Taiheiki

Chapter 72 Adopted Son
"Is this why you gave me money and gifts?" Zhou Ping asked.

"Of course!" Zhou sneered. "The reason I can manage this family business is not only because I am my late husband's widow, but more importantly, I am the mistress of the family. No matter what, Nie Sheng is also my son. I can't let outsiders say that my late husband just passed away and I kicked his flesh and blood out of the house. Now that so many eyes are staring at us, I sent these carts of money and property to shut those people up. As long as they can't say I'm unkind, Nie Sheng can't be unfilial!"

"That's right!" Zhou Ping clapped his hands and said with a smile, "You're right. After all, you're that kid's mother! Send those two carts of money over, and you'll be sitting here dead. From now on, no matter what you say, that kid can't say a word against it!"

As Zhou Ping noted, Confucianism flourished during the Han Dynasty, and the literati and officials prided themselves on integrity and discipline. The most crucial element of integrity and discipline was filial piety. Not only ordinary people, but even the emperor, supreme overlord, was inferior to the empress dowager. Han emperors frequently executed relatives and uncles, but while the empress dowager was still alive, no one dared to do anything against their uncles. If Zhou could establish her mother-son relationship with Nie Sheng (according to ritual law, Zhou, as Nie Zheng's legal wife, was the mother of all of his children, including those from concubines and previous wives), then any opposition from Nie Sheng would be considered "unfilial" for as long as Zhou lived, effectively punishing him for social reasons.

"And that Wei Cong!" Zhou said coldly: "Although his words sound incredible, but when you think about it carefully-"

"Hahaha!" Zhou Ping laughed. "Wei Cong clearly let the thief escape and made up a lie to cover up his shame, but you took it seriously. Women are really easy to fool!"

"Really?" Zhou said, "He's already found my late husband's 'Da Qu' bow. Even if he lets the thief get away, he can just find someone to kill him, bring back the head and claim it's the murderer. Can you and I still say it's fake?"

"This—" Zhou Ping was stumped by the question. As Zhou had said, Nie Zheng's murder was a cold case. The entourage had been left behind after seeing the deer, and when they saw him again, he was a headless corpse. The only clue was the bow he had brought with him. In other words, if Wei Cong could recover the bow, the case would be effectively solved. After all, there was no one present. As for the murderer's identity, appearance, and motive, it all depended on Wei Cong's words. There was no need for him to admit he hadn't caught the killer.

"Are you saying that Wei Cong didn't lie? There really exists a witch who uses magic to kill people?" Zhou Ping's voice became panicked.

"I don't know, but it's certainly possible!" Zhou asked. "Why else would he be in such a hurry to leave? You've seen the soldiers around him, and since he found the bow, he's already stronger than anyone else. He'd definitely gain more benefits if he stayed! Yet he's in such a hurry to leave!"

"You mean he couldn't do anything to that mountain ghost? He was afraid of her revenge, so he ran away overnight?"

"I didn't say that!" Zhou sneered, "But do you have any better explanation?"

Faced with Zhou's questioning, Zhou Ping was speechless. Coming from the Zhou family of Lujiang, he naturally lacked the superstitious beliefs of the lower classes. However, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, most members of the upper class also held complex attitudes toward spirits and gods. While they inherited Confucius's philosophies of "respecting spirits but keeping them at a distance" and "not speaking of strange things," they also revered the teachings of prophecy and divination. Eastern Han Confucian scholars were perhaps the most superstitious and mystical of ancient Confucianism, leading to the emergence of outliers like Wang Chong, who wrote the atheistic Lun Heng. But Zhou Ping was clearly not one of these outliers. Lujiang was part of the Chu region during the Warring States Period, and he had been familiar with Chu deities like the Mountain Ghost, the Lord of the Clouds, the Lord of the Xiang River, and the Great God of Destiny since childhood. Zhou's reflections on these myths and ghosts, which he had heard from his wet nurse as a child, suddenly flooded back his mind, sending a chill down his spine.

"Is this why you deliberately befriended Wei Cong?"

"What else could it be? Are you trying to get him back to be my lover?" Zhou sneered, "My family asked you to come here to help me, but you came to Chaisang and didn't do anything. Instead, you came here to pick a fight with me. If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have written that letter asking for help!"

