Taiheiki

Chapter 321 Conflict
"He's alright!" Wang Kuang scratched the back of his head. "His name is Xiao Qian. I met him at the last two gatherings. He's public-spirited, outspoken, and quite respected! Is there anything wrong with him?"

"So, you don't know anything about him, is that right?" Fan Yang shook his head and asked.

“That’s not wrong!” Wang Kuang nodded. “But it doesn’t really matter, does it? If we want to make a name for ourselves in Luoyang, we need a reputation and people to promote us. If we only make friends with people we know well, when will we ever become famous and get a government position?”

"Alright!" Fan Yang sighed, "But you still need to be careful. Luoyang has been quite turbulent these past few years. What happened to the Yuan brothers? Not only were they killed, but their entire families were implicated. Even a prestigious family like the Yuan clan of Runan has been wiped out. We must take this as a warning!"

"Alright, alright!" Wang Kuang waved his hand impatiently. "It's just a meal out, why are you making such a fuss? At most, I'll just keep my distance from Xiao Qian from now on!"

The two entered the tavern and found a seat. The tavern, which was about 100 square meters in size, was already packed with 60 or 70 people. Wang Kuang had barely settled in when someone leaned over and whispered, "Brother Wang, have you heard about what happened on the street the other day?"

"What about what happened on the street a couple of days ago?" Wang Kuang asked, bewildered. "How would I know if you put it that way?"

"Hehe, Brother Wang, you can't do this! You're in Luoyang, and you know nothing about such a big thing!" the man said smugly.

"Just say what you want to say. If you keep beating around the bush, I'm not going to talk to you anymore!" Wang Kuang said impatiently.

"Just two days ago, on his way back to his residence, General Wei Cong was confronted by three young scholars who shouted at him to walk against the flow of traffic. Wei Cong's men apprehended the three scholars, but the three remained fearless in the face of danger, confronting Wei Cong directly without causing him any trouble, which ashamed him greatly, and he released them. Would you say these three were truly renowned heroes?"

"Is that so?" Wang Kuang was taken aback. "Who are these three people? How dare they be so audacious? To confront General Wei to his face is like scratching a tiger's whiskers!"

"Those are the three!" The man pointed to three scholars at the head of the table not far away. Everyone around them vied to chat with them. They looked spirited and extraordinary: "Wang Sheng of Mount Tai, Chen Yu of Dongjun, and Bian Rang of Chenliu!"

"Wang Sheng of Mount Tai, Chen Yu of Dongjun, and Bian Rang of Chenliu!" Wang Kuang repeated the names and hometowns of these three men, seemingly trying to memorize them: "Truly, they possess extraordinary courage!"

“So, General Wei’s magnanimity is truly extraordinary; otherwise, these three would already be prisoners!” Fan Yang said.

"How dare you speak up for Wei Cong!" The scholar who had spoken earlier changed his expression upon hearing Fan Yang's words: "It's clear that Wei Cong is afraid of the greater good, which is why he dares not harm these three!"

"Wei Cong holds the position of Grand General, wielding military power over the entire realm. His army has never been defeated. You say he is afraid of righteousness? May I ask, is righteousness a powerful bow and crossbow or an iron horse and halberd? Even if he truly spared these three out of fear of righteousness, it at least shows that he has righteousness in his heart. Otherwise, why didn't those three confront the Xianbei Tan Shihuai to his face? Why did they confront Grand General Wei to his face?"

Fan Yang's words made the scholar blush and stammer, unable to speak. Seeing this, Wang Kuang quickly smoothed things over, saying, "Hehe, brother, my friend just speaks without thinking. Don't take it to heart!" After persuading the man to leave, he said to Fan Yang, "Brother, you should also consider the place you're speaking. If you speak well of Wei Cong in a place like this, be careful not to anger him and he might draw his sword and chop you up!"

Fan Yang patted the ring-shaped sword at his waist and sneered, "He has a sword, and so do I. We people of Zhuojun deal with the Xianbei Tartars every day. Are we afraid of him?"

Upon hearing Fan Yang's words, Wang Kuang was both amused and exasperated: "Brother Fan, I always tell you to be careful in choosing your friends to avoid getting into trouble. But you just can't keep your mouth shut! Fine, next time I won't drag you along to something like this, to avoid causing trouble!"

As the two were talking, Xiao Qian entered with a young scholar. The young scholar was dressed in a brocade robe, with a jade-hilted sword at his waist and a traveler's hat on his head. He was tall and slender, resembling Zidu in appearance, and had a spirited demeanor. The scholars in the tavern all stood up to greet him, and even the three who had been in the center of the conversation stood up and said in unison, "Brother Boyu, it's been a long time!"

"Who is this person, and why is everyone standing up to greet him?" Fan Yang asked.

