Chapter 16: The Unity of Family and State

  The banquet ended, and Zhan Heng and Confucius returned to the house with their arms around each other. He ordered the maid to make tea, and the two sat down facing each other. Zhan Heng shook his head and smiled bitterly. Confucius looked at this close friend and asked knowingly: "Why is brother Zhan smiling bitterly?"

  Zhan Zuo exclaimed: "I underestimated Qing Xi Gongzi."

  Confucius smiled slightly and said: "How can you say that?"

  After a moment of contemplation, he slowly said: "I've long heard that Qing Ji is the number one brave warrior of Wu State, favored by King Wu, and also has a reputation among the officials and scholars of Wu State. However... after all, he's not yet twenty years old, with a strong physique and wisdom, hmm, possessing this kind of mind... perhaps he can really achieve great things, who knows?"

  Kong Qiu's eyes flashed, and he chuckled: "What's the big deal about Qing Ji's mind? I think he's hot-headed and impulsive, never thinking of the consequences. The way he killed the Bai family members at the banquet is a perfect example. Such behavior is typical of a young hero."

  He stroked his beard, gave him a displeased glance and scolded: "Zhongni, I know you are straightforward by nature, but you're not an ignorant Confucian scholar who doesn't understand worldly affairs. We have been friends for so long, why do you need to hide your thoughts from me? Can't you see what Qingji Gongzi is up to?"

  Confucius evaded the question and asked instead, "So it seems that you, Zhan brother, were sent by Duke Ji Sun, and not because of our old friendship that you hurried to welcome me at the city gate?"

  Zhan nodded and thought for a moment, saying: "Zhongni, to be honest with you, when the news of Qingji's assassination, defeat and escape back to Wei through Lu State reached the capital, no one in the capital took it seriously at that time. It was precisely because of this that some people were caught off guard now."

  "Why did you suddenly change your mind when you didn't care at first?"

  Soon afterwards, Yang Hu presented a plan to Duke Xiang of Qi...

  "Yang Hu?" Confucius's face fell as soon as he heard it. Zhan Zhuo knew about the past between him and Yang Hu, and couldn't help but smile slightly.

  As for the past grievances between Yang Hu and Confucius, it was a long time ago. At that time, Confucius was young and had a bit of vanity, or it can be said that successful young scholars like to show off in front of the crowd, so he yearned for the life of high society.

  There was a time when the Ji family held a grand feast and invited all the noble families to attend. Although Confucius' family had declined, he still considered himself a member of the nobility and thought he was qualified to attend, so he rushed to the banquet. At that time, Yang Hu, a slave of the Ji family, was standing at the door welcoming guests. He took one look at Confucius' shabby appearance and blocked him at the door. Confucius was not convinced and argued with him, but was instead ridiculed by Yang Hu in front of everyone, causing Confucius to turn bright red with shame and leave. This incident had already happened nearly 20 years ago, yet he still remembered it vividly.

  Zhan Heng continued, "Yang Hu strongly advised Ji Sun to help Qing Ji. He said that this move would not only spread the name of Lu's benevolence among the vassals, but also, if Qing Ji were to regain his country, Lu would have a good relationship with him, which is better than having a powerful and ambitious neighbor like Huan Gong. Furthermore..."

  Zhan Daifu paused, the reason below involved internal contradictions among the three major powers of Lu State. Although he and Confucius were close friends, after all, this matter involved the imperial court, and Confucius had no good feelings towards Ji Sunshi and Yang Hu, and was just a scholar in plain clothes, some core secrets were not convenient for him to know.

  After swallowing the second half of the sentence, he continued: "However, the Shu and Meng families strongly opposed this and did not want to make an enemy of Wu because of Qing Ji. Although Lord Ji was in power at the time, the three families of Shu, Meng, and Ji were always together, advancing and retreating as one. Therefore, Lord Ji could not ignore the other two major families and act alone, so he sent his brother to intercept Qing Ji's son in Qi City and temporarily stay there, waiting for the three family heads in the capital to reach a consensus before making a decision."

  Confucius smiled and said, "So you use private friendship to welcome him. If the court decides to use Qing Ji, then invite him to the capital. If not, send him away from the country. This way, you can advance or retreat, grasp the initiative firmly in your own hands. The State of Wu cannot find fault with Lu either, it's watertight."

