Taiheiki

Chapter 356 Communication
“He’s not like you, Uncle! You were in the General’s Mansion, in the Palace, and in the Ministry of Personnel, while he was in the workshops, at the docks, and on the construction site. In my opinion, he should just give up his position as General and focus on being the Master Craftsman!”

"Huh?" Dou Wu was taken aback upon hearing this. "Is that so? Mengde, is it really true?"

"Hehe!" Wei Cong chuckled twice. "I did go to the workshop in Luokou today. The progress on the steel ball bearings there is quite good, which will make the cost of the four-wheeled carriages much cheaper!"

"A four-wheeled carriage?" Dou Wu was taken aback. "Mengde, a four-wheeled carriage is indeed a good thing, fast and stable, but what does the steel ball bearing you mentioned have to do with a four-wheeled carriage?"

“This—” Wei Cong hesitated for a moment before explaining the difference between sliding friction and rolling friction, and the principle of improving power transmission efficiency: “These ball bearings have many applications. Four-wheeled carriages are just one example. They can also be used in handcarts, windmills, waterwheels, and boats. Once the manufacturing cost comes down and they are widely adopted, it will benefit both the officials and the people of the Han Dynasty!”

Wei Cong's explanation left Dou Wu bewildered. He stroked his beard twice and said, "A-Yun, Mengde's reasoning seems to have been passed down by Mozi. Although it is not the teaching of Confucius and Mencius, it is still a great principle passed down by the sages. Your words just now were a bit harsh!"

"Yes!" Having been reprimanded by her elders, Dou Yun had no choice but to lower her head and agree.

"Uncle, what brings you to Luoyang this time?"

"Oh, an old friend invited me, so I had to come!" Dou Wu laughed. "You know Lu Zigan, right?"

“Lu Zhi?” Wei Cong nodded: “I know him. He returned to the capital from Guangling a few days ago. I think he’s serving as the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy!”

"Hmm!" Dou Wu laughed, "The position of Libationer is just a nominal one. My old friend is a man who can't sit still, so he's been lecturing and writing books at Mount Goushi. He wrote to invite me, and I couldn't refuse, so I had to come to Luoyang!"

"I see!" Wei Cong nodded. He had almost forgotten that the old man before him was not only a former general and the head of the Dou family of Fufeng, but also a scholar of profound learning. Being able to return to his beloved work after stepping down from his post was a kind of fortune indeed!

"Is that so? Should Mengde do something in the name of the imperial court?" Dou Yun asked.

"No need for that!" Dou Wu quickly waved his hand in refusal. "It's enough for a few old folks to live in seclusion in the mountains, exchanging knowledge and nurturing the next generation. Once the imperial court gets involved, things will change! No need, no need!"

“Since Uncle says so, then let’s leave it at that.” Wei Cong spoke up before his wife could. “Uncle, take two hundred thousand coins. If there are any students who are excellent in character and academics but come from poor families, take a portion of this money to help them with their food and clothing so that they don’t suffer from hunger and cold. What do you think?”

"Hmm, that's not bad!" Dou Wu nodded with a smile. "Then I'll thank you on behalf of Lu Zigan!"

"Lord Lu is cultivating talent for the country. By spending 200,000 coins, I can gain several more talents who are wholeheartedly devoted to the country. It's clearly a huge profit for me. Uncle, there's no need to thank me!"

"Mengde, you speak well! Since you became Grand General, the country's accumulated problems have gradually disappeared. I have seen and heard a great deal during my trip to Luoyang. It seems that I made the right decision to relinquish the position of Grand General!"

"I wouldn't dare!" Wei Cong said with a smile, but he noticed that Dou Yun's face was somewhat displeased, clearly showing her dissatisfaction with Dou Wu's words. A thought struck him, and he asked Dou Wu, "I wonder how long Uncle will be staying in Luoyang this time?"

"I don't know! It depends on how the lectures at Mount Goushi go. If there are many students and the lectures are satisfactory, then he can stay longer. If there are few students and the lectures are finished in a few days, then he can stay a few days less. Why are you asking this?"

“What I mean is, how about we make this a regular practice?” Wei Cong said with a smile. “Uncle and Lu Zhi can write letters to renowned scholars across the country, inviting them to come regularly to lecture, exchange ideas, and encourage younger generations. Of course, this shouldn’t be handled by the court; it should be a free and relaxed exchange among scholars. The subject matter doesn’t have to be limited to classical studies; anyone with a skill can come and explain and discuss!”

“That sounds like a good idea!” Dou Wu stroked his beard and glanced at Wei Cong: “Mengde, you don’t necessarily want to go to Mount Goushi either?”

