Chapter 455: A Frosty Moon Over the Wei River, a Single Fishing Pole

Night had fallen, yet the atmosphere in Chang’an remained grim and oppressive.

Throughout the long streets and short alleys, mounted patrols and armored soldiers bearing torches moved everywhere, accompanied by officials from the Metropolitan Commandant and the Chang’an Magistrate shouting the curfew order, forbidding residents from leaving their homes without authorization and demanding prompt reports of any intruders. The city gates were all tightly shut; garrison troops lit braziers atop the walls, and both in the brightly lit areas above and in the shadows at the foot of the walls, detachments circled along the ramparts on patrol to prevent anyone from slipping away. Weiyang Palace, Changle Palace, Guangming Palace, the offices of the Three Excellencies and Nine Ministers, the armory, the granaries, and the treasury were all taken over by elite troops from Yecheng, with entry and exit forbidden without permission — even eunuchs bearing imperial edicts were turned back. With iron armor clanking, horse hooves thudding, bare blades gleaming, and torchlight dazzling, Chang’an seemed to have returned in a single day to that unbearable period five years past.

In all fairness, most intelligent people had foreseen this scene — otherwise so many would not have already fled east to Yecheng, not to mention the surging undercurrents within Chang’an over the past year and more, and the open confrontation Gongsun Xun had with certain high officials on the Ba Bridge just days ago.

Yet when the matter truly arrived, everyone still found it hard to accept. But then again, now that things had reached this point, how could one pretend to be deaf and dumb and stay aloof?

So it is with people — so contradictory and laughable. Knowing full well what will happen, they still insist on acting as they will. Over the years, it is merely a reenactment of certain fragments, yet somehow one never tires of watching.

The residence of the former Chancellor Dong Zhuo, earlier the Grand Commandant’s mansion, and now the General of the Guards’ mansion — as the place that truly determined the course of events and the fate of certain people, it possessed instead a sense of calm within the eye of the storm. When the various parties arrived at the mansion, the blood-spattered soldiers and cavalry were mostly dismissed on the spot, with only a small contingent remaining outside. Zhang Liao entered with only a few men to report. Wang Yun and his son Wang Bin, just four people in all, were detained by armored guards in the courtyard outside the hall. The accompanying high officials, however, all entered the hall and took their seats. Combined with the utterly unruffled demeanor of the household staff, this produced an eerie, tranquil atmosphere starkly different from the rest of the city.

Not only that, after the high officials were seated in the hall, before they even saw Gongsun Xun himself, attendants thoughtfully served tea broth and supper. The soup was a vegetable and flour gruel, accompanied by two small side dishes — scrambled eggs and stewed pork — and finally clear tea. It was remarkably considerate of the appetites and constitutions of this group of elderly men.

And here one could see the differences between people. Some cowered and trembled, utterly unable to eat such a suitable supper. Others were as relaxed as if in their own homes, chewing slowly and deliberately as the "Immortal Physician" and "Sage Physician" had advised. Still others, like Liu Yu and Huang Wan, were indeed advanced in years and had toiled the entire day; however anxious they were, they had to take some food and water to sustain themselves, yet they could not conceal the matters weighing on their hearts, and so ate with a certain agitation.

Thus, the assembled high officials, some hastily and some slowly, all more or less finished their meal. Only then did Gongsun Xun, accompanied by just a few attendants, enter the hall from a side door — neither making those who had finished wait too long, nor deliberately startling or intimidating anyone.

But regardless, once he took his seat behind the desk at the head of the hall, the entire assembly fell solemnly silent. Grand Commandant Liu Yu exchanged glances several times with Huang Wan, Yang Biao, and the others, and was just about to speak when the man at the head of the hall suddenly spoke first.

"I am fully aware of today's events. The Colonel of the City Gates, Dong Cheng — ha!" Gongsun Xun began to discuss the matter, but unexpectedly, as soon as he spoke, he could not help but cover his forehead and laugh. Only after a long pause could he barely continue, and with extreme brevity. "I can only say that State Father Dong has truly surprised me. What do you all think?"

