Chapter 88: Tears of Pain

Cai Cong looked at the towering wall of gifts before him and did not know whether to laugh or cry. What in the world was this supposed to be?

“My lord, what is going on here?” Chunyu asked as she climbed down from the carriage, bewildered by the bustling scene. Especially when she saw the men with flushed faces shouting that they represented hundreds upon hundreds of households and demanding that she let them sign first, she was utterly at a loss.

Before Cai Cong could even speak, several elders urged him back into the carriage and made him sit properly. They even handed him a few pieces of fruit to quench his thirst, while they, hearts blazing with fervor, rolled up their sleeves and led the others in signing their names and sorting everything out.

A full half hour passed before several of the elders came walking solemnly toward Cai Cong’s carriage, carrying a thick, heavy roll of cloth. With grave expressions, they said, “My lord, we old fellows are useless. You have been slandered by treacherous officials, and all we can do is help you write this petition of the people. May your journey be safe and sound.”

When he had finished, the old man handed the petition to Lao Meng and scolded him sternly. “Take good care of it. Even if your life is lost, you must not lose this petition. Otherwise, the people of Zhengzhou would not forgive you, even if they died and became ghosts.”

“Please rest assured, everyone. As long as the petition remains, I remain. If I am gone, the petition will still be here.” Lao Meng was moved as well. He took the petition solemnly, drew his long blade, and slapped it against his chest twice, declaring in a loud voice.

In the crowd, a little beggar wore a look of intense struggle. He was about Cai Cong’s age, with darting eyes that made him look like a clever, quick-witted little imp. His face twisted with hesitation several times before, finally, gritting his teeth, he burst out of the crowd and dropped to his knees before Cai Cong.

This startled both Cai Cong and the elders. The little beggar said nothing, only kowtowing again and again.

“Isn’t this the grandson of Old Tang’s family? Weren’t they all said to have been burned to death? How is he still alive?” an old man cried in astonishment. He rushed over and rubbed hard at the beggar’s face, which was smeared with mud.

“Little rascal, it really is you! Good, good. Old Tang’s line has not been cut off. His incense will continue.” The old man hugged the beggar, so overjoyed he could not find words for it, and kept wiping his face with his sleeve.

“What is going on? Does he have some grievance?” Cai Cong’s expression turned grim. He had not heard anything else; all he had caught was that they had all been burned to death.

“My lord, I think this child should be the grandson of Elder Tang from Sanjia Village. The Tang family case has already been settled, and all the culprits have been brought to justice,” Lao Meng said softly, stepping forward. The old man holding the beggar was one of the elders from Sanjia Village. When Lao Meng went there to handle the massacre of the Tang household, it had been this old man who received him.

“Child, from now on you will go back with Elder Fang and live with him. Hurry, go and kowtow to Lord Cai again. He is the one who avenged your family.”

The old man spoke with delight, but the beggar shook his head and said firmly, “Grandfather Fang, I cannot go back with you. My grandfather taught me propriety, righteousness, benevolence, and honor. I must repay my lord’s great kindness. I want to go to Chang’an with him.”

“Fool! There are many ways to repay a kindness. Your family has only you left. If you are not here, who will offer sacrifices and burn incense for your ancestors at the four seasons and the eight festivals?”

The old man flew into a rage at once, cuffing the little beggar while cursing angrily. The others reacted in different ways. Those who had read themselves half stupid thought this was a matter of lofty duty and moral principle, while ordinary folk shook their heads and said the boy was horribly unfilial.

Though scolded harshly, the beggar did not strike back. Instead, when he found a chance, he seized the old man’s hand, leaned close to his ear, and whispered. As he listened, the old man kept looking up at Cai Cong, then down at the child again.

His face was full of pain and struggle. At last, two cloudy tears slipped from the corners of his eyes. He stroked the beggar’s head and said with pity, “Go. Go with the lord to Chang’an. The sacrifices and incense for your Tang family will never be lacking at the four seasons and the eight festivals. Good boy Yi’er, Grandfather Fang feels sorry for you.”

