Chapter 66: My Lord (Part 2) (5.6k, 2-in-1 Chapter)

At noon, while Gongsun Xun and his mother were whispering about certain matters inside the trading post, the scene outside was actually very lively.

It must be understood that Liucheng was not a county seat, but a purely military fortress. To its northwest lay the Yu River, which was the natural border between the Great Han’s Liaoxi Commandery and the Xianbei… Of course, if the name Yu River sounds unfamiliar, then the Daling River will surely ring a bell.

In short, this place was a critical military strongpoint on the border between the Great Han and the Xianbei. Two hundred li to the east was Yanglacheng, and behind Yanglacheng lay the famous Liao River Plain, the very heart of the Great Han’s five commanderies beyond the frontier. Xuantu Commandery, the Liaodong Dependent State (Changli Commandery), the Liaodong Commandery seat of Xiangping, and of course the Liaoxi Commandery seat of Yanglacheng — all were crammed together here.

As for three hundred li to the south, there was Lulong Fortress, the gateway to Hebei, which needs no further explanation.

In other words, as long as these two key points — Liucheng and Lulong Fortress — were not lost, the Xianbei basically had no answer to the Great Han’s defensive system… Of course, if someone insisted on bypassing the city to force a killing, then there was nothing you could do either.

But please, by all means, refer to the Xianbei Central Chieftain Ke Zuitan, who was trampled into meat paste and whose head could not even be found.

And since we are speaking of a frontier military stronghold, one can generally assume by default that it is also a place where trade flourishes… Indeed, the Anli Trading Company’s warehouse here was terrifyingly large. It not only almost monopolized the food, clothing, housing, and transport of the Liucheng garrison, but also directly conducted certain transactions with the surrounding small Xianbei tribes — transactions that were either legal or universally regarded as legal by the local garrison from top to bottom.

So, returning to the matter at hand, with the arrival of Lady Gongsun and the massing of the army at Liucheng, aside from Han Dang, who had worked as a temporary hand at Anli and was somewhat mentally prepared, the others — Gongsun Yue, Gongsun Fan, Cheng Pu, Lou Gui, and the rest — truly had their horizons broadened this time!

The Han and Wuhuan troops, fresh from a major battle, all flocked to the Anli Trading Company in Liucheng to trade. The range of transactions covered everything from tall, sturdy horses to rusted arrowheads, from bulk grain to fresh horse meat and bones, from salted fish with an obviously excessive salt content to pure white bolts of cloth… It was practically all-encompassing.

There were even soldiers from the so-called "free-delivery zone" inside the frontier — Liaoxi, Youbeiping, Guangyang, and the like — who did not even want goods, but instead scrambled to concede some profit, so long as Anli would simply deliver the money and grain directly to their homes.

As for Mo Hukou, who had been weeping bitterly just days before, he was now leaping about everywhere, using his status as a first-tier Anli downline agent to corner the buying and selling, manipulating things left and right, practically teasing those Wuhuan men — so ferocious on the battlefield — until they could no longer manage their own affairs.

In any case, after watching a round from the doorway, whatever others might think, Lou Gui, who had worked a few days as an accountant and was a man of some insight, felt that Anli was going to skim a full thirty percent off the spoils of this battle for nothing!

But Lou Gui and the others were not the only ones watching this scene. On the high platform in the city used for defense and command, the Liaoxi Grand Administrator Zhao Bao was also staring at the spectacle over here with a peculiar expression.

"My lord…" The commander defending Liucheng was a Separate Division Major with a thousand-dan salary, and seeing this, he was rather uneasy. "Shall I take some men to impose some order?"

"Impose what order?" Zhao Bao sighed. "I am not one of those famous scholars who do nothing all day but sit and whistle. The soldiers fought desperately to save my mother — what harm is there in them making a little fortune on the battlefield? Those filthy leather robes stripped from the Xianbei, what can they do with them if they take them back, wash them and keep wearing them? Better to exchange them for grain, which is more reliable!"

