The Law, Human Feeling, and an Open Strategy That Followed the Tide

"The law establishes great principles; rites conform to human feeling. The law stands above, and teaching spreads below."

As Wen Anguo read the letter in his hand, a look of surprise appeared on his face. He continued reading, then finally laughed.

"What a fine line—law and human feeling! This scholar named Qiu Yan truly has a sharp tongue. In one stroke, he has pinned the charge of breaking the law and lacking human feeling on the Pan Household, saying they disrespect the law and run rampant beyond the bounds of propriety."

He pointed at a line in the letter and said to the adviser beside him, "Look at this sentence."

The adviser leaned closer and read softly, "Though desires cannot be wholly exhausted, they may be brought close to exhaustion; though desires cannot be cast away, their pursuit may be restrained."

The adviser then sucked in a cold breath. "This Qiu Yan has turned the whipping of Xie Shan and the others into the instruction of violent men, making them observe the Discipline Section. He was helping Xie Shan and the others restrain their vicious thoughts and desires. Then it was not injuring people, but the upright Way of the Sages! Xie Shan and the others were beaten for nothing. When they entered the city just now, quite a few people followed along, including many scholars and xiucai. Before long, everyone will know. If the Pan Household retaliates afterward and word spreads through the Scholar Forest, I fear..."

"Indeed." Wen Anguo nodded. "Now the Pan Household has nothing to say. If they had acted quietly, I could still have smoothed things over afterward. But now they made such a grand show of arresting people, failed to catch anyone, and instead let so many witnesses know about it. They have handed others something to hold against them. There is nothing I can do. Must I use official power to crush people and oppress the good and innocent? Neither law nor Principle would allow it!"

The adviser nodded. "Your Excellency is wise. The Pan Household handled this matter poorly. Pan Zhi is young, after all, and does not know that the words of men are to be feared. This subordinate also made inquiries. The Liu Household is merely a small family with neither power nor influence. How could they possibly be connected to what happened that night?"

"Pan Zhi still needs tempering. But this Qiu Yan is rather interesting. He has courage as well. He subdued Xie Shan and the others, then produced a silver ingot and had them tied up and sent here. With heavy rewards offered, men urged their horses on at full speed, yet kept one another in check so none could swallow it alone. He made sure this matter reached the prefectural yamen." As Wen Anguo spoke, he glanced at the adviser. "Has the source of that silver been investigated?"

The adviser nodded. "It came from several soldiers and street toughs. It seems Qiu Yan caught hold of something they could not afford to reveal."

Wen Anguo was somewhat surprised. "Oh? Then Qiu Yan not only has a scheming mind, but decent methods as well. He is a promising talent. I heard he is only a tongsheng?"

The adviser lowered his voice. "You know about the last Dao Examination. Li Jianchang took bribes; those who passed had all paid money. Qiu Yan's family is poor as a church mouse, so naturally he could not pass."

"Poor as a church mouse is good." Wen Anguo took another sip of tea. "You said earlier that his father died at the hands of bandit soldiers. That leaves him free of ties and burdens. With some learning and ability besides, we may as well keep an eye on him in the future."

The adviser nodded and voiced his agreement.

Wen Anguo lowered his head and glanced at the letter again, sighing. "His handwriting is interesting too. Though it lacks form, it carries a certain charm. Perhaps he may cultivate something worthwhile from it. A person like this does not even possess the status of xiucai. That truly makes no sense."

"Your Excellency is right." The adviser nodded as well, speaking from the heart.

"Enough." Wen Anguo waved his hand. "Send the men back to the Pan Household first. Tell Pan Zhi it is not that I do not wish to help him, but that he handled things too clumsily. Even if I wanted to help, I could not. Remind him while you are at it to rein himself in. If this grows too large, it will benefit no one. Yuanning City belongs to Great Rui, not his Pan Household. If this reaches higher authorities, no one will come out of it with anything good."

Bang!

"What did you say?" Third Young Master Pan slammed his fist onto the table and shot to his feet. "The men sent to make the arrest were beaten? And then sent to the prefectural yamen?"

"In reply to Young Master," Zheng Yan said, raising his sleeve to wipe away sweat, "I only just learned of this myself. The prefect sent people to return Xie Shan and the others. The instructors in the residence say that all of their martial arts have been crippled!"

"Crippled?" Third Young Master Pan's eyes widened. "Weren't they supposed to be martial arts experts? How could they be crippled while catching a few petty thieves? Right, who were they going to capture? When the Pan Household arrests people, who would dare resist? And even cripple their martial arts?"

"This..." Zheng Yan's expression changed slightly, but he still answered truthfully. "They were sent to pursue Liu Huai's family. They had just been dismissed from the residence, and it was hard to say they did not harbor resentment, so this subordinate ordered men to arrest them."

"Liu Huai? Liu Yue?" Third Young Master Pan glanced at Zheng Yan. "You really managed to think of them. That family, even if you gave them ten times the courage, would not have the ability to commit such a thing!"

