Chapter 2699: The Capital (Part 55)

Old Feng laughed. "Little bastard, you've got guts! You'll be someone of consequence one day!"

Little Bazi clumsily remounted his donkey and rode slowly alongside Liao Sanniang. Through their conversation, the two grew much closer.

"Although your son lacks talent," Little Bazi said, "I hope to make some progress so I won't bring shame upon my Adoptive Mother. In the future, I will need your patient guidance."

Liao Sanniang smiled. "I noticed long ago at the Bureau that you're observant and capable. I had already intended to take you under my wing—even if you hadn't asked, I would have trained you into someone talented. We martial artists don't stand on empty formalities; we judge only by strength and courage. Since ancient times, martial arts have encompassed horsemanship, archery, spear and saber, and weightlifting—the so-called Horse, Step, Bow, Blade, and Stone. The foundation is building strength. Without strength, all martial arts are useless. If an opponent thrusts a spear at you and you can't parry it, you'll simply be stabbed to death." She paused to regard him. "Let me test you: do you know about that military examination from a few years ago?"

Little Bazi tilted his head in thought. "Are you speaking of the Palace Examination for the Military Zhuangyuan?"

Liao Sanniang nodded approvingly. "You actually know of it."

"I was younger then," Little Bazi said, "but I vaguely remember when the results of the Metropolitan Military Examination were posted that year. Only two candidates could wield the hundred-jin heavy halberd, yet one was rejected and only one accepted. Critics all called it unfair, and the matter caused quite a stir in the capital."

Liao Sanniang nodded. "That was the fourth year of Chongzhen. The rejected candidate was named Xu Yanqi, and the other was Wang Laipin. Later, at the Palace Examination, Wang Laipin became the Zhuangyuan. That Xu Yanqi was unlucky and didn't achieve the 'Triple First,' but if he hadn't been able to wield the hundred-jin blade that day and display his prowess, who would have stood up to argue on his behalf?"

"Not getting first place is fine too—saves your rear from being poked!" Old Feng laughed.

"Poked? Poked... rear?" Little Bazi was dumbfounded.

In the Ming military examinations, there existed an inexplicable and vulgar tradition: after the Military Zhuangyuan was named and paraded through the streets draped in red, the clerks and officials would swarm up, shouting "Poke the Zhuangyuan's rear!" The Zhuangyuan would have to flee in disarray, only being released once he reached the gates of the Ministry of Rites.

Hearing Old Feng's explanation, everyone laughed. Little Bazi said indignantly, "What kind of custom is that? Setting aside how crude it is, it's an extreme insult to martial artists."

Liao Sanniang laughed. "You always mix in these irrelevant trifles! I'm discussing serious matters here!"

She sighed softly, a touch of emotion crossing her face. After a moment, she continued: "My Liao family has its own methods for throwing, catching, and lifting stone locks, supplemented by massage and kneading, along with external application of ointments. This is the systematic training and recovery method passed down from the Great Song. I have practiced it since childhood—it is the best way to increase strength without causing injury. Once we've finished our business here, I will pass it on to you."

Little Bazi said hastily, "Thank you, Adoptive Mother."

After traveling for a while, Little Bazi asked again, "Adoptive Mother, what school of martial arts do we belong to?"

"My skills are family heirlooms," Liao Sanniang replied. "Martial arts in this age rarely circulate; each family guards their secrets jealously. Therefore, aside from military martial arts, most techniques are passed down within families from father to son or between brothers. Even the Shaolin Temple, starting from Master Fuyu in the Yuan Dynasty, established a generation lineage system based on secular clan laws, passing down the mantle from master to disciple through the generations, much like blood inheritance."

She paused, then added: "Although my family uses the saber—specifically the single saber—my own saber technique was not inherited from my family but from the lineage of Lady Wa."

Little Bazi asked, "Which hero is this Lady Wa?"

