The Most Powerful Young Master of the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 13: Chief Constable Huang

Anshi’s dad was always on the go; he was away on another business trip. Old Liao, of course, went along with Wang Anshi. Even though the two children, who were just getting started, had already faced repeated harassment and obstruction from various forces—such as having their money stolen by a petty thief and their eggs confiscated by a bandit’s father—Da Bang and Xiao Ya’s fighting spirit remained undaunted. Today, they collected another seventeen eggs. Nothing much to say about it—they pocketed fourteen and turned in three to the kitchen. Erya’s mother asked, “Why were there more than a dozen yesterday, but only three today?” Wang Bang replied, “That’s just how this year’s chickens are in our Great Song Dynasty—their moods are all over the place, and it all comes down to luck.” This left Zheng Erniang completely dumbfounded. Grandma praised Wang Bang as a child prodigy, noting his fresh perspective and keen analysis—saying he had the same flair as Wang Anshi in his youth. Sigh, the old lady was confused; that’s all she ever says. His beautiful mother also felt sorry for him, saying the chickens were misbehaving and it wasn’t her son’s fault, and so on. At this point, the shrewd bookkeeper Geng Tianji was reduced to tears. He knew full well that Little Wang had been up to no good, but how could he possibly dare to say so… The two little rascals, carrying fourteen rather large eggs, headed back to Old Chen’s shop. This time, Chen Jiaohu took a look at the eggs and was utterly amazed. He praised them with a torrent of words that flowed endlessly. Wang Xiaoya loved nothing more than being praised. Upon hearing that the eggs she’d raised were so remarkable, she felt a sense of mission and beamed like a little tomato. Wang Bang, however, looked at Old Chen with a strange expression. After all, Old Chen was the kind of boss—a gang leader—who made a few dozen copper coins a minute. As good as the eggs were, he certainly wasn’t the sort of person who would care so much about a mere dozen or so eggs. If it were a shrewd merchant with foresight—willing to cultivate a good relationship with Wang Bang based on his family’s influence and status, in hopes of reaping greater profits down the line—that would make perfect sense. However, Wang Bang was the type who believed “there are always troublemakers out to harm the Emperor,” so he grew wary of Chen Jiaohu’s flattery—which was clearly meant to undermine him. He felt the old man must be up to something. “Young Master, when will those bright red, uniformly shaped eggs you mentioned last time—the ones you can supply in bulk—be ready?” Old Chen asked after they’d finished their transaction. “Just say the word, and they’ll be ready right away,” Wang Bang said, adorably biting his finger. “That puts my mind at ease,” Old Chen said happily as he signed an IOU for the amount and handed it to Wang Bang. Wang Bang tore up the IOU and laughed, “Old Chen, you’re a man of your word—I trust you. We know each other well; just remember how many eggs I’ve given you—there’s no need for an IOU.” People naturally like to be trusted, so Old Chen was even happier. He nodded and said, “You’re right, young master. Since that’s the case, I’ll keep it in mind. Come and get them anytime you need them.” “I’m counting on you,” Wang Bang said before leaving. “I’m counting on you, too,” the little girl mimicked, then scampered off after him… Of course, on his way out, he stopped by Old Chen’s place to collect a few coins. Then, at the market, he bought the little girl her favorite sugar figurine. Finally, at a certain stall, he flicked his wrist—clink! —and two copper coins rolled out. He sat down and said, “Two bowls of rice noodles, please.” The young woman selling the rice noodles thought Old Wang was truly something else—his way of paying was downright magical. With a single wave of his sleeve, two qian rolled out, right on target. The two little rascals then lowered their heads and began slurping away. Suddenly, they heard the young vendor call out, “Hey, Chief Huang is here! I’ll serve you a bowl of rice noodles right away.” Wang Bang stole a sideways glance—it was a burly man with a menacing face, carrying a sword. When the rice noodle vendor handed him the noodles, he didn’t pay—instead, he reached out and ran his hand over her chin. The vendor looked furious but dared not say a word. Wang Bang had finished eating as well, so taking advantage of their close proximity, he pretended to be absent-minded as he stood up, bumping into Chief Constable Huang and bouncing back to fall onto the ground. “You little bastard, do you want to get yourself fired? How dare you bump into me—you’ve spilled my rice noodles!” Chief Constable Huang flew into a rage and roared. Wang Xiaoya was timid; seeing her brother fall to the ground and hearing someone yell, she was so frightened that she burst into tears. But that wasn’t all. Wang Bang, the little scam artist, promptly clutched his stomach and began rolling around on the ground, crying out in pain. Chief Huang couldn’t help but fly into a rage. However, since the victims were just two children, the commotion had drawn a crowd of onlookers from the marketplace. Feeling frustrated—these brats were a real headache—Old Huang went over to help Wang Bang to his feet. When he got a closer look, Old Huang was startled. He hurriedly clasped his fists and said, “So it’s Young Master Wang! I’ve been blind and have offended you.” Since he had admitted his mistake, Wang Xiaoya stopped crying and watched curiously, biting her finger. Wang Bang, however, was being particularly unreasonable and continued to roll around on the ground, wailing. Old Huang felt like he wanted to die. He thought to himself, “It was just a light bump—and you were the one who ran into me in the first place. You won’t let up until you’ve ruined me, will you?” The onlookers gathered around, waiting with great glee to see how the show would play out. Finally, Old Huang picked up Wang Bang with a sigh of resignation and asked anxiously, “Young Master, are you hurt? Where does it hurt? It’s too crowded here—let’s go somewhere else to talk.” He pointed toward the entrance of the alley. Wang Bang nodded. Chief Huang finally felt a little more at ease and carried Wang Bang to the entrance of the alley. Only then did Wang Bang say sadly, “My chest hurts, and my whole body aches.” Old Huang jumped in fright again. Fortunately, Wang Bang continued, “It’s mainly because thieves broke into my house. We suffered a great loss, so I was distracted and upset—I accidentally bumped into you. Please don’t blame me.” Old Huang’s mouth immediately twisted into a smile, and he clasped his fists, saying, “Young Master Wang, what are you saying? It is clearly this humble official who inadvertently offended you.” At the same time, Chief Constable Huang, feeling a heavy sense of responsibility, gripped the hilt of his sword and roared, “Who dares to target the Wang family? I have no idea who is so audacious, but I, your humble servant, will certainly solve this case to put the young master’s mind at ease. May I ask, young master, how much was stolen?” “One hundred and fifty wen,” Wang Xiaoya replied, her tongue moving faster than her brain. Chief Constable Huang thought to himself, “If you’re so upset about it, I might as well just give you 150 wen myself. Why go through all the trouble of solving the case?” Of course, that was just a thought. Chief Constable Huang desperately needed to demonstrate his loyalty, bravery, and authority, and a case involving a little over a hundred wen was the perfect opportunity to flex his influence. So he pounded his chest and declared, “Young Master, come with me. Watch as Old Huang recovers your losses. I’ll personally solve this baffling case.” Wang Bang and the little girl then followed him along, skipping along gleefully.