Green Mountain-Chapter 589 - 446: The Rules of Chongli Pass

Chen Ji examined the thirteen or fourteen-year-old teenager in front of him.

The teenager’s tiger’s mouth had thick calluses and closely twisted scars, clearly the hands of someone who has wielded a knife for years, enduring the force of combat until his grip split.

A two-foot-long short knife hung at the teen’s waist, he wore straw sandals, his cheeks were windburned to a reddish-purple, and his eyes were full of unstoppable cleverness.

When people passed by the two, they would smile and greet the teenager: "Ah Sheng, you’re back?"

Ah Sheng would tirelessly respond to each person: "Hello, Brother Zhang Qi."

The teenager seemed to be like a little tree sprouting from Chongli Pass, with a vigorous and abundant vitality.

Ah Sheng turned to Chen Ji: "Sir, you’re really not buying military merits? Young Master Li and Mr. Wang at the Thousand Households of Xuan Zuo Mansion are waiting to buy military merits too. If you don’t want them, I’ll ask them."

Chen Ji once again refused: "I don’t buy military merits."

Ah Sheng was taken aback: "You don’t want them?"

Chen Ji asserted again: "Not buying."

Ah Sheng queried: "Are you worried I’m selling fakes, Sir?"

He took off his slanted cloth bag and opened the pocket, letting Chen Ji see the lime-preserved ears inside: "Look, it’s all right ears, all cut off by me personally, without using left ears to fool anyone... I do long-term business with Mr. Hong."

Having said that, he boldly pulled out an ear from the bag and handed 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 don’t want them."

Ah Sheng’s eyes shifted quickly: "Sir comes from a big place, don’t you? I bet it’s the Imperial Capital?"

Chen Ji spoke calmly: "How did you guess?"

Ah Sheng laughed: "At first glance, your black cloth robe seems ordinary, but upon closer inspection, it is not simple. The cloth has intricate, neat trailing lotus patterns, and if I’m correct, your robe is identical on both sides, wearable from either side."

Chen Ji asked again: "How does that prove I’m from the Imperial Capital?"

This outfit was given by Chen Lizun earlier, and from afar, the black cloth looked plain, without gold or silver thread to accentuate its richness. Only up close could one see its trailing lotus patterns. He wore it as everyday clothing, not thinking it very valuable.

Ah Sheng chuckled: "This attire probably wasn’t custom-made for you. Whoever did is certainly particular. The fabric is kink silk only spun by the Weaving Bureau in Jiangning, and they say an inch of kink silk equals an inch of gold. It’s usually used only for dragon robes, court apparel, or to mount calligraphy. Such material only Imperial Capital officials can access; if sent to Shangjing Liaoyang Prefecture, a bolt can fetch hundreds of silver taels."

Chen Ji reassessed Ah Sheng.

Ah Sheng glanced at the brick house behind Chen Ji: "Sir, you don’t know the benefits of buying military merits yet, do you?"

Chen Ji casually said: "I’m curious to hear."

Ah Sheng smiled and explained: "Look at how cramped it is where you live, with over fifty people sleeping in one big communal bed. I won’t even mention the stench of sweat and feet; at night, you have to compete to fall asleep first. If you’re slow, you’ll be stuck listening to others snore."

Chen Ji asked: "What if one becomes Hundred Households?"

Ah Sheng pointed to a distant row of blue brick houses: "Hundred Households can live there, in private courtyards, never having to hear others grinding teeth or farting. Moreover, Hundred Households have their own food, separate from Thousand Households’ meals."

Chen Ji curiously asked: "Is it true one ear costs one hundred silver taels?"

Ah Sheng nodded: "Correct."

Chen Ji grew more curious: "If some dimwit buys ten ears and becomes Hundred Households, wouldn’t that endanger a hundred infantrymen?"

Ah Sheng laughed heartily: "No way. Though Chongli Pass claims to host two garrisons, there are actually only over eight thousand people. The General is aware, placing you in a vacant spot for Hundred Households, with no soldiers under you."

Chen Ji was stunned: "So many vacancies? What if war breaks out?"

Ah Sheng was unconcerned: "With fewer people, the rations barely suffice for the brothers to eat their fill. If there were more, they’d starve. Besides, when a fight breaks out, it’s the troops from the Imperial Three Camps who charge in; Chongli Pass’s infantry just repairs walls and does odd jobs."

Chen Ji pondered for a moment, but ultimately shook his head again and refused: "Forget it, I didn’t bring that much silver with me, that’s the truth."

Ah Sheng hurriedly said: "Ninety-eight taels will do."

Chen Ji switched the topic: "You know a lot of people, if I wanted to become a Night Patrol, how much silver would it cost?"

Ah Sheng raised his eyebrow: "You want to be a Night Patrol? What do you want to do as a Night Patrol?"

Chen Ji smiled and said, "I saw you and Mr. Hong come back earlier, and being a Night Patrol seems quite impressive."

