Chapter 24: The Righteous Zhao Wei

Zhao Wei had a respectable appearance, characterized by a square face, neatly trimmed eyebrows, and a goatee, all of which gave him an air of integrity. However, this was merely a facade. Liu Zhang, who possessed knowledge of history, knew that Zhao Wei harbored treacherous intentions and was by no means a virtuous man. In history, during the fifth year of the Jian'an era, Zhao Wei had united the influential clans of Yizhou to rebel, only to be defeated by Liu Zhang's Dongzhou soldiers. After his failure, Zhao Wei retreated to Jiangzhou, where he was eventually killed by his own subordinates, Pang Le and Li Yi.

Though he was a scoundrel, Zhao Wei was indeed handsome, and his outward appearance left a favorable impression on others. "You are a fine person, yet why must you turn to thievery?" Liu Zhang sighed inwardly.

Upon approaching, Zhao Wei offered a compliment: "I heard that a few days ago, the Governor stood up in the marketplace to stop the Dongzhou soldiers from bullying the innocent, acting as a champion for the people."

"On behalf of the people of Yizhou, I thank the Governor. With you here, Yizhou shall be as steady as Mount Tai, and the people of Shu may enjoy peace."

Although Zhao Wei spoke with flattery, praising Liu Zhang for suppressing the Dongzhou soldiers, his inner thoughts were entirely contradictory. He had not expected Liu Zhang to restrain the rampant behavior of the Dongzhou soldiers instead of indulging them as Liu Yan had done. If this continued, it would be detrimental to the plan Zhao Wei was orchestrating. If he were to rebel against Liu Zhang alone, the chances of success would be slim; he needed to ally with other major clans in Yizhou to increase the odds of victory. But to get them to agree to an uprising, he needed to stir up their anger—the resentment of being suppressed by these outsiders, the Dongzhou soldiers.

This is becoming difficult, Zhao Wei thought to himself.

"Sima, there is no need for such formalities. This is but a duty I fulfill as the Governor of Yizhou. Having just arrived in the province, I am filled with trepidation, fearing only that I might fail in my responsibilities," Liu Zhang replied with polite modesty. It did not matter what each was thinking; even if they wished to eliminate one another, as long as nothing had been exposed, they had to maintain a civil veneer.

As a Sima under his command, Zhao Wei had been a major force in recommending Liu Zhang for the governorship. In this era, a recommender was considered a benefactor, and Liu Zhang had to treat him with respect so as not to be seen as ungrateful or cold-hearted.

"I have been contemplating something recently," Liu Zhang said, casting a hook and waiting for the fish to bite.

Zhao Wei took the bait, appearing all ears: "Please, Governor, speak your mind."

"I intend to appoint you as the Administrator of Hanzhong. The current Overseer of Righteousness in Hanzhong, Zhang Lu, worships demonic cults and ignores proper rituals, which I find most displeasing."

"Hanzhong is the gateway to Yizhou and the throat of the Shu region. I believe it must be guarded by a loyal minister and a capable general. I truly cannot rest easy with a petty man like Zhang Lu in charge."

Liu Zhang expressed his desire to have Zhao Wei take over as the Administrator of Hanzhong. Currently, Hanzhong was controlled by Zhang Lu, who, in the eyes of outsiders, was not a subordinate of the Governor but an independent warlord who had severed the valley roads and murdered imperial envoys, earning him the title "Rice Thief."

However, all the officials of Yizhou knew that Zhang Lu was merely a dog that Liu Yan had placed in Hanzhong to bite his enemies. The murder of the imperial envoy was intended to free Liu Yan from the constraints of the imperial court. Secretly, Zhang Lu was under the control of Liu Yan, and his mother and brother were still in Chengdu as hostages. Yet, under the ambitious Liu Yan, Zhang Lu was an obedient dog; but as history would show, after Liu Zhang ascended to power, this dog would turn around and bite his master. That, however, was a matter for another day.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wei’s eyes brightened. He fanned the flames, following Liu Zhang's lead: "Hanzhong is a critical territory and indeed requires a capable man to guard it. The 'Rice Thief' Zhang Lu is truly not fit for the role. Furthermore, he has always harbored ulterior motives; I fear he will become a source of trouble in the future."

Zhao Wei was tempted, but he did not express his willingness immediately. Instead, he affected an air of concern for Liu Zhang.

"However, if I were to appoint you as the Administrator of Hanzhong and send you to a distant commandery, I fear that petty people might think you have fallen out of my favor."

"You are a trusted and capable minister of mine. How could I bear to let you suffer such unjust suspicion? That is why I have hesitated to make a final decision for so long." Liu Zhang mirrored the expression of concern for Zhao Wei. Two foxes, each harboring different thoughts, faced one another.

