Chapter 189: Only the Old Weep (Part 1)

Gongsun Xun’s furious loss of composure had its reasons.

Had he not encountered Chu Feiyan today — that bizarre bandit who dwells among the wilds yet sets his ambitions on the court — he would have been thoroughly deceived by that Zhen Du!

But what kind of creature was Zhen Du?!

A mere county chief of five hundred dan, not even a county magistrate, yet he attempted to toy with him, a supernumerary Ting Marquis, in the palm of his hand.

Consider this Marquis of Wulu, only twenty-four years of age this year. From Mount Goushi to Mount Danhan, from Liaodong to Luoyang, though he had encountered some perverse chastisements, they were either from elders or lightly let pass. When had he ever been played like this by someone he never even deigned to notice?!

More importantly, here he, Gongsun Xun, was winning hearts and toiling diligently in governance — how could he be so muddle-headedly mocked, robbed of credit, and used as a knife by another?!

"Ju Gongtiao!" After cleaving the low table, Gongsun Xun continued to grip his sharp blade, his fury undiminished.

"I am here." Ju Zong answered with a voice that practically trembled.

Pitiful him, a scion of a great house, who had come here only to while away the days playing cards and chess with Gongsun Xun — how could he have ever seen the other man so enraged?

"Have you thought this matter through clearly?" Gongsun Xun held his knife in one hand and pointed at the other man with the other.

"I have largely reasoned it out!" Ju Zong hurriedly lowered his head.

"Recount it!" Gongsun Xun said icily. "Let me see how great the gap truly is between you and your elder brother..."

"Yes." Ju Zong dry-swallowed a mouthful of saliva before responding. "Shen Hu himself was likely just an accident, but whether by coincidence or design, he went to seek refuge with County Chief Zhen, with whom he had some acquaintance..."

"How could it possibly be a coincidence?"

"Yes..." Ju Zong immediately corrected himself. "Shen Hu must have long known that this County Chief Zhen had an ancestor famed throughout the realm as a petty man who betrayed a friend for glory, and understood that no matter what, the other man could not afford to do such a thing again — otherwise the reputation the Yingchuan Zhen clan spent decades rebuilding would be ruined in a single day. That is precisely why he went specifically to seek refuge with him. He may even have informed others in advance of his refuge with this man, forcing Zhen Du to accept him and to assist him!"

"Continue."

"Because of his ancestor's story, Zhen Du had no choice but to take in Shen Hu, and then fell into a dilemma. On one hand, he absolutely could not let the Zhen clan bear the name of betraying a friend again, so he had to protect Shen Hu; on the other hand, this Shen Hu was bent on revenge and making an enemy of you, my lord — which was in truth a dead end." Having deduced this far, Ju Zong could not help but sigh. "Thus Zhen Du painstakingly devised all of this... On the surface, he was fully assisting Shen Hu's revenge — using Mount Taihang bandits to divert attention, launching a surprise assassination; but inwardly, he had multiple preparations, the general idea being to use you, my lord, and the mountain bandits to settle this matter, and finally to silence the bandits and deceive you, my lord."

Hearing this, Gongsun Xun's expression grew darker still, and he took over the words himself: "If this matter had succeeded, then Shen Hu would clearly have been killed by the Chu Yan he hired, yet to outsiders it would appear that Chu Yan, moved by my virtue, had acted to settle it; the bandits would clearly have been lured by him and silenced by him, yet it would become his achievement, while my painstaking military expedition would be for nothing; and finally, he would shift the blame onto the Handan clan, sending me to find trouble with the Handan clan! How many birds with one stone does that count as?!"

"He also deliberately left an extremely obvious flaw in the date of the official document," Wang Xiu added from the side. "To facilitate shirking responsibility..."

"His scheming was too clever by half, and cleverness became his own undoing!" Gongsun Xun glanced at Chu Yan, who was still slumped dejectedly by the pond because Zhen Du had struck too swiftly, then turned and passed the knife toward Ju Zong. "Since Gongtiao now understands this matter clearly, it will be simple... Take this knife!"

"Yes!" Ju Zong carefully received this rather famous broken blade.