"Lady Wa was of the Shizhu Pacification Commission," Liao Sanniang replied. "In the thirty-third year of Jiajing, when Japanese pirates invaded the coast, the Jiajing Emperor conscripted Lady Wa from Tianzhou in Guangxi to command the native troops and 'Wolf Soldiers' of various prefectures against the pirates. Lady Wa, at sixty years of age, led the army herself, bringing her sons and grandsons, traveling ten thousand li to quell the disaster. Before battle, she swore: 'On this expedition, I vow not to live under the same sky as these pirates.' In February, she arrived in Suzhou and was assigned by Governor-General Zhang Jing to serve under General Yu Dayou. Afterward, she fought continuous battles with the Japanese pirates at Jinshan and Songjiang. The Wolf Soldiers were brave and fierce, beheading over a hundred enemies. The pirates' morale shattered, and they retreated to Zhelin. In April, Yan Song's adopted son Zhao Wenhua pressured Zhang Jing to send Lady Wa to attack Zhelin. When she reached Caojing, she was ambushed. The pirates encircled her several times over. Lady Wa, with her hair unbound and her saber dancing, charged back and forth on horseback. The pirates tried to drag her horse down by the tail, nearly tearing all its hair out, but the Lady fought through the blood, broke the siege, and seized the pass. Later, joining with the main army, she defeated the Japanese pirates and sea barbarians at Wangjiangjing. To this day, the local folk song 'Flower Family Wa, Can Kill Japs' is still sung." Her voice grew fervent. "Lady Wa: body aged but heart still strong, spirit firm through endless battles. Thinking of it now still makes my blood boil. I hate that I was not born in that era to kill pirates at her side." As she spoke, Liao Sanniang involuntarily clenched her right hand into a fist and struck her left palm.

She paused, then continued: "Ten years ago, I accompanied my father to Guangzhou. One day, I spotted an old Li tribesman selling furs in the market. My father noticed that his bearing was dignified and extraordinary. Upon conversing with him, we learned that his female ancestor had been a captain under Lady Wa who had learned Lady Wa's Double Saber techniques. I admired Lady Wa's loyalty and courage and wished to emulate her, so I begged my father to part with a sum of money to let me apprentice under him and learn this Double Saber method." She grew wistful. "I've heard that Xiang Yuanchi, the Young Hero of Tiandu, received Lady Wa's true transmission. If I had the fortune to learn from him, it would be a wonderful thing. But counting the years, he should have passed away long ago. Even if he were alive, his age would be extreme—I fear it impossible." She shook her head with regret.

Little Bazi said no more, but committed the lineage to memory.

After a moment, he asked, "Lady Sanniang, have you seen officials of the Great Song? What do these Aussie-Song officials look like?"

Liao Sanniang considered the question. "As the women's representative for the escort industry, I attended the Women's Representative Congress and met Officer Du of the Women's Federation. This Women's Federation is a government office specifically managing women's affairs."

Hearing this, Little Bazi said, "Oh, so it's the Great Song's Jiaofangsi."

Liao Sanniang giggled. "Not at all. The Jiaofangsi manages actors and entertainers. The Great Song does have various literary and art troupes, but those are managed by Culture and Education. The Women's Federation commands all women under heaven. Whether you are a chaste martyr or a brothel whore, you fall under her jurisdiction." Her expression became amused. "Officer Du is a female official, but she... hmm, her conduct is quite erratic. Whether they are the Prime Ministers and Vice Ministers at the center, or the Ministers and Vice Ministers of the Six Ministries, they all flee when they see her coming. Even Minister Wen and Director Ma get headaches over her. Everyone calls her 'The Queen'—she is an awkward figure in the Political Hall."

Little Bazi clicked his tongue. "Mother, a woman with such official authority? What tremendous prestige."

"It's not exactly official authority," Liao Sanniang said. "Those Senators seem almost like they've been cowed by a tiger. After the women's meeting that day, I saw Director Xiao of the General Office conversing with several Senators. When they spotted Officer Du approaching, Director Xiao's face instantly changed color. He shouted 'The Heroine holds court!' and everyone scattered at once." She looked puzzled. "But I observed that Officer Du appeared frail—not like someone who practices martial arts. I cannot fathom what formidable boxing technique she employs. Still, she treated me well and introduced me at audiences several times."

