Chapter 192: No News of the Newcomer (Part Two)

Leaving aside for the moment the fatherly kindness and filial piety, the brimming confidence of this father and son pair on Yangcheng Mountain, the journey that had to be made in this sweltering heat still had to be made.

Early the next morning, the father and son first fetched some ordinary clothes from the old family residence, then borrowed a fair sum of money from the wealthy households in the area… Liu Yan had run a school here for eighteen years and had also served as Prefect of Luoyang; never mind borrowing money, people would probably have fought to lend him their wives… At any rate, they got themselves quite presentably sorted out, then directly drove their donkey cart to the famous Wushe Ford, preparing to cross the Yellow River northward.

However, traveling in plain clothes meant they could hardly expect any extraordinary treatment.

The clerks at the ford, seeing that this father and son pair looked like scholars, had no intention of making trouble or extorting them, but they did make it clear that unless someone who had chartered a boat was willing to take them on, these two gentlemen would have to stay obediently on the cargo and livestock boats with their own donkey cart.

Liu Fan immediately took offense — that was the trouble with a filial son; how filthy were the cargo boats? How precious was his own father? Even Liu Yan himself actually had no desire to squeeze in with livestock other than their own old donkey — the weather was too hot, who could stand it?

Ultimately, however, Liu Junlang’s bearing was exceptional. Just as he was hesitating, a short, stout young scholar, who had presented official documents and obtained a private boat, supposedly on his way to Hebei to take up a post, took the initiative to invite them aboard, saving the father and son a good deal of trouble. Of course, from any angle, it was actually this young official with a Taishan-area accent who had gotten the greater bargain — not everyone had the chance to cross the river on the same boat as the Governor of Jizhou.

Of course, once they exchanged a few words and Liu Yan learned that this man was precisely on his way to Jizhou to assume the post of County Magistrate, he instead held his peace… After all, sooner or later he would be inspecting all of Jizhou, and the various county magistrates would more or less be summoned for an audience. So he simply did not even exchange names the entire journey, wanting to see whether this young man was truly intent on seeking recompense.

This short, stout young county magistrate, however, was quite amiable, his face full of simple honesty. Though Liu Yan and his son received his kindness without giving their names, he merely responded with a simple smile, showing not the slightest loss of composure.

After disembarking, he even bade Liu Yan a composed farewell with clasped hands, letting his old family servant drive an old horse cart ahead first, which in turn made Liu Junlang and his son feel rather embarrassed.

"I never imagined there could still be such an honest and simple person in this day and age," Liu Fan said, shaking his head repeatedly as he watched the man set off. "To think I earlier suspected he had seen through something… Father, with today's kindness laid before us, when you see him in the future, you must be sure to promote him well."

Liu Yan likewise sighed repeatedly: "Promotion is certain, but not merely on account of receiving a small favor from him today. Rather, it is because the hearts of men have degenerated, and such an honest and simple young man is inherently hard to find — he truly deserves to be employed in a position of importance!"

"Father is quite right." Liu Fan naturally agreed wholeheartedly.

And so, after a few such exclamations, the father and son delayed no further. Driving their donkey cart, they followed the thoroughfares that crisscrossed Henei Commandery, passed through Huai County and Wude, went by Zhaoge and Tangyin, entered Jizhou and Wei Commandery, then approached Ye City without entering it, and soon arrived within the borders of Handan in the Principality of Zhao.

Upon entering this region, Liu Yan and his son had arrived at their proper destination, and naturally became much more observant. Very quickly, they discovered an interesting place.

"May I ask, good sir," Liu Fan, at his father's signal, wiped the sweat from his forehead, jumped down from the donkey cart, and clasped his hands in greeting to a scholar coming toward them, who was leading a thin horse, carrying a traveling pack, and clearly wearing an indignant expression. "What place lies ahead, and what has happened? Why have so many people gathered? And why, sir, are you traveling in such haste?"

