“Ning Chen, congratulations!”

“You can’t call him Ning Chen anymore. It’s Marquis Ning now.”

“That python robe is magnificent.”

They clustered around Ning Chen, all talking at once.

Ning Chen said, annoyed, “Stop putting on airs, all of you. To outsiders I’m a marquis. In front of you I’m still Ning Chen… We’re brothers. Cut the affected nonsense.”

“I’m still the same kid I always was, not a thing changed.”

“Back to work. I’m off to show off to the Chief… We’ll meet at the courtesans’ quarter tonight!”

Gao Ziping and the rest looked at each other and said in one voice, “We see the marquis out!”

Ning Chen rolled his eyes at them, stuck a middle finger up, and said, “Piss off!”

Then he went to Pan Yucheng’s room.

But Pan Yucheng was not there. He had not been able to show off, and this left Ning Chen a little deflated.

He went on to Geng Jing’s room.

Geng Jing had been at the morning court too and knew Ning Chen had been made a marquis.

Seeing Ning Chen, he got up at once and made his bow. “My greetings, marquis!”

“Lord Geng, between us two, let’s leave out the empty ceremony.”

Geng Jing smiled. “The forms cannot be let go.”

“Standing on the rules, are we? Then give me a kowtow.”

The corner of Geng Jing’s mouth twitched and he changed the subject. “Something you need?”

Ning Chen shook his head. “Nothing.”

Geng Jing: ???

Ning Chen smiled. “I only came to show Lord Geng my python robe.”

Geng Jing’s forehead filled with black lines.

“Lord Geng, back to work. I’ve had my show. I’ll be going.”

Geng Jing was at a complete loss, and could only shake his head helplessly. Then he could not help laughing all the same… Ning Chen was still Ning Chen, and becoming a marquis had not put any distance between them.

Coming out of the Inspectorate, Ning Chen had been thinking of going home, but changed his mind and turned toward the courtesans’ quarter.

The python robe was a little large and the sleeves were too long, so he would have Yudie alter it.

Halfway there, he spotted two carriages far ahead, facing each other and blocking most of the road.

A richly dressed young man, with a group of men, was hauling a physician with a medicine box onto a carriage by force.

On the other side there was only a single man of about sixty.

He could be seen dropping to his knees, pleading desperately. “Young Master Ren, I beg you, my young mistress is in a very bad way — she truly is. I beg you to let go of him.”

The richly dressed young man kicked the old man flat on the ground. “If your mistress is in a bad way, what’s that to me?… Block the road again and this young master will see to it your legs are broken.”

With that, he had his men drag the old man’s carriage aside, got in and drove off.

The old man chased after them for a stretch, then his foot turned and he fell down.

He hauled himself up in sorry shape, tears running down his face, murmuring, “What do we do? What do we do now?”

By the time Ning Chen had put his horse to a gallop and got there, the richly dressed young man was long gone.

Only the old man was left, sitting in the road and crying and murmuring.

Ning Chen got there and swung down.

The common people watching from all around, seeing the python robe, hurriedly dropped to their knees.

Ordinary people knew: silver python on black meant a marquis.

Ning Chen walked over and looked at the old man. “Grandfather, what happened here?”

The old man heard his voice and looked up, and his face changed at once with shock. He scrambled hurriedly to his feet. “This humble commoner greets the marquis!”

“Everyone up.”

Ning Chen raised a hand.

The old man thought Ning Chen looked a little familiar, thought about it, and ventured, “You… are you Ning the Silver Coat?”

Ning Chen nodded. Many ordinary people of the capital knew his face; there was nothing strange about that.

“Ning the Silver Coat — no, Marquis Ning… I beg you to save my young mistress. I beg you, please, save my young mistress…”

Ning Chen asked, “What has happened to your young mistress?”

“My young mistress is in a difficult labor. It has gone on since last night, and she has fainted several times from the pain. We have brought in physician after physician and none of them can do a thing… I beg the marquis, on the account of my general, to save her…”

Ning Chen was brought up short. “And who is your general?”

