Chapter 48

Yuan Shao's reputation was immense, and anyone who had spent time in Luoyang knew this.

However, there were actually some twists to it... For instance, the most direct question: they were all from the Yuan clan of Runan, four generations of Three Excellencies. Among his generation, setting aside the fact that his uncle Yuan Kui's eldest son died young and the other two sons were still children, Yuan Shao himself had a younger full-blooded brother, Yuan Shu, and an older full-blooded brother, Yuan Ji. Why were neither of those two the ones whose names crowned Luoyang?

This brings us to some gossip known to everyone in Luoyang.

In truth, Yuan Shao's background was almost identical to Gongsun Zan's. His mother was a maidservant whose status was close to nothing, entirely the product of a moment of passion from his birth father, Yuan Feng. However, fortunately for Yuan Shao, he happened to have an uncle who died very early, leaving that branch without an heir. Thus, Yuan Shao was adopted by his uncle Yuan Cheng, thereby gaining a kind of certification in status akin to a legitimate son of the Yuan clan. And it also granted him a considerable degree of freedom in his actions.

In this respect, Yuan Shao was far luckier than Gongsun Zan.

Yet even greater luck lay ahead. It is unclear whether it was the boost from his humble birth or something else, but in any case, from a young age, this Yuan Shao was far superior to his two full-blooded brothers, and superior in every way, whether in innate appearance and height or in acquired scholarly attainment... As a result, the two current heads of the Yuan family, his birth father Yuan Feng and his uncle Yuan Kui, both valued Yuan Shao greatly! They even consciously or unconsciously tilted resources toward him!

And speaking of this, to be honest, Gongsun Xun always felt that his clan brother had been somewhat off lately. At first, no one had been more eager about Yuan Shao's return to the capital than him, but ever since he invited Xu You to brief the brothers on Yuan Shao's background, he had instead become somewhat lukewarm.

Of course, the current Gongsun Bogui was merely a student seeking learning with nothing to his name, so any change in his attitude was of no consequence. And as the weather gradually turned cold, that man who stood at the apex of his peers, Yuan Shao, finally returned to Luoyang City on an afternoon thick with the desolation of autumn.

But at this time, no one with any sense would disturb Yuan Benchu. After all, his adoptive mother, who was in fact his aunt, was on the verge of breathing her last. Six days later, Yuan Shao's adoptive mother passed away. Relatives, fellow townsmen, former students and subordinates with clear ties to the Runan Yuan clan, along with various high officials and distinguished nobles of the court, began to visit and offer condolences. Another seven days passed, and Yuan Shao's mother was buried on Mount Beimang, her grave joined with that of his nominal adoptive father, Yuan Cheng. Yuan Benchu also formally began building a hut by the grave to observe the mourning rites. It was from this moment that, suddenly, those coming to offer condolences and pay visits swarmed in, actually blocking the roads outside the city.

"Is this the might of the foremost noble clan under heaven?" Gongsun Yue looked at the densely packed carriages before him, his face involuntarily turning pale... Ahead of him were naturally Gongsun Xun and Gongsun Zan. The three had each ridden in a carriage, but shortly after leaving the city gate, they were blocked on the roadside, forced to inch forward. "That day at the Imperial Academy, I saw the carriages coming to copy the Stone Classics block the city gate and the Academy, and I already thought it was the grandest spectacle I had ever seen. But now... I truly never imagined that the Stone Classics, the pillar of culture and education under heaven, would pale in comparison to the might of a single noble clan's scion. The carriages coming to offer condolences today must number in the thousands, I fear?"

It must be said, while Gongsun Yue was so emotional behind them, the two brothers ahead were also pale-faced... It was at this moment that these country bumpkins from Liaoxi finally understood what a true great clan under heaven was, what a true scion of a great house was, and what four generations of Three Excellencies meant. A man like this did not need to go out and befriend anyone, nor did he need to participate in any project to make a name for himself. He only had to sit there, and naturally, thousands upon thousands of talents would scramble over each other to present themselves before him.

The line of carriages slowly advanced, yet not a single person turned back, for it was said that Yuan Benchu did not inquire about one's background or region. As long as one came to offer condolences or pay a visit, he would treat the worthy with courtesy, making one feel as if bathed in a spring breeze... Gongsun Xun had even vaguely heard the epithet "Paragon of the Realm, Yuan Benchu."

