Chapter 174: Against Virtue

Just after the new year, the snow in Liaodi melted away at once, and then the weather grew warmer day by day at a pace that was hard to adjust to.

This naturally had its advantages — just as the messengers from Luoyang were riding at full speed, taking advantage of the spring warmth and blooming flowers, large numbers of Goguryeo people were being relocated, entire fortified settlements and whole cities at a time, along the north and south routes into Han territory. The northern route went through Zuoyuan into Xuantu and Liaoxi; the southern route followed the Mazishui (Yalu River) into Liaodong and Lelang.

Historically, any relocation is bound to tear families apart and ruin homes, let alone a relocation after a military defeat. But from another perspective — well, it was war. The kingdom itself had been destroyed, and most of the able-bodied men were dead. At this point, the Goguryeo people had no capacity left for violent resistance. Besides, once these people were transported into Han territory, they would be directly "absorbed" by the local households who were preparing for the spring planting, so there was no conflict between natives and newcomers either.

So, at least from the perspective of those in power, this relocation was quite "quiet."

Even so, Gongsun Xun still encountered quite a few troublesome matters here, and quite naturally, these problems came from within the victors' own ranks.

Some of them were commonplace enough... but others, while still commonplace, were somewhat vexing and unsettling.

"So it's true, then? You really did rob the tombs?!" In a certain great hall in the Goguryeo capital, Gongsun Xun, who had initially been dismissive, suddenly flew into a towering rage. "Besides you, who else has done this?! Who was the ringleader?! Who gave you the nerve?!"

The several low-ranking Han army officers kneeling below immediately kowtowed in terror, while the few Xuantu commandery clerks standing to the side kept their eyes fixed on their noses and their minds on their navels, standing perfectly still.

That's right — tomb robbing!

As mentioned before, the Goguryeo people favored lavish burials. Moreover, according to their customs, outside the eastern gate of every city there would be an Eastern Temple, and for the Goguryeo people, the Eastern Temple held extraordinary significance — nearly everything from birth to death depended on it. It simultaneously served the social functions of an ancestral hall, a brothel, a hospital, a public cemetery, and more.

For instance, before the Goguryeo people had been deeply Sinicized, every year after the spring planting, the shrine maidens of the Eastern Temple would hold a gathering like an open assembly beside the temple, bringing together all the young men and women of the city. They would first bathe in the river, then gather in a great pit beside the Eastern Temple to mate freely and without restraint, in order to promote the propagation of the race... How to put it? In truth, customs like spring bathing or young men and women going on outings together to pledge their love are universal phenomena across all civilizations worldwide, and the practice of shrine maidens doubling as prostitutes and temples doubling as brothels has even more far-reaching influence — there's no need to discriminate against the Goguryeo people for it.

It's just that, once a civilization matures, the degree to which such customs are preserved varies according to that civilization's level of development in the institution of marriage.

Of course, returning to the matter at hand, what needs attention here is not some open assembly — anyway, Goguryeo has already been destroyed as a kingdom. The real key here lies in the lavish burials and the public cemetery. Goguryeo had five cities, and outside the eastern gate of each city there was a large Eastern Temple. The city's nobles and citizens, after they died, would generally choose to be buried with a portion of their valuable possessions in the public cemetery beside the Eastern Temple. Accumulated over time, who knows how many things were buried there, let alone over a hundred years of accumulation?

So, seeing the living people in the cities gradually disappearing, the bones and dregs of the dead mostly rotted away, and even the cities themselves likely to vanish soon, while only certain grave goods, naturally possessing lasting value, still lay there concentrated and conspicuously... what reaction would a motley army of over ten thousand invaders have upon learning of such a thing?

The news spread from the funeral of the Goguryeo king, and then once the relocation work got on track, people started digging up graves... It's as simple as that!

The problem, however, is that some things can be done but not spoken of!