"He is Liu Fan, Liu Boyu, whom I told you about before. His father is Liu Yan, the governor of Ji Province!"

"So it was him! He certainly has a handsome face!" Fan Yang laughed.

Liu Fan bowed respectfully to everyone around him, responding to their greetings. Someone approached and asked in a low voice, "Boyu, why are you late today? Did something unexpected happen?"

Liu Fan looked around and lowered his voice, saying, "Yesterday, the imperial court issued an edict summoning my father to Luoyang to serve as the Vice Minister of Agriculture! So I supervised the servants to clean my father's residence in Luoyang, and I was busy for half the day!"

"Grand Minister of Agriculture?" Bian Rang was taken aback upon hearing this, then laughed and said, "This is a high-ranking official with a salary of over a thousand bushels of grain. The Grand Minister of Agriculture is also in charge of the granary, the price stabilization, and the transportation of grain. Congratulations, Brother Boyu!"

“In the past, this would certainly have been a joyous occasion, but now there’s nothing to congratulate!” Liu Fan sighed.

"Why do you say that?" Bian Rang asked, puzzled.

"Since Wei Cong took power, the situation in Luoyang, the capital, has become increasingly unpredictable. Although becoming the Vice Minister of Agriculture in Luoyang is a promotion, it's actually not as good as being the Governor of Ji Province. Just look at the Yuan family of Runan. If Yuan Kui, Yuan Ji, Yuan Shu, and Yuan Feng hadn't all been officials in Luoyang, how could their entire family have been so easily wiped out?"

"That's true!" Bian Rang nodded. "But your family is, after all, a member of the imperial clan; they shouldn't be so—"

"So what if they're from the imperial clan?" Liu Fan sneered. "Let alone the imperial clan, even the late emperor died under mysterious circumstances. Wei Cong might not dare to act, but the Dou family is another story. In the end, the emperor is young, and the Empress Dowager is the true ruler of the palace. Killing anyone is just a matter of a word for her!"

Bian Rang nodded solemnly. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the power of the imperial relatives was immense. Although the country was nominally ruled by the Liu family, the imperial relatives actually held power for almost half the time. After the Dou family and Wei Cong married, one had the status of a central authority and the other had a strong military force. Their close cooperation left the scholar-officials resentful but helpless.

"Then must we wait until the emperor comes of age?" Bian Rang asked. "Until then, must we simply sit idly by?"

"It's too early to say!" Liu Fan said in a low voice. "We'll talk about it after tonight's business is over!" With that, he turned around and cupped his hands to the crowd, his face full of smiles. "I am Liu Fan from Jiangxia, courtesy name Boyu. I have invited you all here today to support the royal family, assist in governing and helping the people, and to rectify the morals of the world! I am truly grateful for your willingness to take time out of your busy schedules to come!"

"We dare not!" everyone responded in unison.

"We came to Luoyang to study in order to support the royal family and make it comparable to Emperor Wen and Emperor Xuan. However, the Dou family is now erroneous, Wei Cong is arrogant, and all the officials are subservient. The decline of the Han Dynasty has begun from this point! We have studied the classics, how can we sit idly by and do nothing? Will future historians have any personal bias? We have done our duty, and what regrets do we have?" Liu Fan's words immediately drew a chorus of agreement from the tavern. Rang even stood up and shouted, "Wei Cong is indeed a prophet, a great traitor to the Han Dynasty. If he is not eliminated, he will surely become a great threat!"

Bian Rang's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over everyone's heads, and their voices immediately became low. Seeing this, Wang Sheng angrily said, "What's wrong? Why aren't you all speaking up? Are you afraid of Wei Cong?"

“Yes, a real man should die if he wants to, what is there to be afraid of!” Chen Yu also stood up, and the three of them stood side by side, their eyes scanning the faces of everyone in the tavern.

"Brother Wang, something's not right!" Fan Yang said in a low voice. "These guys must have colluded beforehand. Let's find a chance to leave first and avoid getting involved in this mess. You should also stay away from these guys in the future to avoid getting caught in the crossfire!"

"I understand! These guys are definitely acting strangely!" Wang Kuang also sensed something was wrong. The two looked around, cautiously got up, and walked out with their backs bent.

Seeing that few people in the tavern echoed his sentiments, Bian Rang grew increasingly angry. Just then, he saw Fan Yang and Wang Kuang walking out and immediately flew into a rage: "What are you two doing? Are you government spies? Are you going to betray your classmate?"

Fan Yang laughed and said, "Brother Bian, you misunderstand. We are both scholars from Youzhou. How could we be government spies? We thought we were here tonight to exchange ideas, but after arriving, we realized that wasn't the case. So we would like to take our leave now so as not to disturb you all!"

"Yes, yes, that's exactly it, please don't be offended!" Wang Kuang said with a smile.