"This, this—" Zhou Ping was mortified by Zhou's rebuttal. For a moment, he didn't know what to say. He stood up in a panic, forgetting even to say goodbye, and hurried out of the room. In his panic, he accidentally knocked over an incense burner in the hallway, startling a night owl from the old locust tree in the yard, which flew up with a sharp cry. He remembered the story he had heard from his wet nurse as a child about night owls counting people's eyebrows. He quickly covered his forehead with his hands, hiding his brows, and fled in panic towards his yard.

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pier.

The river water lapped against the hard rock, making a rhythmic sound. Soldiers and sailors filed onto the gangplank and began boarding the ship. In the reed huts along the shore, prostitutes waved goodbye to the departing men. No one knew when they would return, perhaps never.

"Mr. Wei, these are just some gifts from your wife, and also some expenses for the eldest young master to spend with you. Please don't refuse!" Guo Kui pointed to the carriage behind him and said respectfully to Wei Cong.

"In that case, I won't be polite!" Wei Cong nodded readily. "Please tell my wife that I will raise the eldest son to be a man who is no less worthy than his father. Please don't worry!"

"Okay, okay! I'll remember it and report it to Madam without missing a word!" Guo Kui responded hurriedly. He waved his hand, and the servants who accompanied him moved all the valuables on the cart onto the boat one by one.

"Mrs. Zhou is quite a respectable person!" Huang Ping whispered, "No matter what she thinks in her heart, at least she can save face!"

"That's good enough! There aren't many people in the world who can get away with saving face!" Wei Cong looked at the boxes of property meaningfully.

"Yes!" Huang Ping smiled. "But judging from the situation now, this Madam Zhou is the real winner! Look, Master Nie is gone, and her late husband's belongings have been recovered. But she only paid such a small amount of money to send us away, and the entire huge family fortune fell into her hands!"

"What's wrong? Are you unwilling to accept it?" Wei Cong said with a smile.

"Yes, a little!" Huang Ping admitted. "My dear, you've gone all the way here, mobilized so many troops, and returned with nothing. Aren't you being tricked by that woman? I really can't accept this!"

"If you're unwilling, then stay!"

"Ah?" Huang Ping was stunned when he heard that. He looked into Wei Cong's eyes to make sure he wasn't joking. "You want me to stay?"

"That's right!" Wei Cong smiled cunningly. "You don't think this is the end, do you? In my opinion, this is just halftime, it's still a long way from the end!"

"Intermission? Oh, oh, I get it!" Huang Ping finally understood what Wei Cong meant: "You mean you'll come to Chaisang again?" "Of course!" Wei Cong smiled: "Not only Chaisang, I'm very interested in the entire Yuzhang, do you understand?"

"I understand!" Huang Ping nodded excitedly. "I will definitely keep an eye on the situation here. If there are any changes, I will report to you as quickly as possible!"

"Very good!" Wei Cong nodded. "Especially Mrs. Zhou and that Zhou Ping. From what I can see, this woman doesn't seem willing to be a tool of her own family! If I'm right, this woman should make another request to us soon!"

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Jiangling, North Gate, Watchtower.

"Amao, after we say goodbye today, the next time we meet will be in Luoyang!" Cao Cao raised his wine glass and smiled at Cai Mao who was sitting across the table.

"Yes!" Cai Mao sighed somewhat disappointedly. "If it weren't for the letter from home, you could have stayed here with me for another month or two, and then we could have gone north to Luoyang together after spring. The weather would have been much warmer then!"

"That's all right!" Cao Cao said with a smile. "Thanks to Meng De's new carriage, even in winter, the journey is very comfortable!"

"Meng De?" Cai Mao frowned. "Didn't that guy know you were leaving? Why didn't he come today? He's just a thief official, but isn't he being too arrogant?"

"I heard he had chickenpox and couldn't go out, so he stayed at home to recuperate!" Cao Cao laughed, "So I didn't tell him!"

"So what if he has chicken pox? We have carriages and sedan chairs! If that doesn't work, we can just have someone carry him here!" Cai Mao said angrily, "You still consider him a friend and gave him a million dollars. Even if you're feeding a dog, the dog will bark a few times!"

"Alright!" Hearing his childhood friend's insults against Wei Cong, Cao Cao frowned slightly. "Don't say that again. That one million yuan wasn't a gift from me to Meng De. It's the reward he deserves!"