"I will not deceive the elder in the cart and this young brother," the scholar, being a man of breeding after all, seeing that the other party had initiated the courtesy and that an elder was seated in the cart, obediently stopped and clasped his hands in reply. "Ahead is the private estate of my honored teacher, Master Wei, which has always been his place for lecturing and the liveliest spot south of Handan City. However, today's commotion is not due to lectures. It is because my honored teacher, under coercion from the Prefect of Handan, has been forced to close this private academy and move to Handan City. He is currently consulting his students for their opinions. Some spineless ones wish to follow him there, while others, like myself, are unwilling to go and suffer such humiliation. For a time, it has become an irresolvable uproar…"

Upon hearing the three words "Prefect of Handan," how could Liu Yan and Liu Fan let this matter pass? The former even descended directly from the donkey cart to inquire in detail:

"May I ask, is your honored teacher, Master Wei, of the Wei clan of the Principality of Zhao, the one who once served as Chancellor of the Principality of Lu?"

"Does the elder know our honored teacher?"

"I dare not claim acquaintance, but I have long heard of the name of the Wei clan of Zhao. Of the Wei brothers, one serves as Deputy Chancellor in the current court, and the other returned home from his post as Chancellor of Lu to lecture — who does not know of them?" Liu Yan said with a wry smile. "However, if Master Wei comes from such a family, how could the Prefect of Handan, a mere thousand-dan county magistrate, coerce him? He was once a figure of two thousand dan."

"Has the elder come from elsewhere?" Upon hearing this, the student instead looked at Liu Yan with curiosity.

"Indeed," Liu Yan replied without so much as blinking. "This old man has come from elsewhere to take up a post in the Principality of Zhao. Previously, I served as a county magistrate in Yuzhou, but because I had no money to bribe the eunuchs, someone memorialized against me with accusations, and I was demoted and banished to Xiangguo as County Magistrate…"

"So it is the new Magistrate of Xiangguo, no wonder…" Upon hearing this, the student first clasped his hands and offered an additional bow, then sighed repeatedly. "No wonder the old county magistrate knows nothing of this. And those eunuchs are truly vicious, to actually send an elder such as yourself into this den of tigers and wolves."

Liu Yan exchanged a glance with his son, each understanding the other without a word, but both wore expressions of utter bewilderment.

The student, however, was clearly filled with indignation and just looking for someone to vent to, so he did not keep them in suspense any longer: "Old county magistrate, it is no wonder you are so perplexed. The truth is, this Prefect of Handan, Gongsun Xun, relying on his title of Village Marquis and with several hundred frontier warriors as his claws and teeth, acts with reckless impunity. Never mind someone who was once a two-thousand-dan official… Old county magistrate, you probably do not yet know — your predecessor was killed by him!"

"Can he truly be so domineering?" Liu Yan asked in a very cooperative tone.

"In less than two short months since arriving in Handan, he first carried out the extermination of a clan, and then the arbitrary killing of a neighboring county's magistrate," the student said, growing ever more indignant. "And now, I hear he has even imprisoned the Chancellor of the Principality, then privately appointed commandery clerks and inspectors, seizing control of the entire administration of the Principality of Zhao, and finally even forced the Governor to abandon his post and leave… Tell me, is the name of a domineering county magistrate in any way false?"

Liu Yan stroked his beard for a moment, speechless… This was clearly not adding up, was it?

Leaving everything else aside, if he truly had imprisoned the Chancellor of the Principality, then the former Inspector of Jizhou, Wang Fang, was a man of some repute after all — how could he have simply resigned without doing anything at all? And besides, this Gongsun Xun came from a frontier commandery and was one of the main forces behind the execution of the eunuchs. It was plausible that his methods were somewhat rough, but he was, after all, a student of Lu Ziqian and Liu Wenrao — he could not possibly be so utterly absurd, could he?

"Is everything you say, good sir, truly accurate?" Liu Fan also did not believe a word of it.

"Actually, I am not entirely certain either," the scholar, having been looked at by Liu Yan in that way and then questioned by Liu Fan, reddened and spoke the truth. "It is only what I have vaguely heard people around here saying… Of course, the extermination of the Shen clan and the arbitrary killing of the old county magistrate's predecessor are absolutely beyond doubt. Otherwise, my honored teacher would not have been coerced by him into having to disband the private academy and go to Handan to establish some so-called public academy!"

