Yinshan Record

Chapter 255 Gossip
The Canglang River—that hardly qualifies as an answer.

Imagine you go out today and ask your friends, "Where should we go for fun?"
My friend replied, "The Yangtze River."

Therefore, the destination could be a vast area stretching from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east.

The same applies to Madam Xie's Canglang River.

The Canglang River stretches across half of Nanliang, flowing eastward into the sea. The area covered by the single phrase "Canglang River" is truly vast.

However, seeing the confident smile on Madam Xie's lips, Su Che did not ask her.

"Alright, then please lead the way, Brother Xie."

"No need for that, Zhu Er will lead the way."

Su Che glanced at the unhappy-looking demon beast beside her, guessing that she had been dragged over unwillingly as well.

"Don't worry, with me here, I'll find where those people are."

The maidservant said reluctantly.

It had long been accustomed to a life of luxury, and it was unwilling to suddenly be forced to live a life of hardship.

The three gates inside the four gates of Tian'an County were all sealed off by the Imperial Guards, and the North Gate was no exception. There were Imperial Guards in brocade robes guarding the gate. They recognized Su Che and quickly came up to greet him.

Su Che didn't say much to them and directly ordered them to let them pass.

"Brother Su is indeed skilled at managing his subordinates."

The Prince of Wuling exclaimed, "I wonder what the purpose of sealing off the city gates is."

Su Che was very curious about how the Prince of Wuling had figured out that he was good at managing his subordinates.

"Wu Si should remember what I mentioned before about the City God of Tian'an County being possessed by a demon, right?"

"Of course I remember that."

"The City God is a righteous deity in the human world. His divine power is based on the incense offerings of the people. If people's hearts are shaken, his divine power will naturally be affected. This is why Zhiqiang ordered the city gates to be sealed."

"But wasn't the City God of Tian'an County already wiped out by you all?"

"It's true that they've wiped them out, but there's a reason why the city gates should remain closed."

Su Che explained, "Your Highness should know that the Cizhou Imperial Guards' annual expenses are all covered by the imperial court."

"This is the rule of the imperial court; the expenses of the Imperial Guards are all covered by the palace's accounts."

"Yes, that amount of money is fixed. It's only that much money in a year, but Brother Wu, the things that the Cizhou Imperial Guards have to do every year are not fixed. How many monsters will emerge, how many evil people will plot rebellion, or what natural disasters or man-made calamities might occur in a year, no one can say for sure."

"So that money might not be enough, right?"

"It's not that it might not be enough, it's that it's definitely not enough."

As the deputy commander of the Cizhou Criminal Investigation Bureau, Su Che's duties included managing all accounts. Although he hadn't looked at the ledger since taking office, Lu Bai had already revealed most of the inside story.

“Every year, a portion of the money allocated to the Cizhou Imperial Guards would be deducted by the palace for various expenses. Upon arriving at the Imperial Horse Administration, an even larger sum would be set aside for contingency expenses. There are difficulties everywhere, and Cizhou is not the only place facing hardship.”

"Then it was allocated to Cizhou. If we could keep 70% of that money, that would be considered a lot. As for all the other expenses, there really wasn't much left."

"So, sealing off the city gates was just a way to make money?"

"Yes and no."

Su Che looked at the young prince. For him, there were still too many things in this world to care about. "What Third Brother Su said makes me a little confused. What do you mean by 'yes and no'?"

"Does Brother Wu know how much a centurion in the Imperial Guard earns?"

"How many?"

"No salary."

“It’s not just the centurion; even Commander Shi and I haven’t received our salaries.”

"Is it because there isn't enough money?"

"That's right. Our salaries are all deducted to cover the expenses of the thousand-household garrison. Although the officers below the hundred-household level receive salaries, they are only paid once every three months. Once the city gates are closed, the various expenses incurred in and out are a source of income. Many of them, even if they have no family, still have parents to support."

Su Che gazed at the distant mountains.

"Our loyalty to the Great Liang is undeniable. The court has never shortchanged the Censorate and the Jingye Division on their provisions, but we are ultimately different from them. The Jingye Division is full of outsiders who came for money, and the Censorate is full of deeply entrenched foreign officials."

“We, the Imperial Guards, are our own people of Great Liang, so Commander Shi, the other centurions, and I can disregard this, but our men cannot suffer. If they suffer, who will be loyal to Great Liang in the future?”

Su Che looked at the Prince of Wuling: "Therefore, I have dared to open a channel for them to make money. They are all loyal subjects of the Great Liang. If loyal subjects cannot afford to be filial to their parents, and cannot even find a wife and have children, then the Great Liang will sooner or later be doomed..."

"This kind of thing is nothing new in the 'Imperial Guards' all over the country."

Madam Xie continued, "If something happens, close the city gates first. When prices soar and all industries decline, wealthy merchants will naturally pool their money and have the local officials hand it over to the imperial guards to buy peace."

"Therefore, when evil spirits appeared in various places, local officials and wealthy families preferred to find their own solutions rather than let the imperial guards intervene."

Madam Xie looked at Su Che with a smile: "Things are alright here in Cizhou. In many places, the Imperial Guards are both loyal subjects of the Great Liang and man-eating tigers."

"Brother Xie is right."

The Prince of Wuling sighed deeply, "It's only after stepping out of the palace that one truly understands the vast world. If we had provided Su San and the others with sufficient funds and provisions, wouldn't all these problems have been avoided?"

"of course not."

Su Che shook his head.

"Even if we replenish the funds and provisions for the Imperial Guards, and both Commander Shi and I receive an annual salary of 100,000 taels of gold, these things will still happen."

Su Che looked at the Prince of Wuling: "Your Highness should also know that in the present Liang Dynasty, neither I, nor the centurions of the Imperial Guards, nor even Commander Shi, actually need to rely on salaries to live."

"The power of the Imperial Guards is just like this city gate; as long as you are willing to do it, people will naturally offer you money."

"I heard that Li Qianhu of Jingzhou receives a sum of money from all the brothels in Jingzhou, which amounts to about three thousand taels of gold a year."

Su Che, being very loyal, did not use Shi Chibao, the commander of the Imperial Guards next door, as an example.

"so much?"

Three thousand taels of gold—this number surprised even the Prince of Wuling.

"Many famous courtesans in brothels are demons, and some have even been in this business for several years. If the Imperial Guards get serious, I don't know how many brothels will be turned upside down."

"They are happy to spend a sum of money to buy peace of mind."

Su Che looked at the Prince of Wuling and said, "If we're talking about their flattery and seductive charm, how many ordinary women can compare to those demons who specialize in this art? Without a few centuries-old demons in the building, it would be impossible for them to gain a foothold in Jiangling."

(End of this chapter)