Chapter 104: The Central Terrace

Recommending a book, *Xianjian Three Kingdoms Journey* — you can probably guess the style from the title… it’s a new seedling, so please treat it gently.

————————I am the milk-powered dividing line————————

The Imperial Secretariat had an alternate name, the Central Terrace, and yet another, the Terrace Pavilion — both names derived from its location at the very center of the Southern Palace.

Setting aside grand court assemblies, in daily governance the Emperor in the Northern Palace, the Imperial Secretariat in the Southern Palace, and the Yellow Gate system — usually staffed by eunuchs responsible for liaising between inner and outer courts and conveying imperial decrees — together formed the central governing foundation of this vast empire… a kind of trinity, one might say.

In fact, just as this Yellow Gate system was the embryonic form of the later Directorate of Ceremonial, the Imperial Secretariat, established by Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu, was itself the embryonic form of the later Grand Secretariat. The weight of its authority and responsibilities was beyond question, for it represented the power of the empire’s centralised autocracy.

Moreover, it must be particularly noted that this central institution, which oversaw all government affairs and could even issue orders to the Three Excellencies, was — like the censorate system — a classic example of the lowly overseeing the exalted!

Of course, this could also be considered a particular characteristic of the Later Han.

Within it, the august Prefect of the Imperial Secretariat was ranked at only one thousand *dan*; his deputy, the Supervisor of the Imperial Secretariat, at six hundred *dan*; and the equally powerful Chiefs of the Six Sections were also at six hundred *dan*… However, the Emperor would generally grant additional titles to these powerful figures. Chiefs were usually given the additional title of Palace Attendant, and the Prefect of the Imperial Secretariat, needless to say, was often concurrently held by powerful ministers, the Three Excellencies, or various marquises — the so-called “overseeing the affairs of the Imperial Secretariat.”

As time went on, the phrases “overseeing the affairs of the Imperial Secretariat,” “directing the affairs of the Imperial Secretariat,” and “managing the affairs of the Imperial Secretariat” — these few words — almost became synonymous with “powerful minister.”

But returning to the present, the ones actually holding the reins of court power were the two great eunuchs, Cao Jie and Wang Fu. The entire Imperial Secretariat lay under the shadow of these two, especially the former, so it hardly mattered who was Prefect or who was Supervisor.

As for Gongsun Xun?

At this moment, he was merely one of the thirty-six Gentlemen of the Imperial Secretariat, and the most junior one at that — talk of powerful ministers had nothing whatsoever to do with him.

“Are you that Gongsun Wenqi who became quite well-known in Yanmen? I recall you are a prized student of both Wenrao and Lu Zigan, and you also supervised the carving of the stone classics for the *Mao Odes*?” The speaker was Gongsun Xun’s immediate superior for the foreseeable future — Liu Tao, styled Liu Ziqi, Chief of the Capital Officials Section (responsible for floods, fires, theft, and public security) among the Six Sections of the Imperial Secretariat, who also held the additional title of Palace Attendant.

This lean, grey-bearded grandee was an imperial clansman of Yingchuan origin and a renowned Confucian scholar of the realm. He embodied multiple identities — scholar-official, famed classicist, imperial kinsman — and was vaguely, secretly connected to the Partisan faction, making him a top-tier court grandee.

However, compared to Liu Kuan, whose background was quite similar, he differed in two significant ways.

First, Liu Kuan’s father had served as Minister over the Masses, and Liu Kuan himself had been Prefect of the Imperial Secretariat under the previous Emperor; his family status was naturally far higher than Liu Tao’s by an immeasurable degree.

Second, when faced with the direness of the political situation, Liu Kuan would always be inwardly distressed as if drunk, pretending not to see what he could pretend not to see. Liu Tao, however, was inwardly distressed as if burning — whenever something went wrong in the state, he would invariably sigh and fret, turning it over and over in his mind.

Of course, whatever the case, this was no excuse for Gongsun Xun to let his thoughts wander. On his first day at the Imperial Secretariat, upon hearing these words, he hurriedly performed a formal obeisance, presented the official documents from the Gentlemen’s Office, and introduced himself.

