Chapter 70: An Astonishing Transformation

“What did Third Brother say?” Ye Xin asked.

“He didn’t think that much about it,” Wang Meng replied.

“You never mentioned it to him?” Ye Xin smiled.

“Why would I?” Wang Meng stared intently at his wine cup. “Honestly, I don’t even understand myself sometimes. I can work for him, listen to him, and I know that our fortunes rise and fall together, but I just can’t get close to him. Maybe... it’s because of things from when we were kids.”

“When you were kids?” Ye Xin was taken aback.

“Back then, the two of us were the dumbest, the most foolish.” Wang Meng’s smile turned odd. “Think about it—whenever something happened, the first to rush in was either me or you. Han Yuanzi and Han Yunzi were always the ones cheering from the back, at best. Third Brother could fight too, but he always waited until after we’d taken the blows before he got involved, because he needed to have the moral high ground. Every time I think back to our childhood, I feel deeply embarrassed. So, in my heart, I never really wanted to get too close to them.”

“Little Meng, you really have grown up...” Ye Xin said softly. He had said this once already, but this time his voice was full of emotion.

“Brother Xin, there’s something I’m not sure I should ask,” Wang Meng said.

“Go ahead.”

“Have you never thought of clearing your name?” Wang Meng fixed his gaze on Ye Xin. “Anyone with a brain knows there was more to that business with you and Princess Tie Hui Zhen. And let’s not forget it never went through the Grand Commandery Office. Heh... The old man has a lot of faults, but one thing—he’s fair when it comes to matters like this. If he’d been involved, all those dirty secrets would be out in the open by now. That’s why the order came straight from the palace, bypassing the Grand Commandery.”

“To want to clear your name... that kind of thought requires three things,” Ye Xin said calmly. “First, you still identify with this group and want to keep working for them in the future. Second, you care about being seen as a good person and don’t want your reputation stained. Third, you’re weak—you can’t change your fate and can only hope that justice will prevail.”

Wang Meng had never heard things put this way before—psychological prerequisites? He had to think it over before he understood what Ye Xin meant.

“Take Demon Finger Xiao, for example. All over the Kingdom of Wei, people talk about Demon Finger Xiao as if he’s a monster—brutal, ruthless, cunning... People like that, they have no reason to keep living. Only a bolt from the blue could set things right. But do you ever hear Demon Finger Xiao defend himself? Plead his case? Truly formidable warriors have no time for reputation—they care only about their own path and their martial way.”

Wang Meng looked at Ye Xin in silence. These words far exceeded his expectations, and he began to grasp Ye Xin’s thinking.

“Those three psychological prerequisites I mentioned—not a single one applies to me,” Ye Xin said. “Clearing my name? It means nothing to me.”

“Brother Xin, this is who you really are now, isn’t it?” Wang Meng said slowly.

“Whatever you say, the matter with Chief Constable Wu has nothing to do with me,” Ye Xin said, though his tone sounded a little forced.

“I know those things have nothing to do with you, Brother Xin.” Wang Meng smiled, but his smile, too, was not quite genuine.

“As for Chief Constable Zhu, I vaguely remember what he looks like,” Ye Xin said. “He’s a solid, kind-hearted man. Fortune favors the good—I doubt he’ll run into any real danger.”

“I agree,” Wang Meng laughed loudly. “All right, I’ve got nothing else. Brother Xin, can we drink now?”

“Let’s.” Ye Xin picked up his cup and clinked it against Wang Meng’s, draining it in one go.

“By the way, before Chief Constable Zhu left, he told me he was just putting on a show. Even if he found something, he wouldn’t pursue it further.” As he spoke, Wang Meng refilled Ye Xin’s cup.

“You shouldn’t be telling me that,” Ye Xin said with a half-smile.

“Oh, come on, just some idle chatter between brothers,” Wang Meng shook his head. “Brother Xin, this concerns secrets from the Grand Commandery—you’d better not spread it around...”

“Of course, I’m tight-lipped, you don’t need to worry.” Ye Xin paused. “Little Meng, where did you pick up all these tricks?”

Wang Meng, four years ago, was a simpleton to the core—no amount of battlefield experience could have changed him so much.

“Look who I deal with every day,” Wang Meng said proudly. “All those old foxes in the Grand Commandery... Each one as crafty as a snake, almost supernatural.”

“Getting so close to them—the Grand Commander never scolded you?” Ye Xin asked.

