Chapter 289: Shameless

"Dongmen Bao, take five hundred men and guard the temple's east. Li Xian, take five hundred and guard the temple's west. Little Tao, take the crossbow archers and hold the street entrance — not a single person is to be let through!"

After issuing each order, Heifu addressed the assembled men: "Brothers, today His Majesty has designated the Anlu Battalion to guard the royal procession alongside the Chief Minister's Guard and the Palace Coach-House Guard. What an honor this is! Though we hold the outermost perimeter, we must not be the least bit careless!"

"Aye!"

The officers and soldiers straightened their backs, their voices roaring with pride, for they had won this duty through their own efforts.

The day before, the King of Qin had remained with the army, ordering sheep and pigs slaughtered for a great feast to reward the three armies, and Qin morale soared. Afterward, the King of Qin inspected the troops in each camp. At Li You's suggestion, an extra event was added to the usual program: a "soldier-ball" exhibition by the Southern Commandery Corps.

With the King of Qin watching, Heifu had no choice but to take the field himself, competing against Li You's personal guard of short-weapon soldiers. Seeing the men don armor and helmets, form ranks, and face off on the field — it truly had a flavor of military combat — the King grew interested and even added a prize for them:

Zhao Gao relayed the King's words: "Whichever side — the Anlu Battalion or Li You's personal guard — can triumph on the ball court shall serve as royal escort and guard during tomorrow's inspection of Huaiyang!"

From officers down to the lowliest soldiers, the Qin army regarded the King of Qin as a god. The players on both sides were suddenly filled with boundless strength. And so Heifu faced the hardest match he had played in half a year. The score was deadlocked, the contest exceptionally fierce. In the end, at the cost of several men injured in collisions, the Anlu Battalion barely scraped out a victory.

Thus today, as the King of Qin entered Huaiyang City for inspection with his hundred officials and generals, the Anlu Battalion was granted the outer perimeter to clear the area, in addition to the inner Chief Minister's Guard and Palace Coach-House Guard.

After Heifu had assigned everyone to their posts, he hurried toward the Shun Temple himself. The palace guards and coach-house guards along the way all recognized him now. Heifu had been summoned by the King of Qin and personally awarded the brown-eared pheasant cap. Though his rank and post were still not high, he had clearly become a rising star.

The Shun Temple lay in the western quarter of Huaiyang. In Western Zhou times, King Wu of Zhou had enfeoffed a descendant of Yu Shun here to maintain Yu Shun's ancestral sacrifices, and so this temple was built. Its architecture therefore looked ancient and unadorned, with at least seven or eight hundred years of history.

Now, its outer perimeter was tightly encircled by the palace guards and coach-house guards. The temple gate and roof tiles had all been newly repaired. This was the King of Qin's first stop after entering Huaiyang.

"After all, just the day before yesterday he equated Qin's destruction of Chu with Yu Shun's expulsion of the Three Miao. It wouldn't do not to offer a sacrifice..."

As Heifu reached the temple gate, the music of the Youyu clan, the "Great Shao," performed by the music masters arranged by the Chamberlain for Ceremonials, was just concluding. Then came long, long passages of tongue-twisting sacrificial text:

"Shun divided the realm into twelve provinces, consecrated the twelve mountains, and dredged the rivers. He instituted symbolic punishments, commuted the five punishments to banishment, used the whip for official offenses, the rod for educational offenses, and gold for redemption... Reverent, reverent! With such solicitude for punishment! He banished Gonggong to Youzhou, exiled Huandou to Mount Chong, drove the Three Miao to Sanwei, and executed Gun at Mount Yu. With these four criminals punished, all under Heaven submitted! Such was the majesty of Yu Shun!"

Today the King of Qin once again wore the ceremonial robes reserved for formal occasions. He was performing the sacrifice within the temple. Behind him, besides the Chamberlain for Ceremonials and other officials, followed two men wearing tall Ru caps and wide Ru robes... Ru scholars? They were the ones who had just chanted that long, tortuous text.

Li You, who could not even get into the temple and was merely standing in the temple corridor, told Heifu: "They are Ru scholars from Xue Commandery."

Xue Commandery was one of four commanderies established by the King of Qin in the newly conquered Chu lands north of the Huai River. The others were Chen Commandery, with its seat at Huaiyang; Sishui Commandery, with its seat at Liu County; Donghai Commandery, with its seat at Tan County; and Xue Commandery, with its seat at Lu County.

Xue Commandery was essentially the former territory of Lu, along with Teng, Xue, Zou, and other places. Zou and Lu were the home base of Confucius and Mencius, the place with the most Ru scholars under Heaven. However, Qin had never been fond of Ru scholars, so how could they be following behind the King of Qin and ascending into the hall? This was a curious matter.

