[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-290":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},1223049,1620,"Chapter 290: White Clouds Obscure the Path, Then Part to Reveal the Way Again","overthrowing-han-chapter-290",290,"\u003Cp>The year was 188 AD, the fifth year of the Zhongping era under the Han, at the summer solstice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps because the weather this year was on the cold side, or perhaps simply because this region lay far to the north, the height of summer in Youzhou was not really scorching hot, but rather carried a pleasant, refreshing feel. Amidst gusts of clear wind, a convoy of over ten luxurious carriages, escorted by several dozen riders, made its way from Jizhou toward Youzhou, flaunting its might all along the road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After entering Youzhou, they followed the main road of Zhuo Commandery straight north, out of Liangxiang, turning at Guangyang, crossing the river, passing Jixian... Just as the common folk weeding the fields along the route thought, and just as the traveling scholars coming and going between north and south guessed, this party was clearly heading for Changping. Over the past few years, the locals of Youzhou had long grown accustomed to such sights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The carriages sped along without making a single stop on the way, only halting when they reached the famous \"Stone of Profound Virtue\" in front of the Changping Private Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The so-called Stone of Profound Virtue was something that the General of the Guards, Gongsun Xun, had set up after founding the private academy in Changping. To encourage the students and to commemorate his own revered teacher, he adapted to local conditions, took a massive natural boulder, and inscribed upon it the four characters \"Profound Virtue Bears All Things\" as the academy's motto.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because this great boulder directly faced the main gate of the sprawling private academy, it was exceptionally well-known.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returning to the scene at hand, it was just past noon, and the academy was in its midday break. Thus, there were not many people coming or going in front of or inside the gate. The luxurious convoy stopped before the gate, and a middle-aged scholar in splendid attire stepped down from a carriage. He then led his entourage directly to stand with their hands behind their backs in the shade of the trees before the stone, sizing up those four characters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After only a brief moment, the man suddenly stroked his beard and let out a cold laugh:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Our General of the Guards is quite amusing. Whatever he does, he claims it is based on the posthumous writings of our Liu Gong. But what exactly those posthumous writings say, no one under heaven knows except him, so we, of all people, cannot refute him...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The several attendants beside him all remained silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I have heard it said that here in Changping there is also a 'Stone of Self-Strengthening,' with the four characters 'Ceaseless Self-Strengthening' inscribed upon it?\" The man turned his head and asked again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\" One of the men beside him, who wore an official seal and ribbon, could not help but cast his mind back. \"My younger cousin Wei Zhongmao resigned his post and came here the year before last, and has long attended upon the General of the Guards. He wrote to me about this matter, saying that within the encampment of the White Horse Volunteers to the right of the General of the Guards' residence, there is such a stone. He also said that the White Horse Volunteers, though called Volunteers, actually have quite the character of a military academy. The General of the Guards and his trusted aides often personally go to teach military strategy. And since the Yan region esteems martial valor, when the sons of noble families bind their hair and begin their studies, upon reaching the capping age, some take up office in the commanderies and provinces, but others turn and join the Volunteers, placing their hopes in the General of the Guards' instruction.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The border commanderies esteem martial valor!\" The splendidly dressed scholar raised his head and sighed with emotion. \"Placed anywhere else, the General of the Guards' foundations would still be somewhat weak. Noble families with solid roots like yours would still be somewhat hesitant in their hearts, which is why you only sent a younger cousin over, and even that was delayed for a long time. But here in Youzhou, he is truly... truly unassailable. Even his family background, which is a disadvantage elsewhere, has now become an advantage.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man behind him immediately shut his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this scholar continued to point and gesture, utterly unbothered: \"I have heard that outside Changping city, beneath Mangshan, the General of the Guards' residence sits in the center. To its left is the private academy for studying the classics, to its right is the encampment of the White Horse Volunteers, in front is the Anli Trading Company's commercial post in Guangyang, and at the foot of the mountain behind is the headquarters where his staff coordinates everything... The General of the Guards has resided here for many years, his foundations deep and solid. The military, the people's livelihood, the economy, and the talent of three commanderies—Guangyang, Yuyang, and Zhuo—with a population of a million, all originate from this place. It is practically a state within a state!