“No need to stand on ceremony.” After hearing him out, Liu Tao, seated in the place of honour, could not help but stroke his greying beard and sigh. “I have heard of your reputation. The state is in difficult times and precisely needs talents like you to step forward and do things… However, working in the Imperial Secretariat is not like marching to war. You must absolutely not bring that frontier atmosphere in here. You must be cautious and prudent in all things!”

“I shall respectfully obey your command!” When his direct superior gave instructions, Gongsun Xun naturally had to be utterly deferential.

“Very well.” Liu Tao sighed again. “I still have a memorial to draft, so I won’t give you instructions on every detail… Weiyan, when the teacher is busy, the student should carry out his duties on his behalf. Since you are both my student and the most senior Gentleman of the Imperial Secretariat in our Section, take Wenqi around our Section on my behalf. Let him get acquainted with his colleagues and explain his duties!”

“Aye!” A middle-aged Gentleman of the Imperial Secretariat who happened to be nearby immediately saluted and stepped forward, then led Gongsun Xun out of Liu Tao’s office.

“I have long heard of the great name of the White Horse Commandant.” This middle-aged Gentleman of the Imperial Secretariat, whose courtesy name was Weiyan, spoke crisply and moved briskly, but his accent was rather peculiar. Paired with the howling north wind audible outside the Terrace Pavilion, Gongsun Xun found himself momentarily bewildered.

“Not accustomed to my accent, I take it?” The man clearly knew his own peculiarities, so he immediately slowed his speech and laughed at himself.

“Forgive me, worthy elder brother.” Gongsun Xun quickly offered a slight salute of apology.

“No matter.” The man continued to smile. “I am from Jiaozhou. Being new here, you naturally wouldn’t be used to my accent… After we’ve spent more days together, you’ll gradually grow accustomed to it.”

“Worthy elder brother is actually from Jiaozhou?!” Gongsun Xun was genuinely astonished. “I am from Liaoxi. Never in my life did I imagine I would meet someone from Jiaozhou…”

“Hahaha!” The man couldn’t help but laugh as well, though he quickly stifled it, mindful that they were in the important grounds of the Terrace Pavilion with many people coming and going. “When I first arrived in Luoyang, I never imagined I would meet sons of the Western Liang or Youyan regions either. But after working three or four years in the Imperial Secretariat, I’ve met all sorts of people.”

“May I ask your name, worthy elder brother?” Gongsun Xun gave a proper, deep bow.

“Shi Xie of Guangxin in Jiaozhou, courtesy name Weiyan.” The man also gave a slight salute in return. “There’s no need for you to state your great name, worthy younger brother. The matter of the northern expedition has been stirring up the central government for a long time; your great name has already thundered in my ears.”

Gongsun Xun sighed with emotion: “Elder Brother Shi’s great name is also one I have long heard of… To be honest, the moment you mentioned Jiaozhou, I already recalled your family’s name.”

“Jiaozhou is remote and desolate.” Shi Xie showed no sign of self-satisfaction. “Moreover, the frontier is full of miasmas and pestilence, and the barbarian tribes are numerous… so a Hua clan like our Shi family, which has flourished there for six generations without moving, is truly the only one of its kind.”

“Jiaozhou is isolated and far-flung.” Gongsun Xun grew even more emotional. “If the central government wishes to maintain its authority, it must rely on established families like your worthy elder brother’s, whose hearts are tied to the court…”

“And isn’t the Gongsun clan in Liaoxi also… well, never mind. Since we are now colleagues, there will be plenty of time to discuss this later.” Shi Xie couldn’t help but grin. “While everyone is still alert this morning, this is the right time to introduce you to our Section’s colleagues.”

Gongsun Xun hurriedly nodded in agreement.

“The Imperial Secretariat has six Sections. Each Section, at full strength, should have six Gentlemen of the Imperial Secretariat like you and me.” Shi Xie immediately began a general introduction as they walked.

