Chapter 44: The Fox Spirit's Offering

  "What profound views does the old gentleman have?" a young nobleman asked.

  Old Master Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "I'm just an old man, what ideas can I have? But I think Lord Zhang is temporarily blinded. We should join hands as a family and stand together. Even if Lord Zhang is ruthless, he won't be able to slaughter our entire family like he did with the Jiangzhou aristocrats, right? Our strength is not something those country bumpkins from Jiangzhou can compare to."

  Besides, I hope everyone will follow me to the Ghost Festival ceremony five days later and petition Governor Zhou. The four sciences are opposed to the appointment of officials, but please ask Governor Zhou to stop the land order and price limit order, and let our clan have some living space."

  A fatty chimed in, "That's right, what land orders? We'll just block the canals within our own lands and see how those mud-legged commoners farm. And as for the price limit order, it's even better to say that we simply won't sell at all. Within a month, Liu Zhang will have to compromise with us."

  "No, no." An elderly man who looked dignified and serious said repeatedly: "This is openly defying the Pastoral Office. Unless absolutely necessary, we don't want to take this step."

  "Why can't I?"

  "Have you forgotten what happened in Jiangzhou?"

  ………

  A group of people were chattering loudly, with no one in agreement, when suddenly a young man, not yet twenty years old, fanned himself with a folding fan while speaking in a clear voice:

  "I'd like to invite you all to leave, and if you want to resist the prefecture, it's up to you. I, Liao Li, won't join in. Our family's assets in Chengdu have already been transferred out, and we've sold our land to the government at three times its value, making a huge profit. Before the Ghost Festival, which is just after tomorrow, my whole family will move out of Yizhou. It's laughable that you people are still willing to serve under Liu Zhang's tyrannical rule, offering him grain and money."

  "Alas." Old Master Yan sighed helplessly: "Although Liu Zhang is cruel, my Yan family has lived here for generations. How can I bear to leave my hometown and abandon my ancestral home?"

  Liao Lidet said with pride: "Our Liao family is different, we not only have industries in Chengdu, but also in Jingzhou and Yangzhou. Jiangdong Sun Ce is arrogant and self-willed, this time we are going to move to the relatively peaceful Jingzhou, take root in Wuling, and from now on, we will have nothing to do with that tyrannical lord Liu Zhang."

  Liao Li said with a faint smile, "However, our Liao family is not heartless. After so many years of dealing with you all, we'll give you a good idea for survival: contact the Brazilian Pu Xi, who has a strong army and has always been dissatisfied with Liu Zhang."

  Liao Li's words came out, and the eyes of people from other tribes lit up at the same time, feeling very reasonable. The reason why the Chengdu tribe couldn't rebel was because they had no soldiers. If they had Pang Xi's soldiers, the wealthy families in Chengdu could contribute countless money and grain, and with their internal response, it was not impossible to conquer Chengdu. Now, the tribes in Yizhou were simmering with resentment towards Liu Zhang, and Pang Xi's uprising would inevitably receive a wide response.

  Just as everyone was filled with hope, a voice emerged from the crowd: "The Liao family is indeed a good abacus, and before leaving, they still want to give us a poisonous plan for self-destruction. Wuling is also a good place, but I don't know if Liu Biao, who doesn't think about advancing, can guard it."

  Everyone looked in the same direction, and all they saw was a young man sitting comfortably on a wooden beam, his eyes gazing out at the scenery of the fields outside. Liao Li spoke coldly: "Wu Ban, I suppose you're speaking up for Liu Zhang because your brother Wu Yi is serving as a general under him, and your sister Wu Juan is married to Liu Zhang's older brother Liu Mao?"

  Wu Ban laughed and said without turning his head, "Jingzhou is a place of four battles, now it's peaceful only because the various lords haven't had time to deal with it. Liu Biao doesn't think about advancing, he'll bring destruction upon himself. When the time comes, Jingzhou will inevitably have a great war. Unless there's a powerful ruler who unifies the world, the wars in that place won't stop. You're choosing to take root there? That's laughable."

  "Liao Lide's lips trembled, but he couldn't say a word."

  Yan Laoye stepped forward and said to Wu Ban, "The Wu family's power is vast, and Wu Ban, as the representative of the Wu family's patriarch, has come. Does this mean that the Wu family intends to support Liu Zhang?"

  Wu Bandao said, "It's not that we support it, but as Liao brother said, our Wu family has too many connections with the governor, and we won't do anything rebellious. However, this doesn't mean we'll oppose all of you. If you want to go petition, we Wu family will also go. You oppose the land decree and price limit decree, we also oppose them. But as for colluding with Pang Xi, I'm afraid we can't join in. What kind of person is Pang Xi? A dog watching the household in northern Shu, can he be a match for Governor Pang?"

  Wu Ban's words, if spoken in the past, would have been considered mere flattery by these aristocratic families. However, after the Battle of Fucheng, they all deeply believed that Pang Xi was indeed no match for Liu Zhang.

  "We Wu family will never collude with Pang Xun, even if it means eternal damnation. You all take care of yourselves."

  Wu Ban finished speaking, jumped down from the horizontal wood and left. The others all looked at Yan Lao Yezi, who sighed: "Let's still make a plea first, no one is allowed to contact Pang Xi, wait for the right moment."

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  At midnight, the soft morning light shines gently on the majestic Dongling Tower.

  Donglingtai is the official place of worship, located in the center of an artificial lake, connected by stone bridges on all sides, with arch bridges to the east and west, and flat bridges to the south and north. A stone wall over ten zhang long and wide stands upright on Donglingtai, dividing the altar into two parts. At the top of the stone wall is a wooden plank iron chain bridge suspended in mid-air, connecting it to a small mountain opposite.

  The seventeen-tiered staircase reached a quarter of the way up the stone wall, with each step much higher than normal. Some wizards wearing crimson robes and holding black wooden snake-headed staffs climbed the stone steps with difficulty. On the suspension iron chain bridge, some women held incense sticks that filled the top of the stone wall, all lit up, instantly enveloped in smoke, and the entire altar was filled with the scent of incense.

  The civil and military officials of Yi Province entered the East Lingtai from the Gong Bridge, while representatives of prominent families also entered from the Ping Bridge. As soon as Yin Han, a member of the imperial family, raised his eyes, he saw three rows of strange objects placed in the center of the venue, which he had never seen before, and he couldn't help but walk forward to take a closer look.

  "What is this for?" The big Han with the surname Yin really couldn't guess what it was.

  "It should be a tumbleweed." A young tribesman observed and guessed.

  "Nonsense, how can a tiger's bed be so narrow?"

  Another young nobleman supported his chin with his finger and said, "I think it's for placing offerings, look at how flat and smooth it is, and there are even wooden blocks behind to prevent the offerings from falling off."

  "Old Master Yan, you are knowledgeable and experienced, what is this?" a young man asked.

  The old man was embarrassed and didn't want to say he didn't know, so he furrowed his brow and thought for a moment before saying confidently: "In my opinion, this is a ritual offering table."

  "Oh, I see, so that's how it is, old master's insight." The crowd of young masters from prestigious families all nodded in understanding.

  At this time, those high-ranking officials from Yi Province walked over and sat down on the "sacrificial offering couch" with a plop. They had been informed in advance that it was a chair for sitting, also the first batch of chairs produced by Wang Fu's assembly line, which was set up at Liu Zhang's request to make a publicity stunt during this grand ceremony.

  Old Master Yan's face instantly turned into a ripe persimmon.