Dyed white clothes
As they passed through the pass, the afterglow of the setting sun mingled with the smoke from the cooking fires of the galloping cavalry. As the group passed by, the sentries stared at them with mixed expressions, but unlike before, they were not impulsive—they had all heeded Zhao Peiming's words and refrained from making any rash moves.
Jiang Heng knew the reason for that look, but he didn't say anything. He simply nodded slightly and left.
Zhao Peiming sat on a rock. The place was open and high, offering a commanding view in any direction. He watched the group gradually disappear into the horizon in the afterglow of the sunset, and watched Jiang Heng riding the Crimson Sky at the forefront, just like he had charged into battle countless times.
Those who are carried by the Crimson Sky will not die easily.
—————
Looking at the crowd hidden among the dazzling array of goods, and at the dazzling silks and satins around him, Jiang Heng murmured, "It's been several months since we last met at Tiansong, but the liveliness hasn't diminished at all."
As they entered the city, some people suddenly began to whisper among themselves, glancing sideways at Jiang Heng and pointing at him. Jiang Heng thought that he probably resembled one of those hypocrites.
Unexpectedly, the crowd grew larger and larger, blocking the group and making it difficult for them to move forward.
"Routine procedure! No idlers allowed!" the constables shouted, brandishing their whips.
"Oh, isn't this Jiang Heng? Trying to climb the social ladder by relying on that face? Does he really think just anyone can take a liking to him?"
"He wasn't even selected as the top flower, how could he possibly be chosen? Ridiculous."
"I said, if you don't pass, you don't pass. You can take the exam again next year. To be willing to disguise yourself as a woman for wealth and status, you really will stop at nothing..."
The four stopped there, and the surrounding clamor of voices became clearly audible. The parade guides, eager to return and claim credit, kept shooing the crowd away. Jiang Heng felt a mix of emotions. He had written invitations for the powerful clans in Tiansong and was quite well-known among them. People in the capital naturally recommended him to others, and they all treated him well, eager to have him inscribe their calligraphy. But now, all those efforts had been in vain. Jiang Heng thought that this was probably Liu Guanhua's way of indirectly driving him out of Tiansong—to ruin his reputation. The man who had volunteered to follow him was standing up for him, loudly rebuking the onlookers and even raising his whip to clear a path.
Having finally escaped the main road, the four continued deeper into the area. As they passed the school, the teacher was sitting on the steps checking the students' memorization. Jiang Heng recalled his own experiences learning to write from the teacher, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart.
The man glanced at Jiang Heng on horseback, and seeing the gratitude in his eyes, turned his head away and sighed softly.
Jiang Heng then realized that, in others' eyes, he was a thief escorted here, a despicable person who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. He suddenly wanted to clarify everything, to completely reveal the truth—that he was also forced into this situation, that he had no choice. But all those piercing gazes only made him appear even more dejected.
It seems he is too weak, just a speck of dust in the universe. Whether he lives or dies, whether he is good or evil, he is just someone else's source of amusement and a topic of idle gossip.
Liu Guanhua is truly ruthless. Jiang Heng thought. He deliberately set a trap to force him to agree; either way, it was a dead end. Humiliating him, who was superior to him in every subject, dying in the palace, or dying at the Half-Day Flower Garden—it was all part of Liu Guanhua's plan. Jiang Heng chuckled softly again. It was just a pity that he was three times more resilient than Liu Guanhua had imagined; the reason the blade was slow to kill him was that he was no longer a fish on a chopping block.
"Are you two here about the theft of the bell?" A man dressed in a black and blue short shirt stopped the group.
You Jiao immediately recognized him as one of the servants in the Five Officials' household and nodded repeatedly.
"Follow me to see Supervisor Guo." The man naturally led the way, and the others all stepped aside. The wanderers exchanged glances, thinking that since Guo Zheng's men had come to fetch them personally, it didn't matter whether they returned to Chen Zhusheng or not. As if possessed, they led Jiang Heng and the burly man to follow behind the man.
Before they knew it, the group arrived at Guo Zheng's residence. Guo Zheng was a high-ranking official selected from other places to enter the capital, and his residence was naturally a mansion bestowed by the emperor.
