Chapter 128 – Conflict

When Xu Chun arrived at the rear garden, he saw Chunxi and Dinghai standing at the back, their muskets aimed at the opposite side. In front stood Pei Dongyan and Qi Luan, two commanders, also holding guns, their eyes fixed on the opposite side with a tense atmosphere.

Xu Chun was startled, but as he approached, he caught a whiff of the distinctive smell of gunpowder from firecrackers. Indeed, the ground near the wall was littered with the red paper remnants of exploded firecrackers.

As soon as he appeared, Chunxi and Dinghai lowered their muskets and immediately walked over to him. Xu Chun asked, “What happened?”

Pei Dongyan bowed to him, “Sir, our craftsmen were building the wall when firecrackers were thrown over from the opposite side, disturbing the workers and interfering with the garden construction.”

Someone from the opposite side sneered, “It’s just firecrackers, and you all pulled out your guns in fright. Putting on such a grand show, why don’t you go and suppress bandits if you’re so capable? What kind of show are you trying to put on here!”

Xu Chun looked over and saw a formidable man, broad-shouldered and muscular, tall and imposing, carrying a long saber upside down in his hand. His eyes shone brightly, and he wore the blue-gray uniform of the city garrison soldiers. The speaker was the deputy general standing behind him.

Xu Chun waved his hand slightly, and Pei Dongyan and the others lowered their guns.

Xu Chun stepped forward and clasped his hands in greeting, “I am Xu Chun, the Director of the Board of Revenue. May I ask for the esteemed general’s name?”

The man was taken aback, clearly not expecting the new director to be so young. Although he was indeed dressed in official robes, his face was too youthful. He sheathed his saber and returned the greeting, “I am Huo Shiduo, commander of the city garrison. Greetings, Sir Xu.”

Xu Chun said, “So it’s Commander Huo. Today’s incident was my fault. We should have chosen another day to pay a visit to Commander Huo. The renovation of the Director’s residence should have been discussed with the city garrison before proceeding, even though Director Qin had already mentioned that the garrison would vacate the temporarily borrowed training grounds.”

Xu Chun deeply bowed. “It seems my subordinates were hasty, causing a misunderstanding. I apologize to all the brothers of the city garrison. How about this: I’ll host a meal for the brothers of the city garrison and our own. Let us turn swords into plowshares, what do you say?”

Huo Shiduo sized up Xu Chun again, clearly astonished that despite being a fifth-rank official, he was so humble toward a ninth-rank officer. Of course, there was still an edge to his words, insisting that the training grounds “temporarily borrowed” by Director Qin would have to be vacated. But they were both intelligent men, and now was the time to let things go.

However, he still thought about it, glancing at the guards around Xu Chun, who all carried long sabers at their waists and held muskets in their hands. He frankly said, “To be honest, Sir Xu, I deliberately refused to return the garden.”

For a moment, several of the young guards showed expressions of anger and dissatisfaction.

But Xu Chun still wore a smile on his face and asked, bowing, “Commander Huo moves with the grace of a dragon and the strength of a tiger, surely there must be a reason.”

Looking at Xu Chun’s expression, Huo Shiduo wondered secretly if the director was even twenty years old. How could his composure be so profound? He slowly said, “Due to the city garrison’s need to patrol the city and arrest criminals, the garrison premises are narrow, making conducting drills impossible. If we trained outside the city walls, we might not be able to return quickly in case of a city emergency. Martial skills rust if not practiced daily. This Director’s residence has been vacant for many years, so I took the initiative to occupy the rear garden as a training ground for the city garrison soldiers.”

Xu Chun smiled. “I see. Commander Huo cares for the people and is dedicated to his duties, leading his troops well. Xu Chun admires you.” But he didn’t mention anything about giving up the land.