When Heifu asked, Li You replied with some contempt: "Ruists are the sort who spout grandiloquent talk, all eloquence and rhetoric. Speak to them of laws and ordinances, and they speak to you of benevolence and righteousness — arrogant, willful, and self-righteous. Yet their ambition outstrips their ability; they are unwilling to do small tasks, incapable of great ones, and refuse to be governed. This is what Han Fei meant by 'Ruists use letters to disorder the law.'"

"Don't be fooled by their cries of loyalty to sovereign and love of country. In truth, they roam about lobbying, begging for official salaries, serving whoever gives them a meal. Before Qin defeated Chu, these men all served Chu, bitterly cursing Qin as a land of tigers and wolves. Now that Chu is destroyed, they come scurrying to offer themselves to Qin, praising the Qin army as a force of benevolence and righteousness. Use such men to govern a state, and the state will surely weaken and fall into chaos. But using them to manage ritual — that is still passable. After all, those rites of ascent and descent, the minutiae of decorum, can occasionally be of use, and an ordinary man could spend a lifetime without mastering them. Therefore His Majesty appointed them Erudites to assist the Chamberlain for Ceremonials in presiding over this sacrifice. Yet these Ru scholars think they are about to be employed in high office by His Majesty. Look at their expressions — how smug they are!"

Li You's father, Li Si, was a Legalist, and Legalists did not get along with Ruists. The traditional Lu Ruists in particular were like fire and water to them. Hence Li You was full of mockery for the Ru scholars, which was also the view held by most Qin civil officials and military officers. The King of Qin was merely using them as ornaments.

While the sacrifice was underway, Heifu spotted Ji Ying hurrying over and quickly went to ask: "What's happened?"

Ji Ying said: "We caught a young Ru scholar at the street entrance. He says he has come in response to His Majesty's summons..."

"The sacrifice has already begun — why is he only arriving now?"

Suspecting something amiss, Heifu reported this to Li You. Li You frowned slightly: "His Majesty did indeed summon three Ru scholars, but only two have come. One is still absent. Let us go and see."

When they reached the heavily guarded street entrance, they saw a Ru scholar about twenty years old, in loose robes and wide sleeves, explaining himself to Dongmen Bao. It was truly a case of a scholar meeting a soldier and unable to reason clearly. The Ru scholar had been twisted around and pinned down by Dongmen Bao. A search of his person turned up only a single scroll of bamboo slips.

At that moment, the young Ru scholar also saw Li You and Heifu approaching. Judging them to be officers, he cried out that he was being wronged.

Li You grew even more suspicious: "Who are you? A callow youth, yet you impersonate an elder Ru! What is your intent?!"

"This humble one is an eighth-generation descendant of Confucius, a disciple of the great Lu Ru scholar Kong Fu — Shusun Tong."

Li You knew very well that Kong Fu was precisely the third Ru scholar whom the King of Qin had summoned to be an Erudite, and the most significant of the three.

First, because he was a descendant of Confucius, naturally possessing family learning and inherited prestige. Second, Kong Fu's father, Kong Shen, had served as Prime Minister of Wei for nine months and even received a Wei enfeoffment title, enjoying considerable renown in both Wei and Lu. Third, Kong Fu was indeed broadly versed in the classics and histories, with superb literary talent and skill in discussing past and present.

But the man himself did not answer the summons, sending a disciple instead. What was the meaning of this?

Heifu also took the bamboo-slip letter, scanned it briefly, then presented it to Li You for his perusal. It was a letter from Kong Fu to the King of Qin.

In the letter, Kong Fu said that upon hearing the King of Qin's summons, he was overcome with trepidation and wished he could immediately come to assist the King in the sacrifice. However, he was currently observing mourning for his mother and could not leave his thatched mourning hut for even half a step. He therefore ordered his disciple, Shusun Tong, to come and express his gratitude to the King of Qin...

Li You and Heifu exchanged glances. They felt this was an excuse — Kong Fu simply did not want to come.

"What an arrogant Ru scholar. Truly worthy of being a descendant of Confucius," Li You said with a cold laugh.

Seeing Li You's face darken, Shusun Tong broke out in a cold sweat. In truth, his teacher had said, "In ancient times, Confucius traveled through all the states but did not enter Qin. How can his descendants enter it?" and had intended to stubbornly resist and not come. Shusun Tong knew this was a path to death. After much pleading, he had persuaded him to write a letter, which he had hurriedly brought here himself, hoping to use his own glib tongue to dispel the King of Qin's wrath.

But he feared that before he could even see the King of Qin, he would be driven away by these Qin men outside!

So his eyes darted, and he cupped his hands respectfully toward the two men: "My teacher also had one more message, which he charged me to deliver personally to the King of Qin. It concerns the legitimacy of Qin's possession of all under Heaven!"

Li You did not believe him at first, but the young Ru scholar spoke with such conviction. Moreover, Li You was uncertain of the King of Qin's own intentions. Frowning, he told Heifu to search Shusun Tong thoroughly once more, while he himself went to seek the King of Qin's instructions.

