Jinting Han people

Chapter 182: Sowing Dissension (4k)

This man's name was Wang Wan, and as his attire suggested, he was a vinegar merchant from Taiyuan who had come to Chang'an. He had recently been doing business with the Xue family in Hedong, and so had also come into contact with Xue Xing.

Wang Wan had the typical appearance of a businessman. Perhaps due to his constant travels, his face was thin and wrinkled, his eyes narrow, suggesting a shrewdness and a keen eye for reading people's expressions. His mouth was long and thin, as if it could spout any flattering words from its heart.

This was indeed the case. In the past six months, he had traveled between Chang'an and Taiyuan three times, and had also stayed in Xiayang three times. Every time he talked with Xue Xing, their relationship advanced by leaps and bounds, from strangers to acquaintances, from acquaintances to friends, and now they could talk about anything.

The tavern they are in now was bought in Xiayang because Wang Wan was very optimistic about the development prospects of Xiayang, so he asked Xue Xing to use his connections to buy it.

Amidst the elegant music of the zither, Wang Wan saw Xue Xing and quickly stood up to greet him, saying with a smile:
"Brother Ji Da, didn't you agree to arrive at 2:30 PM? Why are you so late?"

Xue Xing smiled and said, "Alas, as you know, our county lord is diligent in his work and has assigned us a lot of things. Today, I went to the iron court in the north, so I'm a little late. I'm really sorry!"

"No problem, no problem!" After hearing the reason, Wang Wan's eyes moved, but his expression remained unchanged. He smiled and said, "This is a good thing. A young talent like Brother Ji Da, who is so valued by the county lord, will sooner or later rise to prominence. When that happens, I will climb up your ladder!"

This sentence immediately aroused Xue Xing's resentment. After he sat down, he picked up his chopsticks and picked up a few stalks of vinegar celery. After chewing them twice, he felt that the food was no longer tasty. He put down his chopsticks, drank a glass of sweet wine, and then sighed to Wang Wan:

"Hey, that's impossible! Forget about promotions right now. Just being able to land safely is already everything."

"Jida, what do you mean? Didn't you just get promoted to county lieutenant?"

"Haha." Xue Xing shook his head and smiled bitterly, "I'd rather not be the county lieutenant. It's a lot of trouble."

Having said that, he poured himself another glass of wine and drank it, looking as if he was suffering from a bitter taste in his throat.

"Where did you get this from?" Wang Wan saw him drinking and poured himself a glass. He drank while thinking for a moment. After a moment, he said, "You don't think Liu Xianjun has a good future?"

Talking about superiors behind their backs is not a very honorable thing. Xue Xing was also stunned when he heard this question. However, it was obvious that the two of them had been drinking a lot during this period and were indeed very familiar with each other. They should not leak any secrets. Liu Xian was not a narrow-minded person. So after thinking about it, Xue Xing still felt a little uncomfortable and continued the conversation, saying:
"I can't say I'm not optimistic. On the contrary, I admire our county lord very much."

"You should know. Sun Changshi, who's in charge of the Western Expedition Army, has always been at odds with our county lord. He's only used force to pressure us in the past, but we've always repelled him, leaving him utterly humiliated. Last time, he even resorted to violence and marched directly into our county, but what happened? He was forced to flee in disgrace."

"And in the past few years, although no one has said it openly, everyone knows privately that in the annual county performance evaluations, our county lord always ranks first in the Western Expedition Army. Even if you look at the whole country, I'm afraid he is a top-notch outstanding figure."

"Hahaha, that's exactly what happened!" A servant brought over a basin of water mutton. Wang Wan picked up a piece of mutton bone and devoured it with relish, saying, "So this isn't a good thing? The merchants we deal with all say that even if the First Emperor of Han were resurrected, this would probably be the best he could do."

"So, since you're not involved in officialdom, there are some things you don't understand!"

Xue Xing was still pouring wine, but this time he didn't drink it. Instead, he stared at the reflection of the wine in the glass and said, "Do you think a talent like our county lord should be in this place?"

"This……"

"The answer is obvious, isn't it? Yes, such a brilliant talent should be working in the Shangshu Province or the Zhongshu Province. At the very least, he should be serving as a military officer in the Zhengxi Army. But now? He's just a sixth-rank county magistrate in Xiayang County. If it weren't for our county lord's skills, he'd probably still be the county head!"

Wang Wan probably understood what Xue Xing meant. He said cautiously, "Jida means that County Lord Liu has offended too many people?"

