Liu Cheng quickly realized that Wang Jiangzhou was none other than Wang Xizhi.
At this time, Wang Xizhi had not yet been appointed Internal Historian of Kuaiji with the concurrent rank of General of the Right Army. The highest office he had previously been assigned was Regional Inspector of Jiangzhou—a post he had refused to take up at all... As for why he had not assumed office, taking that position would have placed him in direct opposition to Huan Wen, which Wang Xizhi found intolerable.
It was precisely because of this affair that he had retired to Kuaiji, subsequently harboring the desire to spend his final years there.
Returning to the present, traveling from Shan County to Shanyin was far easier than the journey had been coming out. This was mainly because the Xi family had large boats: two larger vessels accompanied by four or five smaller craft sailed straight from Shan Stream—the main upper course of the Cao'e River—into the Cao'e River itself, then drifted downriver. Departing in the afternoon and spending the night aboard, they could turn into Mirror Lake by the following morning and reach Shanyin.
The journey went smoothly, though Liu Cheng felt rather uneasy and kept asking about everything under the sun.
When he asked Xi Chao what sort of man his uncle by marriage was, the fellow merely said his calligraphy was decent... Well, it certainly ought to be decent.
When he asked the night boatman whether poling the boat was tiring, the boatman muttered gruffly that going downriver was no trouble at all... so Liu Cheng could only retreat and go to sleep.
The next day, as they entered the Mirror Lake ferry crossing on the south side of Shanyin, two cousins around Xi Chao's age named Wang Xuanzhi and Wang Ningzhi were already waiting with carriages and horses. They welcomed Xi Yin and his wife into a carriage, then guided them into the city.
Xi Chao reined his horse back to keep company with Liu Cheng. Seeing that he was still nervous, Xi Chao consoled him: "Pay no mind to these sons of the Wang clan. My uncle by marriage can at least be called generous and honest, but his six or seven sons are all dull, useless fools swaggering about solely on the four words of the Langya Wang clan."
Liu Cheng had wanted to ask about Wang Xianzhi, but considering that he did not know how old the boy was and feared making a fool of himself, he could only nod. "In that case, among the younger generation here in Kuaiji, are you peerless at the fore, Jiabin?"
"'Peerless' is a word I dare not claim." Xi Chao offered a faint, ironic smile upon hearing this. "'Peerless in Jiangdong, Wang Wendu'... Someone has already taken that."
"Who might that be?" Liu Cheng asked, naturally curious.
"Wang Tanzhi, who turned twenty this year." Xi Chao jutted his chin forward. "The eldest son of Wang Lantian, the Internal Historian of Kuaiji."
"Oh." Liu Cheng grew all the more curious. "If this Wang Wendu is peerless in Jiangdong, what does that make you, Xi Jiabin?"
"Matchless in eminent virtue..." Xi Chao answered with reluctance.
"Matchless... in eminent virtue." Liu Cheng was dumbfounded. "Who gave such an appraisal?"
"Who else but Sun Chuo, Sun Xinggong?" Xi Chao snapped peevishly. "He loves nothing more than this sort of thing. He even paired seven famous monks of our dynasty one by one against the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove..."
"Who was compared to Ji Kang, and who to Wang Rong?" Liu Cheng was genuinely intrigued.
"Ji Kang was Bo Yuan, and Wang Rong was Zhu Facheng..."
"Who on earth are they?" Liu Cheng was truly mystified.
"Never mind all that," Xi Chao said wearily. "Those were just to make up the numbers. His main goal was to compare Zhu Faqian to Liu Ling, and Zhi Daolin to Xiang Xiu."
"Then what was the purpose of praising you and Wang Wendu?" Liu Cheng hurried to ask.
Xi Chao cast an even more exhausted glance at the youth beside him. "To secure an official post. At the time, my father was still serving in Linhai, and Wang Wendu's father was serving in Kuaiji... Sun Chuo ran short on coin and wanted to scrape together some household assets."
"So he really became the magistrate of Zhang'an?" Liu Cheng was utterly speechless. "And your esteemed father was quite pleased with 'matchless in eminent virtue'? If I can come up with a fine appraisal for you, could you make me a magistrate as well?"
Xi Chao scoffed, whether out of embarrassment or mockery, and turned his head away.
After a while, having crossed another street, Xi Jiabin suddenly spoke up again: "Wang Wendu's entire family are stupid, stubborn, avaricious parasites. Yet strangely enough, Wang Wendu himself is genuinely earnest, dignified, and learned. Speaking strictly of this city of Shanyin, my cousins from the Langya Wang clan and the youths from their Taiyuan Wang clan fall far short of him. He is indeed worthy of being called peerless."
