[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-97":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Overthrowing Han",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1222856,1620,"Chapter 97: A Great Matter (Part Two)","overthrowing-han-chapter-97",97,"\u003Cp>The weather was sweltering, the cicadas droned on without pause, and there was not a cloud for ten thousand li — only a hot wind, truly unbearable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Yinguan City, the seat of Yanmen Commandery, a group of people who had just emerged from the commandery office gathered directly at the city’s watchtower market. This crowd, with their retinues before and behind and clusters of servants, so startled the common folk who had been cooling off there that they all fled and scattered in avoidance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, soon after, servants fetched fresh fruits and vegetables from the market below for their respective masters, chilled them in deep-well cold water, and only then presented them on the second floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet these summer delicacies, which in the eyes of ordinary commoners were the height of luxury, went untouched by anyone. Everyone on the second floor of the watchtower sat like wooden statues, their expressions grave as they gazed far off toward the corner at the market’s end, awaiting the arrival of the person they had agreed to meet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have truly kept you all waiting!” A young man dressed as a clerk, his head drenched in sweat, came up to the second floor. After a perfunctory bow, he hurriedly sat down beside a low table, pulled a large white pear from the water jar before him, and began gnawing at it without the slightest decorum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, no one around him had anything to say — in heat like this, who could stand on so much ceremony?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when this young man, who served as a Household Section subordinate clerk in the commandery, was gnawing on his second large white pear did an elder finally ask with a solemn expression: “Dare I ask, worthy nephew, why none of the other commandery families with generations of friendship have come? Could it be that just now in the commandery office, our verbal messages were not delivered?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My respects, honored uncle.” The clerk wiped his mouth and hastily cupped his hands in reply. “It is not that they were not delivered, but that they dared not come and were unwilling to come… Even I, were it not that you, honored uncle, are also here, would likely not have come either.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In that case…” The elder immediately frowned and asked in a low voice, “The Prefect is truly resolved this time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Indeed!” The Household Section clerk answered with exceptional crispness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, the expressions of those around immediately varied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then dare I ask you one more thing, worthy nephew — to what degree exactly has the Prefect’s resolve reached?” The elder’s heart sank, and he could not help but press further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Honored uncle.” The clerk tossed aside the second pear core, rinsed his hands in the jar, and only then cupped his hands with a solemn expression. “Our Sun and Zheng families have been close for many years. I have come with only one word for you — do not harbor a moment’s wishful thinking and bury your Zheng family’s century-old foundation in Wuzhou! You should know, honored uncle, that every prominent household with a post in the commandery office has agreed to this grain contribution without exception!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elder surnamed Zheng heaved a deep sigh: “In other words, the Prefect is determined to act as a harsh official? But even if we are compelled by the duty between lord and subject and must agree, does he not fear ruining his reputation and causing the lineage of their Taiyuan Guo clan to suffer damage midway?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Prefect is somewhat helpless in this matter.” The clerk surnamed Sun could not help but frown. “Honored uncle, after this military disaster, the whole of Yanmen is in shambles. Even the Xiongnu Chanyu is still recuperating carefully in his estate outside the city… As the chief official of a commandery, the Prefect cannot simply sit by and do nothing, can he?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I heard… well, did I not hear that the Prefect went to Pingcheng and borrowed army provisions?” Suddenly, another middle-aged man of prosperous build could not resist leaning over to ask, and even took the initiative to pull another large white pear from the jar and offer it to Clerk Sun, his manner extremely deferential. “Dare I ask, Vice Clerk Sun, if that is so, why must we provide grain? And so much at that? Our Feng family of Juyang is but a small, humble household, yet we are assessed one hundred and fifty dan?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Feng, you have hit upon the crux of the matter!” Vice Clerk Sun took the pear, bit into it, and then could not help but raise his head and sigh. “The problem lies precisely with these army provisions!