Chapter 144: Clear

In the seventh month, at Tashi in Liaodong (near the later Jinzhou district of Dalian), Gongsun Xun, dressed in a plain cloth robe and wearing an old Liang-style cap, finally crawled ashore with a sallow face, then immediately collapsed onto the dock and vomited sour water!

Heaven have mercy — the Bohai Sea is famously an inland sea, and they had encountered no great storms or waves on this journey. The wind was not fierce, the waves not high, and from Han Dang to Lou Gui to those volunteer followers who had crawled out of the Yanmen mountain hollows, every single one was fine. Yet somehow, only Gongsun Xun, who had grown up in Liaoxi, was dizzy beyond all reason — truly strange!

"Although I grew up by the North Sea," the newly arrived Wang Xiu, being a man of Beihai, was questioned by everyone in turn but could only stand by helplessly, "seasickness truly varies from person to person. With your constitution, my lord, it would be best to travel less by sea in the future. There is nothing else to be done..."

Gongsun Xun, having barely shaken off the dizziness, waved his hands repeatedly, signaling the other man to say no more. He could not bear to hear another word — he only wanted to catch his breath!

Wang Xiu promptly shut his mouth.

Indeed, this Wang Xiu of Beihai had ultimately been scooped up by Gongsun Xun, and quite easily at that... Why?

It must be understood, as mentioned before, that most of Gongsun Xun's trusted confidants were orphans, and the volunteer followers who came with him were mostly second sons, youngest sons, or bastards who could not inherit the family estate — or simply impoverished men with no estate at all.

The few who had families and households yet were still willing to follow him — if one thought carefully, there was really only Cheng Pu. And Cheng Demou was truly a case of being a fellow villager and a former retainer of the Gongsun clan.

As for figures of higher standing, direct-line descendants of eminent aristocratic families, there was really only Shen Pei, Shen Zhengnan... and that was a special case — a man who had suffered sudden catastrophe, his sky fallen and earth sundered, and who had then received great kindness from Gongsun Xun.

So what of Wang Xiu, Wang Shuzhi?

The answer is: this man was first of all an orphan... The first time Wang Xiu ever made a name for himself — the incident that made him known throughout his district — was when his mother died when he was seven. It happened to be the spring sacrifice to the Earth God, and because he wept so bitterly, all the neighbors around him lost the heart to perform the rites, and so he was acclaimed for his filial piety.

Furthermore, this man was the third son in his family — Shuzhi, as in bo, zhong, shu, ji — with two elder brothers above him. There was no need for him to worry about managing the family estate or preserving the ancestral property, though of course there was not much property to divide for him anyway.

Beyond that, although his clan was a local second-tier scholarly family with the means to let him study, when it came to his own household, things were inevitably less satisfactory. His grandfather had once served as a county magistrate at the six-hundred-dan rank, but his father was merely a commandery clerk.

Finally, in this era, Liaodong and Beihai, though belonging to two different provinces, were not really considered far apart by their inhabitants, because the Bohai Sea had been a shipping route since ancient times. Even the court, when appointing officials, treated these two places as near neighbors. For instance, the recently appointed Grand Administrator of Xuantu, Ju Teng, was himself a man of Beihai.

Of course, to digress a little further: thanks to the Anli Trading Company spending over a decade building its commercial network with the Bohai Sea as its core, the civilian exchanges between Liaodong and Qingzhou had grown increasingly frequent — an unexpected development in itself.

In short, between Gongsun Xun and this Wang Xiu, in terms of status, position, reputation, and accomplishments, there was truly no symmetry whatsoever.

And so, when the former passed through Beihai on his way here, came to Yingling, and secretly inquired into the other man's daily conduct and reputation, discovering that Wang Xiu was indeed a moral gentleman who, though young, bore hardship and toil without complaint, he decisively extended an invitation.

As for Wang Xiu — unencumbered and unattached, and having just returned from his travels in search of learning, needing to find a post to support himself — when he saw this renowned talent of the empire, whom he had met by chance on the road, come back especially to seek him out, he naturally had no second thoughts and without the slightest hesitation followed Gongsun Xun to Liaodong.

"I should have taken one of our own Anli Trading Company's large cargo ships," Gongsun Xun said after a long while, once he had recovered enough to force himself to his feet. "I had thought that by taking this boat I could converse more with the common folk and gain more ideas for governance. How could I have known that within half a shichen of boarding, I would be utterly drained..."

