Chapter 296

"So it seems you have indeed toiled hard, my minister."

The next morning, in the Western Garden of the Northern Palace, the reigning Son of Heaven, reclining sideways on the imperial couch and basking in the sun, after hearing Zhang Wen's report, was surprisingly not angered, but merely gave a soft laugh. "You have truly toiled. Go back and rest well for a few days, then resume your official duties."

Hearing these words, Zhang Wen's face was momentarily streaked with tears, yet he kowtowed without ceasing.

The Son of Heaven felt a slight stir in his heart, and could not help but turn his gaunt, pale face to glance at the other man, but in the end said nothing.

And after kowtowing, Zhang Wen also withdrew with hurried steps.

"Zhang Wen is going to request resignation." Only when the figure of his Colonel-Director of Retainers disappeared through the distant corner gate of the palace hall did the Son of Heaven sigh faintly. "Humiliated so publicly by that White Horse General, and lacking the courage to commit suicide, he can only think of returning to his hometown... yet he does not even dare to request resignation to my face."

The two men in attendance, Zhang Rang and Jian Shuo, one bowing with lowered head, the other standing tall with hand on sword, both dared not utter a word.

"Have someone tell Attendant Zhao," the Son of Heaven paused slightly, whether from shortness of breath or from pondering, "and also tell the Grand General, to ensure the Imperial Secretariat does not make further trouble for the Colonel-Director of Retainers. Let him return to his hometown in Nanyang."

Zhang Rang bowed in acknowledgment, yet pressed a further question despite his graying hair: "May I ask Your Majesty, since Zhang Wen is leaving, who should take up the post of Colonel-Director of Retainers? This is a critical position."

"Let no one take it," the Son of Heaven answered with effort. "At this moment, it is best that this post remains vacant."

Zhang Rang promptly responded, then took the initiative to excuse himself and went personally to the Southern Palace to explain the matter to Zhao Zhong.

And just as Zhang Rang and Zhang Wen, one after the other, walked out of the Zhuolong Garden of the Southern Palace — the very place renowned as the Western Garden — a man eight chi tall, with a long and elegantly handsome beard, clad in armor with hand on sword, strode with the gait of a dragon and the step of a tiger. Along the way, he brushed past Zhang Wen and Zhang Rang in turn, yet his gaze never wavered. Upon entering the Western Garden, he merely unbuckled his ceremonial sword and directly received the Son of Heaven's summons.

This man's surname was Gai, given name Xun, courtesy name Yuangu. He was one of the few loyal frontier generals of the younger faction left in Liangzhou after Fu Xie's death... though he was already over forty.

In the eighth month, when the Son of Heaven established the Eight Captains of the Western Garden to reorganize the Imperial Guard, he had specially summoned this man to the capital. However, considering the situation in Liangzhou at the time, and that Wudu Commandery had seen repeated reversals due to efforts from Yizhou, the court, in order to contain the rebels, appointed him as Grand Administrator of Wudu, controlling the Longxi road — a position of some importance.

In fact, before the man's departure, the Son of Heaven had specifically ordered Grand General He Jin and Upper Army Captain Jian Shuo to jointly lead all the Generals of the Household and Captains in Luoyang to see him off, clearly marking him as favored in the imperial heart.

Yet, Gai Xun was only halfway there when a second Yellow Turban uprising erupted in Yizhou, south of Wudu. The Yizhou troops immediately turned back with Attendant Jia Long to suppress the rebellion, and Wudu Commandery subsequently fell entirely once more. At this time, He Jin's countermove from Luoyang also arrived, so the Son of Heaven urgently recalled Gai Xun, appointing him as Colonel Who Attacks the Caitiffs, and ordered him back to Luoyang to review the troops.

Gai Xun came before the Son of Heaven, not even glancing at Jian Shuo, and merely bowed in salute to the emperor.

"Please sit, my minister," the Son of Heaven said with a slight smile. "Meeting in the Western Garden, you need not stand on ceremony."

Gai Xun stood tall and straight: "The rites between sovereign and subject must not be discarded!"

Hearing this, the Son of Heaven laughed even more: "That day I met the White Horse General right in the pavilion behind me, and he simply sat straight down... Could it be that you consider him a treacherous minister and a villainous son?"

Standing proudly some ten paces before the Son of Heaven's reclining chair, Gai Xun faced him directly: "Since he first donned the cap of manhood, the General of the Guard has repeatedly performed meritorious deeds, braving death for the stability of the realm. By the banks of the Hutuo River, that man crossed the river with a thousand horsemen, utterly heedless of his own life or death. To call such a man a treacherous minister and villainous son — I fear all under Heaven would laugh."

