Taiheiki

Chapter 305 Conspiracy
"I am Xu Shao, also known as Xu Zijiang!" Xu Shao pushed through the crowd and stood before Qian Wen: "I presided over this monthly review. Who are you? Why did you lead troops to the island and threaten everyone?"

Qian Wen glanced at Xu Shao: "Xu Shao, Xu Zijiang? Never heard of him. I am Qian Wen, Tiger Fang Colonel under the General's command, ordered by the army to patrol the counties of Yuzhou and apprehend the bandits!"

“The island is full of scholars from all over the country, where are there any bandits?” Xu Shao said angrily.

"Oh?" Qian Wen smiled. "So, you've vouched for so many people on the island? If the thieves are found, you'll be punished along with them!"

“This—” Xu Shao hesitated for a moment: “That’s right, if there are any traitors among them, I am willing to accept the punishment!”

"Very good!" Qian Wen turned and whispered a few words to Dou Xuan, then turned back to Qian Wen and said, "Young Master Dou said that since Mr. Xu is the guarantor, then today's matter will be dropped. However, I have a few words to say. Judging people is fine, but attacking court officials at will is another matter! You should have heard about the incident at Luoyang Lugu a few days ago. Yuan Shu, Wu Jing, and their gang of traitors plotted to set fire to Luoyang and take the opportunity to assassinate officials and commit other heinous acts. Yuan Shu is from Runan. Since you are all scholars, please distinguish right from wrong and do not associate with traitors, lest you ruin your families' lives!"

If it were any other day, Xu Shao and the others would probably have retorted with sarcasm and utterly humiliated Qian Wen upon hearing his words. However, with hundreds of fully armed warriors standing around, no one was brave enough to suffer such a loss in the face of danger.

"I understand!" Xu Shao reluctantly cupped his hands in greeting to Qian Wen.

"Very good!" Qian Wen said with a smile, "There's one more thing. Young Master Dou will soon be the pursuit officer of Runan Prefecture, so you're practically neighbors with him. Young Master, why don't you greet everyone?"

Dou Xuan coughed, stepped forward, and cupped his hands in greeting to the crowd: "I am Dou Xuan. I have long admired the reputation of you all since I was in Luoyang—" Faced with the ashen faces of the crowd, he could not finish his sentence.

----------------------

"Qian Wen, why did you make me say those last few words? It was so embarrassing!" Dou Xuan complained on the boat back to shore.

"Young Master, this is not my fault!" Qian Wen laughed. "It was you who insisted on going to the island to participate in this monthly evaluation. Once you got there, you couldn't control what people said and could only listen. But you couldn't hold back and got provoked to stand up, so I had no choice but to send troops to the island! Now that things have come to this point, and you are the pursuit envoy of Runan, you can't just not even say hello to these people, can you?"

"Alright!" Dou Xuan sighed helplessly, "If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have participated in this month's evaluation. Sigh, my family is supposed to be partisans, so why are these scholars so harsh?"

"This humble servant doesn't understand!" Qian Wen laughed. "However, I remember the General once said that the partisans were not opposing the eunuchs, but the Emperor!"

"What?" Dou Xuan laughed, "How could the General say such a thing? You must have made it up."

“I remember it very clearly!” Qian Wen said, “That’s what the Grand General said back then: Eunuchs are the emperor’s servants. They do whatever the emperor tells them to do. Sometimes, when the emperor wants to do something that it’s inconvenient to use ministers, he uses eunuchs to do it. So, many times, the bad things that eunuchs do are actually done on behalf of the emperor. That’s why the emperor was so angry when the eunuchs clashed with the partisans. It wasn’t because the emperor was muddleheaded and didn’t know the truth, but because the emperor knew that the partisans were not opposing the eunuchs, but him. Now that the eunuchs have all been eliminated and the emperor is young, the Dou family and the Grand General are actually in control of the country. So it’s not surprising that the partisans oppose the Grand General and the Dou family!”

"If what you say is true, then the General set up pursuit officers in various places not to deal with thieves, but to deal with partisans?" Dou Xuan asked.

"That's beyond my knowledge!" Qian Wen laughed. "I was originally just a garrison soldier. I was caught up in the chaos of the Wuling barbarians' rebellion. I should have lost my life even if I had a hundred. I am where I am today entirely because of the General's kindness. I can never repay such a great favor!"