At Gongsun Xun's loss of composure, the assembled high officials, along with the many accompanying Two Thousand Shi officials of the city, grew even more solemn upon hearing this. In truth, for these loyalists of the Han, the greatest problem in today's events lay precisely with Dong Cheng.

The situation as they understood it was this: that morning, several key officials had voluntarily come to the General of the Guards’ mansion to denounce Wang Yun and three imperial in-laws for plotting to assassinate the General of the Guards. Gongsun Xun had immediately moved to arrest them, but armed conflict had erupted starting with the very first, Dong Cheng, leading to this entire enormous affair.

On the other hand, after matters spiraled out of control, Wang Yun had voluntarily sought out Liu Yu and the others, admitting that there had indeed been gatherings, but only to discuss returning governance to the Son of Heaven, absolutely without any intent of assassination or armed rebellion. He truly had no knowledge of Dong Cheng's actions.

Furthermore, Wang Yun had disclosed the "truth" to the leading figures among the high officials — Liu Yu, Yang Biao, Huang Wan, Shi Sunrui, Zhao Qian, and others — namely, that the three imperial in-laws had not actually participated in the gatherings, and that the several denouncers had been ordered to bring false intelligence to confuse and mislead, the original intent being to make the General of the Guards overlook Wang Zishi's real scheme to contact Liu Yan, Ma Teng, and Han Sui.

However, Wang Yun had absolutely not anticipated — first, that Gongsun Xun would act so decisively, and second, that Dong Cheng would actually have made some "additional" preparations.

This was what led to the great calamity!

To be honest, Liu Yu and the others were willing to believe Wang Yun, especially since the denouncing ministers and vice ministers had already sent them timely messages. Now that both sides' accounts corroborated each other, there was even less need to say more.

But belief aside, the problem now was: how to explain the matter of Dong Cheng?!

They could not very well tell the truth, could they?

If they told the truth, Gongsun Xun would certainly execute those denouncers immediately as well! Wang Yun would not escape the blade either! Better not to try to save them at all!

But if they did not tell the truth, how were they to save Wang Yun and Wang Bin? The matter of Dong Cheng was truly inexplicable!

The moment they moved to arrest him, four or five hundred men suddenly appeared, clad in iron armor and wielding long weapons, charging straight for the armory behind Beique Avenue. Thousands clashed in armed conflict on Beique Avenue, with hundreds of casualties. Warhorses, iron armor, long spears, bows and crossbows — nothing was lacking. This fundamentally changed the nature of the matter. What had been a so-called case was now a military coup.

The former, no matter what, could be debated and argued with Gongsun Xun using law and reason. The latter was beyond reasoning.

Therefore, when Gongsun Xun opened his mouth to speak of Dong Cheng and could not help but lose composure and laugh, the high officials in the hall were instead directly checkmated. To be honest, they had thought Gongsun Xun was laughing out of extreme rage!

"General of the Guards!" Liu Yu had no choice. In the end, he rose and came to the center of the hall, bowing deeply to the ground.

After all, while others could avoid this matter, he, as Grand Commandant overseeing the Masters of Writing and a key minister of the imperial clan, could not.

And no matter what, even if his fear of Gongsun Xun had never disappeared in his heart, this nominal representative of the Han had to do his utmost to save Wang Yun and Wang Bin. This was not only because of his own status and the status of Wang Bin and Wang Yun, but more importantly, he understood better than anyone Gongsun Xun's strength and resolve, and understood better than anyone the frailty of the so-called Han grand situation. Even now, many still did not believe that Gongsun Xun, who had always been reasonable and law-abiding, would one day truly act ruthlessly, would truly do something to the young Son of Heaven, to the Han. But such people absolutely did not include Liu Yu.

It was precisely because he truly understood the possible cruel consequences that Liu Yu had to struggle with all his might — a gentle struggle, a struggle that avoided violent means, doing everything possible to prevent or delay the direct confrontation that might occur.

