Nine

Sixth Year of Reestablished Peace · AD 201

'Gongjin, what's the meaning of you fetching my family to Wu without informing me?' Zijing huffs from the doorway of Master Zhou's drawing room, interrupting the conversation that my mother-in-law and I have been having with Master Zhou, his wife and his concubine.

'Zijing!' Master Zhou rises from his seat and moves to give Zijing a big hug before motioning him to enter. Zijing greets his mother, me and Master Zhou's wife and concubine warmly before taking a seat and giving Master Zhou a stern stare.

Not the least intimidated, Master Zhou playfully answers, 'Didn't you tell your family to make preparations to move? Tell me, did Liu Ye write you a letter asking you to change your allegiance, to which you assented?'

'Indeed,' Zijing replies.

Master Zhou's expression turns serious. 'Formerly, in reply to Emperor Guangwu, Ma Yuan[1] said, "In the present time, not only do sovereigns choose their subjects, subjects too choose their sovereigns." Today, General Sun[2] approaches people of virtue, values scholars, welcomes the exceptional and uses the extraordinary,' he persuades Zijing. 'Besides, previously, I heard a sage's secret discourse that one who will inherit the Mandate of Heaven and replace the Liu family will emerge in the southeast, according to astrological signs that reflect changes in ownership of the imperial throne, eventually becoming Emperor in accordance with heavenly omens, and that this is a time when men of endeavour choose the lords that will make them. I now understand his words; you have no need to take Liu Ziyang's words to heart.'

These are exactly Zijing's words that Master Zhou is tossing back at him, just spun more fancifully! Zijing and I are bent over with laughter, his attempt at feigning anger long gone; I make a mental note to explain the joke to my mother-in-law and Master Zhou's wife and concubine later.

'Just based on these words, I shall remain in the Southland,' Zijing tells Master Zhou.

Master Zhou grins back. 'I knew you would. Although, how will you reply to Liu Ye?' he questions.

'That will actually be easy,' Zijing responds with a wily smile. 'Ziyang did not explicitly invite me to join him; instead, he advised me to join Zheng Bao.'

Master Zhou and I stare at Zijing, confused: Zheng Bao was a local tyrant based near Juchao. Master Zhou had informed me that Zheng Bao had wished to force Liu Ye into his service; unwilling, Liu Ye lured Zheng Bao into a trap with the aid of an envoy from Cao Cao and killed him, subsequently turning over Zheng Bao's army to the then-Grand Administrator of Lujiang, Liu Xun, a friend of Cao Cao. After the General who Exterminates Renegades defeated Liu Xun, Liu Ye became an advisor to Cao Cao. How could Liu Ye have advised Zijing to join Zheng Bao?

Seeing our bewilderment, Zijing explains, 'Clearly, Ziyang's true intention was to invite me to join him in serving Cao Cao. At the time he wrote the letter, he had already agreed to join Cao Cao, but had yet to slay Zheng Bao. Thus, he wrote it under the façade of asking me to join Zheng Bao, so that his allegiance would not be exposed if the letter were intercepted by Zheng Bao's men, knowing that I would put two and two together after hearing about Zheng Bao's death at his hands and comprehend his true intention. Moreover, if I did not wish to join Cao Cao, I could simply decline on the grounds that I did not desire to join Zheng Bao; thus, there would be no unpleasant exchanges between us. Therefore, I am now free to change my mind on the basis that Zheng Bao is dead.'

'So I was played by you and Liu Ziyang?' Master Zhou pretends ire.

'If you did not act after seeing my letter, I would truly have gone north,' Zijing replies seriously.

Master Zhou looks down for a few seconds. He then grins at Zijing, quipping, 'You were correct—it's you who are Han Xin, and I who am Xiao He!'

'Then, who is Zhang Liang[3]?' Zijing replies without missing a beat.

'Master Lu journeyed all the way here from Dongcheng; will you not allow him to take a rest, husband?' Lady Qiao, who had inconspicuously exited the drawing room earlier, re-enters with a flask and several wine cups.

We raise a cup to this reunion and toast to the start of great things.

Footnotes:

[1] Ma Yuan was a general in the service of Emperor Guangwu. During his youth, he engaged in farming and animal husbandry and owned some thousands of cattle, horses and goats and several tens of thousands hu of grain. Nevertheless, he sighed, 'Whatever wealth has been accumulated from farming and animal husbandry has value insofar as it is able to relieve people; else its owner is but a miser.' Thus he distributed his wealth to his brothers and old friends, and wore a goat hair coat and goatskin pants.

[2] Namely Sun Quan. After Sun Ce's death, Cao Cao recommended Sun Quan as General who Exterminates Caitiffs 讨虏将军 and Grand Administrator of Guiji.

[3] Zhang Liang was a strategist and statesman under Liu Bang. He is known as one of the 'three heroes of the early Han dynasty', together with Xiao He and Han Xin. Liu Bang appraised the three as follows: 'I have reached where I am today because of three people: in devising strategies within a command tent and determining success from a thousand li away, I cannot compare to Zhang Liang; in guarding the country, in pacifying the people and ensuring a constant supply of provisions for the army, I cannot compare to Xiao He; in leading millions to constant success in battle, I cannot compare to Han Xin. All three are heroes, and I was able to use them; this was how I gained all under Heaven.'

See endnotes for chapter notes.