Chapter 71: Taking Leave (6k Combined Chapter)

The rank of Colonel of a Separate Detachment is an office with a salary equivalent to one thousand dan.

The term "equivalent" actually carries the meaning of "inferior to."

Under the Han system, within the same official rank, the terms "equivalent," "full," and "middle" were used for further refinement, and this sequence is arranged from low to high... In other words, this is the lowest tier among officials of the thousand-dan rank.

But then again, even if it is the lowest tier, it is still a thousand dan! You, a man just summoned into service, being granted a thousand-dan office—what more could you want? This is the kind of treatment reserved for top-tier second-generation officials like Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.

Moreover, Colonel of a Separate Detachment is also one of the few offices at this level of military officer that holds real authority... One must understand that the term "Separate Detachment" faintly implies the sense of an independent command sequence.

In other words, it carries partial independent command authority!

Here, let me digress a little: why is it that when one opens a history book, it feels as though every general in times of war and chaos seems to have served as Colonel of a Separate Detachment at some point? Actually, if you think about it a little more, it becomes clear—as a general worthy of being recorded in the histories, and living in chaotic times, it would be strange if you hadn't independently led troops at some point, wouldn't it?

Returning to the matter at hand: a thousand-dan appointment, an independent unit structure—even if arranged by the Grand Commandant, even if the eunuchs truly directing court operations offered no obstruction, even if it was expedited out of the capital under the name of military affairs, it would still take several days for approval to come through. So, Gongsun Xun simply left Gongsun Fan behind in Luoyang City to wait for news, while he himself went directly outside the city to the Goushi area to seek out Lu Fan.

Now, this is not to say he had any particular business with Lu Fan. After all, at this stage, what Gongsun Xun needed to do was nothing more than write a few letters to Liaoxi. On one hand, he needed to tell Lady Gongsun that as soon as he arrived in Luoyang he had been sent on "official travels," and with no alternative, he could only go to Yanmen to take up his post. Then, he would separately summon Cheng Pu to inform him that he now had a vacant position as a Qu Military Marquis and ask whether he would come...

In truth, the reason Gongsun Xun was unwilling to remain in the city was simply that he did not want to deal with Yuan Benchu's claws and teeth... It was said that the atmosphere in Luoyang these days was far from good, and there were even vague rumors that someone was agitating for an open memorial to lift the Proscription against the Partisans. Was that something one could get involved with before the situation became clear?

However, after actually meeting Lu Fan, aside from writing those letters, some "differences of opinion" inevitably arose between the two of them—Gongsun Xun wanted Lu Ziheng to continue helping him by remaining stationed in Luoyang, but the latter seemed far from willing to do so.

Of course, this dispute was destined not to last too long, because a few days later, Gongsun Fan arrived as agreed, bringing word from Liu Kuan. The very next day, Gongsun Xun was to go to the Official Carriage Office to receive his seal, formally becoming a black-ribboned, bronze-sealed appointed official of the Great Han court!

"Ziheng," in the courtyard opposite the charity hostel, Gongsun Xun was doing his utmost to persuade him one last time. "Setting aside the fact that you are newly married, both Luoyang and the charity hostel here need your care... Back when Yigong was here, he gathered a great number of wandering swordsmen and warriors, but as soon as he left this place, the gathered wanderers scattered in a hubbub. And now, with you here, you have gathered a great number of down-and-out scholars. If you leave too, I fear they will also scatter in a hubbub!"

"Then let them scatter in a hubbub!" Lu Fan said dismissively. "Be they warriors or scholars, if they truly harbor a heart of gratitude, they will do their utmost to repay even the grace of a single meal given in times of hardship. But if their only intention was to scrounge meals, then keeping them for any length of time is meaningless... Besides, isn't this Young Master Fan, who shares my name, going to remain in the capital to pursue his studies? Just hand it all over to him."

Gongsun Fan, hearing this, stirred with eagerness.

Gongsun Xun, hearing this, was even more helpless, but in the end, he still tried his best to persuade him one more time: "My main concern is simply that Yanmen is a remote frontier, a place of bitter cold, and Ziheng, you hail from Runan—I fear you might find it somewhat unbearable..."

Upon hearing this, Lu Fan no longer hesitated. He rose directly to his feet, and right there in the courtyard, bowed deeply in salute: "My lord, it is precisely because Yanmen is a remote frontier that I, Lu Ziheng, must follow you there. As the saying goes, once homage is paid, one is a servant for life. Has my lord forgotten the words we spoke that day in Runan? Even if I, Lu Fan, am utterly incompetent, can I not at least serve as a clerk in the army?"