“That’s right!” Wei Cong didn’t mince words: “Just now, Uncle, you also thought that my knowledge had some merit, so I also wanted to see if it could be spread so that more people in the world could learn it and benefit the Han Dynasty!”

"That's a good thing!" Dou Wu nodded. "But now that you're a pillar of the nation, can you spare the time?"

"Time is something you can always squeeze out if you make the time!" Wei Cong laughed. "Besides, you were once a general, don't you know how many things you could do or not do in this position?"

Dou Wu was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then burst into laughter: "Mengde, Mengde, what can I say to you? Alright, I will pass on your message to Lu Zhi and the others. Just wait for good news!"

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The banquet ended quickly. Perhaps due to his age, or perhaps because he was in a good mood, Dou Wu soon became intoxicated. Dou Yun, along with a maid, helped him to a nearby side courtyard to rest. Wei Cong sat alone in the waterside pavilion, savoring the remaining wine. The night breeze, carrying moisture, blew on his flushed face. Wei Cong closed his eyes, and at that moment, he felt a rare sense of peace.

"General, Colonel Kuai requests an audience!"

Wei Cong opened his eyes and saw Meng Gaogong's familiar face. He rubbed his face wearily and said, "Let him come over. Also, get a hot towel!"

After wiping his face with a hot towel, Wei Cong's eyes regained their sharpness and clarity. He waved to Kuai Sheng, who was walking into the waterside pavilion, and said, "Brother Kuai, no need for formalities. What happened?"

"Wu Jing has been killed!" Kuai Sheng laughed. "It was done by the Xuzhou pursuit officer!"

"Wu Jing?" Wei Cong tried to recall for a moment: "Is he the one who plotted with Yuan Shu in Lugu?" "Yes, that's him!"

"This must be the last one of those people who conspired in Lugu, right?" Wei Cong thought for a moment and couldn't help but feel a little sad: "Alas, the Yuan brothers were my old acquaintances back then, but I never thought they would become my enemies. It's really a cruel twist of fate!"

“The Yuan brothers betrayed their friends first, and you responded afterward. No one can say you were wrong!” Kuai Sheng said.

"You can't say I've made a mistake?" Wei Cong laughed, his eyes full of mockery. "Brother Kuai, you don't think I'm naive enough to believe I can get this far with a clean slate, do you? Since you've chosen this path, there's no right or wrong. If I didn't have that kind of awareness, I'd probably be dead somewhere long ago!"

"The General is right!" Kuai Sheng lowered his head, but did not leave.

"Anything else?"

"Hmm!" Kuai Sheng lowered his voice: "According to the news sent back from Xuzhou, Wu Jing was with a group of bandits who were rampant between the Huai and Si rivers. So the chief of the Xuzhou police sent troops to besiege them and wiped out Wu Jing and the bandits. It turned out that the leader of the bandits was a member of the Cao family of Pei State, and was a cousin of Cao Cao's son, named Cao Ren."

"Cao Cao's cousin?" Wei Cong was taken aback. He had almost forgotten the name. Ever since he returned to Luoyang, Cao Cao had never contacted him again, not even with a letter. Clearly, this was a deliberate distancing, and Wei Cong could only respect that. After all, Cao Cao had done him a favor in the past, and he wouldn't attack or suppress him because of this estrangement, but there was no need to forcibly win him over either. After all, although the Cao family of Pei State had some strength, they couldn't compare to the Yuan family of Runan. Wei Cong had even destroyed the Yuan family of Runan, so why would he fear a mere Cao family of Pei State?
"Is he dead or alive?" Wei Cong asked.

"He's already dead; it's time to find out his identity from the captured thieves!"

"Then put the body in a coffin, send it back, and give them a sum of money as a condolence payment. Explain the whole story clearly!" Wei Cong gave the order, but found that Kuai Sheng did not respond or leave.

"Anything else?"

"Hmm! According to the report from Xuzhou, Cao Ren knew Wu Jing's identity beforehand, and he has a very close relationship with the Cao family of Pei State. I suspect—"

"You suspect that this is not just Cao Ren's doing, but that the entire Cao family of Pei State is colluding with Wu Jing?" Wei Cong asked.

"General, you are wise!"

Wei Cong snorted coldly. He already understood Kuai Sheng's meaning—the Cao family of Pei State, and even the local gentry of Xuzhou, had all participated in protecting Wu Jing, and even secretly allied with him, forming a conspiracy organization against Wei Cong and the imperial court. This sounded a bit far-fetched, but those who worked in espionage were inherently suspicious, not to mention the undeniable fact that Cao Ren and Wu Jing were mixed up—with so many people in Xuzhou, why would Wu Jing choose to associate with someone surnamed Cao?
"What are you going to do?"

