Chen Ji sized up the thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy before him.

The boy’s tiger mouth (the area between thumb and forefinger) had thick calluses and fine, twisted scars, clearly indicating he had handled a saber for many years. It looked like he had been outmatched in a saber duel, and his tiger mouth had been split open from the force.

A two-chi-long short saber hung at the boy’s waist, he wore a pair of straw sandals, and his cheeks were purplish-red from sun and wind exposure. There was also an undeniable cleverness in his eyes.

When people passed by them, they would smile and greet the boy, “A-Sheng is back?”

A-Sheng would patiently respond to everyone, “Greetings, Seventh Brother Zhang.”

The boy was like a sapling rooted and growing in Chongliguan, brimming with vigorous vitality.

A-Sheng turned to Chen Ji, “Young Master, are you really not buying military merits? Young Masters Li and Wang from the Xuan Zuofu Qianhu Suo are also waiting to buy military merits. If you don’t want them, I’ll go ask them.”

Chen Ji refused again, “I’m not buying military merits.”

A-Sheng was stunned. “Not buying?”

Chen Ji reiterated firmly, “Not buying.”

A-Sheng looked puzzled. “Is Young Master worried I’m selling fakes?”

He took off the cloth bag slung over his shoulder, opened the pocket, and let Chen Ji see the ears preserved in lime inside. “Look, they’re all right ears. I cut them all off myself. I would never try to fool anyone with left ears… I do long-term business with Master Hong.”

With that, he daringly pulled an ear from the cloth bag and offered it to Chen Ji as if it were not an ear, but a piece of sorghum candy.

Chen Ji glanced at the ear but still refused. “I really won’t buy.”

A-Sheng’s eyes darted around. “Young Master must be from a big place, I’m guessing the capital?”

Chen Ji said unblinkingly, “How did you guess?”

A-Sheng chuckled. “At first glance, Young Master’s black cloth clothes seem ordinary, but on closer inspection, they’re not simple. The subtle entwined lotus patterns on the cloth are fine and neat. If I’m not mistaken, this outfit is identical on both sides, so you can wear it either way.”

Chen Ji asked again, “How does that prove I’m from the capital?”

This outfit had been given to him by Chen Lizun earlier. From afar, the black cloth appeared patternless, with no gold or silver threads to show wealth. Only up close could one see the entwined lotus patterns. He wore it as ordinary clothing and didn’t think it was particularly valuable.

A-Sheng gave a knowing grin. “Your clothes probably weren’t custom-made by you, but by someone very particular. This fabric is kesi, which can only be woven by the Jiangning Weaving Bureau. As the saying goes, ‘an inch of kesi is an inch of gold,’ usually only used for dragon robes, court attire, or mounting calligraphy by master artists. Such things can only be obtained by high-ranking officials in the capital. If sent to Liaoyang Fu in Jingchao Shangjing, one roll could fetch several hundred taels of silver.”

Chen Ji re-examined A-Sheng.

A-Sheng glanced at the brick house behind Chen Ji. “Young Master, you probably don’t know the benefits of buying military merits, do you?”

Chen Ji said casually, “I’d like to hear about it in detail.”

A-Sheng smiled and explained, “Look how crowded it is where you live. Over fifty people sleep on one large communal bed. Not to mention the sweaty feet smell, at night you have to compete to see who falls asleep first. If you’re a slow sleeper, you’ll just have to listen to others snore.”

Chen Ji asked, “What if one becomes a Baihu?”

A-Sheng pointed to a row of blue brick houses not far away. “If you become a Baihu, you can live there, with your own private house and yard, and never have to listen to others grinding their teeth or farting again. Moreover, Baihu have their own separate meals, and Qianhu have theirs.”

Chen Ji asked curiously, “I heard one ear is one hundred taels of silver?”

A-Sheng nodded, “That’s right.”

Chen Ji was even more curious. “If a good-for-nothing bought ten ears and became a Baihu, wouldn’t that lead to the deaths of hundreds of foot soldiers?”

A-Sheng laughed heartily, “No, it won’t. This Chongliguan is said to have two wei of soldiers, but in reality, there are only over eight thousand people. The Zongbing knows this and will assign you a nominal Baihu position, with no soldiers under your command.”

Chen Ji was taken aback. “So many vacancies? What happens if war breaks out?”

A-Sheng replied indifferently, “With so many fewer people, the grain and rations are barely enough for the brothers to eat their fill. If there were more people, everyone would starve. Besides, if a real fight breaks out, the imperial three divisions’ soldiers will be at the front. The foot soldiers of Chongliguan just repair city walls and do odd jobs.”

Chen Ji pondered for a moment, then finally shook his head and refused. “Forget it, I didn’t bring that much silver with me when I left. That’s the truth.”

A-Sheng quickly said, “Ninety-eight taels is fine too.”

Chen Ji changed the subject. “You have many connections. If I wanted to become a Yebushou, how much silver would it cost?”

A-Sheng raised an eyebrow. “You want to be a Yebushou? Why do you want to be a Yebushou?”

Chen Ji smiled and said, “I saw you and Master Hong return earlier and thought being a Yebushou was quite impressive.”