“Newly arrived, a mere minor Gentleman — how dare I consider myself your colleague, Elder Brother Shi?”

“Ah, titles like Gentleman, Attendant Gentleman, and Gentleman of the Imperial Secretariat are merely matters of seniority, unrelated to one’s duties.” Shi Xie waved it off. “In any case, we all have to do the work. Besides us, there are also three Chief Clerks of the Imperial Secretariat, who are also considered colleagues, though they have no direct authority to handle documents; instead, they directly assist the Section Chief…”

A look of understanding dawned on Gongsun Xun’s face: “The two young gentlemen I saw earlier in Lord Liu’s office — I presume they are two of them?”

“Exactly.”

At this point, Shi Xie stopped beneath the corridor of the Imperial Secretariat and first gave Gongsun Xun a rough overview of the names of the other four Gentlemen of the Imperial Secretariat and the three Chief Clerks in the Capital Officials Section, before taking him around to visit the other four Gentlemen.

But… how to put it?

According to Shi Xie’s introductions, these people were either, like himself, close disciples of the Three Excellencies, or, like Shi Xie himself, from renowned, established clans… However, although Gongsun Xun lavished all manner of pleasantries upon them in person without holding back, he couldn’t help but feel secretly disappointed deep down, because throughout the entire process, he did not hear a single other name that felt as familiar to him as Shi Xie’s.

“Wenqi, look,” just as Shi Xie was about to lead Gongsun Xun away from the corridor to some other place, he suddenly spotted a person walking over from a distance, hugging a document box, and immediately stopped in his tracks. “This is the last of the three Chief Clerks. A perfect chance to meet him… He is even younger than you. He just underwent his capping ceremony this year and was directly made a Gentleman on the grounds of being well-versed in the classics, then entered the Imperial Secretariat as a Chief Clerk.”

Gongsun Xun immediately nodded: “I understand. Elder Brother Weiyan mentioned him earlier — the most beloved student of Excellency Yang, Minister over the Masses (Yang Ci, serving his second term as one of the Three Excellencies)… I recall you just said his name was Wang Yan, courtesy name Jingxing?”

“Indeed!” Shi Xie answered while beckoning from afar. “Jingxing, come quickly and meet this newly arrived Gentleman.”

The extremely young Wang Yan, his expression unchanged, walked straight over holding his documents. But before Gongsun Xun could speak, he took the initiative and bowed first: “Before we exchange formal greetings, there is one matter I should let my two worthy elder brothers know first… The day before yesterday, I was attending upon my benefactor, Excellency Yang. My benefactor, however, felt that I was too rigid and inflexible, so he changed my given name. I am now single-named Lang — the Lang meaning ‘bright and clear’!”

“So that’s it.” Before Shi Xie could even react, Gongsun Xun on this side couldn’t help but clap his hands and laugh heartily. “So it is Wang Lang, Wang Jingxing… An excellent name!”

Wang Lang immediately furrowed his brow: “This worthy elder brother must be Commandant Gongsun. I, too, have long heard of your great name. However, this is the important ground of the Terrace Pavilion. According to ritual propriety, one should not make loud noise or clamour…”

Before his words had even faded, behind this rigid and meticulous Chief Clerk of the Imperial Secretariat, there was suddenly a flurry of chaos, as if chickens were flying and dogs were jumping. Clearly, a large group of people, disregarding “ritual propriety,” were making a loud clamour as they walked straight along the corridor.

Wang Lang’s face flushed red, but in the end, he resentfully clutched the wooden box in his hands, lowered his head, and quickly walked away.

Utterly baffled, Gongsun Xun quickly looked towards his “senior,” Shi Xie, only to find that Shi Xie, Shi Weiyan, was looking back at him with a complicated expression… This made the former even more confused.

Of course, just a split second later, a look of sudden understanding dawned on Gongsun Xun’s face — because among the group of people appearing around the corridor corner, the one at the front was clearly wearing the official robes of a two-thousand-*dan* rank and appeared to be around forty years old, yet his face was pale and beardless.

