Chapter 46: Riding the Donkey

"Though Boyu is a man of the countryside, ever since his elementary studies he has shown the virtue of a solitary gentleman of principle."

At a volume Diba Jiao had never in his life shouted with before, he began with the story of yielding the pears and recounted the tale of Diwu Lun to the ever-growing crowd of Imperial Academy students.

"He is benevolent, filial, and devoted to his brothers. His word is always trustworthy, his actions always decisive, his promises always sincere. He cares nothing for wealth and goods, delights in charity, and can go to the aid of his village and kin in times of hardship — he built charity granaries, established charity schools, opened coal kilns, and united the clan."

Such extravagant praise would have made Diwu Lun himself blush.

"What is even rarer is that, though Boyu has plainly done so many good deeds, he never boasts of his abilities and is ashamed to trumpet his virtue. He cultivates his conduct and burnishes his name; his renown has spread to the ranks of the commandery officers, and the common people all call him worthy, naming him 'Filial and Righteous Diwu the Younger'! Even Yuan Juxian of Maoling admires him from afar and wishes to befriend him."

Diwu Lun's name was not widely known in Chang'an, but his unusual surname made it easy to remember, and a few among the Academy students had indeed heard of him; they began whispering to one another about this man.

"Yet even such a man of the Way, such a benevolent person, can meet with sudden peril. Because he righteously freed a chivalrous knight who faced death with courage, he was imprisoned by the office of the Master of Fates of the Five Majesties and subjected to harsh torture! No one knows whether he is now alive or dead!"

Diba Jiao then told the story of "righteousness breaking the strong bow," but he had not grasped the full reason — Diwu Fu had not explained it clearly to him either — and his mind automatically filled in the gaps: "Boyu admired Wan Xiu's righteousness and persuaded Commandant Ma to release him. Commandant Ma was so deeply moved by Boyu that he fled together with Wan Xiu. But Boyu refused to flee; he returned to the capital and gave himself up, willing to die in place of those two gentlemen!"

This colossal misunderstanding sealed Diwu Lun's guilt, yet it also made the Academy students clap their hands in admiration.

The knightly and the Confucian had already merged into one stream; many Academy students were Confucian scholars in the capital and knight-errants in the countryside, pursuing the ideals of giving and taking, of promises kept. Whether something conformed to the law or not, they did not care — they looked only to two words: Confucius said, "Perfect the virtue"; Mencius said, "Choose the righteous"!

Diwu Lun had claimed both words, and that was enough for the Academy students to extol him to the skies.

Diba Jiao continued: "Look back at the worthies of antiquity: Lü Shang met with hardship at Jijin; Guan Yiwu once wore shackles upon his body; Baili Xi ate his meals beneath an ox's mouth."

"When a worthy man possesses great virtue for the world, how can we sit by and watch his distress? Zigong rushed to Chu to seek aid and delivered Confucius from his plight between Chen and Cai. As Boyu's clan elder-brother and friend, I too have come today to the Imperial Academy, to ask my fellow students of the same school and the same lodgings to follow the example of Wang Xian of the former dynasty, who rescued Colonel Bao, and to let the lords of the court know of Boyu's wrongful suffering!"

"Diba Jiao here kowtows, and kowtows again!"

Diba Jiao knelt and bowed three times to the crowd, then rose. He lifted the yellow banner high in both hands and thrust it heavily into the ground. "Those who wish to save Filial and Righteous Diwu the Younger, gather beneath this banner!"

With that, he shut his eyes, not daring to look further. He had to admit, Diwu Lun's fame was far inferior to that of Bao Xuan of the former dynasty, and Diba Jiao's own power to rally men at the Imperial Academy fell far short of his predecessors'.

Would anyone answer? Diba Jiao's heart was uneasy, but he recalled Diwu Lun's words — that the Di clans of Linqu Village ought to unite as one family again, sharing glory and sharing ruin — and his resolve hardened.

Even if no one answers, even if I must bear this yellow banner alone, I shall go!

The Academy students, though they admired Diwu Lun's deeds and praised his benevolence and righteousness, all hesitated when they heard they were to follow Diba Jiao to make trouble and force the Master of Fates of the Five Majesties to release him.

The clamor of discussion went on for a good while before one man pushed through the crowd and strode out, shouting, "I will go!"

Diba Jiao opened his eyes in delighted surprise.

The man who had come forward — his surname was Liu!

…

Liu Xiu had been squeezed among the crowd, and when the story reached its stirring parts he had indeed clapped in admiration. It was just that he, as a person, had always been mocked by his elder brother Liu Bosheng at home as "overly cautious and afraid of trouble" — he lacked Liu Bosheng's firm resolve and gallant spirit.

Whenever something happened in Nanyang, Liu Bosheng would often roar in fury, draw his blade, and charge in, while Liu Xiu would first ponder for ages, weighing things over and over before making a decision, arriving only in time to clean up after his elder brother.

