Tiger Guards

Chapter 313 A Preference for Calligraphy
The city of Anyi awaited Zhao Ji in silence.

Tai Chong and Liu Ai greeted Zhao Ji at the North Gate, and the two were now even more humble.

In fact, they were the real officials who were halfway to the rank of duke before, but due to the reforms of the Zhao family, they became high-ranking officials in three provinces.

The two men went out of the city to greet him, which was considered an expression of goodwill.

Zhao Ji would not refuse, and they entered Anyi amidst laughter and conversation.

The Shaoliang Palace, which was originally the Prefectural Governor's residence, has become the dedicated office space for the Secretariat. If nothing unexpected happens, it will soon be restored to the Prefectural Governor's residence.

In the west courtyard pavilion of Shaoliang Palace, Zhao Yan held a bronze hand warmer, listening to the sounds of the Tiger Guards changing shifts outside, his feelings even more complicated.

He hadn't expected Zhao Ji to be so troublesome.

Initially, the plan was simply to escort the emperor back to Luodu, to become acquainted with Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, and to resolve the dispute through negotiation.

This was also the common idea of ​​the nobles. Unexpectedly, Zhao Ji removed all three of Yuan Shao's henchmen and defeated Cao Cao, who had been halfway to dominate the Central Plains, in one battle.

As for the long-term future, Zhao Yan has no longer considered it.

He entered officialdom at the age of thirty through military merit, and served in various positions for thirty-five years. He was then summoned to the court as a consultant when he was the governor of Dingxiang.

He doesn't think he owes anything; everything he has now is the result of his hard work.

As for Zhao Ji, it's even simpler. There's no question of who owes whom between him and the court. His achievements are so great that discussing this issue would mean someone's death.

Zhao Yan is now only concerned with the continuation of his family line, or more precisely, with the succession to the title of Marquis of Jinyang.

All other issues are meaningless to an old man like him.

Hearing footsteps from downstairs, Zhao Yan coughed twice, put down the copper hand warmer, and picked up an official document to read.

Zhao Ji led Zhao Yun up the stairs, and seeing that Zhao Yan was still handling official business, he stood still.

Zhao Yan patiently read through the document and then wrote down his opinions on it.

After putting down his pen and rolling up the bamboo slips, he turned to look at Zhao Ji and examined him from head to toe: "Has Yuan Si grown taller again?"

"As my grandfather saw, my grandson is already nine feet two inches tall."

Zhao Ji stepped forward and handed over the gift box he had brought: "Grandfather, this was made by Handan Chun from Yangdi, Yingchuan. I hope you will like it."

"Handan Zishu?"

Zhao Yan untied the ribbon binding him and took out the scroll of silk inside. He then shook his sleeves, rolled up the folded sleeves to reveal his arms, and unfolded the scroll to examine Handan Chun's handwriting: "He's still alive?"

"When the Central Plains were in chaos due to the uprising of warlords, Handan Chun sought refuge in Jingzhou and stayed with Liu Jingsheng. When Taiqing Gong went north, many scholars from Yan and Yu followed him, including Handan Chun. Knowing that his grandfather was fond of calligraphy, Handan Chun specially made this book."

As Zhao Ji spoke, he turned to the side and took three scrolls from the wooden tray that Zhao Yun was holding, handing them over: "These were gifts from Liang Hu of Liangzhou, and there are also works by Zhang Zhi, Zhao Xi, Zuo Bo, Zhang Chao, and Zang Hong."

Zhao Yan opened Handan Chun's calligraphy without looking up: "Except for Liang Hu's works, put the others on the bookshelf for me to appreciate in my spare time."

Zhao Ji placed the three volumes of poems and essays that Liang Hu had specially copied on one side of Zhao Yan's desk, and went with Zhao Yun to the bookshelf next to it, placing the scrolls of calligraphy from the wooden tray onto the bookshelf.

Zhao Yan only glanced at the scroll before gathering it up and retying it. He then asked, "What does Yuan Si think of Handan Chun and Liang Hu?"

"Words are words, and people are people; they should not be confused."

Zhao Ji replied simply, saying, “Even I didn’t know my grandfather was fond of calligraphy before, but these people found out when we were stationed in Yingchuan. Handan Chun and Liang Hu came to visit one after another, and Chen Rong, a former official of Zang Hong, also brought works by Zhang Chao and Zang Hong. Zhang Zhi’s works were presented by Zhang Xiu, and Zuo Bo’s works were given by Xun. Zhao Xi’s calligraphy was presented by Zhao Jian.”

Zhao Jian was Zhao Xi's nephew and Zhao Qi's cousin. Zhao Xi, whose courtesy name was Yuansi, was a renowned calligrapher from Xizhou.

Zhao Yan walked to the bookshelf with the calligraphy scroll of Handan Chun in his hand, his expression also complicated: "Before the world was in chaos, Handan Chun, Liang Hu and others were famous scholars and great calligraphers. They were guests of honor of the powerful and wealthy in Luodu. How could I possibly befriend them?"

Let alone formally requesting these people's handwritten letters to embellish our social standing, we don't even have the right to sit at the same table with them, talk, or drink.

Now, Zhao Ji has defeated Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, who are now on the verge of reuniting, and these people are offering him calligraphy works as gifts.

This caused Zhao Yan to lose interest and enjoyment in appreciating the work, and he immediately looked Zhao Yun up and down: "Yuan Si, is this Lieutenant Zhao of Changshan?"

"Indeed, Zilong has distinguished himself in several battles, and his military strategy is no less than that of Gongming. Now that all the generals are heading north, I alone have brought Zilong to see my grandfather."