“About what?” Wang Meng shook his head. “Wei Juan has been away from the capital for more than twenty years—their family’s Four Seas Tower has fallen into ruin. Not long ago, the Wei family tore it down and are planning to build a new tower. Back in the day, Wei Juan oversaw the construction himself, an eleven-story tower—people envied him everywhere. Heh... easy come, easy go! To be blunt, the previous Grand Chancellor wasn’t a Han, the last Grand Commander wasn’t a Wang. Sure, we’re sticking with Third Brother, hoping for riches and glory... but who knows what the future will bring?”

Ye Xin found himself more and more impressed with Wang Meng. These years hadn’t been wasted—his growth was astonishing.

“Learning from those old foxes can only do me good,” Wang Meng said. “If I don’t make it as a Grand Commander, I can always be Chief Constable. That should be more than enough for a comfortable life.”

“But would you be content?” Ye Xin laughed.

“What choice do I have?” Wang Meng replied. “And besides, I’ll have sons of my own one day. If I can’t make it, I’ll drill it into them. Heh heh... I’ve made up my mind—I’ll find a gentle, virtuous wife, then get ten or eight beautiful concubines, and have them give me as many children as possible!”

“And you know, Brother Xin, this whole business taught me something interesting,” Wang Meng continued with a grin. “Right and wrong completely change depending on whose side you’re on. Just look at my mother—a few years ago, the old man took a concubine. My mother gave that woman ten thousand in gold notes to send her packing, then chased after the old man with a knife for half a month—he didn’t dare set foot in the back house. Now, I tell my mother I plan to take lots of concubines and have a brood of children, and she can’t stop laughing. I don’t even have a wife yet, and she’s already gone to the Fragrant House to reserve a few young girls for me—she’s having them taught manners now, so they’ll be ready to join the Wang family when they come of age.”

“That... the Grand Commander will be driven mad!” Ye Xin’s expression grew odd.

“Do I care?!” Wang Meng scoffed. “But speaking of the old man, Brother Xin, you should be careful, and rein in the Brotherhood—don’t cause any trouble for a while.”

“Oh?” Ye Xin paused. “Has something happened?”

“It’s still about Chief Constable Wu,” Wang Meng said. “Chief Constable Zhu won’t tell the old man—he knows where to draw the line. But the old man has other channels, especially in the Brotherhood—there are spies from the Grand Commandery inside. If Chief Constable Zhu could find out that Mo Yan was gone from Nine Cauldrons City for two days, so can the old man.”

“There are Grand Commandery spies in the Brotherhood? How many?” Ye Xin’s eyes sharpened.

“I don’t know, and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you,” Wang Meng said. “Honestly, most people who become spies do it because they’re desperate—someone in the family is sick, or there’s some other disaster and they need a lot of money fast, so they risk their lives. If I told you who they were, it would destroy entire families! Even if you spared them, the Brotherhood is full of ruthless men—if they found out there were spies among them, well...”

“You’re quite sensible,” Ye Xin said with a laugh.

“And even if you got rid of them, it wouldn’t make a difference,” Wang Meng said. “The Brotherhood’s grown too fast—it’s swallowed up nearly all the city’s gangs. If there weren’t some spies keeping an eye on them, the higher-ups wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. Kill one batch and another will show up.”

“All right...” Ye Xin said helplessly. “Let’s drink!”

The two of them downed another cup. Wang Meng seemed to be getting warm from the drink. He loosened his collar, exposing his chest, then glanced down absently. Suddenly, he started and his face went rigid. “What the... I must be seeing things!”

“What is it?” Ye Xin quickly got to his feet, went to the window, and followed Wang Meng’s gaze.

At a table sat a single middle-aged man, his chin sporting a three-inch beard, a square face, and a commanding presence. However, his clothes were worn and threadbare, and on his table there was only a small plate of food and a pot of tea.

That man was none other than Wang Meng’s father, Wang Fang—the man who presided over the Grand Commandery.

“What’s your old man doing at the Hall of Honor? Eating?” Ye Xin was startled. “Or is he here incognito?”

“Nonsense!” Wang Meng snapped. “Didn’t you see what he’s wearing? He’s looking for true love! Shameless old fool!”

“True love?” Ye Xin was even more confused.

“When the old man was young, my grandparents’ caravan was attacked by bandits, all their goods plundered, and both of them killed,” Wang Meng said wistfully. “The worst part was, all the aunts and uncles came to help with the funeral, and when it was over, the house was stripped bare, even the home was sold off cheap by my great-uncle, leaving the old man on the street.”

“The Grand Commander went through all that?” Ye Xin asked.

“Heh... Once, when he thought he was about to starve, he forced himself into a restaurant, snatched food from a random table, and that’s when he met the love of his life.”