"I see," Liu Cheng responded simply, saying nothing more.
Helpless, Xi Chao could only ride on.
After passing another street, seeing that Wang Xizhi's residence was right before their eyes, Xi Jiabin truly could not hold back. He reached out, grabbed the reins of the horse Liu Cheng was gingerly riding, and asked right there by the roadside: "So, if you were to appraise me, A-Cheng, what words would you use?"
Liu Cheng burst into laughter on the spot. "I was indeed pondering that. Although you come from a great family, Jiabin, you are completely free of the vices of great family scions. You possess immense resolve in your actions, are brilliant and eager to learn, and can endure strict discipline and trial. You are the most outstanding son of Jiangzuo's aristocratic clans I have ever seen... I did think of an apt phrase to match how you stand like a crane among a flock of chickens, but then it struck me that there is someone in the north who could also claim it. It would not highlight your 'matchless' nature, so it is a pity."
"What phrase?" Xi Chao raised an eyebrow slightly.
"An ancient legacy of love," Liu Cheng replied without hesitation.
"Do you even know what 'an ancient legacy of love' means?" Xi Chao asked, frowning.
"Naturally I know. It was how the Most Sagely Forebear appraised Zichan's benevolent governance and love for the people, akin to the worthy sages of antiquity," Liu Cheng answered fluently. "It is generally used to evaluate a ruler's lenient and benevolent administration."
"Then why would you—"
"Using it on you today is borrowing the sense of being rare in this age, untainted by vulgar habits and customs, as though a hero of antiquity had been left behind in this world by Heaven and Earth," Liu Cheng answered glibly. "This is a literary allusion; why quibble over its literal meaning?"
Xi Chao said nothing.
By then, the carriages ahead had driven into the Wang estate. The attendants all dismounted. Xi Chao handed his horse over to a bondservant at the gate and walked inside, yet could not resist turning back to ask, "Who was that person in the north?"
"Murong Ke," Liu Cheng replied candidly. "Though born of Xianbei blood, he is gifted in both civil and martial arts. He possesses the bearing of a grand commander, yet is also thoroughly versed in the Confucian classics and statecraft—standing out just like a crane among chickens... Moreover, now that Shi Zhao has collapsed and the Murong clan has harnessed the fervor of three generations with solid administration, Hebei is already theirs for the taking. And if we speak of 'an ancient legacy of love' in its original sense, he will have beaten you to it as well."
Xi Chao held his tongue and strode straight into the courtyard.
Liu Cheng kept his head lowered and followed behind.
This was the estate of the Langya Wang clan... No matter how one looked at it, the Langya Wang clan had been the foremost prominent family of Great Jin since the southward crossing. From the days when "the Wangs and the Mas shared the realm" to the zenith of the Wang Dun Rebellion, to say their power dominated the court would be an understatement.
Not only that, the family's ability to endure across generations was rare in this age.
In stark contrast stood the Yingchuan Yu clan. Although this second ruling family of the dynasty had calculated every step and once reached the pinnacle of authority, whether during the Su Jun Rebellion or their attempted Northern Expeditions from Jingzhou, they had suffered utter catastrophe every time, their caliber far inferior to Wang Dao's. With the successive deaths of the ruling brothers, the family had crumbled into rapid decline, their scions withering away.
The Langya Wang clan, however, had steadily maintained its family prestige and was visibly branching out, set to sustain its influence for generations to come.
Of course, judging by how Wang Xizhi's entire household had left Jiankang to live in Kuaiji and Xi Chao's disdain for his cousins, this family's political sway was indeed steadily waning.
Thus, riding on the coattails of the Xi family, Liu Cheng was able to step smoothly across their threshold, and soon laid eyes upon Wang Xizhi himself.
To be honest, Liu Cheng's first impression of Wang Xizhi was that he was thoroughly ordinary.
Mainly because, having already met Xie An, he could not help comparing the two. Xie An was young; sitting there with raised knees and a crimson deer-tail whisk in hand, he looked every bit the archetypal Wei-Jin famed gentleman. Wang Xizhi, on the other hand, appeared nearly fifty. In the dead of winter, his attire was plain and unremarkable, and he sat in the hall in an ordinary posture, his brow furrowed in melancholy. Only when Xi Yin and Xi Chao spoke to him and exchanged greetings did he seem to come to his senses and force a faint smile... In truth, his romantic flair fell far short of Xie An's.
Moreover, this was an intimate reunion among formal relatives. Liu Cheng had no chance to announce his name or take part. He merely bowed outside the door alongside Xi Chao, then stood beneath the veranda outside, quickly growing bored.