"You don't have to whisper so quietly. This is something known to everyone in Guanzhong, right?" Xue Xing drank his third glass of wine and shouted, "Although Chang'an's Sun Changshi hasn't yet captured our county lady, he's basically used every trick in the book. In the past, during the Han Dynasty, there was no such murderous political struggle. To put it bluntly, Sun Changshi has connections above him, and it's the imperial court that wants our county lady dead!"

"Although our county magistrate is a genius, able to withstand so many difficulties from above, this has only been the case for the past three years. What about the future? If nothing happens this year, or next year, then the year after next, or the year after that, I think it will happen sooner or later. There are only thieves who travel a thousand miles to thieves, but how can we guard against thieves a thousand miles away? Besides, he is just a county magistrate!"

At this point, Xue Xing couldn't help but smile bitterly again. He glanced at the screen beside him and whispered to Wang Wan, "Our county lord just told me today that we should be more careful about Sun Changshi and ask the iron official in our county to shoot out 50,000 arrows."

"Oh my," Wang Wan sighed upon hearing this. "What kind of world is this? They're all officials appointed by the imperial court, but they don't speak up for the people. It's become like this."

Xue Xing's voice also rose. He said, "Yes, that's why I'm worried! Brother Wang, do you think being a county lieutenant is such a good job? If anything goes wrong in the future, I'm afraid I'll be the first to suffer!"

But he immediately turned to self-deprecation and said, "But there's nothing I can do about it. After all, this is a favor of recognition! If we were both born forty years earlier, I might have to call him Your Majesty!"

"But it's already the fourth year of the Yuankang reign. Names like Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, while well-known in the past, mean nothing now. Of all the famous officials in Hedong, the one who fared the best was Zhuge Erbo, who was only a prefect. But there are over 170 prefects in the world. How many of them could stand up to the imperial court like our county lord did?"

"Hey, I'm really scared about this situation right now! This place is full of troubles, and there's no telling what will happen in the future. It's okay if it involves me, but I'm afraid it will also involve my family."

Although he was drunk, Xue Xing still kept some things in his heart while pouring out his grievances to Wang Wanda.

As a descendant of Shu Han, he had an unavoidable taboo in his interactions with the Prince of Anle, and that was being rumored by others to be plotting to rebel against the country.

At first, he didn't care about it, thinking it was just a rumor. It was a joke that a county magistrate and a group of young people would plot to overthrow the country. Therefore, he once invited his friends such as Zhuge Yu to come to Xiayang to participate in the Zhichuan Literary Society to see the world and build relationships.

But as the contact time increased, especially after experiencing the chaos in July last year, it was difficult for Xue Xing not to notice some clues.

Although Sun Xiu had been unreasonable first, he had a vague feeling that in the heart of Liu Xian, the Xiayang Commander, restoring the country was no joke. At least, it wasn't something out of reach. It could even be said that his superior had a plan in mind for this matter.

This discovery terrified Xue Xing. Born into the Fenyin Xue family, his life had been smooth and peaceful. Although he possessed some talent, having learned some martial arts and understanding of military tactics, his father's expectations of him were low, due to his older brother. He was expected to start as a county official, achieving whatever he could, feeling happy when he rose to a higher position, but also sad when he didn't.

This made him instinctively desire a risk-free life and never consider how rebellion would relate to him.

But now Xue Xing had to consider the possibility of this happening, and speculate on the possible outcomes. The answer was clear. Shu Han hadn't been able to resist the Jin Dynasty back then, let alone in this predicament where everyone was under intense surveillance. There were 130,000 Shu Han survivors in Hedong, 60,000 of whom were men. But even if all of them joined Liu Xian in rebellion, without weapons and fodder, could they possibly defeat the Western Expedition Army, let alone the Central Imperial Guard? Xue Xing simply couldn't afford such daydreams.

So, he was now in Xiayang, feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles, and every day felt like a year. He was like a plucked duck, waiting to be put into the pot.

At this time, Wang Wan agreed and said, "What Ji Da said is indeed reasonable. As the saying goes, a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. Then why did Ji Da still stay in Xiayang?"

Xue Xing shrugged and said, "I'm ashamed to say this, but apart from being appreciated by the county lord, I have no other choice."

Wang Wan said disapprovingly, "Alas, in this life, there are always paths that no one can take. You say there is no other way to go. I think you haven't thought of a solution properly."

Xue Xing heard the hidden meaning behind the words and immediately asked curiously, "So, Brother Wang has a solution?"

"I'm a businessman." Wang Wan tapped the table lightly, revealing a rather proud smile. "To be a good businessman, of course, you have to make friends all over the world."

"I came from Jinyang and often went to Chang'an, so naturally I knew a lot of people on both sides."