"Take my official carriage, go as an envoy to Xiangguo County and seek out the Commandery Merit Evaluator, Lu Fan." Gongsun Xun suddenly parted his lips slightly in a smile, and his tone became considerably gentler. "Tell the story you just recounted to Army Supervisor Lu Ziheng, and give him the knife... Have him bring the man to me in Handan!"

"Understood!" Ju Zong shuddered violently, then bowed deeply and fled the rear courtyard as if escaping, clutching the knife.

"Many thanks to you, noble sir, for avenging my brothers..." Chu Yan now seemed to come back to his senses, prostrating himself and thanking him repeatedly. "Chu Yan is endlessly grateful!"

Gongsun Xun raised his eyes to look at this man. Had this man's martial prowess and ambition not both exceeded the scope of an ordinary bandit, he, this Marquis of Wulu, might truly have fallen into Zhen Du's hands today. But compared to Shen Hu, who coerced others to aid him, and compared to Zhen Du, whose intentions were vicious and who killed the innocent — was this man truly so pure and virtuous?

"I did not do it for you." Having regained his composure, Gongsun Xun dropped these words, then turned and walked into the room.

Wang Xiu watched his lord turn and enter the room, and his heart was momentarily filled with emotion... In truth, he had long seen that his master harbored an indescribable pride in his heart — not toward any single person, nor toward a certain group, but toward all things under heaven. That was why, today, after nearly being toyed with in the palm of a neighboring county chief's hand, he had been so enraged.

Of course, this was not the time for such thoughts. Wang Shuzhi, ever diligent, loyal, and prudent, hastily summoned maidservants and servants to clear away the broken table, settle that "Flying Swallow," and find someone to tend his wounds... Of course, since Chu Yan was called Flying Swallow, and was even a figure vaguely mentioned by Lady Gongsun, how could those few who sought to silence him be his match? The bloodstains covering him were mostly from others.

Not only that, after settling matters in the rear courtyard, Wang Xiu did not forget to turn to the front courtyard of the government office, summon all the county clerks, and have them dispatch some of the commandery troops guarding the city to defend the office, while also calming the people and preparing for the storm that would follow the return of the three hundred mounted riders.

For several days in a row, all was peaceful and uneventful.

But just a few days later, after Lu Fan, Lou Gui, Ju Zong, Zhao Ping, and the three hundred mounted riders returned from Xiangguo County to Handan City, and that big-bearded Qian Zhao also hurriedly returned from the depths of Mount Taihang with several dozen loyal followers, the atmosphere in the city abruptly grew tense.

From the Wei clan downward, all the great and small clans of Zhao were summoned into the city in uneasy trepidation, and the gathering place was actually the commandery government office, overgrown with weeds... According to the loyal followers Gongsun Xun sent to invite them, that place was spacious, and it was also the rightful seat of governance for Zhao — perfectly suited for publicly administering justice!

There were no seats, no low tables, no banquet, and certainly no large pot boiling mutton. Everyone merely stood with blank expressions in the weed-choked courtyard of the government office, enduring the grasshoppers and mosquitoes, while quietly maintaining a certain distance from the ashen-faced Handan clan leader... There are no walls in this world that don't leak wind; by now, even those from "minor households" knew that the Shen clan remnant's assassination attempt on Gongsun Xun had failed and he had been killed instead, and that simultaneously, the Xiangguo County Chief had surrounded and slaughtered several hundred Mount Taihang bandits at a Handan clan estate in his jurisdiction's Suren Village!

Only a fool would think there was no connection!

In fact, over these past few days, the Handan clan leader had written seven or eight letters alone, even sending one to the Inspector of Jizhou, Wang Fang... It was fortunate that the emergence of Gongsun paper had made letter-writing so effortless these days... In any case, he was just short of inviting a shamaness to summon his own father, dead for decades, back from the grave!

It must be known that the Handan clan leader's own father, as mentioned before, had reached the rank of two thousand dan.

Yet nearly all the letters he sent out sank like stones into the sea, and even the most anticipated reply from Inspector Wang Fang of Jizhou likewise failed to come, which inevitably left the entire Handan clan in a state of panic.

And today, this Handan clan leader had come into the city with the one who invited him as if resigned to his fate... It was said that he came weeping, having rechecked his will, and had not even been willing to bring a single junior clansman to attend him, fearing that he might end up delivering an extra head.

Truly pitiable!