“Greetings, Attendant Zhao!” Shi Xie bowed helplessly.

“Greetings, Attendant Zhao.” Gongsun Xun, now fully aware of the situation, also immediately bowed.

“Weiyan,” this Attendant Zhao Zhong raised an eyebrow and stopped beneath the corridor with his hands tucked into his sleeves. “Is this the newly arrived Gentleman of your Capital Officials Section?”

“Indeed.”

“Is his surname the double-character Gongsun, from Liaoxi?”

“Indeed!” Gongsun Xun suddenly raised his head, looked the other directly in the eye, and answered. “This humble person is Gongsun Xun!”

Zhao Zhong cast a sidelong glance at this nephew-in-law of his for a moment, then couldn’t help but sneer: “Did your father-in-law not teach you proper etiquette?”

A single shouted question, and beneath these eaves, among these many rooms — the very nerve center of the imperial court — instantly fell so silent one could hear a pin drop.

"I will not deceive you, Regular Attendant Zhao!" Gongsun Xun answered in a clear, forthright voice. "On the day I was summoned to the capital by the Three Excellencies, as I was about to depart, my father-in-law did indeed offer some instruction. He said that once I arrived in Luoyang, I must on no account associate with those who would drag the reputation of our house through the mud…"

"Insolence!" The veins on Zhao Zhong's forehead throbbed visibly — he was clearly truly enraged.

"I merely speak the truth." Gongsun Xun stood firm, utterly unafraid.

The truth was… although Gongsun Xun had long guessed that this "Mother Zhao" before him had some tacit understanding with his father-in-law, and encountering the man here at the Imperial Secretariat on his very first day only confirmed that understanding existed — precisely because it was tacit, it must never be brought into the open. Whatever way his father-in-law cursed the eunuchs in daily life, that was exactly how he himself should curse them. This was the best way to handle it.

Otherwise, if even the slightest hint of his true leanings were exposed, the scholar-officials would immediately hurl labels like "eunuch spawn" at him — and that was absolutely unacceptable. After all, Gongsun Xun knew better than anyone that in the short term the eunuchs were bound to hold power, but in the long term, the gains could never outweigh the losses!

When even a man like Cao Mengde faced mockery and scorn, what chance did he have?

Therefore, he had to take an unshakable stand!

Still, he was fortunate that his father-in-law and his wife's grandmother had, before an army of ten thousand, staked the lives of his entire family to set a benchmark of loyalty and filial piety — leaving the scholars no choice but to hold their tongues despite any misgivings. This, in turn, made Gongsun Xun far more at ease when it came to clashing with people now.

"Do you realize," the furious Zhao Zhong finally turned around to face Gongsun Xun directly, "that with a single word from me, you could be stripped of office and sent home?!"

"I was just hoping to borrow Regular Attendant Zhao's actions to make my name known across the realm!" Gongsun Xun still held his head high and voice loud, showing not the slightest inclination to yield.

"I…"

"Regular Attendant Zhao!" At that very moment, Liu Tao, Palace Attendant and Director of the Capital Officials Section of the Imperial Secretariat, suddenly appeared in the corridor. Behind him was none other than that minor Chief Clerk of the Imperial Secretariat who had just changed his name to Wang Lang.

"Palace Attendant Liu!" For some reason, Zhao Zhong actually seemed a little relieved. "That Gentleman Cadet of yours needs to be disciplined!"

"So you do know he is a Gentleman Cadet under my authority?!" Liu Tao clenched both fists and demanded indignantly. "That being the case, what need is there for you to come and bully him so aggressively?! I simply do not understand — you share the same surname and clan as Zhao Weihao, whose loyalty and filial piety are praised throughout the realm and whose mighty name spreads to the barbarians in all directions. Why is it that you can only spend your days leading a pack of lesser Yellow Gates as you slink about the Southern Palace?"

