Chapter 52: Entangled Vengeance and Brotherhood

Chang’an awakened to the sound of water being sprinkled in the early morning.

Because of the heavy dust, every morning a special water cart would make its rounds, spraying the streets.

“Cat, Cat!”

The man pushing the water cart turned his face and saw a big, gleaming bald head smiling at him. The man, somewhat displeased, set the cart down and shouted, “Wulang, you scoundrel! There was such a fine football match, and you didn’t call me?”

“You have to sweep the streets and sprinkle water every day—how could you have time to train with us? Those days we trained from dawn till dusk, night and day. Otherwise, how could we catch the eye of someone important?”

The news of yesterday afternoon’s events had already reached him, and Xiao Bailang wasn’t surprised—this fellow was famous for being well-informed.

“With such good fortune, who would stay in the yamen doing this menial work?” Jia Cat huffed. If not for his elderly mother at home needing support, he’d never be doing such things. A man’s ambitions should stretch across the land—how could he endure living like a servant or a dog forever?

“That’s why I’m here for you now. Come, come, I want to introduce you to someone important.”

“Someone important?” Jia Cat’s expression shifted. “Is it that Lord Ye of the ‘Endless Sunset’?”

“Clever lad, you guessed it right away!” Xiao Bailang laughed. “Are you coming with me or not?”

“Of course!” Jia Cat was a little excited. He didn’t think himself any less than Xiao Bailang, and now, in just one afternoon, Xiao’s name was all over Chang’an. All because he met Ye Chang. It was said this Lord Ye, Eleventh of his line, was not only a master of poetry but also a charming figure in the city. Jia Cat had a hunch this was a rare opportunity.

He glanced back at his companions sprinkling water, then at the cart. Striding over, he kicked a hole in the wooden bucket, letting water gush out. Patting his hands, he said, “Damn it, I’ve served this broken cart for two years—at last, I get a bit of revenge. Xiao Wulang, from now on, I’m with you!”

“If I have a bowl of noodles, you’ll have a bowl of soup!” Xiao Bailang thumped his chest in guarantee. Thinking of what Ye Chang said last night about annual profits of a hundred thousand strings of cash, he felt his back straighten. Wrapping an arm around Jia Cat, he whispered in his ear, “Lord Ye laid it all out for me. If we run the football matches well, we could earn tens of thousands a year. By heaven, brother, we’re bound to make our fortune!”

“W-what!”

Even though he was prepared, Jia Cat was still shocked. Tens of thousands! There were plenty of families in Chang’an with that much property, but those who could lay their hands on such ready cash—less than a hundred, surely.

“I’m not lying. Lord Ye ran the numbers, clear as day. I trust you to keep this quiet—wouldn’t dare tell anyone else! Of course, we won’t get all of it. At best, we’ll split a few thousand, maybe ten thousand between us. But compared to our current savings—a mere hundred or so—it’s a fortune!”

“Is there risk?”

“We live in the streets—what risk haven’t we seen? The worst is someone gets greedy and swallows our share. But here’s how I see it: the first year, nobody knows how deep the water is, so they’ll let us test it. The second year, once they understand, they’ll want a cut. We take two years’ profit, then pick a powerful patron and hand over our share, and live in peace as wealthy men!”

Jia Cat’s heart beat wildly. If he could make a hundred or two a year, he’d be content—enough to buy a small estate in the countryside, a legacy for his descendants. Chang’an was fine, but not a place for an ordinary man to stay.

Led by Xiao Bailang, they ducked into Guangde Lane and went straight into a restaurant. Normally, at this hour, restaurants weren’t open, but as city foxes and alley rats, they had their ways. The manager wouldn’t dare offend them.

Thus, there was only one occupied table upstairs—a young man sat there. On seeing Xiao Bailang and Jia Cat, he rose and saluted.

Jia Cat squinted, sizing up the famed Ye Chang, Eleventh of his line.

He was only sixteen or seventeen, with healthy bronze skin. His brows were short—considered unlucky by physiognomists—but his eyes were bright and black. A straight nose, square face, lips a touch thin when pressed together but just right when he smiled or spoke. A strikingly handsome youth, and able to compose lines like “The endless beauty of the sunset”—if he were in the Western Market, the girls of the pleasure quarters would want to swallow him whole.

Jia Cat dared not stare, sensing this youth’s presence was no less than that of the scions of noble houses. He bowed deeply, greeting Ye Chang: “I am Jia Cat, at your service, Lord Ye!”

“No need for such formality. If you’re brother Xiao’s friend, then you’re my friend too,” Ye Chang replied cheerfully. “I love making friends with heroes. Brother Xiao and I became friends after a few scuffles. I’ve heard you’re a real man in the Western Market, and brother Xiao’s told me of your deeds with Jia Chang—you’re a true hero!”

Jia Cat and Jia Chang were distantly related. Before Jia Chang made his fortune, their families were close. Jia Chang learned to train fighting cocks from Jia Cat. After Jia Chang’s rise, some urged Jia Cat to join him, but he refused, saying a true man should not rely on others for success.

The details behind this were best left unsaid.

“My lord flatters me,” Jia Cat replied coolly.

Ye Chang immediately understood their relationship was not close. He let it pass, instead talking with Xiao Bailang about organizing the football league. Yesterday, their discussion was rough; today, it was detailed. Besides the double-round league with promotion and relegation, there would also be a knockout cup with home and away matches, greatly increasing the number of games.

Jia Cat listened as Ye Chang calculated, finally tallying the league and cup profits to about one hundred and twenty thousand strings per year, with very little cost. His heart soared. But he also knew this was Chang’an—a fat piece of meat that everyone would want a bite of.

