Chapter 41: A Plea for Harmony

At noon, Liu Kuan casually cast aside his official robes and seal of office in the small courtyard at the foot of Goushi Mountain, then changed into a light, cool set of silk clothes… Ahem, he also took the chance to study the four-cornered undergarment, a style of dress rarely seen in Luoyang. After that, he followed Gongsun Yue straight toward the rear of Goushi Mountain.

When he arrived, it was exactly as the other had said, without the slightest exaggeration.

Looking out from a distance, he saw lush green grass like a painting beneath the cool shade, and winding streams with floating wine cups upon the creek. There was also fine grape wine accompanied by fresh fruits and vegetables, tall-capped scholars laughing and chatting, and lightly clad young servants… And those students and disciples who constantly attended him — Wang Yi, Fu Xie, Xu You, and the rest — were indeed all present, not one missing. There were even some other disciples he only vaguely remembered, also here. Clearly, this was Gongsun Zan’s doing. Beyond that, Lu Zhi was also seated on a large rock, smiling cheerfully as he spoke with his own students, a rare sight.

Faced with such a scene, Liu Kuan could not help himself. Just as he was about to step forward, a maidservant came up to meet him, bearing a wooden bowl of bright red grape wine.

The current Superintendent of the Imperial Household said not a word. He took the wine bowl directly and swallowed a mouthful, feeling a sweet fragrance fill his mouth along with a considerable cooling breath. In an instant, the summer heat completely dissipated.

“Marvelous! Was it chilled in a deep well cellar for a full day beforehand?” Liu Kuan could not help asking after the jolt of refreshment.

“Just as you say, Teacher.” Gongsun Yue, standing nearby, quickly replied with a smile. “And once it’s brought out and the jar is opened, you must also place the wine jar in the stream to be washed over. It’s said this can preserve the coolness and drive away the summer heat…”

“Where exactly do you wash it?” Liu Kuan asked curiously.

Gongsun Yue very naturally looked toward the maidservant who had delivered the wine.

“Downstream in the creek,” the maidservant answered carefully. From the sound of it, she had a bit of a lisp.

“How can you put it downstream?” Liu Kuan, holding the wine bowl in one hand, suddenly slapped his thigh with the other. “If it spills, wouldn’t the wine’s fragrance be wasted? It should be placed upstream.”

“Place it upstream — do it at once!” Gongsun Yue immediately ordered.

The maidservant and the other servants behind her naturally hurried to comply.

“Thank you for your trouble.” As he spoke, Liu Kuan, disregarding all propriety, directly patted the maidservant on the shoulder with one hand and offered a word of appreciation… The Goguryeo maidservant, who had only recently learned enough Han speech, was so startled she nearly toppled over.

Having given this instruction, and seeing that the large group over there was about to rise to welcome him, Liu Kuan hastily raised his cup from afar and walked over quickly with a smile: “My young friends, sit, all of you sit! Ah, how can you all rise just for one old and decrepit man like me? Zigan, you are a fortunate man indeed!”

The group of young scholars would not actually sit back down, of course, but Lu Zhi glanced at him and, without any courtesy, cradled his wine cup and sat back down where he was… Liu Kuan did not mind in the slightest and continued to approach, beaming.

Gongsun Yue and Gongsun Xun, who was mingling among the scholars who had risen to greet him, exchanged a glance and each smiled, both smoothly melting into the crowd of young scholars.

Great Confucians and scholars, fine wine and delicacies, floating cups on winding water, reciting poetry and chanting the classics… This atmosphere was simply too perfectly suited to the Confucian scholar-official’s ideal of life’s pleasures. In truth, in such a setting, even the most rigid Fu Xie and the most unrestrained Liu Bei could enjoy themselves together, let alone everyone else.

And so, as the afternoon arrived, most of those present were somewhat tipsy and grew increasingly unrestrained. Many began to scatter and sit in small groups with their cups. Around the stone that had been the center of attention for Lu Zhi and Liu Kuan, only a handful of people like the Gongsun brothers remained in attendance.

“I never would have imagined.” Under the shade of a tree by the creek, Xu You, who had just strolled over, could not help clicking his tongue repeatedly after tasting the grape wine. “That I, Xu Ziyuan, would ever get to enjoy such a life… Do you fellow disciples remember that just a few years ago, this grape wine was the most precious treasure under heaven?”

“It is still a treasure today,” Wang Yi, seated beneath the tree, immediately retorted upon hearing this. “As far as I know, while brewing the wine is easy, the grapes themselves are exceedingly hard to find. If grapes are grown in Liangzhou and the Western Regions, the yield is certainly abundant, but once made into wine, it is difficult to preserve. If you produce several dan, and half a dou survives the journey to the capital, that is already tremendous luck. And if you grow them in the interior, they can only be planted near warm springs. Yet some warm springs are said to lack sufficient yang energy, and the grapes that grow there are of extremely poor quality. That is why, even today, this grape wine remains one of the four famous delicacies of Luoyang.”