"That bastard Zhao Bao is both loyal and filial — so does that make me disloyal and unfilial?" Zhao Zhong's face also flushed with fury, alternating between red and pale. "My loyalty and diligence toward His Majesty are plain for all to see! If you doubt it, you can go to the palace right now and ask His Majesty! And as for filial piety — though Zhao Bao and I are like fire and water, I have never once failed to show proper respect to my aunt during the holidays…"

"The Regular Attendant's tokens of respect are returned every time," Gongsun Xun suddenly interjected. "Without exception…"

"You whelp, shut your mouth!" Zhao Zhong grew even more enraged and jabbed a finger at Gongsun Xun's forehead. "This must be Zhao Bao's private doing! Let me tell you plainly, boy — as long as my aunt lives, by the great rites of human relations, I will tolerate you and your father-in-law for one more day. But the day my aunt is no longer here, I will make you and your father-in-law taste the delights of the imperial prison!"

Gongsun Xun turned aside, refusing to respond, and looked only toward his superior, Liu Tao.

But before Liu Tao could erupt in anger again, Regular Attendant Zhao finally flicked his sleeves and departed.

For a moment, silence fell beneath the eaves.

And the one who broke the silence was, unexpectedly, another young Yellow Gate who had long been waiting behind Zhao Zhong's pack of lesser Yellow Gates:

"Gentleman Cadet Gongsun, the Grand Prolonger of Autumn, the Minister Over the Masses, the Grand Coachman, and the Minister of Ceremonies acting as Director of the Imperial Secretariat request your presence."

A look of astonishment crossed Gongsun Xun's face. After the matter had blown up like this, a summons from the great powers here was only to be expected — but that so many of them were gathered together was clearly beyond his expectations. Still, after glancing back at Liu Tao and receiving his nod of approval, he immediately took his leave and followed the young Yellow Gate away at a brisk pace.

Now, the Minister of Ceremonies acting as Director of the Imperial Secretariat was Lai Yan — a scion of the top-tier aristocratic house descended from Lai Xi, a founding hero of the Later Han, now so aged and decrepit that he could be disregarded. But the Grand Prolonger of Autumn was none other than Cao Jie; the Minister Over the Masses was none other than Yang Ci; and the Grand Coachman was Yuan Feng. The chief eunuch together with the Yuan and Yang clans — these were the true powers at the very center of the Great Han court.

"I pay my respects to you, my lords!" Gongsun Xun naturally did not dare put on airs now. Upon entering, he bowed to each in turn.

"Sit." The one who spoke first to take control of the situation was, as expected, Cao Jie.

After expressing his thanks, Gongsun Xun sat upright and then raised his head to observe. The eunuch who held the reins of court was gaunt of face and had graying hair, bearing a considerable resemblance to Liu Tao — except that his face was pale and beardless, and the corners of his eyes held a smile, forming a stark contrast with the disheveled beard and careworn face of Director Liu.

"Since we parted at the Stone Classics by the Imperial Academy years ago, I had not imagined that Wenqi would have made such great strides," Yang Ci, seated to one side, followed up with a greeting.

"I had been thinking of paying a visit to Lord Yang's residence," Gongsun Xun quickly replied with a smile. "I never expected to meet you again here."

Yang Ci immediately stroked his beard with satisfaction.

However, after Yang Ci spoke — and only after Cao Jie had spoken first — both Yuan Feng and Lai Yan remained silent. Moreover, Lai Yan seemed somewhat lacking in energy. So Gongsun Xun could only sit stiffly and wait for Cao Jie to question him again.

"Just now, when I was discussing affairs with the three Excellencies Yuan, Yang, and Lai, we suddenly heard a commotion," Cao Jie said with a thin smile. "I sent someone out to inquire and only then learned it was Regular Attendant Zhao airing family grievances… What need was there for that? The younger generation ought to show more respect for their elders."

Faced with these men, there was truly no need to show off in front of a master. So Gongsun Xun could only respond vaguely.

"Originally, we only called you in because of the noise," Cao Jie continued, still smiling. "But since you are here, let me ask you a few more things…"

"Grand Prolonger of Autumn, please speak."

