Chapter Three: The Aristocratic Zheng Clan (Part One)

When Li Jianguo was reborn, he could be considered successful in his career. He had risen to the position of deputy mayor of the provincial capital of Central Plains, overseeing agricultural production. His temperament was serene and detached, with a calm acceptance of his circumstances.

He had no background or powerful connections, yet his political path was unimpeded. This was not merely a matter of extraordinary competence and a keen sense of timing, but also thanks to the profound calmness that forty years of experience had instilled in him. He was neither elated by material gain nor distressed by personal loss. As the saying goes, to contend is not to contend; not contending is contending—Li Jianguo grasped this deeply. While excelling in his duties, he also enjoyed reading, and had memorized the classic “Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government.”

A mirror of bronze can help one dress properly; a mirror of people can help one discern right from wrong; a mirror of history can reveal the rise and fall of empires.

With this detachment, Li Jianguo carved his way through difficulties. Many of his colleagues of the time struggled bitterly for power and ultimately met with disgrace, while he always stood firm. At the age of forty, to become deputy mayor with responsibility for a major city promised a bright future. Yet who would have thought that at the height of his success, he would encounter such a bizarre event… When he awoke, the world had changed, and he felt all the more uneasy.

After deducing the era into which he had been reborn, Li Jianguo’s mind buzzed with fatigue. Spiritually, he retained the maturity of a forty-year-old, but physically, he was only a baby.

From what he gleaned from Zheng Dashi’s words, Li Jianguo felt even more exhausted. When Zheng Shian took him from Zheng Dashi’s hands, he was dazed and could scarcely comprehend what Zheng Dashi said afterward. In a haze, Li Jianguo fell into his second dream since his rebirth. Before drifting off, a few thoughts flickered through his mind, but they were too vague to grasp.

The “Your Majesty” mentioned by Ning Changzhen must refer to Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian!

Then who was his biological father in this new life? Being hunted by Yang Jian’s men surely meant things were not simple. His surname was Li?

But which “Li” was he, exactly?

———

The convoy pressed on, the road uneven and bumpy.

It is said that newborns are little different from piglets—eat, sleep, wake, and eat again…

Li Jianguo’s situation was much the same.

He didn’t sleep for long, though. In a half-dream, he heard people whispering nearby.

“Mother, will Eunuch Ha come looking for us?”

The speaker was the little girl called Duoduo.

He must have been sent back to Xu Ma after falling asleep—Zheng Dashi intended to take him away.

But if they took him and Yan Hu returned to look for him, what then?

At first, Li Jianguo paid little mind to the conversation between Xu Ma and her daughter Duoduo, preoccupied with pondering his own future.

Yet Xu Ma’s reply caught his attention.

“Duoduo, remember: once we reach Xingyang, never speak of our past, and above all, say nothing of Chief Steward Ha.”

“Mother, I understand… I’m just worried about Eunuch Ha and the others…”

“There’s no need to worry about Chief Steward Ha for now. His martial skills are formidable, nearly at the level of a grandmaster—few could stop him.

And he has many skilled men at his side. Even He Ruobi and the others will not trouble him.

Once the turmoil settles, Chief Steward Ha will come for us. But until then, you mustn’t get lazy, or he’ll be greatly disappointed.”

“Mother, I promise I won’t slack off.”

Li Jianguo’s heart skipped a beat: appearances truly are deceiving… Who would have thought that this small convoy hid such talents?

Eunuch Ha, Chief Steward Ha?

An intriguing title.

But what truly surprised Li Jianguo was the name “He Ruobi.”

In history, there was indeed a He Ruobi, a founding elder of the Sui dynasty and a trusted minister of Emperor Wen, Yang Jian. The “Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government” quotes Chancellor Gao Ying’s assessment: “Among all the court officials, none could match He Ruobi in ability.” That is, among all the officials of Sui, none surpassed He Ruobi.

Given that the Sui dynasty boasted countless distinguished ministers and generals, and Emperor Wen was fairly open-minded in his early reign, He Ruobi’s reputation as peerless speaks volumes of his talent. Was He Ruobi now acting on Yang Jian’s orders?

If so, Xu Ma and her daughter’s background was likely anything but ordinary!

Lost in thought, Li Jianguo suddenly heard Duoduo exclaim, “Mother, look—the abandoned child is awake!”

The “abandoned child”—the infant left to die in the wild—referred to Li Jianguo himself. Snapping to his senses, he saw Duoduo lift her tunic and draw a gleaming dagger, eyes full of murderous intent. It was a frightening sight.

