To tell the truth, Wei Yuan had no desire whatsoever to meet with these officials again. He feared that if he lost his temper and struck out, with how heavy his hands were, these fragile Dao Foundations would hardly withstand a few blows before someone wound up dead.
However, Li Zhi argued that provisions, pay, and official status were matters of life and death, so they had to be settled properly. Furthermore, immortal sect disciples like themselves would inevitably leave sooner or later, while men like Fang Hetong would remain in Quyang. Once Wei Yuan departed, even setting Fang Hetong aside, the three hundred militiamen would certainly have a miserable time; it was all too common for the authorities to cook up an excuse every other day, drag them into the yamen, and beat them half to death. If they did not resolve these problems now, it would leave lingering troubles.
Wei Yuan found this quite reasonable and agreed. Fang Hetong, though ten thousand times unwilling, had no choice but to attend the banquet for the sake of the villagers.
During the time before dinner, Li Zhi chatted with Wei Yuan about his experiences and interesting anecdotes from his cultivation over the years.
Back then, when Li Zhi had lost to Wei Yuan in the unified examination, he had initially been indignant. Later, through his connections, he obtained Wei Yuan's exam records and realized just how many marks had been suppressed in Wei Yuan's earlier results, and that Wei Yuan was actually two years younger than him. Even so, Li Zhi had still failed to outscore Wei Yuan, and during the martial test, he had been swept aside like dry leaves in an autumn wind. Only then was Li Zhi thoroughly humbled.
Afterward, Li Zhi diligently cultivated the Dao of the Sovereign at the Four Sages Academy, achieving success in five years and forging the Dao Foundation known as the Four Symbols Three-legged Cauldron. This cauldron was an ancient vessel used by sovereign kings to offer sacrifices to Heaven, possessing the power to anchor a nation's destiny, and was also an immortal foundation.
Even at eight years old, Li Zhi had cut quite an impressive figure. Now, ten years later, he had long shed that earlier, somewhat artificial precocity. He was both gentle and composed; speaking with him was like being bathed in a spring breeze, his bearing and insight commanding admiration.
Before long, night fell. The rear courtyard of the Quyang County Yamen was brightly lit, a large table set in the main hall. Li Zhi sat in the seat of honor, with Magistrate Sun and Wei Yuan seated on his left and right, while Fang Hetong sat beside Wei Yuan. Also present at the banquet were all the key officials: Assistant Magistrate Ren Youwei, the registrar, Captain Wang Delu, and others.
Yet as Fang Hetong looked at the table laden with mountain delicacies and seafood, his face was ashen, his simmering rage impossible to suppress. He was entirely out of place among the others, who chatted and laughed heartily.
Wei Yuan maintained a polite, faint smile and barely spoke, answering with only a sentence or two when someone addressed him. Li Zhi, however, conversed with effortless charm, putting everyone who spoke with him completely at ease.
Li Zhi had brought only two mounted escorts with him on this visit; the remaining dozen-odd riders were left behind in Shayang Village to assist with defense. These riders were in truth the personal guards of Duke Huien. The elite soldiers of Southern Qi far surpassed those of Western Jin, and a dozen-odd guards from a ducal house were more than enough to defend Shayang Village. Even if two or three squadrons of Liao barbarians came, they would only be routed.
With no need to worry about Shayang Village, and having come to resolve the status of the three hundred militiamen, Wei Yuan was in no hurry. He took in every word and gesture of those present, committing them to memory and diligently learning from the scene.
Before long, several rounds of wine had passed. Magistrate Sun had brought out a fine vintage that aided Dao Foundation cultivation, with a potency far beyond ordinary alcohol. After three cups, ordinary Dao Foundation cultivators could hardly handle it. Except for Li Zhi and Wei Yuan, who remained unaffected, the others had begun slurring their speech and were no longer as guarded as they had been at the start.
As Magistrate Sun toasted another round, Fang Hetong could bear it no longer and slammed his cup heavily onto the table. The sudden bang startled everyone at the banquet, and all eyes turned to him. Fang Hetong said nothing, his chest heaving as he breathed heavily.
Li Zhi smiled and said, "Brother Fang worries for the realm and its people, casting aside the brush to join the military and fighting bloody battles against the Liao barbarians. He is truly an exemplar for us scholars. Having studied at the Four Sages Academy, I too consider myself a man of letters, and in my heart I deeply admire Brother Fang. Magistrate Sun, a petty matter like three hundred militiamen can be resolved with a mere lift of your hand—why make such a fuss over it?"