“My general is Liang Jingwu at Beilin Pass. In his letters home, the general mentions that he once fought alongside Marquis Ning.”

Ning Chen’s face changed. “Your general is Liang Jingwu?”

“He is!”

“Who was it that just took the physician?”

“The son of Lord Ren Qifeng, Left Vice Minister of Rites… Lord Ren’s most favored concubine only scratched her arm by accident, and this small man had already sent for Doctor Chen. They had no reason at all, and just snatched him away.”

The old man wiped his tears. “They only do this because my general is away from home all year. It’s too much to bear.”

“Wait here for me!”

Ning Chen swung up onto his horse and rode off at a gallop.

Liang Jingwu was only a Third Rank general, but he had a hundred thousand men in his hands.

He had climbed to where he was on his own valor in the field, piling up merit one piece at a time… But he had no footing and no connections in the capital, and on top of that he was a military man, stationed at Beilin Pass year in and year out. No wonder his family was getting pushed around.

Some are born in Rome; others are born to be oxen and horses. (TL Note: “Born in Rome” is a Chinese internet saying meaning born into privilege — to be where everything you need already is.)

The Fourth Prince, for instance, started out as a Second Rank general.

A man like Liang Jingwu — no connections, no network, away from the capital every year — the emperor’s intimate attendants had no time for him.

That was the way of this world. The men who put their heads down and worked could never outrun the men who knew how to talk.

Ren Qifeng.

Ning Chen’s eyes narrowed.

Ren Qifeng was Left Vice Minister of Rites, and the biggest rival standing between Shen Min and the Minister’s post.

A fine chance, as it happened: get rid of this stone in the path and smooth Shen Min’s way up.

While he was thinking it through, the Ren family carriage had come into view.

“Stop that carriage!”

Ning Chen roared it out.

He put his horse to a gallop, came up in front of the carriage, swung his horse across the road and blocked its way.

The guards around the carriage opened their mouths to curse, then saw the python robe on Ning Chen and went white, and dropped to their knees one after another.

Ning Chen swung down and strode to the carriage.

“What brainless bastard dares block this young master’s carriage…”

Young Master Ren was still cursing as he stuck his head out.

But before he could take in what was happening, a large hand seized him by the hair and dragged him out of the carriage onto the ground.

Young Master Ren landed with a wail.

“Damn you — you want to die, do you? If you think this young master won’t have your whole family killed… Do you know who I am? I am—”

Young Master Ren’s curses stopped short.

He had seen the python robe on Ning Chen. He went white on the spot, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead, and scrambled up and onto his knees in a panic. “I — I greet the marquis… The marquis’s forgiveness, this small man deserves to die, this small man has eyes and cannot see…”

Bang!!!

Ning Chen kicked him clean off the ground.

“Doctor Chen, please get down from the carriage!”

Ning Chen called into the carriage.

Doctor Chen put his head out, looked at what was happening outside, then looked at the python robe on Ning Chen. His face went ashen, and he shook all over. “This humble commoner… this humble commoner greets—”

“Never mind that. Get down quickly. A life is at stake.”

Ning Chen pulled him off the carriage, hauled him to the horse, got up first himself, then pulled Doctor Chen up… and rode off at a gallop.

“Young Master Ning, congratulations on the marquisate! When you have the time, do come to the Tong’an Hall for a cup of tea.”

After they had covered some distance, Doctor Chen’s face had settled to calm, and there was not a trace of the fright that had been in it. He said it to Ning Chen with a smile.

Ning Chen’s eyes sharpened. “You’re the manager of the Tong’an Hall?”

“I am.”

“Good to know. I’ll find you one of these days.”

This Doctor Chen was a man of the Ghost-Shadow Sect.

When Ning Chen had left Xiuzhou, Xie Siyu, the eldest brother of the Ghost-Shadow Sect, had told him that if he needed anything in the capital, he should go to the manager of the Tong’an Hall.

He had simply been too busy lately to go.

Ning Chen turned back the way he had come.

The old man, seeing Doctor Chen, wept for joy.

Ning Chen said, “Take the doctor home first… I’ll follow shortly.”

(End of Chapter 327)