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thereupon, this Household Section clerk launched into a vivid account: how that defeated general Zang Min refused to take responsibility and merely sealed the army grain stores for whoever came after; how Prefect Guo waited in Pingcheng for the newly appointed Separate Division Major, and as soon as the man arrived, went to beg for grain; and how astute that Major was, seeing through at a glance how Zang Min and Prefect Guo were trying to take advantage of his low rank to make him shoulder the blame, and how arrogant and unreasonable he then became, saying only that for every dan of grain he provided, the commandery must also provide one dan, and so on…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, after this riveting tale had been told once through, these local magnates from the outlying counties of the commandery were all dumbstruck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I will not hide it from you all!” The Household Section clerk, holding a large jujube, sighed helplessly. “Right now, the entire northern part of Yanmen Commandery is swarming with bandits and routed soldiers, and the commandery can only rely on this Separate Division Major, who holds a powerful force, to suppress the bandits. Moreover, this Major is no rustic of unknown origin — when I hear other colleagues in the commandery speak of this man, every one of them is deeply guarded and evasive… You understand, I only returned from my travels of study in Taiyuan a few months ago and was then recruited by Prefect Guo, so I am not very clear on this matter either… But in any case, Prefect Guo is determined to set the situation in order no matter what, so he had no choice but to agree to him. Yet now the commandery’s treasury is indeed utterly empty, so he had no choice but to seek grain from the commandery’s great households to match the Major’s army provisions!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could this Separate Division Major’s surname be Gongsun?” The elder seemed lost in thought, then suddenly gave a start.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems so — does honored uncle perhaps know this man?” Clerk Sun, still eating his jujube, could not help his curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I certainly know this man.” The elder surnamed Zheng immediately rose. “And I also finally understand why you alone have come… Go back quickly to your official duties; do not let this delay your prospects. I now grasp the gravity of this matter — a few hundred dan of grain is nothing; I will deliver it at once!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Three great armies all defeated!” Just at that moment, the fat man surnamed Feng, who had earlier handed Clerk Sun the pear, suddenly slammed the table and rose, then raised his arm and cried out, startling everyone on the watchtower into pallor. “The northern frontier lies empty, the commandery is in turmoil, the common people are displaced and homeless, soldiers and bandits run rampant through our homeland — at a time like this, it is precisely for our local eminent families to perform deeds of service to the nation! Now Prefect Guo and Major Gongsun are determined to restore order and intent on providing relief, yet you all, instead of thinking to exert yourselves for country and sovereign, haggle and hesitate here over a mere few hundred dan of millet — what principle is this?! I, Feng, am ashamed to count myself among you! Farewell!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, this fat man Feng actually picked up the jar of fruits and vegetables his servant had brought, held his head high and chest out, and went downstairs, leaving the rest of the crowd glaring after him in fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cough! Cough cough!” But at that very moment, Clerk Sun’s face suddenly flushed crimson, and he began coughing violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others, suddenly realizing what was happening, rushed forward and slapped and pounded him from all sides, and only then managed to dislodge the jujube stuck in his throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having drunk his own hand-washing water and caught his breath slightly, Clerk Sun had no time to think further and merely clung desperately to his Zheng family honored uncle, clearly as panicked as a dog: “Honored uncle… please, give me some guidance!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Worthy nephew!” The elder surnamed Zheng was also thoroughly ashamed. “In truth, thinking on it more carefully, I have already dragged you down in this affair… When you return, take the initiative to resign from this post of Vice Clerk of the Household Section on the grounds of pursuing your studies, or else those high-ranking clerks in the commandery will likely not spare you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean by this?” Clerk Sun grew even more terrified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the elder surnamed Zheng could reply, a middle-aged man beside them also could not help but smile bitterly: “Worthy younger brother, you actually do not know what sort of man this Major Gongsun is… This fact alone shows how much you are being ostracized in the commandery.