"My lord is benevolent and virtuous." The Liucheng garrison commander instantly breathed a sigh of relief.

"And besides," Zhao Bao continued, "even if we could impose order on our own commandery troops, would we have the face to impose order on the elite troops from various parts of Liaodong who came to aid us? As for the Wuhuan… hmph, if we imposed order, would they listen?"

This time, the Liucheng garrison commander did not speak again. That Qiuliju had pursued halfway, then suddenly claimed it was getting too dark for night battle, and deliberately let slip the Xianbei soldiers who could have been entirely trapped on the south bank of the Daling River. The first person to be displeased by this was none other than he himself — this Separate Division Major of the Liucheng garrison, who had woken up that morning to discover he had suddenly lost a huge chunk of military merit!

It must be understood, if they had truly managed to coordinate with the pursuers and kill several thousand Xianbei, he, a thousand-dan Separate Division Major, might well have turned his fortunes around to become a two-thousand-dan Commandant… That would truly have been a carp leaping through the Dragon Gate!

And then?

And then it was all gone! Tell me, was that not infuriating?

"Let it be!" Zhao Bao sighed, turned, and walked away, a large group of Liaoxi commandery clerks following behind him. "Just keep an eye on the armor plates and arrowheads so they don’t fall back into Xianbei hands. As for the salted fish… forget the salted fish. We must still give the Gongsun clan some face."

"Please rest assured, my lord, the armor plates and arrowheads purchased by this Anli Trading Company have never been used to aid the enemy!" The Separate Division Major answered with exceptional crispness.

At these words, not to mention Zhao Bao, who was walking ahead and could not help shaking his head repeatedly, even a few quick-witted commandery clerks following along turned back to glance speechlessly at the Separate Division Major… Why so blunt? Were you afraid the Grand Administrator did not know about all the shady dealings between your Liucheng garrison and Anli?

"Mother!"

Just as everyone was preparing to follow the Grand Administrator and conclude this inspection tour, they suddenly heard the Grand Administrator himself utter a greeting ahead. They looked up and saw the Elderly Lady Zhao herself ascending the high platform. Though puzzled, they all hurriedly bowed their heads and paid their respects…

It turned out that after the great battle that day, Zhao Bao had ordered the main camp to advance to Liucheng. And this Elderly Lady Zhao was also a woman of extraordinary courage. Although she had passed through such a harrowing ordeal, she still managed to hold firm and refuse to be escorted directly to Yanglacheng. Instead, she said she wanted to come in person to thank the soldiers who had rescued her. And so, she had actually brought her daughter-in-law and granddaughter across the battlefield once more and returned to Liucheng.

"Why is Mother not resting in the official residence?" Zhao Bao hurriedly inquired with concern. "The wind is strong on this high platform, and it is springtime — be careful not to catch a chill…"

"I will not hide it from you, my son. Other matters aside… there is one thing that, if I cannot settle it with you soon, will leave my heart forever uneasy!"

"Mother, please speak freely." At these words, Zhao Bao naturally had nothing more to say.

In fact, not only Zhao Bao, but the surrounding commandery clerks and military officers were all rubbing their hands in anticipation, ready to seize the chance to show off before the Grand Administrator and the Elderly Lady… It must be understood that anyone with eyes could see that after this battle, this Grand Administrator Zhao would, nine times out of ten, be immediately enfeoffed as a marquis. And he was not old either, so his future prospects were truly limitless! As for this Elderly Lady Zhao, merely for those two sentences she spoke to instruct her son before the battle array, she was probably destined to be recorded in the history books.

That being the case, as subordinates and clerks, what else would you do but fawn upon them?

"Since that is so, Yun’er and Yun’er’s mother, come up as well!" Elderly Lady Zhao nodded slightly, then turned back and called down from the high platform.