"The thief has been captured, please inspect him, sir!" The guards dismounted, frowning as they gestured for Jiang Heng and the burly man to kneel before the door.
The guard opened the door, revealing a garden bursting with life—crabapple trees entwined around the covered bridge, their branches untrimmed, spreading out in all directions. At the end of the covered bridge stood a small pavilion, from which a figure hurried out, only a cluster of golden blossoms visible amidst the heavy pink mist.
"Bring it up quickly!" Guo Zheng, who was elderly, said breathlessly.
The servants took a small peach wood tray, put the reward in it, and handed it to the wanderers. They glanced inside, took their payment, and left.
The guards lifted the two men off the ground, carried them across the covered bridge, and then forced them to kneel down.
"Why are there only two people? Only Jiang Heng needs to stay," Guo Zheng said sternly.
After hearing this, the burly man glanced at Jiang Heng to confirm, and Jiang Heng nodded slightly. The burly man then kowtowed and said, "This humble commoner dares to bear witness for Jiang Heng!"
“So you’re a witness,” Guo Zheng said in a gentler tone, returning to sit down on the stone bench in the pavilion. “Jiang Heng did not steal anything.”
Upon hearing this, the man was startled, his anger and doubt surging simultaneously, but he was too intimidated by the golden-embroidered crane robe before him to raise his head. Jiang Heng, knowing that he had escaped a desperate situation, felt a little relieved and said, "If you have any questions, my lord, I will answer them without hesitation."
Guo Zheng was satisfied with his reaction and said, "Jiang Heng, come, please take a seat." He then instructed his servants to take the burly man to the guest room first.
A guard brought a wooden chair to him. Jiang Heng simply rose, walked into the pavilion, and stood beside the chair with a nod. He took the opportunity to notice the tassel on Guo Zhengru's hat and recognized him as the Director of the Bureau of Civil Affairs.
Guo Zheng dispersed the crowd before speaking: "The Tian Song Jiang Clan..." He pushed the scrolls on the table in front of Jiang Heng, "What do you think?"
Jiang Heng looked at the densely packed announcements and roughly figured out that they were related to the imperial examinations. He smiled slightly, pushed the book back, and said, "Forgive me for being illiterate."
Guo Zheng found it amusing and said, "Wasn't Jiang Heng once famous as the top candidate in the preliminary examination? How come you don't even recognize him after three months away from the capital?"
Jiang Heng said to himself, "The Jiang Heng I know is indeed very talented, but it's a pity that he tried every means to squeeze into the general election for the sake of wealth and honor. It's really laughable."
"Oh? So if I give you a chance, do you have the courage to try?" Guo Zheng knew that Jiang Heng did not intend to run for office, and couldn't help but ask.
Jiang Heng seemed somewhat hesitant. He paced around the pavilion, inhaling the wafting fragrance, and said, "I cannot accept the idea of applying powder and rouge."
Guo Zheng was clearly anxious; this was certainly his chance, his opportunity. He had hope: "No, it's a legitimate opportunity." He leaned forward, one hand on the table. He thought to himself that if he missed this chance, he might never be able to recover.
Jiang Heng stopped and turned his head to look at her, saying, "But before you go into the mountains to collect herbs, you should first know how dangerous the mountains are and whether wild animals roam there."
Upon hearing this, Guo Zheng felt a great weight lifted from his heart and relaxed again, saying, "There is a tiger down the mountain now, which can block the way up the mountain. There is no other way to solve this."
“Attack it as a group,” Jiang Heng said. He knew how ferocious this tiger was, how it had torn his father apart. Thinking of this, his eyes grew even colder.
"No, a mass uprising will inevitably result in the loss of loyal and brave men. What's the explanation?" Guo Zheng hurriedly asked. He was overjoyed—the matter was nearing completion.
“If it is absolutely necessary, even if it means sacrifice, it will pave the way for future generations. Only by eliminating this one tiger can there be peace for generations to come, and the Yellow River be clear year after year,” Jiang Heng said with a sigh of relief, his eyes closed.
Guo Zheng nodded and said, "Good ambition. So, if it were a sacrifice for you, would you be willing?"
Jiang Heng shook his head.
Guo Zheng's attitude suddenly changed. He was disappointed and thought that Jiang Heng, like the other strategists, was a coward who only knew how to talk and never acted.
