Chapter 143: A Bird Startled by the Mere Twang of a Bow (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

"Hasty... that was far too hasty."

Hearing that Wang Hong had taken poison, Diwu Lun nearly dropped his jaw in shock — who the hell could have seen this coming?

He wanted to step outside and check on Grand Governor Wang, but was blocked the moment he reached the door. The commandery office guards all had their hands on their swords, staring him down with deadly intent. Had the Deputy Governor not held them back, they likely would have stormed in and killed Diwu Lun.

After all, Wang Hong had governed Zhi Village for over a decade and was deeply entrenched. His retainers and personal followers recognized only their master, Lord Wang, and not the imperial envoys of the court.

Diwu Lun was effectively under house arrest. The several dozen men he had brought were cut off outside the compound, unaware of this sudden upheaval — which drove Diwu Lun frantic with worry.

Worrying was useless. Reflecting on it, Diwu Lun first suspected that Wang Hong might have been involved in Li Yan's treasonous plot. But if that were the case, why not simply seize him instead of resorting to suicide? The realm had not yet reached the point of total collapse. As a member of the Wang clan, even if he wanted to jump ship, he should first secure himself in his commandery and observe carefully for a while.

After a moment's thought, Diwu Lun guessed the likely reason for Wang Hong's sudden poisoning: he was a member of the Wang clan!

And everyone knew that Wang Mang was most ruthless and harsh toward his own Wang kinsmen. Never mind the sons and grandsons he had personally driven to death — just a glance at his closer relatives showed they fared no better.

Take his own uncle, the Marquis of Hongyang, Wang Li: because his reputation was too foul, he enjoyed Wang Zhengjun's protection, and he posed a threat — kill!

The Marquis of Ping'a, Wang Ren — Wang Hong's elder brother — for the same reasons: kill, kill!

The son of Wang Mang's full elder brother, whom Wang Mang had doted on in his youth and raised as his own son, the Marquis of Yangong, Wang Guang, had privately asked the Bearer of the Gilded Mace to help him kill a personal enemy. When the matter came to light, Wang Mang rebuked him. Wang Guang's mother — the sister-in-law Wang Mang had once knelt to serve — was a shrewd woman. She asked her son, "Compare your closeness to the Acting Emperor with that of his eldest son and second son — how do you measure up?"

Wang Guang thought it over: Wang Mang had not even spared his own eldest and second sons — so why would he spare him? And so mother and son took their own lives together. Kill, kill, kill!

With such a glorious record of kin-slaying, casually racking up quadruple and quintuple kills, Diwu Lun would be living in constant terror too if he were a Wang.

All the more so for Wang Hong, who had once threatened Wang Mang's position and whose political views did not necessarily align. Add to that the frequent bandit outbreaks in Zhi Village Commandery, which were hard to suppress, and he likely lived in perpetual fear that the Emperor would send someone to hold him accountable. Because his nerves were constantly taut, and perhaps because he did indeed have a guilty conscience, the moment he saw the "Shangfang Horse-Execution Sword" mounted on Diwu Lun's carriage, he assumed it was meant for him.

Since the Han dynasty, this sword had often been given to ministers sent on missions: "Bestow the Shangfang Horse-Execution Sword, to cut down one sycophantic minister and thereby overawe the rest!"

Wang Hong was thus frightened into taking this extreme action.

Diwu Lun could not help but secretly regret it. "Next time I deal with a Wang family member, I'll have to tread lightly. Wang Mang has terrorized them for so long — they're far too fragile."

As he was pondering, the door to the hall opened, and a callow youth of sixteen or seventeen came charging in with heavy steps, sword pointed at Diwu Lun as he cursed: "You wretch! What exactly did you say to drive my uncle to this?"

This person was named Wang Pan, courtesy name Zishi. He was the son of the Marquis of Ping'a, whom Wang Mang had earlier executed, and was being raised in Wang Hong's household.

"How dare you!" This was probably the closest Diwu Lun had ever come to death. Struggling to stay calm, he raised his imperial tally and commanded: "I am an envoy of the Son of Heaven! To harm me is tantamount to treason!"

