[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-23":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Overthrowing Han",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1222782,1620,"Chapter 23: Beyond Doubt (6.6k)","overthrowing-han-chapter-23",23,"\u003Cp>\"A Bei is coming with us?\" Three days later, at dusk, on the border between Zhao State and Julu Commandery, Gongsun Xun looked at someone as if seeing him for the first time. \"This is killing people we're talking about!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I have a sword too!\" Liu Bei's pale little face was now completely flushed, and the hands gripping the fine sword Gongsun Xun had given him were trembling slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is a eunuch's clansman we're dealing with — his clan uncle's power overshadows the court. If anything goes wrong, we'll truly have to flee for our lives beyond the frontier.\" Gongsun Xun continued to intimidate him. \"Weren't you the one shouting a few days ago that we should hurry and escape from Yitao City?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That was then, this is now.\" Liu Bei answered through gritted teeth. \"At that time I thought all you elder brothers wanted to retreat, and if I, a junior, was the first to call for running, it would actually help you save face. Now I know you elder brothers intend to do great things — if that's the case, how could I let everyone down?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quite a few people around were sorting out horses and weapons, and upon hearing this they burst into laughter:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So A Bei, when you shouted to run that day, it was actually to save face for us?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Draw your sword and see if you're even as tall as it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A Bei, this time when we go to kill people we'll be masked — don't go dreaming of making a name like 'Liu Bei of Zhuo Commandery, at fifteen, killed a man for a friend.' Who was that last year, the one who killed a man for his teacher at fifteen?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Xiahou Dun!\" Someone suddenly spoke a name that startled Gongsun Xun. \"Xiahou Dun of Qiaoxian in Pei State. I once heard a visitor at home speak of him — someone insulted his teacher, and though he was only fourteen or fifteen at the time, he killed the man outright. They call him 'Fierce and Unyielding,' and he became famous across the land in an instant.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Listening to these fellow students ramble on, treating him as nothing but a joke, Liu Bei grew more and more agitated, but there was nothing he could do except cast his eyes around seeking help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why not let him go?\" At that moment, Gongsun Zan suddenly interjected. \"A Bei may be young, but he's never lacked courage. At least he's better than those useless bookworms who are so frightened they can't even speak when they hear we're going to kill someone...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bookworms might not be useless these days, Gongsun Xun thought to himself, but his words showed nothing of the sort: \"No matter. In an affair like this, numbers aren't necessarily helpful — what's needed are true heroes. As for A Bei, his courage is commendable, but his build is far too distinctive. Taking him along would only risk him being remembered, and then people would trace it back to us.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These words practically sealed off Liu Bei's path to joining them, but the boy's reaction was quite interesting — amidst his disappointment, there was clearly some relief as well. It was evident that while he had put on a bold front earlier, he had also been forcing it to some degree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, after this episode, whether Gongsun Xun or anyone else, they all viewed him in a new light. No matter what, this bear of a child had plenty of courage and ambition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is everyone ready?\" Gongsun Zan nodded, then walked around gripping his sword, inspecting the clothing, bows, horses, and other gear for the dozen or so noble youths on this mission, while loudly encouraging and reassuring them. \"Rest easy, all of you. We planted men in Julu before we left, and as luck would have it, that Zhao fellow moved out to his estate outside the city yesterday — that saves us trouble. And he's only got seven or eight wandering swordsmen and retainers with him, all fake toughs who only know how to brawl and have never seen a real battle. When we get there, don't waste time on them — just sweep in quickly in groups of three to five. Once we've taken that Zhao's head and set a fire, we'll come straight back! When we return here and toss the head on the ground, not only will we vent Brother Dayin's grievance, we'll also let those Jizhou classmates know what we're made of!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, even the seasoned frontier retainers in the distance remained impassive, but several of the scholars from the border commanderies indeed grew excited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you two know what you're being left behind to do?\" On the other side, Gongsun Xun was also giving some instructions to Gongsun Yue and Liu Bei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"First, later on, we'll have the younger ones among our trusted retainers put on your brocade robes and deliberately drink and make noise in front of the local villagers, putting on a show that everyone is still here,\" Gongsun Yue answered while casting glances at Liu Bei standing beside him. \"Second, we are to... to keep watch over those classmates who lack the courage to take part — from Brother Zhen Yi himself on down, no one is to take a single step outside the encampment!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And if they try to force their way out?\" Gongsun Xun pressed coldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then we'll have them tied up!\" Gongsun Yue didn't even blink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's right.\" Gongsun Xun nodded approvingly, then suddenly turned to Liu Bei beside him with a smile. \"A Bei, your Gongsun elder brother and I are going to fetch a head. You just wait here with Brother Zhen Yi and the others — don't go wandering off! Understood?