"In fact," Liu Yan said, stroking his beard and countering, "leaving other matters aside for the moment, is it not a good thing to change a private academy into a public one? In my youth, this old man also ran a school, and I know the advantages and disadvantages of private academies. As for public academies, although I am not entirely clear on the specific regulations, at the very least, the premises, paper, and brushes, as well as the clothing and food for impoverished students, would have some guarantee. Even in the appointment of clerks…"

"Aiya," the scholar, having been touched on a sore point, interrupted the other regardless of etiquette. "The old county magistrate does not understand. If it were truly just a matter of changing location, and from private to public, that would be one thing. How could we, as students, bear to leave our honored teacher? But that Prefect of Handan, a mere man in his twenties, actually wants to enter the public academy as a teacher and give lectures as well. It is said that although he is a disciple of a renowned Confucian scholar of the realm… how can we allow such a person to stand alongside our honored teacher?!"

"That is a fair point…" Although Liu Yan inwardly disagreed, he ultimately gained some understanding of this scholar. This reason for resenting and detesting the Prefect of Handan was at least coherent, but that was all. He had no desire to entangle himself further with this man. "Very well then, since I have come to the Principality of Zhao to take up a post, I should in any case pay a visit to Master Wei. Take me to pay my respects to your honored teacher, and I will also take the opportunity to offer him some counsel."

"This…" Upon hearing this, the scholar actually seemed flustered for a moment. "The old county magistrate may go and pay his respects on his own. I have just quarreled with my fellow students, and it would not be appropriate to meet them again now."

With these words, the scholar actually tugged at his thin horse and went huffing and puffing off to the south, leaving Liu Yan and his son momentarily speechless.

However, they soon understood what was going on… With Liu Yan in front and Liu Fan pulling the donkey cart behind, the two entered the estate, whose main gate stood wide open and was bustling with activity, just in time to see a young student, his hair still bound up, climb onto the roof of a low building and loudly jeer:

"If you ask me, what is this about not wishing to see our teacher placed alongside the likes of him? When it was only mentioned before about moving the academy, I never saw you all have so many objections — weren't you all shouting about how lively and bustling it is inside Handan City? In the end, it is just a bunch of impostors filling the ranks. Today, upon learning that the public academy will have monthly examinations, annual unified examinations, and fixed rankings, you have all been thrown into disarray, afraid that the exams will expose your true level. Let me say it plainly: for those with genuine talent and learning, a public academy is better than a private one!"

"You, surnamed Wang, are talking nonsense!" Someone below immediately retorted, his face flushed red. "How can matters of scholarship be subjected to fixed rankings? Moreover, even if learning can be ranked, can virtue be ranked? Is this not an insult to refinement?!"

"You're afraid of being exposed!"

"You insult refinement!"

"You're an impostor!"

"Your virtue is lacking!"

"Come up here!"

"Come down here!"

The two factions of students once again fell into an unending clamor, which actually caused Liu Yan to be rather amused — he had been the headmaster of a private school for eighteen years; how could he not know the sly tricks of these students? In fact, even Liu Fan, who had grown up since childhood in his father's private academy, had realized why that scholar from earlier had not dared to come back in and had instead hurried away.

The father and son watched the excitement for a while, then prepared to find someone to request an audience with Wei Song… After all, given Wei Song's status, since Liu Yan had come to investigate Gongsun Xun, he ought to hear this man's impressions of Gongsun Xun.

However, when they put down the donkey cart and, under the name of the Magistrate of Xiangguo, followed a servant to the rear courtyard, they encountered an old acquaintance.

"Greetings, elder!" Upon seeing Liu Yan, this short, stout young man also hurriedly performed a salute. "I did not expect to meet the elder again!"

Seeing this man, Liu Yan and his son were also in good spirits… On the one hand, ever since the father and son had come out of the Southern Palace, their mood had actually been quite good; on the other hand, such an honest and simple person never inspired ill feeling.

