Chapter 58: The Fall of the Yan Family (Part Two)

One of the main reasons why Bai Yu always kept a low profile in the courtyard and never talked about his life outside was that everyone in the compound knew his past background and details.

He was terrified that if the inside and outside compared notes, it might trigger some unpredictable risks. And sure enough, someone had eventually tracked down the neighbors in the large tenement courtyard to dig into his background.

Of course, this was bound to happen sooner or later. What Bai Yu cared about most was which faction had sent people to snoop around this time.

In order to increase his own persuasiveness, Mr. Yan saw no need to conceal anything, so he replied:

"Indeed, several people cornered me. They looked aggressive, and judging by their demeanor, they were all government runners or imperial soldiers.

The main thing they were asking about was your academic record at the community school back then.

And I told them the truth—that you only attended the school for three months before being expelled for being too incorrigibly unruly!"

Deep down, Bai Yu remained extremely puzzled. Who on earth was investigating him, and why inquire about his academic performance?

From Mr. Yan's words, it was impossible to guess what kind of bored lunatic would have so much time on their hands that they would even check his primary school grades.

It was just like someone having already become a working adult in their past life, only for someone to travel all the way back to their hometown to check their elementary school report card.

When the founding Emperor Taizu established the dynasty, he had once promoted government-run community schools as places for the common folk at the bottom to learn basic literacy, though the system gradually fell into disuse later on.

In the early years of the Jiajing reign, before the Jiajing Emperor became known as the Sovereign of Longevity, he also made a concerted effort to govern vigorously, restoring a batch of community schools in various wards of the capital to showcase the imperial court's emphasis on culture and education.

When Bai Yu's original self was around ten years old, he had attended the Fucai Ward community school for three months, and Mr. Yan had been a Confucian tutor at that very school.

However, after searching his memories, Bai Yu recalled the true story behind his expulsion.

So that was what really happened! Bai Yu immediately pointed at Mr. Yan and began cursing aloud right from the start:

"Old Yan! Back then, just because my Mid-Autumn Festival gift was slightly less than everyone else's, you found another excuse to drive me out of the school!

You scum like this, how do you even have the face to say I was incorrigibly unruly?"

Having his shortcomings exposed in public, Mr. Yan grew somewhat exasperated and retorted by pointing back at him:

"At the very least, I am the one who taught you how to read! Do you have no sense of respecting your teachers and valuing the Way?

Such an outrage to culture! Truly an outrage to culture! You unbred wretch!"

Bai Yu immediately unleashed a torrent of abuse in response: "One has to at least be a licensed scholar to be worthy of the word 'culture'. Does an old licentiate like you even qualify?

The government only pitied your old age, which is why they allowed you to wear the blue collar and serve as an introductory tutor at the community school just to scrape together a few bites of food!

Does the courtyard not know your true colors? Don't put on airs of refinement in front of us; you really don't deserve it!"

Mr. Yan was, after all, a teacher of literacy at the community school, and the neighbors generally treated him with a degree of respect. He had never been stepped on and blasted like this to his face.

Consequently, Mr. Yan was genuinely enraged, trembling from head to toe. If not for his son, Wenge, holding him up, he would barely have been able to stand.

"You beast! You little beast!" Casting aside all decorum, Mr. Yan began cursing outright.

Bai Yu immediately acted like a third-party commentator, providing live analysis for the neighbors:

"Everyone has seen it now! Old Yan has been scheming against me for years, and now he's still hurling insults at me!

A blood feud is now established between our family and the Yan family; there is no longer any neighborly sentiment left whatsoever!"

The surrounding neighbors listened in stunned silence. How did the situation suddenly shift so drastically into a vicious, unvarnished public brawl?

In this era, people still valued the notion of "living in harmony with neighbors," and it was truly rare for people to completely burn their bridges right to each other's faces.

Seeing his father angered to such a state, the Yan family's eldest son, Yan Wen, could no longer stand by idly. He rushed forward, intending to resort to physical violence against Bai Yu.