Diwu Lun said sternly: "Can a single Zhi Village Commandery withstand Grand Minister of Works Wang Yi's million-strong army? Can your retainers and personal followers match the command of General Yan You, styled Erudite, in battle? If you do this, you will all end up like Zhai Yi back then — utterly annihilated — and you will drag the entire commandery's people down with you. Lord Wang's lifelong reputation for loyalty and integrity will be destroyed by you all!"

Knowing full well the court was a paper tiger, its sun sinking behind the western hills, yet still having to invoke it — Diwu Lun truly had it hard.

As expected, the title of imperial envoy no longer frightened anyone these days. The retainers still hesitated, but Wang Pan, gnashing his teeth, said: "If my uncle dies, you will not walk out of this hall alive."

These words, however, gave Diwu Lun a precious piece of information. Learning that Wang Hong was not yet dead, he immediately looked at the Deputy Governor and the Chief Clerk in charge behind them and said: "Lord Wang is all right? To be honest, I was sent to Zhi Village this time to proclaim an edict that is in no way detrimental to Lord Wang, nor is it meant to transfer him away. On the contrary, it is a commendation and a promotion! Please convey this to Lord Wang at once!"

The Deputy Governor, the Chief Clerk, and the others all wore expressions that said: "Why didn't you say so sooner!"

They hastily dragged Wang Pan away. A moment later, having straightened their attire, they returned to welcome Diwu Lun: "Grandee of the Palace, the commandery lord requests an audience."

Although the physicians had managed to save Wang Hong's life, he was extremely weak and could not yet get out of bed. He could only receive Diwu Lun in his bedchamber.

And the moment he entered the room, Diwu Lun — whether it was psychological or real — felt as though he could smell a faint whiff of... excrement in the air.

He did not know what poison Wang Hong had taken, but the method of treatment was self-evident: thanks to the emetic effects of yellow broth and dung-juice.

Meeting again now, Wang Hong was also deeply embarrassed. It was indeed as Diwu Lun had surmised: because of old grudges and new grievances, he was extremely dissatisfied with the Emperor's governance and lived in constant fear of being ordered to commit suicide like the other Wangs. He therefore always kept poison on his person, ready to take his own life at any moment and preserve some dignity.

But how could he explain this predicament to Diwu Lun? Fortunately, Diwu Lun was quick-witted. He strode forward in one swift step, bowed to Wang Hong with clasped hands, and said: "I have long heard that Dong Commandery, bordering the great river, has a fish called the pufferfish. Its flesh is exquisitely delicious — one who has not eaten pufferfish does not know the true taste of fish — yet it is poisonous. In the future, Lord Wang, you must remember to eat it sparingly. The realm nearly lost a pillar of state!"

Diwu Lun's meaning was a promise not to report this incident back to court — a very comfortable way out.

With this matter turned over, Diwu Lun was at last able to finish reading aloud the imperial edict he had been keeping warm against his chest.

But upon hearing that Diwu Lun's visit had nothing to do with him, Wang Hong was even more mortified. He was exactly like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring — isolated from the flock, flying slowly, its cry mournful, utterly lost in these chaotic times. Hearing the snap of a bowstring from the Emperor's direction, he had been so terrified that he fell on his own, never realizing the arrow was aimed at the neighboring commandery.

Wang Hong indeed had no connection to Li Yan. After all, no matter how ambitious the man was, he could not possibly be so deluded as to try to recruit a Wang family member this early to overthrow Xin and restore Han.

Wang Hong merely said: "I never imagined Li Yan would be so bold. No wonder there have been so many prophetic rumors and apocryphal verses circulating among the refugees in the commandery lately. It was indeed his doing."

This was news to Diwu Lun. "What prophetic rumors and apocryphal verses?"

Wang Hong had the Chief Clerk come in and relay to Diwu Lun, one by one, the apocryphal verses secretly spreading among the common people.