But A-Sheng shook his head. “Young Master, do you know what a Yebushou is? It’s a scout who doesn’t return to the pass even after nightfall. Chongliguan’s gates and barriers never wait for a Yebushou. Young Master only sees the glory of being a Yebushou, but doesn’t know that ‘ten do not return three.’ Out of ten who go out, it’s considered good if three come back.”

Chen Ji asked curiously, “Then why do you still want to be a Yebushou?”

A-Sheng grinned. “I have a worthless life, I’m not afraid. My father was also a Yebushou and died outside the pass. My mother died of illness. Master Hong said I was just over a year old when my mother died. When he found me, I had been lying beside my mother for three days. Our dog stole fruits to feed me, which is how I survived. Master Hong said I shouldn’t be called Yebushou, but Tianbushou (heaven does not receive).”

Chen Ji was silent. “Is there no other way to become a Yebushou?”

A-Sheng shook his head. “I’m not a Yebushou either. Yebushou relies on competition. Without real skill, the Zongbing won’t approve. And… are you married with children?”

Chen Ji probed, “Why do you ask that?”

A-Sheng stated matter-of-factly, “Yebushou cannot be childless.”

Chen Ji didn’t understand. “What kind of rule is that?”

A-Sheng grinned. “That’s an old rule in Chongliguan. Yebushou, ‘ten do not return three,’ must leave behind an heir before going out. Master Hong adopted me because of this rule, otherwise, he couldn’t be a Yebushou. Later, Master Hong became very skilled, so he was specially allowed to take me out of the pass. Among the Yebushou who have survived Chongliguan for over ten years, it’s just him and Uncle Baizi.”

Chen Ji frowned, thinking that Emperor Ning probably didn’t know about this rule in Chongliguan, nor had he paid attention to it.

But what about himself? It was too late to have a child now… and it wasn’t worth it.

A-Sheng turned and left. “It’s normal that you don’t trust me now, but when you want to buy military merits, you can find me at the small house next to the blacksmith’s shop north of the city.”

Chen Ji returned to the courtyard and continued slowly weaving straw sandals until sunset, by which time he had made a crooked one that left half of his foot exposed when he wore it.

Zhang Tonggou and others pointed at his leaky straw sandals and burst out laughing. “The young master from the capital is so clumsy.”

Chen Ji didn’t mind his comical appearance and laughed along. “I’m really not some young master. I’m also a ‘mud-legged’ person; it’s just that I really haven’t woven straw sandals before. When I was an apprentice at a medical hall, I had to fetch water every day, and the floor had to be wiped first with a wet cloth, then with a dry one. My fellow apprentices took turns emptying the night pots, which stank to high heaven.”

Zhang Tonggou was slightly surprised. He had seen idle, merit-seeking noble offspring before, but if those were the people, they would have started throwing tantrums by now. “You don’t sound like you’re lying. Why would a noble like you be an apprentice in a medical hall?”

Li A-Hu extended his wrist, half-believing, half-doubting. “Then take my pulse. If you say it’s a ‘happy pulse’ (pregnancy), I’ll hit you.”

Chen Ji sat cross-legged on the ground and took off his straw sandals. “I’m a庶子 (son born to a concubine). I didn’t learn much in two years at the medical hall, but I was quite happy as an apprentice there, much happier than now.”

“So, a庶子,” Zhang Tonggou exchanged glances with the others. “Then why did you come to Chongliguan to seek military merits? There are also rules for noble offspring. Those Baihu and Qianhu have a set of secret codes that mean the opposite of what they say. Those with the best family background go to the Xuan Zuofu Qianhu Suo, where the labor is lighter, and they don’t have to go out of the pass. The Xuan Qianfu Qianhu Suo is different; they’re assigned the toughest and most exhausting tasks.”

Li A-Hu also wondered, “Yes, if you’re assigned the task of logging outside the pass, you might not come back alive. Did you offend someone before you came here, kid?”

Chen Ji frowned slightly. There was such a saying?

Then, he mused, someone must have deliberately arranged for him not to become a Yebushou.

Strange.

If they truly wanted to harm him, they should have made him the most dangerous Yebushou. If they wanted to protect him, they should have simply put him in the Xuan Zuofu.

Now, placing him in the neither-here-nor-there Xuan Qianfu, what was the intention? This confused Chen Ji.

At this moment, Zhang Tonggou called out, “Why don’t you just buy straw sandals from us? Why bother weaving them yourself? We won’t cheat you, five wen a pair.”

Chen Ji smiled and replied, “I won’t buy them. It’s something I’ll learn sooner or later. Look, the ‘warp ropes’ I twisted this time are better than last time. I’ve remembered all your straw sandal weaving techniques: first weave the warp ropes, then the sole, then the toe-cap and the upper…”

Zhang Tonggou was silent for a moment, then picked up a pair of finished straw sandals from beside him and tossed them to Chen Ji. “Here’s a pair for you; I weave quickly anyway. When you learn to weave, you can return a pair to me.”

Chen Ji wasn’t pretentious and put them on briskly. “Thank you.”

He stood up and walked back and forth a couple of steps. “Good, finally a pair of shoes to wear.”

Zhang Tonggou pointed at him and said to the others, “Now I believe he’s also a ‘mud-legged’ person. Those young masters all complain our straw sandals prick their feet.”