The others were speechless.

Wang Xiu, however, remained an honest man, and lowering his head, he praised this newly appointed Prefect of Xiangping with a single line: "Whatever else, my lord, your intentions were good."

"There is no need to say such things." Gongsun Xun strained to look around. "Now that we have arrived in Liaodong, we might as well continue without revealing our identities and travel in secret to Xiangping... In any case, the white horses were all sold in Qingzhou. Let us go buy a few mixed-colored mounts to make the journey."

"We will naturally take care of such matters," Han Dang said, also helpless. "Young master, why not rest for the night first? In your current physical state, you are truly unfit to set out on the road immediately."

Gongsun Xun nodded slightly and said no more. A short while later, the group escorted him into an inn operated by the Anli Trading Company... This place was much the same as the charity lodges over in Goushi, except that board and lodging were no longer free. In fact, this establishment was a novel creation directly modeled on those charity lodges.

"Long ago, my mother had the idea of setting up inns along the trade routes." Outside the inn, before a notice board marked with the three characters "Anli Hao," Gongsun Xun could not help but pause and sigh. "But the court has its own system of post stations, so she was never able to open them anywhere outside Liaoxi. The few charity lodges were only set up within Liaoxi commandery itself. I never imagined I would see one today in Liaodong... How strange."

"It is indeed strange," Han Dang said with some feeling. "I had certainly never heard of inns being here before. Otherwise, others might not know, but how could we, in a place like Liaoxi, not have known?"

"It is not strange." At that moment, Lou Zibo, who was standing nearby, suddenly spoke up. "Back then, when the young master was abruptly summoned by the Three Excellencies and the official carriage went straight to Luoyang, and Yigong also left immediately, you were not aware of the internal situation here... Young master, you once served as a minor official in Liaoxi commandery — do you know that among the five commanderies beyond the frontier, there has always been a custom of the Grand Administrators of Liaodong and Liaoxi jointly overseeing the frontier?"

"That is only natural," Gongsun Xun answered, suddenly understanding. "The five frontier commanderies vary in size. Lelang is remote, needless to say. Xuantu is narrow, rich, and has the specific duty of dealing with Goguryeo. And Changli Commandery, ever since it was changed to the Liaodong Dependency, has never had a Grand Administrator — it is merely supervised by a Commandant at the equivalent of two thousand dan, who oversees the five cities within the dependency and some Xianbei and Wuhuan tribes. Therefore, the court often appoints the Grand Administrator of Liaodong or the Grand Administrator of Liaoxi to command the Liaodong Dependency. However..."

"However," Lou Zibo interjected, stroking his beard, "among these, Liaodong Commandery covers a vast territory, has a large population, administers eleven counties, and is situated surrounded by the other four commanderies. Thus, the heavy responsibility of commanding the Liaodong Dependency falls to the Liaodong Grand Administrator nine times out of ten — even the dependency's name derives from this. It is just that the Liaodong Grand Administrator has always been the man with the greatest authority and responsibility among these five frontier commanderies. When you encounter a domineering Grand Administrator, he will often overstep his authority and directly command the other two commanderies and one dependency. For this reason, the court occasionally lets the Liaoxi Grand Administrator command or concurrently oversee the Liaodong Dependency, as a way to rap the Liaodong Grand Administrator on the knuckles and prevent him from growing too powerful to control."

"Exactly so." Gongsun Xun let out a long breath. "But what does this have to do with my family's inn being opened here?"

"Young master!" Lou Gui could not help but sigh. "Do you still not understand? Your current immediate superior, the incumbent Grand Administrator of Liaodong, Gao Yan, is a scholarly gentleman of aristocratic background, always timid. Since coming to Liaodong, all he knows is promoting some 'moral edification'... In terms of reputation, noble rank, connections, or military merit, how can he possibly compare with your father-in-law, Lord Zhao?"

Gongsun Xun was stunned on the spot, momentarily dumbfounded.

"Zibo, do you mean... that the one currently concurrently overseeing the Liaodong Dependency is our young mistress's own father, the Marquis of Shu, Governor Zhao?" Han Dang asked, suddenly enlightened.

