Yao Ru’neng came from a criminal catcher (police) family in Qizhou, nearby Chang’an. His father and uncle were both killed in the line of duty. As compensation, the imperial court broke a rule and took him on. Before leaving, he had vowed to be a junior official who could scare off evil guys in Chang’an, not humiliating the family name.

Within nine years of being the commandant of the Indecent, Zhang Xiaojing had the whole Wannian County eating out of his hand, which made him a perfect icon to Yao Ru’neng. He encouraged himself to learn more from this old senior before departure. Maybe he could become a commandant of the Indecent or even a county chief in the future. Unexpectedly, Commandant Zhang was not quite the same as what he had imagined.

A veteran criminal catcher, in his imagination, should be awe-inspiring with integrity, s.h.i.+ning like a Mo broadsword to frighten the thief. However, this Commandant Zhang, he just couldn’t tell, seemed evil in word and deed. In a word, he radiated vague uneasiness from the dark. “You must keep a distance with him.” As Li Bi’s words before the departure flashed into his mind, fear couldn’t help rising in his heart.

Zhang Xiaojing suddenly asked, “You are a new criminal catcher, right?”

“Ah? Yes, I’ve worked for three months and eight days,” answered Yao Ru’neng.

“So, what would you do?”

“Hate evil as poison of course!”

Zhang Xiaojing shook his head sadly, “You won’t live long in the city.”

Yao Ru’neng stood up, “I respect you as my senior and admire your sophistication and stratagems, but you don’t expect to scare me off with such words. I will continue to do my job to a.s.sist you and report any suspicious activity, unless you kill me.”

Zhang Xiaojing looked at the stubborn guy, a bit helpless. He made a “whatever” gesture and said nothing.

The Indecent gradually gathered round, listening to Yao’s instructions. Suddenly, he came up with a detail and turned around, “Commandant Zhang, there are so many people rus.h.i.+ng in and out of the stores, how can we watch them with limited help in such a short time?”

“Keep an eye on the Hu people. They won’t trust alien race for such an important thing,” answered Zhang Xiaojing without hesitation.

Actually, Tang never judged people by bloodlines. Chang’an was a great mixture of Han and Hu people, and also had many civil and military officials not from Central Plains. Even among the members of the Jing’an Department, there were quite a few Hu officials who were proficient in mathematics and business. However, someone would occasionally mumble Exclusionism in heart.

“As the Hu people are involved, how about reporting to the Bureau of West Market….” the time he put forward a suggestion, he was interrupted rudely by Zhang Xiaojing,

“I need your hands and feet, not mouth!”

Yao Ru’neng accepted the order and left without any delay. Jing’an Department didn’t have the Indecent, so he had to take some time to recruit them from other Fangs and offices.

Zhang Xiaojing stood still under the sign flag, expressionless with his hands crossed before him. No one knew what he was thinking. It was early afternoon already, and time was pa.s.sing quickly like Wei River. His one-eye kept looking at the distant watchtower. The tower was calm, no flag waving.

He was waiting for another message, which was no sigh yet.

Jing’an Department, separated from West Market by a Fang, was never so busy.

All the scribes buried their heads in archives, and only the rustling of unfolding scrolls could be heard in the hall.

The servants constantly brought in more files, piling before their desks. In order to improve efficiency, servants would have scroll unfolded and spread it on a simple bamboo holder. This way they could browse the content directly without wasting time to open it.

Each scribe was equipped with three holders: one for scroll spreading, one for reading, and the last one for unloading, ensuring the scroll was present when looking up.

They had to finish a simple and difficult task in about two quarters.

After the beginning of Kaiyuan years, trade between Tang and Turks had been halted, but the mutual demand wouldn’t disappear. Smart western merchants had long noticed the market and secretly established a transit trade route. They bought fur and livestock from the gra.s.slands, brought them into Chang’an in the name of western goods, and then s.h.i.+pped the silk, tea and salt out of Chang’an and transported them to the gra.s.slands. Many of wealthy Hu merchants in Chang’an were intimately connected with Turks.

Li Bi took out all pa.s.s records of caravans who had entered and left Chang’an for the past five years, focusing on verifying the amount of the four items of sheepskin, beef tendons, mud salt, and ironware. The first two were gra.s.sland specialties, and the latter two were urgently needed by gra.s.slands. The larger volume the stores handled, the closer their connection with the Turks, and for Jing’an Department, the more likely Cao Poyan would come to them.

It was the method finalized before Zhang Xiaojing left.

Usually, it would take the Ministry of Revenue several days to handle the statistics. But time was more precious than pearl and jade this time, these copyrighters from different departments had to turn their backs on it, even calculating sticks (an old calculator) were not enough.