Instantly, the sturdier Xia Da stepped in front of Bai Yu and pinned Yan Wen down.

Bai Yu immediately resumed his commentary to the crowd: "Everyone saw that too! The Yan family even wanted to resort to violence and beat people! This enmity has grown even deeper!

Back then they drove me out of the community school, last month they forced me, an underage youth, to perform corvée labor in place of their own son, this month they forcibly seized the property of our dear old Uncle Li, and now they are plotting against my family!

One incident after another, this hatred between Old Yan and me cannot be resolved—it cannot be resolved at all!

All my dear neighbors must bear witness for me. If the Yan family meets with any misfortune, don't blame me for showing no mercy!

Oh, and by the way, this is what you call 'do not say you were not warned in advance!'"

Some of the clever ones sensed that something was amiss. Little Yu's tone sounded rather strange, as if he were entirely certain that the Yan family was doomed to misfortune and was trying to distance himself in advance.

Seeing that today's plenary courtyard meeting had turned into a farce, Wang Taigang, the head of the household in the compound, could endure it no longer. He brought his walking stick down heavily against the ground and shouted, "Enough! What kind of propriety is this? Get to the point!"

Recovering slightly from his flushed rage, Mr. Yan yelled at the top of his lungs, "Bai Yu committed a crime outside, and it might implicate the entire courtyard! Therefore, the Bai family must give the courtyard an explanation!"

Bai Yu retorted, "Good! You said it yourself! We'll give the courtyard an explanation!"

The crowd was extremely perplexed. Had Bai Yu agreed or not? Why was he offering zero resistance?

Just at that moment, several strange, burly men strode into the courtyard.

Before the residents could even ask questions, the leading man flashed a waist token and announced their origins:

"Operational officers of the Brocade Guard are on official business! Nobody move!"

To the people at the bottom of society, the name of the Brocade Guard's operational officers was practically synonymous with fierce demons and evil ghosts. The crowd instantly fell into a terrified silence.

The lead officer demanded in a loud voice, "Who is Yan Wen? The one working as an apprentice to the storyteller Hu Mo at the Chunlai Teahouse on Fuchengmen Street!"

Everyone in the courtyard turned in unison to look at the Yan father and son. They had all known previously that Mr. Yan had found a livelihood for his son—who had failed the county examination—by having him apprentice under a storyteller.

Seeing that trouble was about to befall the family of his longtime acquaintance, Wang Taigang, the head of the compound, mustered his courage and asked, "What offense has he committed?"

Without a word of explanation, the officers stepped forward, pinned down Yan Wen, the eldest Yan son, and bound him tightly with ox-hide rope.

The lead officer casually provided an explanation: "The storyteller Hu Mo has been recklessly spreading rumors and slandering the Holy Monarch! All his apprentices are implicated by association!"

This sudden turn of events threw the courtyard into an uproar. Carrying on as a storyteller could carry such massive risks?

Or was the master whom the Yan family's eldest son had apprenticed to simply a fool, daring to openly discuss the emperor?

Though filled with doubt, no one dared to speak out rashly, as getting targeted by the Brocade Guard was no laughing matter.

Only Bai Yu stepped out from the crowd and asked the officers, "What kind of rumors are we talking about?"

The officer chuckled twice and replied, "I'll let you die knowing the truth!

When Hu Mo was telling stories, just to create a gimmick, he openly used the phrase 'Jiajing, Jiajing, every household is cleaned clean' as a punchline, and his apprentices all cheered them on from below the stage. Arresting him is hardly unjust!"

With that, the officers dragged away Yan Wen, who was too terrified to even scream or shout.

As for Mr. Yan, he collapsed limply onto the ground, his eyes vacant and devoid of spirit, as if his soul had been sucked out of him.

It seemed the blow Mr. Yan had suffered this time was truly devastating, completely stripping away his previous air of being the foremost intellectual in the courtyard.