"I think so too," the Son of Heaven sighed at once. "Gongsun Wenqi, Fu Nanrong — these two were capable talents carefully prepared for me by Liu Shi, yet I could not use them. Not only that, of these two, one has now returned his soul to the Yellow Springs, never to be seen again; the other, because of his old friend's death, bears deep hatred toward me. Not only does he refuse to obey imperial edicts, he sits coldly watching from Henei, wholeheartedly determined to bolster the Grand General's prestige!"

These words were far too blunt. Gai Xun's heart was shaken for a moment, and Jian Shuo could not help but glance back furtively at the Son of Heaven, yet immediately resumed his silence.

"Minister Gai," the Son of Heaven sighed further, "do you know why I regard you with special favor?"

"Your Majesty sees me as the successor to the Marquis of Zhuangjie," Gai Xun replied, uncharacteristically moved.

The so-called Marquis of Zhuangjie was the posthumous title granted to Fu Xie after his death. Because he had refused to compromise with Zhao Zhong, he had never been enfeoffed as a marquis, and instead incurred the enmity of Zhao Zhong, who then controlled the court. He was driven out to Hanyang in Liangzhou, where he died a heroic death. Yet after dying in battle, he unexpectedly received the posthumous honor of a marquisate.

"You are too much alike," the Son of Heaven did not deny. "Though you are somewhat older, you are both men of Liangzhou, both scions of renowned families who have served the state for generations, both well-read and versed in propriety, both staunch, fierce, and courageous, daring to speak without bending... and both men of unwavering loyalty. I — We still remember now how that day at court assembly, the Marquis of Zhuangjie spoke out with righteous fervor, demanding Cui Lie's execution. Only upon his death did we realize how rare his loyalty truly was."

Gai Xun bowed his head in salute: "I dare not compare my loyalty to that of the Marquis of Zhuangjie, but since I am a minister of Han, I am likewise willing to die for Your Majesty!"

"Stay alive and well!" the Son of Heaven laughed despite himself. "Matters of the future must still rely on you... and on the Upper Army Captain."

Gai Xun had originally been stirred with emotion, but upon hearing this last half-sentence, fury rose from within him, and he immediately raised his head to protest: "I dare not be named alongside eunuchs! The turmoil under Heaven is all stirred up by these men and their spawn!"

The veins on Jian Shuo's forehead bulged, but he dared not speak without permission.

The Son of Heaven laughed again: "These words of yours are exactly the same as the White Horse General's that day... Jian Shuo, the Grand General cannot tolerate you, the General of the Guard cannot tolerate you, and now even Our Colonel Who Attacks the Caitiffs cannot tolerate you. You, the Marshal of the Imperial Guard, the Upper Army Captain, are truly unworthy of your title."

Jian Shuo said not a word, turned around, knelt, and kowtowed.

The Son of Heaven laughed for a while, then gasped continuously for a long time before catching his breath, and waved his hand dismissively: "We have caught a slight chill these past few days, and with the troop review imminent, We need to rest and recuperate in peace. Today We summoned you also to inquire about the review, not to have you seethe with mutual hatred before Us... Minister Gai."

"Your subject is here," Gai Xun still faced him with head held high.

"That day, because of Sima Zhi's matter, the General of the Guard swore he would not touch a single coin of the Western Garden, and also said this money would be embezzled by the eunuchs. But We know he was secretly mocking Us for greed. Now, as We review the troops in Luoyang, We plan to distribute all the wealth and goods of the Western Garden to the soldiers... Do you think the hearts of the people under Heaven might turn back somewhat?" the Son of Heaven asked earnestly.

"They will not," Gai Xun replied expressionlessly, head held high. "Your Majesty, forgive your subject's bluntness. Now, all of Liangzhou has fallen, threatening the capital district, and everywhere across the realm there are bandits and Yellow Turbans. At such a time, for Your Majesty not to use the troops to suppress the rebels, but instead to parade them in the capital with a show of military might — from such conduct, your subject can only think of the phrase 'exhausting the military in reckless displays of force,' and knows not how any hearts might turn back!"

The Son of Heaven was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: "You speak all too rightly. The troop review was a presumptuous notion of Ours... Not to mention anything else, the General of the Guard faces Us across the river yet refuses to obey imperial edicts, and We are utterly helpless in the matter. This alone is clear proof that the people's hearts do not belong to Us. Minister Gai, We should have kept you by Our side long ago!"

From the moment he entered, Gai Xun had been more indignant and blunt than submissive, but hearing the Son of Heaven speak thus, he found himself with nothing left to say.

