Above Chang'an

Yuanzhou lies in the southwest of the Great Tang. The southwest is mountainous, and in the words of the Tang people, this is a land of barren hills and treacherous waters. Were it not for Yuanzhou bordering the southern Zhou Kingdom, the nobles in Chang’an would rarely give Yuanzhou a second thought in a whole year.

The southern Zhou is wealthy, but under the shadow of the invincible Tiger Guards of the Tang, they still must bow their heads. With no threat of border troubles, Yuanzhou’s status has sunk ever lower. The officials sent to serve in Yuanzhou are either those without patronage, or the losers in the political struggles of Chang’an.

The saying “the mountains are high and the emperor is far away” fits Yuanzhou’s officialdom perfectly.

And so, when the wife of Qin Xu, the magistrate of Dingnan County, fell ill, the physicians, after much consultation, prescribed a rare medicine. Qin Xu posted a reward, promising that anything could be discussed for whoever could procure this medicine.

If such a thing happened in Chang’an, the censors would have impeached Qin Xu to dust.

…

“What kind of illness requires the fresh kidney of a tiger?” Zhang Qiyuan, the village head of Xiaohe Village, gazed at the snow-capped summit of Dongyu Mountain in the distance and cursed, “It’s early spring, the tigers and wolves in the mountains have starved all winter, their eyes are green with hunger. At a time like this, is it man hunting tiger, or tiger hunting man? Damn it… who would dare go?”

Behind him stood several sturdy young men. One of them