"No! You were just saying good things about Wei Cong, you're clearly one of Wei Cong's men!" The one who stood up was the scholar who had just argued with Fan Yang. He stared at Fan Yang fiercely, his eyes filled with both malice and smugness.

The scholar's words were like a spark thrown into a pile of dry tinder, instantly igniting a fire. Someone shouted, "Seize this spy! Don't let him escape!"

"Yes, let's kill this traitor who betrayed his friend first!"

"Anyone who speaks up for Wei Cong is a bad person, kill him!"

Faced with the foul language flying from all directions, Fan Yang remained unmoved. He took a half step back, leaned his back against the pillar, and pressed his right hand on the hilt of his sword. He muttered, "The situation is critical. Let's stand back to back and listen to my command. As soon as I shout 'Kill!', we'll rush over and let the other three get past first. To capture the thief, we must first capture the leader!"

"Hmm!" Wang Kuang also calmed down. He leaned on Fan Yang's shoulder, his right hand on the hilt of his sword, looking ready to fight to the death.

During the Han Dynasty, there was no separation between civil and military affairs. Even students of the Imperial Academy often studied martial arts as well. Seeing Wang Kuang and Fan Yang like this, they immediately knew that they had experience in fighting. They did not dare to push them too hard, but simply stood apart, drew their swords, and surrounded them.

"Wang Kuang!" Xiao Qian recognized Wang Kuang and shouted, "What are you doing standing there? Don't be fooled, come out quickly!"

Wang Kuang glanced at Xiao Qian and laughed, "Brother Xiao, a true man does not compromise in the face of danger. Whether Brother Fan is Wei Cong's man or not, I will definitely not abandon him today."

"Still playing the hero!" Bian Rang sneered, pointing at Fan Yang and saying, "Tell me, what were you saying about Wei Cong just now?"

"As I just said, General Wei is also a man of great magnanimity; otherwise, the three of you would already be prisoners!" Fan Yang said proudly.

"How dare you insult me!" Bian Rang was furious. His originally pale yellow face turned white with anger, and he drew his sword, ready to step forward.

"Wait a minute!" Liu Fan grabbed Bian Rang and asked the man who had just reported Fan Yang, "Besides that, what else did he say?"

"Reporting to the young master, the reason Wei Cong released the people was simply because he feared the greater good. This fellow actually claims that Wei Cong released the people because he had a strong sense of righteousness. Otherwise, why didn't those three confront the Xianbei chieftain Tan Shihuai directly? Why did they confront Wei Cong directly instead?"

"You have insulted me too much, I swear to kill you!" Bian Rang flung Liu Fan's hand away and swung his sword down at Bian Rang's head. But Fan Yang drew his ring-handled saber, dodged the blade, and lunged forward, thrusting his blade. Bian Rang instinctively dodged to the right, but was still slashed in the ribs, letting out a scream and falling to the ground. Liu Fan hurriedly drew his sword and thrust diagonally, Fan Yang parried with his saber, but not completely blocked it, and his right shoulder was slashed. Liu Fan was about to thrust again when Wang Kuang stepped forward and stopped him.

"Does Young Master Liu intend to kill us two?" Wang Kuang held his sword across his chest, his expression cold and sinister, a stark contrast to his usual smiling demeanor.

"Boyu!" Xiao Qian stepped forward and whispered in his ear, "Wang Kuang's swordsmanship and family background are quite remarkable, and he has a wide circle of friends. Killing him would be pointless!"

Liu Fan's mind raced, and he immediately laughed, "Brother Wang, what are you saying? I have no grudge against you. I drew my sword just now only to protect my friend, and I had no intention of harming anyone! It was an accident that injured your friend, please forgive me!"

"Can we leave now?" Wang Kuang asked.

"Of course!" Liu Fan laughed, extending his right hand in a gesture of invitation. The crowd parted to make way, and Wang Kuang grabbed Fan Yang's arm. The two, one carrying a knife and the other a sword, carefully walked out of the tavern before sheathing their weapons and hurriedly leaving.

"Brother Bian, are you alright?" Liu Fan knelt down to check Bian Rang's injuries after the two left. Bian Rang shook his head: "I'm not seriously injured. Why did you let Fan Yang go? That scoundrel insulted me too much!"

“Wang Kuang comes from a distinguished family and is skilled in martial arts. He’s protecting Fan Yang, so I can’t bring myself to do it!” Liu Fan said with a wry smile, “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely find someone to finish him off for you in a few days!”

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Fan Yang and Wang Kuang left the tavern and hurried back to their lodgings. Fan Yang took off his outer garment, treated his wounds, and was about to mend his clothes when he suddenly heard two knocks on the door. Both men tensed up immediately, drawing their swords before asking, "Who's outside?"

"I am also a student from the Imperial Academy who was in the tavern just now. I meant no harm. Please open the door!"

(End of this chapter)