After Li You left, Heifu ordered the young Ru scholar's tall cap and wide robes stripped off entirely and searched him inside and out. What was remarkable was that although Shusun Tong was stripped bare and standing in the street, he showed not the slightest displeasure. Instead, he chatted and laughed continuously, his Guanzhong speech remarkably fluent — no wonder Ji Ying and the others had been able to understand him.

"Where are you from?" Heifu had a vague feeling that the name "Shusun Tong" rang a bell; perhaps this was another historical figure of note.

"This humble one is a man of Xue."

"A man of Xue, yet you speak the Qin tongue?" Heifu tossed his clothes back to him. After inspection, the Ru scholar indeed carried not a single blade — he was likely no assassin.

"I once followed my master to Daliang and resided in the Wei Prime Minister's mansion. We often encountered Qin envoys passing through Wei, and I would converse with their retinue and servants. Over time, I picked it up."

He smiled: "Even then, this humble one felt that Qin would surely sally forth in force and unite all under Heaven. We would all become subjects under the King of Qin's rule. Learning the Guanzhong speech early could do no harm."

This was a quick-witted Ru scholar, quite unlike the pedantic, backward-looking Ruists Heifu had imagined.

At that moment, Li You sent someone over to tell Heifu and the others that His Majesty had finished the sacrifice and ordered them to bring Shusun Tong over under escort.

"Escort," not "invite." It seemed the King of Qin was still somewhat angered by Kong Fu's refusal to answer the summons.

"My apologies," Heifu said to Shusun Tong with a smile and a cupped-hand salute. Then he had Dongmen Bao and the others clamp the slight Shusun Tong between them and carry him straight to the entrance of the Yu Shun Temple, where they pressed him to the ground, right at the King of Qin's feet, a few paces away.

The King of Qin stood over eight chi tall, and with his crown and headdress, he seemed to tower into the heavens. He stood with hands behind his back, looking down at Shusun Tong, his shadow falling over the man, and said coolly:

"I have heard that when the Marquis of Lu summoned him, Confucius set out before his carriage was even harnessed, his countenance stern, his steps urgent. It seems that although Kong Fu is a descendant of Confucius, he has utterly forgotten the words and deeds of his ancestor. Summoned by the Son of Heaven, yet he shows such negligence, sending only a minor disciple to fob me off?"

The King of Qin, who had never liked Ru scholars to begin with, now felt an even greater loathing. He was about to wave his hand and have Heifu and the others drag Shusun Tong away again, when Shusun Tong hastily pressed his forehead to the ground in prostration and cried out:

"Summoned by the Son of Heaven, how dare my master not obey! But he is observing mourning for his mother and could not make the journey. Yet my master, moved by His Majesty's grace in summoning him, searched through the words of Confucius preserved in his home and charged me to present to His Majesty a matter concerning Qin that is not recorded in the histories! This concerns the legitimacy of Qin's possession of all under Heaven!"

Seeing Shusun Tong speak thus, the King of Qin gave him another chance, nodding for him to continue.

Shusun Tong prostrated himself again: "When my master returned to his home village to observe mourning, he ordered us to repair the old family residence. In that old residence, we found some ancient books on bamboo slips — family letters from several hundred years ago! Written in Confucius's own hand!"

"There is such a thing?!"

The King of Qin was indifferent to Confucius himself and merely wanted the Kong family to serve as his echo chamber and decoration. He showed no particular reaction. Instead, it was the two elderly Lu Ru scholars behind him, who had just been elevated to the rank of "Erudite," who were greatly astonished. How could they not know of such a momentous matter? But they could only continue listening.

Shusun Tong raised his head and said with a smile, "The family records state that in the twentieth year of Duke Zhao of Lu, Confucius was thirty years old. At that time, Duke Jing of Qi and Yan Ying came to visit Lu. Duke Jing asked Confucius, 'In former days, Duke Mu of Qin ruled a small state in a remote place — can such a state and such a ruler be called a hegemon?'"

"At the time, Confucius replied, 'Though the state of Qin was small, Duke Mu's ambition was great. Though it was situated in a remote place, his conduct was upright. He raised up Baili Xi, enfeoffed him as a grandee, spoke with him for three days, and entrusted him with governance. Judging by this, how could Qin merely be called a hegemon? Even a true king would be possible!'"

"So it turns out that the matter of Qin ruling all under heaven was foretold by Confucius three hundred years ago! And now the Great King has inherited Duke Mu's hegemonic enterprise, unified the Nine Provinces, and is about to begin the governance of the Kingly Way!"

When Shusun Tong finished his speech, the King of Qin had yet to show any reaction, but the two old Confucians behind him were dumbstruck, while Li You and the others were momentarily stunned, somewhat caught off guard.

"This fellow."

Heifu lowered his head, stifled a laugh, and cursed inwardly. He now understood exactly what kind of man Shusun Tong was.

"Another one with no shame!"

PS: Two more chapters tonight~

(End of chapter)