Although Li Bi didn’t partic.i.p.ate in specific affairs, he kept walking back and forth between the tables, hands behind like an old master of the Imperial College. After a while, he glanced at the water clock in the hall corner, then shook his head irritably, and turned back to the sand table.

“Tan Qi, what do you think of Zhang Xiaojing?” Li Bi asked suddenly.

Tan Qi was updating new information from watchtower on the sand table. On hearing Li Bi’s question, she couldn’t help wrinkling her nose in distain, “The appearance stems from the mind. He is a rude playboy, in my opinion. Master, why do you bet your future on a condemned prisoner?”

Tan Qi was a mixed-race girl of Han and Hu with sharp nose and light-amber pupils. She was born a servant of Li Bi’s family with half Patola Sahi blood from her mother. She grew up in Li’s family, gifted and courageous, so she was deeply trusted by Li Bi and spoke freely.

Li Bi tapped his finger on the table, “When Emperor Taizong rescued Duke Li of Wei state from the execution ground, he said pearls of wisdom: Use a man guilty rather than whom with merits. Taizong can use Duke Li, why can’t I handle this man?”

Tan Qi curled her lips, “How can he be compared with Duke Li?”

“He was peeping at you. You’d better not be another Lady with Red Sleeves.”

“Eh….” Tan Qi flushed, didn’t know what to say, and just give him a fierce glare. Li Bi laughed out loudly, which slightly eased his fatigue. Suddenly he sighed again, “If you know more about him, you won’t say so.”

“Is he a reincarnated Rakshasa?” Tan Qi pursed her lips.

Li Bi said, “It was the 23th year of Kaiyuan (A.D.735), Khan Sulu from Turkish rebelled, besieging Bohuan City, AnXi. In ten miles north of the city, there was a beacon tower with 220 soldiers. They leaned on the fort and resisted the Turkic army for nine days. When Gai Jiayun, the commander of the North Protectorate, arrived there with his army, only three people and the flag survived. Zhang Xiaojing was one of the three survivors.”

Tan Qi covered her mouth with sleeve to hide her astonishment. Even from these plain words, she could smell horrible blood.

“Then, Zhang Xiaojing returned and was decorated as flying lieutenant for his achievements. If he had got through a few years in Ministry of War, he could have held a position in the court, which was promising. Unfortunately, he was on bad terms with his superior, and had to retire from the army. After that, he was transferred to be the general of the Indecent in Wannian County for nine years. Half a year ago, he was put in prison for killing his superior.”

Tan Qi gasped, “Is the superior above the general of the Indecent the County Magistrate of Wannian County? It’s impious that the lower level killing the higher level, which is one of the ten unpardonable crimes in Tang’s law.”

“Why did he kill his superior?” asked she. Li Bi just shook his head slowly. Tan Qi knew him well that he never said something he shouldn’t say. So, she asked another one,

“Master, why do you choose such a dangerous guy?”

Li Bi raised his hand and suddenly grasped in the air, “Only the most dangerous guy can accomplish the most difficult job. The whole city is in danger and has to take the most powerful and tough medicine.”

Tan Qi signed, “Master, I never doubt your vision, how about others? Did you ever consider people around, Supervisor He and the one in the palace for whom you’ve taken too much burden?”

She knew Tang court too well. Jing’an Department was born a target. With even a small mistake, people in charge would face numerous backstabbing.

Li Bi held the fly-whisk across his arm, sternly-eyed, “For him (the one in the palace) or for the civilians, someone has to guard Chang’an. Besides me, who would have the wisdom and courage? Though a Taoist priest, I have a heart of making a better world. It’s unnecessary for everyone to know my heart.”

Just then, Xu Bin ran over, holding a paper, and shouting, “Here’s the list!”

They surprisingly collected statistics in two quarters. What a miracle achievement! On the list were seven or eight Hu merchants with the most trading volumes of four types in the past five years, ranked by volumes.

Li Bi took a glance at the list and said immediately, “Send to the watchtower…. Hold on, the watchtower is too slow. Where is Zhang Xiaojing now?” Tan Qi knew that Master had entered work mode, and she stopped chatting and pointed to the sand table, “He is at the north back alley, the Twentieth Street, West Market. Yao Ru’neng is with him.”

On the sand table, the representative of Zhang Xiaojing was a lonely gray pottery figurine, which was different from scarlet Lubi Army and the black Turkic wolf-guards.

“Send it to him with full speed horse,” Li Bi ordered.

There were fleet horses by the porch, and riders always ready to deliver complex messages. The list was rolled into a mini fish barrel, and then the barrel was tucked into the rider’s sleeve. With a clamping of stirrups, the drum of hooves went far.

Meanwhile, the loud messenger rushed into the hall, just pa.s.sed by the horse.