Taiheiki

Chapter 309 Pretending to be sick
"Of course!" Yuan Shu didn't hide anything: "Don't you think it would be better for him to die now than to live?"

"Death is better than life? You want to assassinate him?" Wu Jing exclaimed in surprise.

"Don't be so loud!" Yuan Shu sneered. "Am I wrong? If Xu Zijiang were alive and were dead now, who would people think was behind it? Who would benefit the most?"

"Of course it's Wei Cong! Or at least his subordinate! I understand!" Wu Jing slapped his thigh: "You want to pin this on Wei Cong, so that all the scholars in the world will regard Wei Cong as an enemy!"

“That’s not necessarily true. After all, Xu Zijiang has been running the Monthly Appraisal for so long, and he’s offended quite a few people. If Wei Cong really kills him, I bet there will be a lot of people secretly cheering!” Yuan Shu laughed. “But no matter what, Wei Cong’s reputation as a ruthless and bloodthirsty man will definitely be solidified, which will be of great benefit to our future!”

"Indeed, it's just a pity that Wei Cong didn't do as you wished!" Wu Jing laughed. "This man's magnanimity is truly extraordinary. His brother-in-law was killed, but instead of arresting people indiscriminately, he first sent people to protect the relevant personnel!"

"Hmm!" Yuan Shu nodded somewhat reluctantly: "That's true, but it's also possible that we're guarding against Xu Zijiang's escape overnight! He is indeed quite capable, otherwise he wouldn't have gotten to where he is today!"

"Then what should we do?" Wu Jing asked.

"Let's wait and see!" Yuan Shu smiled. "You know Runan, it's a place where all sorts of things are intertwined, and pulling one thread can affect the whole situation. It's not that simple to untangle them!"

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"Your subordinate, Tiger Fang Captain Qian Wen (Shen Huan, Deputy Envoy of Runan), greets Your Excellency!"

Kuai Sheng stepped down from the carriage. He looked at the two people kneeling on the ground, remained silent for a moment, and then said in a deep voice, "Where is Xu Zijiang now?"

“Xu Zijiang is currently at home! I have already dispatched soldiers to protect him closely every day!” Qian Wen hurriedly said.

"Alright, take me with you, we'll go to Xu Zijiang's house right now!" Kuai Sheng pointed at Qian Wen, then his gaze fell on Shen Huan: "As for you! Go back to your residence first, don't go anywhere else, I'll come find you when I have time!"

"Yes!" Shen Huan responded, his forehead already covered with beads of sweat the size of soybeans.

Because Xu Shao's great-grandfather, Xu Jing, had served as one of the Three Dukes, the Xu family of Runan was a prominent clan in the area, and their residence was about two or three li in size. When Kuai Sheng arrived, Xu Shao was already waiting at the gate. Before the carriage had even come to a complete stop, Xu Shao stepped forward and said, "Xu Shao of Runan greets Your Excellency!"

"Please rise!" Kuai Sheng reached out and helped Xu Shao up. After looking him up and down for a moment, he smiled and said, "I had long heard of your virtuous reputation when I was in Jingzhou. Seeing you today, I can see that you are indeed extraordinary. Come, let's go inside and talk!"

Seeing that Kuai Sheng hadn't questioned him beforehand, Xu Shao felt somewhat relieved and quickly invited Kuai Sheng to the back hall, where they sat down as host and guest. Kuai Sheng smiled and said, "Sending someone to protect me was my idea; did it disturb your family?"

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Excellency!" Xu Shao quickly bowed in gratitude, "Of course not!"

"That's good!" Kuai Sheng nodded. "I won't lie to you. Before the General sent me to Runan, he said that although you usually criticize the court and comment on people, you are not a chivalrous person like Zhu Jia or Guo Jie. Even if Dou Xuan offended you on the island, you would not have sent someone to take his life. Dou Xuan's death is probably not related to you."

Upon hearing Kuai Sheng's words, Xu Shao was overjoyed and quickly replied, "General, you are indeed insightful! Lord Kuai, you may not know this, but it wasn't me who had a verbal altercation with someone that day. Although we brothers presided over the Monthly Appraisal, we didn't initially offer our opinions. Instead, we focused on recording everyone's comments, otherwise, others wouldn't be able to speak freely. We only summarized everyone's remarks and made our own evaluation at the very end. So, it can't be said that Young Master Dou offended us that day. After all, the Monthly Appraisal is a place for people to speak their minds, and there are many who have said things far more outrageous than Young Master Dou. If killing someone over a disagreement were the norm, the Monthly Appraisal wouldn't have such a reputation!"