"The first line is... 'Emperor Wen, roused to fury, raises an army in the underworld, informing the Xiongnu in the north, informing the Yue people in the south.'"

This line crossed Diwu Lun's bottom line. Overthrowing Xin and restoring Han was one thing, but you actually want to emulate Lu Fang and collude with the Xiongnu, and even drag the Gouding in the south into your scheme?

The second line was: "Liu Xin in the river, seizes the enemy and repays the grievance, restoring the ancient past."

What did this mean? This Liu Xin was a great-grandson of Emperor Xuan of Han, born of the Dongping royal house. He was the "Son of Heaven" installed over a decade ago when Zhai Yi raised troops against Wang Mang. After Wang Yi and Yan You pacified Dong Commandery, Zhai Yi died, but Liu Xin broke through the siege and vanished. Sure enough, he was now being used as a figurehead, like "Fusu and Xiang Yan" — though whether it was really him or not was anyone's guess.

The third line was: "In the fourth year, the army shall be launched. Venus shines bright, the Year Star enters the Eastern Well — its sign shall march."

It was probably akin to "The year is in the jiazi cycle; great fortune under heaven," meaning they planned to rise in the fourth year of Dihuang. Would the Year Star truly enter the Eastern Well asterism next year? It seemed Li Yan had someone under him who could observe the heavens at night.

It was the fourth line, however, that Diwu Lun took most seriously.

"On the rivers and lakes there is a bandit, calling himself King Fan, surnamed Liu. Ten thousand men march in ranks, immune to amnesty decrees, aiming to shake Chang'an and Luoyang."

"King Fan..."

"Could it be... the Mount Tai bandit chief, Fan Chong?"

This was an interesting twist. In context, it meant that Fan Chong — who was currently causing the greatest upheaval across the three provinces of Qing, Xu, and Yan, and had already gathered tens of thousands — was actually Liu Xin under an alias. It seemed Li Yan wanted to borrow the strength of the rebel armies. The irony, however, was that over on Mount Tai, Fan Chong's rebellion had been going for three years and was still a chaotic mess: no written proclamations, no slogans, no banners, no formal organization. Fan Chong was surely a crude, unlettered man. Claiming he was Liu Xin was probably just wishful thinking on the part of Li Yan and his ilk.

Wang Hong had long since sent word of these new developments to Chang'an. Wang Mang would likely become even more frantic once he learned of them.

In his edict, Wang Mang did commend Wang Hong's loyalty and sincerity, deciding to increase his stipend and rank, and also expressed willingness to let his nephew Wang Pan inherit the title of Marquis of Ping'a. Only at the end did he order Wang Hong to immediately dispatch commandery troops: one contingent to accompany Diwu Lun to Wei Cheng Commandery to arrest the treasonous Li Yan, and another to go to the ancestral home at Yuancheng to guard the family tombs.

Seeing Wang Hong lost in thought and not immediately agreeing, Diwu Lun promptly said: "I know Zhi Village must guard against the bandits of Fan Chong and the like to the east, and also control the refugees crossing its borders — your forces are stretched thin. But Lord Wang, Li Yan has proclaimed he will overthrow Xin and restore Han. If he succeeds, I fear he will do harm to the ancestral tombs of the Wang clan at Yuancheng."

"The Infant King of Yuancheng and the Qing King of Yangping are also the Grand Governor's own ancestors. Can you simply sit by and watch Li Yan desecrate them?"

Diwu Lun was subtly reminding Wang Hong that even if Wang Hong did not approve of the Xin dynasty's policies, and even if he held the Emperor in contempt, fear, or hatred, his bloodline and his ancestors were something he could never change.

These words had their effect. Wang Hong merely heaved a long sigh and said: "I respectfully accept the order. I shall act in accordance with your command."