"Not only that." Lou Gui continued to gesture, showing off his knowledge. "You must understand, these five commanderies are isolated beyond the frontier, surrounded by Xianbei, Wuhuan, Fuyu, and Goguryeo. Even the Inspector can only come once a year. Thus, there are often matters requiring on-the-spot decisions and mutual support. And as they say, a snake without a head cannot move. So although there are five officials of the two-thousand-dan rank, it is only natural that one leader emerges... When Lord Zhao fought at Liucheng, his loyalty, filial piety, courage, and integrity became known to all under heaven. At that time, the troops of four of the five frontier commanderies were under his command, witnessing it with their own eyes and hearing it with their own ears. Now that he also oversees the Liaodong Dependency, who among these frontier commanderies does not submit to him? I won't hide it from you, Yigong — not long after you left back then, our Anli Trading Company's business beyond the frontier already began to show signs of receiving increased favor and protection from the authorities."

Han Dang nodded repeatedly. Wang Xiu looked thoughtful. Gongsun Xun was increasingly speechless... If that was the case, would he not have to be even more "respectful" toward Zhao Yun on his end?

Of course, overall, this was a good thing!

"Yigong, go inside and find a place to settle in." At this thought, Gongsun Xun quickly waved his hand helplessly and said, "Zibo and Shuzhi, come with me to look at the notice boards here and see if there is any urgent or interesting news, then we will go in..."

The others naturally said nothing.

However, when Gongsun Xun strolled over to the completely deserted notice board, he was instantly speechless.

As it turned out, the enormous notice board contained no miscellaneous information whatsoever. Instead, it was conspicuously plastered with large sheets of block-printed paper, clearly arranged from right to left. And all these many large sheets were devoted to just one person's "curriculum vitae"!

That's right — the curriculum vitae of Gongsun Wenqi himself!

And after reading this "curriculum vitae," even Lou Zibo did not know what to say, let alone Gongsun Xun.

The paper opened with a clear statement: the court had appointed a new Prefect of Xiangping, a man called Gongsun Xun. Therefore, the Anli Trading Company, out of goodwill for the convenience of the people of Xiangping, now listed this man's career record item by item as a reminder... Of course, why a notice for the convenience of the people of Xiangping (later Liaoyang) was posted in Tashi (later Dalian) — there was no need to ask too many questions about such matters.

Perhaps the Anli Trading Company had simply printed too many copies when they made the blocks? Perhaps they had even posted them all the way in Chaoxian County (Pyongyang) in Lelang Commandery!

And further on was the content of Gongsun Xun's so-called "career record," beginning from when he tied up his hair and entered the Liaoxi Commandery office as a minor official.

Strangely enough, while other people's career records mostly listed what office they held at what time, this "career record" of Gongsun Xun covered matters great and small with absolute clarity... Whether it was the night raid at Lulong Fortress with Han Yigong and thirty riders, the rescue of the Grand Administrator's entire family at the Battle of Liucheng, the burning of Mount Danhan, or even the earlier slaying of the eunuchs at court — not a single thing was omitted!

Moreover, the narrative was detailed, and the characters were portrayed with vivid lifelikeness.

For instance, before drinking the blood of his enemy, how Gongsun Xun remained calm in the face of danger and directed operations with perfect composure; or when slaying the eunuchs, how Gongsun Xun startled Wang Fu and then shouted, "Sooner or later, I will slay this villain for the sake of all under heaven!"; and even how the Xianbei Khan Tanshihuai, watching his royal court burn and collapse, cried out, "Where is my royal court?" — as if the writer had witnessed it all in person!

Standing before the empty notice board, Gongsun Xun had no doubt that in a few days, this career record would likely include the additional episode of him turning back to confront Cao Jie in the Imperial Secretariat, and perhaps even Qiao Xuan's line, "Inwardly firm, outwardly sharp — his edge is the keenest under heaven," would appear on it.

"When I was in Nanyang, I only knew the broad outlines of these events," Wang Xiu said with a sigh after reading it all. "I did not know how heroic and valiant you were, my lord, how surpassing in martial prowess... It is a pity that although Liaodong has a decent climate, it is after all a land beyond the frontier, with very few scholars. Posting this here, few will read it... What a pity!"

"Ah... let us go inside!" Gongsun Xun started to speak, then stopped, and in the end said no more.

After all, the embellished rhetoric in this "career record" was a bit excessive, but ultimately, as Wang Xiu said, the broad outlines of events were correct. So Gongsun Xun did not know whether it was a good or bad thing that few people read it.

And so, the three men, all dressed in plain cloth robes and Liang-style caps, entered the inn together with several attendants. They were immediately met by the sight of Han Dang and two other attendants standing amid the flow of people in the main hall, speaking with a middle-aged man who looked like the innkeeper, occasionally pointing somewhere to ask questions.