"I understand!" Dou Xuan nodded. Although Qian Wen hadn't finished speaking, his meaning was clear: having received such a great favor, what did killing a few partisans matter? After thinking for a moment, he sighed, "When I was in Luoyang, I thought that coming to Runan would allow me to make friends with the famous scholars of Ru and Ying. Alas, if I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have come!"

"If you regret it, young master, it's not too late!" Qian Wen said, "Just write a letter back and have the general send someone to replace you."

"Forget it!" Dou Xuan shook his head. "I begged my sister to let me come to Runan back then, and now I'm asking to go back. How can I face anyone?" He paused for a moment. "Besides, I am, after all, surnamed Dou. If you're not wrong, then I am already an enemy of all scholars in the world. Since that's the case, then so be it!"

"Oh?" Qian Wen glanced at Dou Xuan in surprise. He had initially thought this young master Dou was nothing more than a pampered good-for-nothing, and that the General had only sent him as the pursuer in Runan because he couldn't resist the pillow talk. Now it seemed that although this lad had many of the flaws of aristocratic young masters—such as a love of comfort, vanity, and an inability to endure hardship—he was still a sensible person. Could it be that the General sent him here to give him some experience?

"Captain Qian!"

"what's up?"

"I remember you were in charge of the pursuit in Yuzhou. Could you stay in Runan for a few more days?" Dou Xuan asked somewhat embarrassedly, "I don't think I can handle things here by myself!"

"I can stay for another four or five days, but no longer. However, you can ask your deputy more questions in the future. These deputy are all capable people specially selected by the general. They are not only skilled in martial arts, but also calm and capable!"

"Good, good!" Dou Xuan laughed, "Four or five days is fine, at least we've established a foundation. I understand, I'll consult him more often when things happen!"

————————————————————————————————————

Xincai County, Runan Prefecture, Chaya Mountain.

When Yuan Shu saw the silhouette of a high mountain appearing in the distance, shimmering with golden light in the afternoon sun, he realized that he had returned to his camp.

As the sun set, they climbed the hill and camped on the flat ground in the mountains. Yuan Shu watched as Zhang Song methodically arranged for his men to chop firewood, pitch tents, and erect simple fences. The last rays of sunlight faded, replaced by a burning campfire. A wind began to blow, tearing the fire into ever-changing shapes, like ghosts.

The group sat around the fire, with Zhang Song sitting cross-legged beside him, his gaze fixed on the fire, seemingly oblivious to everything else.

"What is he doing?" Wu Jing asked. "Has he gone mad?"

"I don't know!" Yuan Shu shook his head. "He was once a disciple of the Great Teacher of Virtue. Perhaps he knows some kind of magic?"

"That would be great! It would be best if he could use magic to kill Wei Cong, then we wouldn't have to waste so much effort!" Wu Jing said irritably.

“Spells won’t kill Wei Cong!” Zhang Song turned around: “He has someone with him who is proficient in magic!”

"Who?" Yuan Shu asked. "Lu Ping, she may be the second most skilled in magic in the world after my master!" Zhang Song said.

“Lu Ping?” Yuan Shu frowned. “I remember now. Before Benchu ​​died, he mentioned to me that Wei Cong was unmarried, but he had a female Taoist priest by his side. Could it be Lu Ping?”

"Yes, it's her!"

"So what did you learn from your teacher?" Wu Jing asked.

"I only learned how to use spears and bows, and military strategy. As for magic!" Zhang Song paused slightly, "I learned very little. My teacher said I have no talent in that area!"

"Heh!" Wu Jing laughed disdainfully. "Your teacher is a fraud. If magic worked, he wouldn't have been defeated by Wei Cong!"

"Wu Jing, don't say such things! We're all in the same boat now!" Yuan Shu said in a deep voice. "Wei Cong is our common enemy, and we must all work together!"

The mountain wind grew stronger, sounding like the howling of wolves. Suddenly, the night sentry let out a sharp whistle. Yuan Shu stood up alertly: "Someone's coming! Quickly put out the fire and prepare to meet the enemy!"

Sand was poured onto the fire, and it quickly went out. The people picked up their weapons, spread out in formation, and crouched low, preparing to fight back. A moment later, Yuan Shu saw a thin man approaching, carrying a wooden stick in one hand and leading a donkey in the other, his sparse hair flying in the wind.

"It's you? The old man guarding the mountain?" Yuan Shu recognized the man as the guardian of Chaya Mountain.

"Indeed, it is the old man!" The man, or rather the old man, grinned, revealing his few remaining teeth: "Young master, it has been several years since you came to the mountains to hunt. I didn't expect you to still remember the old man!"

