Chapter 207: Favorable and Adverse Concealed in the Heart (Part 2)

Zhang Liang came and went in a rush.

On the small slope, Gongsun Xun remained silent, even closing his eyes and drifting off in thought. Only after a long while did he open his eyes again.

"My lord!" Lou Gui hurried forward at the sight. "This matter..."

"Summon Zhang Cheng here," Gongsun Xun said bluntly.

"Yes!"

Zhang Cheng was utterly despondent. Holding his nine-section staff, he came before Gongsun Xun like a walking corpse... In truth, when Zhang Cheng had gone to Zhang Jiao yesterday to explain the matter clearly, he had laid everything out in full. At that time, he already knew that the "Zhang Bao letter" Gongsun Xun had held that day in the Xiangguo county temple was a forgery, and because of this, he had momentarily freed himself from his inner knot, and his guilt toward the Great Worthy Teacher had made him all the more proactive.

But now, one could only say that all the previous thoughts and schemes of this Zhao Kingdom Taiping Dao leader had become nothing but a joke.

Moreover, after such extreme ups and downs, the more guilt Zhang Cheng had felt toward the Zhang brothers yesterday, the more he had felt the clouds part to reveal sunlight; today, the more furious and despondent he became. Furious, naturally, that the Great Worthy Teacher and his brothers were so heartless and unrighteous, handing him and all the Zhao Kingdom Taiping Dao followers over without a thought; despondent, lamenting that as a small figure, he was like withered grass in the wind amidst the dealings of great men like Liu Yan, Zhang Jiao, and Gongsun Xun, without the slightest means to stand on his own.

But even so, Zhang Cheng was unwilling to abandon his last sliver of hope... not for himself, but for the grassroots Taiping Dao followers under him, those who devoutly believed in the *Scripture of Great Peace* and wholeheartedly toiled through the countryside to bring about peace.

"Lord Marquis above!" Zhang Cheng cast aside the nine-section staff in his hand, stiffly kowtowed to the other party, and then spoke with exceptional bluntness. "The Regional Governor was assassinated, and the Zhao Kingdom's Taiping Dao followers are to be made an example of. Cheng, as the leader, knows full well there is no chance of survival. Only the many followers under me were originally innocent..."

"Could it be that you've been wronged?" Lou Gui, standing nearby, was quite speechless upon hearing this. "Was it not your Taiping Dao who assassinated the Regional Governor? Are you not a registered disciple of your Great Worthy Teacher? Are your subordinates not Taiping Dao followers? In the end, if you feel dying unwillingly, that's one thing, but as for innocence... what innocence do you have to speak of?"

Faced with Lou Zibo's relentless string of questions, the tall and thin Zhang Cheng pressed his lips together, speechless for a moment, simply kneeling there stiffly, because he knew that if he answered these questions poorly, he would likely be unable to save his subordinates.

Of course, Gongsun Xun did not urge him on either. The Marquis of Wulu, seated on his camp stool, was simply like Guan Yu beside him, squinting to watch the riverbank worksite in the distance, which had grown busy and bustling due to the morning meal being served.

"In reply to Inspector Lou," Zhang Cheng said after a long pause, turning to kowtow toward Lou Gui before gritting his teeth and explaining. "The rebellious ones who assassinated the Regional Governor were the Zhang brothers of Julu. We in the Taiping Dao, from top to bottom, are merely pitiful people deceived and duped by them using the doctrines of the *Scripture of Great Peace*... I beg you and the Lord Marquis to see this clearly!"

"For you to say such words, you truly do seem to have awakened somewhat," Gongsun Xun said from his camp stool, withdrawing his gaze from the distance and fixing his eyes on the man once more. "But I must ask you further... Why exactly did Zhang Jiao deceive you? What did they intend to use you for?"

"What else could it be?" Zhang Cheng forced himself to raise his head and spoke to Gongsun Xun through gritted teeth. "Did the Lord Marquis not once have me defend myself on this matter? My Great Worthy Teacher toiled painstakingly, making connections in all directions, for nothing other than plotting rebellion and usurpation, to replace the Azure Heaven with the Yellow Heaven, to replace the House of Liu with the House of Zhang!"

"Well said," Gongsun Xun nodded slightly, then pressed further. "Then I ask you again, are all within your Taiping Dao truly innocent? Were they all truly deceived into joining by your Great Worthy Teacher?"