Zhao Bao immediately fell into a daze, and the entire host of commandery officials immediately fell into a daze as well, because very soon they all saw the Grand Administrator’s wife and the Grand Administrator’s daughter also ascend the high platform — the latter was even holding a strange beast resembling a wildcat…

It must be said, in this era, the status of married women was very high, and appearing in public was perfectly normal. In fact, when hosting formal banquets, according to etiquette, the hostess was required to come out specially to greet the guests. For example, when Elderly Lady Zhao said she wanted to come personally to thank the soldiers, and Zhao Bao immediately announced a great feast for the troops, this was, in essence, a subtle execution of that very etiquette.

In summary, for Elderly Lady Zhao, a widow of who-knows-how-many-years and an elder, to come up was naturally without any issue; for Lady Zhao to come up was also beyond reproach; but, but then again, what did it mean for the Grand Administrator’s daughter, an unmarried young lady, to suddenly appear amidst so many officials?

And moreover, it seemed her childhood name had been called out publicly?!

For a moment, the minds of many young commandery clerks surged with emotion, clearly recalling their former colleague Gongsun Zan… That man was a model to follow!

"My son," Elderly Lady Zhao’s next words delighted these men even more. "When you came to Liaoxi from your post in Guangling, you passed through our Qinghe on the way and specially performed the hairpin ceremony for Yun’er. And the reason I brought her here was originally to find her a good family in Liaoxi…"

"Whomever Mother has set her sights on, perhaps we could return to the official residence and tell me," Zhao Bao said. Though he was beginning to understand, seeing his daughter standing there holding a cat, her face flushed bright red with embarrassment, he still felt somewhat awkward. "Then I will go and communicate with that person and have him send a matchmaker over."

"I already told you, if this matter is not settled for a single day, I will be uneasy for a single day… And this is a wonderful thing, so why should it be concealed?"

"Mother’s teaching is correct." Zhao Bao, a consummate filial son, with his widowed mother having spoken thus, what could he do but hastily bow his head and agree?

Seeing her son yield, Elderly Lady Zhao then spoke with a serious expression: "To be honest, on the way here, I took a liking to a certain household and had the intention in my heart then. After entering Lulong Fortress and inquiring about this person’s background and deeds, my resolve was even more firm. It was only because we happened to encounter this recent incident that it had to be delayed."

"Your son deserves death ten thousand times over."

"Hear me out, do not interrupt," Elderly Lady Zhao said with displeasure. "But as coincidence would have it, we were rescued by this very person this time, which can also be considered fate… I will not hide it from you, the reason I insisted on coming to Liucheng was, on one hand, certainly to thank the soldiers who exerted themselves this time, and on the other hand, precisely because I did not want to lose such a fine grandson-in-law."

"Why must there be such haste?" Zhao Bao, for the moment unable to think it through, merely felt instinctively that it was somewhat beneath their dignity.

"Why can we not be hasty?" the Elderly Lady retorted righteously. "You must understand, his family is also a high and noble house, and he is such a hero. If we are too late, and after earning such merit this time he is summoned to court to serve as some sort of court gentleman, and then gets noticed by some noble family in Luoyang, what will you do then? And besides, what if his family cares greatly for reputation and feels that forming a marriage alliance with our family at this moment smacks of using a favor to demand gratitude, and thus refuses to marry into our family — what then? Therefore, the reason I sought you out is precisely to settle this matter quickly, lest there be many restless nights!"

By this point, how could the people around possibly not understand? In truth, who knew how many young commandery clerks were grinding their teeth in hatred at this moment — so the Grand Administrator only picks sons-in-law from the Gongsun clan, is that it?

And Zhao Bao finally came to his senses as well, but could not help pointing toward the trading post not far away: "What Mother speaks of, could it be that household?"

"Is this also a property of the Gongsun clan?" Elderly Lady Zhao raised her eyebrows with a touch of pleasant surprise. "Excellent! His family is indeed as wealthy as the rumors say… You see, how could we let such a fine son-in-law slip away?"