“When I was in Runan, I would go hunting in the mountains every autumn, and I would always stop by his village to rest!” Yuan Shu pointed to the old man and explained to Wu Jing.

"How did you know I was here?"

"Hehe!" the old man laughed. "I heard long ago that you had returned to Runan, young master. I also saw a fire on this Green Tree Hill. You used to camp here every time you went hunting in the mountains. So I guessed it was you, young master, and came here. I even brought a donkey with some dried meat and other things on its back to offer to you!"

"So you still remember me!" Yuan Shu sighed. "Then why did you come all this way in person? At your age, you could have just called some young man from the village!"

"Young master, you don't know! A few days ago, a group of people from Luoyang came to Runan, claiming to be some kind of pursuit envoy. As soon as they arrived, they disrupted Master Xu's monthly critique and said they wanted to arrest the thieves from Lugu. I thought to myself, isn't this aimed at you? None of the young men in the village can keep their mouths shut, so it's best to go there myself!"

"The Pursuer? Xu Zijiang's Monthly Commentary?" Yuan Shu's interest was immediately piqued: "Tell me about this!"

"Yes!" the old man replied, "But I've only heard it from others; it might not all be true!"

"No problem, just tell me, and I will confirm everything!" Yuan Shu said with a smile.

The old man then recounted the story of how Xu Zijiang was making a monthly assessment that day, only to be besieged by Dou Xuan and Qian Wen's troops.

"This Wei Cong is incredibly arrogant, he's even extending his reach into Runan!" Wu Jing said coldly.

"The Yuan family of Runan lost over seventy members in Luoyang to him. He must know the principle of eliminating any potential threat!" Yuan Shu sneered, "This has given me a perfect opportunity!"

"What do you want to do with the highway?" Wu Jing asked.

"It's nothing!" Yuan Shu smiled. "Don't you think this is a good opportunity?"

"What do you mean?"

"According to this old man, the pursuer sent by Wei Cong to Runan is surnamed Dou, and is not very old. He should be a member of the Dou family. A few days ago, he offended the scholars of Yingru on the island. If this young master of the Dou family is killed at this critical juncture, what do you think Wei Cong's men will do?"

"They might suspect it was the scholars from that island who did it!"

“That’s right, Xu Zijiang’s monthly evaluation is very famous. There are at least a hundred people on that island, and all of them have relatives and friends. If this gets involved, it could be a prison of several thousand people!”

“Exactly!” Wu Jing laughed. “Wei Cong simply cannot let this matter go, otherwise the counties and prefectures across the land will look down on him even more! He can only punish him severely, and the greater the pressure he puts on his subordinates, the more likely they will fabricate charges and frame the innocent. Perhaps this will trigger another calamity of the partisan purge!”

At this point, Yuan Shu and Wu Jing burst into laughter. Both understood that Wei Cong's power was now firmly established. The Yuan clan of Runan and the scholar-official class, having secured the support of border leaders like Feng Kun, Zhang Huan, and Duan Jiong, and through a marriage alliance with the Dou family, were nothing before Wei Cong, who controlled the central government. To put it bluntly, Wei Cong had a perfectly valid reason to attack Yuan Shu and his ilk—to suppress a small group of thugs attempting to set fire to Luoyang and carry out political assassinations. Even if the scholar-officials harbored resentment, they wouldn't abandon their families to fight Wei Cong, who controlled the state apparatus, to the death.

Therefore, if Yuan Shu and his ilk did not want to spend the rest of their lives in hiding as fugitives, their only way out was to intensify the conflict between the Luoyang court, represented by Wei Cong, and the scholar-official class. They needed to muddy the waters. Only when the conflict between the two sides became increasingly acute and the infighting became more intense would they have a chance to rise to power and a hope of victory.

The current situation presents a golden opportunity. Wei Cong's men have disrupted the highly prestigious Yue Dan Ping (a literary critic) event among the literati, which has undoubtedly caused discontent among them. It's like a vast expanse of dry grassland; if a single spark falls, the entire grassland will ignite.

————————————————————————

Bang bang bang!
The knocking woke Dou Xuan from his sleep. He opened his eyes in annoyance: "Who is it? What is it!"

"It's time to get up, young master!" A rude voice came from outside the door. Dou Xuan sat up in annoyance and began to get dressed. The door was pushed open, and a man walked in, carrying a basin of water. He was surprised to find that the sky was still dark.

(End of this chapter)