"I have truly been remiss," the servant leading the way, seeing this, quickly explained out of his master's sense of propriety. "My old master is currently receiving a guest in the rear hall, which is why the front courtyard has fallen into such disorder… However, since both of you are county magistrates coming to take up posts, and you even know each other, that saves me the trouble of speaking further. I will go announce you at once. I beg the two county magistrates to wait a moment."

Liu Yan naturally did not take offense… Wei Song was a retired two-thousand-dan official, while his own status at this moment was merely that of an insignificant, unranked five-hundred-dan county magistrate — the disparity in status was immense. In fact, had Liu Yan not been an elderly man, and had he not claimed to be the newly appointed Magistrate of Xiangguo, a local post in the Principality of Zhao, even the announcement would likely have been delayed. The short, stout, honest county magistrate already present beside him was clear proof of that.

"I had no idea that the elder was also someone coming to take up a post," this short, stout young county magistrate said, as honest as expected, now appearing quite embarrassed. "Earlier, I presumptuously invited the venerable gentleman and his son aboard the boat."

"Not at all, not at all!" Liu Yan quickly clasped his hands.

"May I ask where the elder is going to take up his post?" the man asked earnestly.

By this point, not to ask the other party's name and background would have been strange, but Liu Yan had long been prepared… The Magistrate of Xiangguo had just been killed by the Prefect of Handan, and Liu Yan, having come straight here directly after leaving the gates of the Southern Palace, could use this as a perfect cover.

"My father's surname is Huang, personal name Yan, courtesy name Ziwǎn, and I, his son, am named Huang Fan. Our ancestral home is Jiangxia. My father's journey here is precisely to take up the local post of Magistrate of Xiangguo in the Principality of Zhao." Liu Fan quickly spoke on his father's behalf. "In truth, my father was originally a county magistrate in Yuzhou, and was demoted and sent here because he offended the eunuchs. I had wished to ask earlier — may I know the county magistrate's name, and to which post he is traveling to take office?"

Huang Yan, courtesy name Ziwǎn, was actually a variation of Huang Wan, courtesy name Ziyǎn — the latter being Liu Fan's maternal cousin, Liu Yan's younger maternal cousin, and also a renowned scholar of Jiangxia. His ancestors had successively served as Prefect of the Masters of Writing and Grand Commandant. Huang Wan himself had, at a young age, risen to the rank of General of the Gentlemen of the Household for All Purposes, but was then immediately subjected to the Proscription for sixteen years and was still in Jiangxia studying to this day… By using this name and twisting it around, Liu Fan clearly intended to leave the other party utterly confused.

And sure enough, this short, stout county magistrate with an accent from the Taishan area pondered for a moment, presumably trying to place the other's name and native place but finding nothing, and then simply responded forthrightly: "I will not deceive the worthy father and son. My surname is Li, personal name Jin, courtesy name Jinxian. I am a man of Chengshi County in Jiyin Commandery. On this journey, I have been appointed by the Secretariat as Magistrate of Yingtao in Julu Commandery, which happens to make me a neighbor of the elder… Passing through here, I heard that this was the home of Master Wei, who once administered the Principality of Lu next to our Jiyin, so I came to pay a visit along the way."

"So that is how it is — we are indeed neighbors." After a moment's thought, Liu Yan, under the alias Huang Yan, stroked his beard and chuckled. "Yingtao and Xiangguo, though belonging to different commanderies, are adjacent. This is fate between you and me! However, for you to hold the same rank as me at such a young age is truly enviable…"

That honest and loyal Li Jin immediately demurred modestly, over and over.

But just as the two had barely exchanged names and were about to continue their conversation, in an instant, an elderly man, supported by a young person and followed by a full dozen or more imposing figures, came out from the rear hall to greet them.

Needless to say, the one leading them was naturally Wei Song, and seeing so many richly dressed people around him, Liu Yan guessed almost at a glance that they were likely local gentry, powerful families, and prominent households... It seemed Wei Song truly was receiving guests, and not deliberately slighting him.