"Your son understands," Zhao Bao replied helplessly. "I will immediately find someone to drop a hint and have his family come to propose marriage!"

"No need," Elderly Lady Zhao declared with an overbearing air. "The reason I came up here now is for no other reason than that I just heard in the official residence that an elder of his family has arrived, so I came up personally to call you… You will now take off your official robes and come with me to propose marriage. Today, we will settle this matter for me! Otherwise, your mother here will have no peace of mind!"

Zhao Bao was dumbstruck, and the officials also looked at each other in astonishment… In all their lives, this was truly the first time they had ever seen the bride’s family go to the groom’s family to propose marriage.

"As you command!" After a long standoff, this Grand Administrator Zhao finally did not dare defy his mother, and so, with an expression as if he had swallowed a fly, he cupped his hands and answered. "Your son will go change his clothes at once."

And so, the Grand Administrator Zhao’s family descended the high platform, while the people on the platform looked at one another in bewilderment…

"Our Elderly Lady here is truly a heroine among women," after a long while, it was the Separate Division Major of Liucheng who could not help but speak first. "So swift and decisive — we did not even have time to go to the Gongsun family to curry favor and drop a hint…"

The others all echoed in agreement.

Only Tian Kai, a clerical aide in the commandery’s Merit Evaluation Office, suddenly could not help but sigh: "Thinking back, that Gongsun Bogui and this Gongsun Wenqi were both on good terms with me in the commandery, and we always got along without any restraint… Yet barely a year or two has passed, and how is it that one after another they have soared straight up into the clouds? When will I ever be able to rise above the rest?"

The Tian clan was also a major family in You Province, so upon hearing this, the others either laughed it off or offered a few words of encouragement, and then each went their separate ways.

On the other side, Gongsun Xun, completely unaware of this, was still inside the room discussing some "top-secret matters" with his mother… It turned out that after mother and son had decided to pursue this marriage alliance, Gongsun Xun had then promptly recounted the abilities of Cheng Pu and Han Dang, laying out how the former had killed three men in succession and how the latter had shot Ke Zuitan dead with a single arrow. This left Lady Gongsun astonished, yet once again she began to fixate on the so-called "luxurious bodyguard lineup."

However, Lady Gongsun and her son talked it over and calculated again and again, but could only confirm one Taishi Ci of Donglai and one Zhao Yun of Changshan as being barely within reach of their vicinity… Yet even that was just barely within reach, because upon closer thought they still found it troublesome — after all, Donglai and Changshan were both large commanderies, the former with over five hundred thousand people and the latter over six hundred thousand. Under the current conditions of information transmission, unless these two men took the initiative to make a name for themselves, there was simply no way to find them.

But if these two really did make a name for themselves, becoming known throughout a commandery or several commanderies, then given Gongsun Xun's current seniority and status, trying to cross regional boundaries and recruit them under his wing also seemed somewhat wishful thinking… As one could see, Cheng Pu and Han Dang were after all fellow townsmen, and even so, Cheng Pu at present could at most be considered a guest commander, not one of Gongsun Xun's own men at all!

What's more, Lady Gongsun even had some other vague worries — she feared that this Zhao Yun or whoever might still be young in age, and even if they found the man early and brought him over, he might end up like Lou Gui, a half-finished waste… Wouldn't that be harming both others and oneself?

Just like that, mother and son were at their wits' end here when they suddenly heard quite a commotion outside the door, and then Gongsun Fan, Gongsun Yue, along with Aunt Jin, Aunt Quan the Sixth, and the rest came knocking at the door in haste.

Upon asking, they learned that it was actually Prefect Zhao's entire family, come to visit in plain clothes, and they had already reached the street entrance outside the trading post.

