Chapter 37: Young Master Lu Endures Poverty! (8k)

The moment the convoy entered Xiyang City, a large crowd of onlookers gathered.

"Isn't that Lu Fan from the east of the city in the carriage?"

"Didn't Lu Fan say he was going to study the classics? How did he come back with such wealth? Could studying the classics really be this profitable?"

"Vulgar man! Have you not heard 'Better to bestow a single classic than to receive ten thousand gold'? What do you lot understand about classical scholarship?"

"I remember before he left, he wanted to buy a salted duck to bring his teacher but had no money. Now with so many carts, how many ducks could he trade for?"

"Hey, Lu Fan, is that Lu Fan?" Someone finally could not hold back and shouted. "I'm your neighbor Old Wang! Remember, I even held you when you were little!"

"What are you shouting?" As luck would have it for that man, Han Dang, who was in a foul mood, happened to be riding past. Hearing this, he immediately gripped his blade and glared, frightening the man into diving back into the crowd and fleeing.

Lu Fan could hear and see all these words and events, but his entire face was flushed crimson, as if drunk. He could only force himself to sit in the carriage and put on an air of nonchalance; how could he possibly know how to handle this?

"Open all the chests on the carts!" Gongsun Xun suddenly waved his hand and signaled.

The maidservants following beside the carts hurried to comply upon hearing the order, and the surrounding crowd immediately erupted in waves of exclamations!

In truth, the chests contained no treasures at all, just the simplest and most direct things: copper coins, bolts of cloth, pottery, and the like.

And such items — for instance, a full two or three chests of fine hemp cloth — might not even compare in value to the Shu brocade garment Lu Fan wore! But most of the onlookers were ordinary commoners of the county; they did not even recognize what Shu brocade was. Even if they found it beautiful, they had no idea of its worth. By contrast, the chests full of hemp cloth and copper coins dazzled their eyes and shook them to the core!

At this, all the local folk had no further doubts: Lu Fan had truly returned having made a fortune! And the number of people watching and following the convoy only grew larger!

Just like this, the convoy proceeded along the main road extending from the city gate. When they reached an obvious crossroads, Lu Fan could not help but quietly remind the driver in front to turn east — his home was in the east of the city. However, to Lu Fan's fluster, whether because the surrounding voices were too clamorous, or because the driver was an outsider who could not make out his words, in the end, the cart did turn, but it turned toward the west!

This was bound to be a humiliation!

And so, Lu Fan sat up straight, seized an opportune moment, and quietly called out to Gongsun Xun, but Gongsun Xun acted as if he had not heard; he then called to Liu Bei, but Liu Bei merely rode alongside, minding his own business; he then looked for Gongsun Yue... and was shocked to discover that Gongsun Yue seemed not to have appeared at all since morning!

Of course!

Lu Fan was exceedingly clever and immediately understood that this was not a wrong turn, but that Gongsun Xun and the others had other arrangements. Gongsun Yue must have entered the city earlier to make preparations.

But heading to the west of the city — what was that for?

Thus, Lu Fan sat in the carriage, looking left and right, his mind wandering. However, when the cart passed another intersection and he saw the sprawling courtyard of a great household in the distance, he suddenly understood... and then, his entire person grew so tense he could barely contain himself.

As it happened, that household was surnamed Liu, the foremost great family in the county, the kind that had two or three hundred servants alone. In Xiyang City, no matter what background the county magistrate came from upon taking office, he always had to rely on this family. But for Lu Fan, this family was not merely the county's great house; more importantly, this family had a beautiful daughter around Lu Fan's own age!

Indeed, it was that cliché tale spanning five thousand years, one that not only occurred endlessly in the past but would surely never cease in the future!

In a small county town, a treasured daughter of a wealthy household, a penniless scholar with bare walls, one living in the west of the city, the other in the east. One day they met by chance outside the city, exchanged a glance across a small river, and could never forget... In any case, if Lady Gongsun were here, she would surely find it so sweet it made her teeth ache.

And yet, this was the truth!

About a little over half a year ago, because the Liu family's eldest daughter had cast him amorous glances, Lu Fan truly could not restrain his heart. After much deliberation, he finally could not help but send someone to sound them out.