Han Dang, standing nearby, remained quite composed—he had long been mentally prepared for this—but Gongsun Fan could not help but stare in astonishment.

One must understand that in these times, the term "my lord" was not something one heard lightly, because it signified that the speaker considered himself the other party's private retainer! And how could a scholar recognize a mere minor official of equivalent thousand-dan rank as his lord? From the sound of it, this had even been established quite some time ago?

One can only say that Gongsun Fan's awe and reverence for his elder brother grew ever deeper.

Of course, regardless of what others thought, with Lu Fan having spoken to this extent, it was absolutely impossible for Gongsun Xun to refuse his request any longer. Thus, he could only hastily help the other man up and agree wholeheartedly.

In the end, the two quickly agreed that Lu Ziheng need not bring his wife, Lady Liu; he himself would follow Gongsun Xun to Yanmen alone... And everything here in Luoyang would be handed over entirely to Gongsun Fan!

"However, elder brother," although somewhat stirred with eagerness, Gongsun Fan, having just arrived in Luoyang for the first time, could not help but feel a bit apprehensive. "While I am in Luoyang, what exactly am I supposed to do?"

"The things to do are neither many nor few," Gongsun Xun said with a slight sigh. "The grand strategy is to look after the household property here, and to stick close to Teacher Liu. Neither get too close to Yuan Shao and his ilk, nor become entangled in any disputes with the eunuchs who hold the reins of government..."

Gongsun Fan nodded repeatedly, and even went directly into Lu Fan's room to fetch paper and brush, then roughly noted everything down right there in the courtyard.

"Also, if you truly encounter some trouble, do not seek out Teacher Liu. Go to the office at the east gate of the Southern Palace and seek out Teacher Lu. He is a man of responsibility who can get things done," Gongsun Xun continued, unable to resist adding a few more miscellaneous instructions. "If one day the students on Mount Goushi are to leave, and among them is one named Liu Bei, you are to gift him some valuables on my behalf. Remember to treat him with courtesy. And if a man named Xu You comes to scrounge, just play dumb—under no circumstances give him even half a coin, lest he take a mile when given an inch."

After Gongsun Fan finished organizing these key points and was about to put them away, he could not help but ask once more: "Elder brother, even if I am to keep my distance from Yuan Shao and the eunuchs, how should I deal with everyone else? Having come to Luoyang, I must, one way or another, associate with some prominent officials and famous scholars, or else how am I to make a name for myself?"

"That is simple," Gongsun Xun said dismissively. "Tomorrow I will show you exactly how one makes a name in Luoyang... Go back to the city now, and go to Teacher Liu's residence to borrow some carts. Whether ox carts or horse carts, just do your best to gather some empty carts for me by tomorrow."

Gongsun Fan did not understand, but he still honestly put away the paper and brush, bowed, and took his leave.

And so, the next day, Gongsun Xun went smoothly to the Official Carriage Office, received the seal and ribbon of the Colonel of a Separate Detachment, obtained the letter of appointment stamped with the seals of the Grand Commandant's Office and the Imperial Secretariat, and then went directly to bid farewell to Lu Zhi and Liu Kuan.

This time, Lu Zhi was at home, and with Teacher Lu's shrewdness, how could he not know that Gongsun Xun had been hooked by that high position of equivalent thousand-dan rank? It was just that Teacher Lu also felt there was no great harm in going to Yanmen... If this student of his wanted to trade hardship for a future, then let him go as he pleased; there was nothing much to say.

And at Liu Kuan's residence, there was naturally nothing much to say either. What needed to be said had long been said, and it was nothing more than some metaphysical words of encouragement.

However, after walking out the main gate of the Grand Commandant's residence, Gongsun Xun did not leave the city directly. Instead, together with Gongsun Fan, who had early on gathered over a dozen carts, and bringing Lu Fan, Han Dang, and a crowd of Liaoxi retainers wearing swords and carrying bows, he headed straight for his next destination.

"Excellent!"

"Cai Gong's mastery of music can truly be described as lingering resonance that coils around the beams for three days without end!"

"To be able to hear Cai Gong's celestial melody, my months of lingering in Luoyang have not been in vain!"

"This piece by Cai Gong, hearing it is like seeing the glistening white of snow... Marvelous!"

"Well said, it is precisely the glistening white of snow. Lofty, pure, and unsullied—only such is the music of a gentleman!"