"Here's our chance," Lady Gongsun said hurriedly as she put on her spectacles. "The whole family has come, and in plain clothes at that — this should be a visit to thank you for saving their lives. We won't talk of anything else; once they've finished expressing their gratitude, we'll directly leverage the favor to propose marriage… I'd say there's an eighty percent chance it can be settled!"

Gongsun Xun nodded repeatedly without pause.

And so, with Lady Gongsun leading the way and Gongsun Xun and the others consciously following behind, the two families met at the entrance of the trading post, which was packed full of people.

After a round of greetings and formalities, before they could be invited inside, Lady Gongsun could not help stealing glances at the young lady behind, her face bright red and clutching a small cat. Just as Lady Gongsun gave a slight nod and was about to solemnly invite the family into the main hall to be seated, the eldest and highest-ranking person present, the Elder Lady Zhao, suddenly took hold of Lady Gongsun's hand in front of everyone: "As early as when I was in Qinghe, I heard from traveling merchants that there was a widowed Lady Gongsun in Liaoxi who engaged in trade to raise her son, and I admired her greatly in my heart. Today, seeing the flourishing scene of this trading post, I know the reputation is well-deserved…"

"I dare not accept such undue praise from the Elder Lady," Lady Gongsun demurred repeatedly with her words, but could not hide the proud look on her face… It was not as if she was incapable of exchanging public commercial flattery. "On my way here, I also heard of the Elder Lady's deed of instructing her son on the battlefield… Such moral integrity, combined with such a great victory in this battle — the Elder Lady is surely destined to be remembered in history."

"Speaking of raising sons," the Elder Lady Zhao immediately shook her head and smiled, "I am not your equal. My son, at his age, could not accomplish deeds like those of your son."

Lady Gongsun was momentarily stunned — wasn't this supposed to be mutual commercial flattery? One had to know that the people on the surrounding main street numbered in the hundreds, and Prefect Zhao, standing behind his own mother, had already turned ashen-faced.

"My son, what are you waiting for?" Seeing this, the Elder Lady Zhao could not help turning her head and rebuking him.

"Mother, does this matter not require going indoors?" Prefect Zhao was thoroughly embarrassed, but only received a cold glare from his widowed mother in return.

Thus, not daring to disobey in the slightest, he had no choice but to hastily step forward and exchange formalities with Lady Gongsun once more.

"May I ask what important matter the Prefect has?" Lady Gongsun was quite puzzled.

"I dare not…" Prefect Zhao was just about to speak when he could not help but choke and turn his head back. "Mother, the young men of the Gongsun family who rescued you this time are two in number, both quite suitable — one called Gongsun Xun, one called Gongsun Fan, both present here… I wonder…"

At these words, the Elder Lady Zhao's expression immediately changed: "Before, I only said that at twenty you lacked the ability of others at twenty. Today I realize that at forty, you still may not match the ability others have right now! In this lifetime, your capacity is limited to two thousand dan and no more!"

Prefect Zhao, who was due to be enfeoffed as a marquis in a few months, was so mortified he wished he could flee on the spot.

"This…" Lady Gongsun grew increasingly bewildered.

"I will not hide it from Lady Gongsun," the Elder Lady Zhao turned, grasped the other's hand, and smiled. "Our Zhao family has raised an uncomely daughter, called Zhao Yun… I wonder if your Wenqi would be willing to take her as his wife?"

Everyone outside the courtyard was uniformly astonished, and even Lady Gongsun was shocked and alarmed.

"It is she," she said, pulling her granddaughter forward and personally pointing her out for the other to see.

As for the others, they were one thing, but Lou Gui alone, hiding among the crowd nearby, suddenly understood and inwardly marveled at the Elder Lady Zhao's tactics… By pointing her out like this in public, unless you wanted to turn your back on the Zhao family and become sworn enemies from then on, you could only agree on the spot. It was just like that day when he himself had offended everyone at Lulong Tower — seemingly unwise, but in truth hinting to Gongsun Xun that he had no ties or attachments here and was the most reliable to depend on… This was what was meant by advancing by retreating; nothing surpassed this!