"Aman, you are too kind-hearted!" Cai Mao said angrily, "If I were you, I wouldn't give that person a single penny. Such a sycophantic villain will become arrogant when he succeeds. He will definitely be in trouble one day!"

"Ah Mao, what's wrong with you?" Cao Cao looked at Cai Mao in surprise. "Why are you talking about him like that? What do you mean by currying favor with the powerful and becoming arrogant when you succeed? What did Meng De do that you would say that about him?"

"He's relying on the power of the Nanyang Deng family to seize land in Jiangling and act recklessly. Isn't this just currying favor with the powerful and becoming arrogant when he's successful?" Cai Mao said, "Although he may be successful for a while, he has offended the scholars in Jingzhou and will eventually be doomed!"

"It's true that Meng De is on good terms with Deng Zhong of Nanyang, but that can't be called fawning on the powerful, right?" Cao Cao said with a wry smile. "As for the allegation of encroaching on land, I remember he clearly occupied Zhang Bolu's farm. He's a river thief, and how could he have offended the scholars of Jingzhou? At least Kuai Anping likes him quite a bit!"

"Kuai Anping's talent and knowledge are mediocre. How can he represent the scholars of Jingzhou?"

"Amao, your talent is growing! You even look down on Kuai Anping. I admire you!" Cao Cao taunted. Then his face straightened and he said solemnly, "Did Huang Ziyan say these words? It's normal for him to look down on Meng De. After all, the Huang family is the most powerful family in Jiangling. Meng De's coming here is equivalent to blocking his way. But your family is in Xiangyang after all, and there is no conflict with Meng De. Why bother getting involved with Huang Ziyan?"

"Who would want to get involved with him?" Cai Mao snorted coldly. "If it weren't for bad luck, the grass on Wei Mengde's grave would be seven or eight feet high. How could he still be alive today?"

"What?" Cao Cao's face changed drastically. "You sent someone to harm him? Is there such a thing?"

Only then did Cai Mao realize he had let something slip. He wanted to hide it, but his friend's gaze was so strong that he couldn't say the lie anymore. He whispered, "It's all in the past. I didn't do it myself. I asked Cai Buyi to order a few thieves to teach that guy a lesson. But he was lucky enough to have hired guards. How would he know it was related to me? There's nothing to be afraid of!"

"So, Meng De's attack outside Wancheng was related to you?" Cao Cao sighed after receiving confirmation from his friend. "You're oversimplifying things. You know Meng De and Deng Shimao are close friends. Do you think it would be difficult for Deng Shimao to find those thieves with his abilities?"

"This..." Faced with his friend's questioning, Cai Mao was speechless for a moment. If the same thing happened outside Xiangyang City, the Cai family would definitely know everything, and the Deng family's power was only stronger than the Cai family, so naturally Deng Shimao would know too.

"So Wei Cong already knew everything? Why didn't he take revenge on Cai Buyi? I heard he gave Cai Buyi a large sum of money before he left?"

"I don't know. Maybe Deng Shimao hadn't told him the truth at the time. Maybe he didn't want to break up. Maybe he felt it wasn't the right time for revenge, so he pretended to be indifferent and waited for a better opportunity. Maybe he didn't want to take action because he was grateful to Cai Buyi for helping him in the past—"

"Impossible!" Cai Mao said angrily, "That fellow wiped out the entire Zhang family. How could he be reluctant to do it? He must be waiting for the right opportunity, or he must want to find out the hidden truth behind it before taking action. Ah Man—" He grabbed Cao Cao's hands and said, "You and I have known each other since childhood. You must help me with this matter!"

"Ah!" Seeing his childhood friend trembling all over, Cao Cao sighed. "If I had known this would happen, why did I do it in the first place? Meng De and you were originally friends, not enemies, but you harmed him for a mere million dollars and caused all this trouble. How can I help you?"

"Wouldn't it be enough to just kill him?" Cai Mao asked anxiously. "After he killed Zhang Bolu, he rose to prominence so quickly that there are so many people who want him dead. Besides, he's going to follow Feng Cheqi to fight the Wuling Barbarians next. Killing him shouldn't be difficult at all, right?"

(End of this chapter)