Chapter Forty-Five: Cunningly Taking by Force

  The next day, a county official came to pay his respects, claiming that the magistrate of Ai Ruo County had invited Liu Gongzi to the county office for an important discussion. After sending away the doorman, Liu Ze held the invitation and sneered: "It seems that this Zhang Rang is really determined to deal with us, but it won't work if he changes his ways and takes a different approach. He thinks he can intimidate us by bringing out the county magistrate? What a foolish dream!"

  "Alright, we won't go then, see if I care."

  "No, I must go and see what tricks they have up their sleeves." So Liu Ze prepared a gift and set off with Guan and Zhang to the county town of Shangyi.

  As soon as they arrived at the county office gate, a man dressed as a teacher came to greet them early. As soon as he saw Liu Ze and others, he hurriedly welcomed them and said: "Liu Gongzi, County Magistrate Lv has been waiting for a long time, please!" Liu Ze handed over the gift list to the teacher and walked towards the back hall with ease.

  Lü County Magistrate saw Liu Ze enter and stood up to welcome him: "Liu Gongzi, the divine dragon is invisible from head to tail. Today can be considered as having invited you."

  Liu Ze cupped his hands and said: "I don't know what matter County Magistrate Lü has summoned me for?"

  County Magistrate Lv chuckled and said, "No rush, no rush. Sit down and let's talk slowly. First, I'll introduce you to our guest from the capital."

  Liu Ze had long noticed that a eunuch-like person was sitting in the position of honor, thinking that it was unlikely that Zhang Rang would personally come to Xiangyi County for such a small matter. He thought that with Zhang Rang's status, he wouldn't bother coming to this remote place for something so trivial. It must be one of his subordinate eunuchs from the palace. Indeed, when Lü County Magistrate introduced them, he said: "This is Left Feng, the Yellow Gate Servant-in-Attendance from the palace, and this is Liu Ze, the son of the younger brother of the Marquis of Nine Rivers in Gaoyou County, a descendant of the King of Zhongshan. Please get to know each other."

  Was it Left Feng? It turned out that this eunuch was the very Left Feng who had openly solicited bribes in front of the army when Lu Zhi pacified the Yellow Turbans, and later framed Lu Zhi and put him in prison. Looking at his sly and arrogant appearance, Liu Ze's heart was filled with great anger, secretly thinking of ways to punish them. On the surface, Liu Ze remained calm and courteous, bowing his hands in respect: "So it's Left Gonggong, I've long admired you."

  Zuo Feng merely raised an eyebrow, glanced at Liu Ze, and nodded slightly in response.

  Zhang Fei was furious and was about to step forward to argue, but Guan Yu pulled him back. Liu Ze signaled for the two of them to withdraw. In his heart, Liu Ze understood that although Zuo Feng was just a minor eunuch, in this era where eunuchs held power, even a ordinary minor eunuch might not be looked upon by a governor or prefect, let alone himself, a mere commoner. It was only because he had the signboard of being a descendant of the imperial family of Zhongshan Jing Wang that Zuo Feng nodded in response, which already gave him enough face. After repeated polite refusals from Lü County Magistrate, Liu Ze sat down in the second guest seat on the left side, with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei standing behind him.

  Before they could speak, Liu Ze took the lead and said: "Today, I came to visit County Magistrate Lü with a matter to report. I ask County Magistrate Lü to preside over this justly."

  "Mr. Liu has something on his mind but it's all right to speak out; this county will handle it impartially."

  "Recently, under the name of Yangquan Mountain, it has been repeatedly disturbed by evil people, causing injuries to workers, and the construction site has not been able to start work until now."

  "Such a thing has happened, Liu Gongzi can rest assured that this county will immediately send someone to investigate and capture the murderer."

  "It's not necessary, but a few local rascals can be dealt with. However, those people claimed to be sent by Zhang Zhongchang, and I wondered who Zhang Zhongchang was. Even the current emperor has to show respect to him, how could he associate with these ruffians? It's clear that they are using Zhang Zhongchang's reputation to deceive people. Originally, it was a small matter, but they tarnished Zhang Zhongchang's reputation, and I couldn't tolerate their behavior, so I punished them severely. I wonder what Left Prime Minister thinks about this handling?"

