Chapter 29: Fortune and Misfortune Knock at the Door

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Liu He recalled the origins of White Emperor City.

White Emperor City had originally been called Ziyang City. At the end of the Former Han, Gongsun Shu occupied Shu, built the city, and stationed troops there while stockpiling grain.

At that time, a well within Ziyang City often gave off white vapor, resembling a white dragon. Gongsun Shu harbored imperial ambitions, and so he ordered his trusted retainers to spread the appropriate rumors. In the first year of the Jianwu era, he formally proclaimed himself emperor, taking the title White Emperor. He renamed Ziyang City White Emperor City and the mountain on which it stood White Emperor Mountain.

From the heights of White Emperor Mountain, one could look eastward and see Kui Gate.

Kui Gate bore that name because, during the reign of King Wu of Zhou, the region around Fengjie had belonged to the state of Kui.

“Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles.”

Liu He gently stroked his mustache and gazed at the scene before him, sighing, “Kui Gate truly is the most perilous place under heaven.”

As a scholar well versed in the classics, he was no stranger to White Emperor City or Kui Gate. Yet knowledge gained from books always seemed shallow; only by coming here in person and studying the course of the river and the rise and fall of the terrain could one truly understand White Emperor City and Kui Gate.

He could not help but marvel inwardly. This place truly deserved to be called the eastern gateway of Shu. Whether one traveled eastward from Ba and Shu or westward from Jing and Chu, Kui Gate was the crucial juncture, much as Jianmen Pass was to the road into Shu.

Kui Gate controlled Ba and Shu to the west and Jing and Chu to the east. It was, without question, a place contested by every army.

Liu He was no pedantic scholar who knew only how to wield a brush, pluck phrases from books, and indulge in empty literary refinement. In his youth, he had traveled widely. He had visited many places throughout his native province of Jingxiang, of course, and had savored the splendor of the imperial capital, Luoyang. He had even journeyed to Mount Tai in Mount Tai Commandery of Yan Province, climbing its heights and experiencing the sensation of looking down upon all the surrounding mountains.

With such a breadth of experience, he could fairly be called knowledgeable and well traveled. More importantly, he harbored great ambitions.

Thus, when Liu Yan died and Liu Zhang succeeded him, Liu He repeatedly urged Liu Biao, the Governor of Jingzhou, to send troops and seize Yizhou. When Liu Biao remained unmoved, he requested permission to enter Shu alone, mounted on a single horse, and stir the winds and clouds of the region.

At the thought of Liu Biao, Liu He wore a look of disdain. That kinsman of his had entered Jingzhou alone and, following Kuai Yue’s advice, slaughtered hundreds of powerful clans. In one stroke, he had taken possession of Jingxiang, commanding a thousand li of impregnable territory and an army of a hundred thousand armored men.

With such abundant resources, Liu Biao should have sharpened his weapons, trained and rewarded his troops, and contended for the Central Plains. Instead, he had been satisfied with what he possessed, married a young and beautiful wife from the Cai family, and spent his days wandering among women and stacks of paper. Bereft of ambition, he was nothing more than a man fit for idle conversation.

Now the empire was in chaos and the four seas were seething. Men of ambition had raised armies everywhere, seeking to claim the realm, while many mediocre figures had taken advantage of the times to distinguish themselves brilliantly.

Liu He could only resent that he possessed no foundation of his own. Otherwise, what would men of such little worth amount to? For that reason, he held Liu Biao, who possessed Jingxiang yet refused to advance, in utter contempt.

That was also why he had requested permission to enter Shu. He had no intention of plotting the conquest of Yizhou on Liu Biao’s behalf. He had plans of his own; he merely needed to make use of Liu Biao’s prestige.

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At that moment, as Liu He admired Kui Gate’s steep and magnificent grandeur, a heroic spirit surged within his breast. Once he entered Shu, he would finally bring his ambitions to fruition.

A man like Liu Biao had been able to enter Jingzhou alone, seize supreme authority over Jingxiang, and establish himself as an independent ruler in the south.

In what way was Liu He inferior to Liu Biao? He, too, would enter Yizhou alone, wrest it from the hands of the weak and ineffectual Liu Zhang, and establish himself as an independent ruler in the west. He would be inferior to no man.

In his reverie, Liu He seemed to see Ba and Shu resting within the palm of his hand. Gongsun Shu had once proclaimed himself the White Emperor in Ba and Shu; as a member of the imperial clan and a descendant of the Red Emperor, Liu He would have even greater justification for claiming the throne.

“Ba and Shu will become the imperial foundation of Liu He.”

Gathering his scattered thoughts, Liu He calmed himself. If he wished to conquer Shu, he first had to seize Ba.

He had tremendous confidence in his ability to take Ba. After Liu Yan entered Shu, he had executed many of Ba’s eminent men and great families. The people of Ba feared Liu Yan’s authority and could only fume in silence.

But now Liu Yan was dead, and the man who had taken the stage was the weak and incompetent Liu Zhang.

Liu He believed that, relying on Liu Biao’s reputation, he could contact and persuade the great clans of Ba Commandery to join him in raising an army, seize Ba Commandery, and then turn his attention to Shu Commandery.

As for who Ba and Shu would belong to after their conquest, that would depend on the abilities of each faction.