Indeed, on this day, Cai Yong's residence, a famous social venue for the capital's renowned scholars, was as bustling as ever—one could even say more so than before. For on this day, the Great Han's foremost musician, Cai Yong, styled Bojie, once again personally took the stage to present a celestial melody for his guests.

In truth, it was no wonder that Cai Yong had been in such excellent spirits lately.

One must know that for his achievements in erecting the Stone Classics and compiling histories at the Eastern Pavilion, this Cai Bojie had just been promoted by half a rank, transforming in the blink of an eye from a Gentleman of the Palace to a Gentleman Consultant! And the so-called Gentleman Consultant, though a leisurely post of six hundred dan, was not to be underestimated. This was because it was the highest rank among the palace gentlemen. Many officials of the two-thousand-dan rank, when returning to court for duty reports with no place to put them, would temporarily be given the title of Gentleman Consultant. And when the court wished to promote or demote a certain talent, they would generally pass through this position as well... In other words, just as the Three-Adjunct Gentlemen of three hundred dan served as a reserve pool for newly appointed officials, this Gentleman Consultant was fundamentally the reserve pool for the Great Han's very highest-ranking officials.

And since that was the case, the rumors circulating in the capital—that Cai Yong, styled Bojie, who had been face-planting on the official career path for decades, was finally about to take flight—seemed to be merely human nature.

Even Cai Yong himself had come to believe it, leaving him in fine spirits every day, calling together friends and companions at his home, and even from time to time personally performing musical pieces for his visiting guests!

"Alas!" Cai Yong, seated in the place of honor, after listening to these praises, could not help but press down on the strings of his zither and heave a long sigh. "A pity! Today we have music but lack literary inspiration. If only we had a fine poem or essay to accompany this, would it not be perfect?!"

"Since Cai Gong has spoken, why don't the various worthies seated here try to compose an essay in response to the celestial melody we just heard?" Among the many famous scholars present, someone immediately grasped the hint behind the words. "Whether poem, essay, or rhapsody, whether long piece or short, let each compose one, and then ask Cai Gong to judge. If one is truly excellent, we shall trouble Cai Gong once more, and ask him to use that Gongsun paper, Weiduan ink, and Zhang Yi brush to carefully transcribe it... Such a piece would be worthy of being an heirloom!"

The crowd roared their agreement.

However, at this wonderful moment, an uninvited guest suddenly arrived at the door.

"I hear there is to be poetry composed here?" Gongsun Xun, head held high and hand on his sword, led his band of Liaoxi stalwarts straight into the gathering. "Such an elegant affair—why did Cai Gong not summon me? Could it be you were unaware I had come to the capital?"

The crowd was momentarily stunned into silence... No help for it—many of them simply did not recognize him.

Cai Yong glanced at the black ribbon and bronze seal on the other man's person, identical to his own, his complexion shifting between green and red, but he still forced himself to rise and greet him: "Wenqi, what are you saying? It is not that I did not call for you, but rather that everyone in Luoyang knows you are about to depart for your post in Yanmen, so I thought it best not to disturb you!"

"Cai Gong!" Gongsun Xun sighed helplessly, then strode quickly forward into the hall and seized the other man's hands, his expression turning utterly sincere. "Given the friendship between us, even if I were to leave the city for my post today, I would certainly have come to pay my respects. How can you say such a thing? You do not know, but on this visit to Luoyang, I did not even go to Yuan Benchu's place. I merely went to the Grand Commandant's residence to pay respects to my teacher, Liu Gong, and to the Eastern Pavilion to pay respects to my other teacher, Lu Gong, and then I came directly here to you."

"Actually, before Wenqi leaves, he might also consider going to Mount Beimang to see Benchu. He has always greatly regretted not having met you," among the seated scholars, there were still some old acquaintances upon closer inspection. For example, the Nanyang scholar Feng Ji, styled Yuantu, who now rose to his feet. "It would also serve as a farewell send-off for Wenqi's departure to his post!"

"I will not go," Gongsun Xun continued to grip Cai Yong's hands tightly, and turned his head with a slightly helpless expression to decline. "I must trouble Brother Yuantu to convey my regards to Yuan Benchu. Tell him I am deeply grateful for his goodwill, but state affairs are difficult, and I am unwilling to delay even a moment. After paying my respects to Cai Gong today, I shall leave the city directly and head straight for Yanmen."

"In that case, we shall not disturb Wenqi's heart of service to the nation," the speaker was another old acquaintance, the Yingchuan scholar Xin Ping, styled Zhongzhi. This clever man, vaguely sensing that Gongsun Xun was about to cause trouble, hastily rose to cover for Feng Ji, clearly intending to stay out of the matter.