But need the rest of the story even be told?

Yes, Lu Fan had fine, handsome features and was acknowledged throughout the county as a talented scholar... but he was what they called a son of a humble family, and so poor his home had bare walls. If you were the father, would you agree to this marriage?

In fact, the male head of the Liu household, Master Liu, was quite direct. He simply told the person who came to sound him out: Lu Fan is too poor, my daughter will not marry him!

And then, this was precisely why Lu Fan decided to make a clean break. He simply abandoned his home, which had nothing at all, and followed Lu Zhi, who happened to be passing through.

And since none of this was a secret, if Gongsun Xun wished to know, he naturally could.

Yet Lu Fan's heart remained uneasy. Even if things were like this today... could it truly succeed?

The convoy pressed on and finally arrived at the gate of the great Liu household. The servants at the gate stared dumbfounded at Lu Fan seated in a carriage of that caliber, wearing clothes of that kind... as servants of a great household, they understood far more than the county commoners and knew something of what carried weight, not to mention the throng of local folk following behind.

Just as they stood dazed, the convoy came to a halt. A youth riding a tall, large horse rode directly over, and without a word, merely looked down from his lofty perch and arrogantly jerked his chin toward the gate.

The servants at the Liu family gate scrambled in confusion, not daring to lift their heads for a second glance, and immediately nodded frantically before dashing back inside to report. In just a short while, a rather elderly man, dressed in clearly superior garments, came out to greet them, his expression a mix of shock and suspicion.

Of course, at this moment, neither Lu Fan nor Gongsun Xun and the others would put on airs. They dismounted where they should dismount and descended from the carriage where they should descend. After the two sides exchanged greetings at the gate, Gongsun Xun said nothing else, nor did he explain his own status. He merely said that he was a fellow student of Lu Fan, traveling here with his senior fellow apprentice for leisure, and that having heard Master Liu was quite renowned in Xiyang City, he had specifically asked Lu Fan to act as an intermediary to come pay a visit.

This Master Liu, who called himself an old dotard, glanced at the local folk gathered before his gate, then at Lu Fan's attire, then at the long convoy before him. Although he knew perfectly well in his heart what this was about, he could only swallow his objections and politely invite these people inside. He then summoned some of the more presentable figures among the local folk who had followed, invited the elders of the neighboring households, and called over some county officials. Before mid-morning, he began preparing wine and dishes and directly opened a banquet in the courtyard.

However, what left both Lu Fan and Master Liu puzzled and increasingly uneasy was that after the banquet began, Gongsun Xun, who was clearly the leader, remained completely silent, let alone brought up the matter of the other's daughter. Instead, it was the still-young Liu Bei who jested and chatted, talking about everything under the sun, from Youzhou to Yuzhou, from Zhuojun to Luoyang, forcing Master Liu to muster his spirits and respond.

After enduring this torment for some time, and after two rounds of wine had been drunk, suddenly, the servants at the gate came running in again in haste, announcing that the county magistrate himself had come in person!

Master Liu and Lu Fan grew even more bewildered and uneasy, but there was no time to think. Everyone hurriedly left their seats to welcome this magistrate of Xiyang... Sure enough, the magistrate had actually come together with Gongsun Yue, and as soon as he arrived, he directly asked with a smile which one was the prized disciple of the elder of the realm, Liu Wenrao? In the end, he simply took Gongsun Xun and Gongsun Yue by the hand and led them into the banquet.

Once they were seated again, Lu Fan let out a long breath, while Master Liu drew in a sharp gasp... How could these two not understand? A matchmaker of immense standing had arrived.

"My lord Magistrate!" After they were seated and had exchanged names, Gongsun Xun became much more direct. He directly bowed with clasped hands toward the two-thousand-bushel county magistrate seated in the place of honor. "As the saying goes, a day chosen is not as good as the day that comes. My lord has arrived at the perfect moment. Today at this banquet, there happens to be a fine matter awaiting your lordship's gracious facilitation!"

"If there is a fine matter, do tell." The magistrate had not thought much of it. In his view, as long as the matter was not too great, for the sake of the name of Liu Kuan, the current Imperial Tutor and Superintendent of the Imperial Household, he could certainly 'facilitate' it.