After leaving Wang Hong's bedchamber, Diwu Lun swept his gaze over the retainers and personal followers outside, their hands on their sword hilts, eyeing him like tigers watching their prey. A single order from Wang Hong, and they would likely strike him down. If this continued, the sword of the Xin dynasty would soon be unable to behead even the Xin dynasty's own officials. The Shangfang Horse-Execution Sword no longer held any deterrent power. Throughout the encounter, Diwu Lun had maintained a calm exterior, but in truth his palms were slick with cold sweat. Who could have imagined such a thrill, even before reaching Wei?

"That was far too close!"

After this ordeal, Diwu Lun felt only an urgent desire to wrap this matter up as quickly as possible, seize Wei Cheng Commandery, and begin cultivating his own power without delay!

Wang Hong, exactly as the edict instructed, dispatched two detachments of troops. Three thousand men, led by the commandery's subordinate magistrate, followed behind Diwu Lun's envoy mission toward Weicheng Commandery, to use force should the authority of the staff and edict prove ineffective.

Another thousand men rushed to the old family home of the Wang clan in Yuancheng, to safeguard the ancestral tombs.

As he left Puyang city, Diwu Lun saw that the city itself was still fairly prosperous, with houses standing in dense rows — except for one stretch of ruins, its roof beams all torn down and doused with filth, lying stark and jarring across the city center.

"This was the residence of Zhai Yi back then. His Majesty, emulating the Duke of Zhou when he destroyed the homes of Guan and Cai, ordered it defiled and ruined."

And once beyond Puyang, he saw along both sides of the road outside the city tall marker posts erected, from which hung long-dried skeletons and corpses, inscribed with the words: "Rebel scum, traitorous villain Dang Ni."

It turned out these were captured followers of Zhai Yi, nailed alive onto the marker posts for public display as punishment for rebellion. Senior officials made autumn inspections, forbidding any damage to them and refusing permission for burial.

This was a scenic sightline one never saw within the Pass. Diwu Lun now truly felt the depth of Wang Mang's hatred for those who opposed him. But even this was nothing — the commandery's subordinate magistrate told him: "Back then, there was a gallant of Dong Commandery named Wang Sunqing, who conspired in rebellion alongside Zhai Yi and Liu Xin. He managed to flee and hide, and was only arrested and brought to justice a few years ago, sent to Chang'an. Does the Grand Master know how His Majesty dealt with him?"

Burned alive? Diwu Lun had heard that Wang Mang was quite fond of this punishment — he had used it on those from the Western Regions Protectorate who defected to the Xiongnu.

But he had still underestimated Wang Mang's imagination.

"His Majesty ordered the imperial physician, the master artisans of the Shangfang, and highly skilled butchers to jointly dissect and flay Wang Sunqing's corpse. They measured his five viscera with a ruler, used bamboo strips to trace the pathways of his blood vessels, and learned their beginnings and ends. He even said… that doing this would allow later generations to study how to better cure illness!"

Diwu Lun was stunned speechless. Wait — could this be China's first medical dissection of a human body? He could testify that what Wang Mang did…

"Indeed can advance the progress of medicine!"

…

By the first ten days of the eighth month, Diwu Lun was traveling ahead, while the troops of Zhiting Commandery followed a day's distance behind. They crossed the river at Baima Ford and entered Liyang County within the borders of Weicheng Commandery.

What Diwu Lun had not expected was that Zhang Yu, whom he had earlier placed at Ma Yuan's side to relay oral messages, had already hurried here. Fearing that a letter might be discovered by Li Yan's trusted men, Zhang Yu recited to Diwu Lun two lines of Ma Yuan's spoken message.

"Lord Ma says: Boyu, come quickly!"

Zhang Yu, with earnest precision, repeated Ma Yuan's original words exactly.

"If you don't come soon, I'm about to be appointed by Li Yan as General Who Restores the Han!"

…

PS: When Wang Sunqing, a follower of Zhai Yi, was captured, Wang Mang had the imperial physician, the Shangfang artisans, and skilled butchers jointly dissect and flay him, measure his five viscera, and use bamboo strips to trace his vessels, learning their beginnings and ends, saying this could aid in curing illness. — Book of Han, Biography of Wang Mang

(Silver Alliance bonus chapter 2/11)