Watching as the only two acquaintances present sat back down, and the hall full of seated scholars all stared dumbfounded and at a loss, Gongsun Xun nodded with satisfaction repeatedly, then turned back to look at Cai Yong once more.

Cai Bojie, feeling his hair stand on end under the other's gaze, knew perfectly well that this fellow was about to cause trouble again. It was just that, firstly, his hands were gripped so painfully by the other man that he simply could not break free; and secondly, he had, after all, heard that Gongsun Xun was to roll off to the Yanmen frontier today... Thus, he harbored the faint, ignoble hope of holding his nose and sending the man on his way.

"Could it be that Wenqi has an excellent composition?" With this thought, Cai Yong suppressed his indignation and engaged the other in conversation.

"To be honest with Cai Gong," Gongsun Xun continued to hold the other's hands, "in the old days, when I roamed as a youth in Luoyang, I often recalled with feeling the carefree times spent with you. Now, as an official traveler, having been away for merely a few months, I find that not a single guest in this hall recognizes me... My heart is full of emotion, and I have composed a few lines of unorthodox, irregular verse."

"Ah!" At this moment, Cai Yong only wanted to send the man away; how could he care about orthodoxy or irregularity? "Poetry expresses the will. As long as it contains emotion and aspiration, it is a good poem. What need is there for format or structure? In my opinion, even if it is but a single line of lament, it is still a good poem!"

Gongsun Xun was immediately overjoyed: "This is precisely Cai Gong's breadth of mind! If I were to recite this poem elsewhere, I fear I would only be mocked by pedantic scholars who nitpick over words and phrases. Only Cai Gong can recognize true worth..."

"Hurry up and recite it!" Cai Yong felt as though the hands that could produce celestial music were about to be crushed by the other man, so naturally he urged him on repeatedly.

Gongsun Xun shook his head with a rueful laugh. "Master Cai, the poem is already in my belly. It's just that I heard someone mention something about a family heirloom saying earlier — could it be... there's a reward if the poem is well done?"

How could Cai Bojie not realize that the other man was coming to plunder again? But with his hands held captive, he could only nod hastily. "Wenqi, you are exceptionally bold and heroic. I would say, regardless of whether the form fits convention, your poem will surely be the most ambitious... So, there's no need for anyone else to compose. Why don't we simply declare your poem the best? How about you loosen your grip, recite it, and I'll transcribe it for you — as a farewell gift?"

Gongsun Xun laughed again. "Official duties press upon a man — no need for such trouble, it would only waste both our time..."

Cai Yong immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "In that case..."

"In that case," Gongsun Xun applied another half measure of force with his hand, "why not have Master Cai gift me something else instead? Last time Master Cai gave me the manuscripts of the Seven Classics, my mother was deeply moved when she saw them — only a pity there were so few. I've heard that Master Cai's residence holds ten thousand scrolls of books?"

On one hand, Cai Yong secretly resented the man's insatiable greed; on the other, he was helpless, and instead grew all the more eager to send the man packing as quickly as possible.

And so, Cai Bojie immediately nodded with effort. "Isn't it just copied books? My eastern pavilion stores quite a few — some on silk, some on bamboo and wooden slips. Let go of my hand, and I'll pick a few pieces to gift you!"

"Not the ones on silk," Gongsun Xun said dismissively. "Only the old stock on bamboo and wooden slips..."

"If it's bamboo and wooden slips, as long as they're not unique copies, I wouldn't mind giving you a whole cartload!" Cai Yong grew increasingly anxious. "Just let go of my hand, quickly."

Gongsun Xun was overjoyed at once. Though he loosened his grip by two degrees, he still did not let go. Instead, he immediately called out toward the lower hall: "A'Fan, Ziheng, Yigong... did you hear that? Go at once and move the bamboo slips — make sure you fill our carts to the brim!"

Gongsun Fan and the others were dumbstruck for a moment, but then hastily roared their assent. And then, those big men from Liaoxi, like bandits raiding a house, headed straight for the eastern pavilion of Cai Yong's residence.

Now, it must be said that Cai Yong's uncle had once ranked among the Nine Ministers, so this residence was naturally vast. The eastern pavilion and this main hall were separated by walls and courtyards... so while chaos erupted over there — chickens flying and cats leaping — Cai Yong, with his hand held captive, could not see the situation at all.

Of course, it was not that no one noticed the "spectacle" over there, nor that no one saw Cai Yong's servants trying to report the news, only to be dragged back at the courtyard gate by a Liaoxi big man with a thin beard and hawk-like eyes... But not a single person dared to speak up.