"My lord, please look." Gongsun Xun spread his palm and gestured distantly toward Lu Fan across from him. "This Lu Fan is precisely my senior fellow apprentice, twenty years of age, a son of a good family of this county."

How could Lu Fan not know that success or failure hung on this moment? He immediately left his seat once more and bowed.

And the magistrate, stroking his beard, nodded slightly in approval: "What a fine gentleman!"

How could he not be fine? Lu Fan's features were refined to begin with, and now he wore brocade robes and silk shoes, a pearl crown and swaying ornaments, and was some vaguely defined 'senior fellow apprentice.' It would be strange if he were not fine!

"My lord, please look again." This time, Gongsun Xun pointed toward Master Liu, who was seated between himself and the magistrate. "Master Liu of this county, whose family has flourished for generations and has always been a pillar of the county... He happens to have a daughter, as beautiful as a flower, known throughout the village for her virtue and grace, and she is of marriageable age yet still at home!"

The magistrate immediately laughed: "This is indeed a fine matter! Master Liu, how about I act as matchmaker today? Looking at Lu Fan's bearing and appearance, do you find him a worthy match for your beloved daughter?"

Upon hearing this, Master Liu's face turned ashen and uncertain. He actually also left his seat and bowed before replying: "I will not deceive you, my lord. I dote on my daughter dearly and do not yet wish for her to marry too early."

The banquet fell instantly silent. It was clear that this was a public refusal. Even though Lu Fan had come in brocade robes and a fragrant carriage, even though he was escorted like a star surrounded by moons, even though the county magistrate himself acted as matchmaker, this Master Liu still refused.

It was indeed unexpected, but not necessarily unreasonable.

In this era, as the central authority of the Great Han dynasty indulged in all manner of internal strife — outer relatives, eunuchs, and partisans clashing back and forth, and even when they finally paused, the scholars themselves still engaged in classical disputes — the power of local magnates below grew increasingly uncontrollable. By now, there was even a common saying: "Better to betray a two-thousand-bushel official than to offend a great magnate family." Some things, therefore, were self-evident.

What did this mean? It meant that even though Master Liu so blatantly disrespected the county magistrate, the magistrate might not necessarily fall out with him over this, because governing this county still required the other's cooperation!

And besides, in matters of marriage, no matter how earnestly outsiders tried, they could ultimately only offer peripheral support. Even if you appealed to the heavens, it was still a family matter between two families. So this great magnate Liu's single phrase, 'I dote on my daughter dearly,' was something no one could refute.

"Master Liu." Before the county magistrate could even adjust his expression, Liu Bei was the first to lose patience. "When we came, we also made inquiries. When you scorned my senior fellow apprentice Lu that day, was it not simply because his family was poor? But now you have seen the carts, the wealth, the servants before your gate. Is he still poor now?"

"Do you think I do not know Lu Fan's true background?" Master Liu sneered. "He is a son of a humble family with no proper livelihood. These goods are merely gifts from this young master Gongsun."

"Are gifts not wealth?" Liu Bei argued strenuously. "Do you know that carriage is one of the finest treasured vehicles among the scholars in Luoyang? That outfit is made entirely of Shu brocade..."

"I cannot be bothered to argue with a youth." Master Liu cupped his hands toward the various neighbors and said, "Everyone, let me speak plainly! I only had this daughter after I turned thirty, and now I am already old and decrepit. I fear I may not be able to look after her for many more years. If I cannot entrust her to a good family, I will not rest in peace even in death. So, even if all of you say I despise poverty and love wealth, I will accept it!"

These words were spoken with genuine emotion, and the county folk almost instinctively wanted to voice their agreement. However, at that very moment, Gongsun Xun suddenly rose to his feet, bracing himself on his saber. The movement was so abrupt and forceful that it startled everyone into swallowing the words they had been about to utter.

Of course, Gongsun Xun was not so brazen as to hold a blade to someone's neck in front of the county magistrate. He merely wanted to seize the initiative in the situation.