The worldly-wise Wang Taigang chimed in from the side with an analysis: "These flesh-and-blood-eating officers are mostly just doing it for money!

Old Yan, don't just sit there in a daze; hurry up and figure out a way to raise funds. Rescuing him early will save him from suffering too much!"

The others felt a sympathetic dread and chimed in with a babble of overlapping discussions.

Someone else added, "I've seen similar things happen among relatives; it'll take at least ten or twenty taels of silver for bribes!"

Hearing this monetary sum, Mr. Yan snapped out of his daze and wailed while beating the ground, "Where would our family get that much money? Even if you killed me, I couldn't produce it!"

Ten or twenty taels was undoubtedly a massive fortune to them. Anyone who could casually produce that much hard silver would not be living in a tenement courtyard like this.

When such matters struck, whoever encountered them was simply unlucky. For poor people at the bottom to get entangled in a major lawsuit, having to sell their homes and land to the point of total bankruptcy was a common occurrence.

It was foreseeable that even if the Old Yan family managed to buy back the eldest son, they would most likely end up completely ruined.

For a moment, the people in the tenement courtyard didn't know what to say. More than anything, it was the sense of powerlessness that small people felt when facing absolute authority.

Only Bai Yu spoke loudly to himself: "According to Old Yan's logic, Wenge committed a crime—it won't implicate the entire courtyard, will it?

Especially crimes like spreading rumors and slander that spread from person to person; it's very easy for neighbors in the same courtyard to be implicated by association!"

He then turned around and shouted, "Old Yan! Your family committed a crime, and you must give the courtyard an explanation! That's what you just said!"

Unable to bear watching his longtime companion meet such a tragic end, Wang Taigang hurried over to smooth things over, saying, "Little Yu, you should say a few less words too!"

Bai Yu sneered and said, "And what logic do you have to offer?"

Wang Taigang turned to advise the others, "Old Yan has been a neighbor to all of us for decades. Now that he has fallen into misfortune, we might as well all lend a hand and help Old Yan get through this difficult time.

Living in the same courtyard, we must stick together for warmth and not be overly selfish."

Bai Yu stepped forward and rebuked Wang Taigang directly: "What kind of relationship I have with the Yan family, I made crystal clear just moments ago!

When Old Yan was scheming against others earlier, I didn't see you, Old Taigang, stepping out to speak up. Why are you putting on an act of fairness now?"

"Then what exactly do you want?" Wang Taigang asked in return, thoroughly angered.

Ignoring Wang Taigang, Bai Yu swept his gaze across the crowd and shouted, "Old Yan is an enemy of the Bai family! Whoever dares to help Old Yan is equivalent to making an enemy of the Bai family.

My words are right here, weigh them yourselves, and don't say you weren't warned in advance!"

Wang Taigang finally realized something. His old eyes widened in shock as he blurted out, "It's you, it must be you!"

Most people probably hadn't reacted yet when they heard Wang Taigang continue to yell: "The mastermind behind the crackdown on the Yan family is you!"

Bai Yu offered a perfunctory triple denial: "It wasn't me, I didn't do it, stop talking nonsense!"

Hearing Wang Taigang's words, it felt as though a heavy hammer had struck the hearts of everyone in the tenement courtyard!

Whenever they saw the Brocade Guard operational officers outside, they acted timid and submissive, not daring to show the slightest bit of insolence.

Yet in front of Bai Yu, they had never really taken him seriously, after all, they had watched him grow up from childhood, and the stereotype of him as a little punk was deeply rooted.

But thinking about it carefully now, wasn't Little Yu himself an operational officer of the Brocade Guard nowadays?

In essence, Bai Yu was the exact same kind of person as those fierce and menacing officers!

They had been living in the same courtyard alongside a "ferocious wolf" while collectively ignoring the wolf's existence all along.

What was this called? Darkness under the lamp? Fortunately, the unlucky fool who had no eyes happened to be the Old Yan family.