"You have come from Yanmen and have repeatedly clashed with the Xianbei… So I ask you: in the coming years, will the Xianbei bring disaster to the frontier?"

Gongsun Xun's expression turned solemn. He pondered for a moment before answering: "I will not deceive you, my lords. In my view, for the next five to seven years, the Xianbei will only harass the borders — they will not launch another major campaign like the one in Liaoxi!"

The four men in the chamber stirred as one, then exchanged glances, clearly skeptical.

"Why is that?" Yuan Feng, the most spirited of them, was the first to press the question seriously.

"Because, although I have never faced him directly, from all I have heard and observed, I believe that Tanshihuai is a truly rare and formidable overlord of the steppes!"

"Because he has the makings of an overlord, he will not launch a major campaign?" Yang Ci frowned and countered. "What kind of reasoning is that? These are grave matters of state and military — Wenqi, you must not speak lightly."

"I am not speaking lightly." Gongsun Xun cupped his hands in salute and answered frankly. He then hurriedly recounted how, after his great victory, Tanshihuai had seized the opportunity to weaken the overly powerful Western Xianbei, abandoned raiding, and instead turned to helping the weaker Eastern Xianbei with fishing — formally reporting this to the central court.

"I will not deceive you, my lords," Gongsun Xun said earnestly. "In my humble opinion, the Xianbei often send out troops merely to prove their military prowess and win internal submission. In his early years, Tanshihuai displayed his might on all fronts, and now, with such a great victory, he no longer needs to prove anything through force. Moreover, he must also understand that taking the initiative to attack the Great Han's border defenses is a thankless task. Thus, his recent actions carry a hint of turning outward attention inward, and he seems to have grasped some of the essentials of statecraft…"

The men in the room nodded in agreement one after another… "To engage the external, one must first secure the internal" — others might not understand, but how could the men in this room not?

"Then, in your opinion," Cao Jie also asked with a serious expression, "can Tanshihuai balance the three tribes and unite the Xianbei into a single whole?"

"Difficult!" Gongsun Xun spoke this word with complete sincerity — he genuinely felt the difficulty on Tanshihuai's behalf. Given the primitive institutions of the Xianbei, it was truly a tall order for Tanshihuai. "Therefore, it would be best to remain vigilant in the direction of Liangzhou and Bingzhou, since those regions directly face the most powerful and intractable Western Xianbei. Of course, strengthening and restoring border defenses everywhere else is also indispensable."

"So, in that case… this recent defeat was actually a good thing?" Cao Jie nodded, visibly relieved.

"How can you speak of a good thing?" Gongsun Xun immediately countered with a stern expression. "Tens of thousands of young men died in the wild grass, with no one to gather their bones! Had we won that battle, would that not have been far better?"

Though the young man before him had lost his composure and spoken out of turn, Cao Jie did not grow angry — instead, he seemed even more at ease. Realizing he had again let his emotions get the better of him, Gongsun Xun hurriedly adjusted his state of mind.

"In any case," Yuan Feng suddenly spoke again, "such insight from Wenqi is truly moving. He is indeed a worthy student of Lu Zigan… accomplished in both civil and martial affairs!"

"Speaking of which," Lai Yan suddenly added with a smile before Gongsun Xun could express his thanks, "for teacher and student to serve together in the Imperial Secretariat — that is a common enough sight on this central dais."

The others nodded in agreement, but Gongsun Xun alone was baffled.

"You still do not know?" Yang Ci said, stroking his beard with a smile. "Your other teacher, Lu Zhi, Lu Zigan, has already pacified the Man tribe rebellion in Lujiang. The day before yesterday, he submitted a memorial to the Forbidden Palace requesting to return to the Eastern Pavilion to compile histories… but His Majesty deemed that your teacher possesses both talent and virtue, and that compiling histories is not a matter of urgency. It has already been decided to grant him the additional title of Palace Attendant and appoint him as Director of the Civil Appointments Section."

Gongsun Xun's face remained impassive, but inwardly he was beside himself with wild joy!