  Unfortunately, Qing Ji Gongzi seemed to have seen through your intentions. He took the initiative and seized the opportunity of the White family's disturbance to kill and establish his authority, raise his flag and make a name for himself. It seems reckless, but in fact, it was a good move. Once his name is revealed, you, who were not originally an envoy from Lu (a diplomatic envoy), have become one in effect.

  "Wu Guo knows he's here, of course, they'll send someone to negotiate, and then send him away. In the eyes of the various lords of the land, it will be clear that Lu Guo is afraid of Wu Guo, which would be a major loss of national dignity. When deciding how to deal with Qing Xi in court, this point cannot be ignored."

  Zhan Huan smiled wryly and said, "That's right."

  Confucius was silent for a moment, then smiled and said: "If we don't use Qing Ji, there will be no harm to the State of Lu. If we use Qing Ji, it's hard to say whether it will bring benefits or harm. However, if you want to seek benefits, you must also have harm, as benefits and harm are born together and are inseparable. Since you're not in a position of power and don't participate in governance, why bother worrying about this? Let the ruling authorities worry about it instead."

  Zhan gained a bitter smile and said: "Forget it, there's no use thinking about it. I'll write a letter right away and have someone deliver it to the capital immediately. Zhongni, you just sit back, drink some tea, and let's catch up on old times. We've got a lot to talk about after all these years."

  Qing Ji returned to his own residence, only to make a turn inside, and as soon as Zhang Dafu left, he immediately came out to visit his soldiers. Two hundred soldiers had already settled in the surrounding houses, and the servants of the Cheng Mansion brought rice, grains, and vegetables, and the soldiers borrowed stoves to cook their meals. At this time, they had already finished eating, and when they saw the young master arrive, they all stood up to greet him.

  Qing Ji explored and returned alone to the courtyard, where Zuo Bingwei Liang Huizi quietly followed him out.

  Qing Jin stood in the garden, gazing at the dancing butterflies with his hands behind his back. Liang Hu Zi stopped two steps behind him and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, the people of the White Mansion are all strong and powerful, they don't seem like good people. The mastermind is agile and cautious, if not for your early warning, I wouldn't have been able to kill him so easily. Moreover, the weapons they used are not ordinary household items, but rather the sharp tools often used by bandits."

  Qing Jin gently stroked a flower petal, coldly smiling: "That's it, I see him deliberately provoking three or four times, and I know there's something fishy about this family... they must have some problem."

  "Sir, could it be that you are a thief masquerading as a merchant?"

  "Even if it were that kind of person, why would they need to provoke me? By infuriating Zhan Dafu and exposing their tracks, what benefits would they gain?"

  He pondered for a moment, smiled and said: "Maybe someone doesn't like me staying in Lu State, never mind, we won't bother with their intentions, when the army comes, we'll resist, when the flood comes, we'll hide, we'll keep our cool, and respond to changes with constancy."

  Liang Huzi's eyes lit up and he exclaimed excitedly: "Your Majesty's words are truly powerful!"

  Qing Ji smiled and asked: "How many archers, spearmen, shield bearers, and swordsmen do we currently have?"

  "This time, the ones who followed the young master are all strong and sturdy soldiers with complete armor, not the original military configuration. Currently, there are 200 guards on both sides, including 35 archers, 82 spear holders, 22 shield bearers, 43 swordsmen, and 18 long and short halberdiers."

  Qing Ji said with a sigh, "You and Dong Gou discuss it, arrange for the two guards to take turns keeping watch, and at night, deploy patrolling soldiers to guard against any unexpected events."

  "Promise!"

  "Also... find a few agile ones, change into plain clothes, sneak around the Bai family's courtyard, and probe their situation."

  "Promise!"

  Qing Ji snapped his fingers, and the lone petal was flicked away. He gazed at the falling flower and said, "Go ahead, today's march has been arduous, let's skip the martial performance. Tomorrow morning, we'll resume our normal routine, rising with the rooster's crow, undeterred by wind or rain!"

  Liang Huzi bowed and retreated, the sound of "xī suǒ" footsteps disappeared, Qing Ji wiped his sleeve and also walked away.

  Qing Jin walked past a side house and saw Ah Qiu, Er Qiu, and the two little maids who had just helped him bathe squatting under the eaves of the courtyard door chatting. He walked over, smiling, "What are you talking about? The sun is shining brightly now, why don't you go in and sit?"