Little Bazi asked curiously, "What is this General Office?"

"It's like the inner court service and attendant squads in the Forbidden City," Liao Sanniang explained. "But the Aussie-Song has a figurehead monarch and no Great Inner Palace, so this General Office has become the bureau that serves the Senators."

Little Bazi looked confused. "Then what would that be comparable to?"

Liao Sanniang was growing impatient with the continuous questions and replied offhandedly, "It's the Twenty-Four Yamen."

Little Bazi's face lit with understanding. "Oh, so it's the Directorate of Ceremonial. This Director Xiao must be a Grand Eunuch of the palace—perhaps the Director of Ceremonial?"

Liao Sanniang hurriedly corrected him. "No, no, no. He's more akin to the head of the Aussie-Song's Clan Court. Oh, and the personal bodyguards of the Senators are also deployed by the General Office. If you have real skill and can be selected for that duty in the future, it would be like green smoke rising from your ancestral grave."

Little Bazi sighed wistfully. "If only I knew where my ancestral grave was!"

Old Feng said, "What does an ancestral grave matter? Death is like a lamp going out—why cling to a dirt mound? You are young now and have apprenticed under Liao Sanniang. The Great Song's national power grows stronger by the day; your future is boundless."

Liao Sanniang tilted her head in thought. "At first, when I attended the Great Song's celebrations, I expected to see the robes and caps of the Imperial Song again and witness the majesty of the imperial insignia. But when they emerged, I saw only simple ceremonial guards. All the Senators had short hair and short tunics with buttons down the front. Even those who kept their hair wore it loose. There were no purple robes or golden fish pouches, no long-legged soft caps. Their shirts were so short they couldn't cover their bellies—dressed like short-term hired laborers. Yet each tried his best to project an air of solemnity and dignity. The common people watching all laughed in secret." She smirked. "To use a new phrase, they 'felt good about themselves.' How one sees oneself and how others see one is always different—truly, ugliness knows not itself. Furthermore, the Great Song Senators are all fair-skinned and flabby. At a glance, they all resemble eunuchs." Recalling the appearances of the various Senators, Liao Sanniang found it increasingly amusing and couldn't help covering her mouth to stifle her giggles.

Little Bazi looked puzzled, unable to imagine such an appearance. After all, Manager Leng looked no different from the local merchant masters in both appearance and temperament—only appearing far more capable than they did.

Old Feng took a puff of his pipe and said leisurely, "Lady Sanniang! You should watch your tongue when speaking to a child! Don't let him learn to be loose-tongued—it will cause big trouble in the future!"

Liao Sanniang said hastily, "We are only joking a bit here in this remote place. In the future, if you follow me back to Lingao, you must not forget your place and spout such nonsense."

Little Bazi nodded and asked, "Do we address the Senators as 'Grand Master'?"

"No," Liao Sanniang said. "In the Great Song, they are called 'Chief'—Shouzhang. 'Head'—Shou—means superior; superior means noble. 'Senior'—Zhang—means prior; prior means respected. Being both respected and noble, they are the Chiefs."

Little Bazi committed this to memory. "Your son understands. In the future, when I arrive in Lingao, I will never confuse the order of rank."

Liao Sanniang's voice grew warm. "In the future, I will take you brothers to Lingao myself. See the sky there, see the land there, see the Wenlan River banks blooming like brocade, see the lights of East Gate Market stretching for ten li. See this dazzling world. See this magnificent landscape."

After speaking, Liao Sanniang gave a clear, ringing laugh, spurred her horse into a light gallop, and caught up with the main group.

Little Bazi hurriedly urged his mule to follow closely behind.

In the waist-high dry grass beside the road, a clump of blades was pushed aside. Through the gap, a pair of eyes silently watched the mule cart depart. After a moment, the grass rustled shut, leaving behind only a deathly silence.

(End of Chapter)