Perhaps only in this way, by waiting for the Gongsun clan to defeat itself, could he hope that one day the glory of the Han might be restored.

"Grand Commandant." Gongsun Xun did not raise his head. Covering his forehead and laughing, he knew it was Liu Yu from the voice alone. "Dong Cheng..."

"General of the Guards, this old man believes that this matter was truly the act of Dong Cheng alone!" Liu Yu forced himself to stand straight and spoke with a solemn expression. "Since the chaos of Dong Zhuo, Chang'an has not seen armed conflict for five or six years. Yet Dong Cheng secretly stored armor and weapons in his home, and today even intended to seize the armory. To say he harbored no treasonous intent — I fear no one would believe it! Thus his fate today is merely reaping what he sowed! But the actions of Dong Cheng alone do not mean that the Right General of the Household (Wang Bin) and the Grand Palace Grandee (Wang Yun) were also involved. If the General of the Guards does not believe this, you may search their homes as you please — there is absolutely no contraband whatsoever!"

"Grand Commandant, do you mean to say..." Gongsun Xun finally raised his head, yet still faced him with a mocking smile, "that these four were clearly colluding in secret, but only Dong Cheng harbored malicious intent, and the other three were entirely unconnected to Dong Cheng's actions today? Then what were the four of them colluding about?"

"General of the Guards!" Liu Yu knew that if the matter were truly pursued, the holes would only multiply, because the accounts from Wang Yun, Wang Bin, and the denouncing ministers and vice ministers completely failed to match up, which would only give Gongsun Xun more pretexts. He decided to lay it bare. "At this point, do you truly not know what they were colluding about? It was nothing more than a group of imperial in-laws, a few close ministers of the Son of Heaven, and one out-of-power former chief minister, seeking power by leveraging the Son of Heaven's gradual coming of age. But in seeking power, some follow the rules, some merely act in the partisan fashion, accustomed to forming factions in secret. Only Dong Cheng, though of the Hejian Dong clan, acted in the manner of a Liangzhou military chief, the most extreme of them, which led to today's disaster!"

"Grand Commandant." Gongsun Xun finally stopped laughing. "Dong Cheng's case is settled. I also believe that Wang Zishi and the Right General of the Household have no military stores at home. But what of Fu Wan?"

Liu Yu froze, and his face immediately turned deathly pale. Nor was he alone — many of the high officials seated in the hall all changed color.

"You see, this is precisely the problem." Gongsun Xun spread one hand from his seat. "In Fu Wan's home, there were only ordinary bows, arrows, swords, and a few pieces of old armor, and the men were merely common servants. According to your argument, he too, like the two Wangs, should have had no intention of using armed force to seize power. But while you were dining, I heard from Zhang Wenyuan that when he arrived at Fu Wan's residence, all six sons of the Fu clan, knowing full well that Dong Cheng's uprising had failed, still took up arms and resisted, openly acting as enemies. What does this mean? You say their collusion was merely for power, and the thought of armed action belonged to Dong Cheng alone. But I could point to Fu Wan and say that they all shared this intent to perish together, only they had not yet finished their preparations, while the two Wangs, seeing that the matter was truly beyond salvaging, came to you seeking a way out. Would that not also be plausible?"

"General of the Guards... Wenqi!" Liu Yu struggled to hold on, a pleading tone now in his voice. "Perhaps it was only Dong Cheng and Fu Wan. Or perhaps Fu Wan, proud of his clan's generations as imperial in-laws, had a more fiery temperament..."

"Lord Boan!" Hearing this, Gongsun Xun abruptly rose and stepped away from his seat toward the lower part of the hall. Only then did everyone notice that he wore no sword at his waist. "Now that matters have reached this point, let us not speak in riddles. I am accustomed to laying everything out openly, as you know. The situation now is this: among those already dead, Dong Cheng's guilt is beyond dispute, and Fu Wan brought disaster upon himself. As for the remaining two Wangs, you keep saying 'perhaps' and 'maybe' — it is nothing but sophistry."

