Chapter Three: The Diplomatic Murder Case, Part Two, Third Update

Niang asked, "Young master, do you have something on your mind?"

"Young lady... I, I, I have something I'd like to ask for your help with."

"What is it?"

"I want to change my name, but my father and mother cannot read or write, and they do not know what name would be good. Mother told me to ask you, saying you would surely be able to think of a fine one."

"Oh!"

Zheng Yanqing understood at once.

Mao Ya was two years older than Yanqing, and was already on the verge of adulthood. In another year or two, she might well be married off. To keep calling her Little Girl all the time was indeed not quite proper. Yanqing thought for a moment. "Mao Ya is not a very pleasant name. Why not use Nian? How about Mao Xiaonian?"

Nian can imply many things, but the most common meaning is longing, remembrance.

He himself was already ten. In the blink of an eye, it had been more than three years since Master Li Ji left Luoyang...

So Yanqing had changed Mao Ya's name to Xiaonian. For the day Mao Ya had come to his home was exactly the same day Li Ji had left Luoyang.

"Xiaonian?"

Mao Ya repeated it softly twice, a bright smile blooming on her delicate face. "Yes, then from now on I'll be called Xiaonian."

She must also have many people she misses.

Yanqing stepped out of the bamboo house. By then the sky had darkened, and the wind from Mount Longmen carried a faint touch of desolation.

One wondered what manner of place Xiazhou might be.

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Xiazhou was under snowfall.

Li Ji stepped out of his study and looked at the drifting flakes. Unknowingly, his thoughts had already wandered back to Luoyang, a thousand li away.

What was Yanqing doing at this very moment?

Three years ago, he had quietly left Luoyang, not even saying farewell to Yanqing. Looking back now, he could not help feeling a little regret. But at the time, he truly had not wanted to face Yanqing. He feared that if he lost control of himself, he might ruin the boy. Over these three years, Li Ji had received many tidings about Yanqing through various channels.

Truthfully, he was greatly comforted, and at the same time, he missed him even more.

When Li Yuan took office as the Prefect of Xingyang, Li Ji had even considered asking him to find a way to send Yanqing to his side.

But that thought had only flashed by.

He was now a man who could not stand in the light. What good would it do to bring Yanqing to this bitterly cold land of Xiazhou?

On the contrary, if Zheng Yanqing remained in Luoyang, though dependent on others for shelter, he would be in a place on which all eyes in the realm were fixed. On the surface, the Zheng family name could serve as a cover; in the shadows, the Li and Dou families could look after him. With only the right opportunity, Yanqing would surely rise to prominence. If that could truly happen, it would be far better than having Yanqing follow him to Xiazhou, where conditions were so much harsher.

"Master Chai, the lord invites you."

A servant appeared beside Li Ji, his manner exceedingly respectful.

Li Ji's name in Xiazhou was no longer Li Ji. Because the Governor of Xiazhou, Li Hui, bore the surname Li, it would be easy for people to link them together. So after coming to Xiazhou, Li Ji had changed his name to Chai Xiaoji, a clansman of the Chai family of Linfen in Jinzhou.

This Chai family of Linfen was also one of the great families of the Guanzhong region.

Still, compared with the Li clan, one of the Eight Pillar Houses, the Chai family was undeniably of lesser standing. During the Northern Zhou, a member of the clan named Chai Lie had risen to the rank of Grand General of the Cavalry and Horse, and had served as Governor of Suizhou and Liangzhou. Chai Lie's son, Chai Shen, was now the head of the Chai household, holding the title Duke of Julu, and had once served as a senior attendant in the Eastern Palace under the Crown Prince Yang Yong. He was one of the powerful men of Sui.

Later, in the struggle over the crown prince's succession, Yang Yong was deposed, and Chai Shen was dragged down with him, losing his influence as well.

But the Chai family was still a famous and established clan, and had not been deeply implicated. Li Ji was now wearing the Chai family's mantle as an adviser under Li Hui. Li Hui was a grandson of Li Hu, the brother of Li Hu, one of the Eight Pillar Houses, and was also Li Yuan's cousin. With Li Hui's protection in Tungwan, Li Ji's life was fairly comfortable.

"I'll go at once."

Li Ji nodded, returned to his room to fetch a cloak, and went with the servant.

The two arrived before a room in the back courtyard. The servant stopped and said respectfully, "My lord is inside. Master Chai may enter on his own."

Li Ji nodded, walked to the door, knocked, then pushed it open and went in.

Inside the room stood a brazier and two tables laden with wine and dishes.