That was precisely why his elder brother had packed him off to the Imperial Academy, hoping he would broaden his horizons and steel his nerve.

But Liu Xiu was still his old self. In today's matter, to let his hair stand on end in righteous fury for an unrelated stranger — that was utterly impossible.

Yet the moment he saw who had stepped forward first, Liu Xiu knew at once that big trouble was brewing.

"Anyone but him to be the first to speak up — it had to be Liu Long. This is going to end badly!"

The man who had answered Diba Jiao's call was none other than Liu Xiu's fellow townsman, Liu Long of Anzhong County in Nanyang, courtesy name Yuanbo.

Liu Long was only eighteen, yet he had already been at the Imperial Academy for a year. His background was no simple matter — he was of the family of Liu Chong, the Marquis of Anzhong of the Former Han. That was the very first imperial clansman of the House of Han to raise a banner in revolt after Wang Mang became Acting Emperor.

In the first year of Jushe (AD 6), after the death of Emperor Ping of Han, Wang Mang summoned the child Liu Ying to court, yet only enfeoffed him as Crown Prince while making himself "Acting Emperor," ascending the throne and wielding imperial authority. Only then did the realm realize that Wang Mang was probably no Duke of Zhou, but intended to carry out an abdication and usurpation!

When Liu Chong, the Marquis of Anzhong in Nanyang Commandery, heard the news, he flew into a great rage. Without weighing his own strength, he led his clan to raise a banner against Wang Mang. With just over a hundred men, he dared to attack Wancheng — and in the end, before they even touched the city gate, they were wiped out by the larceny officer.

Except for the one branch that had rushed to inform Wang Mang of Liu Chong's rebellion, every member of the Marquis of Anzhong's estate aged seven and above, young or old, was exterminated to the last. Liu Long, as a mere child of the clan, was spared because of his tender age, and people secretly called him the "Orphan of Anzhong."

That one branch of the Marquis of Anzhong's estate had been rewarded for placing righteousness above family loyalty, and in one stroke they were enfeoffed with one full Marquis and seven Inner Marquis titles. That family, to their credit, still had some conscience: they raised Liu Long to adulthood and even funded his studies at the Imperial Academy, allowing Liu Long to pass the family-background check as their adopted son.

Because they were both from Nanyang and both descendants of Liu Fa, Prince Ding of Changsha, Liu Xiu and Liu Long were on quite familiar terms, and Liu Xiu had often tried to win him over. He felt that this youth, who bore a blood-deep vendetta against the new Xin dynasty, would surely be an asset when his elder brother raised his banner in the future.

But Liu Long was fine in every respect — except that his temperament was just like that of the impetuous Marquis of Anzhong, Liu Chong. And sure enough, here he was again, sticking his neck out first!

Liu Xiu knew Liu Long well. The man's face was the color of dark jujubes, and whenever he grew agitated it changed hue — right now it was blazing red.

And Liu Long had many friends at the Imperial Academy and was well-liked. When he stood beneath Diba Jiao's yellow banner, raised his arm, and gave a rallying cry, scattered voices answered him, and before long several dozen men had gathered, most of them from Nanyang. Even Deng Yu could not hold back and went over to stand with them.

Liu Xiu shot Deng Yu a look, telling him to come back and stay out of this affair, but Liu Long had already begun discussing with Diba Jiao how they lacked enough horses and how they were going to get to Chang'an.

Liu Long, utterly unabashed, thumped his chest and guaranteed that this matter was on him, then headed straight for Liu Xiu. In a few strides he was right in front of him, laughing heartily as he raised Liu Xiu's hand and made the decision for him.

"We can ride Wenshu's… donkey into the city!"

…

And so it was that Liu Xiu, who had intended to stay out of the affair, was dragged into the procession by Liu Long. Once he went, Zhu You, Qiang Hua, and the others followed right behind.

Only Zhuang Ziling in their lodgings simply covered his ears against the irritating noise outside, rolled over, and went back to sleep — a winter's day was perfect for slumber, and that herd of donkeys outside was truly making a racket.

Liu Xiu cast one envious glance at Zhuang Ziling before he was swept along by the crowd to the stables outside the Academy lodgings.

Liu Xiu's family's black-haired donkeys were tethered here — not just one, but several dozen of them, their long ears pricked up, staring blankly at the Academy students who were likewise dressed in black robes and tall caps.

The reason he kept so many donkeys was that after arriving in Chang'an, Liu Xiu had discovered that the cost of keeping horses here was shockingly high. Liu Xiu, who had always been skilled at managing farmland and property back home, had a flash of inspiration and went into partnership with a fellow lodger, Han Zi, a powerful Nanyang magnate, pooling their money to buy donkeys. Liu Xiu's own servants, brought from home, looked after them, and the donkeys were rented out to Academy students heading into the city as transport. The profits were split eighty-twenty, with Liu Xiu taking the larger share.

