Urging him to return

Over the next three or four days after returning to camp, Liu Acheng first took stock of their money and grain, then reorganized the mess groups, and finally reiterated and tightened the rules governing food rations. During this period, the Strict Camp Discipline Inspection also saw three of the Ruffian Youths they had previously brought to heel, along with at least five families, expelled from camp on proven charges of theft, molesting women, fraudulently claiming and concealing grain, and conducting unauthorized religious rites.

With Liu Dage also secretly bringing back twenty or thirty unfamiliar, able-bodied men from Jiangcheng, the camp, which had begun to relax and even grow cheerful, inevitably took on a stern atmosphere again.

Everyone, from top to bottom, noticed that the attitudes of the two stewards were indeed changing.

"What does that make us?" Arms folded, Liu Jili watched the families weeping and pleading in the distance at the valley entrance, plainly bewildered. "We save outsiders with one hand and drive out our own neighbors from Pengcheng with the other? Have we really become the sort of people Grandpa Liu San called us?"

"Don't let your thoughts run wild." Liu Acheng, however, was perfectly frank. "Are those the same thing? These people needed dealing with even if we hadn't saved those outsiders... By driving these black sheep out today, we might keep twice as many people in camp alive. If those outsiders do the same things, they'll be driven out too."

"Reason is reason, and human feeling is human feeling." Liu Jili still shook his head. "By that same reasoning, we shouldn't have taken in those Slave Retainers either. The law can't stand apart from human feeling."

"That's why we gave these people grain. We've done everything kindness and duty demanded." Liu Acheng remained untroubled. "As for reason..."

At this, Liu Cheng turned toward his companion, his expression unusually solemn. "If we're talking about reason, Grand Commander Chu Pou, Xun Xian, chief secretary to the Northern Expeditionary General, Langya Interior Minister Yuan Zhi, and even this commandery's officers of merit, granaries, and households should have provided relief to the refugees long ago! Why should we be left here weighing these things? Must good people wallow in self-reproach? Brother Jili, just because those people sit high above us, beyond our power to shake, doesn't mean we should accept what they do as the natural order!"

Liu Jili turned pale and had no answer.

After settling these personnel matters, Liu Acheng still did not rush off to Jiangcheng or Jiankang. Instead, he calmly put the camp's layout in order.

The roads were cleared to ensure smooth movement and communication within the camp; defenses at the valley entrance were strengthened, with the newly arrived Slave Retainers building a simple gatehouse and watchtower in military fashion; and finally, the great central fire pit where Liu Rengong's family had originally lived was thoroughly cleared out. All nearby shacks were dismantled to leave ample open space, the ground was to be leveled, and the central fire pit itself was ordered extended and enlarged. It was visibly on its way to becoming a square.

The first two measures were easy enough to understand: they made management easier and kept thieves out. But Liu Jili could not understand the last one. Yet Liu Acheng personally oversaw it, scribbling and sketching on precious paper and even digging and filling in earth himself, treating it as the most important job of all.

Fortunately, Liu Jili had one virtue: when he did not understand, he asked... Only Liu Acheng's explanation still left him muddled.

As for making rewards, punishments, and distributions plain before everyone's eyes, Liu Jili understood that at once. With the rationing system about to become stricter, everyone would collect their grain together and see that it was distributed fairly. Any future expulsions would also involve bringing the offenders here for a public hearing. That was certainly right.

So Liu Jili immediately approved.

But what did it mean that ordinary people needed a spiritual life too? And that the harder and more strained their lives became, the more they needed spiritual comfort to help them dream?

Was he planning to invite people from the Way of the Celestial Masters to preach?

But hadn't they just driven out a witch who took people's grain to perform rituals and turn their fortunes around?

Fortunately, Liu Jili had plenty of work himself, and the earlier argument about making everything plain before everyone's eyes was persuasive enough. This time, he did not dwell on it.

Thus, the two put the camp in order and assigned the new work. By then, it was the twenty-fifth day of the tenth month, and the people from the Way of the Celestial Masters hurried over to remind them that it was time to deliver the next cartload of silver frost charcoal. The wine, talismans, and dyed paper agreed upon last time were all ready, and they had even caught a live little wild boar the previous day, and so on. They urged the two Lius to get ready.

Liu Acheng had no intention of deliberately delaying and immediately agreed, but told the two families to escort the cart to Jiangcheng the next day and meet them there. The two of them had something to attend to and would leave ahead of the others.

The next morning, perhaps because they had risen too early, the cold felt noticeably sharper, and the sky looked poor as well. By the time the two Lius carried their loads of peachwood firewood to Jiangcheng, it should have been broad daylight, yet it was still gloomy... But that was not what they needed to consider now. They found Liu Rengong, who was still weaving mats beneath the eaves, and got straight to the point: they asked him to return.