"I heard the new Magistrate of Xiangguo had arrived and truly failed to welcome you from afar." The moment Wei Song came out, he immediately clasped his hands in apology. "Things here have been unbearably busy — a discourtesy, a discourtesy!"

"How did the Magistrate of Xiangguo arrive so swiftly?" someone beside him also asked curiously, seemingly also a local clan leader. "It caught us all off guard as well... Oh, I am the head of the Li clan of Zhao State, Li..."

"Since you are the new Magistrate of Xiangguo, you are no outsider — why not come in and discuss matters with us?" another person hastily called out, appearing somewhat lacking in courtesy. "We absolutely must reach a decision before the Lord returns with his troops!"

However, since Liu Yan had come incognito on a private inspection, how could he care about the posturing of these gentry and powerful families? He was more than eager to take this chance to see their true attitude toward Gongsun Xun.

And so, this 'Huang Yan, Magistrate Huang,' who was 'demoted from Yuzhou to this place' and thus rather advanced in years, exchanged greetings with everyone, and then, supported by his son, followed Wei Song into the rear hall and took his seat with composure. Even Li Jin, the Magistrate of Yingtao from Julu Commandery, benefited from the association and went in to occupy a high-backed Grand Commandant chair to listen in... only, none of these influential men of Zhao State paid him any attention.

"What matter are you all discussing?" After a few brief pleasantries, 'Magistrate Huang' asked curiously. "The Lord, I gather, refers to the Prefect of Handan, the Marquis of Wulu Village, Lord Gongsun. But what matter requires a decision before he returns with his troops? And how is it that Lord Gongsun, a mere county prefect, needs to 'return with his troops'?"

"Ah... it is actually simple enough to explain," Wei Song managed to explain. "Recently, did Xiangguo not have that incident with the Taihang bandits? The State Chancellor — the State Chancellor was furious and appointed Lord Gongsun to sweep clear the Taihang mountain bandits. In truth, the situation within our own state borders is not so bad... right?"

The heads of the powerful clans of Zhao State immediately nodded in agreement.

"Here in Handan, they were cleared out by a combination of suppression and amnesty. The Taihang bandits over in Xiangguo were also somewhat cleared out because someone sent word to the Magistrate of Xiangguo about colluding with the bandits, and later, because they ran out of grain, most were lured into surrendering. Only the stretch of the Taihang Mountains at the northernmost part of Zhao State and the southernmost part of Changshan State — the area commonly called Black Mountain and Purple Mountain — still gathers a large band of bandits. Originally it was difficult to sweep them clear, but recently a bandit chief voluntarily surrendered and has been persuading many others to do the same... So, so..." Wei Song found himself unable to continue for a moment.

"So this Prefect of Handan, from the southernmost end of Zhao State, led troops north to Changshan State to suppress bandits?" Even though 'Magistrate Huang' had been mentally prepared, he was momentarily speechless.

"Suppressing bandits is, after all, a good thing!" Wei Song emphasized with effort. "Magistrate of Xiangguo, you need not mind it!"

Magistrate Huang looked at the crowd of famous clan leaders of Zhao State nodding like chickens pecking at grain and was utterly speechless.

"Then what is the matter you are all discussing?" After pausing a moment, 'Magistrate Huang' collected himself and asked. "What matter requires a decision before he returns with his troops? Could it be the matter of the public school in the front courtyard?"

"That is not it," Wei Song replied with a helpless, wry smile. "In truth, this old man also wishes to go see for himself the kind of public school the Marquis of Wulu speaks of, not to mention that the State Tutor, Master Han, has already agreed to enter the school as a teacher, and the Prince himself is willing to provide funds to support the school... That matter has already been decided, and we are only waiting for autumn to open the school. As for the matter that Master Zhang just mentioned, it is... rather difficult to bring up."

"What is so difficult to bring up?" The man who had spoken earlier — none other than the former Commandery Assistant Zhang Shu — slapped the table and rose. "In my opinion, this matter is feasible!"

"I also think it is feasible, but the current situation is clearly not what we discussed before..." another person spoke up urgently. "It is correct that only one person can be sent. And if only one person is needed, and the Wei clan does not participate in this matter, then naturally our Handan clan has the highest standing, and our family also has a suitable candidate."