So he couldn’t help but say, “This money will need smoothing over with all parties.”

“Of course. I suggested to brother Xiao that all profits be split into ten parts: one for promoting football, one for children’s matches—football must be cultivated from a young age, as the chief designer says.” Ye Chang made a dry joke, which Xiao Bailang and Jia Cat didn’t get, but he laughed heartily, then continued, “Two parts to the city magistrate, since we’re operating on his turf—sometimes we’ll need his men to keep order, so fans don’t start fighting. One part to the temples and monasteries—we’ll often need to borrow their names.”

Hearing him so boldly allocate the profits, Jia Cat was amazed—six thousand strings, gone in a blink! Even if it was only on paper, he judged it would work. Cockfighting in Chang’an didn’t generate nearly as much as this, and football was bound to become a craze.

“One share to Princess Yuzhen and the twenty-ninth noble lady as incense money for the temples; if possible, another to Lady Real Jade as rouge money. The remaining three shares go to those running the league, divided by contribution. One for administration, one for the teams, half for other expenses, and half set aside for emergencies.”

He spoke with such clarity that, though he said “suggestion,” Xiao Bailang and Jia Cat could only nod. Jia Cat now understood why Xiao Bailang brought him in—Jia Chang’s wife Pan was skilled in dance and beloved by Lady Real Jade. If they could connect to her, they’d have imperial support!

With all major players appeased, even if they only got one share, it would be a stable income—who would dare steal a business backed by Lady Real Jade, Princess Yuzhen, and the city magistrate?

Jia Cat’s heart burned with ambition.

Ye Chang, seeing the time was right, smoothly changed the subject: “Brother Jia, promoting football won’t be easy—we’ll need sharp eyes and ears. I hear there’s nothing in the Western Market you don’t know. I happen to need your help with one thing.”

“Ask away, Lord Ye. If I don’t know right now, give me half a day and I’ll find out,” Jia Cat boasted.

“Brother Xiao recommended you, and I trust him, so I trust you. To be honest, I had a cousin serving as a guard in the capital, but he died suddenly in the Western Market. My main purpose here isn’t just to make a name for myself, but to bring his coffin home. After that, I must find out why he died—he left behind a widow and orphans who deserve justice.”

Ye Chang spoke slowly, and Jia Cat’s expression grew grave. After so many years in Chang’an, he knew a violent death in the Western Market was no small matter—the city magistrate would investigate. And Ye Chang’s words clearly showed he was dissatisfied with the official verdict.

So the implications could be vast.

“I hear the man who killed my cousin was called Yang Fu, a steward in the household of Princess Xianyi’s consort. He accused my cousin of theft... can you find out what really happened?”

Jia Cat frowned, silent for a long while.

He was weighing pros and cons—on one hand, hundreds of strings in profit each year; on the other, the risk of offending the Princess’s household.

“Cat, what are you thinking? Yang Fu is just a steward. For a few strings, there are plenty in Chang’an who’d cut his head off. All you have to do is ask around—what’s there to hesitate about?” Xiao Bailang interjected.

For a couple of strings, these street knights would kill—let alone for the hundreds Ye Chang was offering. After a long pause, Jia Cat looked up. “No need to ask around. Was your cousin’s given name Shu?”

Ye Chang’s gaze sharpened.

Jia Cat knew of Ye Shu!

“I was there that day. It was stifling hot, followed by a sudden downpour. Your brother and Yang Fu, the steward, were in the Western Market on business…”

The precise details were something even Qin Qinshou, with all his efforts, couldn’t uncover. But Jia Cat had been there and knew it all. Ye Shu, as a militia guard, was officially in the capital on rotation, but in reality serving as a temporary servant for the nobility. Assigned to Princess Xianyi’s household, he accompanied Yang Fu to the market that day. Caught in a sudden storm, they were drenched and had to take off their outer garments. Yang Fu saw a jade pendant on Ye Shu and accused him of theft, claiming it was imperial property. Ye Shu insisted on his innocence, refused to hand over the pendant, and in the ensuing struggle, Yang Fu struck him dead.

The affair escalated, but although the princess’s household was fined, Yang Fu received only a token beating before being released.

The truth was surely more complicated.

“On the surface, that’s all. In fact, not only was Yang Fu not punished, he was rewarded. The details are beyond me, but it’s said the consort summoned Yang Fu for a private meeting, after which Yang Fu was in high spirits.”

“So to find the truth, we need to get to Yang Fu,” Ye Chang mused.

Though he appeared to be talking to himself, he watched Xiao Bailang and Jia Cat. Xiao nodded grimly; Jia Cat’s face changed.

“Cat, don’t hold back. If you have a way, just say it. The consort has plenty of stewards; if Yang Fu disappeared, they wouldn’t dig too deep. We have ways to make sure he dies without a trace. Lord Ye’s brother is our brother—his blood must be avenged!”

A ruthless ally, indeed. Ye Chang narrowed his eyes, thinking, then smiled. “Brother Jia, can you get close to Yang Fu? Is he greedy for money or lustful?”

Jia Cat nodded. “Not much of a womanizer, but greedy for money—absolutely.”

“Is there a way to lure him out of the consort’s residence without arousing suspicion?”

“That’s difficult. Whenever he goes out, he’s always accompanied by three or four servants.”

“Then, Brother Jia, just keep an eye on him. I won’t ask you to do anything else. Just let me know when he leaves—can you manage that?”

Jia Cat felt a mountain of pressure descend. But Ye Chang’s meaning was clear.

On one hand, hundreds of strings a year; on the other, the life of a steward who meant nothing to him.

Was the choice not obvious?