Liu Rengong was greatly surprised.

With Liu Huzi joining them, the three younger Lius offered their explanations. Liu Jili mainly explained that the camp had found an unconventional source of income and had actually stored enough money and grain to get through winter, so Liu Rengong's family could return and survive the season too. Liu Acheng said outright that he worried that, if they stayed away too long and did not return in spring, the camp's land reclamation could not get underway. As for Liu Huzi, he bluntly reminded his father that their stay here had nearly squeezed the Gao family's coffers inside out... Gao Jian might be steadfast and forbearing, but what about the rest of his family? At present, the two families were exchanging kindness and obligations, and were related by marriage. What would people say in the future?

With all three juniors talking him around, Liu Rengong was naturally swayed, but he had calculations of his own:

"That isn't how this account should be reckoned... If we consider only the benefits and harms, leaving now would be good for both sides. But if we simply leave, what will outsiders think of Elder Gao, and what will they think of us? They'll only say Elder Gao tolerated us at first for the sake of his reputation, then drove us out when he found he couldn't bear the burden. They'll also say that I, an elder of the Liu family, left the camp when it was poor, dumped the women and children on you, and now that you've made a success of it, I'm trying to take it back! It's the same for you too. You've finally managed to hold the camp together, but once I return, people will think I was the one who did it. You're young, and you won't be able to build a reputation!"

"So, Acheng, returning isn't out of the question. Spring plowing would be a good reason. Going back then would be perfectly proper and good for everyone."

At these words, Liu Huzi, who always took every gust of wind for rain, immediately changed his position. He simply stood behind his father and nodded, then looked toward Liu Acheng. Even Liu Jili, who had earlier been deeply shaken by the expulsion of the Slave Retainers, began to hesitate and also looked toward Liu Acheng.

What could Liu Acheng do? He could only sigh.

It was not that he had never considered these things. He genuinely understood this logic. Even if he had not, Grandpa Liu San had spelled it out a few days ago, and Liu Jili's objections were still vivid in his mind. How could he possibly fail to understand?

Then where had the problem arisen? Why had he still misjudged things?

It was simple. For certain reasons, his outlook differed somewhat from theirs... To him, reputation was naturally a good thing, and quite enticing. Hadn't he easily used it to persuade Liu Jili to stay and help him run the camp? Yet at the same time, he was, after all, a transmigrator. When it truly came time to weigh things up, he always instinctively lowered the value he assigned to reputation.

He felt that, when set against actual chances of survival, gold, silver, money, and goods, or even the lives of refugee beggars by the roadside, reputation could be given a little less consideration.

Ordinarily, Liu Acheng could remind himself that this was the era of the Eastern Jin and the Sixteen Kingdoms. The Three Kingdoms had ended only a few decades ago; Sun Quan had not even been dead a hundred years. People in this age therefore placed great importance on reputation, and his conduct in this regard had been passable.

But now, when his own reputation and those of Liu Rengong, Liu Jili, and Gao Jian were involved, he abruptly discovered that his judgment had failed.

He had thought the scales were balanced and they could get on with business. In fact, they were not.

Almost instantly, he recalled a story that more or less belonged to this era, then smiled. "What Lord Ren said today reminds me of a story my father once told me when I was young..."

"What story?" Perhaps afraid he would feel embarrassed, Liu Jili quickly gave him a conversational opening.

"It was during the chaos at the end of the Han. Hua Xin and Wang Lang were fleeing together by boat when someone wanted to join them. Hua Xin was unwilling, but Wang Lang said, 'The boat is still quite roomy. Why shouldn't we save him?'" Liu Acheng told the story at an easy pace. "Later, bandits caught up with them, and Wang Lang wanted to abandon the man. Hua Xin said, 'That was precisely what I feared when I opposed letting him aboard. But now that we've accepted him, how can we simply abandon him?' So he insisted on taking the man along as they fled. Later generations used this to judge which of the two was superior... Lord Ren! It seems that I am Wang Lang, while you are Hua Xin."

"That's going too far." Liu Jili answered before the other two could... Of course, it might also have been that Liu Rengong and his son lacked the education to grasp the story's implications yet. "If it were a matter of saving someone, Acheng, given your character, you certainly wouldn't abandon him lightly. Right now, we're merely weighing our options while we still have room to spare. Why should you belittle yourself? Acheng, your request today was made entirely out of kindness. You've done nothing wrong..."

When did I say I'd done anything wrong? I was merely reflecting that I'm a more pragmatic person, like Wang Lang, and had overlooked the characteristics of the age and the standards by which it judges people.