"Don't talk to me about the Xianbei or the Wuhuan!" Gongsun Xun looked at the low-ranking officers who had been caught red-handed, his fury only growing. "I'm asking you — who else in the Han army has done this?!"

"General Gongsun, there's no need to ask who else," at that moment, one of the Xuantu commandery clerks suddenly stepped forward with a dry laugh. "Nor is there any need to harshly blame them... If I may be so bold, General, you would do better to ask — who in the army has not been involved in this matter? When you can dig up gold and silver right there in the ground, and there's no owner to complain, may I ask who could resist?"

Gongsun Xun fell silent at once.

After a long while, he suddenly rose and asked the commandery clerks, "Is Governor Ju still at Gulsengol Fortress overseeing the migration affairs?"

"Yes, our Prefect is still at Gulsengol Fortress," the clerk immediately bowed and replied.

"In that case, take the matters here and go discuss their disposition with County Lieutenant Lu south of the city. I will go pay Governor Ju a visit." Expressionless, Gongsun Xun abandoned the officers involved in the tomb robbing and the Xuantu commandery clerks who had reported them, then took Han Dang and a few retainers and rode straight out of the city.

The officers were at a loss, while the commandery clerks momentarily showed pleased expressions.

It must be said, Gongsun Xun, who had served as a commandery clerk in the Liaoxi commandery office and as a Ministerial Secretary in the central government, naturally understood the ins and outs of this matter. The Grand Historian once said, "All under heaven hustle for profit; all under heaven bustle for gain." Lady Gongsun also had a saying: "When things are uneven, they cry out."

So, the Xuantu commandery clerks who had proactively reported this matter had no more than two motives: one, they themselves had not profited from it, or had gained very little, and so deliberately sought revenge; two, they were envious that Xu Rong and other officers from the same commandery had gained too much merit and wealth, and purely out of jealousy, they seized on this handle to attack.

In essence, it was still a struggle over merit!

And unlike the previous struggles over merit within the army, this time the struggle was clearly larger in scale, involved more people, and the matter was more thorny... It must be understood that although Gongsun Xun had accumulated a great deal of prestige through this campaign, and these soldiers were still willing to obey and respect him unconditionally, the war was, after all, over. Thus, he had lost his legitimate and lawful authority of control over the regular border troops of Xuantu origin within the force.

In fact, the person who currently held legal authority over these Han troops and clerks of Xuantu was Ju Teng. In other words, this matter was more like an internal affair of Xuantu Commandery itself!

Therefore, as the de facto controller of the army, although Gongsun Xun could not remain indifferent, in the face of these Xuantu clerks' attacks on the Xuantu border troops, he truly had no useful method — it was impossible for him to make them drop the matter with a single word... The only thing he could do now was to exert influence through an exchange of interests with Ju Teng.

"Zhengnan!" As soon as Gongsun Xun arrived in the city, he encountered Shen Pei hurrying out to greet him, and immediately dismounted. "You've worked hard, Zhengnan!"

Shen Pei had been assigned to Gulsengol Fortress not only because it was a crucial hub for the relocated Goguryeo households, but also because it inherently carried the meaning of "keeping an eye on" Ju Teng.

"Sitting comfortably in the rear all day, how could I have worked as hard as you, my lord?" Shen Pei was as direct as ever. "I wonder, has my lord come this time because of the army's unauthorized grave-digging?"

"Exactly so," Gongsun Xun was slightly taken aback. "Has the matter already spread?"

"Naturally," Shen Pei quickly explained. "Several days ago, after this matter was openly reported by the Xuantu Assistant Prefect, Marshal Xu was summoned into the city, but he has been neither punished nor released back to the army. Clearly, they are waiting for you, my lord, to come and meet with Governor Ju before making a decision. I also knew that you, my lord, would certainly come..."

"Xu Rong has already been confined?" Gongsun Xun's face showed sudden understanding. "Does Ju Teng hate me so much? I gave him some grievances to bear while in the army, and now that the dust has barely settled, he wants to retaliate?"