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The General of the Guards is, after all, the focal point of the people's hopes in Youzhou.\" Someone beside him could truly bear to listen no longer and could only hurriedly smooth things over. \"Master Ziyuan, our Provincial Governor specifically asked you to visit the General of the Guards on his behalf this time, surely with an important commission. We should hurry and go inside.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That splendidly dressed man, who was none other than Xu You, upon hearing this, let out another cold laugh, but still flicked his sleeves and led the group forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The private academy was open to all comers and goers, but the General of the Guards' residence, connected to the right side of the academy, was not so easily entered. However, when Xu You led his group forward, the guards along the way simply turned a blind eye, directly allowing this party to proceed unimpeded all the way into the General of the Guards' residence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once inside the residence, a man came out to meet them. It was precisely Wei Chang, Wei Zhongmao—the son of Wei Song of the Wei clan of Handan, formerly the County Magistrate of Zhongshui in Hejian, who had now resigned his post and come here. He first exchanged greetings with Xu You and his own older cousin, who served as a Provincial Adjutant in Jizhou, and the others, but then he separately led Xu You straight toward the rear courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By this point, how could the others not understand? Their movements on this trip had probably been clearly ascertained by the other party from the very start, which was why their passage had been so smooth. And recalling Xu You's earlier unrestrained boasting before the Stone of Profound Virtue, this group felt exceptionally agitated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, that very person who spoke without restraint, Xu You, Xu Ziyuan, remained as composed as ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master Ziyuan, please proceed as you wish!\" Wei Chang led Xu You to the front of a small courtyard and then halted his steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu You, proud and self-assured, paid no heed to Wei Chang and directly strode inside with his head held high. As soon as he turned into the courtyard, he saw a tall, robust figure dressed in casual home attire, along with two young girls of seven or eight with their hair in childish knots, standing in the shade of the trees by the pond in the courtyard. At their feet were two cats, one fat and one thin. All of them had their backs to him and were pointing at the cicadas chirping in the trees, discussing something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cicadas do not mature in a single year,\" the man was saying. \"Long ago, when I was young, your grandmother told me that the time a cicada spends underground before molting its shell is not fixed. Some stay for three to five years, some for seven or eight, and some even for sixteen or seventeen years... The larva wears a hard shell, toiling in hiding underground for over a decade before finally crawling out with the help of the rain, climbing a tree, shedding its shell, spreading its wings, and singing. Yet, once it has shed its shell, it is certain to die by the end of autumn. As for what A'li just asked—why does it sing? Truthfully, I do not know either. But I imagine that after such hardship underground, now that it can finally sing for a season, if it did not sing, would it not have wasted its entire life in vain? Or perhaps, its whole life is lived just for this one season of song.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So that's how it is.\" The slightly taller young girl had a clear, bright voice; presumably, she was that A'li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How pitiful.\" The voice of the slightly smaller young girl beside her sounded somewhat soft and tender. \"In that case, I won't have anyone go and catch cicadas with sticky poles... It's just a midday nap; it doesn't matter.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing his younger daughter speak thus, Gongsun Xun could not help but laugh: \"They are pests, after all. A'zhen, you needn't think too much on it...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before his words were finished, suddenly, the thin cat that had been crouching at the two girls' feet darted out. In the blink of an eye, it swatted down the cicada that had just been chirping incessantly with one paw. Then the other fat cat directly lunged forward and swallowed the cicada in a single gulp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thin cat landed, unable to find its prey, and could only circle around in confusion, while the fat cat calmly lapped a few mouthfuls of water from the pond, then smugly turned and went back to the shade of the trees to continue sleeping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The father and his two daughters were all left speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment, Gongsun Li could not help but ask again: \"Honored Father, why is it that neither the fat cat nor the thin cat will drink the clean water we prepare for them, but only drink from the pond?