Was Wang Lang really so terrible? He was one of the Three Ducal Ministers of Cao Wei, all right? Even Romance of the Three Kingdoms had to invent a scene where he was scolded to death.

Liu Acheng felt helpless inwardly, but quickly waved his hand. "In any case, I was too hasty in this matter. Besides, I made another mistake earlier. Without Lord Ren's reminder today, it might have caused trouble later..."

As he spoke, he hastily disclosed how he had secretly taken away the Slave Retainers.

"What sort of problem is that?" Liu Rengong paid it no mind at all on hearing this, and even seemed somewhat relieved. "Rest easy, Acheng. Put this on my account. I'll speak to Elder Gao and explain your circumstances, and how, since I cannot conveniently return just now and could not bear to see him placed in such difficulty, I took it upon myself to accept the Slave Retainers for him... Actually, I can see a little of what sort of man Gao Jian is. He won't quibble over these scraps of reputation, so don't worry. Even I, after all my years in the Huai River region, don't really care about such empty fame. It's just that, in times like these, we all have clans. Our personal reputations have long been tied to our clansmen and relatives, leaving us no choice but to act this way."

As he spoke, Liu Rengong took his hand there on the mat and addressed him earnestly. "Acheng, I'm actually very happy you came to ask me to return. You young people being able to shoulder matters yourselves is a tremendous blessing. If you can make your way in the world in the future, I'll be happier still. But there truly is no need to rush... Unless something has reached the point of life or death, slow down a little. You may find that it leaves you more room to maneuver."

Although Liu Acheng did not agree, he still nodded and accepted the lesson.

They had no choice but to drop the matter, yet life had to go on.

Not long after leaving Liu Rengong's room, they saw the cart escort arrive. Liu Huzi still did not go with them, while Liu Jili and Liu Acheng, as always, shouldered their firewood and escorted the cart toward Jiankang.

The journey went smoothly.

In fact, even the minor officials guarding the Three Bridges Hedge Gate had realized that this distinctive procession was almost certainly delivering daily necessities to the Second-Rank Elite Clans inside the city. They did not inspect it at all, merely lowering their heads to take the prepared eleven-cash city entry tax.

Once inside the city, they avoided several carriage processions belonging to great houses along the way, then followed the familiar route straight into Black Robe Alley and entered the Xie Residence on schedule, a little after noon.

But just as they began unloading, Steward Qian neither inspected the goods nor calculated the accounts. Instead, he abruptly seized the two Lius and pulled them aside. "The Fourth Young Master-the Xie Eastern Mountain you speak of-gave instructions earlier that, whenever you arrived, I was to report directly to him. He wishes to summon you!"

The two Lius exchanged looks, both astonished, then delighted... Wasn't this exactly what Liu Jili had been waiting for?

Liu Acheng's thoughts took a few more turns. When he first came to the Xie Family, he had genuinely intended only to do business. Otherwise, last time he would not have told Steward Qian to keep the business separate from the two of them should anything go wrong.

By the same token, back on Flower Mountain, his first thought had also been of those bolts of cloth.

But after everything he had experienced by now, how could he fail to understand that recognition from these great houses was the most precious resource of the age?

Even if you're building a fortified manor... Take another step back: even if you aren't building one and only want to make money through unconventional means, you still need resources on this level to grow big and strong, don't you? Look at Master Du Ming. Doesn't he have to curry favor with great houses like these too?

Besides, this is Xie An. If you had to draw up a top-ten ranking for this era, or name seven or eight outstanding figures who towered above their times, he'd make the list however you counted, wouldn't he? Wang Meng, Fu Jian, Huan Wen, Murong Ke, Murong Chui-and then wouldn't it be Xie An and Xie Xuan? Add Ran Min and Wang Xizhi, each brilliant in a narrow field, and he's in the top ten no matter what!

Meeting such a man even once might not quite justify saying that his transmigration had not been in vain, but it would certainly be a rare experience in a lifetime.

So any amount of excitement was justified.

"Don't lose your composure, you two. The Fourth Young Master is not in the residence at present." Seeing their reaction, Steward Qian hurried to rein them in. "He has gone to visit a friend, but he will certainly return this afternoon, because he has already arranged to continue lessons with the young gentlemen and ladies in the courtyard... Why don't you wash your hair while you have the time? In case there are lice."

The two looked at each other. Though they knew he meant well, they still felt put out. In the end, only Liu Jili suppressed his impatience and waved a hand. "We washed our hair just four or five days ago. We have no lice. Besides, we don't know when Xie Eastern Mountain will return. Wouldn't it be discourteous if we had to see him halfway through washing?"

Steward Qian could only let the matter drop.