This little girl meant to kill him?

Li Jianguo was startled.

Just then, Xu Ma looked over. After a brief hesitation, Li Jianguo promptly began wailing.

“Duoduo, don’t be reckless! Put Green Pearl away at once,” Xu Ma scolded, quickly scooping Li Jianguo into her arms. “This child is pitiful enough… Besides, what can a baby understand? He’s probably just hungry.”

With that, Xu Ma loosened her clothes, revealing her pale, swollen breast and pressed it to Li Jianguo’s mouth.

For the second time that night, he nursed—a predicament that left the forty-year-old Li Jianguo quite helpless.

“Green Pearl” was the name of the dagger in Duoduo’s hand.

She put it away and was about to speak when another infant in the carriage, roused by Li Jianguo’s cries, began to wail as well.

“Mother, he’s awake too!”

Before Duoduo finished, someone outside the window asked, “Xu Ma, is the young master awake?”

“He must be hungry. I’ll tend to him now,” Xu Ma replied.

———

Li Jianguo had assumed the other baby was Xu Ma’s child, but from the conversation, that was not the case. He wasn’t really hungry, so he immediately stopped crying. Xu Ma set Li Jianguo down, picked up the other baby, and gently rocked him as she nursed, humming a tune—likely a lullaby.

Duoduo nestled at her mother’s knee and murmured, “Mother, I miss Xiao Xiao.”

Xu Ma’s face turned pale and she said nothing, but Li Jianguo caught a trace of sorrow in her expression.

Clearly, this mother and daughter had stories of their own!

———

Zheng Dashi’s convoy lingered at Sishui Pass for two days.

Sishui Pass, also called Chenggao, is more widely known as Hulao Pass. Legend has it that during the Western Zhou, King Mu kept fierce tigers presented by the vassals here, hence the name “Tiger Prison Pass.” Hulao Pass stretches south to Mount Song and north to the Yellow River, a tangle of mountains and ridges—a key strategic point linking Hebei and Luo Prefectures.

During those two days at Sishui Pass, Li Jianguo was mostly held by Zheng Shian.

Because of this, he pieced together the origins of the Zheng family. It turned out Zheng Dashi was no ordinary man—he was from one of the seven direct lines of the Zheng clan of Xingyang.

The Zhengs of Xingyang! Li Jianguo was astonished, for in later times, Xingyang would be under his own jurisdiction.

Of course, the Xingyang of later ages was not the same as now. In modern times, it was just an ancient town—Guying Town. But the Zheng clan of Xingyang was renowned through the ages.

In history, the period from the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties to the Sui and Tang is known as the Middle Ages. Along with the endless warfare, the era was also marked by the famous aristocratic clan system.

The clan system formed in the Eastern Han and flourished in the Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties. Since Emperor Wu of the Western Han, Confucianism was esteemed, and many officials rose through scholarship. They taught widely, their students and former subordinates spread across the realm, forming a formidable social force.

Especially after the Nine-Rank System was instituted, official selection depended entirely on family reputation.

As the saying went, “No prominent families among the lower ranks, no humble origins among the upper ranks.” In essence, the aristocracy monopolized the bureaucracy and cemented their rule through intermarriage.

The Zhengs of Xingyang were a pillar of this ruling class.

Legend held that their ancestors could be traced back to the Ji family, granted the fief of Zheng, hence the surname.

The ancient history is hazy, but the Zhengs rose in the Eastern Han, producing many outstanding figures. Most notably, the classics scholar Zheng Xuan, and the Marquis of Anyuan, Zheng Ji, who expanded the Eastern Han’s territory as Grand Protector of the Western Regions.

After surviving the devastation of the Five Barbarians’ invasion, the Zhengs split into northern and southern branches, with the northern branch’s seat of influence in Xingyang. The “junwang”—county seat—was a symbol of status, much like people in later times introducing themselves by their place of origin.

The Zhengs of Xingyang had seven lines in the Northern Dynasties: Bailin, Xiaobai, Shuye, Donglin, Guicang, Lianshan, and Youlin (Youlin, that is, Zheng Xi). Zheng Dashi belonged to the Lianshan branch.

In the Sui dynasty, the most famed Zheng was Zheng Yi, who aided Yang Jian in seizing the throne.

Whatever his motives, Zheng Yi’s role in the founding of the Sui brought unparalleled glory to his branch.

Li Jianguo marveled—was he, after this rebirth, to become a member of the illustrious Zheng clan?

———

First chapter of the day—two more to come this evening. Please remember to bookmark and recommend!