"This subordinate knows. Wasn't it... wasn't it to satisfy the Upper Spirit Sect? At the very least, it had to withstand scrutiny. The Liu Household was resentful, after all..."

Third Young Master Pan shook his head. "Enough, enough. Since this matter was handed to you, it means I trust your ability and your judgment. I do not care about the rest. Just serve this young master faithfully. But how did the Liu Household have the ability to injure Xie Shan?"

"Thank you for Young Master's trust. This lowly one will gladly spill his heart's blood and repay you with all his strength." Zheng Yan first declared his loyalty, then continued, "According to Xie Shan, it was the Liu Household's relative who injured them. His name is Qiu Yan."

"Qiu Yan? That scholar who kept shouting about reporting to the authorities, only to pack up his valuables and flee? A coward like that could injure martial arts experts? Xie Shan truly cannot even find a proper excuse!" Third Young Master Pan sneered. "But since he injured men of the Pan Household, no matter who he is, he cannot be spared. Send more men at once and bring Liu Huai's family back!"

Zheng Yan's face lit up with delight. "This lowly one obeys..."

Before he could finish, a voice rang out from beyond the door.

"Young Master! You must not!"

"Hm?" Third Young Master Pan turned toward the voice, frowning. "Chief Steward, why are you here?"

The newcomer was around fifty, yet vigorous and full of spirit. He strode over swiftly without so much as a breath of exertion. He was the residence's chief steward, also surnamed Pan, known as Chief Steward Pan. Upon entering the room, he said directly, "Young Master, the Liu Household cannot be arrested. Not only must they not be arrested, Xie Shan and the others must be punished. As for the one who incited them, he likewise must not be allowed to escape punishment."

As Chief Steward Pan spoke, he cast a glance at Zheng Yan, whose expression had turned ugly.

A venomous look flickered in Zheng Yan's eyes.

"Yan'er, I will not ask where you learned your martial arts, but this matter cannot end peacefully. Xie is an expert recruited by the Pan Household. You injured him and his men. The Pan Household certainly will not let this rest."

On a muddy road outside Qingchang County, Liu Huai's face was filled with worry.

Ahead of him, Qiu Yan carried bundles and bags all over his body. Hearing this, he did not even turn his head. "Uncle, then you are mistaken. If we silently endured humiliation, the Pan Household truly would not let this rest. But I made the matter so large and spent silver to have Xie Shan and the others taken to the prefectural yamen. Now the Pan Household will instead not dare do anything to us."

"How can there be such logic?" Liu Yue shook his head as he pushed a flat cart behind them. "The prefect and Master Pan are old family friends, with a relationship close as could be. When it comes to the Pan Household's affairs, it would already be good if he did not add fuel to the fire. Would he actually stop them?"

Ever since Xie Shan had led men to block their path, Qiu Yan and the others had gotten out of the carriage. The driver did not dare offend the Pan Household and would no longer carry Liu Huai's family. Qiu Yan and the others had no choice but to travel on foot. Yet Pan Rongniang was still unconscious, so they spent money to buy this flat cart from a passerby.

"Even if the authorities and the Pan Household are in collusion, those are dealings in the shadows, things that cannot be set upon the stage."

Qiu Yan was wholly unconcerned.

"A small matter would be one thing, but now the affair has grown so large, and reason is on our side. No matter what, the Pan Household must avoid the limelight for now. They are a great and wealthy family, not petty ruffians and scoundrels. The roots of such a great clan lie in Yuan Ning, and they must cherish their feathers and their reputation. Otherwise, if an evil name spreads, the official careers of their younger generation will be unsettled in the future, and others will use it against them. This is an open strategy. No matter how powerful the Pan Household is, they must endure it."

"Even so, once the limelight passes..." Liu Yue shook his head. He felt that although his cousin had changed somewhat lately and was no longer so rigid and pedantic, he still could not help but fail to consider matters thoroughly when trouble arose.

"Once the limelight passes?" Qiu Yan sneered. "Once it passes, if the Pan Household does not come looking for me, I will still go looking for the Pan Household to settle accounts. Cousin, you need not worry about these matters. I know what I am doing."

There were some things he did not say aloud, holding them back in his heart—

Since I have offended the Pan Household, there is no need to hold back. Am I truly supposed to wait until the limelight passes, then meet soldiers with generals and water with earth? That would be far too troublesome. In all things, strike first for the advantage! The Pan Household has money and power, but I now have soul and divinity. Compared against each other, I may not be inferior by much. I only need to mind my limits and avoid drawing the attention of the Upper Spirit Sect. Still, I must wait until we reach Qingchang to make detailed plans. For now, I must first settle Uncle's family down.

At this thought, he suddenly looked to one side and said, "Brother Yan heard what Qiu said just now. The Pan Household will not make a move for the time being."

Not far from him, a tall man walked alone with a saber on his back, less than thirty paces from Qiu Yan and the others.

"Haha, little brother, do not be so formal. I merely mean well. This journey into Shu to seek immortals had no clear direction to begin with. Delaying a day or two does no harm."