  "Master!" Ah Qiu and his two brothers, along with the two maidservants, saw him arrive and hastily stood up. Seeing that he was about to push open the gate of the courtyard, Ah Qiu quickly blocked his way, saying: "Master, this house is inauspicious, you are a noble person, don't go inside."

  Qing Jin was taken aback and asked strangely: "How can this house be unlucky?"

  A maid said timidly: "Young Master Qing Ji, this house is indeed inauspicious, don't go in and disturb the evil spirits."

  Qing Ji still remembered asking her name casually when she entered the bath, and it seemed to be called Bai Ni. He smiled and said: "How about not being auspicious, Bai Ni, tell Ben Gongzi about it."

  Ah Qiu saw Bai Ni eating with difficulty and hastily said: "Young master, just now I heard Miss Bai say it, I'll tell you."

  As soon as Ah Qiu mentioned the identity of the owner of this mansion, Cheng Ji's heart secretly smiled. He had long guessed that Zhang would come to welcome him under the orders of Ji Sun Yi Ru, and now it was even more confirmed.

  It turned out that this mansion belonged to Madame Cheng Bi, and Madame Cheng Bi was the wife of Ji Sunzi Fei, a great official of the State of Lu. Ji Sunzi Fei was an important figure in the Ji Sun family, and by extension, it was clear whose invisible hand was behind Xuan's death.

  Ji Sunzi Fei's wife was originally Ai Shi, but his current main wife, Cheng Bi, was just a concubine at first. Now Ji Sunzi Fei has passed away and Ai Shi had died early, the one who holds the power of the Ji Sunzi Fei family is actually that little concubine back then, which is an unexpected change that no one could have anticipated.

  The courtyard behind them was where Ai's family had hanged themselves to death all those years ago. Ah Qiu told the story with great relish, drawing people in and making them feel like they were right there with him. Jing Yi hadn't expected that this burly bodyguard would have such a silver tongue and be so fond of gossip, able to dig up all sorts of secrets about other people's families in no time at all.

  Qī Sūn Zǐ Fēi's first wife, ài Shì, was truly exceptional. Although Qī Sūn Zǐ Fēi was an important member of the Qī Sūn clan and held a high-ranking position in Lǔ Guó, his family was not particularly wealthy. However, under ài Shì's management, their assets grew rapidly like a snowball, and within a few years, they acquired over twenty large estates, operated textile and salt businesses, and amassed enormous profits, becoming one of the wealthiest families in Lǔ Guó.

  However, there was one bad thing about Mrs. Ai - she was prone to jealousy. The concubines that Zisun bought back were either demoted to servants on trumped-up charges or driven out of the house on some pretext. And Zisun happened to be a man who loved women extremely, so the more Mrs. Ai tried to stop him, the more he indulged in it, and the couple became increasingly at odds with each other.

  Mrs. Ai's life was short, but it was a glorious fighting life. When she first married, she went through thorns and thistles to earn a huge fortune for her husband's family. In the remaining years, she also spent all her energy on the battle in her husband's harem, which initially yielded remarkable results.

  Lan's sister was driven out, and Zhen's sister came in. Zhen's sister was also driven out, and Dou's sister came in. Mrs. Ai, a heroine among women, devoted all her energy to the trivial matter of struggling with the young ladies San, Si, Wu, and Liu.

  Unfortunately, in a man's heart, no matter how clever and capable a woman is in the hall, she can't compare to the fox spirit's jade body lying on the bed with charming eyes like silk. The more formidable Mrs. Ai was, the more determined Qiu Sunzi Fei was to find a truly gentle and carefree haven.

  Finally, Mrs. Ai met her arch-nemesis, the current Madame Cheng Bi. This woman was not only beautiful but also had a gentle and lovely appearance. She was married to Qisun Zifei as a concubine, yet she treated herself like a slave, wearing simple clothes and doing menial tasks such as sweeping and cleaning every day.

  She not only often advised the master to stay in the mistress's room, but also followed the rules and did not do anything arrogant or spoiled. Mrs. Ai didn't know if she was really tired from fighting, but seeing that this little girl was still obedient, she tolerated her existence. However, Cheng Bi's wife seemed weak, but had a lot of heart and mind, every day reflecting on herself three times, reporting all big and small matters to the mistress, secretly gathering and controlling all the managers in the mansion.