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“Lord Dong, are you not usually occupied with reading people’s vital energies or examining their faces? With such a multitude of affairs, how have you found the leisure to come and sit for a while at my provincial governor’s residence?”

Liu Zhang teased Dong Fu, who had come to call that day. He knew that the charlatan who had once persuaded Liu Yan, by claiming that Yizhou possessed the aura of an emperor, to abandon his plan of requesting the governorship of Jiaozhou and instead petition for the post of Governor of Yizhou, had recently fallen upon difficult times.

It was connected to his sister-in-law, Wu Xian. Dong Fu had read Wu Xian’s face and declared that she bore the features of one destined for great honor. Liu Yan had therefore arranged for Liu Mao to marry her. But now it was Liu Zhang who had ascended to the position of Governor of Yizhou, making Dong Fu’s physiognomic arts seem rather less trustworthy.

Some days earlier, Liu Zhang had heard Pang Que say that scarcely anyone now crossed the threshold of Dong Fu’s home. The doorframe, which had once needed replacing every so often, was still the original one.

Dong Fu paid no attention to Liu Zhang’s teasing. Stroking his beard, he said, “My lord, I have come to your door today because I bring news of a joyous matter.”

“I hear that your residence has long been without a mistress. A solitary drake and lone swan make for a sorry sight, so I have found a young lady suitable for you.”

“This young lady bears the features of one destined for great honor.”

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“A woman destined for great honor? My sister-in-law?” Liu Zhang blurted out instinctively. As for women bearing the features of great honor, who in the residence or throughout Chengdu did not know that his sister-in-law, Wu Xian, possessed them?

Yet the moment he spoke, Liu Zhang felt that something was amiss. The old charlatan Dong Fu before him could not possibly be so outrageous as to arrange a marriage between an uncle and his sister-in-law merely to make his physiognomic predictions come true.

Still, Liu Zhang did not change the subject. Instead, he decided to tease the old charlatan a little. Resistance colored his voice as he complained, “Lord Dong, how could one woman marry two husbands? Besides, my elder brother is still alive. How could you suggest such a thing?”

Dong Fu was so bewildered by Liu Zhang’s words that his head began to spin. What sort of nonsense was this? Why were young people these days like this? The last time he had paid a visit, Huang Quan had done the same thing, declaring to his face that Wu Xian bore the features of one destined for great honor and striking him directly in his old dignity.

But age had only made Dong Fu more resilient. He soon regained his composure and said, “My lord, surely the personages blessed with great honor number more than one under heaven. This young lady is not your sister-in-law.”

Liu Zhang uttered a silent exclamation. From Dong Fu’s words, it seemed the old man had begun producing people of great honor in bulk. Coming from his mouth, such lofty features had become remarkably cheap. The old charlatan truly was unreliable.

What he thought was one thing; what he said was another. “Then which young lady has earned Lord Dong’s favor?”

At last they had reached the main subject, and Dong Fu breathed a sigh of relief. He continued, “You know this young lady as well, my lord. Some days ago, you defended a woman in the marketplace. Do you still remember her?”

Young Lady Huang.

Her appearance rose in Liu Zhang’s mind. Though still young, she was dignified and composed, and unafraid when confronted with trouble.

He nodded. “Of course I remember. Her elder brother, Huang Gongheng, currently serves in my residence as a registrar.”

“Then you should also remember that, at the time, you gave her a bolt of Shu brocade. Everyone in and around Chengdu is now waiting for you to visit her family and ask for her hand, yet you have shown no sign of doing so.”

Dong Fu narrowed his eyes as he looked at Liu Zhang, as though appraising a wastrel. His expression seemed to say: You have ruined the reputation of another man’s daughter, and now you wish to wash your hands of the matter? How utterly shameful.

Liu Zhang fell into thought. His sister-in-law, Wu Xian, had mentioned the possibility of a proposal to the Huang family once, and now Dong Fu had raised the subject again. Judging by the situation, outsiders had all concluded that he had taken a liking to Young Lady Huang.

He felt no aversion toward her; if anything, he admired her. Marrying Young Lady Huang would not be out of the question. There was only one matter he wished to clarify.

“Since you are acting as matchmaker, Lord Dong, you must know how old the Huang family’s daughter is.”

“She is fifteen by her actual age, sixteen by the customary reckoning. I have already calculated your horoscopes. You and the Huang family’s daughter are a match ordained by Heaven, perfectly harmonious, like a pair of flawless jade discs.”

Hearing this, Dong Fu knew there was hope. Stroking his beard, he added fuel to the fire.

Liu Zhang considered the matter for a moment and reached a decision. Composing his expression, he said to Dong Fu, “Lord Dong, my two elder brothers have only just died at the hands of the bandits Li Jue and Guo Si, and my late father has also passed away in grief over their deaths. At this time, my heart is consumed by the vengeance owed to my country and my family. Every day I mourn my father and brothers. There is only one thought in my mind: to kill Li Jue and Guo Si with my own hands and hang their heads upon the city wall. Otherwise, how could I call myself a son? How could I call myself a younger brother?

“For now, I truly have no mind for marriage. Yet from what Lord Dong has said, Young Lady Huang is indeed an excellent match. I am willing to enter into a betrothal first, with three years as the term. During those three years, I shall first avenge my father and brothers. Only afterward will I consider marriage.”

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