"Enough, Master Handan!" Yet another person simply slapped the table and rose. "We know that before Zhen Du died, he splashed a basin of filthy water on your Handan clan, and you are uneasy in your hearts. But the Lord, on that very day, even accepted the mountain bandit who had tried to assassinate him, and plainly stated he would not doubt those he employs — let alone your family! As for suitable candidates, which family does not have one? In my opinion, it should be our Wang clan's..."

"Then are the words of the three masters — Wang, Lu, and Zhang — free of selfish motives?" The man from the Handan clan argued back once more. "Do not think I do not know what you are thinking. When the Lord returns with his troops this time, the Taihang Mountains will be swept completely clean, and the first matter will be considered accomplished. Next will be the autumn harvest, when the fields and household registers will be cleared up, and then, following that momentum, Filial and Incorrupt nominees will be recommended and the public school established... Are you not all so frantic precisely because you want to form a connection with the Lord, to give your own sons and younger kinsmen a better chance of securing that Filial and Incorrupt nomination? Forgive my bluntness, but since only one person is needed, your three families, standing as you do in a suspicious position, are none of you suited to participate in this matter."

The room fell instantly silent. The man addressed as Master Zhang shook his head and sighed: "Can only one person truly be sent?"

"Gentlemen," even 'Magistrate Huang,' who considered himself clever and perceptive, was now listening as if lost in clouds and mist. "What exactly is the matter?"

Another silence filled the room. After a long while, someone finally spoke the truth: "Since Magistrate Huang is to share our joys and hardships from now on, there is no harm in telling you... In truth, it is this: the Prefect of Handan, the Marquis of Wulu, governs the state, and the gentry, powerful families, great households, and commoners above and below all submit to him in admiration. Yet his manner of handling affairs has a rather harsh and severe style. While everyone sighs in admiration, they also feel some fear, and so the idea arose of forming marriage ties with him. What we were just discussing was which family's daughter among the famous clans of the state should be sent to become a concubine of the Marquis of Wulu."

'Magistrate Huang' stroked his beard, momentarily dumbstruck. His son was likewise stunned into silence. Even that honest man who had been listening intently all along, Magistrate Li of neighboring Yingtao, had his mouth hanging wide open.

So all this arguing back and forth among these people was over sending their own family's daughters to be someone's concubine?!

Of course, the widely experienced 'Magistrate Huang' quickly recovered his wits... In truth, this was not so extraordinary!

For one, given their status and position, the daughters of these people's clans could probably only be sent as concubines. For another, it was actually quite common for local great households to form tighter alliances with powerful administrators through marriage ties...

In fact, not only did 'Magistrate Huang' recover, but Magistrate Li over there also recovered. The latter, probably tired and hot from his journey, took advantage of no one paying him any attention to secretly grab a large peach from the high-legged side table and began munching on it with his head down.

But, returning to the main point, this at least confirmed one thing for 'Magistrate Huang': regardless of whether this Gongsun Xun had overstepped his authority, and regardless of whether his methods were harsh and severe... at the very least, the local famous clans and great households all recognized his standard of governance.

Lu Zigan had truly set him a difficult problem!

And yet...

"However," 'Magistrate Huang,' having collected himself, continued his questioning. "If it is about forming marriage ties, why can only one person be offered, and why must it be done before Lord Gongsun returns?"

"That brings us to something that happened recently." Someone sighed. "Just when the Lord set out north to persuade the mountain bandits to surrender, his wife happened to arrive from his old home in Liaodi with his family dependents..."

"Could it be the daughter of the Marquis of Shu?" 'Magistrate Huang' immediately understood. "This old man sees it now. Since Lady Zhao has already arrived, it would be best to take advantage of the Marquis of Wulu's absence and send the person to Lady Zhao, letting her make the decision, so as to spare the husband and wife any discord over this matter..."

"That is precisely the reasoning."

"But why can only one person be sent?" 'Magistrate Huang' could not help but ask with a smile. "Could it be that this Lady Zhao is by nature jealous and made it clear to you all that she would only accept one? Or is it that the Marquis of Wulu already has a great many concubines, and there is no room left behind the official residence to place anyone?"

