, the leading warrior stepped forward, leaning close to address him. "Young Lord, the preceptors have arrived."
Only then did Shen Jin turn his head slightly, his chin dipping in a numb nod.
At that moment, not only Liu Cheng but the Daoists as well were likely cursing inwardly. Looking at him, summoning them to dispel sickness was probably not even Shen Jin's idea; it was because Shen Shijian was in this state that his personal head bondservants and estate stewards had passed their anxieties down the chain of command, ultimately landing the misfortune on the Daoists' heads.
"Preceptors, how do you plan to dispel the sickness?" Sure enough, the warrior turned back to ask.
"They primarily work through talismans, centering the Jiao ritual on them," Liu Cheng answered immediately, proving true to his word to speak on their behalf. "There is no other way. The patient is not present, so we can only draw talismans and burn them in a sacrificial brazier, beseeching the immortals to dispel the ailment from afar... Moreover, they are merely passing through. There are no high-ranking preceptors among them, nor did they bring ceremonial implements, and their numbers are few. It is impossible to hold a Great Jiao of the Universal Heavens. As you see, the only masters in our convoy are right here."
The warrior froze, clearly dazed by the barrage of technical explanations, but could only nod. "In that case, if you require any implements, simply ask."
"Then let us perform it right here before you," Liu Cheng said, nodding quickly before turning to wave his hand at the Daoists.
The gesture was simple: your turn to perform.
The Daoists did not dare dawdle. They hurriedly asked for tables, braziers, censers, paper, and brushes, putting up quite a show. For a time, they drew the attention of nearly everyone in the room, giving the idle manor staff and Shen Jin's attendant bondservants something to bustle about—which had been the bondservants' original purpose all along.
Liu Cheng, meanwhile, took a seat behind a desk off to the side of the hall right from the start.
Though the crafty bondservants and estate stewards noticed this, they all pretended not to see.
Soon, however, as the various implements were assembled, the Daoists revealed their true, clumsy colors. They were, after all, accountants, storekeepers, and convoy overseers. Humped over the paper, they drew their talismans stroke by awkward stroke, looking like toddlers just learning to write. Some even lacked the confidence to finish, constantly glancing at what the others were drawing. They sat without proper posture and leaned without proper form, and the talismans looked nothing like proper talismans.
By this point, not only were the estate folk and bondservant warriors exchanging glances, but even Shen Jin began to frown as he watched.
"Is there no music?" What else could Liu Cheng do? Saving these men was saving himself. He had no choice but to brace himself and speak up. "Preceptor Feng, did no musicians accompany us on this trip?"
Daoist Feng's face had gone pale from drawing talismans. Looking up, he could only offer a weak shake of his head. Even if he had never eaten pork, he had seen pigs run; he was certain that no matter the rank of a Jiao ritual, music was never part of it.
Liu Cheng sighed and turned toward the Shen clan's men. "They are merely a cargo convoy and truly had little preparation. I must trouble you gentlemen to visit the guest room where I am staying and bring the bamboo flute from my desk."
One of the estate stewards dashed out as though he couldn't wait to escape, returning with Liu Cheng's bamboo flute in astonishingly short order.
Liu Cheng did not stand on ceremony. Taking the bamboo flute, he tested a few notes, then launched into "Mom Is the Best in the World."
The Daoists had grown accustomed to hearing it along the road and merely treated it as background music. But when had the Shen household ever heard such a strange new melody? And played with such awkward hesitation? Their attention was captured at once. Everyone, Shen Jin included, turned to look at the boy playing the flute, which naturally masked the clumsy performance of the Daoists.
Sure enough, after listening to two verses, even Shen Jin could contain himself no longer and spoke up. "Little Preceptor, does this celestial music work only when played by you?"
"Of course not," Liu Cheng said, waving his hands hastily. "I am not even a member of the Way of the Celestial Masters, just a traveler hitching a ride in their carts... We set out in such a hurry that we truly have nothing prepared."
"You are not of the Way of the Celestial Masters?" Shen Jin finally looked startled. "Then why are you dressed identically to them?"