But Ah Sheng shook his head and said, "Young Master, do you know what a Night Patrol is? It’s the scouts who don’t return within the gates at night. The gates of Chongli Pass don’t wait for the Night Patrol. You’ve only seen the glory of being a Night Patrol but don’t know about the ’three out of ten return.’ Out of ten who go out, it’s good if three return."

Chen Ji curiously asked: "Then why do you still want to be a Night Patrol?"

Ah Sheng grinned and said, "I’m just a lousy life, I’m not afraid. My dad was also a Night Patrol, died outside the Pass. My mom died of illness. Mr. Hong said when my mom died of illness, I was just over a year old, and when he found me, I had been lying beside my mom for three days. It was the family dog that stole fruit to feed me, that’s how I survived. Mr. Hong said I shouldn’t be called Night Patrol, but Heaven Defies."

Chen Ji was silent: "Is there no other way to become a Night Patrol?"

Ah Sheng shook his head: "I’m not a Night Patrol either. You have to rely on real skills for that; otherwise, the General won’t even look at you. And...do you have children yet?"

Chen Ji probed: "Why ask this?"

Ah Sheng matter-of-factly said: "A Night Patrol can’t be without children."

Chen Ji puzzled: "What’s this rule?"

Ah Sheng grinned and said: "It’s an old rule of Chongli Pass. Three out of ten Night Patrols return, so you must leave descendants before going out. Mr. Hong adopted me because of this rule; otherwise, he couldn’t have been a Night Patrol. Later, because Mr. Hong had great skills, he was specially allowed to take me out of the Pass. Among the Night Patrols who survived over ten years in Chongli Pass, it’s only him and Uncle Baisi."

Chen Ji frowned, thinking that Emperor Ning was unaware of or had never cared about this rule at Chongli Pass.

But what about himself? It’s too late to have a child now... and not worth it.

Ah Sheng turned and left: "You don’t trust me right now, which is normal, but when you want to buy war merits, you can find me in the small house next to the blacksmith’s shop in the north of the city."

Chen Ji returned to the courtyard, continued to slowly weave straw sandals, and only by sunset did he finish a crooked straw sandal, which showed half of his foot when he wore it.

Zhang Tonggou and the others pointed at his broken sandals and laughed loudly: "Young master from the Imperial Capital, clumsy as can be."

Chen Ji didn’t mind his funny appearance and laughed along: "I’m really not some young master; I’m a mud-legged peasant too. I just haven’t woven straw sandals before. Back when I was an apprentice at the Medical Hall, I used to carry water every day, wipe the floor with a damp cloth, and then a dry cloth. The senior brothers took turns emptying the night pots, the smell was unbearable."

Zhang Tonggou was slightly startled, as he had seen children of officials who loaf around and scam for military merits. If they were those kinds of people, they’d already be throwing tantrums now: "I don’t think you’re lying. Why would a child of an official be an apprentice in a Medical Hall?"

Li Ahu skeptically extended his wrist: "Then take my pulse. If you tell me it’s a happy pulse, I’ll beat you up."

Chen Ji sat cross-legged on the ground, taking off the straw sandals on his feet: "I’m a bastard. I spent two years at the Medical Hall and didn’t learn anything substantial, but I was quite happy being an apprentice there, much happier than now."

"So you’re a bastard," Zhang Tonggou glanced at the others: "Then why did you come to Chongli Pass to earn war merits? Children of officials have particular paths; those at the common households do the least work and don’t have to venture out of the Pass. It’s different at the Front Mansion; the hardest, most tiring work is allocated there."

Li Ahu also wondered: "Yeah, if you’re assigned a logging mission beyond the Pass, you might not come back alive. Did you offend someone before coming here?"

Chen Ji frowned slightly, is there really such a saying?

He thought his failure to become a Night Patrol was intentional.

Strange.

If someone wanted to harm him, they should have sent him to be the most dangerous Night Patrol; if they wanted to protect him, they should have sent him to the thousand households of Shangjing.

Placing him in the ambiguous Front Mansion, what’s the point? This made Chen Ji quite confused.

At this moment, Zhang Tonggou casually said: "Why don’t you buy straw sandals directly from us, why go through the trouble of weaving them yourself? We won’t overcharge you, just five cents a pair."

Chen Ji replied with a smile: "I won’t buy them, I’ll learn sooner or later. Look, the ’warp rope’ I twisted this time is better than last time. I’ve remembered your straw sandal weaving skills, start with the warp rope, then the sandal sole, followed by the sandal nose and upper..."

Zhang Tonggou paused for a moment, picked up a pair of woven straw sandals, and threw them to Chen Ji: "Here, take a pair for free. I’m fast at weaving anyway. You can give one back once you learn."

Chen Ji didn’t refuse, swiftly putting them on his feet: "Thanks."

He stood up, walked back and forth a couple of steps: "Not bad, finally got a pair of shoes."

Zhang Tonggou pointed at him and said to others: "Now I believe he’s also a mud-legged peasant. Those young masters all complain our straw sandals hurt their feet."