Why was that?

Because during this time just past, everyone had been whispering among themselves, and they had all learned that this crude fellow was actually the prized disciple of the newly appointed Grand Commandant, Lord Wenrao — and what's more, upon his very first summons, he had been granted a military post of a thousand dan. Lord Wenrao's regard for this man was plain to see.

And besides, he was a barbarian from the frontier commandery of Liaoxi, a military officer at that, and about to leave Luoyang any moment. Looking at his imposing physique, and those companions wearing swords and carrying bows... why would a renowned gentleman of their own stature bother to argue with such a man on the spot?

Better to let sleeping dogs lie!

And so it went. Gongsun Xun stood with his head high in the hall, both hands gripping Cai Yong, and chatted idly as if no one else were present. The assembled famous scholars on the hall all listened with expressionless faces... until Cai Yong was nearly at the end of his patience, when Gongsun Fan and Lu Fan finally came to the foot of the hall and cupped their hands slightly in signal.

Gongsun Xun glanced at the sky, nodded, and then released one of Cai Yong's hands. "Master Cai, I am about to depart for the bitter cold of Yanmen to guard the frontier for the state. Why not see me to the gate, and listen once more to that poem of mine, the one that holds my ambition... how about it?"

The crowd immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and then the hall full of famous scholars, almost by instinct, rose to their feet, preparing to follow Cai Yong in escorting this plague god out.

"Very well, very well!" At this moment, how could Cai Yong not wish to end this as quickly as possible?

And so, Gongsun Xun and Cai Bojie walked hand in hand at the front, with the crowd of famous scholars rustling behind them, all the way to the gate.

But the moment they stepped outside the main gate, Cai Yong, seeing those dozen or so carts, felt as if struck by lightning and nearly fainted... As for those famous scholars, they too were all dumbstruck, at a complete loss.

Gongsun Xun's expression did not change. He directly dragged the stumbling Cai Yong to the foremost of those court carriages, swept a mocking gaze over this so-called hall full of famous scholars, and then, with one hand resting on the carriage rail, actually opened his mouth and delivered a few lines of irregular, unorthodox doggerel:

"Gentlemen, hear my poem... Plain zither, gilded classics, received with open arms; none fail to praise the celestial music's pure white charm. The hall of Master Cai, filled to the brim with guests — all arrived after Xun the lad had come and gone!"

Having finished reciting, Gongsun Xun flung his hand away, finally releasing Cai Bojie. Then, throwing his head back in laughter, he flipped himself up onto the carriage.

In that moment, the dozen or so carts formed a single column, perfectly aligned, as if on the march, and before the very eyes of the crowd, they hauled their brimming loads of books off toward the city outskirts!

Cai Yong was utterly despondent, at a loss for words. And the guests before the gate all changed color without exception... No wonder — setting aside the matter of Gongsun Xun plundering the books, and regardless of whether this Liaoxi barbarian's poem conformed to the current literary conventions, the overbearing arrogance in those lines, trampling on everyone present to flaunt his seniority, was something the crowd understood with perfect clarity.

Yet, after several breaths had passed, though these hall-filling famous scholars, used as stepping stones, had all changed color, not a single one dared to step forward and retort.

After a long while, it was Xin Ping, Xin Zhongzhi, who had hidden inside the gate and not come out, who was the first to murmur a low sigh despite himself: "Before, there was Han Sui of Jincheng, who drew his blade and bared its edge, riding off alone; now there is Gongsun Xun of Liaoxi, seizing books and leaving a poem behind, departing with a column of carts... Yuantu, only today do I understand that the heroes of the frontier commanderies are all capable of killing!"

Feng Ji remained silent.

"Cai Yong was by nature pedantic and inflexible, known for speaking bluntly and daring to remonstrate... At the end of the Xiping era, he was promoted to Court Gentleman for Consultation. The crowd, believing he would rise, congratulated him. Only he himself understood, and privately sighed: 'My nature cannot change; I fear misfortune draws near. Yet my children are all young, and my only concern is the ten thousand scrolls of books in the eastern pavilion — I know not to whom they shall belong!' At that time, the Grand Ancestor arrived in Luoyang to receive his appointment. About to take his leave, he left a poem in the hall. Yong read it and was overjoyed, and so entrusted several thousand scrolls of his collection to him. The scholarly world praises this." — Miscellaneous Records of the Scholarly Circles, Chapter on Book Collections, Recorded by an Anonymous Author of Yan

PS: There is also a new book group 684558115, those interested can join.

(End of Chapter)