Chapter 23: The Green Omen (V)

The soft grass and flat reeds were fresh after the rain; the light sand allowed one to walk without sinking. Green sleeves fluttered in the wind, entwined with willow fluff—life’s true joy lies in these gentle pleasures…

Not far from Chang’an City lay vast fields stretching as far as the eye could see. A gentle breeze stirred, creating waves of emerald green. The rain had just stopped, and the wheat fields outside Chang’an were dressed in a bright, elegant new coat, accompanied by the faint fragrance of green soil, making one’s bones feel soft.

Along a path not far from the main road, a few officials from Chang’an took some time for themselves, riding out of the city toward their estates by the Wei River…

This year truly brought a good harvest. As spring began, several gentle rains fell in succession. It seemed the Dragon King had bestowed his favor—the wheat shone with an oily glow. Chen Baogui was so happy he couldn’t stop smiling; he even picked up a plow and sat in the fields, humming a tune. The land in Guanzhong was indeed more valuable than elsewhere. Though his share was smaller than that of other counties, as the old saying goes, “The mountains are high, the emperor is far—still, tribute must be paid.” Even though they had a little more land, they still had to pay the imperial taxes and the county magistrate’s share. Missing even a little could mean being taken to the yamen and punished for “disrespecting the law,” only to be dragged out like a dead dog.

In the imperial vicinity, under the emperor’s rule, who could the county magistrate possibly be more powerful than the emperor himself in Chang’an? Even if the magistrate were bold, he wouldn’t dare bring guards and shackles to seize food from his own fields. If any official caught wind of this, a letter to the emperor could cost him his head. Though those officials might be heartless, they wouldn’t engage in a losing deal. With their position in the imperial region, they earned plenty of silver each year—why would they hoard their own food?

With so many nobles in Chang’an, the fields in the suburbs also benefited. Grains and vegetables sold to the city’s restaurants were priced many times higher than when sold to peasants. In a good harvest year, not only could they have enough food and clothing, but they could also save some silver to buy fabric in the city and make new clothes for their wives. Their two sons were approaching adulthood. Chen Baogui planned to keep the elder with him to help out and send the younger to an pawnshop in the city to learn the trade. If he became a full-fledged employee, he’d not only earn a monthly salary but also receive a bonus at the end of the year.

The more Chen Baogui thought about it, the more excited he became. He picked up a bunch of wheat stalks and skillfully woven a grasshopper.

More and more pedestrians appeared on both sides of the official road. Tenants from wealthy families carried hoes and led cattle and sheep as they passed by, but Chen Baogui had no interest in greeting them. Most of them were poor people who couldn’t fill their stomachs, no matter how much grain they harvested, it never reached their own mouths. With a slight smirk, Chen Baogui turned his head away.

“Uncle Baogui!”

A young man dressed in a coarse blue robe jumped down from a blue-and-white mule and ran toward him.

“Xiao Liu, weren’t you working at the clinic in the city? Why did you leave?” Chen Baogui stood up and replied after brushing the dust off his hands. Xiao Liu was the only son of his third brother and had been sent to a clinic in Chang’an City to work since childhood. Now he was already a registered apprentice, which filled Chen Baogui with pride.

“Doctor Xu from our shop went home to visit his family. Since we had nothing to do, the owner gave us three days off,” Xiao Liu said with a laugh as he stepped forward a few more times.

“Oh.” Chen Baogui glanced suspiciously at the people behind his nephew and forced himself to straighten his slightly hunched back.

Seeing his uncle’s expression, Xiao Liu found it amusing and quickly explained, “Uncle Baogui, these are all my friends. This is County Magistrate Zhang Xun, this is Zhang Yanji, the son of the Vice Prime Minister, and this is Li Kuo, the only son of the former Left Prime Minister.”

After pointing around, Xiao Liu finally made Chen Baogui understand the identities of the guests. The old man was quite frightened. The highest officials he usually saw were just the village head. Now there were county magistrates, vice prime ministers, and the son of a left prime minister—Chen Baogui was stunned, rubbing his hands together, not knowing where to put them.

“Xiao Liu, how do you know so many noble officials? It seems the ancestral graves of our Chen family are emitting smoke!” After thinking for a long time, Chen Baogui finally managed to say this. Everyone held back their laughter.

Li Kuo bowed to Chen Baogui and said, “Old man, don’t believe what Xiao Liu is saying. Those claims about being the son of a left prime minister are from years ago. Now, I’m just a poor scholar. Please don’t be formal with me.”

“I dare not, I dare not,” Chen Baogui said quickly, waving his hands at Li Kuo. Glancing at Nan Jiyun and Lei Wanchun behind Li Kuo, he thought to himself that a poor scholar could afford such valiant bodyguards? Could a poor scholar afford to take leisurely walks in the suburbs?