After that, Liu Jili was plainly flustered, unable to sit or stand still in the rear courtyard. Liu Acheng, on the other hand, still remembered his actual work after the excitement passed, and again urged Steward Qian to settle the accounts and prepare the silver, cash, and grain, especially since they had brought a new product this time: dyed paper.

Yet Steward Qian was actually a little flustered too. He said dyed paper was uncommon, and he had ordinarily only heard of government offices using yellow-dyed paper for the Yellow Register. They would have to wait for the master of the residence to see it in person.

He paid no heed whatsoever to the fact that he had previously examined the sample and agreed.

Amid this muddle, Liu Acheng could see that, unless they met Xie An today-or rather, until their meeting with Xie An was over-these two would probably be unable to settle their minds... Liu Acheng could only understand. Wasn't he himself constantly pondering what to say when they met?

At that thought, he simply plopped down beneath the kitchen eaves in this side courtyard and stared blankly at the gloomy sky.

Seeing this, Liu Jili finally realized that he had lost his composure. He hurriedly stopped pacing in circles, then likewise plopped down and stared blankly at the sky.

At last, a little over an hour after noon, when the escorts from the Way of the Celestial Masters and the camp had already headed back, someone ran over from the front and said something to Steward Qian, who was circling about there. He immediately called out to the two Lius, insisting that they wait for his return, then hurried toward the front.

Reaching the front courtyard, he discovered that Xie An had already alighted from his carriage and headed straight for his quarters on the northern side of the residence. He hastened after him, but upon reaching the courtyard, heard Xie Eastern Mountain's wife losing her temper inside. The head of the household's Slave Retainers was frightened into stopping at once.

"It was one thing when you were at Eastern Mountain, but now you're back in Jiankang, all you think about every day when you come home is teaching your nephews and nieces. If you have that much energy, why don't you devote it to teaching your own child?" Clearly, Xie An's wife, Lady Liu, was unhappy that he spent his days tutoring his nephews and nieces rather than giving special lessons to their own son, Xie Yao.

"How am I not teaching my own child?" Xie An was not angry in the slightest. Instead, he made a joke. "Look, the very act of teaching my nephews and nieces is itself a practical lesson for him. That is called leading by example."

Lady Liu could only sigh.

Xie An playfully coaxed his wife a little, but did not dare pursue the discussion. He knew full well that two of his three elder brothers held high office, while the wife of the one who did not happened to bear the surname Wang. Thus, within the inner residence, his own wife often felt ashamed of her inferiority before her sisters-in-law. It was only natural for her to vent it on him.

Besides, coaxing his wife was one thing. The lesson still had to be taught.

So he casually picked up the poetry collection on the couch, took it in his hand, and headed outside-it was Ruan Ji's Eighty-Two Poems of Remembrance. This book was probably the very cause of his wife's outburst, because children of his eldest brother, Xie Yi, made up roughly eighty percent of his pupils. Xie Yi's wife was a descendant of the Ruan Clan, and she had presumably had this book copied and sent it to him as a gift.

Coming out through the door, he saw Steward Qian and could not help being surprised. "Why are you here, old servant?"

Steward Qian dared not delay and hurriedly clasped his hands and bowed. "Fourth Young Master, last time you instructed us that, if those two flute-playing youths from the Liu Clan of Pengcheng arrived, you must see them. They are in the service courtyard at the back and have been waiting all afternoon. Would you like to see them? Where would you meet them? Together or separately?"

Holding the poetry collection behind his back, Xie An considered for a moment, then nodded. "Since they have already waited all afternoon, how could I not see them? In my reception room, then. That will be suitably formal... One at a time."

Hua Xin and Wang Lang were fleeing together by boat when a man sought to join them. Hua Xin objected. Wang Lang said, "Fortunately, there is still room. Why should he not?" Later, when bandits caught up with them, Wang Lang wished to abandon the man they had taken along. Hua Xin said, "This was precisely why I had reservations at the outset. Now that we have accepted his entrusting himself to us, how can we abandon him in an emergency?" Thus, they continued to take him along and protect him as before. The world used this to judge the superiority of Hua Xin over Wang Lang.

-New Account of Tales of the World, "Virtue and Conduct," first section

Emperor Gao, the Great Ancestor... Having gained Xie Ju's appreciation, he frequently came and went in Black Robe Alley. One day, Grand Tutor Xie returned from Eastern Mountain. Greatly startled upon seeing him, he said to Xie Ju, "Who is that man, with the backward glance of an eagle and the stare of a wolf, bearing the physiognomy of King Xuan?" Xie Ju scoffed. "Why do you not instead call him a talent to aid a king, bearing the physiognomy of Duke Xun?" He continued to look after him as before.

Chronicle of Jiangzuo, Qi, Pei Songzhi