Chapter Thirty-Two: The Scammer’s Creed

Chapter Thirty-Two: The Rules of a Swindler

Tangtang watched as Tie Xinyuan abruptly turned and walked away, bewildered, and asked the girl beside her, "Why is he leaving?"

The girl sighed. "If he doesn't leave, there will be trouble."

"What trouble could there be? Grandpa Zhang is a kind elder, he wouldn't do anything to him." Tangtang wanted to run after the white-bearded old man, but the girl held her back, pulling her forcefully onto a carriage, which then sped westward.

Ouyang Xiu and the others, seeing Master Zhang Pu emerge, could only force a bitter smile and step forward to greet him.

Zhang Pu looked at Ouyang Xiu and the rest and sighed. "The realm is beset by internal and external woes; the border raids of Li Yuanhao grow urgent. Yet you all still act as though the table is always full and your cups never empty. Why such idle dissipation?"

Wang Gongchen stepped forward and bowed. "Your instruction is well taken, sir. I will return to my duties at the office at once, and hope not to betray His Majesty's trust."

Zhang Pu sneered. "I am already old and fading; my words are but whispers in the wind. You will not heed them. Pity, for you are all in the prime of life. Since you draw the emperor's salary, you should devote yourselves to state affairs. Why waste your energies on chess? Truly, I am disappointed."

Ouyang Xiu flushed. "Please, sir, do not be angry. We have come to understand—this was nothing but a swindle..."

"A swindle?"

Zhang Pu looked at Ouyang Xiu, half smiling, half not. "Do you mean to bring this to the authorities?"

Ouyang Xiu hurriedly said, "Our opponent was only a child..."

"A child? I doubt that. Look at this game—do you believe a child could orchestrate such changes? The variations in this match are endless, unfathomable. At first glance, it seems a few sacrifices could end it, but in truth the game is riddled with subtle maneuvers, sacrifices, brilliant kills, lurking dangers and traps at every turn. As the saying goes, 'one check, two checks, three checks, and the killing spear thrusts from behind.' Such cunning is not within a child's grasp. There must be a mastermind of extraordinary intelligence behind this. I just cannot yet fathom why they would so challenge the Imperial Academy."

Wang Gongchen, Ouyang Xiu, and the others exchanged glances, unable to understand why Zhang Pu would say this. They had clearly watched a child making money; how had it become a grand conspiracy against the Academy?

Zhang Pu patted the tattered flag. "A single ragged banner has kept the Academy cowed for days, and now a child has brought shame upon us. So be it—we brought this upon ourselves. I will swallow this bitter fruit. Since there is a first move, there must be a second. I will wait and see who is truly toying with me."

Xiao Qiao watched as Tie Xinyuan tossed the two new sets of chess pieces he’d made at noon into the fire and asked curiously, "Yesterday you said you wanted to expand this way of making money. Why are you backing out today?"

Tie Xinyuan replied offhandedly, "The most important rule for a swindler is to shoot one arrow and change location; otherwise, there's a risk of being caught."

Xiao Qiao was puzzled. "But you're not swindling anyone."

"You give me too much credit—this really is a swindle. The so-called endgame is unsolvable. I once heard a teacher say, if you profit by exploiting others’ ignorance, it’s a swindle."

Xiao Qiao snapped, "Your teacher was a fool. Those academy scholars aren't idiots; even if you asked them, they wouldn't admit it. So taking a little money from them to support us all is perfectly appropriate."

Tie Xinyuan grumbled, "Don’t mention it. The people in the Academy can’t stand losing. After just two days of setting up endgames, some old man on the verge of death came after me. If we go on, we’ll end up in Kaifeng County Jail."

Xiao Qiao fumed, "It’s just a matter of accepting the consequences of a wager. How could it involve the authorities?"

Tie Xinyuan stared at the hammer in Xiao Qiao’s hand. "Right now, you have a hammer. How would you deal with a protruding tenon on the table?"

"I’d smash it, of course."

"And what about a nail in the threshold?"

"Smash it!"

"And the bug on the ground?"

"Squash it flat!"

"See? As long as you have a hammer, your first solution to every problem is to smash it. You never think of using another method. The authorities are the hammer in their hand. When we—like burrs or bugs—stick out, isn’t it only natural they’d use the hammer? It’s the easiest method for them."

Xiao Qiao threw down the hammer. "So what now? The younger kids need to eat, and we’ve spent all our silver on tools. How will we feed them in the coming days? Autumn is nearly here, and we’ll need to buy them winter clothes—a big expense. Maybe we should pawn our tools."