"Xiaoji, the wine and food are ready. Come, sit."

A man of nearly forty, with a robust and formidable bearing, smiled and came forward. He first seated Li Ji, then sat down himself.

"Xiaoji, news has come from Luoyang."

"Oh?"

The middle-aged man was none other than Li Hui, Governor of Xiazhou. With a smile, he produced a letter. "Your disciple has started making trouble again."

"Hm?"

Li Ji could not help but start. He hurriedly took the envelope and opened it, only to find a thick sheaf of manuscripts. After glancing over them, he looked puzzled. They were copies of the manuscript of The Romance, and Li Ji was not unfamiliar with them. But what did this have to do with making trouble?

"Your disciple went three years without writing a single poem or essay, and now he has tampered with history and written this Romance of the Three Kingdoms, causing an uproar throughout the realm. There are those who praise it, and those who revile it... Tell me, does that count as stirring up trouble?"

Li Ji let out a breath of relief and took a sip from his wine cup.

"Uncle, you nearly frightened me to death."

He seemed utterly unconcerned. In truth, he had long anticipated the result of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He simply had not expected it to be such a sensation...

Still, that made sense. When Yanqing first spoke to him about the Three Kingdoms, he had not yet known that Yanqing was the famed Young Master Ge. Now that Yanqing was writing under the name Half-Fated Lord, the attention stirred by it would naturally be extraordinary.

Li Hui said, "You don't seem worried at all. Do you know what people outside are saying?"

Li Ji said, "How are they judging him?"

"Many are saying that Half-Fated Lord has fallen to obscurity, no longer able to write poems like 'A gentleman would rather be burned to death than serve princes' or 'Once one has seen the boundless sea, no water anywhere else can compare.' So now he can only rely on these vulgar street tales to draw the world's attention."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"A good thing?" Li Hui looked at him in astonishment, somewhat unable to understand.

"Three years ago, Yanqing's fame was too dazzling. Merely having created the goose-style poems was enough to make people take notice, let alone the astonishing things he had done and the essay he wrote on the Way, which even drew the emperor's attention. Fame is enough to preserve a man; too much of it easily invites envy. He handled this well. By writing a piece that lamented an overbright youth, he faded from the public eye, and now, by means of this vulgar tale, he has again caused a sensation. That may not be a bad thing. If you ask me, the criticism has not been harsh enough, nor vicious enough. It ought to be fiercer still; perhaps that would do him even more good."

Li Hui said, "Other people all hope their disciples will achieve success and renown. You're the opposite. Why do you seem almost eager for Yanqing to ruin his own reputation?"

"Was Xiao He a worthy man?"

"Naturally he was worthy..."

"And yet, as one of the founding meritorious ministers of Han and a lofty Chancellor, he still sought land and houses to stain his name. Much more so a mere scholar like Yanqing?"

Li Hui pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

"The duke has sent someone."

The duke Li Hui referred to was Duke of Tang, Li Yuan. When Prince of Han Yang Liang rose in rebellion, Li Yuan had served for a year as Prefect of Xingyang, after which Yang Guang appointed him Prefect of Loufan and sent him to garrison Loufan. Loufan was also one of the places where Yang Liang's rebellion had raged most fiercely, and it required someone able to hold the line. So after much deliberation, Yang Guang finally decided to send Li Yuan there.

Li Ji looked up in surprise. "The duke has sent someone? What instructions are there?"

"This matter concerns you..."

As he spoke, Li Hui produced another letter and handed it to Li Ji. "Didn't you ask the duke two years ago to find a teacher for Half-Fated Lord? At the time, the duke did not reply, partly because a renowned master is not easy to find, and partly because the situation was unstable.

This time, when His Majesty summoned the Turkic khagan to Yulin, the duke has actually found a fitting person to serve as Half-Fated Lord's eminent teacher."

"Who?"

"See for yourself. The letter says it quite clearly."

Li Ji hurriedly opened the letter and read it carefully from beginning to end. Gradually, delight appeared on his face, and he nodded repeatedly. "If this person is willing to be Yanqing's teacher, it will truly be of enormous benefit to him. Yes, this person is suitable, exceedingly suitable!"

Having said that, he put away the letter and said solemnly, "However, this matter must be conveyed to Yanqing in advance.

That child is stubborn by nature. If he is not told beforehand, he may well refuse this stroke of fortune. Would that not be a shame? Let me write to him at once. I trouble Uncle to send someone to deliver it overnight to Luoyang, if you would."

Li Hui smiled and nodded.

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