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"How could such a thing happen?" Cai Yong frowned, the lines on his forehead deepening with concern.
The sky had gradually darkened, and now a clamorous noise, faint yet discernible, drifted into the courtyard of the residence from beyond its walls. A hazy, ominous smoke could also be seen rising in the distance, its source unclear, as if something substantial had been set ablaze…
This was within the capital city itself. How could a situation arise where the Northern Army and the foreign auxiliary garrison troops were in open dispute?
Fei Qian stood side by side with his teacher in the courtyard outside the main hall, watching the distant, flickering glow of firelight reflecting from the direction of West Avenue. For a moment, neither of them could quite believe what they were witnessing. The sheer improbability of it created a shared sense of disbelief.
"Ziyuan, your old residence is on the avenue leading to the western gate, is it not?" Cai Yong stated more than asked. The main western gate was known as the Yong Gate, hence the major thoroughfare leading to it was colloquially called Yongmen Avenue.
Upon returning to the capital this time, Fei Qian had mostly stayed at the estate in the northern part of the city. After his relations with the main family had somewhat eased, he had also spent a couple of nights at their compound. He had essentially not returned to his own old home to stay.
The reason was rooted in his past. He had originally been just a minor, insignificant member of the family. Initially, only the old steward had been there with him. Later, when he had come into some money, he had hired two or three menial workers to clean the courtyard and cook meals. When he made the decision to leave the capital, unsure of when, or even if, he might return, he had dismissed the hired help. Now, even though he was back, he hadn't found the inclination or the energy to tidy or clean the deserted place…
It was mainly an emotional reluctance, a fear of being stirred by old memories and the ghosts of the past. Furthermore, with the looming certainty that the entire capital was destined to be burned soon in the impending move, what ultimate use was there in cleaning it to a spotless state? It would all be ash regardless.
"...The old residence is already empty. There is truly nothing left to worry about there," Fei Qian said after a moment's reflection. He wasn't overly concerned about the physical property. Emotionally, it would indeed be a pang of sadness if it were burned in this current chaos, but since it wasn't burning now and almost certainly wouldn't escape the fate awaiting the entire city later, he found he didn't care much for its material fate.
However, the timing and nature of this particular disturbance felt… off.
"There is something suspicious about this… something not right," Fei Qian murmured, his voice low.
The realization struck both men almost simultaneously, their thoughts converging.
This was the divine capital of the Han dynasty. Even though the court was to be moved in a matter of days, as the imperial seat, its defensive capabilities and its routine capacity to handle civil emergencies were supposed to be of the absolute highest level. How could a situation like this arise, where things had already escalated to a visibly chaotic and violent level, with visible fires, yet the soldiers under the command of the Colonel of the City Gates had still not arrived on the scene to quell it? Their absence was a glaring anomaly.
Fei Qian suddenly remembered the reason for that potential void in command: the former Colonel of the City Gates had been executed, his head severed from his body…
Within the capital, if one didn't count the external forces like the personal troops from the northwest or those from the northern province, the standing military forces could roughly be divided into three branches. The Colonel of the City Gates commanded the guards stationed at the capital's city gates and their immediate vicinity, essentially forming the city guard. Then there were the Imperial Guards commanded by the Bearer of the Gilded Mace, responsible for protecting the inner palace and the imperial household itself. Finally, there was the Northern Army, which had originally consisted of five elite battalions under five respective Colonels – the Tunqi, Yueqi, Bubing, Changshui, and Shesheng – which were the core garrison troops stationed around the capital.
Originally, the Northern Army had fallen under the authority of the Grand General. But after the Grand General's assassination, the Northern Army, much like the so-called commanderies of the previous imperial garden force, had been systematically disbanded, diluted, and reorganized by the new regent…
So now, the Northern Army existed in name only. Although the five camps still physically stood, they were largely filled with old, weak, and disabled soldiers, the elite having been purged or transferred, leaving them with little real combat strength or cohesion.
The original Imperial Guards were now led by that outsider from the northern province, who had been installed as the new Bearer of the Gilded Mace. His primary duty was to guard the inner palace and protect the imperial household, so he generally would not intervene easily in street-level disputes or riots unless they directly threatened the palace. His focus was inward.
Therefore, the current situation presented a critical failure. The Northern Army garrison troops, regardless of whether they still had the legal authority to enter the city proper, likely lacked the capability, leadership, and morale even if they had the intention to intervene.
The Imperial Guards under the Bearer of the Gilded Mace considered protecting the imperial palace their paramount, singular duty. So unless the fighting and fires reached the very walls of the palace itself, these troops would not be easily deployed; their chain of command would keep them at their posts.
The city guard force, which should have been the first to mobilize as the primary protective and policing force between the city gates and the palace, had failed to respond promptly precisely because they were leaderless, their command structure decapitated and not yet properly replaced, leaving them confused and inactive.
But besides these three traditional capital forces, there were also the powerful personal troops of the Regent and those of the northern general. Although a large portion of these formidable forces were tied down on the eastern front and the southern front, some significant units undoubtedly remained in the capital. Their absence from this growing chaos was deafening. They had the power to stop it instantly, yet they were nowhere to be seen.
This whole matter was deeply troubling.
The unrest seemed to be growing, the cacophony from the west increasing. Now that the sky was completely dark, the fires provided an eerie, dancing illumination. There were still no signs of organized authority arriving to stop it. The red and orange glow of the firelight flickered against the night sky, suggesting more than just one or two houses had been set ablaze; a larger conflagration was likely taking hold.