As Zhao Ji spoke, he extended his arm and pointed at Zhao Yun, who knelt on one knee, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "This humble general, Zhao Yun of Changshan, pays his respects to the Attendant-in-Ordinary and the Marquis of Jinyang."

"Please don't stand on ceremony, please rise."

Zhao Yan stepped forward to help him up and said to Zhao Yun, who had a solemn expression, "When Yuan Si went on a campaign, I was afraid that he would act rashly and be plotted against by Yuan Shao and Cao Cao. Seeing that Zilong is so calm, I have no worries."

“Grandfather, I brought Zilong here because I wanted to entrust you to him. Luodu is not a safe place. You can stay for a few months. With Zilong protecting you and Xu Chu and others, you can be guaranteed to return to Hedong safely.”

As Zhao Ji spoke, he stepped forward to help Zhao Yan, and also gestured for Zhao Yun to follow. Together they went to the side hall and helped Zhao Yan to a seat. They had exchanged letters before, and Zhao Yan frowned: "In just a few months, I fear that if I leave Luodu, the three provinces will be seized and occupied by Lü Bu."

“If that’s the case, then Grandfather should leave Luodu even more.”

Zhao Ji knelt near the table, his arm resting on one end: "How could the officials in the court sit idly by and wait to die? Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Yuan Shu, and Liu Biao are all formidable figures."

Zhao Yun stood at the entrance of the side hall, his hand on his sword, listening intently.

Zhao Yan frowned deeply and said in a low voice, "They still won't give up?"

"Yes, if the court were to be restored because of the reform policies of my Zhao family, wouldn't that confirm their reputation as incompetent and immoral?"

Zhao Ji said calmly, "During the decisive battle with Cao Cao at Chenliu, they held the emperor hostage and attempted to ally with Xun Yu. If it weren't for Minister Tai's persuasion to Zhang Xiu to turn against us, even if our army had won, it would have been a Pyrrhic victory. How could a mere Huan Dian have allowed my officers and soldiers to die in vain to rest in peace?"

Therefore, it was inevitable that the high-ranking officials would cause trouble. Only if the reform policies were abolished would these people wholeheartedly assist the government.

If these people couldn't kill Lü Bu, then using Lü Bu's hand and the emperor's name to abolish the reform policies became the best alternative.

Zhao Ji didn't want to fall out with Lü Bu, and Lü Bu probably didn't want to either.

But when it comes to decoupling, if the officials put in a little effort, anything could happen.

When these nobles cause trouble, they don't consider the possibility of the situation getting out of control.

More accurately, contemporary nobles are weak in governing and only know how to fight amongst themselves.

Those scholar-official leaders who truly dared to fight had already been eliminated during the two periods of partisan persecution.

Zhao Qi was just one of the survivors, and such survivors no longer held onto their original ideals.

In their constant infighting, the nobles were more interested in physically eliminating their opponents than in solving real problems.

It's like mowing the lawn; you just cut the grass as soon as it sprouts, without thinking about digging out the roots.

It was these ordinary people who laid the foundation for Zhao Ji's growth and expansion.

Zhao Yan pondered for a moment, then asked, "What if Lü Bu abolishes the reform policies?"

"They marched their troops to Luoyang, staged another military remonstrance, and re-established the great policy of reform."

Zhao Ji made his stance clear and said, "Lu Bu is not a muddle-headed person. I'm just afraid that he will be plotted against by both inside and outside forces and die a violent death in the street like Dong Zhuo. So I hope that next year my grandfather can temporarily leave Luodu and come to Jinyang to take charge, so that I can lead the troops to attack Li Jue and Guo Si."

Zhao Yan really couldn't bear to see another large-scale military confrontation in Luoyang, but punishing Li Jue and Guo Si would also avenge his four grandsons.

After a brief consideration, he said, "Then I will listen to Yuan Si. Next March, I will persuade the soldiers and civilians in Luoyang to complete the spring plowing, and then I will set off with Zilong to return to Jinyang. However, this winter I will be in Luodu, and Yuan Si will be in Jinyang. I only hope that Yuan Si will take more concubines and increase his offspring."

"Yes, by this time next year, Grandfather will be holding a great-grandson in his left arm and a great-grandson in his right arm, with several more great-grandsons waiting for Grandfather to hold them."

As Zhao Ji spoke, he gestured with his hands and turned his head left and right as if to say, "Back then, if one of them cried, the others would cry too, which would surely annoy my grandfather to no end."

"Haha, that's truly a delightful thing."

Zhao Yan couldn't help but burst into laughter, fearing that Zhao Ji had no intention of getting married and having children.

Although the Bingzhou army earned a reputation as a kingly army while fighting abroad, there were also many unpleasant rumors.

Maintaining abstinence during military campaigns... This is something only Zhao Ji could pull off; it's unimaginable for other armies.

Moreover, there were indeed some cases of mistreatment of prisoners in the army, which made Zhao Yan afraid that there might be some special problems with Zhao Ji.

The old man was easygoing; as long as Zhao Ji could take concubines and have more children, other things like games weren't a big deal.

Maids, concubines, handsome pageboys, and guards—these people simply had different identities, performed different duties, and played different roles.

In reality, they are no different from horses for riding, oxen for plowing fields, or dogs for guarding homes.

The old man just wanted a great-grandson, and Zhao Ji was willing to get one for him. The old man really didn't care whether the child was born to his wives, concubines, maids, or other men's wives.

He really didn't care as long as the pageboy and the like didn't get in the way.

On some level, Zhao Ji was also a tool in the old man's life journey.

With so many children born to Zhao Jisheng, the old man could die in peace, having given his due to his ancestors and descendants.

Compared to this personal matter, major reform policies and such matters had to take a back seat.

(End of this chapter)