"That may not be the case," Shen Pei shook his head with a serious expression. "Governor Ju is actually an exceedingly pragmatic man. You, my lord, have minor friction with him but no major obstacles, so he is likely mostly going with the flow and watching the fire from across the river. After all, this time the army has truly been caught by the commandery clerks in a vulnerable spot. Once the grave-robbing matter is brought to light, I fear it's uncertain whether Xu Rong can even come out of this unscathed."

Gongsun Xun slowly nodded, then suddenly asked earnestly, "Zhengnan, your wisdom and strategies are outstanding — this great undertaking succeeded entirely because you held the fort alone in the rear... May I ask, do you have any advice for me on this matter?"

"I have three strategies — upper, middle, and lower," Shen Pei replied calmly. "It depends on what you are thinking, my lord."

Gongsun Xun could not help but smile wryly to himself... He never imagined that one day he, too, would be treated to the "upper, middle, and lower strategies" that his own mother spoke of.

"Zhengnan, please speak freely," after his inward wry smile, Gongsun Xun still earnestly and courteously inquired. "May I ask what these three strategies are?"

"The upper strategy is to simply ignore this matter," Shen Pei said with a smile. "After all, my lord, your achievements in this campaign overshadow the realm, and I fear you will be promoted in no time. That being the case, why bother with the mere internal affairs of Xuantu Commandery? A glorious future lies ahead."

Gongsun Xun stared at him with a faint, ambiguous smile.

"The lower strategy: while the great army has not yet been disbanded, General, simply find a pretext — don't look for anyone else — and directly kill that troublemaking Assistant Prefect in public," Shen Pei continued to speak openly and grandly. "Once this man is gone, can the remaining few commandery clerks overturn the heavens? And with the rewards for merit not yet issued, Governor Ju would certainly not fall out with you, my lord, over this."

"In that case," Gongsun Xun suddenly became serious, "let us take the middle strategy then!"

Shen Pei was momentarily stunned. "My lord, I haven't even stated the middle strategy yet!"

"Zhengnan spoke of the upper strategy first and the lower strategy next, but saved the middle strategy for last — you must want me to take the middle strategy," Gongsun Xun replied earnestly. "And I have said before in my letters, Hebei has many famous scholars, but who compares to Shen Zhengnan? Zhengnan's vision and strategy far surpass my own. Since it is Zhengnan who wants me to take the middle strategy, then I shall take the middle strategy. Why would I need to ask what the middle strategy is?"

Shen Pei was silent at first, then stepped back two paces and solemnly bowed to the man before him.

"Summon Marshal Xu here."

Half a shichen later, in the afternoon, at the temporary palace in Gulsengol Fortress, after giving the order, Ju Teng slightly turned his body to one side, clearly intending to face the seated Gongsun Xun beside him, the standing Shen Pei, and the soon-to-arrive Xu Rong with an attitude of evasion or detachment.

At this moment, filling the hall below were many Xuantu commandery clerks, from the Assistant Prefect on down. These people had come out in full force after the new year, laboring and toiling here over the relocation of the Goguryeo households... From this perspective, their jealousy and resentment toward those crude and unlettered soldiers who casually acquired large amounts of plunder, and who would also receive considerable rewards for their battle merits in the future, did not seem so difficult to understand.

Returning to the matter at hand, a short while later, Xu Rong, having changed out of the armor that seemed never to leave his body in one's memory and dressed neatly, finally arrived at the great hall of the temporary palace. It was evident that although he had not been subjected to any harsh treatment, he was clearly dispirited and haggard, evidently having suffered a great psychological blow over this matter.

This was, of course, understandable. Having clearly achieved extraordinary and monumental merit, he had become a man bearing guilt because of such a matter. Let alone promotion — if not handled well, he might even face imprisonment.

"I pay my respects to the General, and to the Prefect..." Xu Rong knelt to plead his guilt in the very place where he had once interrogated Myeongnim Dapbu.

