Chapter 42: The Local Tyrant's Bait

Yang Can had never visited these manors before, not even after becoming Yu Chengye’s secretary. Therefore, the villages he imagined were merely reflections of his own preconceived notions, and the landlords he envisioned were nothing more than typical rural petty squires.

In reality, he suffered from a severe cognitive bias. In this era, even in the Central Plains, manor lords were not all mere rural gentry. In some parts of the Central Plains, there existed powerful, wealthy magnates, and in the Longshang region, every large manor was anchored by such a figure. The "village" here was, in fact, a hybrid of economic, administrative, and military units. Who could view an "independent kingdom" that integrated military defense, agricultural production, handicraft industries, and administrative rule as a simple village? The landlords here were akin to the powerful warlords of the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period—possessing immense strength.

Inside Phoenix Manor, Zhang Yunyi might appear to be a mere "wealthy bumpkin" who burned incense at every temple and smiled at everyone he met, but here, he was an undisputed uncrowned king. The reason Yang Can was shocked and taken aback when he saw the grand, imposing fortress was that his "peacetime" mindset and ingrained biases could not reconcile with the product of such a turbulent era and unique geographical location.

Examining the fortress, Yang Can asked Zhang Yunyi, "Master Zhang, is this fortress built to defend against horse bandits?"

Zhang Yunyi knew that once the executors from above arrived for inspection, he could no longer keep his wealth hidden. His manor was truly isolated; with a single word from him, news of the manor's internal affairs would never leak out. Yet, it was also not isolated at all, for to his masters, this fortress was effectively an undefended territory. This was why his bribes to Li Youcai had been exceptionally generous. Li Youcai had been an executor for many years and knew the ins and outs of these manors; one could not play the part of a pauper before him. Now that Yang Can had come to inspect, Zhang knew that the next gift he presented would have to be far more valuable than the last. However, he also had to be careful not to make Yang Can feel that he was excessively wealthy.

Zhang Yunyi replied, "Executor Yang, defending against horse bandits is only a secondary concern. During years of severe famine, roving refugees pose a danger far greater than bandits. This fortress is so sturdy primarily to defend against the chaos caused by refugees in hard times."

Yang Can suddenly understood. By then, the drawbridge had been lowered and the gates thrown open, allowing the group to enter. As they walked, Zhang Yunyi introduced the manor's granaries, workshops, and other facilities, all built within the fortress walls. He explained that in the event of an overwhelming wave of refugees, every man, woman, and child in the village would take refuge within the fortress to resist. He was signaling to Yang Can that this fortress was the final stronghold of Feng'an Manor, not merely his own private residence. This was not entirely a lie; Yang Can did indeed see areas for grain storage, armories, weaving rooms, distilleries, blacksmith shops, and other buildings serving agricultural, industrial, and even commercial purposes.

Moving further ahead, they reached a high wall that felt like the inner gate of an imperial palace. Inside this lay the Zhang residence. The vermilion gates were made of half-foot-thick elm planks, encased in wrought iron and studded with copper nails as large as bowls. This meant that even if an enemy breached the outer fortress gates, they would still have to overcome further defenses to truly threaten Zhang Yunyi’s safety.

Inside the Zhang residence, the ground was paved with bluestone. A straight main road led directly through the complex, with courtyards on either side connected to the path by gates. At the end of the road stood a main hall with a five-bay hip-and-gable roof. Perched on the eaves were bronze-cast *Xiezhi* beasts, and beneath the eaves hung copper bells that chimed melodiously whenever the wind blew.

Zhang Yunyi and the manor’s stewards ushered Yang Can’s party into the main hall. Zhang Yunyi said with a beaming face, "Executor Yang, Master Li, Miss Qingmei, I have already arranged accommodations for you in the residence. Tonight, I shall host a banquet to welcome you, and tomorrow I will accompany you to inspect the manor’s affairs. How does that sound?"

Yang Can nodded and said, "A guest follows the host’s lead. I shall leave it to your arrangements, Master Zhang."

***

Hearing this, Lai Gulu and the others smiled, interpreting Yang Can’s words as a sign of compliant goodwill. It seemed this Executor Yang was a sensible man. As long as you didn't go too far, we naturally wouldn't make things difficult for you. If everyone is happy, that is what truly matters.

Zhang Yunyi said, "It is still early for the banquet. Let us sit and get to know one another." As he spoke, he gave a wink to Lai Gulu.

Understanding the cue, Lai Gulu immediately cupped his hands toward Yang Can and said heartily, "Executor Yang, I am the head of Tian'an Manor. Allow me to brief you on the affairs under my jurisdiction."

As Lai Gulu introduced his responsibilities to the three visitors, four pretty maids in green dresses entered with tea trays, serving fragrant tea to the guests. These maids had clearly been carefully selected; they were slender, beautiful, and possessed bright, intelligent eyes.