Jiang Zhong's son is nothing special; Chen Zhusheng is giving him far too much credit.
Jiang Heng noticed Guo Zheng's melancholy, took two steps forward, and said, "I only want to be the one who kills tigers."
Guo Zheng looked up and met Jiang Heng's cold gaze, feeling a chill run down his spine from the cold light.
It is within reach and readily available.
—————
Jiang Heng will be recommended by Guo Zheng to retake the exam in three days. If he passes, he will become the deputy supervisor. With Jiang Heng's assistance, Guo Zheng might have a chance to turn his fortunes around.
The next day, the messenger shattered Guo Zheng's beautiful dream word by word.
It turned out that Chen Zhusheng had already informed Zhao Chen of this matter through Yue Fengren. Zhao Chen and Jiang Zhong were old acquaintances from the previous dynasty. Although conflicts between civil and military officials were inevitable, they had also worked together and had some tacit understanding. Zhao Chen had met Jiang Heng a few times and described him as a "clever young man," naturally appreciating him. Coincidentally, Zhao Chen needed someone to assist in reviewing official documents, and since he was usually straightforward and didn't understand the subtle innuendos of civil officials, often making a fool of himself, he wanted to find a clever person to "annotate" things from the side. Jiang Heng was a good candidate. Therefore, upon learning of this, Zhao Chen announced that he could directly enter the palace to participate in the palace examination that very day.
Guo Zheng felt deeply frustrated. Both of them hadn't questioned Jiang Heng's upbringing and character when they played chess, and both felt that playing with Fu Qinxiang would be advantageous to them. But now he had changed his mind so quickly. Could it be that he had heard the rumors from Tian Song and begun to doubt Jiang Heng's morality, leading to this decision? He had arranged for someone to intercept Jiang Heng precisely because he feared Chen Zhusheng might waver, but he hadn't expected Chen Zhusheng to be so cunning.
A cup of fresh tea was placed in front of Guo Zheng, and a voice drifted over: "Supervisor, you can rest assured that I am not an ungrateful person. If I am fortunate enough to assist you in the future, I will do my best to repay you."
After swallowing the tea, tears welled up in Guo Zheng's eyes, whether from the steam or something else. He waved for Jiang Heng to leave, and Jiang Heng bowed before stepping back and closing the door behind him.
The moon shone brightly that night. Jiang Heng ate a piece of candy, thinking about his father's instructions and expectations, his heart filled with mixed emotions—firstly, he finally had the opportunity to serve the country in the imperial court, and secondly, the heavy burden his father had placed on him could finally be lifted. A piece of candy rolled to the ground, and just as he was about to reach for it, he suddenly heard a groan coming from the guest room. He quickly got up to check.
The door was ajar, and Jiang Heng, using the moonlight, observed that the man was already rolling on the ground, writhing in agony. He quickly pushed the door open and went in, repeatedly apologizing for his intrusion, to check the man's bruised area. The spot truly looked like a venomous snake bite.
Jiang Heng pulled a mattress from the bed and laid it under the man, then immediately ran to the corridor to find the night watchmen. The guards all said it was the fate of a lowly commoner; if he died, he died. They said he had a hidden ailment and yet insisted on following him, only to suffer the consequences. Jiang Heng was furious and prepared to leave the mansion to find a doctor.
"Without the supervisor's order, you are not allowed to leave the residence." The guards ruthlessly blocked their way.
"Human life is at stake, please be lenient," Jiang Heng said respectfully, barely suppressing his anger.
The two men acted superior and did not reply.
Jiang Heng then revealed his anger and shouted, "If he dies in the guest room, aren't you afraid that the wronged spirits will disturb the gods?" He had been drafting memorials for Guo Zheng during the day and had glimpsed the memorial tablets in Guo Zheng's study. He knew that Guo Zheng believed in gods, so he was confident.
Upon hearing this, the guards indeed tensed up. Jiang Heng was all alone and couldn't possibly escape under this pretext. They certainly couldn't overstep their bounds, but Jiang Heng was a distinguished guest, so they probably wouldn't be punished. Besides, if someone really died, they didn't know how they would be blamed. Therefore, cursing under their breath, they opened the door. A cluster of white figures flashed out the door and ran straight into the dark road.
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