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Bei gulped and bowed deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, the convoy had rarely found lodging at a post station in a poor and remote area. The two south-facing rooms in the middle could barely provide the scholars with a clean communal sleeping platform. The maidservants had to stay in the courtyard and the surrounding damp, shaded rooms just so they could boil water, cook, and clean for their masters. As for the station chief, the thief-catcher, the station father, and the few station conscripts — they had all been driven out and were camping in the wild with the convoy's retainers and attendants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And seemingly to escape these wretched conditions, as the sky darkened, this group of pampered noble youths didn't rest at all but instead began drinking and making merry right in the courtyard, roasting meat and gambling. Watching those brocade-clad young nobles with northern accents toast each other, leaving even the main gate wide open, apparently preparing to light torches and expensive candles to carouse through the night — this undoubtedly filled the nearby villagers and the station chief and conscripts with envy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, in the very center of all this lively bustle, those true noble youths all wore expressions as grim as if their fathers had just died. The maidservants poured wine and brought over sliced roasted meat, but this group wouldn't even glance at it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of the twenty-seven classmates on this journey, thirteen have gone!\" Someone said, holding a wine cup to shield his face. \"Those from the border commanderies — except for Gongsun Yue, it seems they've all gone. Two from Zhuo Commandery went as well. Liu Bei wanted to go but was sent back, apparently because he's too young. And from us Jizhou students, only Han Rui of Anguo went...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's not that Gongsun Yue didn't want to go — that scoundrel was clearly left behind specifically to keep watch over the rest of us.\" Another couldn't help interrupting. \"Those two bastards Gongsun Zan and Gongsun Xun look down on people too much, thinking we'd actually report them to the authorities?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In a life-and-death matter like this, since we're not going, they naturally have reason to be suspicious.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"From the sound of it, you seem to want to go too?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We are sons of the gentry — executing a eunuch's clansman is righteous in itself, and all the more so when there's a just cause...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then why didn't you go?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Most of our Jizhou classmates didn't go — how could I abandon everyone for my own sake?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then how come Han Rui went?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He said himself — he was won over by the Gongsun brothers' courage!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You're just trying to say we Jizhou men have no guts, aren't you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Enough!\" Zhen Yi, who had been expressionless all along, suddenly set down his wine cup heavily. \"Now that things have come to this, what is there left to argue about?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone fell silent at once, and those who had been quarreling settled down as well. No matter what — family background, age, status, position, scholarship — in every respect, this Zhen Yi, Zhen Dayin, was the undisputed leader of the Jizhou scholars on this journey, and everyone was naturally willing to respect him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, the main theme of the entire journey had been Zhen Dayin leading the Jizhou scholars and Gongsun Bogui leading the Youzhou border commandery youths, the two groups constantly clashing, while a few humble-born students from Zhuo Commandery just tagged along on the sidelines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let me say this first — as for reporting to the authorities, not only must it absolutely never be done, it must not even be mentioned!\" This Zhen Dayin's expression was stern; he was clearly in deadly earnest. \"Don't you forget — in the end, they are going to kill someone because I, Zhen Yi, was humiliated. If they're out there risking their lives while we sit back here whispering and muttering, then what face would I, Zhen Yi, have left to live as a man? Let alone reporting to the authorities... I lay my words down here today: whoever dares mention the word 'authorities' again, there'll be no need for Gongsun Yue at the gate to act — my own household retainers will deal with that person first, burying them right here in this post station as fertilizer for that plum tree by the wall! Gentlemen, the eunuch's clansmen are overbearing — at first I truly didn't want to stir up trouble — but since we can no longer stop them, we can only grit our teeth, accept it, and do our utmost to help!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If we're to do our utmost to help, then why didn't you let us go with them earlier, elder brother?\" Someone couldn't resist asking in return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You ask why you didn't go?\" Zhen Yi sighed helplessly upon hearing this. \"Look at your arm... earlier when I told you to hide their weapons, you couldn't even lift Gongsun Xun's steel-tipped spear! I'm not mocking you alone — I'm mocking everyone, myself included. In this kind of affair, what use would bookish scholars like us be if we went? Just getting in the way? Even that fellow Han Shuo — didn't you hear Gongsun Zan's arrangement? He's only assigned to keep watch. This kind of thing isn't a case of the more people the better. If we really ended up with a dozen lookouts, that would truly be more hindrance than help!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, everyone was speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But Brother Dayin, I do have one more question.