Chapter 026: The Other Side of a Glorious Age (Please Keep Reading and Cast Your Votes)

It was the Hour of the Boar when they departed from Su Ze’s residence, and even by carriage, it took half a shichen—an hour—to reach the Cao Market.

Unlike the four-square layout of cities like Chang’an or Luoyang, Bianjing was defined by the rivers that flowed through it. Consequently, the city was not perfectly square, and its streets were often winding and labyrinthine.

Years ago, when Qian Chu, the last ruler of the Wuyue Kingdom, entered Bianjing, he boasted to Emperor Taizu of Song about two jade belts he possessed, which had been passed down from the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Taizu, Zhao Kuangyin, gestured toward the city and replied that Bianjing was intersected by four rivers—the Bian, the Jinshui, the Wuzhang, and the Cai—and thus he possessed four jade belts of his own. Qian Chu was deeply humbled by this, and he presented his two Tang jade belts to Zhao Kuangyin.

Of these four, the Bian River was the most prosperous. It was an artificial waterway, originally excavated by order of Emperor Yang of Sui as the Tongji Canal, connecting the Yellow River with the Huai River. Because the Bian River linked Luoyang with the water systems of the southeast, all canal transport from the Jiangnan and Liangzhe regions had to pass through it to reach Luoyang. In the Tang Dynasty, it was considered the lifeline of the capital. Bianjing had become a major hub precisely because of this thriving canal trade between Luoyang and the southeast.

However, due to the chaos at the end of the Tang Dynasty, the waterways between Luoyang and Bianjing had become difficult to navigate. When Emperor Taizu chose to establish his capital in Bianjing, it was largely due to the convenience of this canal system.

The Cao Market was built upon the largest natural shoal along the Bian River. It served as the central hub for unloading goods for the entire city, and naturally, it became Bianjing’s largest trading center. The *Dongjing Meng Hua Lu* (Record of the Splendor of the Eastern Capital) once described this place as a location where "the eight wildernesses converge, all nations communicate, and the treasures of the four seas are gathered."

True to its reputation, although it was nearly the Hour of the Rat (11:00 PM), the entrance to the Cao Market was completely gridlocked.

As an officer of the Imperial City Guard, Captain Li was well-versed in the conditions of Bianjing. He said to Su Ze, "Master Su, with the grain shipments from Jiangnan and Zhejiang arriving these days, the laborers are working through the night to unload. We had better abandon the carriage and proceed on foot."

Su Ze nodded. The government collected taxes twice a year, divided into summer and autumn harvests based on crop maturity. Yet, once gathered, the grain required extensive handling and transport. Even with Bianjing’s water routes, the ancient logistics required massive human organization, creating a long cycle. The summer grain from the Jiangnan-Zhejiang region was usually shipped in autumn, arriving in Bianjing before the onset of winter. The grain boats would then race to return to the south before the winter freeze, as water levels would drop and northern rivers would ice over, making navigation impossible. Only after the first lunar month, when the waterways cleared, would the autumn grain stored in the south be loaded and shipped to Bianjing.

For the common people of Bianjing, the reopening of the waterways in early spring meant the arrival of southern grain, which would finally lower the high prices they had endured throughout the winter. Naturally, this was a cause for celebration. In fact, the reopening of the Bian River had become such a significant event that it was almost treated as a festival. Every time the river opened, the merchant vessels brought not only grain but also all manner of supplies from along the Grand Canal.

On the docks by the Bian River, the rhythmic chants of laborers echoed. Su Ze even witnessed two teams of porters competing with one another, their calls driving them to unload two grain ships in record time. The sight left Su Ze deeply moved. It made sense; a city of a million people consumed a staggering amount of food daily. Without a sophisticated canal system, the citizens of Bianjing would have starved long ago. Emperor Taizu, born in Luoyang, had chosen not to make it his capital—unlike the Tang—precisely because the cost of transporting grain from the south to Luoyang was prohibitively expensive.

"Master Su, watch out."

Captain Li’s stout frame blocked Su Ze, while the thin sergeant caught a hand reaching out from the shadows. The arm was as nimble as a snake; it twisted at an impossible angle to break free from the sergeant’s grip and retreated back into the darkness.

"The rascals from the Rong Guild frequent the Cao Market. You really should be careful, Master Su."

Su Ze understood. The "Rong Guild" was a term for organized pickpocket syndicates. Bianjing was a melting pot of all kinds of people, and the Cao Market, being the busiest spot in the city, was naturally a haven for thieves.

"My thanks!" Su Ze acknowledged. The rest of the walk passed without incident. After bypassing the bustling dock area, the three men turned into a pitch-black alley. The thin sergeant pointed into the darkness and said, "This is the entrance to the Ghost Market."

Staring into the black void, the stout captain unslung his pack and pulled out a strange lantern. It was covered in a metal mesh cage. He removed the cover, lit the wick inside, and said to Su Ze, "The reason it is called the Ghost Market is that it hides many evil things. It is said that people who have entered with ordinary candles were torn to pieces by malevolent spirits. This lamp, however, was supposedly blessed by a high monk and can ward off such evils. As long as you carry it, you will be safe."

Though the captain spoke of safety, his body was trembling; the bizarre legends surrounding the Ghost Market were simply too numerous.

*Torn to pieces?*

Su Ze pondered this. It was likely that some unfortunate soul had wandered into an area where methane or other flammable gases had gathered, and an open flame had triggered an explosion. This lamp, with its wire-mesh cage around the wick, reminded him of the early industrial-era mining lamps he had heard of—the Davy lamp. He wasn't an engineer and didn't know the physics of why a wire mesh could prevent an explosion, but he was astonished. He hadn't expected the people here to have invented such a device for navigating the underground sewers.

Then again, it wasn't that strange. He had already met Wang Anshi, and Shen Kuo was surely already studying. The Northern Song Dynasty was capable of producing a work like the *Dream Pool Essays*; their scientific development was likely quite rapid. It was just a pity that such a specialized lamp had been lost to the pages of history.

Captain Li carried the lamp as the group reached the end of the alley, where a hole appeared in the wall. Li squeezed through first, then signaled for Su Ze and the thin sergeant to follow. After a dark, cramped passage, the path widened. As the flickering light from Li’s lamp illuminated the walls, Su Ze saw clear evidence of human excavation. These were the underground sewers of Bianjing.

To Su Ze’s surprise, the air in the sewers was not foul, likely because the Ghost Market had many entrances and exits that provided ventilation. As they moved further ahead, signs of human activity began to appear.

The stout captain remarked, "This Ghost Market isn't just for trade. Many refugees who can no longer survive on the surface hide here to avoid being rounded up by the Recruitment and Branding Battalion."

The Recruitment and Branding Battalion was an agency responsible for military conscription. Because the Song Dynasty conscripted refugees, and soldiers were branded with tattoos on their foreheads upon enlistment, the process was known as "recruitment and branding." Bianjing periodically cleaned up its homeless population to maintain the city's appearance, forcing them into the ranks. Since the garrison troops in Bianjing were notorious for being underfed, poorly clothed, and treated as slaves by their officers, refugees would rather hide in the underworld than be caught by the battalion.

Thinking of the vibrant, prosperous city above and this dark reality beneath its surface, Su Ze couldn't help but sigh. This was, perhaps, the other side of a golden age.