And as time passed, perhaps due to the howling autumn wind on the road, the brothers gradually fell silent, and their expressions generally turned somewhat gloomy.

It went on like this until the afternoon, when the Gongsun brothers finally drove their carriages to the foot of Mount Beimang. They then dismounted and walked up the mountain, arriving at the thatched hut before the Yuan family's grave.

Of course, they still had to queue here.

The Yuan clan's students, guests, and household servants responsible for receiving everyone were not remiss in courtesy. Regardless of whether a visitor's attire was splendid or plain, or whether the wine they brought for the memorial was high-grade or low, they were generally treated equally.

But very quickly, the three discovered that while these household servants indeed did not fail in courtesy, some people could cut the line after their name cards were handed over.

Several scions of powerful Runan clans who arrived at the same time were let in first. The Gongsun brothers could still remain calm about this... it was simply human nature; those people were most likely old acquaintances with some connection. Next, several scions of famous Guandong clans bypassed them to pay their respects. This also seemed unavoidable, as the family backgrounds of these few were well-known, even to the Gongsun brothers. After that, a few slightly older figures arrived, all appearing to be over thirty. That went without saying, and they were naturally invited in first as well.

By this time, Gongsun Xun was still fine, and Gongsun Yue merely stamped his feet out of youthful impatience, but Gongsun Zan's expression grew increasingly dark.

Finally, seeing no one left ahead of them, and that the few people behind who had just handed in their name cards were all youths and young men like themselves, the Gongsun brothers immediately set aside their previous thoughts and rose to straighten their attire.

Unexpectedly, at that very moment, a Yuan clan guest dressed as a scholar suddenly strode over from the direction of the thatched hut, followed by a flustered Yuan household servant clutching name cards.

"Which of you is Young Master Zang Hong?" The guest, upon arriving, immediately bowed with clasped hands in all directions.

A youth who had just handed in his name card not long before, looking to be only fifteen or sixteen and just having bound up his hair, stepped forward from behind upon hearing this and returned the salute: "I dare not be called Young Master. This humble one is Zang Hong."

The guest asked with a serious expression: "Are you the legitimate son of the former Grand Administrator of Taiyuan, the current Colonel of the Xiongnu, Lord Zang?"

"I am," the youth hastily replied.

"Quickly follow me," the guest said, bowing. "My young master, hearing that you are the legitimate son of Lord Zang, specially sent me to welcome you."

Zang Hong hurriedly returned the courtesy, then took the memorial gifts he had brought from his servant's hands. Carrying them personally, he followed inside without glancing sideways.

Gongsun Xun and the others exchanged speechless glances, and Gongsun Zan's face flushed red outright.

"I know this Zang Hong," Gongsun Yue, standing to the side, suddenly muttered in complaint as he watched the man enter. "Because of his father's grace, he serves as a Child Gentleman in the Imperial Academy. When the Stone Classics were being erected the other day, he even listened to us explain the hook-identification standards, and at the time he was extremely respectful to me. Now he pretends not to see us..."

Gongsun Xun's expression twitched, and he quickly soothed him: "Ah Yue, why say such things? We've all been blowing in the cold wind all day, everyone is shivering. I doubt anyone has the mind to recognize people right now."

"You know we've been blowing in the cold wind all day?" At that moment, an extremely loud, angry voice suddenly rang out beside their ears. It was Gongsun Zan over there, who had finally lost his patience. "Those people bully others too much, relying on their power to fish for fame. They claim to treat everyone equally, yet they still judge by birth! We've waited half a day; this fellow townsman, that famous clan, fine. But a mere child, and he too must squeeze ahead of us! What use is meeting such a 'Paragon of the Realm'?"

Gongsun Zan was born with a booming voice, and with no cover or shelter on Mount Beimang, for a moment, the people all over the mountain were shocked into awed silence. Even Zang Hong, who had only just walked a few steps inside, turned back in astonishment, his face flushed red and at a complete loss.

Then, without waiting for anyone to react, Gongsun Bogui actually dashed the ceremonial wine for the memorial onto the ground and strode directly down the mountain. The guests behind parted to make way as if they had seen a plague god, letting him leave.

Gongsun Xun was utterly speechless in his heart... Could it be that these two were naturally incompatible?