"No!" Zhang Cheng answered without the slightest hesitation. "The Lord Marquis also instructed me on this matter that day. Within our Taiping Dao, aside from those like me used to spread the teachings, the other leaders are mostly powerful and wealthy local magnates. They are either long dissatisfied with the Han because they cannot enter officialdom, or simply men of blazing ambition... These are the ones who are one with the Great Worthy Teacher. People like us, impoverished souls who devoutly believe in the *Scripture of Great Peace*, are merely..."

"Merely what?" Gongsun Xun guided him patiently.

"In a rebellion, there must always be soldiers to charge at the front," Zhang Cheng said with a momentary, bitter, out-of-control smile. "We thought we were enlightening the common people, healing the sick and saving lives, bringing peace to the world. In truth, we were merely gathering manpower for the Great Worthy Teacher's grand scheme, like accomplices... I understand the Lord Marquis's meaning now. We indeed deserve to die!"

Guan Yu, who had seemed utterly unresponsive the entire time, finally opened his eyes and turned to look downstream along the Gelu River... Zhang Liang had just departed along the riverbank.

"In truth, once you could speak to the previous point, I would not have killed your subordinate followers," Gongsun Xun said, squinting at the man. "And now that you have spoken to this point, I will not even kill you... As you also know, the Taiping Dao has thirty-six divisions, large and small, spread across the realm. Should it become uncontrollable, it will surely bring calamity to the world. Keeping you to oversee the Zhao Kingdom Taiping Dao affairs is more suitable than killing you."

Zhang Cheng had long since raised his head, his eyes red. Hearing these words, he immediately prostrated himself again without hesitation: "I understand the Lord Marquis's meaning! As long as I am here, I will absolutely not allow the Zhao Kingdom Taiping Dao to stir up chaos. And if the day truly comes when things go wrong, I will certainly repay the Lord Marquis! It's just... if the Lord Marquis does not kill me now, how will you give an account to the Regional Governor? And if this matter cannot be accounted for, how will Julu not grow suspicious of me?"

"No matter!" Lou Zibo, who had been silent for a long while, suddenly interjected. "Do you know the Daoist Wang Xian, Wang Daoren?"

"That ugly Daoist from the Taiyuan Wang clan?" Zhang Cheng's heart stirred slightly. "His scriptural mastery is not outstanding, but because he comes from a prestigious family, Julu regards him with particular esteem, and he is quite close to the Great Worthy Teacher within the sect. However, I recently heard that he went to Handan to serve as a retainer by the Chancellor's side."

"Then say it was he who pleaded for mercy," Lou Zibo said dismissively. "We will naturally have Wang Daoren cooperate accordingly. As for how to account to the Regional Governor, do not forget, the Zhao Kingdom Taiping Dao has more than just you as its leader..."

"Indeed," Gongsun Xun spoke again, his face expressionless. "Yunchang."

"Here," Guan Yu answered proudly.

"Your case is not yet closed, so it is inconvenient to give you an official appointment," Gongsun Xun said calmly. "But at this moment, I am short of men by my side and precisely need to borrow your valor!"

"Please give your orders, Lord Marquis."

"Regarding this Taiping Dao assassination of the Inspector, you have already heard many inside details, and there are some matters I have not yet had time to tell you... However, that man Ma Fei mentioned earlier, though advanced in years and called Old Ma by those around him, is a retainer of a eunuch's family, and also the local Taiping Dao member specifically tasked with liaising with powerful magnates and wealthy households. He cannot be counted as innocent."

"A disciple of rebels, a retainer of a eunuch's family—how could he be innocent? What does the Lord Marquis wish me to do?"

"Nothing else. I ask Yunchang to go across the river now, in my name, to find the Xiangguo County Magistrate Dong Zhao and the County Commandant Zhang Yan, and have them dispatch men to accompany you in arresting and killing that Ma Fei, Old Ma, along with those Taiping Dao followers attached to him. Among the powerful magnates and wealthy households who usually associate closely with the Taiping Dao, also pick a few of the most wicked and kill them together! Make a grand show of it!"

"Yes!"

"After the killing is done, pickle the heads. I must also trouble Yunchang to travel from Xiangguo to Yecheng, publicly displaying Ma Fei's head along the way, and publicly telling everyone that the one who assassinated the Regional Governor the day before yesterday was this Taiping Dao's Ma Fei!"

"Yes!"

"And Zibo," Gongsun Xun further instructed, "after Yunchang returns from the killing, immediately send someone to Handan and have Ziheng draft a document, formally questioning Zhang Jiao in the name of the kingdom... Demand that Zhang Jiao contribute a thousand gold pieces to aid the province, as a fine for his failure to discipline the Taiping Dao."