\" Suddenly, Liu Bei, appearing from who knows where, abruptly interjected, nearly startling the Jizhou scholars out of their wits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Speak.\" Zhen Yi had become quite forthright by now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother Dayin, here's the thing.\" Liu Bei straightened up and asked earnestly. \"Look, no matter how confident they are about this killing, it's still extremely risky...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's only natural.\" Zhen Yi's face couldn't help but grow somewhat pale at these words. \"Otherwise I wouldn't have argued so strongly against it this afternoon.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Furthermore, Brother Dayin, you also said that this matter ultimately arose because of you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I have never denied it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And, the one being killed this time is a clansman of those eunuchs whose power is so overwhelming, which is why they must mask their faces when they do the deed. Therefore, they probably won't be able to make a name for themselves afterward.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That is also inevitable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That being the case, why are the two Gongsun brothers willing to do something so thankless and unrewarding?\" Liu Bei asked with exceptional seriousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, for a moment, all the scholars grew somewhat hesitant and uncertain. The thing was, there were some matters everyone understood in their hearts but found difficult to discuss openly. Only a child like Liu Bei could ask so bluntly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the Gongsun brothers spoke that afternoon about going to kill someone, their mouths were full of nonsense about a friend being humiliated, the bond between fellow students not to be taken lightly, and naturally they must be willing to take a knife in the ribs for a friend — and yet no one could refute them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in reality? In reality, they had only known each other for a dozen or so days, and they quarreled every day — what kind of \"friends\" were these? As for being fellow students, to put it bluntly, none of them had even been formally entered into Lu Zhi's registry as official \"classmates\" yet. To speak of the bond between fellow students at this point was surely far too premature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And given all this, Liu Bei's question was very well asked — why were the Gongsun brothers willing to take such a risk to do something that seemed to offer no benefit whatsoever?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quite naturally, everyone instinctively turned their gazes toward Zhen Yi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah!\" Zhen Yi let out a long sigh. \"There are some things I hadn't intended to say much about, but since you've asked, I'll speak plainly. The Gongsun brothers are clearly doing this to 'stand out from the crowd'!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stand out from the crowd?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quite a few people looked thoughtful, but just as many looked utterly bewildered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You lot — some are too young, some too simple-minded, haven't experienced much, so it's normal not to understand.\" Zhen Yi shook his head somewhat wearily. \"But I, Gongsun Bogui, and Gongsun Xun are different. The three of us have all served as clerks in our commanderies and can chat and laugh even with officials of two thousand shi — naturally we understand a few more principles. Let me ask you: from the moment we set out on this journey, Gongsun Bogui and I have been at odds the whole way — what do you think we've been after?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t it because Jizhou scholars lean toward civil refinement, while border commandery scholars lean toward martial vigor, and the two sides just don’t see eye to eye?” someone asked cautiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s natural enough, but what comes next?” Zhen Yi pressed on. “Jizhou and border commandery scholars don’t see eye to eye. Let me ask you, once we reach Luoyang, will those Luoyang local scholars up on Mount Goushi see eye to eye with us scholars from north of the river? And will the senior students who’ve already studied for a year or two see eye to eye with us newcomers?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Elder Brother, do you mean that you and that Gongsun Bogui are vying to be the leader of our group?” someone astute caught on. “Once we reach Luoyang, all of us here will naturally be one body no matter what, so we have to sort out who leads and who follows on the road first?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those around heard this and sighed repeatedly, clearly all grasping the point: “Indeed, if this matter succeeds, then Brother Dayin will have received an enormous favor from them and will never be able to hold his head up before those two brothers again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not only that, we frail Jizhou scholars will never be able to hold our heads up before those border commandery sons either.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So those Youzhou fellows really mean to use this to decide who’s in charge and who’s subordinate?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The boy can be taught!” Zhen Yi nodded as well. “That is exactly the principle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But…” someone couldn’t help swallowing. “Principle aside, even if we succeed, it’s only to be the head of twenty-some scholars from north of the river. To kill someone for that — is it truly worth it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That brings us back to ‘overstepping one’s station.’” Zhen Yi sighed. “You don’t understand. In this world, there is always a kind of person with audacity beyond measure, who simply loves to stir up trouble for no reason! Think about it — in the army, isn’t there always someone who demands to fight above his rank? In officialdom, isn’t there always someone who encroaches on a colleague’s authority? In Confucian circles, isn’t there always someone who picks quarrels and attacks others without cause? To ordinary people, these things seem not worth it, yet there are always those who insist on doing them!