"Though the review itself is a mistake," seeing the other man's expression soften, the Son of Heaven could not help but sigh with emotion, "at this point, the soldiers have already gathered in Luoyang. Stopping now would only cause chaos, so We can only press on with it."

Gai Xun was also powerless to refute this.

"And besides," the Son of Heaven continued to sigh, "no matter what, the General of the Guard stirring up the soldiers' hearts is ultimately a bad thing... And now, We can only rely on you two to unite well, do your utmost to soothe the troops' morale, and ensure that no mishap occurs during the review."

Having spoken thus far, under the winter sunlight, the Son of Heaven actually tilted his head back and slightly closed his eyes, as if on the verge of falling asleep.

Gai Xun and Jian Shuo each cast a cold glance at the other, and could only helplessly accept the edict.

And upon leaving the Western Garden, the two men who had received the imperial will and "should have united well" still exchanged not a single word. Reaching outside the palace gate, they each turned away with dark faces and went their separate ways... Judging by the direction, Jian Shuo was clearly heading to the military camp outside the Western Garden to "soothe the troops' hearts." But he was a eunuch, and previously only a Junior Attendant of the Yellow Gates, not even a Regular Palace Attendant — one wonders how exactly he intended to soothe them.

As for Gai Xun Gai Yuangu, he mounted his horse with hand on sword and rode straight back to his simple residence in Luoyang. There, he hastily dispatched trusted family servants to invite two men over: one was the head of the Nine Ministers, the Grand Minister of Ceremonies Liu Yu Liu Boan; the other was the Central Army Captain Yuan Shao Yuan Benchu, second only to Jian Shuo among the Eight Captains of the Western Garden.

Gai Xun invited these two because, having seen the Son of Heaven today and been stirred with deep feeling, he wished to form a faction with them to pursue their cause!

However, Gai Yuangu was utterly loyal and without selfish motives, so even his faction-forming was done openly and aboveboard, even perfectly reasonable.

"Gentlemen!"

In the backyard of the residence, where branches and leaves lay withered in the winter afternoon, Gai Xun sat upright and proper, raising his cup from the low table before him. "Today I saw the Son of Heaven, and I feel he is truly a wise sovereign of penetrating insight, merely deceived by the eunuchs..."

Speaking to this point, Gai Xun swept his gaze over the two guests before him. Seeing that each, with composed expressions, raised their cups and drank, he then followed suit and drained his in one gulp, before continuing:

"The Grand Minister of Ceremonies is the head of the Nine Ministers, and Brother Boan is the youngest among the imperial clan. In all likelihood, he will one day follow in the footsteps of Wenrao Gong and serve as guardian of an orphaned sovereign. Brother Benchu comes from a high-born family, and as Central Army Captain, he holds a vital post among the Western Garden Imperial Guard, second only to that eunuch. Tell me, if the three of us join hands — first eliminating the eunuchs, then jointly assisting the Son of Heaven, gradually restoring a clear and bright age to the realm — would this not be repaying the grace of the House of Han above, and fulfilling the ambitions of true men below? I have invited you two here today with no other intention than to ask that you join me in baring our arms and swearing an oath to jointly support the Son of Heaven!"

Liu Yu and Yuan Shao, who had just set down their cups, were each inwardly speechless. They instinctively felt something was amiss, but these words were simply too righteous and honorable — utterly impossible to refute!

Not to mention Liu Yu, even Yuan Shao, whose thoughts were a thousand times at odds with this, could only honestly bare his arm and swear the oath at this moment... Truly, there was no other way. To put it bluntly, no matter how vigorously He Jin, Gongsun Xun, and even he, Yuan Benchu, were leaping about now, wasn't it mainly because they all felt the Son of Heaven's allotted lifespan was nearing its end?

If this Son of Heaven, who had reigned for over twenty years, could truly, as Gai Xun said, allow them to execute the eunuchs, and then still have the life left to be assisted by the three of them — well, then you'd have no choice but to support him, wouldn't you?

And so, no matter how disgusted he felt inside, Yuan Shao ultimately put on a face of righteous fervor, an image of utter loyalty, and joined the other two in baring his arm and swearing an oath to first slay the eunuchs, and then assist this so-called "wise Son of Heaven"!

After the three had sworn their oath, Yuan Shao wanted to hastily make an excuse and leave. But a thought turned in his mind, and he suddenly recalled something, which instead gave him an idea. In the end, he actually took the initiative to speak.