Tie Xinyuan thought for a moment and pointed to Xiaofu and the others busily tidying the dilapidated house. "We’ll find a way. Everyone’s working. There’s always a way."

Xiao Qiao lowered her voice. "I heard from Shuizhu that you learned about being a bandit at school today?"

Tie Xinyuan nearly jumped. He explained quickly, "The book says people only become bandits when they have nothing to eat. Once you take that step, there’s no turning back. Besides, how could we—just a bunch of children—become bandits? Who could we possibly rob?"

"What’s so bad about being a bandit? Isn’t Li Yuanhao a rebel? The Song Dynasty can’t do anything about him. As long as you’re a big enough bandit, who dares say no?"

Tie Xinyuan stared at Xiao Qiao for a long time before snapping, "You must be a Turk!"

Xiao Qiao retorted, "I’m a true Han!"

Seeing the other children looking over, Tie Xinyuan quickly smiled. "Alright, you’re not a Turk. Don’t worry about money—I’ll think of something. Stop dreaming of becoming bandits. I hope all of them can settle down and live happy lives. If we became doomed bandits, what would be the point of my efforts now?"

Xiao Qiao grabbed him as he was about to leave. "Don’t even think about selling the repeating crossbow. It’d be better to burn it. Like you said, no matter how precious it is, in our hands it’s just a murderous blade."

Tie Xinyuan patted Xiao Qiao’s hand. "I’m not that foolish. Give me a few days—I’ll think of something."

"And don’t use your mother’s money. She already feeds us often enough, and it’s not easy for her. We can’t drag you and your mother down because of us."

"I know," Tie Xinyuan replied, waving as he strode home.

When Wang Rouhua returned home, she saw her son sitting at the table, completely absorbed in practicing his calligraphy. She crept up behind him to see what he was writing.

Upon seeing what he’d written, Wang Rouhua grew furious. She slapped Tie Xinyuan’s bottom and shouted, "All you think about is making money! That’s all you ever think about!"

Tie Xinyuan leapt up from the beating, scurrying around the small room, but there was no escaping his mother’s grasp.

She held up the paper with the words "making money" scrawled across it and yelled, "Listen carefully! Earning money is my business. Your job is to study hard!"

Tie Xinyuan grimaced. His mother was truly angry this time—his backside was aflame. Desperate to avoid another beating, he recited quickly, "The wealthy need not buy fertile fields—within books are countless bushels of grain. For a secure home, one need not build grand halls—within books are houses of gold. Don’t lament having no followers—within books are carriages and horses in abundance. Don’t lament lacking a good match—within books is beauty like jade. If a young man would fulfill his life’s ambition, let him diligently read the Six Classics by his window."

Wang Rouhua tossed the paper aside and said with a wry smile, "I wonder if the emperor’s words are true. If everyone just read, who would farm, labor, or trade?"

Tie Xinyuan quickly flattered her. "Mother, your insight is profound. My main text is Han Yu’s ‘On the True Way.’ It says exactly that. Your words and those of the sages are in perfect accord—truly remarkable!"

Wang Rouhua said proudly, "Other people’s children should indeed farm, labor, and trade. But you are different—you were born to study. Rid yourself of thoughts of making money and devote all your mind to learning, or I will not let you off lightly."

It was late at night. Though Tie Xinyuan was utterly exhausted, he couldn’t sleep. Wang Rouhua sat by his side, fanning him gently.

At some point, a night wind arose, making the window lattice rattle. Wang Rouhua, startled, quickly got up to secure the window. Outside, a fox was crying loudly. She opened the door to let it in, but it would not settle, instead circling her feet restlessly.

Tie Xinyuan got up and patted the fox’s head a couple of times before it finally calmed down. It lay in its nest, but its eyes, glowing blue in the lamplight, stared fixedly at him, full of fear.

"Could it be an earthquake coming?" Tie Xinyuan asked himself softly. He listened, but heard no dogs barking outside, unable to tell what was happening.

He looked up at their house. Even if there were an earthquake, it wouldn’t matter—the roof was made of the lightest reeds, and his mother was not strong enough to carry heavier materials. Even if it collapsed, it would do no harm.

As for the imperial city, Tie Xinyuan doubted an earthquake could bring it down. He’d asked before—the city wall was rammed earth mixed with glutinous rice water, topped with thick stone slabs. It was virtually indestructible.

He and his mother sat in the small courtyard, wrapped in their quilt, waiting for whatever unknown disaster might come.

PS: The curtain has finally risen. At last, I don’t have to insert my own ramblings anymore. How fortunate are those with manuscripts in reserve! Please continue to recommend, bookmark, and click.