  Zuo Feng coughed twice, speaking in a loud, duck-like voice: "These bastards are too daring, even daring to impersonate Zhang Zhongchang's name. County Magistrate Lü, what kind of law and order is this in Ai County?"

  The county magistrate was shocked and immediately said: "I will dispatch someone to apprehend the culprit at once, and severely punish them."

  Liu Ze waved his hand and said, "In my humble opinion, there's no need to investigate this matter further. Zhang Zhongchang is renowned throughout the land, and these petty individuals' use of his name is a testament to their admiration for him. I suppose Zhang Zhongchang is magnanimous and won't bother with such trivialities."

  Zuo Feng's face squeezed out a smile that was even uglier than crying, and he said: "The reputation of Zhang Zhongchang is respected by both the court and the people. If we were to punish those who borrow his name to deceive others, there would be countless numbers of them. In the end, it would still be up to the gentlemen to make a decision. As for me, I'll just follow Liu Gongzi's words. A big tree attracts wind, and it's really unavoidable."

  "Ah! Ah! Ah!" County Magistrate Lü responded repeatedly, like a cicada.

  Zuo Feng laughed and said: "Liu Gongzi is indeed a descendant of the imperial family, with a refined and elegant demeanor, and a magnanimous and generous heart, just like his ancestors."

  Liu Ze said lightly: "Left Gonggong, you're overpraising."

  Lü County Magistrate coughed lightly and said, "Young Master Liu, Left Imperial Censor has come this time on the orders of Zhang Zhongchang to discuss a pen deal with you."

  Liu Ze calmly asked: "What business is it?"

  Zuo Fengdao said, "Originally, this was a matter of the Zhang family and not worth mentioning to outsiders. However, since Liu Gongzi is a descendant of the imperial family, he's not an outsider either, so it doesn't hurt to mention it. Some days ago, a Daoist from Nanhua came to the capital, who was well-versed in the art of Feng Shui and Yin-Yang. Zhang Zhongchang invited him to his mansion to examine the Feng Shui, and this Daoist's words were all accurate and reasonable. He said that the location of the Zhang family's ancestral tomb was not good and might lead to a bloody disaster. Zhang Zhongchang was shocked and asked for advice from the Daoist, who suggested moving the ancestral tomb to a place with a spring in the mountains to avoid any worries. The Daoist had examined all nine provinces and chosen the Yangquan Mountain north of Shang'ai as the best location. Since he heard that Liu Gongzi was the master of this land, he came to ask for it boldly. Zhang Zhongchang considered the matter of his ancestral tomb to be important and was willing to spend a large sum of money to buy it. He had heard that Liu Gongzi bought this land last year with 1,000 taels of gold, so Zhang Zhongchang offered ten times the price and hoped that Liu Gongzi could sell it to him."

  Zhang Fei snorted and said: "Don't mention 10,000 taels, even if it's 100,000 taels, my elder brother won't sell."

  Zuo Feng glanced at Zhang Fei with a slanted eye and said displeased: "Who is this?"

  "This is my younger brother Zhang Fei, who has a rough temperament. Please forgive him for any offense he may have caused. Second and third brothers, please step down first." Liu Ze secretly gave them a signal with his eyes, and Zhang Fei was about to speak again when Guan Yu pulled him back outside the hall.

  Zuo Feng also couldn't help but ask: "But I don't know what Liu Gongzi's intention is?"

  Liu Zexin said, "You want to occupy my land, and you're using such despicable means. You've even brought up Zhang Rang's ancestors from eight generations ago! It seems that this dead eunuch, Left Feng, is determined to get what he wants. How should I respond?" He pondered for a moment, then said, "Originally, if it were just an ordinary piece of land, giving it to Zhang Zhongchang wouldn't be a problem. However, the Yangquan Mountain produces coal, and we need a large amount of coal stones to build several kilns in the new area. It's not easy to find coal stones elsewhere at this moment. I wonder if Left Gonggong can grant us some more time, until we find coal stones elsewhere, and then we'll hand over the land."