The truth was, although he had resolved to ride the wind and waves and undertake some great actions this time, his heart still held some trepidation — he had only steeled his resolve through sheer blood and determination.

But on his very first day in the capital, Liu Kuan had made a promise, telling him to seek his protection in times of crisis — clearly giving him a life-saving trump card. Then, his wife's uncle had come to the Imperial Secretariat today specifically to offer him guidance — obviously another layer of assurance. And finally, he had never imagined that his most relied-upon teacher would actually be coming to this very Imperial Secretariat to serve as Director of the Civil Appointments Section, the office in charge of selecting and appointing officials… Did that not give him multiple layers of protection, with his rear completely secure?!

Was this situation not just like the story his mother used to tell, where Sun Wukong of the Flower-Fruit Mountain suddenly gained three life-saving hairs on the back of his head?!

With things as they were, if he could not wreak havoc in the Heavenly Palace here in Luoyang and accomplish some great deeds, would he not have squandered such an advantageous position?!

One must know, ever since Gongsun Xun was born, he had never before possessed such absolute confidence!

"Teacher." No one else was in the Minister's office of the Central Officials Section, and only after his teacher finished writing a memorial and sealed it did Shi Xie bow once more.

"Well?" Liu Tao, seated in the place of honor, let out a sigh.

"I think he is rather good," Shi Xie answered calmly. "The man has a certain generous, heroic spirit of the borderlands, yet does not lack attention to detail. As for his ability... there is no doubt."

"I rather feel there is something a bit forced in the manner between this man and his wife's uncle," Liu Tao said with a troubled expression.

"This..."

"But that is no hindrance," Liu Tao sighed again. "You do not understand. The eunuchs hold great power, and the great and eminent clans mostly engage in ignoble acts. Even the Yuan family, who lead the officials — four generations of Three Excellencies — did not Yuan Feng, during the Disaster of the Partisan Prohibitions, call the Regular Palace Attendant Yuan She his brother and elevate this eunuch into his own clan lineage? The Yuan family claims a eunuch of no relation as their own clansman, while here we have actual kin making a clean cut... Both are ways of connecting inner and outer. One cannot, in good conscience, say the Yuan family's conduct is lofty while the Zhao family and the Gongsun clan are engaged in private collusion."

"Then... how exactly should we proceed?" Shi Xie could not help asking earnestly.

"Observe for now," Liu Tao finally stopped sighing. "As the head of the Section's Gentlemen of the Masters of Writing, you assign the work. You can give him fewer tasks at first, or assign him trivial matters... Take it slowly. If there is nothing unusual, after two or three months, once the new year has passed, you may treat him as normal, and even rely on him without harm."

Shi Xie immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "Then this student takes his leave!"

"Go on."

Shi Xie bowed and retreated with quick steps, only pulling open the door bolt and stepping out when he reached the office door. Unexpectedly, as soon as he turned the corner, he came face to face with Gongsun Xun waiting under the corridor, and instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

"What secret words was Brother Weiyan sharing with our Lord Liu?" Gongsun Xun pointed at the open window to one side and asked with a smile. "I have waited here so long, I've fed the chickens kept outside this window three times, and still you did not emerge."

Shi Xie wanted to speak but stopped, and could not help giving an awkward laugh: "Wenqi, you may not know, but the chickens here in our Central Terrace are mostly hens. It is said they have absorbed a fair measure of the state's fortune and literary spirit. When you leave this afternoon, do take some eggs with you. Eating one when writing official documents is most nourishing to the body!"

Gongsun Xun clapped his hands and laughed heartily again: "In that case, this Xun shall not exhaust his talent!"

————————I am the most nourishing dividing line————————

"The Yuan clan, four generations of Three Excellencies, cultivated both inner and outer, unlike the rest." — Old Book of Yan, Scroll 26, Hereditary Houses, First

PS: The talent for eggs is exhausted; I never managed to write the classical text for this chapter... Also, for the new book group, interested students can join: 684558115.

(End of Chapter)