Zhao Wei immediately declared with righteous indignation: "Governor, there is no need to care about what outsiders think. It is sufficient that we, sovereign and subject, understand each other's hearts."

If not for his knowledge of Zhao Wei’s historical betrayal, Liu Zhang might have been moved by the man's current expression and tone. Of course, Liu Zhang was currently putting on an equally moving performance.

He spoke, "Sima, your loyalty is truly unmatched. I am deeply touched. Let me ponder this matter a while longer."

***

Wu Ban drew his bow—a heavy one capable of pulling one stone and three pecks—until it was like a full moon.

He squinted slightly, adjusting the angle of the arrow without a trace. Suddenly feeling the moment was right, he released the taut string.

With a "whoosh," the arrow flew like a streak of light, striking the target seventy paces away. It was a bullseye.

He proudly displayed the feat to his elder clansman, Wu Yi: "Brother, what do you think?"

Wu Yi nodded with satisfaction, not stingy with his praise: "Not bad. You are improving quickly."

Just a few days ago, Wu Ban could only hit the center of a target at fifty paces. In just a few days, he had managed to hit one at seventy. His younger cousin seemed to have a certain talent for archery. He watched the tiger-headed youth with satisfaction; he would surely be a fine general in the future.

After basking in his pride for a moment, Wu Ban seemed to think of something. He lowered his bow and complained to Wu Yi: "Brother, don't you think it’s useless for us to practice martial arts every day?"

"The new Governor of Yizhou isn't our brother-in-law, but the Fourth Young Master. With that layer of distance, even if we were expert archers, I fear he wouldn't use us."

"Even if he did, it would likely just be some idle position."

These words made Wu Yi’s expression darken. His cousin was blunt and honest, but he could clearly see through the situation. The wife of the Third Young Master, Liu Mao, was Wu Xian, Wu Yi’s sister, but the newly appointed Governor was Liu Zhang.

It went without saying that Liu Zhang would not utilize the Wu family; if anything, he would likely be wary of them inciting trouble, even though Wu Yi had no such intentions.

After a moment of gloom, Wu Yi tapped Wu Ban on the head, encouraging him: "You are still young; if you become discouraged and lazy at the first sign of a setback, how will you ever achieve greatness?"

"Even if Governor Liu does not use us, we must continue to study the classics and hone our martial arts. With the world in turmoil, there will surely be a place for us to put our skills to use."

Though he said this, Wu Yi knew deep down that as the brother-in-law of Liu Mao, his relationship with Liu Zhang could never be good. Judging by Liu Zhang's health, he feared he wouldn't have a chance to rise for another ten or twenty years. If he were a mediocre man, it would not matter, but he was confident in his martial prowess and deeply versed in strategy. He felt he was capable of great achievements, yet now, his skills had no place to shine.

Wu Ban seemed to take the encouragement to heart. He knew complaining was useless and that he should keep practicing. A young man’s spirit comes and goes quickly.

He recalled another recent piece of news circulating in the markets: "I heard that Master Dong Fu read the fortune of Huang Quan’s sister and said she is destined for unimaginable nobility."

"Her face is just like our sister’s."

"Bullshit!" Wu Yi snapped, losing his composure and shouting.

The mere thought of that old scoundrel Dong Fu filled him with rage. Back then, when he had invited him to their home to read fortunes, Dong Fu claimed his sister had the face of great nobility. Consequently, his sister was chosen by Liu Yan to marry the Third Young Master, Liu Mao. And what was the result? Liu Yan died of illness, and it was Liu Zhang who became the Governor of Yizhou.

Was this what one called "great nobility"?

That old scoundrel had also said that he himself had the face of a duke or a marquis, which had pleased him for a long time. Looking back now, he had no such face. If he did, the "marquis" was likely just a "monkey"—the kind that puts on a hat and pretends to be human.

Thinking back on the time he spent feeling proud of his "noble fate," he felt like a mere clown.

That old scoundrel had said so many flattering things, but now it was clear he was only after the hundred gold pieces they had given him. As long as the money was sufficient, even a village crone would likely be praised by Dong Fu as having the face of nobility.

Thinking of this, Wu Yi gritted his teeth. The damned old scoundrel had caused his sister, a woman of peerless beauty, to be married to Liu Mao. He had recently heard rumors from the Governor's mansion that because Liu Mao had not succeeded as the Governor of Yizhou, he blamed his wife and treated her poorly.

"Old scoundrel," Wu Yi cursed through gritted teeth, reviling Dong Fu in his heart.