  As soon as Liu Zewen refused, Zuo Feng's face fell and he said gloomily: "Liu Gongzi, Zhang Zhongchang has already given you a lot of face. If it were someone else, humph..."

  Lü County Magistrate said on the side: "Although this matter is somewhat difficult for Liu Gongzi, Zhang Zhongchang has already given Gongzi ten times compensation. This time Zhang Zhongchang also looked at Liu Gongzi as a member of the Han royal family and indeed made an offer that was not cheap. I hope Liu Gongzi can take care of the overall situation and give up his love."

  Liu Ze cursed in his heart, this group of bastards, those who are not good at martial arts come to literature, cleverly taking by force, cheating and bullying the market. His own coal mine produces no less than several hundred thousand taels of gold every year, yet they want to swallow it up with just 10,000 taels. What kind of wind and water is unfavorable? What bloodshed and disaster? It's really a case of using any means necessary to achieve their goal.

  However, these self-righteous guys only think about making a fortune overnight and really think that coal mines are easy to open. Well, if you don't let them suffer a bit, they won't know what it means to hit the wall and turn back, or see a coffin and shed tears. So he said: "Since that's the case, thanks to the mistaken love of Left Public and Zhang Zhongchang, I'll take three days to pack up, and after three days, I'll hand over, how about that?"

  Seeing Liu Ze nodding in agreement, Zuo Feng's face lit up with joy, as if gold and silver were already piled up in front of him. He said: "Young Master Liu is indeed a man who knows how to appreciate the overall situation. This time when we return, I will definitely report back to Zhang Zhongchang. If Young Master Liu is willing, it would be easy for Zhang Zhongchang's reputation to secure an official position for you in the capital."

  Liu Ze replied calmly: "Thank you, Left Public. I'm used to being a carefree cloud and wild crane, and I don't have much interest in officialdom."

  Zuo Feng was slightly taken aback, "So there are still people in this world who don't want to be officials?" He then smiled faintly and said, "I see that the young master is emulating Tao Zhu, able to become a wealthy gentleman, carefree and at ease. Excellent, excellent."

  Lü County Magistrate smiled obsequiously and said to Zuo Feng: "This time when you return to the capital, I hope you can put in a good word for me with Zhang Zhongchang and promote my humble self."

  Zuo Feng glanced at him and said, "This is natural, so County Magistrate Lü can rest assured."

  Liu Ze saw their despicable behavior, feeling both angry and amused, but not convenient to make a move, so he stood up, cupped his hands and said: "In that case, I will take my leave. Three days later, please ask Left Gonggong and Lü County Magistrate to come to Yangquan to hand over the matter."

  Zuo Feng stood up to see him off, and as they walked out of the hall, Liu Ze suddenly said: "I just thought of something, if Zhang Zhongchang's ancestral tomb is moved here, it must be peaceful and quiet. The mine I dug earlier has a bad feng shui, after I go back, I will fill in the entire mine to restore the original appearance of Yangquan Mountain."

  Zuo Feng was shocked and pale with fright, hastily saying: "Absolutely not, absolutely not. This mine must never be filled in."

  Liu Ze deliberately said with a strange tone: "The mine produces coal, the sound is huge, if it disturbs the spirit of Zhang's ancestors, what a great sin!"

  "Nanhuadao people used to say that Yangquanshan has a spring for its divine power and a cave for its uniqueness, which is naturally created by heaven and earth. So Liu Gongzi doesn't need to waste his energy changing it."

  "It's very good, but that mine can be preserved, however the risk of producing coal and stone is extremely high, with dangers from water and fire, please be cautious, Left Public."

  "Don't worry, Liu Gongzi. Zhang Zhongchang only took this land to settle his ancestors' graves. The coal and rocks are black and dirty, completely useless for our family. Even if we mine them, they're still useless, right, County Magistrate Lü?"

  The county magistrate responded in a flattering manner: "Yes, yes!"

  Liu Ze bid farewell and left, and Zhang Fei returned to Yangquan with Guan Yu. Zhang Fei cursed repeatedly: "Brother, is it just going to end like this? Our coal mine that can produce tens of millions of gold every year will be given away to the eunuchs for nothing?"