“Isn’t that the truth?” Xu You drained his cup in one gulp, then slapped his thigh. “It is only thanks to Brother Xun’s generosity that we can enjoy such a thing in the height of summer.”

Having partaken of another’s hospitality, Wang Yi did not argue back: “Junior Brother Xun may come from a border commandery, but he truly has the righteousness to share his wealth. In a few more years, he will surely be unable to avoid a reputation for ‘hospitality.’”

“But all this expense and painstaking effort by Brother Xun may not necessarily be of any use,” Xu You first nodded slightly, but when he spoke again, his tone shifted, drawing sidelong glances from the few people under the tree’s shade. “Our two teachers harbor misgivings toward each other in their hearts, and may not be willing to accept his gesture.”

“What do you mean by that, Brother Ziyuan?” Fu Xie, who was sitting nearby but had been unwilling to engage Xu You all along, frowned at these words. “Teacher Liu and Lord Lu are both great Confucians of the realm. Though one is lenient and the other strict, their personalities quite different, both are men of lofty virtue and have always shared a deep personal friendship. How could they harbor misgivings?”

“Virtue is virtue, and misgivings are misgivings. Are men of high virtue not allowed to hold grievances against one another?” Xu You tossed his empty wine cup lightly to the ground, then stroked his beard and gave a cold laugh. “You, Fu Xie, may come from the remote borderlands of Beidi Commandery, but you have studied the classics in Luoyang for some time now. Do you truly not understand the dispute between the New Text and Old Text schools? Do you know that a few days ago, Lord Lu once again submitted a memorial to the court, earnestly requesting that the Old Text be established as official learning? His Majesty was nearly swayed. Yet at today’s formal court assembly, the various lords of the central administration once again suppressed this proposal, clearly intending to ignore the great flourishing of the Old Text in the lands east of the mountains… Under such circumstances, how could Lord Lu possibly give Teacher Liu a pleasant face?”

Hearing this, everyone could not help but look toward Lu Zhi and Liu Kuan, who were seated over there. Sure enough, knowing some of the inside story now, whether it was Liu Kuan’s cheerful smiles or Lu Zhi’s expressionless face, both seemed to carry a different meaning.

“It is only Brother Xun and his brothers who suffer for it,” Xu You said, pointing from afar at the three Gongsun brothers, who had been attending closely upon Lu Zhi and Liu Kuan. “They came from the border commandery of Liaoxi — how could they understand these disputes? At the time, Lord Lu was far away in Jiujiang, and Teacher Liu, cherishing their talent, took all three of them under his wing. Who could have guessed that he would unintentionally wedge the three brothers into a crack, leaving them in a difficult position? Earlier, they were already forced to split up and serve the two teachers separately. Now, these two respected elders, who once shared such a close personal bond, have developed further misgivings over this matter, and the brothers must again strive to reconcile them… And judging by the situation over there, I fear the two honored teachers are not very receptive… Truly hard on them!”

Fu Xie’s frown deepened at these words: “For a gentleman, political views are political views, and personal friendship is personal friendship. How can disputes in the court be allowed to damage years of personal friendship, and even cause hardship to one’s own disciples? What the Gongsun brothers are doing is correct. Moreover, if a rift has formed between our honored teachers, we cannot simply sit here drinking and enjoying ourselves — we should go together and try to persuade them as well!”

With that, this young scholar, who cherished the ways of the ancient gentleman, set down his wine cup and stood up, actually intending to go directly and mediate between Liu Kuan and Lu Zhi.

Most of those seated were momentarily stunned, but after a moment’s thought, they too rose one after another and followed — not to mention that they had often benefited from the Gongsun brothers’ generosity in the past, even just having drunk so much fine grape wine today obligated them to go and put in a word!

Besides, wasn’t there already someone taking the lead? If the two honored teachers were truly displeased, there was no fear of the rod falling on one’s own back.

And indeed, as word spread from one to two, from two to three, seeing that so many were going to pay their respects, it became difficult for the others to play dead even if they wanted to. In the end, the disciples of both teachers all rose and, led by Fu Xie, Wang Yi, Zhen Yi, and others, went to petition the two honored teachers!

Thus, a moment later, even with Lu Zhi’s and Liu Kuan’s exceptional mastery of self-cultivation, they could not help but be awkward and speechless… After all, certain facts were laid out plainly, and they simply could not refute them. And once a crowd gathered, refutation was no longer accepted anyway:

Had Teacher Lu’s recent memorial been buried by Teacher Liu and the other high court officials? Did the two of them belong to two opposing factions engaged in court strife?

Were the Gongsun brothers not caught in a difficult position between them? And did today’s banquet not have the purpose of easing the relationship between the two teachers?

And today, had Teacher Lu not kept a stern face the entire time, while Teacher Liu had been all smiles, trying to engage Teacher Lu in conversation?