Liu Yu was momentarily speechless.

"However, I also do not wish to casually summon witnesses, lest I ruin the reputations and identities of those who came forward," Gongsun Xun said lightly as he walked past Liu Yu. "After all, they came to me, and I must consider their interests. Nor do I wish to simply throw them into prison and gain a reputation for extracting confessions under torture. In other words, at this moment, for the two Wangs, there is indeed no solid evidence — it is what is called a case of suspicion, is it not?"

"Indeed!" Liu Yu hastily agreed. Gongsun Xun's unwillingness to expose the denouncers suited his purposes perfectly.

"Then, Lord Boan, I concede this much and accept that it is a case of suspicion." Gongsun Xun circled around and came to stand before him, speaking with a solemn expression. "But since ancient times, when it comes to plotting treason, to contending for the power to govern, has there ever been a principle of 'innocent until proven guilty' in cases of suspicion? You see, this is not petty theft!"

Liu Yu was immediately driven back against the wall again. Even Yang Biao, Huang Wan, and the others behind him fell silent. The matter was just that hopeless. Even if Gongsun Xun was willing to be reasonable, and even without producing witnesses or using torture, since ancient times, in matters tantamount to exterminating a clan, how could there be a presumption of innocence in cases of suspicion?

It had always been that the slightest suspicion led to collective punishment!

From the moment Dong Cheng revealed his armed forces, reasoning was destined to be futile.

"But to kill without evidence would also hardly win hearts!" Liu Yu no longer knew what to say and could only argue weakly. "General of the Guards, this matter is not like Liangzhou. Your annexation of Liangzhou was a just and legitimate undertaking. But what of Chang'an? If this blade is not sheathed now, the chaos will not be confined to Chang'an — it will spread throughout Guanzhong, and even the entire realm! Since before the first year of Jian'an, Chang'an, Guanzhong, and the realm at large have been largely at peace for several years. Everyone knows this is your achievement. Can you bear to destroy with your own hands the grand situation you yourself brought about?"

"Why not?" Gongsun Xun was silent for a moment, as if stirred, but then suddenly raised his voice in retort. "What I have built, I can destroy. Those I have raised, I can ruin. Besides, the prior stability of the realm was always a temporary state — it could not last forever."

"Today, of the realm's power, three-tenths lies with Cao and Liu, two-tenths with the other lords, one-tenth with the Son of Heaven, and four-tenths with you, my lord!" With countless high officials behind him, Liu Yu no longer wished to speak any polite formalities. "Among them, that Cao and Liu could consider the greater good and support each other for two years already marks them as heroes of rare ability. But can they continue to unite all the other lords of the realm under your watchful eye? I fear that even their own alliance will soon be unsustainable. Whatever you wish to do, you can in fact do it. But if you act with such utter recklessness, how will future generations regard you? And with such recklessness, how can you yourself endure? General of the Guards, Wenqi, once this precedent is set, do you not fear that those who come after will repeat the deeds of those who came before? The Han has endured four hundred years — you must plan for your descendants!"

These words seemed disjointed, yet the majority of the high officials in the hall understood them, and they either could not hide their sorrow or burned with indignation. After all, those who could come at this time were mostly those who cherished the Han in their hearts.

Gongsun Xun clearly understood as well. He fell silent again, clasped his hands behind his back, and paced several times around behind Liu Yu before finally asking softly, "Lord Boan, I understand your difficulties, and I truly do not wish to set this vile precedent. But in a matter like this, if I simply let it go, not only will some fools misjudge the situation, but even my own subordinates will not be convinced, will they? Dong Cheng mobilized armed troops — I must establish my authority!"

This time it was Liu Yu's turn to fall silent.

"What about dismissal and exile?" Huang Wan, knowing the hope was slim, still forced himself to ask.

