Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play
Chapter 80 Kyoto Capital Guard

Chapter 80: Chapter 80 Kyoto Capital Guard

On his first day as the Commander of the Kyoto Capital Guard, Xie Xun took a group of aristocratic heirs to Mudan Building to indulge in revelry, partying all night long. Rumors of their debauchery spread throughout the Capital City like wings on the wind, and those who had hoped the young marquis would reform the Kyoto Capital Guard were sorely disappointed.

Everyone said the young marquis had become a useless man, far from the valiant young general he had once been.

Mudan Building was part of Fengyu’s enterprise, and though she heard stories of Xie Xun’s escapades, she wasn’t surprised. What worried her more was the impending snowstorm in the Capital City. As predicted, hail began to fall that night, growing fiercer by the hour. Several roofs in the Feng Mansion were severely damaged by the storm. Fengyu didn’t sleep a wink, and as dawn broke, she gathered her people and headed to Three Cross Street. Along the way, she saw snow piling up and houses destroyed. Her heart sank slightly; the disaster in the Capital City was severe this year, as the blizzards were harsher than ever before. While the Capital Governor had dispatched workers to patch the leaks early in the morning, not a shadow of the Kyoto Capital Guard was in sight. Such matters should have been under their purview, yet they were nowhere to be found.

Three Cross Street, located at the border between the East City and Southern City, was a wealthy area monitored by both the Capital Governor and the Forbidden Army. The Northern City was bound to be in chaos.

The Feng Family owned weaving and dyeing workshops as well as tea factories on Six Cross Street in the Northern City, not far from the residential quarters of ordinary citizens. Fengyu was familiar with that area. Most of the men from the Feng Family served in the military, leaving many households as widows and orphans. The women usually worked in the weaving workshop to support their families. During natural disasters, they were the ones who suffered most.

"Zhang Da, send the escort agency men to Six Cross Street. I’ll have someone from the merchants’ guild inventory the supplies."

"Understood!" Zhang Da promptly left upon receiving the order.

Chunlu said in disappointment, "The young marquis is now the Commander of the Kyoto Capital Guard, so why isn’t he taking charge?"

"Chunlu, don’t pin your hopes on others. Besides..." Fengyu’s heart was heavy, "The young marquis has his own stance and difficulties."

Fengyu hadn’t expected Xie Xun to assume the role of Commander of the Kyoto Capital Guard. It was a position no one wanted to take. Chunlu described it rather aptly as, "Isn’t this like a noble going to manage a gang of thugs?"

Indeed, to the common folk, the Kyoto Capital Guard was nothing more than a group of thugs—bullying the weak while fearing the powerful. They wouldn’t dare challenge the aristocracy, but they had no qualms about mistreating the populace. To Fengyu, the Kyoto Capital Guard were essentially certified thugs dressed in official robes. Any merchant doing business had suffered losses at their hands.

The court had tried various methods to reform and suppress the Kyoto Capital Guard but to little avail. The Guard was unruly for its own peculiar reasons. Apart from Yanyang’s seven prominent families—Lin, Xie, Li, Zhang, Fang, Zhou, and Cai—there were numerous marquises and earls. Among their descendants, extraordinary talents with both academic and martial prowess, such as Lin Helin, Fang Chuning, or the three Xie brothers, were rare.

Those with modest promise, like Lin Cheng, would join the Forbidden Army to gain experience and climb the ranks gradually. Others would diligently prepare for the Imperial Exams to secure minor official positions. The aristocratic families placed heavy emphasis on grooming their descendants, understanding that constant cultivation was key to sustaining their prosperity. Many families even implemented survival-of-the-fittest systems for their heirs.

The less fortunate descendants, abandoned by their family heads, often had coarse tempers and little substantive skill. With no other skills, they relied on their families while squandering resources. For such heirs, families would often toss them into the Kyoto Capital Guard.

The Kyoto Capital Guard predominantly consisted of commoners. Aristocratic scions, born and raised amid the splendor of the Capital City, feasting on delicacies and wrapped in silks, still carried airs of superiority despite lagging behind their more accomplished peers. Within the Guard, they formed their own clique. Ill-mannered and unmotivated by nature, their behavior began to influence the ethos of the Guard itself, corrupting its culture gradually.

The commoners within the Kyoto Capital Guard, emboldened by the backing of aristocratic scions, acted as if they had gained power they could wield. Their ambition swelled, clouding judgment. They didn’t dare provoke the aristocracy, but the common people and merchants received no such courtesy. When troubles did arise, the scions would intervene and smooth things over.