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Zhen also instantly shifted her attention and looked eagerly at her father, but Gongsun Xun was momentarily at a loss, unsure how to answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wenqi, you've made quite the great career for yourself here at home!\" Seeing this, Xu You finally stopped eavesdropping and, stroking his beard, let out a laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun let out a long breath upon hearing this, and then, taking the opportunity, nudged the shoulders of his two precious daughters, urging them to go take their midday nap. After the two young girls had each bowed and taken their leave to the visitor and their father, Gongsun Xun, dressed in casual clothes, finally turned and faced Xu Ziyuan squarely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath the shade of the trees, mats had already been spread out, with some melons and fruits laid upon them. The two men casually sat with their legs stretched out and then got straight to the point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sitting idly at home with nothing to do, I can only teach my daughters,\" Gongsun Xun spoke first. \"It cannot compare to Ziyuan's bustling career these days, with brocade robes and luxurious carriages, even having a Provincial Adjutant as your attendant.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's merely the fox borrowing the tiger's might,\" Xu You replied with a laugh, stretching his head forward to take a bite of a melon from the low table. \"The Inspector of Jizhou, Wang Fen, was a generous man back when he was a partisan, and he is even more generous now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun furrowed his brow slightly: \"Speaking of Wang Fen, Wang Wenzu, how many years has he been in Jizhou?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As many years as you have been in Youzhou,\" Xu You tossed aside the melon rind and answered casually. \"Back when Wenqi broke the vase and took his leave, encountering the Heishan bandits' uprising on the road, Wang Wenzu took up his post right at that time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is there really an Inspector under heaven who has served a four-year term?\" Gongsun Xun sighed with emotion. \"I was unaware that Luoyang had such a rule.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course there is no such rule,\" Xu You said bluntly. \"But who can blame him? Wang Wenzu comes from a partisan background, and his family is wealthy. The partisans see him as a key pillar in the provinces, while the eunuchs, having secretly taken his money, also repeatedly protect him. Moreover, over these past few years, the chaos across the land has never ceased. And though his four-year term cannot compare to the excellence you've achieved here in Youzhou by sharpening your claws and teeth, Jizhou is still said to be well-governed, and the court does rely on him to some extent... This principle is the same as the central government's somewhat laissez-faire attitude toward you, Wenqi.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun shook his head for a moment: \"Speaking of chaos, Ziyuan has come from the south. Is there anything you can teach me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What could there be? It's nothing more than natural disasters and man-made calamities,\" Xu You had originally intended to grab another melon, but upon hearing this, a look of irritation surfaced on his face. \"The Central Plains flooded; seven commanderies and princedoms were submerged. Even my family was not spared, and the family fortune we had accumulated over decades was all swept away! And now, after the floodwaters receded, the court is powerless to provide disaster relief, so much so that the Qingzhou and Xuzhou Yellow Turban armies have risen again, using Mount Tai as their base to wreak havoc across the Central Plains, just like Hebei four years ago... But in my opinion, this great chaos in the Central Plains is, just like Hebei four years ago, rooted in the situation in Liangzhou.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The situation in Liangzhou...\" Gongsun Xun also could not help but sigh. \"It has been years now, and it only worsens day by day. The death of Nanrong last year still weighs heavily on my mind to this day.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It was only last year that I finally saw clearly that the hearts of the people in Liangzhou no longer hold a shred of allegiance to the Han,\" Xu You, too, shook his head with emotion when this matter was brought up. \"Last year, the Liangzhou rebel army had internal strife. Han Sui killed Bian Zhang, Li Wenhou, and Beigong Boyu, taking sole command of the troops. At that time, even I thought an opportunity had arrived. But when the Inspector of Liangzhou, Geng Bi, seized the moment to mobilize troops from six commanderies to attempt to quell the rebellion, he was instead met with a mass defection of his entire army. The local Grand Administrator, the Provincial Adjutant, and the army Major all rebelled one after another... The whole province turned traitor. Fu Nanrong, as the Grand Administrator of Hanyang, was the sole loyal and righteous man who died for his country.