Chapter 633: Half-Inch Tongue

White Dew, the fifteenth of the 24 solar terms. At night, dew appears on plants, and wild geese fly south to avoid the cold.

Ningzhou’s Weize County, being a superior county, was allocated two county lieutenants. Late last winter, a stranger named Song Keli arrived to take up his post here. He was effective in suppressing bandits, dismantling over a dozen bandit dens of various sizes, making the horse bandits of Ningzhou tremble in fear. However, as summer began, this young Captain Song was unexpectedly dismissed from his post by the Ningzhou Provincial Governor’s Office. He had been idle at home for several months since then, and to make matters worse, a marriage engagement that had been largely settled fell through. The woman was a young lady from a middle-class family in Weize County, not a prestigious household from an official or scholarly background. Compared to the young captain with a promising future, she might have seemed to be marrying above her station. But compared to Song Keli, now a commoner, it was certainly a downgrade for her. The change in the marriage arrangements did not cause much stir in Weize County. After all, Ningzhou was south of the capital region, and everyone in the province was focused on the restoration of Western Chu along Guangling Road. Who cared about the daily struggles of a fallen scholar? Neighbors who were on good terms would still greet him as "Captain Song," but most common people paid little attention to this official who had fallen from grace and lacked connections. However, one evening during the White Dew period, an old scholar with frosty temples entered the county town. Without asking for directions, he walked straight to Song Keli’s private residence, which had long since moved from the county yamen. A small carriage was parked outside the gate, preventing the impression that the house was deserted. The old scholar glanced at the delicate face peeking from the corner of the curtain inside, looking forlorn. The woman, surprised to see a visitor at the residence, slowly lowered the curtain, and the carriage gradually drove out of the alley. The old scholar directly pushed open the door and entered. Song Keli was in the courtyard, perusing a court gazette he had acquired through connections. Upon seeing the unassuming scholar, his face lit up with surprise. He placed the gazette on the stone table, quickly rose, bowed, and said, "This junior greets Mr. Yuan."

The visitor was indeed Yuan Pu, the reclusive old Hanlin academician from the Hanlin Academy. It was a single conversation with this senior Hanlin scholar that had been more valuable to him than ten years of studying the classics. Almost every day, Song Keli carefully pondered the words Mr. Yuan had written on Xuan paper in the Hanlin Academy: "A scholar has three disregardings: managing one’s family without considering self-cultivation; governing the state without considering managing one’s family; and bringing peace to the world without considering governing the state." He also wrote: "The decline and fall of a nation and its people cannot escape the root causes of 'gradual accumulation.' The rise of a nation and its people cannot be separated from the merits of 'gradual accumulation.'" At that time, the entire city of Taian had been mocking the Song family. The two Song family masters, who had dominated the literary and scholarly circles, saw his grandfather die of anger in his sickbed with his reputation utterly destroyed, and his father banished from the capital, unable to serve as an official for life. And he, once the "young phoenix" of the Song family, was exiled to Weize County in Ningzhou, a region plagued by poverty, harsh conditions, and horse bandits. This was not the worst of it; after he achieved success advocating for the people, high-ranking officials first from the commandery office, then from the Ningzhou Provincial Governor’s mansion, successively put pressure on him. However, Song Keli harbored no resentment about this. What truly confused him was that the very common people who had received many favors from Captain Song within a mere six months joined his county yamen colleagues in mocking him with disdain. But Song Keli did not wish to complain to anyone, except for Yuan Pu, the Yuan Huangmen (Palace Gate official) before him. Song Keli had many thoughts that seemed out of place and wished to seek guidance from this master, who himself was ill-at-ease in the Hanlin Academy.

After Mr. Yuan took his seat, Song Keli respectfully asked, "Sir, what brings you to Weize County?"

Yuan Pu, who typically preferred writing to speaking, picked up the gazette. Perhaps due to extensive reading, his eyesight was poor, so he held it up a little higher, scanned it carefully, then gently put it down. He spoke, his words still somewhat indistinct, "I haven't left Taian City for too many years. I just wanted to go out and see things."

At this point, the old scholar remarked with some emotion, "After Wang Xianzhi left Wudi City, an old friend in Taian City also passed away."

Yuan Pu looked at Song Keli and spoke directly, "The severe horse bandit problem in Ningzhou has deep roots and is difficult to resolve. It's merely a chess piece on the board, neither particularly big nor small. But if you, an outsider, try to move that piece, the existing players will ensure your demise."

Song Keli nodded, a sense of realization on his face. "As I suspected, the horse bandits that have surged in Ningzhou over the years are a move by Cao Changqing."

Yuan Pu said calmly, "Cao Changqing hasn't been idle in the past twenty years. There's also a Western Chu sleeper agent who rose to the high position of third-in-command of Zhao Gou’s organization. It was this person who, seventeen years ago, proposed planting spies within military units throughout Guangling Road. In the early spring of this year, the first year of Xiangfu, those spies—precisely 367 of them, many of whom had become captains and commandants after years of deep cover—half died suddenly, and the other half became key figures in the Western Chu rebel army. This move was completely unforeseen by the Ministry of War, which had been planning with Zhao Gou for over a decade. Minister of War Lu Baijie is currently in a difficult position, largely due to the disastrous consequences of this matter. Otherwise, where do you think Western Chu got so many elite soldiers who could fight to the death as soon as they entered the battlefield?"