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Such people certainly exist,” someone answered quickly. “But from what I’ve seen, most of them don’t last long, do they?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Correct, eight or nine out of ten don’t last.” Zhen Yi nodded repeatedly. “Since childhood I’ve helped manage the family business, and later I served as a clerk in the commandery. I’ve seen plenty of such people. And the result… nine times out of ten, they hit walls everywhere, their edges get worn completely away, they even get kicked while they’re down, and in the end they never recover. Still, there are always those one or two out of ten who manage to stand out from the crowd and swim against the current… Those are what we call men of outstanding talent! You’ve all read the histories — think of the men in those books. Weren’t they all such audacious men of talent? The reason these men are called outstanding, the reason they leave their names in the annals of history, is precisely that they not only overstep their station, but also accomplish the overstepping so well that others are left speechless and have no choice but to submit!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then does Brother Dayin think these Gongsun brothers belong to the eight or nine out of ten, or the one or two?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If they pull it off, they’re the one or two. If they fail, they’re naturally the eight or nine!” Zhen Yi said impatiently. “In any case, we’ll know by tomorrow at the latest. But as things stand, we can only hope they happen to be the one or two men of talent. Otherwise, everyone here will be dragged down with them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But…” Liu Bei suddenly asked again. “Brother Dayin, if Elder Brother Gongsun and the other are men of outstanding talent, then what does that make people like us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What an annoying brat! Zhen Yi shot him a cold glare, then ignored him entirely and rose to his feet with a sweep of his robes, causing several Gongsun clan retainers seated near the pavilion lodge’s main entrance to tense up abruptly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhen Bao!” Zhen Yi paid them no heed and directly called the name of his trusted family man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Master!” The man called Zhen Bao hurriedly stood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go tell that Village Chief outside the gate that the legitimate son of the Zhen clan of Wuji in Zhongshan is passing through and finds the night lonely. Have him search the countryside for a modest, well-bred maiden on my behalf. If her family is respectable and her looks are fitting, I may even take her as a concubine!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhen Bao was dumbstruck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hurry up and go!” Zhen Dayin glared at him furiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.” Zhen Bao hastily bowed, then, under the dumbstruck stares of everyone in the courtyard, went off to select a concubine for his master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Me too!” After a stunned half-moment, another man suddenly stood up and shouted. “Whoever you are, go select a concubine for me, Gongsun Zan of Liaoxi, as well — and be quick about it! She must be more beautiful than Brother Dayin’s concubine!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did everyone catch on, and for a time the night inside and outside the pavilion lodge grew exceptionally lively… As for the later drama — how the concubine favored by ‘Gongsun Zan’ of Lingzhi in Liaoxi was snatched away by Zhen Dayin of Wuji in Zhongshan, throwing the entire village and pavilion into utter chaos — that goes without saying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Setting aside the night’s disturbances, early the next morning, Zhen Yi, who had matters weighing on his mind, was startled awake by sounds outside. He hurriedly opened the door, only to see a vaguely familiar severed head placed beneath the threshold, while a dozen or so border commandery noble sons stood chatting and laughing in the courtyard — not a single one of them had been lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhen Yi sighed deeply in his heart, kicked the head aside with one foot, then stepped forward and bowed long and low before the leaders, Gongsun Zan and Gongsun Xun: “Worthy brothers, above me — Zhen Yi is grateful beyond measure. If ever you have need of me in the future, I shall never refuse!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Zan laughed heartily, while Gongsun Xun wore a faint, ambiguous smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the killing, the convoy set out once more, and this time they quickened their pace considerably. In no more than five or seven days, they crossed the State of Zhao, passed through Wei Commandery, and entered Henei Commandery directly under the Sili jurisdiction. Henei Commandery administered fifteen counties, with one hundred eighty thousand registered households and a population of over eight hundred thousand. Moreover, being at the foot of the Son of Heaven’s domain, to say nothing of the local character and customs, the stream of capped and robed scholars coming and going was already ceaseless and dazzling — truly an eye-opening experience for these young scholars from the northern lands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the group still dared not linger. They merely pressed on with heads down, not even daring to take the pontoon bridge at Mengjin, but instead traveling all the way past Pinggao to Wushe Ford on the banks of the Yellow River, where they simply hired a large fleet of ferry boats. Only once the entire convoy had boarded the boats and set out straight for Luoyang on the opposite bank did everyone finally set their hearts at ease!