"May I ask the Colonel Who Attacks the Caitiffs," Yuan Benchu, now an official with seal-cord and tall cap, and whose innate bearing was simply too exceptional, exuded eight-tenths of the model for all under Heaven just by sitting there, "since you say the Son of Heaven is wise, and wish for the three of us to jointly assist him... where, then, does the Grand General fit in?"

"The Grand General is, after all, the uncle of the Imperial Eldest Son. All his authority comes from the Son of Heaven. He should not be so aggressive and overbearing!" Gai Xun was quite frank. "In inviting you two here today to plan, it is not only to execute the eunuchs, but also to curb the Grand General's power, so as to preserve the bond of kinship between the Grand General and the Son of Heaven."

So that's exactly what you meant — you've simply been swayed by a few words from the Son of Heaven, and now you want to rally a faction for him to go it alone! No wonder Liu Boan agreed so readily.

Yuan Shao sneered inwardly, but his face suddenly turned grave: "The Grand Generals of this dynasty have mostly met bad ends. Restraining the Grand General is also for his own preservation — that is a good thing... But in the present situation, the Grand General has clearly grown full-fledged wings and his momentum is about to peak. How can there be any restraint? Not to mention other matters — the moment the General of the Guards arrived in Henei and halted by the river without moving, the Imperial Guard in Luoyang began to waver. Cao Mengde, Xu Bojin, Lu Fengxian, and other former subordinates crossed the river one after another to pay their respects. And there are also men like Feng Fang — though they haven't moved yet, if something truly happens, they will ultimately still obey the General of the Guards. If the three of us have no troops and yet rashly speak of executing the eunuchs and restraining the Grand General, won't we become a laughingstock?"

"What Benchu-xiong says is absolutely right!"

Gai Xun's heart stirred slightly, and he recalled the helplessness in the Son of Heaven's voice when he spoke of Gongsun Xun today, so he immediately responded. "But what can be done about it?"

"The General of the Guards is also a man who understands the greater picture. It is only because Sima Shuyi, Guo Junye, and Lord Wenrao passed away one after another, and later Fu Nanrong also died, that he grew resentful toward the Son of Heaven." Yuan Benchu faced him with a solemn expression. "If the Colonel Who Exterminates the Caitiffs is willing, why not go see him as well, and along the way offer some counsel, reproaching him with the great duty between sovereign and subject... We are all on the same path. If he can change his mind, won't the matter be easily resolved?"

"Indeed." Liu Yu also nodded with feeling.

"Then I shall ride at once!" Gai Xun was silent for a moment, then immediately rose. "This way, I may still make it across the river by evening to see the General of the Guards!"

Yuan Shao could not help but laugh.

"If this succeeds, it would be an excellent thing!" Liu Yu could not help raising his hand to his forehead.

Watching Gai Xun leave the moment he said he would, leading his horse straight out of Luoyang and heading directly for Henei, Yuan Benchu felt a rare sense of satisfaction in his heart... After leaving, he bid farewell to Liu Yu, but then had someone drive his carriage toward the Grand General's residence — clearly not taking this alliance with Gai Xun seriously at all, and instead seizing the chance to plant a hidden snare at the Grand General's place.

In truth, Yuan Benchu had only one thought at this moment: he hoped Gongsun Xun would truly be driven away by that great loyalist Gai Xun... Only then could the affairs of Luoyang be safely manipulated in his hands. And even if it failed, he wanted the increasingly prominent Gai Xun to grow resentful toward Gongsun Xun!

—————I am the dividing line of the substitute—————

"When Emperor Ling was near death, the scholar-officials were in uproar, all wishing to execute the eunuchs. The Grand Ancestor brought the heroes of You and Yan to Henei. The eunuchs, in fear, sent Zhang Wen bearing a staff of authority to confer the title Specially Advanced and summon him into Luoyang. The Grand Ancestor angrily rebuked him, using the 'Xiang Shu' ode against him, and also had the heroes gaze upon his face and remember his name. For a time, the onlookers were like a wall. Zhang Wen, ashamed, lay down in his boat and departed. That night, arriving home, his attendants presented medicine and urged him: 'It is fitting to take righteousness and fulfill the great integrity, so as to match your illustrious name.' Zhang Wen showed a troubled expression, then slowly said: 'A minister bearing the staff of authority should return the staff to repay the sovereign's grace before discussing this matter.' After the attendants left, they all said: 'If he will not die today, will he die tomorrow?' And so they dispersed. The next day, Zhang Wen entered the palace, returned the staff of authority, and immediately left to return to his home village." — A New Account of the Tales of the World, Chapter of Slighting Criticism

(End of Chapter)