Chapter 117: The Li Clan (Part II)

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The middle-aged man was named Li Cui, the tenth son of Emperor Rang, Li Xian. He was the uncle of the current emperor, Xuanzong of Tang, and served as Governor of Heng Prefecture. He had been preparing to return to Chang'an for an imperial audience, but on the second day after leaving Heng Prefecture, his daughter, Princess Jinyuan, came down with typhoid fever. Then heavy snow blocked the roads, forcing them to remain in Luquan County.

Li Cui might once have been unaware of Zhen Qian, but now that a renowned scholar had emerged in Heng Prefecture, it was impossible not to know of him.

The governor was the overall administrator of a prefecture, roughly equivalent to a provincial governor in later ages. Yet Li Cui wielded little actual authority. When members of the imperial clan were appointed governors in the provinces, they generally served only as figureheads—drawing their salaries without doing the work. Real responsibility for local affairs rested with the three senior assistants: the prefectural aide, the chief secretary, and the military commandant. When the governor was not a member of the imperial clan, those three men became positions of empty prestige instead. The famous “Two Princes and Eight Commandants” in history had occupied precisely such posts.

“So it is him?” Li Cui frowned. He had long heard that envoys from Japan enjoyed associating with famous scholars of the Tang. He had not expected to encounter one here. “Do we know which envoy is staying here, and why he has gone to Zhen Qian’s residence?”

“I heard his name is Fujiwara no Fushio. As for his purpose, I have no idea.”

The guard had done his best. Fujiwara no Fushio had been in Luquan County for only two days, and there were probably not even ten people who knew of his presence.

“Come. Let us go to the Zhen residence and take a look.”

An envoy from Japan represented relations between two nations. His itinerary and purpose were supposed to be reported in advance. How could he have arrived in Li Cui’s jurisdiction without anyone knowing, and now be right under his nose? Failing to investigate would amount to dereliction of duty.

Li Cui had taken only a few steps when he turned around. A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

“Notify Magistrate Feng of Luquan County. He is to find a renowned physician to treat Princess Jinyuan. There must be no delay!”

Zhen Qian was raising his cup with Fujiwara no Fushio. He had excused himself on the grounds that he could not hold his liquor and was drinking freshly brewed fruit wine, while Fujiwara no Fushio was drinking aged sorghum liquor. Even so, Zhen Qian had discovered that the Japanese envoy’s capacity was far greater than his own.

The rolls of mutton and slices of fish before them had already been swept clean. Taking advantage of the opportunity to fetch more side dishes, Zhen Qian slipped into the front hall to sober up.

He had finally realized how terrifying the drinking capacity of the ancients was. They drank alcohol as casually as water. It would be no easy task to drink Fujiwara no Fushio under the table.

Ju Niang hurried in. She was just about to speak when a burly man appeared behind her, clasped his fists, and stepped in front of her.

“I am He Qian, a Colonel of Heng Prefecture. The Governor of Heng Prefecture has come to pay you a visit. Please hurry out to receive him!”

Zhen Qian looked up. A military officer had barged into his room, and he was somewhat displeased. But at those words, he froze, bewildered.

The colonel wore armor and carried a saber at his waist. He was about thirty, with fierce tiger eyes beneath heavy brows. Cold light flickered in his gaze, while his high, straight nose gave him a touch of refinement. Unfortunately, the scar across his face lent him an air of arrogance and ferocity. He stood nine feet tall, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, one hand resting on the hilt of his saber and a carved bow slung across his back. He stared coldly at Zhen Qian, making the man shiver despite himself.

Damn it. They had simply stormed in. He did not have even the slightest privacy anymore!

He had just been about to scold Ju Niang—what good was it to notify him after the enemy had already entered the room?

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Only then did Zhen Qian notice shadows shifting outside. A large force of soldiers had already surrounded the residence, marching in perfect formation.

What kind of invitation was this? It was plainly an abduction!

“The Governor of Heng Prefecture?”

Zhen Qian drew a sharp breath. If he did not even know the governor of Heng Prefecture, he might as well stop trying to make a living in the Tang Empire.

“Ju Niang, have someone tidy up—forget it.”

Looking out at the snow filling the sky, Zhen Qian could not imagine what madness had possessed the governor to come all the way to his house. He hurried outside and immediately saw a luxurious carriage waiting at the gate.