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A Major of equivalent rank to one thousand dan — even if he is overbearing, can he possibly surpass a Commandery Prefect of two thousand dan?” Clerk Sun, in his terror, could not help but rise and retort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ai!” The man shook his head repeatedly. “I am not saying this Major Gongsun is truly overbearing to some extreme degree… In truth, in my view, if Prefect Guo alone wished to accomplish something, there would be loopholes to exploit; and if Major Gongsun alone wished to accomplish something, there would also be ways to deal with it. The reason this matter is unresolvable lies precisely in the fact that these two have joined hands!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly!” The elder surnamed Zheng, hearing this, could not help but turn around, stroke his beard in the wind, and heave another deep sigh. “Consider: Prefect Guo, acting from above upon those below, is open and aboveboard — his authority is legitimate and beyond reproach; while Major Gongsun, standing to the side and observing, keeps his blade hidden in his bosom — his edge is irresistible. Not to mention, one is a direct-line scion of a Bingzhou renowned clan, deeply rooted and firmly entrenched; the other is connected to a line of eminent court dignitaries, unfathomably deep… With two such men joining hands, anyone with the slightest discernment should understand that in this land of Yanmen, high or low, left or right, no one else has any room to interject!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand now.” Clerk Sun suddenly saw the light. “Though I still do not know what sort of man this Major Gongsun is, according to what you say, honored uncle, and what you all lament, this matter truly admits no chance of escape! And under such circumstances, the various prominent clerks in the commandery office had clearly already made their own families submit, yet not one of them warned you magnates of the outlying counties — clearly they harbored ill intentions! And I, blundering in, have spoiled their scheme… How could they spare me when I return? Many thanks for your guidance, honored uncle. I will submit my resignation at once and return to Taiyuan to pursue my studies!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It is we who have ruined Vice Clerk Sun’s prospects!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Had our worthy nephew not come to report, we would nearly have met with calamity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When our worthy nephew returns to the commandery in the future, we will surely repay him!” For a moment, the people on the upper floor all cupped their hands and made promises.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While harmony reigned in the Yinguan watchtower, at that very moment, two hundred li away in Pingcheng, Gongsun Xun — the very man described as irresistible — was also in plain clothes, helping his mother sort through the local fruits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mother and son sat together on campstools in the shade of a tree in the courtyard. Before them were arrayed several jars of cold water filled with local fruits, and with no need for servants to attend them, it was a scene of motherly kindness and filial devotion, suffused with harmony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother, try this.” Gongsun Xun picked a small red fruit from the water jar and handed it over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Too sour!” Lady Gongsun took one bite, and tears sprang to her eyes. “Why do apples of this era all taste like this? Who knows how many years it will take to breed the large apples of later times… No, quickly, give me a pear to ease it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun immediately took out a large white pear and offered it up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Setting everything else aside, the jujubes and pears of this Shanxi region are still quite reliable.” Lady Gongsun devoured several bites before she recovered. “And in summer, pears are still the best!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun, hearing this, could not help but shake his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean by that?” Lady Gongsun peered at her only son sideways through her black-rimmed spectacles. “Am I wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It is not that you are wrong.” Gongsun Xun sighed. “For us, pears are naturally better than jujubes. But for the common people of Pingcheng, at this time jujubes are far superior to pears… Jujubes stave off hunger and are easy to store. Households short on grain are now roaming the hills and fields everywhere searching for wild jujubes. Pears, though large and full of water, cannot be stored until autumn to serve as food.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Those words make me feel guilty just eating a pear!” Lady Gongsun said helplessly. “Why think of such things now? Is there any use?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It is your son who spoke out of turn.” Gongsun Xun hastily shook his head and smiled. “I have long since joined hands with Prefect Guo to requisition grain. We should discuss this matter once there is news… Mother, this should be your first time leaving Liaoxi, yes? How did you find the journey?