"Master Liu." Seeing everyone's gaze converge on him, Gongsun Xun released his grip on his sword hilt, walked into the open space at the center, and with a smile took hold of the other man's arm. "You are an elder, and the meaning behind your words is surely quite profound. But I think I have grasped some of it... This 'poverty' you speak of — I suspect it does not refer merely to wealth and goods, am I right?"

Master Liu first glanced at the sword on the other's waist, then surveyed the county's dignitaries packed into the hall, and only then nodded gravely: "Indeed it is so. Fleeting wealth cannot resolve a lifetime of poverty!"

At these words, not only did the assembled villagers grow even more approving, but even the County Magistrate, whose face had been lost, found his expression softening considerably.

One must understand, although Master Liu's words were spoken obliquely, most of those present were clever people, and they immediately grasped another layer of meaning — the Liu family's disdain was not merely for Lu Fan's bare, empty household, but even more for his lowly origins, his lack of any status worthy of a match with a daughter of the Liu family.

One must realize that in this age, origin and status encompassed moral factors, talent factors, and indeed every conceivable aspect of life. To put it concretely: if your origins were good and your status high, you could be regarded as morally elevated, considered exceptionally capable, and thus you ought to occupy important positions and undertake important matters.

And conversely... what does lowly status signify? And what is wrong with a father wishing to marry his daughter to someone of better origins?

And so, for a moment, the expressions of all those seated shifted and wavered. Most of these shifts tended toward agreement — the County Magistrate, after a moment's thought, was now nodding slightly. There were also those who were indignant, such as Liu Bei and Han Dang. The latter had been angry all along that Gongsun Xun had personally helped Lu Fan put on his shoes, but now he could not help feeling a kind of shared righteous fury. And of course, there were those whose faces remained utterly unchanged...

Gongsun Xun, hearing this, shook his head repeatedly: "Master Liu, let me ask you — you say the wealth and goods I gave to Brother Ziheng... ah, Brother Ziheng was capped some days ago by my other teacher, the renowned Confucian scholar of the realm, Master Lu Zhi, and is now called Lu Ziheng... Master Liu, you say the wealth I gave Brother Ziheng is fleeting wealth. Then let me ask you: why did I give him this fleeting wealth?"

Master Liu, like the County Magistrate, had shown a flicker of change in his expression upon hearing that Lu Fan had been capped by Lu Zhi. Now, questioned by Gongsun Xun, he found himself momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

"Master Liu, I am asking you a question," Gongsun Xun pressed, raising his voice.

"How would I know the reason for that?" Master Liu collected himself, then shook his head. "Is this something Young Master Gongsun himself does not know?"

"Of course I know," Gongsun Xun said with a laugh. "But Master Liu, you ought to know as well."

At this point, without waiting for Master Liu to speak, Gongsun Xun pulled him directly into the open space amid the banquet tables and began to address the assembled villagers in a clear, ringing voice: "Everyone, you are all Brother Ziheng's fellow villagers. You should know that the day Brother Ziheng left home, it was to seek out a renowned teacher and study the classics. But do you know that on that day, when he heard that Teacher Lu was passing through Runan, he traveled day and night to catch up and study under him, until his shoes were worn through? What do you all call this? Does this not deserve to be called love of learning?"

From the County Magistrate down, everyone nodded in agreement.

"And after catching up with Teacher Lu," Gongsun Xun continued, pulling Master Liu before the desk of a man dressed as a clerk, "Teacher Lu had to suppress a rebellion in Jiujiang. Military and administrative affairs were both extremely demanding, so it was always Brother Ziheng who handled the documents on his behalf. Teacher Lu himself said that Brother Ziheng handled the documents with exceptional skill, and his prose was especially lucid and penetrating. Everyone, what do you call this? Does this not deserve to be called talent and intellect?"

Before the clerk, who was being stared at until his heart quailed, could lead the nodding, Liu Bei had already astutely begun to act as the "cheerleader."

"And later, our Teacher Lu fell ill while serving as Grand Administrator of Jiujiang and resigned his post to leave." This time Gongsun Xun turned to an elderly man. "Halfway through the journey, he heard that the court was going to erect the Stone Classics, and despite his illness, he forced himself to change course for Luoyang. Throughout this entire period, it was Brother Ziheng who attended him personally, looking after his daily needs without a single word of complaint. Elder, what do you call this? Does it not deserve to be called reverence for one's teacher?"