"Understood!" Lou Gui also cupped his hands in acknowledgment, full of drive. "Does the Lord Marquis have any further instructions?"

"None for now!" Gongsun Xun said as he abruptly rose to his feet.

"Right," seeing that Gongsun Xun had finished giving orders and seemed intent on heading to the riverbank, Lou Gui suddenly recalled something. "Although the Lord Marquis has recovered from his illness, you might as well continue staying here. There's no need to go to the riverbank..."

"Since I have already recovered, why should I stay here and disturb others?" Gongsun Xun said disapprovingly, his steps not pausing as he already headed down the slope. "Besides, the riverbank is nearly complete. This is a hundred-year achievement. How could I let it end anticlimactically just because of an assassination and a bout of wind-chill?"

"That's not what I meant," Lou Gui hurriedly explained. "To be honest with the Lord Marquis, earlier we took it upon ourselves to send word to Handan, requesting the Lady to dispatch someone to care for the Lord Marquis. The messenger returned overnight with a letter saying the Lady has already sent Lady Qin, who will likely arrive this evening. It might be somewhat inconvenient on the riverbank..."

"I will not return to Handan, and have Luofu turn back directly as well," Gongsun Xun said, not glancing sideways, already reaching the base of the slope with his hands clasped behind his back. "Zhang Cheng, the earlier promise to divide half the new fields among the poor of Zhao Kingdom still stands. Conduct yourself well!"

The crowd was momentarily speechless. Lou Gui paused briefly, naturally sending men to greet and escort Qin Luofu back, then immediately hurried after him. And Guan Yu, who also had to go kill people and pickle heads, had from the very start strode proudly down the slope after Gongsun Xun.

Only Zhang Cheng remained. First betrayed, now snatched back from the brink of death, he felt his entire body go limp, and he remained prostrate on the ground. However, after a brief moment, he still forced his body straight, gripped his nine-section staff tightly, and stood up!

No matter what, the Daoists under him had survived, he himself had survived, and the Zhao Kingdom Taiping Dao faithful still respected him. After all, he still had some reason to straighten his back.

As the year drew to a close, the weather had actually gradually turned warmer, and the Gelu River showed signs of thawing. Thus, Guan Yunchang, who had just changed his courtesy name, crossed the pontoon bridge heading north. He was going to kill people, to repay Gongsun Xun's recognition and trust.

And once Guan Yu's figure disappeared on the northern bank, Lou Gui on the riverbank could not help but speak: "Why does the Lord Marquis wish to handle Zhang Cheng this way?"

"Why can I not handle him this way?" Gongsun Xun withdrew his gaze and immediately turned his head to ask in return.

"It's not that you cannot," Lou Gui lowered his voice and spoke seriously. "But rather, did the Lord Marquis not say the night before last that you had already accepted the Regional Governor's open and aboveboard invitation to borrow a knife to kill, and were preparing to strike with full force to wipe out the Taiping Dao? That being the case, why still expend such thought on Zhang Cheng? Kill them all together, and won't Zhao Kingdom be stable? Moreover, acting this way could also lull the Taiping Dao into relaxing their vigilance."

"I'll speak plainly," Gongsun Xun said, watching the flow of people on the embankment who actively avoided him, still not hiding anything from this trusted confidant. "Zhang Liang's actions today, and the attitude he conveyed on behalf of that Great Worthy Teacher, always make me feel something is off..."

Lou Gui was slightly taken aback.

"Too crude," Gongsun Xun said bluntly. "I keep feeling that the Taiping Dao's way of handling this is far too crude! And this kind of casually abandoning subordinates is far too utilitarian. Do the Zhang brothers not fear losing the people's hearts?"

Lou Gui pondered briefly and then reacted: "Does the Lord Marquis mean to suspect that Zhang Jiao has other arrangements? Or do you feel that this Great Worthy Teacher, like us, is employing a stalling tactic while secretly planning some move?"

"Is that wrong?"

"I think the Lord Marquis overestimates them," Lou Zibo shook his head repeatedly. "Ever since their failed rebellion that day, everything the Zhang brothers have done has been to perfect their treasonous plot. And it's nothing more than supplementing wherever they were lacking that day... Colluding with powerful magnates is for talent, weapons, money, and grain; debating scriptural doctrine with the great Confucians around them is for a righteous cause and moral authority; spreading their teachings far and wide is for soldiers. Are such actions not precisely utilitarian? And besides, with Zhao Kingdom and Julu so close, and us keeping a death grip on the Zhang brothers, what moves could this Taiping Dao possibly make?"

