POV: Shang- (Co manager of the free flower tarven)
Location: Pang Sha district Louyang
Time: Late afternoon
As you walked down the streets of Louyang with the fading son beating down your face, you could not help but think about everything that has happened that led you up to this moment. The thing is when you and the rest of the crannies first heared about Prince Liu Xie promotion to the chairman of the Yan Hi commission, you all celebrated that news with grain and beer as you all were convinced that better days were up ahead. However much to your surprise and the surprise of every body else in the crannies the first two months of the prince's rule as the head of the Yan Hi commission could only be called a disaster. This was because it was beset by late delivery, unfair distribution and the notorious incident where 3 wagons full of grain was stolen in one of the safest districts in the capital. The sad thing was that as an insider you knew full well that this was due to no fault of the prince but rather of the distribution managers who were intent on frustrating the commission's efforts. It got to a point where the prince tried to replace the majority of the upper echlong on charges of corruption but the outcry of both the enuchs and the generals put paid to that idea.
"Get me the full names of everyone obstructing my work Shang."
Liu Xie boomed
"I will change them regardless of imperial opposition."
"Would this not cause an outcry at the palace?"
You asked him
"If I wanted the palace to approve every single thing I did then I'm not yet ready for the position I have just gotten."
He said candidly
"Did Su Min give you any message for me?"
"Yes my lord."
You replied as you began reading a letter that had misteriously appeared in your tent that morning
"The little bird has been singing all over the city but it seems his songs grow stale. The other birds do not wish to sing along and it is left crying at the topmost branches. Is she talking about the merchant Ma yunyi?"
The prince nodded
"It seems our effort to calm the people down are working well shang. Ma Yunyi's condemnation of the royal family does not find any willing listeners amongst them anymore. According to Su Min he is now trying to woo the members of the imperial court to support whatever rebellion he is planning to do?"
"And will they my prince?
You asked
"Will the imperial members support a rebellion against the son of heaven?"
"Every man has his own interests in the palace Shang."
He replied dryly
"The interest of My Father may not be the interest of some of his most closest enuchs."
"And for that reason they will stab him in the back."
You asked while trying to keep the outrage from your voice
"Such is the way of the sovereign Shang."
The prince concluded as he began reading the record of the rice distribution
"What I can't understand is if you're so sure he's a rebel why don't you just report him and be done with it?"
You asked
The prince turned towards you
"What do you think Shang? Why have I not reported him?"
You thought about it for sometime
"Well I can not say I can predict your actions my prince but if it were me the only reason I would keep a dangerous man alive..."
Your face twisted into a frown
"Is if I can you use him to catch the more dangerous man behind him"
The prince simply gave you a playful smile and went back to reading the grain reports.
"Why haven't the grain from Pang Sha district been distributed yet?"
He asked
"The distribution chairman of the district Tian Fei has asked for your royal patience my prince. He says that his illness has made it a bit difficult for him to ensure fair and timely distribution."
You explained
"Although there is a rumor about a house servant of an imperial Enuch who went to visit him yesterday night."
"A house servant of an imperial Enuch?"
He asked
"Tell me Shang, how did you come about such a rumors?"
"I heard it in the inn yesterday my prince ."
You replied
"Do you believe it?"
"No"
You answered
"I don't know much about the sort of games you men play before the emperor but I believe that if a man wanted to pressure the chairman of the Pang Sha into witholding his grain then he would have been clever enough not to be seen going inside. So that means that either the Pang Sha district distribution manager is saying the truth or someone is pressuring him and intentionally making it look as though it was the enuchs."
You do not see anything special about such a simple deduction but for some reason this made the prince smile very brightly.
"And if it turns out that these men truly were trying to pass off their crimes as that of the enuchs what would you do?"
He asked again
"I would simply commit crimes against the enuchs and pass it off as them who is to blame."
You said casually
"That way I will show them that I know of their actions and at the same time drag them into the cycle of mutual distrust."
The prince thought this for a moment and said
"Take Xu Chu with you and head to the Pang Sha district. There you must go in disguise and see if director Tian Fei is sick. If he is offer him my condolence and convey the grain yourself. If he is not sick and he is purposefully withholding grain then have him beaten at the main street and relieved of his position."
"What if he's being pressured into doing so by someone as we feared."
You asked
"What should I do?"
"Read this letter with all the authority you can muster shang and then leave that place immediately."
He replied coldly as he handed you a parchment scroll with the emperor's seal.