The old man nodded repeatedly in praise: "Reverence for one's teacher is a great virtue!"

"Furthermore," Gongsun Xun moved to the County Magistrate's seat of honor, "after Brother Ziheng arrived in Luoyang, most of his fellow students were scions of noble houses like myself. We people ordinarily behave with frivolity and live in extravagance. Yet Brother Ziheng, wearing patched clothes and boots with holes, associated with us and never once showed any expression of envy or admiration..."

The County Magistrate stroked his beard and nodded thoughtfully.

"And Master Liu," Gongsun Xun suddenly pulled the man in his grasp around to point at Lu Fan, who was seated there, and raised his voice to its fullest, "now see for yourself! From the moment you rose and rejected the County Magistrate's matchmaking proposal, Brother Ziheng — aside from a brief look of sorrow at the very beginning — has sat upright and composed the entire time. Whether you mocked his 'lifetime of poverty' or I praised his lofty virtue, his expression has not wavered in the slightest! With such bearing, combined with his appearance, his learning, and his moral character — do you truly believe a man like this will remain poor his entire life?!"

Master Liu's mind reeled and his heart wavered; he could only stammer, unable to open his mouth.

"Master Liu," Gongsun Xun pressed him impatiently, "Confucius said: 'The gentleman remains steadfast in poverty,' meaning the gentleman rests content in poverty and holds fast to the Dao. Can a man who truly holds fast to the Dao really remain poor his whole life? Do you truly believe this Lu Ziheng before you will 'remain steadfast in a lifetime of poverty'?"

Lu Fan's face was expressionless, his lips pressed tight in silence, while the County Magistrate, Liu Bei, Gongsun Yue, Han Dang, and even the assembled villagers all looked thoughtful.

But Master Liu, though his expression shifted and wavered, still refused to open his mouth.

"And the one inside that room!" Left with no choice, Gongsun Xun simply released Master Liu, turned around, and shouted loudly toward a room behind the County Magistrate. "I know it is Master Liu's beloved daughter eavesdropping in there. Since your father is unwilling to answer, then today I will be so bold as to ask you on Brother Ziheng's behalf — does the young lady of the Liu family also believe that this Lu Ziheng sitting here will be mired in poverty his entire life?"

Lu Fan's expression finally changed drastically, and he looked in alarm toward that room. The courtyard fell utterly silent once more; even the County Magistrate turned his head back in astonishment.

"With such talent and virtue as Master Lu possesses, how could he be mired in poverty his entire life?" A clear, crisp female voice rang out without hesitation from that room. "Father, it is not only this Young Master Gongsun who wishes to ask you — I also wish to ask you: though Master Lu is indeed mired in poverty today, could he possibly remain poor forever?"

At this earnest and sincere question from the person most concerned, every villager in the courtyard was left speechless... Indeed, this Lu Fan might be of lowly status today, but could a man of his caliber possibly remain lowly forever?

Gongsun Xun, too, looked toward that room with some astonishment. Considering that the one inside had dared to exchange glances with the poor young man Lu Fan, and had even dared to disguise herself as a serving maid delivering dishes to brazenly come eavesdrop here, Gongsun Xun had to admit... Lu Fan had probably stumbled upon truly tremendous fortune!

Turning back, once these words were spoken, everyone was uniformly silent, but all turned their gazes back to Master Liu.

And Master Liu, his expression shifting again and again, finally let out a long sigh. Then he bent at the waist and bowed to the County Magistrate and to Gongsun Xun each in turn: "Were it not for the County Magistrate and Young Master Gongsun, this old man might well have nearly lost a splendid son-in-law today!"

The County Magistrate clapped his hands and laughed heartily, then raised his cup and stood: "I knew today would bring a happy and beautiful outcome! Come, everyone, rise and drain your cups, to congratulate Master Liu on gaining a son-in-law who 'remains steadfast in poverty'!"

The crowd rose with a roar.

And so the banquet resumed. This time, Lu Fan finally dropped all reserve. When the feast dispersed in the afternoon, he was thoroughly drunk and returned home in that state. In the end, it was Gongsun Yue and Liu Bei who supported him as he entered a spacious residence directly across from the Liu family manor — needless to say, this too was an arrangement prepared by Gongsun Xun.