At this point, Wang Wan smacked his lips, moved forward, and said to Xue Xing, "When I was doing business in Chang'an, I knew Zhang Gui, the military commander. Is Ji Da interested?"

Xue Xing had naturally heard of Zhang Gui's name. Hearing that there was a way to get to know Zhang Gui, he inevitably became excited and asked, "Brother Wang, are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious! Military Commander Zhang has always been fond of talented people. I can spend two hundred gold coins to help Ji Da get some connections. I can't say for sure how high an official position he can get, but I can at least make him a county magistrate!"

"This, this..." Xue Xing was both happy and confused. Of course, he longed for a chance to be on his own, but at the same time, he also understood a truth: there is no free gift in the world. If you get something, you must pay a corresponding price. If you don't get it now, you will have to pay the price in the future.

So he asked, "Brother Wang, do you have anything to ask of me?"

"Of course I have something to ask for." Wang Wan laughed heartily. He slapped the table and said to the woman beside the screen, "Mingji, come out for a moment."

With that, the piano stopped playing. A slender, delicate, and beautiful girl slowly emerged from behind a screen. She was strikingly beautiful, with a slender figure, and dressed in a simple yet expensive red and white peony-patterned long dress. Xue Xing's eyes lit up. Facing the girl's charming smile, his imagination quickly ran wild.

"Brother Wang, what are you doing..."

Wang Wan introduced her with a smile, "She is my half-sister Mingji. She is now 28 years old, in the prime of her life, but she hasn't found a husband yet. I want to marry her to Ji Da. I wonder if Ji Da would agree?"

Xue Xing was quite hesitant. He was already 24 years old and still unmarried. He simply wanted to find a good aristocratic family to help him get married. While marrying into a merchant family would not only bring him money, it would not help improve his family status.

Wang Wan saw through his thoughts and continued, "I know Ji Da's difficulties, so I didn't plan to make Ming Ji my principal wife. I just like you, Ji Da. You know, as businessmen, although we have a wide range of friends, it is difficult to be respected by others."

"I only hope that I can give you a push today, and in the future, Ji Da will not forget me."

This reason is acceptable. In this era, there are no pure businessmen. Although there are no legends like Lu Buwei in the world, businessmen are still inseparable from the combination with scholars and officials.

Xue Xing no longer had any doubts about this. Although he felt a little reluctant to leave Xia Yang and his lord who appreciated him, he really wanted to get away from this place of trouble. Who knows, maybe he could even help the county lord in the future! So he raised his wine glass and said to Wang Wan solemnly:

"From now on, I'll ask Brother Wang for your help!"

The two of them drank until late at night. When Xue Xing was drunk and unconscious, Wang Wan asked someone to drag him to the room behind the tavern.

Then he called Mingji over and told her, "From today on, Xue Jida is your master, understand?"

Mingji nodded in confusion. She didn't understand what was about to happen. She was even still getting used to the new place and new identity she had just arrived.

And Wang Wan continued to say to Mingji: "But you must remember who you are, and who is your true master?"

"I am a believer in the Mi Dao sect, and Master Sun is my true master."

Hearing this reply, Wang Wan stroked his beard with satisfaction and emphasized, "Shibao asked you to come here so that you can charm this person. We will be of great use to him in the future! Do you understand?"

"Yes, I know!" Mingji lowered her head, obviously feeling a little resistant to the order. No one would be willing to use love and body as tools, but she had no choice.

Wang Wan also knew that a forced melon won't be sweet, so he comforted her, "Shibao won't treat you unfairly. You just need to serve him well and win his heart. We will take care of everything else in the future."

"As long as this person listens to you, you will be rich and prosperous in the future, and both he and you will be indispensable."

But in the end, his voice inevitably became sharp: "But if it doesn't work out, neither you nor he will have a good ending, understand!"

At this time, Wang Wan's face became terrifying, and Mingji was so scared that she kept nodding off, trembling all over, and her breathing was as rapid and weak as a hamster.

Wang Wan hummed a satisfied sigh at this and went to sleep. The next morning, he went to see Xue Xing again, but Xue Xing was still fast asleep. He left a letter, saying he would be back in Chang'an soon and would definitely arrange a promotion for Xue Xing, but it might take quite a while, at least six months at the earliest, and that they would meet again in six months.

When leaving Xiayang, Wang Wan thought about what Xue Xing said about Liu Xian making arrows. He was not as calm as he appeared on the surface.
Sun Shibao said that this was his last move except surrender. Could he succeed this time?
Xue Xing was still in a dream at this time, and he had no idea what kind of trap he had stepped into.

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(End of this chapter)