By the end, the old man could no longer hold back and broke into loud sobbing. He took the beggar by the hand and led him to Cai Cong’s side, pushing him toward Lao Meng as he choked out, “Treat this child well on the road. Give him whatever he wants to eat. I have one string of cash here, and I will leave it with the general.”

After saying this, he did not dare look at Tang Yi again. Pushing through the crowd, he left weeping bitterly. Tang Yi’s eyes were red, but he did not cry. He stood quietly and obediently by Lao Meng’s side.

“My lord, what, what are we supposed to do about this?” Lao Meng asked, sounding like a simpleton. He felt that everything happening today was strange beyond reason, and he did not dare to interfere at all.

“What a pitiful child. My lord, why not keep him as your attendant boy? He’s about your age, too, so he can keep you company,” Xia Yun said with compassion, overflowing with tenderness. Such a lovely child, yet his family had been destroyed and his home left in ruins. It was too tragic.

Cai Cong waved a hand grandly and said, “Then let him stay with the Cai family. As long as he is willing to learn well, there will be no problem for him to marry and have children someday and continue the Tang family line.”

At the mention of marrying and having children, Tang Yi’s face turned bright red with embarrassment, and he stood off to the side without saying another word. Cai Cong had already explained himself until he was exhausted, but the common people had decided that treacherous ministers were persecuting a loyal official. One after another, they saw him off with grief-stricken faces.

Cai Cong was deeply moved and kept waving for the people to return, but how could they agree? They escorted him for a full fifty kilometers before reluctantly turning back.

“My lord, so this is what it means to be a good official. Look how much these people adore you,” Chunyu said emotionally, her eyes full of admiration when she looked at Cai Cong.

“Yes. So this is what it feels like to be a good man,” Cai Cong murmured.

Even though he had repeatedly explained that the officials of Zhengzhou had not come to see him off because he had ordered them to remain at their posts and not leave without permission, the stubborn common folk insisted that he had been persecuted for his loyalty and refused to let him go without writing that petition for him.

“But my lord, you should stop being silly and think about how you’ll face the mistress when you get back. I hear even Her Majesty the Empress was frightened badly. The imperial physician said that if it had not been for the notoginseng powder you found, something terrible might have happened. This time, you may well be in for a real beating.”

Xia Yun said this with a wicked grin. It was no joke. Women did not make sense. When you were hurt, they could ache for you until their hearts broke; but once the wound had healed, they could chase you down the street with a rattan cane and whip you for days.

“Don’t scare me like that. Why don’t we just go back to Zhengzhou?” Cai Cong’s face went a little pale. He still had lingering fear from the last beating he had received from Zhangsun.

“You dare?” The two maids clung to him from left and right and asked fiercely.

“Heh heh, we’re definitely going back, but we can take it slowly and look at the scenery and local customs along the way.” Cai Cong shrank his neck and said with an awkward smile. The girls, spoiled by Cai Jie’er, had become increasingly bold and unruly.

“That’s more like it. As long as you stay out of those affairs and take good care of yourself, you may return whenever you wish,” the two maids said softly. Their mistress had ordered them to bring him back to Chang’an and make sure Cai Cong did not meddle in court matters, lest someone arrange for his death.

If Cai Cong wanted no part in official affairs and simply wished to travel for pleasure, they would not stop him. Under Cai Jie’er’s influence, they had already come to believe that their lord was always right, and that whatever he did must be good.

The road from Zhengzhou to Chang’an was a long one. When they had come, they had been forced to march at speed and even set ambushes to deal with pursuers, leaving them no heart for the scenery. Now that they were taking their time, it still took five full days just to leave the territory of Zhengzhou.

Once outside Zhengzhou, they soon entered Gongyi. Gongyi was a fine place, the foremost county in the Central Plain, and very prosperous besides. It lay within Henan, and beyond it was Luoyang.

When Cai Cong’s convoy first entered Gongyi, the county magistrate, along with the deputy magistrate and local gentry, was already waiting at Wuli Pavilion. The July heat was like a furnace, and each of them kept wiping away sweat with handkerchiefs, though none dared bring maidservants to fan them with palm fans. What would the superiors think if they saw that?