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yellow River’s waters surged and roiled. The moment many boarded the ferries, they could not help bursting into loud laughter — this was understandable. After all, given the state of communications in this era, once they crossed the Yellow River, the ‘great deed’ done back near Julu was essentially unlikely to ever catch up with them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, whether it was the border commandery sons who had personally committed the deed or the somewhat timid Jizhou scholars, all naturally gave themselves over to a certain unrestrained abandon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, standing on a ferry boat his family had taken for themselves, Gongsun Xun’s demeanor was somewhat different from his fellow students. First, he gazed at the river and sighed, then, unable to help himself, burst into loud laughter like the others — but in the end, he shook his head repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Dang, behind him, was baffled. Ever since he had followed this Young Master by the banks of the Great Feng River, he had more or less discerned something of the young man’s character. Though young, he was quite steady in his conduct; only when it was time to gamble and make a push did he show such reckless abandon… Crossing a river hardly seemed cause for such a lapse in composure, did it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this thought, Han Dang could not resist asking, “Young Master, do you have something on your mind?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not exactly something on my mind,” Gongsun Xun said, glancing back at the Yellow River’s northern shore behind them. “Just a slight touch of reflection.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the other party was unwilling to speak, Han Dang immediately asked no further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, even to a trusted confidant, there were some things Gongsun Xun could not easily say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fact was, for a long time now, his mother, Lady Gongsun, had always told him that the Great Han dynasty was going to fall, that an age of chaos was about to begin, and that to survive, mother and son had to prepare early. And as time gradually approached, the unfolding and emergence of various events kept incessantly confirming this assertion — from his own clansman Gongsun Zan, to Han Dang and Cheng Pu, to Liu Bei; from the development of the Way of Great Peace to the recklessness of the eunuchs — everything matched Lady Gongsun’s words exactly… Gongsun Xun could not help but believe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet passive belief and active belief are two entirely different states of mind. Without seeing certain things with his own eyes, without testing them with his own hands, Gongsun Xun was always unwilling to fully accept it — and here, one might add, the very person who instilled this ‘materialist’ bad habit in her son was none other than that mystically inclined Lady Gongsun herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returning to the matter at hand, it was true: no sooner had Gongsun Xun left the border commanderies than he witnessed the brutal annexation of commoners by local strongmen, encountered the powerful yet muddied waters of the Way of Great Peace, and became acquainted with Great Han interior officials who neglected their duties due to factional strife… But perhaps because these confirmations came too swiftly and too directly, Gongsun Xun had developed a sense that it was all coincidence, a feeling that it was not quite real enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, the moment he returned to the group and heard about the arrogance of some eunuch’s kin, he almost instinctively wanted to test things — why not borrow the hand of his clansman, who possessed great fortune, to thrust a blade into this world, and then see with his own eyes how this world would react?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clan nephew of Regular Attendant Zhao, who held sway over the court, had his head inexplicably chopped off in his own estate, and even the place he lived was burned to the ground. So, just how much energy would the most representative force of this Great Han — the bureaucracy — unleash?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The answer was: a city-wide manhunt, meticulous investigation, and then utter bafflement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, after the commandery’s Justice Section and the local County Magistrate suffered this setback, before the court’s wrath could even arrive, they abandoned their posts and fled, causing the entire case investigation to collapse completely. Meanwhile, the true culprits swaggered their way through the entire State of Zhao, the entire Wei Commandery, the entire Henei, and were now about to arrive in Luoyang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Great Han, spanning ten thousand li in every direction, with a population of tens of millions, a million men under arms, and a legacy of nearly four hundred years — even its vital Hebei heartland had decayed to such a state. No wonder those future events would come to pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for some reason, now that he was about to arrive in Luoyang, having dispelled that trace of doubt in his heart, Gongsun Xun felt an added touch of melancholy. For this was, after all, the Great Han where he had been born and raised, and where he would study and serve. His mother could choose not to regard this era as her root… but what about himself?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Gongsun Xun’s mood grew complicated, a burst of cheers suddenly came from up ahead — clearly, the boats in front had already reached the shore. Gongsun Xun put away his superfluous thoughts, gazed at Luoyang on the Yellow River’s southern bank, and his eyes gradually grew resolute once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Truly it is said: For eighteen years I sought the sword’s edge, how many times leaves fell and branches sprouted anew. Ever since that first glimpse of the peach blossoms, until this very day, I have never doubted again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: There is also a new book group. Interested readers may join: 684558115.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",4668,"2026-06-04T19:42:03.441Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","45df0b6c338e06483eb65670501493a87b1c32921d065b75c5dd41281b311c4b","overthrowing-han-chapter-24","overthrowing-han-chapter-22",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]