"You don't need to see something that will haunt your dreams."
And this finally brought you here to this point in time where you are walking towards the Pang Sha district distribution center chairman's house with Xu Chu, Ting tin (your tiger) and about a 100 other men who clearly did not understand what it means to be in disguise.
Do you people really need to crowd me like this?"
You asked him in frustration
"How can I be in disguise as the prince had ordered if I am surrounded by a 100 burly men."
"No offense Shang but you and I both know that if the prince wanted this done under the cover of the night, you and I are not the people he would have sent."
Xu Chu said
"It is clear that he is already aware of what is going on in the Pang Sha district and he sending both of us here to render punishment in an official capacity that cannot be contested by even the imperial court."
"Then why tell me to disguise myself?"
You asked
"I honestly don't know."
Xu Chu responded
"Do I look like someone who is smart enough to think about that?"
You just rolled your eyes at his comments and continued walking towards your destination. Truth is you already have a few reasons why the prince would have done what he is doing but since each one is just more bizarre than the last you quickly decided to consider them later. Right now as you were walking towards the house of the chairman of the Pang Sha distribution you could hear the loud playing of music and the cheers and happy laughter of a feast.
"Is he here feasting while holding back the rice that could have saved people's lives for two months now?"
With a lidded anger you entered into the house and the guards quickly gave way when they saw Xu Chu and his 100 men standing before you.
Without much force you quickly walked into the main room and saw director of the Pang Sha district drinking wine while clouched in a large couch surrounded by beautiful women.
"Welcome my friend."
He called out like a gracious host
"Have you come the share in my joy this day?"
"I have come in the name of prince Chenliu director."
You said sternly
"He wishes to know why you have delayed in distributing the relief rice."
"Did I not send him a letter stating my condition?"
He barked
"As you can see, I am very ill and because I am ill I am unable to deliver the Grain."
He then went back to drinking and playing with his women without giving you second glance.
"Xu Chu."
You called and him and six of his men loudly entered the room
"Get these women out of here."
They quickly went to work and before long every single woman in the room scampered out the door despite the bleatings of Tian Fei.
"How dare you filty commoners?"
The director barked
"How dare you enter my house and desecrate my home?"
"Do you still not understand what we are here for?"
You asked
"We have come in the name of the of Prince Liu Xie the chairman of the Yan Hi commission and we will not leave here without every very single grain of rice that you had sworn to distribute."
The director then watched you and Xu Chu for sometime and then said
"I take it you are his dogs from the crannies?"
He said with obvious disdain
"I have been called far worse by far better people."
You countered
"Then I suppose I have no other choice.Ti Shi "
He called as he sat up and a young servant boy ran into the house
"Tell the steward to prepare every bag of rice in the granary for transportation."
The boy bowed and left the room.
To be honest when you were on your way here you had been expecting fierce resistance so his easy surrender was a bit....unsettling.
"Now the unpleasantness is out of the way, shall I pour you officials a fine cup of fruit wine?"
"I am not an official ." You replied
"But I will not turn down your fruit wine"
So saying he quickly stood up from the couch, arranged a small table and then poured a small tea for himself and the two of you. However Xu Chu simply waited for you to sit and then stood behind your chair while completely ignoring the tea.
"I must begin by apologizing for my actions upon you arrival good brother officials."
He began
"It was quite irresponsible for me. The thing is that ever since this commission started every single chairman has been content in sitting down in his office collecting the rice made for the people and transferring them to his private Warehouse. This has made a lot of us low-level officials to be quite cautious when distributing our own rice lest we end up giving it all and no rice is given to us when the time comes. After all if the food isn't going to be feeding the common people why should we handover the grains we have and watch our own people starve?"
"Prince Chenliu is different director."
You counted quickly
"Have you not learned this by now?"
"I have served under seven different chairmans my boy and the one thing I've learned is that they all started well."
He answered
"Prince chanliu might be good and kind now but given enough time in office you will see me that he can be just as greedy as the rest of them or even worse given the facts that he is an imperial prince."
"And because of this flimsy reason you intentionally refused to distribute rice that could have saved a lot of life?"
You asked in heat
"Am I not saving lives here?"
He asked back
"My family is safe and sound, my servants are healthy and their families are well fed. Would you not consider this being good?"
You just looked at him in shock due to be shamelessness of his logic
"Besides while Prince Chenliu might be a good official I do not think he will remain that post for long?"
"What in the name of the heavens are you talking about?"