"Young master, you have come at just the right time," Han Dang said, turning to greet him upon seeing them. "Board and lodging have all been arranged. Was there any urgent notice outside?"

Gongsun Xun shook his head repeatedly.

"There is something rather interesting here," Han Dang said with a smile. "I never imagined that the inns of the Anli Trading Company would have someone telling stories."

Gongsun Xun's heart immediately skipped a beat, and he quickly asked, "What stories?"

"In reply to you, young master," the Anli Trading Company innkeeper — who, as it happened, had not coincidentally recognized his own young master who had barely returned home in several years — stepped forward with a smile and said, "Our Anli Trading Company, besides buying and selling goods, also prints books, many of which contain fine stories. Therefore, from the very beginning, the proprietor had the shops select people with a clever tongue and send them to the Liaoxi head office. There, they would listen to the literate staff read the stories from the books aloud. Only after they had memorized them were they sent back, and then they would recount the stories they had heard to the travelers who came to stay."

Gongsun Xun could not help but breathe a sigh of relief... The idea of storytelling performances was something his own mother had been trying to get off the ground for years without success — how could he not know? And now that there were inns, it was no wonder his mother was so impatient to launch it.

"And what sort of stories are they?" Wang Xiu asked curiously from the side. "Nowadays, books are mostly the classics — there cannot be many stories in ancient texts."

"To answer this young master," the innkeeper of the Anli Establishment continued with a smile, "what is being told at present is the *Investiture of the Gods*, recounting the grand tale of King Wu's campaign against Zhou. Our Anli Establishment then specially hired experts to compile these stories into a colloquial form easily understood by the common folk. To be frank with you all, this *Investiture of the Gods* is currently the favorite among traveling merchants and the locals of Tashi alike…"

Gongsun Xun nodded slightly. This was also something he had heard in his own childhood.

"In truth, the book of this *Investiture of the Gods* has not yet been printed for sale; only a private, non-circulating edition exists," the middle-aged innkeeper continued with a smile. "We have a copy here in the inn. However, the storyteller fellow is illiterate, and on his last trip back to Liaoxi he was delayed, so he has not updated a single section in half a month. The patrons have been quite dissatisfied…"

"What are you implying?" Gongsun Xun could not help but laugh.

"My meaning is, if you gentlemen have the inclination and could read another section of the story for our fellow, then I would be willing to waive your room fees for this night!" the innkeeper quickly said. "Of course, if you are in a hurry on your journey, or disdain to do such a thing, we would fully understand."

At these words, the many patrons all around fell silent, craning their necks in anticipation. For a moment, the vast inn was utterly quiet.

"Bring the book here; let me have a look," Lou Zibo said, extending his hand.

The innkeeper, overjoyed, immediately had a servant behind him fetch a handwritten copy of the book from the counter.

Gongsun Xun was also curious whether the plot differed from what he had heard as a child, so he took the initiative to accept it first. But as he casually flipped open a page, he was instantly frozen on the spot, his fingers stiffening until the veins on the back of his hand nearly stood out.

Lou Zibo, also curious, reached out to take it and examined it carefully, and then he too was momentarily stunned.

As it turned out, the first passage on that page read as follows: "Yang Jian entered the central army and related a stratagem he had devised to Jiang Taigong. Jiang Taigong, hearing it, was overjoyed and immediately commended Yang Jian, saying: 'Both wise and brave, a wondrous deed for all ages.' He also ordered Nezha to assist the hero, to serve the state with a loyal heart. (Dear listeners, you must understand that the phrase 'both wise and brave' is reserved for true heroes alone. Our eleven commanderies and princedoms of Youzhou see frequent warfare, yet in recent years, only that Gongsun Wenqi of Liaoxi, in that battle at Liucheng, was worthy of such words. This was spoken personally by Prefect Zhao of Liaoxi, who later even betrothed his only daughter to Gongsun Wenqi)…"

—————I am a clear dividing line———————

"After the Grand Ancestor executed Wang Fu and rebuked Cao Jie to his face, his reputation grew daily, and he gradually came to be esteemed by all under Heaven." — *Old Book of Yan*, Volume 1, Annals of the Martial Emperor, Grand Ancestor

PS: Also, there is a new book group 684558115; everyone please join.

(End of Chapter)