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun was also left speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, he knew this matter even more clearly than Xu You. He knew that the army Major who rebelled this time was called Ma Teng. He knew that Pang De's family, after bitterly defending their county seat for half a month for the court, had no choice but to surrender with their entire clan in the face of a province-wide rebellion. He knew that Fu Xie could have originally withdrawn safely—his family was a prestigious clan from Beidi, and had always held prestige in Liangzhou. Among the rebel troops outside the city at that time, several thousand soldiers were Qiang and Xiongnu people from Beidi Commandery, who were willing to guarantee his safety and escort him back to his hometown without requiring his surrender. But Fu Xie chose to die loyal to the Han.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, there were also things Gongsun Xun did not know. What he did not know was that Yan Zhong, the famous Liangzhou scholar who had bitterly urged Huangfu Song to rebel back then, after being swept up in this affair and faced with the entire province turning traitor, refused the rebels' offer to be their leader and chose to take his own life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the reason, no one knew. The only certainty was that he absolutely did not die out of loyalty to the Han, as Fu Xie had... Perhaps he was simply being loyal to Liangzhou itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There is no need to say more about Fu Nanrong's matter,\" Xu Ziyuan raised an eyebrow slightly. \"He and I could not stand the sight of each other back in the day, but I still respect his loyalty and courage... But Wenqi, tell me, are loyal and courageous men fated to die? From Sima Zhi to Guo Dian, from Liu Tao to today's Fu Xie, which of these men did not pour their hearts and souls into serving the Han, throwing themselves recklessly into the cause for that Son of Heaven... and what did they get in return? That Son of Heaven in Luoyang is truly a tyrant on par with Jie of Xia and Zhou of Shang!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun remained silent as before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wenqi,\" Xu You, seeing this, spoke bluntly, \"you and I are both men who understand things clearly, so I won't beat around the bush... Years ago, you voluntarily withdrew because you had long seen through our Son of Heaven. And your sharpening of claws and teeth here in hiding—isn't it just like that cicada, spending years underground to startle everyone with a single cry? And now, an opportunity lies before you, allowing you to shed your shell and grow wings in one move.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What does Wang Fen intend to do?\" Gongsun Xun asked solemnly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As it happens, it's quite a coincidence,\" Xu You said with a cold laugh. \"A month ago, Wang Wenzu was sitting idly with a sorcerer from Pingyuan when he heard the sorcerer speak of an astrological sign, which supposedly foretold the complete annihilation of the eunuchs! Wang Fen, being a partisan himself, was naturally moved and said that if an opportunity arose, he would do his utmost... Yet just three days later, an official document suddenly arrived in Jizhou from the central government, saying that the Son of Heaven intended to tour his ancestral home in Hebei and ordering him to make some preparations.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So he thinks Heaven's will is with him and is preparing to seize the chance to exterminate the eunuchs?\" Gongsun Xun furrowed his brow and asked. \"Is it really such a coincidence?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Whether it's a coincidence or not, I do not know. But I do know that Wang Wenzu's courage is greater than you imagine,\" Xu You's sneer grew even more ferocious. \"In truth, he plans to depose the Son of Heaven and replace him with the Marquis of Hefei! And I, having just become penniless, have come to run errands for him... Wenqi, are you interested?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun's expression did not change: \"Does Ziyuan think I should be interested?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu You was taken aback upon hearing this, and then could not help but grab a melon from the low table before him, asking in a low, drawn-out tone: \"Then what does Wenqi think I should answer on your behalf?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—————I am the dividing line that has lost its way—————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At that time, several thousand Hu cavalry from Beidi, following the rebels to attack the commandery, had all long cherished Fu Xie's benevolence. Together outside the city walls, they kowtowed, begging to escort Fu Xie back to his hometown... Fu Xie sighed with deep emotion and said: 'When Zhou of Shang was tyrannical, Boyi refused to eat the grain of Zhou and died of starvation. Zhongni praised his virtue. Today's court is not as bad as Zhou of Shang, so how could my virtue sever me from Boyi's path? In a world in chaos, if I cannot nurture my noble aspirations, and having received a salary, I now wish to flee from its difficulties? Where could I go? My course is set; I must die here.' Those around him all wept, and Fu Xie subsequently died in battle.\" — Book of the Later Han, Biography of Fu Xie\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",3368,"2026-06-04T19:42:26.060Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","6159753d2514446e129751575d81b2104fae994d5806d477f993cd0e509d3eb4","overthrowing-han-chapter-291","overthrowing-han-chapter-289",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]