"Bojin, do you know your mistake?" Gongsun Xun, seated upright beside Ju Teng, asked expressionlessly.

"I..." Xu Rong, kneeling before the hall, started to speak but then hesitated.

"Bojin, ah, Bojin, I know you feel unwilling and unreconciled in your heart," Gongsun Xun, seeing this, let out a long sigh, then stepped down from the hall to help him up. "You clearly achieved great merit, yet because of such a frivolous matter, you have been stripped of your military authority and even vaguely face the threat of imprisonment! But this is precisely the principle of the world. Some matters, before they are placed on the scale, may not weigh much at all, but once they are on the scale, they immediately have the weight of a thousand jun, and your frame may not be able to bear it! This matter — done in secret, it cannot be done openly; what others do, you cannot do; what might be done another day, cannot be done today... Do you understand?"

Xu Rong looked dazed; he vaguely understood some of the meaning, but still could not fully grasp it.

"Marshal Xu, what my lord means is..." Seeing this, Shen Pei simply stepped forward and laid the matter out plainly. "You are a Han general, an appointed official of the state, and you must follow the rules! Those Xianbei and Wuhuan barbarians can do such things — can you? To take a step back, on the day my lord gave the order to destroy their kingdom, exterminate their race, and obliterate their altars, you could also do some out-of-bounds things, but that was because my lord and Governor Ju together bore the responsibility for you in all matters. Now that the war is over, you must bear everything alone. Not to mention, right now, while merits are being recorded and achievements evaluated, such disgraceful conduct is all the more glaring! This matter of robbing the graves of the dead — though it happened in the remote wilderness beyond the frontier, once it is put into an official document and reaches the central government, how do you think the various Excellencies in the capital, all of them scholars of the classics, will deal with you?!"

With the matter spoken of so directly, how could Xu Rong not understand? He immediately bowed again in shame. "Rong has caused the General trouble!"

"What trouble is there?" Gongsun Xun likewise helped him up again. "When I asked you just now whether you knew your mistake, it was not only to make you reflect on this matter, but also because I am worried about your fate in the future... From that day in this temporary palace, I knew that you only understand warfare and leading troops, but do not comprehend the treachery of the human heart. Today, with Governor Ju and I here, we can naturally shield you somewhat in all things. But if, in the future, you are tossed about in the sea of officialdom and encounter a treacherous villain, what will you do then?"

Xu Rong nearly felt his nose sting and tears were about to fall. Meanwhile, Ju Teng and the other commandery clerks in the hall, hearing the words “shield him for a while,” each grew suspicious and alarmed… especially Ju Teng, who was no fool, so his heart had long since been on high alert.

“Master Ju!” Sure enough, Shen Pei suddenly turned toward Ju Teng and drew an official document from his bosom. “Now that things have come to this, although Commandant Xu has committed a grave error, my lord, valuing his rare talent, resolved on the way here to bear the blame for this crime himself and take the matter upon his own shoulders… I beg you, Master Ju, to grant this, and use your seal to help my lord send a self-impeaching memorial to the Masters of Writing. He is willing to exchange his battle merits to absolve Commandant Xu of his crime!”

Ju Teng immediately fixed his eyes on the man before him, speechless for a long moment, while the many commandery clerks below, starting with the Deputy Governor, each grew fearful… Xu Rong, on the other hand, was increasingly moved to tears of gratitude.

One must understand that tomb robbing, in its essence, is not about gold or silver, but about the immorality of the act! Once you do it, you must be mentally prepared to bear infamy for a lifetime, or even for generations. Therefore, the more noble one’s status, the more damaging it actually becomes.

