Chapter 140: The Head Honcho of Anping Demands Peace (Part 2)

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People hurried back and forth across the compound. The physicians and apothecaries who had come to examine the patient had sweat beading on their foreheads, while three or four of them crowded into a single room. Though the room was by no means small, it still felt unbearably cramped. It was the dead of night, yet the entire place blazed with light.

Big Brother Zhang stared at his younger brother, his face filled with vexation and remorse. He could not understand which part of his own plans had gone wrong, or how he had allowed his brother to end up in such a state.

Several physicians shook their heads again and again. Just as everyone was about to give up, one physician said that he could try, though he could not guarantee success. Big Brother Zhang immediately ordered him to begin and promised that, if he succeeded, he would be richly rewarded.

The operation continued throughout the entire night. Even after the rooster crowed, it had not yet ended. Big Brother Zhang and his family waited anxiously for the outcome, too worried to rest. They had servants bring the physician tea and water, asking only that he save Zhang Jifeng’s life.

At last, Zhang Jifeng’s life was saved, though they would have to observe his condition before knowing whether he had truly passed the critical stage. Afterward, however, his condition took a sharp turn for the worse. It seemed unlikely that he would ever fully recover his former health. At this point, there was no time to worry about such matters; in the future, Big Brother Zhang certainly would not allow Zhang Jifeng to handle blades or weapons again.

Big Brother Zhang could not understand why the assailant had insisted on making enemies of both Shorty Huang and Zhang Jifeng. By now, it was virtually certain that Wang Gemao was behind it. Even so, they still had to rely on facts and reason. Without evidence, every supposition would amount to slander. Besides, Anping County was a small place, and no one could escape Magistrate Wang’s reach.

A single anguished cry was enough to convey Big Brother Zhang’s feelings. No wonder the man had first sent away his trusted aides and then dealt with Shorty Huang. That way, there was no reliable messenger left to run errands for him; even with money, he had nowhere to spend it. And if his younger brother were brought down, the entire Zhang family would be finished in Anping County.

Before dawn the next day, Big Brother Zhang went out in search of able-bodied men who might help him. Yet the entire county seemed to have conspired against him. Though Zhang Jifeng had plainly been stabbed in the middle of the night, everyone in the streets and alleys—men, women, and children alike—already knew about it. It was not merely that he could find no laborers; even the weapons merchants refused to sell him anything. He had reached the point where he possessed money but could not spend it.

Realizing that matters had taken a disastrous turn, Big Brother Zhang hurried home to see whether the physician was still there. Fortunately, the man remained, desperately fighting to save Zhang Jifeng.

“Thank goodness you are still here, sir! Otherwise, what would become of my brother...?”

The physician’s lips lifted unnaturally as he replied, “I once received a favor from Constable Zhang. I have come to repay that debt. Once he regains consciousness, I shall leave.”

Big Brother Zhang asked anxiously, “Why? Has the entire county refused to accept my money? Whose orders are these?”

“I truly cannot say. Anping County is a small place, and no one dares provoke trouble.”

Those words made everything clear to Big Brother Zhang. Who else could confront him head-on and seal off the entire county? After such a series of blows, even the most foolish and ignorant person would understand what it meant.

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With three or four servants behind him, Big Brother Zhang arrived at the magistrate’s office and began hammering furiously on the courtroom drum. Only by striking it until the sound split the heavens could he vent the fury in his heart.

The minor official who came out to receive him seemed to have been prepared, yet he still put on an astonished expression.

“Why would the eldest master of the wealthy Zhang family come to the magistrate’s office to lodge a complaint? What injustice has befallen you?”

Big Brother Zhang did not even look at him. He thought the man’s question showed a complete lack of basic courtesy.

“Tell Magistrate Wang to get up at once. We have an urgent matter to discuss.”

Before long, Wang Gemao and Big Brother Zhang stood facing each other in the courtroom. The atmosphere was exceedingly strange. Though the air was not quite tense enough to suggest drawn swords, both men were holding their breath and refusing to yield an inch.

“Magistrate Wang, I do not know who stabbed my brother and injured the chief constable of the magistrate’s office. I believe the culprit should be made to pay the price he deserves!”

Wang Gemao remained unmoved. Watching Big Brother Zhang’s anxious expression, he seemed almost able to foresee his own victory.

“Oh? Someone actually dared to stab Constable Zhang? How utterly audacious! I shall investigate the matter thoroughly. Please calm yourself, Big Brother Zhang.”

This was no comfort at all. Wang Gemao was plainly trying to distance himself from the affair, and Big Brother Zhang refused to let it go.

“I have also discovered that the entire county is unwilling to let me purchase even basic necessities. May I ask, Magistrate, I am merely a law-abiding merchant—what exactly have I done?”

“The harvest was abundant the year before last. It was thanks to you, Big Brother Zhang, that the surplus grain could be put to use. The residents of the eastern district were previously in an uproar, insisting that they would prevent the relocation. After you persuaded them, they finally settled down. And as for the private academy, it was only with your support that the teachers were willing to come here and teach, thereby solving the employment problems of many people!”

Wang Gemao’s words carried an ulterior meaning. On the surface, he was praising Big Brother Zhang for his generosity. But what did he really mean? Big Brother Zhang understood perfectly. “Putting the surplus grain to use” was nothing more than colluding with Physician Du to pocket the grain instead of distributing it to the state treasury.

As for persuading the residents to relocate, once the people of the eastern district moved away, the feng shui surrounding the Zhang family would be disrupted. How could they possibly tolerate that? Naturally, Big Brother Zhang had sent his servants to beat the troublemakers soundly, teaching them who truly held power in Anping County.

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As for the final matter, that so-called sponsorship of a private academy was even more outrageous. Big Brother Zhang had indeed paid for the school, but only the children of his own family were allowed to attend. No one else, not even their neighbors, had that right.

Every teacher in Anping County had been brought into the Zhang family’s private academy to teach. Those who resisted were dealt with by fists and feet. No one dared refuse Big Brother Zhang.

Yet in this matter, Big Brother Zhang had suffered the consequences of his own actions. Not one of his children had the talent for scholarship, but the teachers’ lessons could not simply be discontinued. In modern terms, it was an imbalance in the allocation of resources, producing a thoroughly absurd situation.

Big Brother Zhang understood the implication behind Wang Gemao’s words, but he continued to play dumb.

“They were only minor achievements, hardly worth mentioning. They are nothing compared with your own selflessness and incorruptibility, Magistrate Wang.”

Wang Gemao’s smile was naturally stiff. Whether it was selflessness or incorruptibility, neither was a compliment he could accept with a clear conscience.

Big Brother Zhang signaled for Wang Gemao to dismiss everyone nearby, saying that the two of them had private matters to discuss. Wang Gemao hesitated for a moment, but ultimately agreed.

Big Brother Zhang continued, “Since neither of us is a fool, let us speak plainly. I want peace talks. From here on, the best outcome would be for the government and the merchants to join hands and profit together, rather than for the two of us to continue fighting here.”

Wang Gemao laughed, his expression the very picture of sanctimonious virtue.

“I thought you had something important to say. First, I have never done anything improper to your Zhang family. Second, I still have done nothing improper. So where is there any question of peace talks?”

When Wang Gemao gave that answer, Big Brother Zhang knew that there was no turning back.

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