"The Superintendent of the Imperial Household jests. In such a matter, how can hearts be won without killing?" The one who answered Huang Wan was not Gongsun Xun, but Xi Zhong, who had entered the hall with Gongsun Xun at the start and now stood inside the side door of the main hall. "Besides, several hundred have died today. It naturally began with killing, and must end with killing."

Many in the hall recognized Xi Zhong, and no one reproached him for speaking out of turn, but...

"But if you kill them, does that not bring us full circle?" Seeing an opening, Yang Biao quickly rose to join in. "General of the Guards, now that matters have reached this point, if you truly harbor even a slight intent to compromise, the only way is for both sides to take a step back — there is no other method. What about exiling their entire clans to Liaodong?"

"What crime have their clansmen committed? In such a matter, if the chief culprits are not executed, it is as if nothing was done!" Under the lamplight, it was again Xi Zhong who raised his voice in reply. "As I said before, today's events have already cost several hundred lives — why implicate more?"

"Then what else can be done?!" Shi Sunrui also stood. "To remain deadlocked like this — is that not the same as saying nothing at all?"

"I have an idea!" Xi Zhong suddenly laughed. "Since it is a matter of each side taking a step back... My lord, what if only one of the two Wangs is killed? The other, my lord, in your name as General-in-Chief, could simply be pardoned!"

Everyone in the hall was stunned. Gongsun Xun, who had been standing to the side behind Liu Yu, gazing out of the hall, also seemed moved. "Kill whom, and pardon whom?"

"Since you have all come to plead, why not let you decide among yourselves?" Xi Zhong promptly followed up.

"Excellent!" Before the assembled ministers could react, Gongsun Xun raised his head, turned his back to Liu Yu, and addressed the hall loudly to settle the matter. "Today, for the sake of your faces, I shall pardon one man and must also execute one... Here there is only food, no lodging. All of you, leave the hall and go home now! After leaving, those who wish Wang Yun to live, walk to the right; those who wish Wang Bin to live, walk to the left... That will settle it!"

As soon as his voice fell, dozens of armored soldiers surged from the side doors of the great hall, forcing the ministers to leave immediately. Liu Yu turned back in a daze; Yang Biao simply slumped down in his seat. Outside in the brightly lit courtyard, Wang Bin with his two sons and Wang Yun all turned deathly pale, raising their heads in collective shock!

Knowing full well that stepping outside was tantamount to making a choice — as if killing a man with their own hands — the ministers all stood frozen like wooden chickens, not a single one daring to move. But Gongsun Xun paid them no heed whatsoever and withdrew on his own through a side door... For a time, only the dozens of armored soldiers sealing the side doors remained, hands on their blades, watching.

No one knew how long it was before Zhao Qian, the Grand Master of Palace Leisure, finally raised his head with a sigh and was the first to flick his sleeves and walk out: "The blade is in another's hand — what is there left for us to say?"

It must be said that Zhao Qian, whose family had produced two Excellencies over three generations, had his reasons for this remark... Back when Dong Zhuo was in power, he had once attempted to attack Yizhou. Because Zhao Qian was a native of Chengdu in Shu and the foremost aristocratic clan of Yizhou, Dong Zhuo had specially permitted him to use his family's prestige to recruit several thousand tribal troops around Hanzhong to take part in the campaign.

After Gongsun Xun destroyed Dong Zhuo, Zhao Qian had intended to keep his several thousand troops and wait near Sanguan. Unexpectedly, many court ministers, disliking his collaboration with Dong Zhuo, directly assisted Gongsun Xun in issuing an edict ordering him to disband his forces and return to Chang'an, where he had been left idle ever since.

In other words, Zhao Qian's words carried resentment — he blamed these ministers for not helping him keep those several thousand troops back then.

But none of that mattered now. Once someone took the lead, the remaining ministers, knowing there was no avoiding this, all followed suit and walked out. And as expected, eight or nine out of ten of these aristocratic ministers mostly walked to the right, clearly intending to save Wang Yun, Wang Zishi, a fellow minister of aristocratic lineage, while none cared in the slightest about Wang Bin and his sons, from a fallen household of Handan in Hebei. Or rather, at the final critical moment, no scholar-official cared about any consort kin.