Sun Chao'en set down his wine cup and said to Li Zhi, "General Li might not know this, but this truly isn't a small matter."
Before marching out on this campaign, Li Zhi had used Duke Huien's pedigree to secure a commission as a vice general in Southern Qi. The official systems of the nine kingdoms of Great Tang were largely similar, which was why Sun Chao'en called him General Li at every turn.
Having opened the topic, Sun Chao'en wore a helpless expression and poured out his grievances. "This Stubborn Fang... as soon as he arrived in Quyang, he heard rumors of payroll padding. Without any solid proof, he sent a letter directly petitioning the commandery governor! That governor comes from the Lu clan and has only been in office for a year, bent on turning Bianning Commandery from Xu to Lu. The governor had been unable to find any leverage against Vice General Liao, and at the crucial moment, a blade was delivered right into his hands. At the time, major fighting was about to break out, and Vice General Liao had already pulled strings to secure a transfer to the rear. But the governor made a huge fuss over that letter, vetoed the transfer order, and pinned Vice General Liao firmly down in Quyang. Pinned down at the front line in a death trap at the final moment—tell me, wouldn't Vice General Liao hate him to the bone?"
Li Zhi remained composed and continued to listen.
Sun Chao'en glared resentfully at Fang Hetong and continued, "When this stubborn mule couldn't find evidence of payroll padding back then, he came asking me for it! Where was I supposed to get evidence? As a result, he wrote another letter to the governor and impeached me harshly, claiming I was an accomplice! I don't have backing like Vice General Liao does. The governor gave me a dressing down and nearly stripped me of my post! Fortunately, he saw that I didn't belong to the Xu faction and still had some use, so he ordered me to defend Quyang to the death to redeem myself through meritorious service. If the county seat falls, my head comes off with it!"
At this point, reeking of alcohol and flushed red, Sun Chao'en pointed at Fang Hetong's nose and cursed, "Fang! We were fellow disciples for twenty years! Back when you first entered the academy, didn't I look after you in everything? When you fell gravely ill at ten, wasn't it I who sat vigil by your bedside for seven days and seven nights?! Later, when I first entered officialdom and changed my name from Sun Qingliu to Sun Chao'en, you wrote several essays denouncing me over that alone! Now, when I finally managed to make a little headway in my career, you nearly snuffed it out with a single letter! Twenty years of fellow disciple bonds, and this is how you repay me?!"
Both Wei Yuan and Li Zhi were startled. They had never imagined Sun Chao'en and Fang Hetong had such a connection, that they were actually classmates from White Maple Academy.
Fang Hetong raised his head and declared loudly, "Trivial favors and personal loyalty must naturally yield before great righteousness! You just said you had no evidence—humph! Would payroll padding not pass through the county yamen? Would you not take a share of the profit? Whom can you fool with those words? I merely choose not to stoop to such things; I am not a fool! Had you given me the evidence back then, I would not have disregarded our past ties to write that second letter to the governor."
Sun Chao'en fumed, "Short by only half the complement, and you call that payroll padding?! Where else isn't short by seventy or eighty percent? Why don't you talk about that?"
"I don't see those, so naturally they are none of my concern."
Seeing things threatening to spiral out of hand, Li Zhi raised his cup and said, "I never expected Magistrate Sun and Brother Fang to share such history! Isn't it only natural for scholars to seek harmony without conformity? Even the words of sages are interpreted differently by ancient worthies and great masters. Naturally, none of us can compare to those ancient worthies, so some disagreements are perfectly normal. In any case, we are all united in resisting the Liao barbarians. Come, let us drain this cup first!"
With Li Zhi offering a toast, Fang Hetong could hardly refuse to drink. If nothing else, Li Zhi was the son of a Southern Qi duke, enjoying an illustrious status, yet he was willing to come to the front lines of Western Jin to fight against foreigners; on this point alone, one could not help but admire him.
After drinking the cup of wine, Li Zhi asked, "Why hasn't Vice General Liao arrived?"
Although Liao Jingwu was not under Quyang County's jurisdiction, his defense sector was located here. With Magistrate Sun hosting Li Zhi, under normal circumstances he should have attended as well; otherwise, it was a breach of etiquette.
Sun Chao'en said faintly, "Vice General Liao is of noble status and generally does not attend banquets hosted by petty officials of no standing like us. His first wife is surnamed Xu, hailing from the prestigious Xu family."
"So that's how it is." Li Zhi nodded, then turned to Wei Yuan. "Brother Wei, it seems someone looks down on us!"
What could Wei Yuan say? Just at noon, he had been thrown out of the military camp.
Chapter 74