The money he earned, Liu Xiu used to make friends, and he also gained a reputation at the Academy as one who "delighted in giving and cared for others."

One donkey per student, several dozen men in a mighty procession surged out of the Imperial Academy and headed straight for Chang'an — the sight was nothing short of spectacular. Only, they had plenty of impulse but a serious lack of strategy. Diba Jiao, too, had no experience and had no idea where to go next, merely debating whether they should go straight to the office of the Master of Fates of the Five Majesties, sit down, and block the gate.

Zhu You interjected, "In the office of the Master of Fates of the Five Majesties, those Masters of Fates all collude in evil — is there a single good man among them? What use is it to appeal to them? In my view, we'd do better to block the carriages of the Four Supports and the Three Dukes on the road."

The hot-tempered, red-faced Liu Long slapped his donkey's rump and shouted, "Who knows when the Four Supports and Three Dukes will pass by? Why don't we just go straight outside the Shoucheng Chamber, knock at the palace gate and raise a cry, and then go to the Public Carriage Office's Sima Gate and submit a petition to the Emperor!"

"Yes!"

"Excellent!"

"That will surely draw the Son of Heaven's attention and save Diwu Boyu from prison!"

Liu Xiu, riding at the back, felt his head swim when he heard this and nearly toppled off his donkey.

Liu Xiu, ever cautious and wary of trouble, had been forcibly pulled along by this pack of hotheads, and watching them step by step march toward the abyss, he was truly in despair.

He had just now carefully thought through the feasibility of this matter. Wang Xian of the former dynasty's successful knocking at the palace gate had been an exceptional case. At that time, the entire Imperial Academy had only three thousand students, and a full third of them had turned out — a massive show of force that compelled the court to withdraw Bao Xuan's death sentence and dared not retaliate against the students. The law does not punish the multitude, after all.

But today they had only mustered a few dozen men; add the black-haired donkeys beneath their backsides and they were still not a hundred. Before they even reached the palace gate, they would likely be seized by the Garrison Corps (the Bearer of the Gilded Mace), let alone get anywhere near the heavily guarded Public Carriage Office's Sima Gate.

What was even more fatal was that among the ringleaders was Liu Long, that "child of Anzhong," a remnant of rebellion — it was as if they feared the court would not discover his identity. Once exposed, this affair might well be linked by those with ulterior motives to "gathering a mob to plot rebellion, seeking to restore the Han," and they could all go join Diwu Lun in the office of the Master of Fates of the Five Majesties.

Watching these classmates brimming with ambition to go do great deeds and make their names known across the realm, Liu Xiu grew anxious. Fortunately, he had always been benevolent, wise, far-sighted, and full of stratagems, and he secretly paid close attention to the situation in the Xin Dynasty — whenever court governance deteriorated, he was always among the first to learn of it, and could even explain it to his dormitory mates. After a moment's thought, Liu Xiu quickly came up with a plan.

He then spurred his donkey forward and blocked the crowd's path.

"Wenshu, what is this? Don't tell me you've had second thoughts and want to back out?" Liu Long's face was full of indignation.

"Not at all. I only ask you all to hear one word from me!"

Liu Xiu was clever; he did not speak words of dissuasion, for that would make everyone see him as cowardly and would backfire. So be it — since he had already been swept along into this, he would help them. He could only steer these Imperial Academy students, who were on the verge of spinning out of control, toward a direction with a greater chance of success.

Liu Xiu smiled and said: "Most of the Imperial Academy students going to seek justice today are from the Forward Column commanderies, and the fief of the Imperial Grandson, the Gongchong Duke Wang Zong, is also in Xindu County of the Forward Column. Born and raised there, he counts as a fellow townsman of ours. I have heard that he is extremely amiable toward scholars of the Forward Column, has long been renowned for honoring the worthy, and is quite trusted and valued by the Son of Heaven."

"The Gongchong Duke's residence is right in Shangguan Ward south of the city — is that not closer than the east and west gate towers of the Palace of Prolonged Success? If we can persuade the Gongchong Duke to step forward, with his status and prestige, he can surely rescue Diwu Boyu!"

Before the Imperial Academy students and their donkeys could arrive, Yang Xiong had also come to Shangguan Ward south of the city, and waited a long while at the ward gate first.

Of the capital's one hundred and sixty neighborhoods, the Northern Tower noble residences and Shangguan Ward were the most esteemed. Shangguan Ward lay between the Palace of Prolonged Success and the Palace of Constant Joy, at the foot of the imperial city — to its north was the office of the Governor of the Capital, to its south it leaned against the city wall, a location perfectly ordained by heaven and earth.