Yang Can took a cup of tea, idly swirling the leaves while listening to Lai Gulu’s self-introduction. He glanced casually at the pretty maids. It was true that remote mountains could indeed produce beautiful birds, and modest huts could produce beautiful women—the saying held up here. Humans, by nature, tend to linger on things that are beautiful. Although it was only a fleeting moment, Zhang Yunyi noticed. He immediately gestured to the butler, who understood and quietly followed the maids as they exited.

In Yang Can’s original world, a contemporary "master of all" once said: "Do you know how much power I have? Even if I have a dream, someone will immediately make it a reality!" Zhang Yunyi clearly possessed the power to make dreams come true. And Yang Can, holding the "Shangfang Sword," now possessed the power to have Zhang realize those dreams for him.

The welcoming banquet was very sumptuous, yet Zhang Yunyi was a man of great discretion; the scale of the feast was just right. The standard was enough to make Yang Can’s party feel respected and honored, but not so extravagant as to make them think this "rural bumpkin" was as lavish as their own masters.

After the banquet, Yang Can’s party was escorted to the central courtyard to settle in. This was a relatively independent area, separated from the main compound by high walls. In the courtyard stood two buildings facing north and south, with a lotus pond between them connected by a stone bridge. As the head of the mission, Yang Can stayed in the south building alone.

As he entered, two pretty maids stepped forward, curtsying gracefully with voices like orioles. "Executor Yang, please have some tea to sober up. The bathwater will be ready shortly."

Yang Can looked closely and found the two women vaguely familiar. He realized they were the same maids who had served the tea earlier. Yang Can couldn't help but smile to himself. Was this Manor Lord Zhang a fruit vendor by trade? It seemed he picked out the best-looking girls in the manor and used them for every occasion. Whether it was serving tea or attending to his daily needs, it was always them.

Yang Can asked with a smile, "What are your names?"

"This servant is Sangzhi."

"This servant is Xiaotan."

Sangzhi was taller and wore a moon-white gauze dress. Her skirt was embroidered with pale blue cloud patterns, and a silk ribbon was tied around her waist, highlighting a figure so slender it could be held in one's palm. Compared to Xiaotan, she was more graceful and had more striking features. Xiaotan, however, was petite and wore an apricot-red jacket; her youthful face already held a hint of allure, offering a different kind of charm compared to Sangzhi.

Because their appearances and temperaments were different, Yang Can found them easy to distinguish. At today’s welcome banquet, he had naturally not gotten drunk, only slightly tipsy. Having sat and finished two cups of tea to clear his head, Yang Can got up to bathe.

In the bathroom, the cypress wood tub was filled with warm, steaming water, and petals of freshly picked flowers floated on the surface. Yang Can removed his robes and stepped into the tub. The perfect water temperature made him let out a sigh of satisfaction.

At that moment, Xiaotan, dressed only in a light undergarment, walked in barefoot carrying a red lacquer tray. On the tray were soap beans, fragrant ointment, and fine linen towels. Xiaotan walked lightly to Yang Can’s side, curtsied, and said softly, "This servant will assist Executor Yang with his bath."

Yang Can instinctively wanted to tell her to leave; he had never enjoyed such decadent service before. But the words died on his lips. Where was he? This was Feng’an Manor! The most powerful person here was no more than a "village head." If he were to make a fuss over the ways of a village head’s household, he would lose face. Thus, Yang Can acted as if he were long accustomed to such things, appearing completely indifferent. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the edge of the tub.

Seeing no opposition, a smile of "as expected" flickered in Xiaotan’s eyes. She placed the wooden tray on a small side table. Clad only in her undergarment, revealing two pale, slender arms, she used a ladle to scoop water and poured it slowly over Yang Can’s shoulders and back. Then, she took the soap beans and rubbed them between her palms. Once the soap lathered and the faint scent of medicinal herbs spread, her hands began to massage Yang Can’s shoulders and neck with measured pressure.

Yang Can kept his eyes closed, putting on the appearance of an executor very familiar with this routine. Calm, very calm. The water surface remained undisturbed.

Outside Yang Can’s second-floor bedroom was a "hanging corridor," commonly known as a balcony. When Sangzhi saw that Xiaotan had not been sent out after some time, she smiled faintly and walked onto the balcony. She hung an orange-red lantern and leaned against the railing, gazing into the distance. Afterward, she gracefully returned to the inner room and closed the sliding door.

The rear residence where Zhang Yunyi lived was located behind the main hall where he had entertained Yang Can. This formed a separate, large courtyard—a "courtyard within a courtyard." Behind the main hall was actually a high wall; one had to walk to either side of this wall to find the entrance to the rear residence. Otherwise, anyone seeing this wall would assume that behind the main hall lay the outer wall of the fortress.

Such a misleading design was, of course, not intended to defend against roving bandits. Inside this inner courtyard, the beams were carved and the pillars painted with a level of exquisite beauty that surpassed the most luxurious rooms in the front.

Once Sangzhi hung the lantern on the balcony, a servant watching from afar hurried into this "inner courtyard." He went to report that the Executor Yang had already taken the "bait" laid by the Master of the Manor.