  When Mrs. Ai realized, Cheng Bi's wings had already been formed and it was no longer something she could dispose of at will. When Mrs. Cheng gave birth to a son, Mrs. Ai's power began to wane. She only had one daughter, while Mrs. Cheng relied on her child to gain status, which in turn suppressed hers.

  Mrs. Ai's temperament was strong and she couldn't bear such a result, while Mrs. Chengbi pretended to be polite on the surface but secretly plotted against her, making it seem like she was being bullied by others. Mrs. Ai was both angry and hateful, so she hung herself from the beam with a white cloth, ending her own life. The family business that she had worked hard to build was all handed over to Mrs. Chengbi.

  This house was once a place where someone died, which is unlucky. Later, on the anniversary of her death, strange noises would often be heard in the house, so at first it was still used for storage, but later it was abandoned and became a haunted house, and no one dared to enter again.

  A'qiu said, "Young master, today is the memorial day of Mrs. Ai, a most inauspicious day. As you are a noble person, I dare not let you approach. Alas, staying here tonight, I was grateful to this Cheng Bi's wife, but she turned out to be a heartless woman who drove someone to death!"

  Bai Ni and another maid looked uneasy after hearing this. They were both servants, so it didn't matter if they shared some of their grievances with other servants, but Jing Yi was a person of high social status. If he happened to see Madame Cheng Bi and told her about this conversation, things would not end well for them.

  Qing Ji saw their uneasy appearance and smiled, saying: "Ah Qiu, this statement is not correct, nor can it be said who is right or wrong. That Cheng Bi lady is the woman that Season Sun gentleman wants to marry. Once she is driven out, other officials and nobles will not take her in, and she will still be in a difficult situation with no one to turn to? In order to survive, she has to struggle bitterly, and if she doesn't use some tactics, won't she just be at the mercy of others? They all want to make their own lives better. Alas! Speaking of which, this Ai lady's heart is also a bit too narrow."

  As soon as he finished speaking, a sudden angry shout came from the room in the courtyard, but it was over before anyone could react, and Qing Ji didn't even hear it. Bai Ni vaguely heard some movement in the house, she had always believed in ghosts and gods, and felt a little scared, so she quickly leaned forward, standing between Qing Ji and the three big men, Ah Qiu and Er Qiu, only then did she feel a bit more at ease.

  Qing Ji was completely unaware, saying: "Moreover, Mrs. Ai used the wrong method to control her husband. She thought that for the sake of her husband's family, she had worked hard and made great efforts, but she didn't know that Season Sun had been born into a wealthy family since childhood, and whether he had more or less wealth, he couldn't understand its preciousness."

  He said with a smile to Baoyu and another maid, "You should learn from the examples of Mrs. Xing and Mrs. Cheng. After you get married, just be a good wife and don't try to be too strong-willed, or else your husband's heart will be captured by another woman, and in the end, you'll have worked hard for someone else."

  Bai Ni and the maid blushed, Bai Ni's face was fair, and this blush made the few small freckles on the tip of her nose stand out. She lowered her head and said shyly: "Young master is right, Bai Ni... is quite skilled in cooking."

  Qing Ji couldn't help but burst out laughing at the sight of the little girl's shy appearance: "No, no, the shortcut to one's heart has never been through the stomach. Burying your head in cooking isn't a good idea. Why not learn some singing and dancing instead? A woman's face and figure are her greatest assets."

  Bai Ni blinked her eyes and said strangely: "Young master, what is called 'hard truth'?"

  "Hard truth is... more reasonable than being reasonable."

  Bai Ni nodded vigorously, while Ah Qiu and his brother looked at him with a face full of admiration, respectfully saying: "Young Master is brilliant!"

  Qing Xi smiled and walked towards the residence, thinking: "A family, a country, all can't do without the operation of the way of power. Although Mrs. Ai is strong-willed, wasn't she replaced by Cheng Bi's wife? In the Spring and Autumn period, there were those who established a country with just one joke, like Jin. There were those who established a country with just one assassin, like Wu. I also can't rely solely on my martial arts skills, to win with regular means, to win with surprise attacks, the position of the prime minister, it seems...it's not impossible!"