In the past, those who lived here were mostly Marquises and members of the imperial clan, or else high ministers of the court; Emperor Xuan of Han and Huo Guang had both once made their homes here. Ten years ago, when the realm's sacred vessel shifted, most of those surnamed Liu were "enlightened" by the Son of Heaven and "voluntarily" moved away, and this place became the territory of those surnamed Wang.

The only remaining household in the ward with the surname Liu was the residence of the State Preceptor, Liu Xin.

"I have kept the venerable Ziyun waiting!"

After a long wait, just as Yang Xiong thought he would not be granted entry, someone from the State Preceptor's residence finally came out. It was Lower Grand Master Liu Gong — the very Liu Erudite who had debated with Huan Tan at the Changling official academy on form, spirit, candle, and flame, and posed the question of "whether the spirit can change bodies and continue to live."

Liu Gong was on good terms with Huan Tan, and he also held Yang Xiong in respect, but his uncle Liu Xin insisted on making Yang Ziyun wait a while longer — that was just how these old men got when their tempers flared.

He supported Yang Xiong as they walked into the ward. The road here was broad, the surroundings elegant, every household behind a tall gate and grand courtyard — absolutely incomparable to the remote Xuanming Ward.

"Venerable Ziyun, when was the last time you came here?"

Liu Gong's words stirred Yang Xiong's memories. The last time he came? Probably eight or nine years ago. Back then, his relationship with Liu Xin was still quite good; he had even taught Liu Xin's sons the rare characters used by the feudal lords of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.

But what left a deeper impression on Yang Xiong was his very first visit to Shangguan Ward — also to Liu Xin's home. At that time, Liu Xin's father, the great scholar Liu Xiang, was still alive.

Liu Xiang had once collated books at the Tianlu Pavilion for twenty years, and his household held a vast collection of texts. Yang Xiong often came, brought by Liu Xin, to borrow books to read. Back then, he never imagined that he would later inherit Liu Xiang's work, continuing to finish collating the books Liu Xiang had left incomplete at the Tianlu Pavilion. Liu Xin, however, was not content with pure scholarship and developed a far keener interest in institutional reform — and the two best friends gradually drifted apart.

The State Preceptor's residence had changed little from those years; Yang Xiong could have walked a full circuit without Liu Gong's guidance. A pity that the things remained while the people had changed.

They arrived at the rear courtyard and saw an old man dressed in plain white robes, wearing a diviner's cap, sitting cross-legged beneath a withered peach tree. His hair was graying, pinned with a single ink-jade hairpin, and he was drawing circles on the ground with a wooden stick, brows furrowed in thought, as if he had not noticed the footsteps behind him or Yang Xiong's arrival.

Liu Gong, knowing the decades of grudges and affections between the two old men, tactfully withdrew. Yang Xiong stood leaning on his cane for a long time, until he could hold out no longer, and simply sat down against a nearby rock.

"When the host has not spoken, may the guest sit down as he pleases?" Liu Xin's hand, which had been drawing circles, stopped, and he spoke in a low, distant tone.

At any other time, Yang Xiong would certainly have retorted with biting sarcasm, but today he had come to ask a favor, so he had to suppress the irritation in his heart and said with a forced laugh: "Zijun, you look well. After so many years without seeing you, your hair has still not gone completely white..."

"Grand Master Yang, you never learn. You've used the wrong courtesy name again."

Liu Xin in his white robes turned his head and said this to Yang Xiong in his gray robes. In contrast to the disheveled and unkempt Yang Ziyun, every strand of Liu Xin's hair and every wisp of his beard was combed into perfect order, giving him quite the air of a transcendent sage.

"I changed my name and courtesy name over twenty years ago."

"Now it is Liu Xiu, Liu Yingshu!"

Meanwhile, at the same time, in the residence of the Master of Fates of the Five Majesties, Kong Ren, having finished reviewing yet another great pile of accumulated case files, stretched lazily and was just about to go rest when Clerk Guo Hong hurriedly came in to report.

"Master of Fates Kong, some Palace Gentlemen and Outer Gentlemen have come to the gate, claiming they wish to cry out for justice on behalf of Diwu Lun!"

"They've finally come."

Kong Ren smiled scornfully. They were nothing but a bunch of Outer Gentlemen without posts, without power or influence, who would have to wait who knew how many years before a vacancy opened up in the provinces. He had reckoned that Diwu Lun's friends would have only this much ability, and asked casually: "How many Outer Gentlemen, finding their career paths too smooth, have come to plead for Diwu Lun?"

Guo Hong's throat moved, and he said carefully: "Over a hundred!"

PS: (Liu Xiu) was short of funds, so he pooled money with his dormitory mate Han Zi to buy a donkey, and had his follower rent it out, to cover the various gentlemen's expenses. — Dongguan Han Ji

Shared donkey founding father: Liu Xiuxiu.