Yet Lady Gongsun, who had dominated Bohai for twenty years, seemed at this moment as if she had turned foolish, not reacting for a long while, which made the prefect's daughter all the more bashful and aggrieved. Had she not just tossed aside the cat while performing the formal greeting, she would likely have buried her face in the cat and wept the very next second.

Gongsun Xun was frantic with anxiety and hurriedly nudged his own mother in secret, whereupon she finally could not help but draw a sharp breath:

"With such great affection from the Elder Lady, there is naturally no need for many words. It is only that my future daughter-in-law's name is so excellent that it threw me off for a moment and made the Elder Lady laugh at me!"

"The Grand Progenitor's Empress Zhao, personal name Yun, was a native of Dongwucheng in Qinghe. In former times, the Empress's father, the Administrator of Liaoxi Zhao Bao, thought most highly of the Grand Progenitor and wished to arrange a marriage alliance, so he privately spoke of it in the inner chambers. The family in the inner chambers also felt the Grand Progenitor's heroic spirit and, mindful of his kindness, all consented. However, Empress Zhao was an only child, and her paternal grandmother doted on her greatly; though she wished to consent, she repeatedly postponed the date. Bao, fearing a change of heart, thus remonstrated with his mother, saying: 'I consider Wenqi to be forthright and heroic, and fear he is ultimately no creature of the pond. If we now repeatedly delay, then all under Heaven will laugh at our house for letting a hero slip away.' The Elder Lady Zhao deeply agreed. At that time, the Grand Progenitor's widowed mother had just arrived in Liucheng. The Elder Lady Zhao then took the Empress by the hand, and leading her son and daughter-in-law in plain clothes, left the official residence and went straight to the Grand Progenitor's door, speaking of it in the street and recommending the Empress as his wife. The Grand Progenitor's mother and son looked at each other in astonishment on the spot, at a loss. The entire commandery spread the tale, and thus it became a fine story." — Old Book of Yan, Annals of the Empress

PS: Thanks to book friend 151002232505562 for the red envelope.

Lastly, there is a book friend group, 684558115, welcome to come and chat.

Taking advantage of the author's note at the end to ramble a bit more.

Yesterday's topic actually had no one who was certain, because since it's the official history, things like Red Cliffs and the Eighteen Lords basically have to be ignored. After all, historically, Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan did not participate in the Suanzao alliance; and at Red Cliffs, whether it was offering the linked-ships stratagem or the false surrender letter, it's all nonsense. When Liu Bei met Sun Quan, there is also no record of whom exactly he brought, only that the meeting happened — so Zhao Yun and the like are ultimately just speculation…

In reality, when we speak of the official history, the highest priority must be materials in the historical records that clearly document the relevant meetings. For example, Zhang Liao has the anecdote of "long above and short below" after Xiaoyao Ford, so he definitely met Sun Quan… But what about Liu Bei? Historically, there is no record of Zhang Liao appearing at White Gate Tower; he surrendered with his troops. One can only say it's very possible, but there is no definitive record.

Chen Deng is also somewhat uncertain, because when he twice trounced Sun Quan at Kuangqi, the histories only say that once he observed from the city wall looking down, and once he led troops in pursuit. Whether he saw as clearly as Zhang Liao did is not necessarily the case…

As for Yu Jin and Zhang Hong, there is ultimately no formal record of them meeting Liu Bei face to face; one can only say it's very likely.

Someone previously mentioned Yuan Shu, and at first I also thought it fit, but later I found it didn't, because Lu Fan — that is, the Lu Fan in the book — his biography clearly records that when Sun Ce was under Yuan Shu, the Sun family's household was in Jiangdu, which was under Tao Qian's jurisdiction. One of Lu Fan's great achievements was rescuing the entire Sun family right under Tao Qian's nose. So Yuan Shu doesn't fit either.

(End of chapter)