Then came the meal. He had even less right to attend their family banquet, dining instead in a side courtyard with several attending stewards. Unable to keep his idle curiosity in check, he inquired about Wang Xianzhi, only to discover that Wang Xianzhi was merely five years old—the very brat wrestling in the courtyard with Xi Chao's little brother Xi Chong, having his hair yanked while Xi Chong yelled "Guan Nu!" at him.
As for legends like the eighteen vats of water, artfully repairing spring couplets, writing on fans, or calligraphy penetrating deep into the wood, he simply dared not ask.
After all, spring couplets did not even exist in this era! Even if they did, who would dare tear down a couplet from the gate of the Langya Wang clan? Did people really think the bondservants did not wield axes?
In fact, let alone spring couplets, Liu Cheng saw clearly that in this era, a commercial market for calligraphy art did not even exist. Calligraphic works were strictly private matters, confined to the correspondence of high-ranking aristocratic clans. Even the master of this estate produced many of his works simply for daily letters and notes; there was no dedicated concept of "calligraphic art pieces" created for display. It was just that people were not fools and could tell good from bad, so relatives and friends naturally treasured them.
Those stories, without a doubt, were merely fabrications attached to the Sage of Calligraphy by later literati spinning fables out of their own imagination as he ascended to legendary status.
Of course, Liu Cheng did see geese—and ate some too.
This took him by surprise, for he truly had seen a great flock of geese in a courtyard of the Wang estate bordering Mirror Lake... That meant Wang Xizhi's fondness for geese was authentic, and the tale of trading geese for Daoist scriptures probably held a grain of truth... but they genuinely ate goose meat as well.
"Because the master consumes powder," an elder bondservant of the Wang estate dining alongside him explained without hiding anything, looking rather pleased with himself instead. "Everyone knows that within ten days after cold-food powder consumption, the limbs grow stiff, and only goose meat can relieve it. That is why our household eats goose meat regularly and keeps so many geese, which means we get to enjoy such fine food too."
Liu Cheng was neither flabbergasted nor disillusioned about his idol; instead, he nodded in approval.
After all, having spent an autumn and a winter in Great Jin, he had broadened his horizons and understood that this was likely historical truth... Besides, none of this detracted from Wang Xizhi's calligraphy being sublime, did it?
The man became the Sage of Calligraphy because his handwriting was exquisite, leading later generations of scholars to invent countless romantic anecdotes about his calligraphy—he had not become the Sage because of those anecdotes.
After the meal, sitting beneath the eaves outside the kitchen, Liu Cheng continued gossiping with the stewards, peppering them with questions: Did your master have the habit of organizing the Spring Purification gathering? Would the other members of the Wang clan come to visit? Didn't they return to Wuyi Lane for the New Year? Did you servants receive a stipend? What were your usual perks?
Then he inquired all the way to Wang Xizhi's marriage, and the betrothals of his children... Only then did Liu Cheng learn that the second son of the Wang family—Wang Ningzhi, whom he had met earlier at the ferry—was betrothed to someone from the Xie clan, an arrangement settled between Wang Xizhi and Xie An.
Not only that, Liu Cheng learned that even Xi Chao, young as he was, was already betrothed to a relative from his mother's Zhou family.
It was just that none of them knew the young ladies' given names, nor how to refer to which was which.
Just as he was enjoying the lively, warm conversation outside the kitchen, someone came over and called out directly to Liu Cheng, saying the master in the main hall was summoning him.
Liu Cheng dared not delay. Instantly fulfilling the duties of a good retainer, he hurried over briskly. Upon reaching the hall, he saw Wang Xizhi and Xi Yin seated side by side on couches at the head of the room, while a group of Wang clan youths sat on folding stools below. Xi Chao himself stood further out, pacing back and forth.
This was not because Xi Chao was being slighted, but because the Xi family, having originated from refugee commanders, maintained an old family rule known as "the father sits, the son stands." A son had to attend upon his parents like a military subordinate and had no seat.
Seeing Liu Cheng arrive and just as he bent in greeting, Xi Jiabin asked impatiently, "A-Cheng, my uncle just mentioned that someone arrived from the north the day before yesterday reporting that General Who Subdues the North Chu Jiye has passed away. You came from the north—did you not know?"
"When I left, I only knew he was nearing death; I didn't know when he would pass away," Liu Cheng said, straightening up and speaking honestly. Then, puzzled, he added, "Did Duke Xi not know about the affairs in Jingkou? Has Grand Commander Chu truly died?"