Just like this time — everyone knows that men like Mo Huchuan, Duan Yuriming, and Tadun almost all took part in the vile business of digging up ancestral graves. But then, they are miscellaneous Hu; digging up ancestral graves seems rather fitting with their status…

But conversely, once Gongsun Xun took this matter upon himself, it would basically have nothing to do with being enfeoffed as a marquis, and he would also bear an unclear stain for life… shielding grave robbers, and perhaps even colluding with them, who could say for sure!

However — and this is the key — how would the world then view Ju Teng’s role in this affair?

The grave robber was Xu Rong, a detached division Commandant directly subordinate to Xuantu Commandery. He committed this crime, yet it was Gongsun Xun who bore the blame for it? And afterward, you, Ju Teng, would still earn your merits and be enfeoffed as a marquis, while Gongsun Xun, who fought the war, lost his rewards for the sake of your subordinate? And precisely in this process, you, Ju Teng, also held the position of adjudicator…

And this was Shen Pei’s “middle stratagem” — make no defense, directly take the blame for Xu Rong, and force the “pragmatic” Ju Teng to step forward and settle the matter… In fact, only Ju Teng could easily settle this matter and let it raise no further waves.

Of course, this coercive method of resolution would undoubtedly offend Governor Ju once again. And now, with no battle ahead and no shared interests binding them, offending him meant truly offending him.

“Is Zhengnan joking?” Sure enough, after a long while, Ju Teng finally shifted his gaze from the famous Hebei scholar before him to Gongsun Xun, who stood in the hall, and spoke with a cold laugh. “This matter is still under inquiry; it is not yet certain whether it is a false accusation… Deputy Governor!”

The Deputy Governor of Xuantu, standing rigidly below the dais, hastily bowed.

“You will go and investigate this matter thoroughly,” Ju Teng spoke, practically grinding out each word through clenched teeth. “Be sure to restore the innocence of Commandant Xu and all the officers and soldiers in the army! If you cannot get to the bottom of it, I will hold your entire family to account!”

The Deputy Governor heaved a long sigh, then immediately bowed his head.

The matter was thus settled, and Ju Teng, with a stifled frustration in his chest, rose directly and prepared to sweep his sleeves and leave.

“Master Ju!” Gongsun Xun, who had not spoken to Ju Teng all this while, suddenly called out to stop him. “Please wait.”

Ju Teng turned back with a cold sneer: “What further instruction does Lord Gongsun have?”

“This campaign is over.” Gongsun Xun, holding Xu Rong’s hand as he spoke, replied calmly. “I do not know where my future lies. As for other matters here, I can let them go, except for Commandant Xu… As Master Ju just heard, this man does not understand people’s hearts and knows no flexibility. I fear he will encounter such troubles again in the future. Therefore, I wish to ask Master Ju to look after him more on my behalf.”

Ju Teng’s anger instantly flared!

Yet, just as he thought the other party was pressing his advantage and deliberately warning him, he did not expect that Gongsun Xun, while pressing Xu Rong down, would also bow deeply himself…

The courtesy of a superior is not given lightly. The two were never in a superior-subordinate relationship to begin with, and before a hall full of commandery clerks, Gongsun Xun’s gesture instead almost carried the meaning of admitting fault and yielding.

“Master Ju, I also know that tomb robbing is ultimately a betrayal of virtue, so whether Hu riders or Han soldiers, I will deal with them after I return. And I also know that all you clerks of Xuantu Commandery have endured much hardship for the resettlement effort,” sure enough, Gongsun Xun continued after raising his head. “How about this — in this campaign, the goods and wealth the soldiers obtained were mostly converted into grain and cloth through my family’s trading firm. My family’s firm also made no small profit. I will take it upon myself to have the firm contribute some coin and silk as a reward for all the clerks of Xuantu Commandery, and also as an apology?”