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How I found it… Thank heaven my son has grown up!” Lady Gongsun tossed aside the pear core and wiped her hands with paper herself. “If not for your achievements, how could a woman like me ever have left Liaoxi? Do you realize, on this trip, the trade route along the line of Shanggu, Dai Commandery, and Yanmen has also been thoroughly opened up!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With you taking charge, Mother, success naturally follows as water flows into a channel!” Gongsun Xun hastily lowered his head and offered flattery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How is it my doing?” Lady Gongsun tried to toss the paper ball toward the courtyard gate, but unexpectedly a gust of wind swept it away, and she could only gaze helplessly at the sky and let it go. “The reason this northern frontier trade route could be opened this time is mainly due to your achievement in burning Mount Danhan… Do you know, Mount Danhan was utterly collapsed by your fire!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A mere coincidence.” Gongsun Xun lowered his head and replied. “Mother told me about it — just a mudslide.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Regardless, you have made a great name for yourself this time. ‘Renowned across the northern frontier’ is a fitting description, and it is no falsehood that the aristocratic families and local magnates of these three commanderies are all willing to give you face now… In a few days, at your grand wedding, we will invite all the magnates and aristocratic families of Yanmen, and I will turn every one of them into downline members of Amway!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun pressed his lips together and said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still, you had a close call too.” After finishing this matter-of-fact statement, Lady Gongsun casually brought up another topic. “Did you know that Mo Huchen escaped back from the Xianbei? Only then did I learn what sort of man that Tanshihuai is. With all three routes victorious, instead of coming to raid our borders and plunder, he went east to help the Eastern Xianbei capture fish slaves and teach those wild men of the Northeastern Xianbei how to fish… No matter how you look at it, this man fits the mold of a generation’s proud son of heaven. Give him another twenty years, and I fear he would truly lead his troops south into the Central Plains and accomplish a great enterprise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun, hearing this, could not help but ask in return: “If that is so, why did Mother, in your reply that day, insist that the Xianbei were not worth worrying about?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because after I called Mo Huchen in for further questioning, I figured it out.” Lady Gongsun gave a dry laugh at this. “This man is already forty years old, and living in a place on the steppe where the only cure for illness is shamanic dancing, I fear he does not have long to live… The overall situation — that the Xianbei cannot become a real threat — remains sound.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun let out a long sigh at these words, though whether he was lamenting Tanshihuai’s advancing age or the heroic, ambitious spirit of this Xianbei Khan was unclear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Speaking of things seen on the road, however, I was just about to ask you something!” Lady Gongsun continued. “At Juyang, why did you use low-proof unfiltered liquor to wash the wounded soldiers’ injuries? I keep thinking that using that stuff would actually make infection more likely, wouldn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun was momentarily stunned by the question, then asked in return, \"Was it not you, Mother, who taught me to use liquor for 'disinfection'?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Gongsun was also taken aback, but immediately corrected him: \"That requires high-proof spirits... the kind that's 'three bowls and you can't cross the ridge'!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun spread his hands helplessly. \"What should I do then? At the time, the whole army was quite grateful, saying I used such precious things to treat their wounds...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then let it not happen again!\" Lady Gongsun replied quietly. \"What else can be done?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mother and son both fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long while, it was Gongsun Xun who spoke first, proactively bringing up another matter: \"How exactly did you persuade my father-in-law to release someone on this journey? That Zhao Yun, a young maiden, traveling alone with you, Mother, to come here and marry me — no matter how you look at it, it defies proper rites and decorum, does it not?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How was it my persuasion?