This mixed and muddled group eventually became incorrigible, earning the disdain of even the Kyoto Garrisons.

Fengyu chose not to antagonize the Kyoto Capital Guard. Her shopkeepers made sure to maintain cordial relations with them, and Fengyu sent ample bribes annually. Recently, Lin Yu Yan had been targeting her, using the Kyoto Capital Guard as henchmen. Thugs had burned her shops at night, and the Guard conveniently vanished when trouble arose. Fengyu brooded to herself; this faction was in dire need of reform.

The Kyoto Capital Guard Office was situated in the Western City, while the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion was in the Eastern City, in a relatively remote location. That night, Xie Xun accompanied Feiying and Nuanyang, passing through Six Cross Street in the Northern City. Ice hail had already battered the area severely, leaving a swath of destruction. In the Eastern City, Forbidden Army officers, the Ministry of Industry staff, and Capital Governor workers were actively involved in repairs. However, the Northern City was a scene of devastation—streets filled with elderly women lamenting, amidst collapsed ruins and wounded bodies. The sight horrified Xie Xun.

No personnel from the Forbidden Army, the Ministry of Industry, or the Kyoto Capital Guard had been sent here. Despite the magnitude of the snow disaster, the Guard remained invisible.

Two elderly individuals staggered along with tiles hoisted on their backs. Suddenly, one of them slipped and fell into the snow. Xie Xun swiftly dismounted upon seeing this, followed closely by Feiying and Nuanyang, who came to assist the fallen elder.

"Take it slow, old man. Did you hurt yourself?" Xie Xun helped the elderly person up. He was an aged figure near seventy, hair grizzled, hands dry and rough, with frostbitten and chilblain-covered fingers stained purple. Recognizing Xie Xun’s uniform as Commander of the Kyoto Capital Guard, the elder seemed deeply intimidated, thanking him profusely. Xie Xun inspected his injuries, relieved to find no breaks or fractures.

But his calves were riddled with old wounds. Xie Xun was familiar with such scars, having seen them on many retired soldiers. This elder was no doubt a veteran—a military household member.

The couple struggled with their heavy load of tiles, finding it barely manageable. Xie Xun instructed Feiying and Nuanyang to help carry them. It turned out the elderly pair lived in the western part of Six Cross Street.

Nuanyang, with her lively personality and youthful appearance, gradually eased their tension. She asked, "Old man, where is your son? Why are you two elderly carrying such heavy tiles?"

"He went to Ningzhou to fight the enemy. It’s been two years without a word, and we don’t know if he’s alive or dead." The elder’s voice, thin and fragile, seemed especially broken amidst the wind and snow.

Xie Xun froze in place. The elder was from a military household. Gravely injured soldiers would be replaced by their eldest son; when he fell, the second son would take his place. Now, only the youngest son remained, sent to Ningzhou.

In military households, there was always one male required to serve in the army. Marquis Zhenbei Xie Yuan himself had seen his eight older brothers perish in war before he, the youngest son of Old Marquis Zhenbei, took their place.

As they ventured further, the scene grew more desolate. Being a poverty-stricken district, closely packed houses had collapsed en masse. Women and children wailed helplessly, and infants screamed in chilling cries, shouting how cold they felt.

Male adults were scarce—they were busy fixing houses—and even seven- or eight-year-old children mounted rooftops to assist with repairs. Still, with so many destroyed houses, countless residents were injured by fallen beams and debris.

Conversing with the elder, Nuanyang learned that most residents of Six Cross Street were laborers and farmers. In recent years, as taxes grew heavier, families relied on their men to join the army, scraping by on meager military stipends to sustain their households. As a result, this district was overwhelmingly composed of women, children, and elderly people, ill-equipped to deal with calamities. After their houses collapsed, all they could do was wait for repairs.

"The Forbidden Army, Ministry of Industry, and Kyoto Capital Guard haven’t sent anyone for repairs?" Nuanyang asked in astonishment. The Eastern City was swarming with the Forbidden Army, all busy assisting.

"To the poor, lives are as cheap as weeds. For three years of snow disasters, only you, girl, have helped us. The Kyoto Capital Guard doesn’t come to harass us—we’re already thanking the heavens for that," the elder’s eyes reddened.

Nuanyang was speechless. "..."