Lu Fan's elder brother and sister-in-law were waiting in the courtyard. Seeing Lu Fan return, they hurried forward to offer their congratulations, regardless of whether he was still conscious. Lu Fan merely smiled through his drunken haze and, with a thick tongue, said a few words about how he still needed to pursue his studies, and told them to properly store the wealth and goods on the cart, take care of the servants, and look after the house — words that made the brother and sister-in-law beam with delight... Then, suddenly, he began clamoring to see Gongsun Xun.

Everyone assumed it was drunken rambling and paid him no mind, simply settling him onto the bed in his room before leaving. But a short while later, Gongsun Xun actually pushed open the door and came in.

"I knew Brother Ziheng wasn't drunk!" Gongsun Xun said with a smile, looking at Lu Fan sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I truly am drunk," Lu Fan replied with a smile. "Drunk in body and mind alike... Only, if I cannot speak with you face to face today, Young Master Gongsun, I would not dare lie down at all! Could you close the door?"

Gongsun Xun laughed at once, then turned and shut the door.

"I am too drunk to move," Lu Fan beckoned. "Please, Young Master, come and sit."

Gongsun Xun did as he was told, walking over and sitting beside him on the bed.

"Young Master Gongsun, ah, Young Master Gongsun..." Lu Fan grasped Gongsun Xun's hand, his tongue still thick. "You prepared so many things for me today — a cart, a house, wealth, goods... Could it be that you intend to buy me with these things?"

Gongsun Xun laughed again at these words: "What does Brother Ziheng think?"

"I think these goods and wealth are not worth mentioning." Lu Fan held the other's hand, but his expression suddenly changed to a cold sneer. "Today you yourself said it — could this Lu Ziheng possibly remain poor his entire life? If you don't give me these goods and wealth, will I be unable to earn them myself in the future?"

Gongsun Xun's face twitched, and for a moment he could not utter a word.

"And this matter of the silk shoes," Lu Fan continued, pointing down at his feet with a hint of mockery. "Those worn-out shoes of mine — from the time we met at the charity lodge, I wore them before you for a full half-month. And you, Young Master Gongsun, are meticulous enough to have inquired into the matter between me and the Liu family, meticulous enough to notice the traces of my betrothed eavesdropping — how could you possibly not have known I was wearing a pair of worn-out shoes all along? Yet not only did you not mention it, when I was capped you gave me only robes and a cap, but no shoes... Were all these actions not deliberate preparations for today's 'removing the shoes and putting them on me'? Young Master Gongsun, you are still too young; you always think others too foolish!"

Gongsun Xun was profoundly embarrassed and could only force a smile: "It seems I underestimated Brother Ziheng. The price I offered was far too low!"

Lu Fan burst into loud laughter at this, and only after he finished laughing did he nod: "Indeed it was too low. Let me speak plainly — these paltry goods and that little drama of removing the shoes and putting them on me are not enough to buy this 'steadfast in poverty' Master Lu!"

Gongsun Xun grew even more embarrassed... After all, he was a young man not yet capped. Even if the composure he had cultivated ordinarily was enough to keep him from blushing, in his heart he already wanted nothing more than to flee. It was only because the other man kept hold of his hands that he was forced to remain sitting there in discomfort.

Yet, just when the situation had reached its most awkward extreme, Lu Fan suddenly released his hands of his own accord, then forced himself up by gripping the bed frame and rose to his feet... Then, first he raised his hands to his forehead as in a salutation, and with effort bent at the waist — this is called the bow; then he straightened up, dropped both knees to the ground simultaneously, and slowly prostrated himself, palms to the floor, forehead touching the backs of his hands — this is called the prostration; then he raised his torso while bringing his hands together to the level of his eyebrows — this is called the rising!

This entire sequence of movements constituted the most formal and solemn regular obeisance in Han ritual, a ceremonial act reserved for occasions of the utmost gravity.

And so, at this reversal... Gongsun Xun, sitting on the bed, was utterly dumbfounded, both startled and doubtful, completely at a loss for how to respond.