The room fell silent again in an instant. Only after a long while did someone force a bitter smile and say: "It is not because of Lady Zhao, nor because the Marquis of Wulu has a great many concubines... In fact, this time Lady Zhao brought only one of the Marquis of Wulu's concubines with her. However, does the Magistrate of Xiangguo know that the Prefect of the Gentlemen of the Palace in our state, Zhao Ping, is a clan nephew of the Director of the Yellow Gates, Regular Attendant Zhao?"

'Magistrate Huang' shook his head slightly. He truly did not know, but he caught on immediately: "Since he is a clan nephew of Regular Attendant Zhao, he is also a clan nephew of the Marquis of Shu... and naturally a clansman and brother of Lady Zhao?"

"Indeed," Wei Song, who had remained silent all this while, suddenly spoke. "This Zhao Ping ordinarily committed many lawless acts in the state, but ever since the Marquis of Wulu arrived, he has been like a donkey that has seen a tiger, not making the slightest stir. And since Lady Zhao has come, and the Marquis of Wulu is away, he naturally had to go pay his respects and claim kinship... Whether he succeeded in claiming kinship we do not know, but he brought back another piece of news."

"What news?" 'Magistrate Huang' had already sensed the shift in the atmosphere.

"Does the Magistrate of Xiangguo know that Zhao Ping once lived for a long time in Luoyang?" Wei Song fixed his gaze on the other and asked seriously.

"How would this old man know that?" 'Magistrate Huang,' seeing the odd look in the other's eyes, realized in his heart that he had probably acted too boldly and this man had seen through some clues, and he could not help but feel somewhat awkward.

"Then does the Magistrate of Xiangguo know Cao Jie?" Wei Song still fixed his gaze on the other and asked.

"This old man knows him, but he does not know me!" 'Magistrate Huang' — who was in fact the Inspector of Jizhou, Liu Yan — stroked his beard and laughed wryly. He was almost certain now that Wei Song had detected something amiss about his identity from his barely concealed smugness. But Liu Junlang was, after all, secure in his position and unafraid, so he did not much mind. "Does Master Wei not know him either? Though that man is a eunuch, he is of the caliber of a prime minister among eunuchs, holding power for over ten years — known to all under Heaven!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Song shook his head and laughed in spite of himself, then calmly explained: "When Zhao Ping heard that Lady Zhao had arrived, he went thirty li outside the city to welcome her and claim kinship. Although he was chased away, he was still beside himself with excitement, and could not help but tell those around him that his clan sister is the lawful wife of the Marquis of Wulu, yet the own granddaughter of that Cao Jie is merely a concubine of the Marquis of Wulu... Tell me, Magistrate of Xiangguo, who among these people would dare send a heap of women to compete for favor with the granddaughter of the current chief minister of the dynasty?"

Liu Yan nearly tugged his own beard right off... Lu Zigan truly was a fine teacher!

"Cough!" At that moment, the honest and loyal Magistrate Li also spat out a peach pit that had been stuck in his throat.

————I am the dividing line of swallowing a peach pit————

"In former times, when the Grand Ancestor of this dynasty was Prefect of Handan, Liu Yan was transferred to be Inspector of Jizhou. He had his son Liu Fan drive a donkey cart and went incognito to Handan, intending to conduct an inspection, and sought lodging at the Wei family estate. Wei Song of the Wei clan of Zhao State, formerly Chancellor of Lu, was skilled at physiognomy and knew what he was about, so he spoke with assurance and fluency, recounting the Grand Ancestor's achievements. Yan listened and remained silent. When night came, he tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Fan asked the reason. Yan rose, stroked his son's back, and said: 'Observing the governance of the Prefect of Handan, it has the force of a dragon and tiger. The ability of us, father and son, is no more than the stuff of a donkey and horse. For a donkey and horse to seek to control a dragon and tiger — is that possible?'" — A New Account of the Tales of the World, Chapter on Recognition and Praise

(End of Chapter)