Just as the crowd, while enduring the grasshoppers and putting their learning to practical use by secretly studying the Handan clan leader's current "deathly expression," Gongsun Xun, surrounded by a group of trusted confidants and dozens of blade-wielding warriors, suddenly surged into the government office. Thereupon, the former took his place openly upon the steps before the long-unopened main hall of the office alongside the Marquis of Wulu, while the latter fanned out to surround everyone.

The crowd immediately fell silent; even Wei Song, supported by his son, lowered his head.

"Gentlemen, after the Shen clan's annihilation, I had no desire to kill again, nor to bare the edge of this blade before you." Gongsun Xun stood firm, cleanly and crisply drawing his broken knife, and came straight to the point. "But some people have truly gone too far; without killing, there is no venting the hatred in my heart... I have called you here today not to demand anything of you, but only to seek your witness! After I have killed, you may recount this matter to your close friends and old acquaintances... I ask only that you do so without embellishment, speaking bluntly and without reserve!"

The Handan clan leader nearly swayed and collapsed.

The others also regarded this man with increasingly sympathetic gazes... Everyone present was perceptive; how could they not understand the meaning in Gongsun Xun's words? Though this Marquis spoke with a calm tone, as if describing something lightly, the resolve within was unmistakably revealed — he was long prepared and utterly unwavering!

"Lord Handan..." Gongsun Xun indeed spoke. "Come forward; I have something to ask you."

Knowing in his heart that there was no further chance of escape, the Handan clan leader took a deep breath, straightened his back, walked to the very center of the courtyard, and offered a slight salute to Gongsun Xun: "Does my lord wish to inquire about the matter in Xiangguo County?"

"Indeed." Gongsun Xun narrowed his eyes slightly and questioned him. "Several hundred bandits were concealed in your family's estate. What do you have to say about this?"

"In reply to my lord." Facing the moment of crisis, the Handan clan leader exhaled deeply once more, finally casting off his burdens entirely. "I truly knew nothing of this matter. That estate, because it encroached upon the river channel, had recently been receiving repeated official documents from Xiangguo County demanding its vacation..."

"So you vacated it?"

"Yes!" the Handan clan leader hastily replied. "At that time, my lord had just executed the Shen clan here to establish his authority. Fearing that the Xiangguo County Chief intended to follow suit, I hurriedly, to guard against any contingency..."

"Then this matter is simple," Gongsun Xun calmly interrupted the other's words, still neither pleased nor angry. "As it stands now, first, several hundred bandits committed crimes and then vanished; then, an official document bearing the seal of the Xiangguo County Chief reached my hands, stating plainly that he had set fire to and surrounded and killed several hundred bandits at your family's estate; and now you, Lord Handan, tell me that the Xiangguo County government had previously ordered you to vacate that estate?"

"Precisely so."

"Then either your Handan clan or the Xiangguo County government must be in collusion with the Mount Taihang bandits... Is that not correct?"

"Per... perhaps... perhaps so?" the Handan clan leader stammered in reply.

"Bring the man forward." Gongsun Xun suddenly waved his hand, leaving the entire courtyard full of people dumbstruck.

It turned out that, within their line of sight, an acquaintance of everyone present was being shoved forward with his hands bound behind his back... This man had served as Xiangguo County Chief for over two years; which manager of a major clan within Zhao's borders did not recognize him?

"County Chief Zhen," Gongsun Xun stood upon the steps, looking down from above. "When I hurried to take up my post that day, I did not visit you. I never imagined that you and I would meet under such circumstances today."

"County Magistrate Gongsun!" Zhen Du forced himself to respond. "I have a general idea that you mistakenly believed a bandit and a fugitive, and have formed a misunderstanding about me..."

"Let us set that aside for now. The Handan clan is also a renowned local family, and they too believe that you colluded with the Mount Taihang bandits..."

"Precisely so!" The Handan clan leader, suddenly seeing the light, disregarded all decorum and spoke out repeatedly. "My lord's discernment is as clear as autumn water; it is precisely so!"

Hearing this, the elders of the renowned Zhao clans who had gathered to watch were all stunned into silence… It seemed this Gongsun Xun actually thought the County Magistrate of Xiangguo was behind this, and that the Handan clan was innocent? No one knew what evidence or testimony he had obtained, but he had directly disregarded the law and had a county magistrate bound and brought here.