None of that was wrong, was it? And if it was not wrong… then there certainly was a rift between you! And for gentlemen and great Confucians to have a rift between them is improper and must be corrected!

Oh, you say the previous points are all correct, but Teacher Lu simply always likes to keep a stern face and was not angry… That does not hold — it must be a pretext! Surely a pretext!

“Therefore, we beseech the two honored teachers to set aside their prejudices and not damage the friendship of gentlemen!” Fu Xie’s words were earnest and his expression solemn. He even bowed repeatedly in salute, looking as if he was about to lead everyone to kneel and beg forgiveness. “The strife between the Old Text and New Text schools is already of no benefit to the state. If our two teachers now develop a personal rift as well, will it not mean that we disciples, who converse so happily today, will also split into two factions in the future and attack one another?”

“Ahem!” At this, not only the tolerant Liu Kuan, but even the usually stern Lu Zhi could no longer hold his composure. The two exchanged a glance, clearly preparing to stage a reconciliation first to muddle through.

But just at that moment, another person who could barely be considered involved, Gongsun Zan, suddenly stepped forward and bowed to the vast, dark crowd of scholars before him. His voice was extraordinarily loud and immediately commanded the scene: “My fellow senior and junior brothers, please calm yourselves for a moment. Zan has a word to say, and I ask you all to hear me out.”

Seeing someone step forward to rescue them, Liu Kuan and Lu Zhi naturally breathed a sigh of relief. And the scholars, who had only come over in the first place for the sake of the grape wine, naturally would not deny the Gongsun brothers face.

“My fellow brothers.” Only after the scene had settled did Gongsun Zan cup his hands again. “I, Gongsun Zan, first thank you all on behalf of my two younger brothers… In truth, I will not hide it from you — we brothers were indeed worried that court strife would cause a rift between our two teachers as well. That is why we organized this midsummer countryside outing, in the hope that the two of you might shake hands and make peace.”

Even with Lu Zhi’s self-cultivation honed to perfection, his expression could not help but change drastically at this phrase… Shake hands and make peace with Liu Kuan, who disliked washing his hands? How disgusting!

“However,” Gongsun Bogui said with a rueful smile, “it was only while attending upon the two honored teachers just now that I understood we had been worrying over nothing. How lofty is the moral integrity of our two teachers? How could they possibly do something that would put us disciples in a difficult position? I, Gongsun Zan, tell you plainly: the two honored teachers have not developed the slightest misgiving!”

Liu Kuan and Lu Zhi both nodded in satisfaction, a rare moment of agreement, and even stroked their beards in unison.

“And not only that.” Gongsun Zan suddenly lowered his head and continued with a smile. “From what I understand, Teacher Liu’s visit here is very much on behalf of the various lords of the court, to seek out Teacher Lu and bridge the dispute between the Old Text and New Text schools. It is simply that this matter is of great importance, and in their earnest discussions, caution upon caution was inevitable — which is what led to everyone’s misunderstanding… Teacher Liu?”

Liu Kuan, who was already bewildered and uncertain, was suddenly addressed and for a moment did not know how to respond.

“It was I, your student, who spoke rashly.” Seeing this, Gongsun Zan hastily lowered his head and begged pardon. “I was merely making presumptuous guesses. And even if I guessed correctly, such a matter should not have been spoken aloud. It was only because my fellow brothers had misunderstood that I felt compelled to tell you…”

“It’s nothing, nothing!” Liu Kuan, half-drunk, first gave a dry laugh, then immediately burst into hearty laughter. “In truth, I won’t hide it from you young men — Lord Yang, the Grand Master of Splendid Happiness, has been charged with overseeing the Xiping Stone Classics. And my visit today was indeed entrusted by him to privately discuss this Old Text and New Text dispute with Lord Lu… I never imagined that Bogui would be so astute as to perceive a hint of it, nor that you students would grow suspicious and come to mediate first. This matter is indeed my fault. I should… I should punish myself with three bowls. Is there any of this grape wine left?”

Gongsun Zan was the first to laugh heartily, and immediately the crowd of young scholars roared with laughter as well, startling birds into flight and beasts into scattering across the mountain wilds. Gongsun Yue hurriedly brought over another jar of grape wine to attend to Liu Kuan… Only Lu Zhi’s expression remained unchanged, and he said nothing more, still standing proudly to one side — unaware that Gongsun Xun, who was clapping and laughing along with the crowd, was stealing glances at him.

And gradually, the latter finally set his heart at ease.

“Righteousness submits the spirits of the land; Benevolence makes walls of iron and stone bow low. Gong Sui and Liu Kuan alike warm and nurture; Zhang Fei and Guan Yu too fiercely charge.” — “Complete Yan Poems,” Dharma Master Guanxiu

PS: Congratulations, the saved drafts have completely vanished… Also, new book group: 684558115. Interested students may join.

(End of Chapter)