"Young Master!" After laboriously performing this obeisance, the visibly drunk Lu Fan did not wait for any response from the other, but simply pulled himself back onto the edge of the bed by its frame. It was afternoon, and sunlight streamed through the window paper; as he sat back, Lu Fan's eyes were visibly red-rimmed. "Those goods and wealth, these silk shoes — they are indeed not enough to buy me. But if you add the two questions you asked on my behalf today in my father-in-law's courtyard, before all the notables of our county... then that is enough to buy today's Lu Ziheng! As the saying goes, the scholar dies for the one who knows his worth. Young Master, you know my worth so deeply — the only thing I, Lu Fan, can do is to acknowledge you as my lord and offer my service!"

Leaving aside the wild swings of emotion, when he heard that final sentence, Gongsun Xun was even more stunned into speechlessness!

One must understand, he had merely thought this man, who attended upon Lu Zhi, was both astute and capable, and so he wanted to take him into his service. That way, he himself could live a bit more comfortably under the gaze of Lu Zhi, who placed such immense pressure on him... He had never imagined anything like the other man acknowledging him as his lord! One must realize, Han Dang was someone with whom he had faced life and death, a fellow villager, and a martial man of low social status. Even so, Han Dang had only followed him as a retainer in a relationship that was half lord-and-servant, half guest.

And this Lu Fan, though also the son of a humble family, was nonetheless a nominal disciple of Lu Zhi, a man with the status of a scholar. Why would he go so far as to perform the formal rites and acknowledge him — an uncapped scholar — as his lord?

"Young Master, you need not be perplexed," Lu Fan said frankly, bracing himself against the bed. "That I, Lu Fan, acknowledge you as my lord today is not an act of self-debasement. On the contrary, it is for the sake of my own wealth and honor! I will not hide it from you, Young Master — I have set my sights on your future prospects. Though at this moment your talents are not yet fully formed and your methods still somewhat lacking, your origins are excellent, your family is immensely wealthy, you have connections to men like Liu Kuan and Teacher Lu, and more importantly, you can recognize talent and accept men of ability... Young Master, if you can see that I, Lu Fan, a son of a solitary household with bare walls, will not 'remain steadfast in poverty,' can I not see that you will soar to great heights? My father-in-law, after much deliberation, knew to look to the future — do I lack even his vision and boldness? What I, Lu Ziheng, seek is precisely to attach myself to your swift steed's tail, and by this means, to no longer 'remain steadfast in poverty'!"

Gongsun Xun's expression shifted slightly. Only after a long while did he speak: "If that is the case, this matter must absolutely not be known to Teacher Lu."

"That goes without saying," Lu Fan said with a laugh. "Teacher would never permit such a thing among his disciples. Why else would I have closed the door and performed the rites here in secret? Tomorrow, when we leave this house and return to Mount Goushi, you and I will still be fellow disciples. Please, Young Master, still call me Brother Ziheng, and I will still call you Brother Xun... But when your studies are complete, whether you return to Liaoxi or go elsewhere, I, Lu Fan, will surely be at your side, before the saddle and behind the horse, following you to the very end!"

Gongsun Xun finally nodded slowly: "Good!"

"Lu Fan, courtesy name Ziheng, was a man of Xiyang in Runan, of handsome bearing and appearance, and studied together with the Yan Grand Ancestor under Lu Zhi. Among the townspeople was the Liu family, whose household was wealthy and whose daughter was beautiful; Fan sought her hand. The girl's father disliked him and wished to refuse. At that time, the Grand Ancestor was at his side, so he pushed through the crowd and asked: 'A gentleman may be poor, but does Lord Liu think that Brother Ziheng will be poor for a lifetime?' The girl's father could not answer. His daughter, Miss Liu, standing behind the wall, then asked: 'Young Master Lu is indeed poor, but will he remain poor forever?' The girl's father, hard-pressed from both sides, sighed and then agreed to the marriage. Later, it was sung throughout the county: 'Young Master Lu is indeed poor, but will Young Master Lu remain poor forever?' And so it became a celebrated tale." — *Old Book of Yan*, Volume 68, Biography 18

PS: There is also a new book group, 684558115; interested students may join.

(End of Chapter)