"Perhaps," Gongsun Xun sighed. "But it is always better to be cautious. And even if Zhang Jiao's side is merely overestimated, Liu Yan here may not necessarily be entirely trustworthy either, right?"

"What do you mean by that?" Lou Gui's expression finally turned serious.

"What do I mean?" Gongsun Xun sneered. "I only just thought of this on the slope... That man Liu Junlang is the Inspector of Jizhou, a key minister of the imperial clan, with a host of Jiang-Han established clans backing him. So what if he uses the advantages of his position and his connections in Luoyang to set a trap for both me and Zhang Jiao together? With a few little tricks, this openly priced 'borrowing a knife to kill' could very well turn into a situation where the snipe and the clam grapple while the fisherman profits, no?"

"For example?" Lou Gui was momentarily puzzled. "This Regional Governor has promised to first give the Lord Marquis a large commandery. Since we receive our reward first, how could..."

"What's at stake in this matter goes far beyond mere remuneration." Gongsun Xun's face grew increasingly sardonic. "What use is gaining a grand commandery governor's post? If he gives me a grand commandery governor's post, yet fails to bypass those inner attendants and secure a definitive verdict against the Way of Great Peace as promised... then if things ultimately go awry, and Zhang Jiao is 'driven to rebellion' by a cruel and ruthless man like me who kills the innocent without sanction — wouldn't the Son of Heaven have to execute me to appease the realm?!"

"Indeed." Lou Zibo was startled into alarm. "When it comes down to it, the Way of Great Peace's influence is vast — one misstep in handling them and chaos will erupt, and the Son of Heaven would certainly be displeased. And that Regional Governor is a slippery character who acts only for private gain; even for the sake of revenge, how could he truly be willing to shoulder such a heaven-shaking responsibility?" But having said this, Lou Gui suddenly shook his head again, clearly unable to make up his mind. "Yet it seems hard to say for certain either — after all, what the Way of Great Peace attempted the day before yesterday was to take his life..."

"That's exactly it." Gongsun Xun straightened his expression, then tilted his head back, clasped his hands behind him, and sighed with emotion. "The human heart is unfathomable. Who knows what Liu Junlang is thinking? Who knows what scheme Zhang Jiao is hatching?"

"But if that is so, how should we respond?"

"How can we respond?" Gongsun Xun said dismissively. "Naturally, we must bury these suspicions deep in our hearts, and then — while keeping a cautious guard against the Way of Great Peace on one hand — maintain a calm and steady front toward the Regional Governor on the other!"

"Is simply maintaining a calm and steady front toward the Regional Governor sufficient?" Lou Gui remained puzzled.

"Of course it is." Gongsun Xun explained composedly. "Maintain calm and steadiness, and simply wait until just before the matter to request a formal document from him. If he provides it, I will certainly fulfill our agreement, turn around, and seize the Zhang brothers. But if he does not give me this document, then I will not touch Zhang Jiao — I will simply take the grand commandery governor's post he sends me and proceed to take up my office."

Lou Gui was momentarily speechless.

"Of course," Gongsun Xun said quietly, gazing at the river embankment to the north, "there is no need for this newly arrived stalwart to know of these calculations, and even less for certain other people to learn of them..."

Lou Gui cupped his hands in assent, yet could not help turning his head back to look at a group of Zhao State dignitaries who had rushed over upon hearing the news in the distance... These people, having heard that Gongsun Xun had awakened, were also impatiently eager to come divide the land and claim credit.

——————I am the dividing line of the second day of starting anew——————

"(Ma) Fei, ever mindful of the Grand Ancestor's divine majesty and knowing he could not evade punishment indefinitely, secretly colluded with assassins to plot against the Grand Ancestor. When the affair was exposed, he sought refuge with the Zhao clan of Wei Commandery. The Zhao clan were kinsmen of the Regular Palace Attendant Zhao Zhong, and held great power and prestige in Hebei. Yet the Grand Ancestor dispatched Guan Yu as his envoy, and had Fei executed right within the Zhao clan's garden, then had his head transmitted and displayed throughout the province and commanderies. When Zhang Jiao, leader of the Way of Great Peace, beheld this, his courage failed him for a time, and he thereupon offered a thousand gold pieces to bribe Liu Yan, the Inspector of Jizhou." — Old Book of Yan, Biographies of Alchemists and Magicians

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(End of Chapter)