Wang Bin's heart turned to ice. Beside him, Wang Yun, seeing a chance at life, was also momentarily lost in a daze, staring blankly at the great hall before him with unfocused eyes.

No one knew how long it was before Liu Boan also shuffled out of the hall, covering his face. The matter was finally settled — Wang Yun escaped with his life, was stripped of his titles and reduced to a commoner, and was immediately expelled from the General of the Guard's residence. Gongsun Xun specially permitted his nephew Wang Ling to escort him home.

A short while later, several armored soldiers led Wang Bin and his sons away from the courtyard to a secluded small courtyard at the back — clearly the place of execution.

"My general has a message he asked me to convey on his behalf." Arriving at the small courtyard, Zhang Ji, the leader of the Volunteer Retainers tasked with carrying out the execution, turned and spoke with a solemn expression. "He says, please do not resent him, Imperial Uncle. In such matters, there is no right or wrong. Once you enter the game, it can only be kill or be killed. And today, the one deciding to kill the Imperial Uncle is not him."

"What use is there in saying such things now? It is nothing more than a single blade." Facing death, Wang Bin, who had always been somewhat spineless, unexpectedly showed a measure of composure. He raised his head and answered, then turned and rebuked his two sons, who were already weeping with terror. "You two are cousins of the Son of Heaven. In this moment, you must show loyalty to the House of Han. Do not disgrace the bearing of imperial kin!"

Yet for all his words, one of Wang Bin's sons had just bound his hair, the other had just received his cap — they had experienced nothing and now met such a fate. How could they not be afraid? Even Wang Bin himself, about to rebuke them further, found himself unable to speak.

"The Imperial Uncle thinks too much!" Zhang Ji sighed. "How could my general be one to kill indiscriminately? Inside the room are white silk and poisoned wine. Please, Imperial Uncle, do as you see fit. The two young masters may wait here briefly and then collect the Imperial Uncle's body... Not only that, tomorrow, after the two young masters take leave of the Son of Heaven, they may take their family back to their ancestral home in Handan. So long as they no longer entangle themselves in such affairs, they may live out their lives in peace."

Father and sons were all stunned.

After a moment, Wang Bin's expression finally softened somewhat, and he slowly nodded: "I know the General of the Guard intends to use my life to divide people's hearts. But at this point, deep down, I still feel some gratitude... Please thank the General of the Guard on my behalf."

Zhang Ji slowly nodded.

"As for you two." Wang Bin turned back, and this time he could no longer hold back his tears. "To be able to live on is always good... I have two final words. You must remember them. First, after seeing the Son of Heaven tomorrow, even if His Majesty wishes it, you absolutely must not remain in the palace. You must immediately take the entire family back to our home in Handan. Second, once back in Handan, you are forbidden to harbor today's grudge. Regard it as though I died of illness during the relocation of the capital... If you truly find it hard to let go, then lay the blame solely on Wang Yun! You must live on well!"

The two Wang sons could not hold back their tears. But having said his piece, Wang Bin, fearing that further delay might affect his sons' handling of matters, hurried past the armored soldiers and entered the room on his own.

A moment later, after the armored soldiers reported back and Zhang Ji gave the signal, the two Wang sons, now free, forcibly suppressed their grief and personally carried their father's remains back to the residence of the General of the Household of the Right.

From a tower in the rear courtyard of the General of the Guard's residence, Gongsun Xun watched this scene from afar and could not help but shake his head in sorrow.

"My lord need not take it to heart," Jia Xu softly offered counsel at his side. "His death today will spare tens of thousands in the future. Besides, as imperial kin, unless he were to die of illness in a few days, even if he could evade it for a time, could he evade it forever?"