Song Keli looked utterly stunned.

Yuan Pu drew a horizontal line on the stone table with two fingers pressed together and said hoarsely, "The game has different scales. On a grand scale, it's about weakening the vassal states, consolidating national power, promoting the imperial examination system, and suppressing military figures. Ultimately, it's about devouring Northern Barbarians, unifying the realm, and accomplishing a feat that even the 800-year-old Great Qin Dynasty couldn't achieve. Going a step further, it's about someone becoming an emperor for all eternity."

Yuan Pu then drew a vertical line with his finger. "On a slightly smaller scale, it involves forcing the King of Beiliang to use all his resources to contain the Northern Barbarians and confining Gu Jiantang to the northern front—this is an open strategy. Using the restoration of Western Chu as bait, it's meant to exhaust the power and ambition of various vassal kings, including the King of Guangling, to deplete the local military forces under Gu Lu’s command, and to lure out the King of Yanchi, Zhao Bing, a big fish who enjoys strategic advantages and popular support—this is a covert scheme. The terrifying aspect of the two generations of Beiliang Kings lies in their 300,000 elite troops; their admirable quality is that the father and son wield immense power yet never rebel; their pathetic reality is that the Liyang court, regardless of whether Beiliang rebels or not, intends to ruin the Xu family entirely."

Yuan Pu spread his palm and wiped it on the table. "Life is full of helplessness. Like Xu Xiao, who tried every possible means to kill me, yet even with 300,000 troops and waves of suicidal assassins sent to the capital, he could never succeed. Like Cao Changqing, who possesses great charisma and talent, yet is plagued by ill fortune, having been born in Western Chu. Like Zhang Julu, who devoted himself tirelessly to seeking welfare for the common people, yet had to face an era of hereditary rule. Like Xu Fengnian, who defeated Wang Xianzhi, but must now confront a million cavalry from the Northern Barbarians. Compared to their helplessness, Song Keli, how great or small is yours?"

Song Keli was dumbfounded. "Mr. Yuan?"

Yuan Pu smiled.

Song Keli suddenly stood up, bowed deeply, and said with trepidation, "Song Keli pays his respects to Mr. Yuan!"

This bow was a salutation to the Imperial Tutor of Taian City, "Yuan Benxi," also known as "Half-Inch Tongue"!

Yuan Benxi paid no mind to Song Keli's solemnity and said calmly, "I shouldn't have met you this early. However, I've spent my entire life in that city. In the early Spring and Autumn period, I was merely an unknown nobody; a single word from Xun Ping was more effective than pounds of my own words. By the late Spring and Autumn period, there was nothing left for me to do. Now, pieces have been placed and taken root on the chessboard. As Huang Longshi sees it, when farming, the most interesting part isn't waiting at home for a great harvest, but seeing the golden fields in the furrows with one's own eyes. Furthermore, it's not appropriate for you to remain in Weize County. Why not come with me to witness the scenes of war and chaos? Otherwise, we scholars just talk; even if we genuinely lament the hardships of the common people in our hearts, in the end, we don't even truly understand their suffering, which would be quite absurd."

Song Keli’s eyes gleamed as he said joyfully, "This junior is willing to be Mr. Yuan's vanguard."

Yuan Benxi nodded and asked, "Earlier, I saw the woman in the alley. How do you think she compares to the princess who secretly left the capital just to see you?"

Song Keli was momentarily speechless, unsure how to answer.

One was a dazzling golden princess, the other a modest young lady of average appearance. How could they be compared?

Yuan Benxi's gaze drifted slightly as he sighed, "In matters of love between men and women, some people are inherently good and treat you well; this is naturally fortunate, but it doesn't necessarily mean they truly love you deeply. Others may have difficult personalities but are willing to change a great deal for you, indicating genuine affection. That woman surnamed Zhao was willing to risk leaving the capital to find you, but she would absolutely not abandon her family. When forced to choose between the two, she would leave you. However, the woman surnamed Liu in the alley, though gentle in nature, would most likely abandon everything for you, following you through life and death. People in the world often become tearfully grateful when a person of status makes a small sacrifice, yet they feel little for the upbringing by their parents who are always near, the generous help from impoverished friends, or the dedication of a wife who supports her husband and raises their children."

Song Keli said with a hint of bitterness, "This junior has been enlightened."

Yuan Benxi suddenly sat back on the stone stool. "Talking is indeed much more tiring than doing. Bring some wine."

Song Keli quickly hurried into the house to find wine.

Yuan Benxi muttered to himself, "If it weren't for the Northern Barbarians, with Beiliang's 300,000 strong army, what would become of Western Chu? What could Zhao Bing, Zhao Yi, and these imperial vassal kings possibly achieve?"