Seeing how worldly and unyielding Xu Chun’s speech was, Huo Shiduo was surprised that his wisdom far exceeded his age. A smile suddenly appeared at the corner of his lips. “This Director’s residence is small and shallow, with dilapidated houses. It’s indeed unsuitable for habitation. Seeing that Sir Xu is as graceful as a willow tree, I assume you already have a wife. Bringing your family to live here would be highly inconvenient. This subordinate has a villa by the sea in the eastern part of the city, meticulously arranged. Why don’t I offer that house to Sir Xu for residence? It would be a gesture of apology from this subordinate. The Director’s residence can continue to be used by the city garrison. Would Sir Xu be willing to give this subordinate some face and allow this arrangement?”

Xu Chun glanced at the soldiers behind Huo Shiduo, all showing moved expressions. Suddenly, he smiled. “The city garrison has needs, and the Board of Revenue often relies on the city garrison to defend the city and catch thieves. We should wholeheartedly accommodate them. However, Commander Huo made a good point earlier, skills rust if not practiced daily. I see that the men I’ve brought with me also need daily training. That’s why I wanted to renovate this Director’s residence, to improve the training grounds for my guards’ use.”

He slightly bowed. “Now I have a way to achieve both goals. After the training grounds are renovated, we can leave a side gate open to the city garrison. The brothers of the city garrison can come over as usual for training. They can also spar with my guards, encouraging each other to improve. What does Commander Huo think of this?”

Huo Shiduo was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Xu Chun to make such a proposal. No matter how you looked at it, the villa near the sea to the east was much better than living here. It would cost at least several thousand taels of silver just to renovate this place. Why was he so insistent on moving in? Looking at Xu Chun, although he was dressed in official robes, his face was as beautiful as jade, his eyes clear. The jade pendant and sword hanging from his waist were both extraordinary, not to mention the group of fierce guards he maintained. This Sir Xu seemed to come from an extraordinary background. All Huo Shiduo had heard previously was that a new director had arrived, but he hadn’t bothered to find out about his background.

Huo Shiduo thought about it and said, “Soldiers entering the residence may cause inconvenience for Sir Xu’s family.”

Xu Chun smiled. “No problem. I live in the inner courtyard, and this rear garden is intended for my guards to reside in. Besides, I’m still unmarried. There are only a few maidservants attending to me, all living in the front rooms. The two courtyards are separate, causing no inconvenience.”

Huo Shiduo looked at the guards again. Xu Chun said, “I saw that Commander Huo was holding a long saber horizontally earlier, displaying great courage. You’re obviously a martial artist. My guard has some skill with a saber. Why don’t we arrange a time for you two to spar? Meeting a worthy opponent with a saber is also a joy in life.”

Chunxi stepped out of the line and bowed.

Huo Shiduo looked at this guard, whose arm muscles bulged, clearly indicating great physical strength. He looked at Xu Chun again, his bright smile and star-like eyes seemingly dismissing the earlier offense entirely. After thinking about it, he said, “As Sir Xu wishes, then we’ll wait for you to finish renovating the residence. If there’s anything the city garrison can help with, feel free to order us. This subordinate will do everything possible.”

Xu Chun smiled again, bowing. “How about I prepare a banquet for both sides to have a meal and resolve today’s conflict?”

Huo Shiduo politely declined. “Sir Xu is too humble. It’s this subordinate who offended you. We have official duties today, so it’s inconvenient. Another day, this subordinate will invite all the officials of the Board of Revenue for a meal to apologize.”

Xu Chun smiled. “There’s no need for politeness. Commander Huo is devoted to public service. Apologies are unnecessary, and neither is a banquet. After all, I’ve just assumed office and established rules – no banquets, no bribes. I can’t break the rules myself. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future.”

Although Huo Shiduo was curious inside, he still flattered him on the surface. “Sir Xu stands above the crowd, your righteousness touches the sky. Huo is in awe.”

They exchanged bows, and finally, everyone dispersed. On this side, Qiuhu of the Board of Revenue led the craftsmen to continue tidying up the garden and repairing the walls.

