Chapter 609: Division

Chapter 609: Chapter 609: Division

Just after the court assembly ended, Bai Changqing left the palace in a hurry, his face cold, and got into his own carriage, lowering the curtain as he headed home. Today he was so irritated and distracted that he simply could not focus on paperwork, so he decided to go home and rest.

In the carriage, Bai Changqing clearly sensed that the usually bustling Junhou Street was much quieter than before. Lifting a corner of the carriage curtain, he could see that the restaurants and teahouses outside were already deserted, nothing like the prosperity of previous days.

After all, the upper section of Junhou Street was lined with restaurants and teahouses, most of which depended on the officials of the Temple Hall for business. Ordinary people would not spend much more money here for the sake of ostentation or elegance; only the officials, who felt everything must be superior, favored such indulgence.

Of course, including Bai Changqing himself, the expenses of coming to these places did not come out of their own pockets; there were always plenty of people queuing up to invite them to spend time in these establishments.

Lately, this custom had been suppressed under the shadow of war. Even those who loved to go out most were now trying to avoid suspicion, for fear of attracting ill luck.

Bai Changqing hadn’t been out to drink or have tea with his colleagues for quite some time. Usually, he either attended court or carried out official missions; the rest of the time, he would rather stay at home, now known as one of the Gu Family in the court.

If it were someone else, someone like Bai Changqing who preferred staying at home and refused social engagements, they would surely be ridiculed for being henpecked. But no one dared say such things about Bai Changqing.

After all, he was the dignified Minister of Revenue, already over seventy, so who would dare scoff at him? Besides, Bai Changqing himself did not care at all.

On the contrary, in these troubled times, Bai Changqing was more than glad to be known as "henpecked" or "a man of the Gu Family"; it saved him the trouble of thinking up excuses to decline those sinister private invitations.

What kind of people are these, still trying to rope him into their camps at a time like this? Bai Changqing felt a chill in his heart. Especially after Left Minister Ye Lansheng’s recent veiled hints, which made Bai’s heart tremble—he felt he ought to be making his own plans for the future, and soon.

Bai Changqing’s residence was in the West Imperial City, a newly purchased property much larger than the previous one.

As soon as he entered, he saw a pair of bright-faced sisters running toward him with smiles, and in an instant, the coldness on his face melted into a smile as he opened his arms and hugged the sisters on either side.

Such lack of "proper bearing" would not be seen in other households, much less in the mistress of the house. "Dignity" should be the mark of a noble lady within high red walls. But in Bai Changqing’s home, this would not do—at least, ever since he married the Xu Family Sisters, all that was impossible.

The age gap of over fifty years made Bai Changqing far more forgiving toward the Xu Family Sisters—one might even call it doting. Worldly-wise as he was, he adored the sisters’ liveliness and innocence. He even relished their naivete, for these were the things he once had, but had long since lost.

"Master! You’re home so early today! How about I make you dinner tonight?"

"Master, I finished sewing your everyday robes. Will you go try them on in a bit?"

The lively chatter filled the air. The household servants were long accustomed to the scene and found nothing amiss; each stood at a distance, heads lowered, smiling but with their own thoughts, knowing they shouldn’t approach.

"Haha, all right—let me freshen up first, then I’ll try the clothes on and eat, how’s that?"

"Okay!" Both women smiled and took Bai Changqing’s arms, leading him to the back bedroom as intimately as a pair of newlyweds.

Yet Bai Changqing’s head of gray hair stood out no matter how you looked at him.

After dinner, dressed in his new everyday robes, Bai Changqing chatted a while longer with the two women before retiring to his study. He needed to organize his thoughts about the day’s Great Court Assembly.

The current situation in the Temple Hall was growing more and more unpredictable. The rise of the military, the decline of the civil servants—such reversals left Bai Changqing full of sighs, but unlike many other civil servants, he actually accepted the present state. In his view, factional struggle was permissible within the Dynasty as long as it did not endanger the state externally. But when war raged, factions must restrain themselves; they could not place partisan interests above those of a nation at war.

This did not contradict Bai Changqing’s former advocacy of "peace talks." "Peace talks" had been his political aim; now that his position had failed, he would not throw a tantrum. The Emperor had won, the military had won, so he must follow the victors and accept defeat with grace. It was this unspoken undercurrent in the Temple Hall that left Bai Changqing deeply uneasy, his back cold with sweat.

Why? Because, including Ye Lansheng, many key figures in the Civil Servant Group were still privately conspiring, never acknowledging the loss of their own voice, and were contemplating a scheme that truly made Bai Changqing’s heart race: if the front-line situation deteriorated or casualties mounted, there would be an opportunity to accuse the military of draining the National Treasury and squandering the lives of officers and men, thereby pushing again for peace talks and regaining their sway in court.

To this end, Ye Lansheng had repeatedly hinted for Bai Changqing to tighten the purse strings on the military, or to be slightly "lax" in military supplies. How could Bai Changqing respond to that? How could he dare assent?

Today at court, the Emperor had made clear a policy to rigorously collect grain and funds, instructing the Ministry of Revenue to begin phased collections and deposit into the national vault starting from late October.

If it were only this, it would be manageable. Though Bai Changqing had not managed overall coordination during times of major war, the Ministry of Revenue held comprehensive records; he could consult previous wartime strategies, compare and adapt details as necessary. He had already borrowed these archives earlier, and today had brought several stampings home to study—he was prepared.

Yet the more prepared he was, the more conflicted he felt. Once the stringent collection polices were put in place, if the war dragged on for months, grain allocations to each city would be distributed by quota—a task fraught with hidden, immense, and exceedingly sensitive authority. Bai Changqing did not want this role.

Yet he was sure that at tomorrow’s mission, even more people would privately seek him out for "teatime gatherings" or "small home banquets."

Bai Changqing despised this invisible power, seeing it as a plague to be avoided at all costs—but there were plenty who wished to get a grip on it. He did not yet see all the intricacies, but understood most of them. The only problem was, he was not yet sure who he could pass this task off to, or if the Emperor would permit it. Or perhaps, should he discuss it with Left Minister Ye Lansheng?

At the thought of Ye Lansheng, Bai Changqing’s brow furrowed deeply. Previously he had not minded, but now Ye Lansheng’s recent moves made Bai increasingly uneasy—even a bit ill at ease. Since Ye Lansheng’s last counterattack had failed and the Civil Servant Group’s voice fell sharply, Ye’s prestige among the civil servants was much diminished.

Now that the situation was shifting, Bai Changqing felt it was time for him to make his own plans, rather than blindly follow Ye Lansheng’s lead.