"Oh, Brother Xu, did you take notes on what people said that day?" Kuai Sheng asked.

"That's right, not just that day, but every time! If Your Excellency is interested, I will have someone fetch it!"

"Good work!"

"Someone come here!" Xu Shao beckoned, whispered a few words to the approaching maid, then turned to Kuai Sheng and smiled, "Please wait a moment!"

Kuai Sheng nodded, and a few minutes later, the maid brought over several scrolls of bamboo slips. Xu Shao picked up one scroll and handed it to Kuai Sheng: "This is from that day. The others are from several consecutive days. You can check them all. I didn't make them up!"

Kuai Sheng took the bamboo scroll and examined it closely, quickly skimming through it. He then went to look at the other scrolls and found that, just as Xu Shao had said, the scrolls meticulously recorded the speeches of everyone at each monthly evaluation, with names and times clearly written on them. The Xu brothers' speeches were always at the very end, when the final decision was made. This meant that his claim that he had no conflict with Dou Xuan was probably true.

"Looking at the records on these bamboo slips, the people who spoke the most that day were Liu Biao (Liu Jing Sheng) and this Li Qian. Where was Li Qian from?"

“He’s from Juye County, Shanyang Commandery, Yanzhou. He’s from a prominent local family with thousands of retainers!” Xu Shao quickly replied. “He’s very fond of classical studies. A friend introduced him to me a few months ago, and he’s been coming to participate in the monthly critiques ever since!”

"Does anyone in his family serve as an official in the imperial court?" Kuai Sheng asked.

"I'm not so sure about that!" Xu Shao said with a wry smile. "We haven't known each other well yet, but there shouldn't be any officials with a salary of over a thousand shi (a unit of grain measure) among them, otherwise I would definitely know. However, there should be a few people in the clan who are county officials!"

Kuai Sheng nodded. Scholars like Liu Biao, born into the imperial clan and possessing exceptional talent, were renowned throughout the land at a young age; Xu Shao needed no further introduction. Xu Shao's assessment of Li Qian, however, was quite intriguing: his family had thousands of retainers, indicating they possessed both wealth and manpower; yet, his fondness for classical studies, coupled with the fact that few in his family held official positions, suggested that while wealthy and influential, his family lacked prestige. Therefore, his trip from Yanzhou to Runan for the monthly evaluation was likely an attempt to glean some information from Xu Shao to advance his career. However, judging from Xu Shao's tone, Li Qian was probably still lacking in substance.

“Mr. Xu!” Kuai Sheng coughed. “Judging from what’s recorded on your bamboo slips, there are many slanders against the current dynasty. Even if these words didn’t come from your own mouth, once an investigation begins, you will inevitably suffer collateral damage. By then, won’t you regret it?”

Upon hearing this, Xu Shao was already sweating profusely. He lowered his head and said, "Your Excellency is right. From now on, I will stop the Monthly Appraisal and close my doors to all visitors!" "I am a few years older than you, so I will take the liberty of addressing you as my virtuous brother," Kuai Sheng said with a smile, seeing that the other party had yielded. "Brother Xu, it is indeed a bit of a miscalculation for you to say that you will stop the Monthly Appraisal!"

"Improper?" Xu Shao raised his head, his face full of confusion: "This, this—, please enlighten me, Brother Kuai!"

"I ask you, what was the relationship between this murdered Young Master Dou and the General?"

"I heard he's the general's wife's younger brother!"

"Indeed, with her own brother murdered, what do you think the General's wife will think? What do you think His Majesty the Western Palace will think?"

Xu Shao lowered his head again, trembling all over. Kuai Sheng sighed and patted Xu Shao's shoulder: "So, my brother, do you understand now? As soon as the news of Young Master Dou's murder reached the capital, Madam wept bitterly, fainted several times, and gritted her teeth, wanting to exterminate everyone on the island that day. Although I don't know what the Empress Dowager thought, it was probably similar, after all, Young Master Dou was also a member of her clan. At that time, it was the General who repeatedly comforted Madam and then went to the palace to plead with the Empress Dowager, thus sparing your brother from the calamity of exterminating your clan. Yet you want to stop the Monthly Appraisal? What does the General think?"

"Brother, do you mean that the General saved me for the sake of this Monthly Appraisal?" Xu Shao pondered for a long time before asking in confusion.

"Of course!" Kuai Sheng slapped Xu Shao on the shoulder. "Otherwise what? You and the General have no relation, so why would he save you? Yes, you didn't kill Young Master Dou, but can you say that his death has nothing to do with you? When a powerful figure gets angry, it's common for millions to die and rivers of blood to flow. Ninety-nine percent of those who die are innocent. Do you think your family is an extra one? The General went to great lengths to win over the Madam and the Empress Dowager! Wasn't it because your monthly appraisal made him so valuable? He just saved you from being killed, and you immediately stopped talking about it. What do you think he'll think?"