"Magistrate Gongsun!" Zhen Du hastily retorted. "You would refuse to believe a county magistrate, and instead believe a local strongman who has repeatedly made trouble for you?!"

"My father is a Two-Thousand-Bushel official, my family is an established noble house…"

"Nonsense!" Zhen Du rebuked angrily. "You Handan clan, relying on your numbers and vast influence, wantonly harm the countryside. Just because you were previously ordered to clear your estate that encroached upon the river channel, you colluded with Mount Taixing bandits to plague our county! And now you file suit first, biting back in retaliation—with such conduct, what right do you have to call yourselves a noble house?! Magistrate Gongsun, I beg you to see clearly!"

"The Mount Taixing bandit who came to assassinate me also claimed he was hired by you, Magistrate Zhen… How do you explain that?"

"A mere bandit!" Zhen Du reiterated his reasoning once more. "Why would my lord believe a bandit, and believe a local strongman who harms the people, but not a county magistrate? How, then, can you command the respect of all under Heaven?"

The surrounding crowd was momentarily speechless… and then broke into a flurry of discussion.

It must be understood that, although out of a sense of "the fox mourns the death of the hare" they felt some sympathy for the Handan clan, in all fairness, Zhen Du was also a county magistrate. From the perspective of officialdom, when both sides present only their own word, should one not believe a colleague over others?

In fact, this was precisely the brilliance of Zhen Du's plan. Although he knew he could not be completely watertight, he was, after all, a county magistrate. So by common sense, Gongsun Xun had no reason to believe the Handan clan, who clearly had a conflict of interest with him; a strange bandit from the depths of Mount Taixing; or the remnants of the Shen clan, who bore him a blood feud of extermination—and yet suspect a colleague.

In reality, even Lu Fan, Lou Gui, and others held differing views on this matter. They thought it might indeed have been the Handan clan's doing… It was just that Gongsun Xun, in his towering rage, had already sent over the blade and the "story," so Lu Ziheng had no choice but to grit his teeth and have the man bound and brought back during the banquet.

Of course, unlike the others who, out of contempt for bandits, were always unwilling to believe the testimony of that key witness, Gongsun Xun was, deep in his bones, more inclined to believe the Mount Taixing bandit nicknamed "Flying Swallow." Because he knew what this man would achieve in the future… His own mother had vaguely mentioned a "Flying Swallow" of Heishan. Though his surname was Zhang at that time, well, for a bandit, changing one's surname seemed nothing unusual. The key point was that Gongsun Xun remembered very clearly that this man, after the Yellow Turban Rebellion, had once commanded a following of a million.

A bandit who commanded a million followers had no reason to deliberately slander a five-hundred-bushel county magistrate… Wasn't that a very natural conclusion?

"Well said!" Just as Zhen Du's expression was gradually easing, Gongsun Xun suddenly laughed. "However, your family's reputation is also very poor. Therefore, when that man surnamed Shen said that you Yingchuan Zhen clan members are mostly betrayers of friends, and that your conduct is just like your grand-uncle's, I also found it hard to distinguish right from wrong…"

"Shen Hu is shameless!" The veins on Zhen Du's forehead bulged.

"How do you know this man is called Shen Hu?!" Gongsun Xun suddenly sneered.

—————I am a weeping dividing line—————

"When the Grand Ancestor was Prefect of Handan, the Magistrate of Xiangguo secretly envied him and sent an assassin disguised as a messenger. The Grand Ancestor happened to be playing chess with Ju Zong in the county office's rear courtyard. Seeing Zong's noble bearing and elegant demeanor, the assassin removed his seal and sash, and in jest bade Ju Gongtiao to take his place, while he himself stood under the eaves in the rain, holding a blade. When the assassin entered, he immediately cast his weapon to the ground and confessed the truth. Zong, astonished, asked him why. The assassin replied: 'Your Excellency's refined bearing is most extraordinary, yet the man holding the blade in the rain—that is a true hero. Thus, I dared not make a move.' The Grand Ancestor laughed and pardoned him, and further gifted him a hundred pieces of gold as consolation." — A New Account of the Tales of the World, Chapter on the Uncanny

(End of Chapter)