"To tell Brother Shijian the truth, my surname is Liu and my given name is Cheng. I hail from the Pengcheng Liu clan, having drifted south from the north during the Grand Commander's Northern Expedition this year. Because the Grand Commander suddenly fell gravely ill, our relief was cut off. I lacked even winter clothing, looking no different from a beggar. Fortunately, an old northern acquaintance, Brother Lu Song, belongs to a prominent family within the Way and had already placed himself under Master Du. I went to him and begged for this set of winter clothes... My journey this time is also thanks to Brother Lu Song's good offices, which allowed me to borrow their carts to travel south to Kuaiji." Liu Cheng held the flute, answering with complete composure.
"The Pengcheng Liu clan?" Shen Jin's attention fastened on an unexpected detail.
"Not the branch that has grievances with your noble house, Brother Shijian. I know of that branch; my family is merely an offshoot branch that drifted to Qiao Commandery," Liu Cheng continued.
Shen Jin nodded, looking as though he wanted to say something, but then turned back to ask, "You are merely from a minor northern lineage who returned south with the Grand Commander this year, and at such a young age, yet you know of the feud between my house and that branch of the Pengcheng Lius?"
"It is precisely because I am from a minor lineage, and still so young, that I know," Liu Cheng replied effortlessly. "Because I inquired about everything along the way. Only upon reaching Zhongjiang did I learn what the 'Three Rivers and Five Lakes' meant; in Yixing, I naturally learned of Zhou Chu ridding the three pests and of Zhou Zha being played like a puppet in the palm of the Wang clan's hand; and seeing your demeanor at Zhangpu Pass earlier today, I naturally came to understand the rise and fall of the Shen clan."
Shen Shijian stared at the youth before him, silent for a long time.
Meanwhile, below, Daoist Feng, who was struggling to finish a talisman, slipped with his brush and tore the paper right through. What he feared most right now was that Shen Jin would directly ask who had told the boy about the rise and fall of the Shens. What would become of him then?
"Since you have an old acquaintance serving as a preceptor in the Way of the Celestial Masters, why did you not remain among them, choosing instead to travel south to Kuaiji in the dead of winter? Were you recommended to Master Du?" Shen Jin ultimately steered clear of his family's history.
"To tell Brother Shijian the truth," Liu Cheng replied with a smile, "for someone rootless and foundationless like me, having just arrived in Jiangzuo, where could I possibly have a say in where I go? Wherever people recommend you to serve as a retainer, that is where you must go."
"Naturally." Shen Jin gave a scoffing chuckle. "In that case, seeing how sharp you are, why not stay and become my retainer?"
"If I were to become Brother Shijian's retainer, what would the treatment be like?" Liu Cheng pointed toward the warrior at his side. "Would I have a tall steed to ride, and a straight saber and longbow to carry?"
Though Shen Jin's eyes were still red, it did not stop him from laughing heartily. "You are a scion of a great clan after all; how could I make you a mere rider? If you are willing to come, study in my household for a few years first. When you are a little older, what about me recommending you for a post as a county clerk? Right there at Zhangpu Pass from earlier today. Serving as a clerk there, even if you remain upright and incorruptible, you could buy yourself a tall steed after a single year!"
For a heartbeat, Liu Cheng was genuinely tempted, but then fear seized him, prompting him to shake his head repeatedly. "If I had met Brother Shijian a month earlier, I would have agreed wholeheartedly, because back then my whole heart was set on merely surviving, and perhaps owning an estate of my own would have been enough for a lifetime... But right now, it truly won't do."
"You think the prospects under Master Du are better?" Shen Jin wore a faint, mocking smile. Having been completely distracted, he felt the boy's momentary temptation had not been feigned, which only fueled his desire to tease and mock him.
In essence, you dared to adopt the airs of a scholar claiming to know the "rise and fall of the Shen clan" and banter with me here, even addressing me as "Brother Shijian"—well then, I shall let you see for yourself whether you are worthy!
"I am not going to Master Du," Liu Cheng told the truth. "Master Du has little future himself, so how could I rely on him? I was recommended by Xie of East Mountain to serve as a retainer for Xi Linhai's house."
With that, he drew Xie An's calling card from his robes, displayed it briefly, and tucked it back inside.
The smile on Shen Jin's face instantly froze. But after only a moment, it returned, and he turned to instruct the bondservants beside him, "Serve fragrant tea to our honored guest, and fetch a brazier, an armrest, and a leaning cushion."
Liu Cheng did not refuse, clasping his hands with a smile. "Back in Wuyi Lane, I could only sit on a folding stool. Only upon arriving here do I receive a proper seat, and as for fragrant tea, I have only heard its name and never yet seen it..."