“Young masters, have you gotten thirsty after being out for so long? Our well water is sweet!”

Chen Baogui suddenly had an idea: if his second son could win the favor of these young masters and stay by their side, wouldn’t he have a bright future? In such wealthy families, it’s said that “each emperor has his own ministers.” Having his second son follow around a young master now wasn’t much of a thing. But once that young master became the head of the family, wouldn’t his second son at least end up as an administrator?

“No need. We have important matters to attend to on this trip. Xiao Liu saw you from afar and came by the way, so we won’t trouble you further,” Li Kuo replied with a smile.

Chen Baogui didn’t dare insist any longer and said apologetically, “I heard there’s a gathering in the village soon. The heroes of the Qingke Alliance will perform on the spot, and many young people are going to watch.”

Zhang Xun was surprised upon hearing this. “Elder, does the Qingke Alliance really dare to appear openly in the capital region?”

“That’s right. These heroes of the Qingke Alliance not only help the poor but also fight against evil. I heard that many farmers in Hedong and Jibei who are struggling have joined their ranks. If it weren’t for good harvests in Guanzhong, many strong men might have been recruited by them as well.”

Zhang Xun thought to himself that since things had changed, it would be better to go to the gathering first to find out more before making plans.

“Elder, where exactly will the Qingke Alliance perform? When will it start?”

Although he wasn’t sure why the county magistrate was so interested in this, Chen Baogui patiently explained word by word, “It’s on the open field at the east end of the village, right next to the village chief’s house. Xiao Liu knows the location. It should start around noon. We can still make it if we go now.”

“Thank you! We’ll go too to see the excitement.”

After bowing to Chen Baogui, Zhang Xun spurred his horse and headed east toward the village.

Riding fast, they soon arrived at Tuoling Village. There’s a story behind the name of this village. Since the imperial city was located in the north, off-limits to ordinary people, most caravans coming from the west or north would take a route around the south of the city. Tuoling Village was situated on this necessary route. Whenever large caravans passed by, the sound of camel bells filled the air, giving the village its name.

Led by Chen Xiao Liu, they quickly reached the open field at the east end of the village. Although it was nearly noon and the sun was shining brightly, the place was already crowded, with hardly any space to stand.

“Brother Kuo, it’s really lively here. Last year when I went to the Persian festival with Grandpa, I didn’t think it was that exciting. I never imagined a rural market could be so bustling. Interesting, really interesting,” Zhang Yanji said, looking around curiously.

“Keep quiet. We’re not here to have fun,” Li Kuo replied helplessly, shaking his head softly.

“Oh,” the young man replied with a slight pout.

The urban layout of the Tang Dynasty followed a market-block system, so merchants gathered in the eastern and western markets, starting and stopping according to the sounds of bells and drums. In contrast, rural villages mostly had informal markets; though not as large as urban markets, they required no registration. With the sky as a roof and the ground as a stall, they were quite lively.

Pushing forward through the crowd, I saw a row of rural men standing in the way, with occasional sounds of admiration coming from them.

Nan Jiyun turned sideways and stepped lightly past them.

Inside the circle, three men stood with their chests and bellies exposed, a green dragon coiled across their backs. All three wore the same “suo tou” hairstyle (Note 1) with their hair loose and wearing clothes with the left side open. The leader bowed to the villagers and said, “Dear fellow villagers, today the Green Guest Alliance has come here to perform. I hope you’ll give us your support.”

After saying that, he picked up twometeor hammers hammers and charged at the other two men, who each held a set of iron chains, swinging them swiftly. Seeing the man advancing instead of retreating, they tried to wrap the chains around him. Strangely, the chains seemed to be under some magic—upon touching the hammers, they curled like venomous snakes into a circle. In the blink of an eye, the man with the hammers lost all strength and could resist at all.

Just as everyone thought he would surrender, he closed his eyes tightly, murmuring silently. His cheeks twitched, and his face turned green—quite terrifying.

Before long, a loud shout was heard. The man with the hammers bent his left leg slightly, shifted his weight backward, and with a swift twist, used the momentum to throw the man on his right aside.

Free from one restraint, the strong man became even more agile. Muttering something under his breath, he used his left leg as a pivot and spun around. His murmuring grew faster, and the man’s face turned from green to blue. Soon, it was impossible to see the two men’s figures. In an instant, he tapped his hammer lightly, and a powerful shockwave spread from the hammer to the chains. The man holding the chains couldn’t avoid it and was lifted into the air, spinning around the strong man.

Another loud shout, and the hammer instantly broke the restraint. The man with the chains lost his balance and flew out, crashing heavily onto the yellow soil and raising a cloud of dust.

Note 1: Suo tou: A hairstyle of the northern barbarians, characterized by loose hair and clothes worn with the left side open.