“This humble commoner pays his respects to Your Highness.”

Damn it. Why did all the powerful people of this age put on such an aloof, lofty air, as though they were above the concerns of ordinary men? Did they think no one could recognize them?

Zhen Qian had never met the governor, but judging by the way everyone stood around him as though he were the center of the stars, and by his calm, self-possessed bearing, there could be no doubt that this was Li Cui, a member of the imperial clan and the current Governor of Heng Prefecture.

“You recognize me?”

“I certainly do not,” Zhen Qian thought. Yet he wore a bright, ingratiating smile. “Your Highness possesses an extraordinary bearing and the presence of a true dragon among men. Even in a crowd, you would stand out like a crane among chickens. How could this humble one fail to recognize you?”

“People say that famous scholars are often proud and unyielding. Why do I see no such spirit in you?”

Every proud and unyielding man throughout history had ended up dead. Zhen Qian despised Li Cui in his heart, but his face assumed an expression of shame.

“Your Highness speaks of scholars renowned throughout the Tang Empire. I am no such person…”

When one stood beneath another man’s roof, one had no choice but to bow his head. Under the rule of the Li family, anyone could be killed at a whim. In a feudal dynasty, human lives were no more valuable than blades of grass. Who cared whether one blade lived or died?

Li Bai had possessed a proud spirit. He had even made Gao Lishi wash his feet after he was drunk. And what had that achieved? He had spent his entire life in frustration before finally falling into the great river. For all anyone knew, he might even have been pushed. What use was pride?

“Ah!”

Li Cui laughed at Zhen Qian’s answer. “I heard that you passed both the Advanced Mathematics and Advanced Classics examinations, which makes you an official of the imperial court. Why do you call yourself a commoner?”

Zhen Qian stood in the icy wind, shivering violently. If he had known Li Cui was so bored that he would stand at the doorway making small talk, he would have put on several more layers and watched the snow falling across the world with him.

“After losing my memory, I was never granted an official post by the court. Strictly speaking, I am not an official. How could I presume to call myself your subordinate?”

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“...Born in the mud yet unstained, washed by pure ripples yet never made gaudy; hollow within and upright without, neither sprawling nor branching...” Li Cui regarded Zhen Qian with amusement. “Such integrity is rare in this world: indifference to fame and fortune, contempt for wealth and rank, cultivating oneself in solitude, pursuing purity and noble virtue. To hear such words come from a man like you is deeply disappointing.”

Zhen Qian laughed coldly inwardly. Beneath overwhelming power, what egg could remain unbroken? Boyi and Shuqi had refused to eat the grain of the Zhou and starved to death. What had that accomplished? He was now merely a commoner. How could he stand against the Li Tang dynasty? How many people had sought a moment of fame only to die horribly beneath a blade?

Since he had already decided to sheathe his claws and live as a turtle hiding its head, what difference did it make what he said?

“Your Highness is mistaken. Cultivating oneself lies in the heart, not in outward appearance. Some people will stop at nothing for power, while others endure humiliation for the sake of being remembered through the ages. What one pursues is the true nature of one’s heart, not an outward display.”

Li Cui studied Zhen Qian with growing interest. Standing in the wind and snow in nothing but a thin robe, Zhen Qian remained neither servile nor arrogant, and every word he spoke was reasoned and convincing. A smile appeared on Li Cui’s face.

“Is the Japanese envoy staying at your residence?”

So that was why he had come? Zhen Qian could think of no other reason that would have brought Li Cui personally to his door.

“Your Highness, please come inside and speak with us. The envoy, Fujiwara no Fushio, is drinking in the room. Go and notify him at once!”

“No need. I came today only to see the envoy…”

Li Cui stepped through the gate, and Zhen Qian led him toward the reception hall.

Zhen Qian’s eyes shifted as he gradually guessed the reason for Li Cui’s visit. The envoy had suddenly appeared in Heng Prefecture without warning. If Li Cui knew nothing about it, that would amount to dereliction of duty. Naturally, he had come to investigate.

Fujiwara no Fushio had already heard someone announce their arrival. He happened to push open the door and saw Zhen Qian approaching with Li Cui.

“Fujiwara no Fushio, envoy from Japan, pays his respects to Your Highness!”

Li Cui replied with affected courtesy, “I happened to pass through Luquan County and heard that the Japanese envoy was traveling through the area, so I came especially to pay my respects.”