But there was no time to think further. Seeing the Yuan household servants and other guests nearby come to their senses and change color, some hurrying inside to report and others showing angry expressions, Gongsun Xun and Gongsun Yue exchanged a glance, then quickly lowered their heads and followed to find their wrathful clan brother.

However, at the foot of Mount Beimang, carriages and horses were jammed together, and the flow of people was unending. When the two chased down the mountain, they discovered that Gongsun Zan had actually gone back on foot, and they, unfortunately, could not simply abandon their carriages... Left with no choice, Gongsun Xun had to send Gongsun Yue out to find their temperamental elder brother, while he and the coachman stayed behind, waiting for the road to clear before returning.

But as the saying goes, when the house leaks, it rains all night. Just as Gongsun Xun awkwardly hid in his carriage and inwardly grumbled about his clan brother, a familiar-looking servant came running swiftly and relayed a verbal message from Xu You!

It turned out that Yuan Shao, having heard that someone had caused a scene before his parents' grave, felt he was losing face and had already sent people to find the brothers and demand a clear explanation... Xu You's suggestion was that the Gongsun brothers should hide for a while; after all, if they met now, a real falling-out was likely.

The servant slipped away quickly after delivering the message. The autumn day was cold and windy, but Gongsun Xun in the carriage instantly broke out in a sweat from anxiety. Seeing that people from Mount Beimang seemed about to come down at any moment, a plan suddenly came to him... He exchanged a few words with the coachmen, then actually picked up the ceremonial wine beside him and went straight up to meet them.

Believe it or not, Gongsun Xun's gamble paid off. The mountain path was crowded with people everywhere at that moment, and the few Yuan household servants and guests looking for them had probably only met them once before. So, as Gongsun Xun lowered his head and strode quickly forward, he actually managed to slip past them, brushing shoulders and heading up the mountain.

Once on the mountain, there was no lack of places to hide.

After all, the Gongsun clan was, in the end, a great family that had produced officials of the two-thousand-bushel rank for generations. Thus, there were two or three ancestors who had died as guests in the capital, with connections so distant it was unclear if they even counted, and they too were buried on this Mount Beimang. During the Qingming Festival, the Gongsun brothers had even come together to pay respects. Moreover, he happened to have memorial gifts at hand... So why not pay respects to his ancestors while lying low for a while?

And so, as the sky darkened and the sun gradually set, seeing that the official road below the mountain was slowly clearing up, Gongsun Xun, hiding before his ancestors' grave, let out a long sigh and finally descended the mountain under the cover of dusk.

However, upon reaching the foot of the mountain, he discovered that he still seemed unable to escape the trouble caused by that fellow Gongsun Bogui.

"Young Master Gongsun," a tall young scholar, clearly dressed as a man of letters yet with the characteristic bow legs of a rider, stood with his hands clasped by Gongsun Xun's carriage, his expression relaxed and his words composed. "Yuan Benchu heard that his household servants offended you brothers, and he feels quite uneasy. I happened to be at his side, and by chance recognized your elder brother's voice. So I volunteered to come find you brothers. I did not expect to wait here until nearly sunset before meeting the right person... But let's not speak of that. It's getting dark, and on the road back to the city, might I trouble you for a ride, Han someone?"

Gongsun Xun was inwardly shocked and uncertain, but he could only quickly bow in salute: "Please, Brother Wenyue."

"(Yuan) Shao had a dignified and imposing appearance, cherished scholars, and cultivated his reputation. As his family had held high ministerial posts for generations, guests flocked to him, and he humbled himself to treat them with utmost courtesy. There was none who did not rush to his door; scholars, regardless of rank, were treated as equals. Carts with canopies and carts of firewood alike filled the streets and lanes... Xun, Zan, and Yue were in Luoyang and once went together to pay him a visit. From dawn until dusk, they finally reached his courtyard. Zan and Yue were both delighted and rose to straighten each other's attire. Only Xun remained seated without moving. Zan and Yue, puzzled, asked him why. Xun then dashed the ceremonial gifts to the ground and cried out: 'A true man should strive to be foremost under heaven; why should he be delighted merely to be someone's guest?' The entire assembly was shocked. Zan and Yue were also ashamed, and the three withdrew together. Some say that among those present was Han Wenyue, who was then a Gentleman of the Three Bureaus in Luoyang. He too was stirred by Xun's words, abandoned Shao, and left." — Records of Han Heroes, by Wang Can

(End of Chapter)