"We know very little at the moment, and it is too early to draw any conclusions. I have already ordered Xuzhou to continue the investigation and find concrete evidence!" Kuai Sheng said, bowing his head.

"Then let's do it this way!" Wei Cong's voice turned cold and lifeless again, and he reverted to his usual stern and unsmiling self as the general in the imperial court.

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The carriage moved forward along the rammed earth road, swaying rhythmically. Inside sat Liu Yuanqi and two boys. Liu Yuanqi leaned against the carriage wall, resting with his eyes closed. One of the boys, who resembled Liu Yuanqi by six or seven points, was making faces, jumping up and down, and the noise he made grew louder and louder until Liu Yuanqi could no longer contain himself.

Liu Yuanqi, his face stern, said in a deep voice, "Deran, you better sit tight. The Master Lu you're going to see this time is not only a senior figure in our Zhuojun, but also a renowned Confucian scholar throughout the land. He studied under Ma Rong of Fufeng in his youth, mastering the essence of Confucian classics. Later, he led troops to quell the E'zhai rebellion, truly a master of both literature and martial arts. If you can become his disciples, even learning just a little bit, it will be enough to secure your livelihood and bring honor to our Liu clan—"

"Dad, this is the third time you've said this to us since last night. We're tired of hearing it! It's just about going to school, is it really necessary to nag us like this again and again?" The speaker was a boy of about twelve or thirteen years old, Liu Yuanqi's son, Liu Deran.

"Shut up, you ignorant brat!" Liu Yuanqi scolded, "This is Lord Lu of Zhuojun, do you think this is some village school or clan academy? You think you can just mess around like this? Do you know how much effort I put into getting this visiting card? If you dare to show even a hint of your family's wasteful ways in front of Lord Lu, you'll be in big trouble! Why don't you learn from Abei? You have no manners at all! We're the same age, look at him, and then look at yourself! With your shameless appearance, I'm really unlucky to have given birth to such a useless brat like you..."

Liu Deran was spitting all over his face from his father's scolding, not daring to utter a sound. Beside him stood a boy of similar age, with delicate features, bright eyes, and particularly large ears. Even sitting still, he exuded a calm and composed aura. This was the "A-Bei" Liu Yuanqi had mentioned, Liu Bei, Liu Yuanqi's cousin, also a descendant of Liu Sheng, Prince Jing of Zhongshan, and son of Emperor Jing of Han. Because his father had died early, Liu Bei's family was poor, relying on his mother selling straw sandals for a living. However, his cousin Liu Yuanqi greatly admired this nephew, often providing him with financial assistance, treating Liu Bei like his own son. This time, when he sent his son Liu Deran to study under Lu Zhi, he brought Liu Bei along as well. Seeing his companion too ashamed to raise his head after being scolded by Liu Yuanqi, Liu Bei quickly reassured him, "Uncle, please don't be angry. Under Lord Lu's tutelage, I will definitely persuade Deran not to do anything wrong!"

"Hmm!" Liu Yuanqi's throat was also a little dry from cursing. He looked at his son and said to Liu Bei, "Then I'll have to trouble you, A Bei! This kid just can't give me a day's peace of mind!"

"Uncle, you flatter me!" Liu Bei laughed. "De Ran is only a little mischievous in front of you; he's quite well-behaved with outsiders!"

"You're just trying to make an example of him!" Liu Yuanqi sneered. "No one knows a son better than his father. Do you think I don't know his rotten temper? He's been sitting down for a while and he's already jumping around like he has thorns in his butt! He was born to be a shepherd!"

"Then why didn't Father let me herd sheep? Why did he send me to Luoyang to study?"

"Shut up, you good-for-nothing!" Liu Yuanqi roared. "Is herding sheep your job? Your father has worked so hard, risking his life traveling all over the country, all so that you could advance your career. Study, become a disciple of a renowned teacher, master the Five Classics, serve as a county official, be recommended for the civil service, and then serve as a bodyguard for the emperor, eventually being appointed as a high-ranking official. How can you, you brat, not understand your father's good intentions?"

"Sir, to Goushi Mountain!" came the coachman's voice from outside. Liu Yuanqi's shouting stopped abruptly. He peeked out and saw a large rock by the roadside with the words "Goushi Mountain" written on it. Next to the rock was a shed with an old man selling soup inside. A narrow, winding path led away not far away, but the carriage could not proceed.

(End of this chapter)