Shen Jin gave a dry laugh. "By day and by night, I have made a laughingstock of myself before you twice in a single day, Little Brother A Cheng."
"What is there to laugh at?" Liu Cheng comforted him instead. "Decades as a convict clan, cleared in a single morning, only to be cast back into shackles the very same day. Brother Shijian's reaction is only human nature... If you ask me, the fact that you can exercise forbearance and restrain yourself right now is already extraordinary."
Shen Jin tilted his head back with a sigh, silent for a long time, the corners of his eyes glistening with tears once more.
Liu Cheng offered no further comfort, simply watching as the brazier, armrest, and leaning cushion were brought over, and then watching several maidservants prepare the fragrant tea for him. First, they brought over a stove and took out what appeared to be tea cakes to roast over the fire. Once the aroma rose, they crumbled them into an adjacent pot resembling a porridge cauldron, stirring vigorously with a wooden ladle. A scent akin to scallions and ginger wafted out alongside the tea leaves. Only then did they ladle a bowl and set it on the low table before him, complete with a small spoon.
Deeply curious, Liu Cheng stirred it with the spoon. Sure enough, there were scallions and ginger inside, and what looked like tangerine peel.
Compared to later eras, this fragrant tea was less like tea and more like medicinal broth.
Taking a sip, the youth reached a verdict: it was salty medicinal broth. If only they added some salted meat, or simply boiled porridge with it, it could have passed for a midnight snack.
"Brother Shijian." Having drunk the man's fragrant tea, Liu Cheng could no longer just brush things off, so he offered sincere words of comfort. "I have a piece of advice... though I fear speaking too deeply as a mere acquaintance."
"Meeting twice in a single day like this is already fate, and finding ourselves kindred spirits tonight, why speak of overstepping bounds?" Shen Jin replied with a bitter smile.
"Then I shall speak plainly. I believe Brother Shijian's approach to lifting your convict-clan status was entirely correct; it was merely bad luck. Therefore, the only thing to do now is to curb your impatience, exercise forbearance, and continue trying to accompany Wang Pingbei on the Northern Expedition," Liu Cheng said seriously. "Though these words are easy to say, they must weigh heavily on the Shen clan and on you, Brother Shijian."
"Is it truly the only way?" Shen Jin asked softly, as if seeking confirmation. "I took no wrong turn?"
"None," Liu Cheng said gravely. "Though I arrived in Jiangzuo only this autumn, I see it clearly. The land of Jiangzuo is narrow, crowded with aristocratic clans. The desirable offices at the top have long been monopolized and partitioned off by the second-rank foremost houses. No matter what methods those below employ, they simply cannot rise... It is not because those below lack talent, nor because they fail to curry favor, but because those above cannot even divide enough among themselves, and are utterly unwilling to yield an inch.
"Consider Master Du: he became a Daoist priest and made the nobility believe he is an immortal, yet no one is willing to grant him high office. Is it not the very same thing?
"And after thinking it over myself, if one wishes to struggle out a path from the middle, the only way is through the variable of victory and defeat that a Northern Expedition brings. Only when those above need people like us to risk our lives do we get a chance to squeeze through the cracks... Therefore, Brother Shijian, volunteering to join the Northern Expedition to wash away the convict-clan name was correct.
"Furthermore, your Shen clan has been suppressed ever since Wang Dun's rebellion. Now, the only person willing to promote you is Wang Pingbei. With these two factors combined, to encounter Wang Pingbei coming here as commandery governor and then being appointed General Who Pacifies the North is practically the Shen family's greatest fortune."
"Yet..." Shen Jin grew increasingly dejected. "Yet what are we to do afterward?"
"There is no other way," Liu Cheng emphasized. "Either wait for Wang Pingbei to recover, or wait until he passes away and warfare erupts in the north again. At that time, seize the opportunity in the name of carrying on his pacification ambition, approach his family to submit a memorial on your behalf, and request to march north in service to the realm... Otherwise, there is no other path. Brother Shijian, at this critical juncture, you must never think of switching allegiance! If you do, you will have no future left! You must remember at all times: you have already been summoned to Wang Pingbei's staff!"
Shen Jin gave a violent start. After a long silence, he slowly rose from his seat and clasped his hands in a bow.
"Many thanks, Young Master A Cheng, for curing my great ailment."
Chapter 39