Hearing this, Xu Shao finally breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't afraid of the other party making a request, but he was afraid that the other party would remain silent. He quickly said, "Thank you for your guidance, brother. I understand. Please rest assured, from now on, I will follow the general's lead without question!"

"That's right!" Kuai Sheng laughed. "Don't worry, the General won't make you say anything against your conscience. You'll still maintain your original appearance on the surface!"

"You mean, the General won't let me say those offensive things?"

"Of course!" Kuai Sheng laughed. "Others want you to help them build momentum so they can be recommended for official positions. What does the General need momentum for?"

"Then, why is that?" Xu Shao asked cautiously.

“It’s very simple!” Kuai Sheng laughed. “Before we set off, the General told me that when two armies fight, it’s like two mice fighting in a hole. If the hole isn’t occupied by me, it will belong to the other. You are that ‘hole.’ Even if the General doesn’t need you for the time being, you must hold onto it and not let it belong to someone else!”

"I understand!" Xu Shao breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. He knew very well that Kuai Sheng hadn't finished speaking—"If it's not mine, then get rid of it as soon as possible!" This General Wei was certainly no saint. He was willing to go to the trouble of pulling him out of a certain death trap precisely because the monthly evaluation he had organized was valuable, and therefore he had to continue. One day in the future, when Wei Cong needed him, he would also have to prove his worth.

"Alright!" Kuai Sheng patted Xu Shao on the shoulder with a grin. "Now you can rest assured, right, brother? But in order to find the real culprit, you need to stay at home and keep a low profile for the next period of time. Firstly, to ensure your safety, and secondly, to prevent the real culprit from becoming wary!"

"Ensure my safety?" Xu Shao was taken aback. "Is someone really trying to harm me?"

“There’s no concrete evidence yet, but it’s highly likely!” Kuai Sheng smiled. “Based on my speculation, there are two possibilities for the real culprit behind the assassination of Young Master Dou. One is that he acted out of anger and seized an opportunity to assassinate Young Master Dou. This possibility is very small, after all, Young Master Dou was accompanied by guards when he left the city. It was purely accidental that his guards got separated from him when he broke out of the protective circle; no one could have predicted it. The assassin could only have waited in hiding for most of the day, suddenly discovered him, and then assassinated him. If it was just out of anger, they wouldn’t have spent so much time and patience. The second possibility is that the murderer killing Young Master Dou was just a means to an end. The real purpose was to provoke conflict between Runan and the imperial court, thereby disrupting the Grand General’s dispatch of pursuit envoys to various prefectures and counties. If this is the case, then the assassination of Young Master Dou should only be the beginning. As long as their goal is not achieved, there will be follow-up actions!”

"These guys are utterly vicious!" Xu Shao roared. In truth, given his family background, he would become a player in this power game in a few years. But the problem was that being a player and being a pawn were completely different experiences, especially since his entire clan was only one step away from becoming the "price of the game." Xu Shao couldn't help but curse, "Brother Kuai, as long as we can catch this mastermind, I'll do anything!"

"It's alright. Just show me all the monthly reviews from this period, and also write down the backgrounds of everyone who participated on the island that day. I'll need all of that!"

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The main gate of the Xu residence.

Liu Biao stepped down from the oxcart, and the gatekeeper hurriedly came forward, smiling obsequiously, "Young Master Liu, you've come again today!"

"Hmm!" Liu Biao nodded. "Where is my virtuous brother Zijiang? Is he home?"

"The master is home! But he has instructed that no outside guests be received!" the steward said with a smile.

"Not seeing outsiders? Not even me?" Liu Biao was taken aback. As the leader of the partisans who was later ranked among the Eight Great Chefs, he was a very popular guest at Xu Shao's place.

"Exactly!" The butler looked somewhat embarrassed. "The master is unwell, so—"

"Alright!" Liu Biao sighed. He certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to ask, "He was perfectly fine yesterday, so why is he so sick today that he won't see any guests?" The steward's attitude already said it all: "Tell your master that I've been here and that he should rest well!"

"Thank you, sir. I have conveyed the message!" the steward said with a smile. Liu Biao nodded, turned, and got into the oxcart.

"What's wrong? Xu Zijiang is nowhere to be found?" A familiar voice came from inside the oxcart; it was Wu Jing.

"Yes, he said he was ill and wouldn't see any guests!" Liu Biao replied.

(End of this chapter)