Cai Yong, his face grave with understanding, immediately turned and instructed his steward to prepare a guest room for Fei Qian to stay in for the night. He then ordered the main gates to be shut tightly and barred, more household guards to be posted on watch, and strictly forbade anyone from going out without absolutely urgent business. The residence was to lock down.
Given the deteriorating situation, it seemed unlikely to be brought under control quickly. Even if Fei Qian wanted to attempt the journey back to his own lodgings, it would probably be difficult and extremely dangerous to traverse the streets, so Cai Yong simply insisted he stay. It was the only prudent choice.
Fei Qian thanked his teacher for the arrangements and his hospitality. As he did, a vague, nagging thought seemed to flutter at the edge of his consciousness, a connection trying to be made. But the day had been long, and he was simply too mentally and physically exhausted to grasp it and ponder it deeply. The fatigue washed over him, dulling his sharpness.
After all, he reasoned to himself, trying to find comfort, Cai Yong resided in one of the most exclusive wards, surrounded by the compounds of other high-ranking officials and powerful nobles. It was highly unlikely any rioters would dare cause trouble here; the collective private security and the political repercussions would be immense. They were probably safe within these walls.
×××××××××
Indeed, no one was heading towards the affluent wards where the nobility resided. Although the households there possessed considerable, tempting wealth, and with the large, reinforced main gates of each residence shut and barred, few retainers would come out to confront roaming bands of rioters, the area's proximity to the Northern Palace made it exceptionally risky territory for looters. There was a very real and present danger that a full cohort of elite Imperial Guards from the Northern Palace could emerge at any moment, cutting down anyone found causing trouble in the shadow of the imperial walls…
Therefore, the rioters engaged in smashing, looting, and pillaging were now concentrated around the Golden Market on the western avenue.
The Golden Market wasn't solely for trading gold; the name was historical. It was a crucial industrial and commercial district within the capital. It housed numerous workshops, handicraft industries, and shops of all kinds. Along with the larger market in the eastern part of the city, it was known as one of the capital's two largest and most prosperous market districts—a densely populated and normally very bustling area teeming with goods and wealth.
But now, it had descended into utter, screaming chaos.
What had begun as a minor verbal dispute among a few soldiers from different units had, for some inexplicable reason, rapidly escalated into a physical brawl. Then, suddenly, amidst the pushing and shouting, someone had drawn blades. The sharp, deadly reality of steel had flashed, and men had fallen dead on the cobblestones. The situation instantly deteriorated from a fight into a lethal melee.
Both sides, enraged and frightened, continuously called for their comrades to join the fight, swelling their numbers. Then, at some critical point, opportunistic elements—idle city toughs, so-called 'knights-errant' with no masters, and common criminals—began sneaking around the peripheries, taking advantage of the confusion and the distraction of the brawling soldiers to smash open shop fronts and loot valuables with impunity.
Perhaps the sight of these ruffians carrying off bolts of silk, bags of coin, and valuable trinkets tempted the original combatants. Maybe the simple, base greed overcame their military discipline or their animosity for each other. Or perhaps it was another, more sinister reason, a whispered suggestion from the shadows. For at some unmarked moment, the two sides originally fighting each other stopped their brawling and turned their attention outward. They began jointly plundering the surrounding shops themselves, a common hunger uniting them in criminal enterprise. To cover their thefts or simply out of wanton destruction, someone set a fire. Then another. And another. Quickly, the situation spiraled completely out of any control, descending into an orgy of theft and arson.
The fires, once started, found ample fuel in the wooden structures and market goods. They had already begun to leap from roof to roof, spreading with alarming speed. But the soldiers of the Colonel of the City Gates never appeared. Not even the specific night watchmen responsible for fire control and prevention showed up with their hooks and buckets. Even the regular soldiers normally tasked with maintaining order from the local street watchtowers were conspicuously absent. It was as if the entire district had been stripped of its protectors, a completely defenseless entity, there for the violent taking.
The general from the northern province stood holding his iconic long halberd, atop the high wall of the Northern Palace gate. He frowned, his handsome features etched with a mixture of confusion and frustration as he watched the growing firelight from the market district in the west. Although he was somewhat perplexed inwardly by the lack of orders to intervene, he had chosen, for now, to obey the strict command he had been given.
Tonight, the chief strategist had given him a clear and unequivocal mission: he was to guard the Northern Palace steadfastly, not leaving his post for a single moment. The most critical, non-negotiable task was watching over the young Emperor, ensuring absolutely no mishaps or opportunities for usurpation occurred. Everything else, all other chaos, was explicitly not his concern. He was to stand fast.
Therefore, the general could only bark orders at his own Imperial Guards to intensify their patrols and defenses within the palace grounds. He dispatched his trusted subordinate to personally guard the central pavilions where the Emperor resided, while he himself took direct command atop the palace walls, a formidable but stationary symbol of power.
After watching the distant chaos for a long time and seeing no signs whatsoever of the disturbance spreading towards the palace walls, as time passed, his mind, disciplined but not without its passions, inevitably began to wander, to drift away from his duty…
He hadn't seen her that fateful day. Later, he learned she had been taken by the Regent as a new concubine, granted the title of Noble Lady. The news had felt like a physical blow. Instantly, he had felt utterly wretched, a hollow feeling in his chest, yet there was absolutely nothing he could do. He was powerless.
His once supremely proud martial prowess, his god-like skill with a blade, his once lofty and satisfying official rank and title—none of it, not an ounce of his power or status, could change this reality or bring her back. He was a caged tiger, forced to watch and obey.