“Wenqi!” Not to mention how the commandery clerks turned from worry to joy one after another, Ju Teng, after receiving Gongsun Xun’s bow, though his anger had mostly subsided, still frowned tightly in puzzlement. “Since you are willing to spend your own money to placate my commandery clerks, I naturally have nothing to say. But what I do not understand is this — your future is vast and bright, why would you go to such lengths for a commandant of another commandery? Coercing another commandery’s governor, spending money to placate, bowing and apologizing — three times over, laboring heart and strength… Do you not realize that he is merely a frontier commandery military man with no roots or foundation? Even if his merit this time is great, what of it? Can he possibly have any other prospects in this life? Yet you and I are of noble lineage, important ministers of the court!”

Gongsun Xun also sighed softly: “Master Ju, I cannot speak clearly of the future, but the events of the past are vivid before my eyes. That day, on the high platform of the main camp at Zuoyuan, I watched Commandant Xu lead his troops forth, driving straight into the enemy, and my heart was already won… For a commander, all the strategizing and painstaking planning — is it not precisely to seek such a moment from those under his command? I will not hide it from you, Master Ju — a single glance, and I could never betray it. That one moment alone is enough for me to go to such lengths for him.”

“Master Ju, as the scholar wishes to die for the one who knows him, he must first cherish himself for the one who knows him; as the woman adorns herself for the one who delights in her, she must afterward endure for the one who delights in her.” Shen Pei also spoke from the side. “That day in Luoyang, my heart was won in a single moment by my lord’s generous spirit, and I followed him here. And when my lord saw Commandant Xu achieve success in one battle, he repeatedly protected him — is this principle any different? A true man born between heaven and earth seeks but a moment of brilliance, a name passed down to posterity. Why speak of official rank or birth? And Master Ju, this stratagem was devised by me for my lord; together with the earlier matter, I beg you not to hold it against us!”

With these words, Shen Pei also bowed deeply, apologizing to the other man.

Ju Teng laughed awkwardly in spite of himself. Though he ultimately could not accept this reasoning, he could hardly say anything more, and so turned and left.

“General, your virtue — Rong will never dare forget!” As soon as Ju Teng had left, Xu Rong, who had kept his body bowed in a posture of obeisance so that none could see his expression clearly, bowed once more toward Gongsun Xun, then knelt to the ground and prostrated himself, then rose again — the highest form of salutation in Han ritual. “For the rest of my life, I shall never again do anything that betrays virtue!”

After all that effort, to finally hear these words, and coupled with the meaning faintly revealed in Shen Pei’s speech, Gongsun Xun was naturally all smiles as he helped the other man up. Then, with the matter settled and his mood good, he took Shen Pei and Han Dang and brought the man to a courtyard occupied by the Anli Trading Firm, for a banquet to dispel the ill fortune!

However, after three rounds of wine, just as Lord Gongsun was growing tipsy, someone suddenly came to report that Lady Gongsun herself had arrived at the post-battle Gulseung Fortress, and had already entered the city.

The afternoon sun was sinking west, and Gongsun Wenqi’s intoxication instantly sobered by more than half.

————I am the dividing line of betraying hearts and virtue————

“Having destroyed Goguryeo, the Grand Ancestor returned to Liaodong, and Rong returned to Xuantu. The two took leave of each other on the road. The Grand Ancestor, knowing that official travels across the realm would make reunion difficult, held his hand in parting, reluctant to let go. Rong bowed deeply and said in farewell: ‘Rong wasted many years; only upon meeting you, my illustrious lord, did my grain of rice show its glimmer of light. The ancients had a saying: the scholar cherishes himself for the one who knows him. My illustrious lord’s virtue — Rong will never dare betray it to the end.’ The Grand Ancestor was then at peace.” — Old Book of Yan, Volume 71, Biography 21

PS: Sent my parents back… also caught a cold, stuffy nose all day… During the time Mom and Dad were in Beijing, we didn’t talk much, yet my feelings were countless… No matter what, life returns to normal tomorrow, and I hope the updates return to normal too… Coincidentally, this volume is about to end as well… Thank you all for your understanding and support these past two weeks.

Also, new book group 684558115, everyone can join.

(End of Chapter)