"What do I have to take to heart?" Gongsun Xun shook his head repeatedly. "Though this plan was Yuanchang's stratagem, I myself made the final decision. And besides, counting from my youth, have I seen few lives lost? How many were more innocent than him? It is only this genuine display of feeling between father and sons — watching from afar, it is like a gentleman passing by the kitchen. One naturally feels compassion; this is the fundamental goodness of human nature... To kill a man and yet be moved by his plight — is that not better than killing a man and feeling nothing at all?"

Jia Xu understood and fell silent. But another person, standing further back, slightly bowed upon hearing this: "My lord's words are of the greatest virtue. But if that is so, why does my lord still wait here in this high tower?"

Gongsun Xun said nothing. He kept his hands behind his back and watched until the two Wang sons and their father's corpse disappeared from view. Only then did he turn his gaze into the distance: "I came up here not to watch this scene, nor to see how those ministers would choose. It is only that tonight, Chang'an is rarely so brilliantly lit, and I thought to climb high and take a look at the city."

That person and the few other attendants suddenly understood. "Indeed, with all the palaces and city walls lit up at this hour, even I am seeing the nighttime outline of Weiyang Palace for the first time."

"It is only a pity that at month's end, there is no moon," Gongsun Xun added, raising his head to the sky. "Otherwise, one could ask: how many years has this moon shone upon Chang'an?"

Not just that person — the few men behind Gongsun Xun all showed faint smiles, seizing the chance to lighten the mood.

"Do not laugh," Gongsun Xun continued, gazing at the Chang'an cityscape before him, which held a different kind of beauty. "Today, my elder clan brother actually took the initiative to join the fight — he finally understood for once. But his personality is extreme and narrow-minded. After discussing it with Wenhe and Yuanchang, we all feel he is the best candidate to purge Chang'an... This is also why I summoned you. You must be extremely careful and take every precaution to protect yourself, lest you be accidentally harmed!"

"My lord, rest assured!" the person immediately replied. "I am fully prepared and will certainly make no mistakes."

"Better to be careful. This clan brother of mine... if you tell him, he won't listen; if he listens, he won't understand; if he understands, he won't change; if he changes, he'll err again; if he errs, he won't admit it; if he admits it, he won't accept it; if he accepts it, he won't speak of it... If you cannot handle him properly, be careful he doesn't drag you into the ditch with him!" Gongsun Xun turned back and solemnly admonished.

That person also nodded with a solemn expression.

Seeing this, Gongsun Xun finally relaxed. He patted the other on the shoulder and then descended the tower. As the others were about to follow, they heard the General of the Guard, even as he went down the stairs, begin to chant aloud.

It went:

"Wait till autumn comes, the eighth day of the ninth moon,

My flower blooms, and all others wither soon.

A skyward fragrance array pierces Chang'an,

The whole city clad in golden armor."

Though these were clearly lines of doggerel verse brimming with imposing spirit, when Gongsun Xun recited them now, they carried a hint of desolation. The men on the tower exchanged glances, increasingly baffled.

———————I am a dividing line without moon or flowers———————

"In the autumn of the fifth year of Jian'an, on the twenty-third day of the seventh month, the Grand Ancestor, on his western campaign, passed through Chang'an. The ministers petitioned to make him Grand General; he declined. As they were about to petition again, the consort kin, Colonel of the City Gates Dong Cheng, General of the Household of the Left Fu Wan, and General of the Household of the Right Wang Bin, grew fearful. They conspired to rebel, raised troops and attacked the arsenal but failed, and were executed upon discovery. His attendants again requested to kill Wang Bin's two sons and to enter the palace to deal with the two honored ladies, Dong and Fu. The Grand Ancestor sighed and replied: 'I have borne the burden of the Han house for years to reach this point. Though I began well, I cannot end well, and already feel much shame. How could I, for mere personal discontent, further violate the duties of a subject?' Though his attendants assented, most thought little of his words." — Old Book of Yan, Volume 2, Annals of the Grand Ancestor, Emperor Wu

PS: Barely managed to piece it together... forgive me.

(End of Chapter)