You asked with narrowed eyes
"Your prince has been offending powerful men my boy."
He replied
"Men who have been in the business of power before his mother was even conceived. These men are not the sort to take offenses lightly and I can assure you that sooner or later they will strike back."
"Did you learn about this from the Enoch servant who visited you last night?"
You asked and he smiled lightly
"The prince is not long for this world my son. If I were you I would be using my temporary positions to make permanent friends."
"And what sort of friends would you advise I make?"
You asked with interest
"Men with the money and the power to keep you wealthy even after the prince falls."
He answered with bright smile.
To prove his point he slowly stood up from the table went outside room and returned with a large box. When he opened the box you could see that it was completely filled with silver.
"You are young my son but you are sharp as a newly forged sword."
He said gently while pushing the silver towards you.
"I noticed that about you when you walked in."
You looked intently at the chest and then raised your eyes to his face
"Did you intend to distribute the grain at all?"
You asked
"Of course I do."
He replied slyly
"It will not be proper for you to come here and return empty handed would it? But how about from now on I distribute all the rice I have at hand and give you more chests like this if you will overlook a few missing wagons from time to time?"
You hate to admit it but as you looked at that chest filled with more silver than you have ever seen in your life, the nonsenseical offer Tian Fei was making started to sound more...reasonable.
"Would the prince not be suspicious if he found out?"
You asked reluctantly
"Who is going to tell him?"
He counters smoothly
"You?"
You looked at the large box of silver for one intense moment and then you closed it and pulled it towards yourself while taking a deep breath.
"I knew you were a reasonable young man my son."
Tian Fei said with a bright smile
"If you keep doing that then you will be a great official one day."
"That is where you are wrong former director Tian."
You replied acidly as you poured the silver to the floor
"I am not an official and I will not start acting like one
Immediately you said those words your tiger grabbed Tian Fei and pinned him to the chair while you stood up to read the imperial decree with all the authorities you could muster.
"For the crime of purposefully with holding the livelihood of the people thereby being responsible for the countless loss of lives, I prince Chenliu son of emperor Ling of the han dynasty hereby finds you guilty and sentenced you to death.Your I'll gotten wealth is forfeited to the imperial treasury, your wives and children will be properties of the royal house, your slaves will be compensated and released and your body would be shared into pieces and given to all those who may share such deceitful thoughts. May your ancestors bow their heads in shame at your foolishness and may you suffer for this crime in your next life. The words of chairman of the Yan Hi commission and the seal of his imperial majesty."
So saying you quickly fled the room while Xu Chu and his men began their grizzly work despite the terrified screams and pleading of the condemned man.
Moments later you watched with mixed feelings as Xu Chu and his Men quickly disarmed the guards and took over the house.
Eventually you got that grizzly business over with and together with your tiger and 20 strong men conveyed every single grain in the house to be distribution building where the prince was waiting for you.
"Was it the Enuchs pressuring him?"
He asked simply
You shook your head
"Did he say who it was?"
He queried
You shook your head again.
"How then did you know that it was not the Enuchs?"
"Because when I asked him about it he smiled."
You explained
"If it truly were the enuchs he would have been shocked that we knew or even if he expected us to know he would have been nonchallant about it. The fact that he smiled told me that the enuchs were simply a planned cover and he was pleased we were falling for it."
"I see."
The prince said casually
"Was that why you send me there?"
You asked him
"To show me just how ruthless the court officials can be?"
He simply nodded
"What if I had collected the money?"
You queried
"What if I had betrayed you?"
"Then I would have sent Tian Fei's body to every director of the distribution centers and I would have hung yours at the gate to serve as a warning to every worker about the consequences of betrayal."
He said casual
"Though as you can imagine I was quite relieved when I learned that I will not have to do that you."
When he learned?
"Was the link kwei following us all this while?"
You realized
He nodded
"Tell me something shang,"
He said
"That silver was more than anything you have ever received and far much more than anything I could ever give you. Why did you refuse it?"
"On my way to the mansion of the dead Tian Fei I encountered two children who were willing to kill themselves. When I separated them I found out that the reason for the fight was a common bowl of spoiled rice."
You responded
"If I traded their lives for a mere box of silver how is that any different from killing them myself?"
The prince simply smiled and threw something to you. When you look at it you saw that it was a bamboo plaque with the symbol of vice chairman written on its face.
"Go get some rest my friend because we have a lot of work to do."
He said warmly.