Xi Jiabin, his back to his own father, looked as though he had pent-up frustration with nowhere to vent it, but merely waved his hand and pressed, "What on earth happened with Chu Jiye?"
Liu Cheng had no reason to hide anything. He recounted everything he had seen, felt, and surmised in Jingkou, from Chu Pou returning in defeat to breaking down in grief upon hearing the weeping of the people, all the way to his own presence beneath Beigu Mountain and his guess that Xun Xian had forced Chu's hand.
"This sounds like something Xun Lingze would do," Xi Chao concluded flatly upon hearing this. "Yet as A-Cheng said, Chu Jiye kept his feelings buried deep within, crumbling before the overall situation, his spirit and vitality broken first."
"There was actually such a thing?!" Wang Xizhi frowned even more deeply from the high seat. "Whatever Chu Jiye's faults, Xun Lingze should not have acted so... If these two families, reputed to be united in heart, have come to this, must we resort to swords against Huan Zhengxi in Jingzhou? Even if Hebei has collapsed into chaos and the Jie barbarians bring about their own doom, if we cannot unite as one, how can we speak of the Northern Expedition's triumph and restoring the Central Plains and Hebei in one stroke?"
"Restoring the Central Plains would be difficult in any case, wouldn't it?" Hearing this, Xi Chao looked back at the youth he had summoned. "A-Cheng, repeat for my uncle the analysis of the northern situation that you shared with me earlier."
Liu Cheng naturally cupped his hands toward Wang Xizhi again. He laid out his entire theoretical framework: how Shi Zhao was bound to collapse utterly from within, how the Murong Xianbei were certain to seize Hebei and establish their dominion, after which their ambitions would swell to drive south and contest Great Jin's court; blending in the theory he had shared with Xie An on why the Northern Expedition was doomed to fail, alongside his discussions with Liu Jili about the Di and Qiang contending for Guanzhong. Weaving it all together, he finally delivered his conclusion:
"Only if our dynasty unites as one mind could a Northern Expedition have any hope of success—and even then, it could never be a total victory... The best possible outcome would be for Yangzhou to advance through Qing-Xu and Yan-Yu up to the south of the Yellow River, while Huan Zhengxi beats the Di and Qiang to enter Guanzhong by himself. Once Guanzhong is secured, he could march out through Shan and Luo to help stabilize the front along the Yellow River, and only then calmly contend with the Murong clan."
"What A-Cheng describes is merely the best scenario in theory—a situation where from Jingzhou to Yangzhou, and within Yangzhou itself from top to bottom, everyone is united and every military strike is victorious," Xi Chao summarized with a sneer. "Yet as things stand, even within Yangzhou alone, men like Xun Xian and Yin Hao are so intolerant of others, and Chu Jiye's mind and body collapsed after a single battle, leading to his death at Beigu Mountain. How can we speak of an inevitable victory in the Northern Expedition? If you ask me, even if Huan Zhengxi were to enter Guanzhong and these men reached the banks of the Yellow River, before the Murong Xianbei ever crossed the river, these factions would fight a decisive battle among themselves first."
Hearing this, Wang Xizhi was overwhelmed with despair, pounding his armrest on the couch repeatedly: "What can be done? What on earth can be done?!"
Beside him, Xi Yin was at a loss. He wanted to offer words of comfort, but did not know how to begin or what to say.
—————— I am the divider of "What Can Be Done" ——————
In the past, Minister of Works Xi's household had a rude northern servant who understood literary compositions and showed intentionality in all matters. General of the Right Army Wang praised him to Governor Liu. Liu asked, "How does he compare to Fanghui?" Wang said, "He is merely a base person with some ambition! How could he possibly compare to Fanghui?" Liu said, "If he cannot compare to Fanghui, then he is still just an ordinary servant!"
Over a decade later, both Minister of Works Xi and Governor Liu had passed away. General of the Right Army Wang met Xi Linhai in Shanyin and saw an uncouth northern youth accompanying his household. The youth was knowledgeable in literary compositions, etiquette, and historical lore, and well-versed in northern affairs and the current situation. He showed purpose in all matters, surpassing even that northern servant of the past. Yet remembering the old tale, Wang dared not praise him. When he was departing, he secretly asked for him. Xi asked in astonishment, "He is a guest retainer! Jiabin and I regard him very highly; how could you ask to have him?" Wang was greatly chagrined: "He was actually a guest retainer!"
Only later was it known that the uncouth northern youth was none other than the Grand Ancestor, the High Emperor.
—*A New Account of Tales of the World*, "Appraisals," Chapter Nine
Chapter 43