Five days passed in the blink of an eye.
During these five days, the Taiping Bandits outside the city remained locked in a stalemate with the forces within.
The Taiping Bandits had launched two or three night raids. While they never managed to breach the walls, each attempt was a terrifying ordeal that inflicted heavy casualties on the city’s forces.
As for the situation inside the city, spies for the Taiping Bandits were constantly stirring up trouble. Wealthy families and those with the means to defend themselves were faring well enough, but it was the common people who truly suffered.
These days, the governmental officers and constables spent most of their time not suppressing crime, but collecting corpses and cleaning the streets to prevent the outbreak of a plague.
Rumor had it that the Black Market had also closed two days prior.
Meanwhile, in Sweet Water Well Alley.
Over the past few days, at least eight or ten of the local thugs and petty thieves who had dared to trespass on Fang Rui’s courtyard had been beaten and broken.
It seemed those thugs and ruffians communicated with each other...
After that, no matter how chaotic the rest of the city became, no other blind fool dared to come and throw their life away in the small section of the alley where Fang Rui lived.
As a result, many of his nearby neighbors also benefited from the peace.
...
「That evening.」
Beneath a stretch of clouds that burned like a wildfire, an evening breeze picked up. Bathed in the last rays of twilight, Jiang Ping’an arrived with his family for a visit.
"Brother Fang, I’ve brought my wife and children over to mooch a meal," Jiang Ping’an said, handing over a gift.
"An air-dried chicken, cured pork, and two pounds of white flour? This is all great stuff! We can finally have a proper meat dish tonight. It’s just a shame Brother Jiang has the night watch and can’t drink..."
Fang Rui said with regret.
"Who says I can’t? I don’t have the night watch tonight. Brother Fang, you have good wine here, so bring it all out! Don’t be stingy... We’ll drink until we drop."
Jiang Ping’an laughed heartily and, without ceremony, walked over to the large willow tree and found a stone stool to sit on.
But even as he laughed, a shadow of sorrow lingered in his eyes.
’Something must have happened.’
Fang Rui didn’t press him. He went inside, handed the air-dried chicken, cured pork, and white flour to Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, and told her to stew them with the remaining mushrooms to make a fine meal.
Then, he took out his hidden stash of wine, fetched some hot water, and returned to the courtyard to sit across from Jiang Ping’an.
As for Sister-in-law Jiang, Niu Dun, and Xiaodouya?
They had been visiting frequently these past few days and were already quite familiar with the place. Without needing any prompting from Fang Rui, the two little ones ran off to play with Nannan and Fang Ling, while Sister-in-law Jiang went to help Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and the Third Lady in the kitchen.
On the stone table, a pot of old yellow wine was warming in a wooden basin of hot water. A plate of fried soybeans sat beside it, serving as a snack to go with the drinks.
As the old yellow wine warmed, its faint aroma drifted out, swirling in the evening breeze. The dim, yellow light of the sunset filtered through the rustling, shimmering willow leaves, casting a golden sheen over the two men.
"I see a shadow of worry on your face, Brother Jiang. Is something troubling you?" Fang Rui asked.
"I knew I couldn’t hide it from you, Brother Fang. Tomorrow, I won’t be patrolling the streets. I have to go up on the city wall..."
Jiang Ping’an gave a bitter smile. "That’s why I’m free tonight... Even a man condemned to beheading gets a final meal!"
"Hm? Aren’t there conscripts for that?"
Fang Rui was surprised. "Why would a governmental officer like you have to go to the wall, Brother Jiang? Did someone set you up?"
The two shared a decent friendship, and besides, Jiang Ping’an had looked out for him quite a bit these past few days. In a way, they had a mutual interest in each other’s well-being.
If there truly were some malicious forces at play, he wouldn’t hesitate to step in and take care of the trouble for Jiang Ping’an.
"It’s not that."
Jiang Ping’an shook his head. "You may not know, Brother Fang... The stalemate with the Taiping Bandits and their repeated night raids have caused the great families to lose a significant number of their Martial Artists..."
"Now, the great families are unwilling to send any more of their people. The Government Office has to fill the gap, but the only ones left on the government’s side with any real fighting ability are us constables and officers..."
"So that’s how it is," Fang Rui nodded.
’When the nest is overturned, no egg stays intact. Some of the city’s great families are probably willing to contribute men for the sake of the bigger picture, but if other families refuse, the situation grinds to a halt.
One family sends its men, another doesn’t... The old saying is true: it’s not scarcity that causes strife, but inequality.
If there were a single leading family to suppress dissent and enforce a degree of fairness, that would be one thing... but Changshan County has two great families!
I don’t need to guess to know they’re all rife with conflict, mutual suspicion, and paranoia—especially the two greatest, the Lin and Xia Families!
In short, the situation in the city is incredibly delicate, and governmental officers like Jiang Ping’an have become sacrifices in their power struggle...’
"Then what about the city’s security..."
"What security is there left in the city now? It’s just a matter of collecting corpses and washing the ground. A new batch of conscripts can handle that."
Jiang Ping’an sighed and shook his head.
Just then, the old yellow wine was finally warm. Without ceremony, he picked up the pot and poured a bowl for Fang Rui before filling a large one for himself.
SPLASH!
The amber liquid splashed into the bowls, releasing a rich aroma.
On any other day, Jiang Ping’an would have praised it as a fine wine and savored it slowly. But today, he was in no such mood. He lifted the bowl and took a large gulp.
GULP!
After downing a large mouthful of the old yellow wine, he let out a long breath, picked up a fried soybean, and began to chew it slowly, remaining silent for a long moment.
"Brother Jiang, is there any way to get out of it? At worst, you could just quit! Throw away that government post!" Fang Rui said, lifting his own bowl but not drinking, swirling the contents gently.
He wasn’t the type to kiss up and kick down, nor was he a fair-weather friend. Their bond had been forged through shared experiences, one by one.
Even if Jiang Ping’an were to lose his position as a governmental officer, Fang Rui’s attitude toward him would not change.