\" Lady Gongsun could not help but shake her head. \"It was your father-in-law's old mother, the Elder Lady Zhao, who insisted upon it with all her might. The very day they heard the news that the army was defeated and you had stayed behind to cover the retreat and were unaccounted for, they sent their own granddaughter straight from Yangle to our home at Lingzhi. Later, when they learned you had returned wounded, they urged us repeatedly, telling me to deliver her directly to Yanmen so the two of you could complete the marriage as soon as possible... This matter happened to align with my own wishes, and besides, I truly could not bear not seeing you, so I brought her along to find you!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun was increasingly at a loss for words, and mother and son once again fell into that strange, recurring silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, however, it was Lady Gongsun who could not endure it first, picking up the thread of their repeatedly interrupted conversation: \"Xun'er... Wenqi, this time it truly is not your fault. Rather, it was my lack of foresight that led you astray into perilous ground!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It has nothing to do with Mother.\" With the topic finally opened, Gongsun Xun could not help but sit up straight. \"In this life, how can everything go exactly as one wishes? Besides, Mother's guidance was ultimately correct... It is just that, as it now appears, even when the direction is right, walking that path inevitably involves some twists and detours.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I also more or less understand your meaning.\" Lady Gongsun looked intently at her only son as she spoke. \"You have come of age and received your cap; you naturally have your own thoughts, your own trusted confidants, your own things you wish to do, and your own path to walk... None of this is a problem! It is only that I, as your mother, still hope you will firmly remember the brutality of the coming age, and remember those words!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"'Strive to make your name known among the feudal lords, so as to beg for a meager survival in a chaotic world...'\" Gongsun Xun suddenly smiled. \"Carve out a territory in Liaoxi and sit back to watch success or failure — I understand.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That is good.\" Lady Gongsun could not help but let out a long breath, and then directly ended this topic that was so difficult for both mother and son. \"By the way, you mentioned earlier that Gao Shun is in your army? And that you also obtained a 'broken blade of Xiang Yu' from Dong Zhuo? Show them both to me...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——————I am the dividing line that is about to die of heat——————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In the late Xiping era of the Later Han, there was a powerful clan of Yanmen, the Feng family. The patriarch was corpulent yet miserly; when traveling, he would bend to pick up even a single grain of rice. When associating with others, he often attended feasts, yet despite his household's great wealth, he never once acted as host... His conduct was largely of this sort, and thus he was long despised by the local people, yet the man himself remained unperturbed. When war and turmoil spread, and the calamity of arms grew urgent, the young crops of Yanmen were mostly ruined, and the autumn harvest was hopeless. The Grand Administrator therefore ordered the powerful families of the commandery to contribute grain for relief. The powerful families, mostly greedy and base, gathered together in the upper chamber of the Flag Pavilion to jointly discuss resisting the Grand Administrator. Because the Feng family was wealthy, they invited him as well. That day, in the height of summer's heat, everyone brought vegetables and fruits to the pavilion. The Feng patriarch also personally carried a clay jar upstairs, which everyone found curious. Just as they were about to speak, the Feng patriarch suddenly slammed the table and rose, shouting at the crowd: 'Our homeland is stricken with disaster; the scholars and commoners have the look of hunger on their faces, all seeking wild jujubes in the hills to fill their bellies. You, being the powerful families of this commandery, instead of thinking to pay grain and serve the state, would rather plot to harm the state? Though I am base, I am unwilling to keep company with you gentlemen!' The crowd was stunned. The Feng patriarch then raised the jar and said: 'You have always called me miserly, saying I have never acted as host. Today I have a few things, all picked by my own hand, which I wish to share with you gentlemen, to settle accounts, so that hereafter we owe each other nothing!' Having spoken, he hurled the jar against a pillar. The jar shattered, and wild jujubes rolled across the entire floor! The Feng patriarch then flicked his sleeves, strode out with his head held high, and returned home, contributing grain to the commandery. The powerful families were all ashamed, and moved by his virtue, they all vied to contribute grain.\" — *Miscellaneous Records of the Scholarly Grove*. Chapter on Edification. Anonymous of Yan\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: There is also a new book group; interested students can join: 684558115.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",4008,"2026-06-04T19:42:03.441Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","402e4508b78edfad6faa5a6717eb2a52be61275ed922c9e4fe81af8b08ec2f70","overthrowing-han-chapter-98","overthrowing-han-chapter-96",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]