On the other side, Huo Shiduo returned to the governor’s office with the deputy general and soldiers. As Huo Shiduo walked, he asked the deputy general, “I vaguely heard something the other day, but I didn’t bother to inquire further. Xu Chun, which faction does he belong to?”

Deputy General Luo Ding hurriedly replied, “He’s the son of the Duke of Jing. I heard he offended Li Meiyao in the capital and was sent away to avoid trouble. That’s why he posted notices saying he wouldn’t accept bribes or attend banquets, recruiting talents and abilities.”

Huo Shiduo frowned. “Who’s Li Meiyao?”

Luo Ding laughed. “Although you have no interest in politics, you should still pay attention to current affairs. This Li Meiyao used to be a counselor at the Regent Prince’s Palace. After the regent prince passed away, he went to the Censorate. The emperor values him greatly, appointing him a grand scholar and vice-premier. His personality is extremely aloof, often impeaching officials in court. No matter how high-ranking the official, he dares to impeach them. It’s said that he even impeached the empress dowager.”

Huo Shiduo asked, “Sounds like a good official? How did the Duke of Jing’s son become his enemy?”

Luo Ding recounted the rumors, and Huo Shiduo furrowed his brows deeply. “Going to someone else’s banquet and scolding them for extravagance in front of everyone? Is that called being aloof? If he’s so aloof, why did he attend the banquet in the first place?”

“As for drinking and carousing with prostitutes, flies don’t lay eggs in seamless eggs. If they say the Duke of Jing’s son caused harm, he must have been lacking in virtue first, right? To run scared out of the capital just for a person like that?”

Luo Ding said, “Sir, you aren’t involved in politics, but the higher the rank of the official, the more afraid they are of the censors! Who can guarantee that they won’t make any mistakes? Moreover, even if they take care of themselves, which family doesn’t have relatives and a large household? What if a relative makes a mistake? What if a servant makes a mistake? These censorial officials can report based on hearsay, without needing evidence! With their sharp tongues, who can argue with them?”

“The Duke of Jing holds a hereditary peerage title, naturally he’s afraid. So, he quickly sent his son away. Upon arriving, he posted notices stating that he would not accept money or attend banquets, clearly doing it for everyone to see. Of course, this Prince Xu is indeed rich and probably doesn’t care either. Anyway, he’s just here to escape the turmoil and serve as a peaceful official.”

Huo Shiduo looked at him meaningfully. “A peaceful official? Have you ever seen a peaceful official who travels with such a large group of elite guards, each armed with a musket?”

Luo Ding didn’t think much of it and laughed. “This son of the Duke of Jing is precious and wealthy, so of course, he’d bring more guards.”

But Huo Shiduo asked, “How did they get provoked to draw their muskets today? I was startled when I heard it. When I went over, I saw you all already facing off. If I had been a little later, would there have been bloodshed? How could you be so reckless?”

Luo Ding chuckled and explained, “Didn’t you instruct us not to interfere? The brothers saw them bringing craftsmen to build the wall and encroach on the land. Xiaoqi threw firecrackers over, intending to scare the workers and servants away so they couldn’t work. But unexpectedly, as soon as the firecrackers went off, a large group of guards suddenly appeared, all aiming their muskets and rushing over, their muzzles all pointed at us. Naturally, we were frightened and hastily drew our sabers and weapons, facing off against them.”

Huo Shiduo frowned. “Such alertness, skilled formation, and swift action can only be achieved through long-term strict training. Compared to them, you guys are truly inferior.”

Luo Ding complained, “I want to practice more too, but these muskets are precious! Our city garrison only has three! Look at them, each one has a musket! And I saw their horses! All fat and strong, Western horses!”

Huo Shiduo laughed. Luo Ding didn’t know what he was laughing about and scratched the back of his head, puzzled. “What are you laughing at, Commander Huo?”

Huo Shiduo said, “Leading troops with skill, not boasting or being arrogant, being humble to his subordinates, and remaining unperturbed by honor and disgrace, such a person. I laugh at those who still think this young man came here to be a peaceful official. They’re going to fall flat on their faces.”