The nation lay broken, yet its mountains and rivers remained

Cao Mao merely looked calmly at Yang Zong before him.

The two officials at his side were like the Great Han, already fallen, and the Jin, yet to come.

One was rigid and stubborn, firmly believed in the teachings of the sages, and held himself to the highest moral standards. He dreamed of realizing his ambitions, governing the realm, and bringing peace to the people-a true scholar of the Great Han.

The other had abandoned himself to despair, discarded every conviction, and lost hope in everything. He lived in a drunken stupor, utterly gave up and lay flat, and scorned all propriety and rules-a wild, dissolute scholar of Wei and Jin through and through.

Wei, caught between Han and Jin, could see both kinds of men at once.

The young Guo Ze came from the past, while the elderly Yang Zong came from the future.

Cao Mao did not dislike Yang Zong. He did not need to wait until later; he could understand him already.

Perhaps long ago, he too had been a scholar of the Great Han like Guo Ze, his heart burning with sincerity, eager to display his talents and govern the realm well through the teachings of the sages.

But after experiencing the coup launched by Sima Yi, he had been utterly shattered.

He discovered that everything he had studied over the years could not explain the actions unfolding before him, and that all the abilities he had acquired could not solve a single problem.

He suddenly realized how insignificant he was.

So he chose to abandon everything.

He began taking mineral powders and drinking heavily, lying beneath the shade of trees all day, stripped of his clothes, doing nothing.

Whenever he saw Guo Ze, he remembered his younger self.

Perhaps one day, when Guo Ze discovered that what he had learned could not save the realm either, his spirit would collapse, and he too would become like Yang Zong now, muddling through the rest of his life in a daze.

This was how a scholar of the Great Han became a wild scholar of Wei and Jin.

"Your plan is quite good, Lord Yang. I would voluntarily request that the Prince of Pengcheng inherit the throne, making a choice on behalf of the imperial clan and siding with Sima Shi. Sima Shi has always wanted the support of the Great Wei Imperial Clan. He even actively encouraged the younger members of his family to befriend members of the Cao imperial clan."

"He has even genuinely improved our lives. He abolished many restrictions on the princes and reduced how often their fiefs were reassigned. At least the imperial clan no longer has to go hungry."

"I have something of a reputation within the imperial clan. If I offered Sima Shi goodwill on their behalf and declared our allegiance, how happy he would be! Perhaps he might even reward me with a few bones to chew."

"All I would have to do is wag my tail. What a splendid idea, Lord Yang!"

Hearing Cao Mao's words, Yang Zong shook his head again.

"Alas, this is precisely what I feared."

"Lord Cao, there is nothing wrong with wanting to survive. There is no need to make it sound so ugly."

"Wasn't staying alive the very reason you refused Wang Su?"

"Aren't you so impatient in your daily affairs, grabbing at anything like a starving man, because you are afraid?"

Cao Mao laughed, showing his white teeth. "I am afraid, and I do want to live. But I don't want to be someone's dog."

"There is certainly nothing wrong with wanting to survive. But surrendering to the enemy to stay alive, and then guiding them in-that is the behavior of a beast!"

"Then what do you intend to do? Cast off your status as a member of the imperial clan? Run away? To Ba-Shu? To Eastern Wu? To the frontier?"

Anger also surfaced on Yang Zong's face.

"Do you truly think Sima Shi is merely there for decoration? You are in Yuan City. Where could you possibly run? Do you think Sima Shi will stop caring about you simply because you refuse to become emperor?"

"Given his nature, unless you follow my advice and offer your allegiance, if you refuse again, there is a twenty percent chance he will imprison you for life!"

"And an eighty percent chance he will simply send someone to kill you, cutting off any future trouble!"

As he spoke, Yang Zong slowly rose, picked up the wine before him, and said indignantly, "Life or death-the choice is yours! I have done everything kindness and duty demand!"

"That fellow Guo Ze will get us all killed sooner or later!"

"Every word out of his mouth is about the realm, the common people, the sages, morality... the Great Han fell long ago!"

Muttering curses under his breath, Yang Zong left the study without looking back.

Cao Mao was left alone in the room.

He tilted his head back and heaved a long sigh.

Yes, the Great Han had already fallen.

The Great Han's idealism had been slain by brutal reality, leaving behind corpses like Yang Zong that no longer gave off warmth.

Cao Mao had originally hoped to escape his status as a member of the imperial clan, conceal his name, and flee elsewhere.

But now it seemed the Sima Family would not even need to act. Given Cao Wei's vigilance against the imperial clan, even if they demoted him to a commoner, they would never let him go free.

Besides, the man he faced now was Sima Shi.

Even if Sima Shi died a year later, there was still Sima Zhao.

Sima Zhao might not match his elder brother, but he was certainly no mediocrity. Not one of those first three generations of the Sima Family was easy to deal with.

As a prince of Cao Wei, living in the heart of the empire, was it realistic for him to escape the Imperial Court's control and flee?

He would not make it ten li before Cao Wei's armored cavalry hunted him down, leaving him dead without a grave.

But if he became emperor, wouldn't he die all the same?

Was becoming a dog truly the only way to survive?

Bang, bang, bang.

Someone knocked on the door, interrupting Cao Mao's thoughts.

"My lord? Someone has come to visit!"

It was Liu Lu's voice outside the door.

Cao Mao rose and opened it.

He saw Liu Lu looking at him with a broad smile, with two other people standing beside him.

One old, one young.

The old man was the one who had previously asked Cao Mao for help, and the child beside him was his grandson.

A smile appeared on Cao Mao's face. "It's you, honored elder. Please come inside."

The old man hurriedly shook his head. "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. A lowly man like me truly wouldn't dare enter."

"It's all right. Look, even Liu Lu comes in often!"

Liu Lu scratched his head. He did not feel belittled; instead, he joined in with a good-natured grin.

Cao Mao led the two inside. They had barely sat down when the old man hastily rose, brought his grandson with him, and knelt to offer Cao Mao a full formal bow.

"Please get up! Get up!"

"I wouldn't dare accept such a bow from an elder!"

Cao Mao hurriedly helped him to his feet.

The old man was overjoyed. "Lord Cao, the county sent people this morning to publicly clear my son's name and announce Shu Qu's crimes. This was all thanks to you. I cannot thank you enough. Your great kindness is more than I could ever repay!"

"There is no need to thank me."

"But you have lost your son and have such a young grandson to care for. How will you make a living from now on?"

The old man's eyes shone as he said confidently, "There is no need to worry, Lord Cao. I know a little carpentry. Though I no longer have the strength to till the fields, I can still earn a living. Neither of us eats much. My grandson is young, but he is very well-behaved. In a little while, he'll be able to help me work..."

The old man was full of vigor now, nothing like the numb, dazed figure who had stood outside the county office.

Cao Mao was momentarily taken aback. "You are quite optimistic. A few days ago, I was a little worried..."

"Ha ha, I know. You feared I might take my own life, didn't you, Lord Cao?"

"I still have a grandson to look after. How could I speak lightly of life and death?"

"Besides, my son was not buried with a stained name. I am already content. Compared with other families, we have fared much better."

"Ever since you moved to Yuan City, very few people have dared bully us anymore. All the common people of Yuan City are grateful for your kindness."

Cao Mao said, "The officials of Yuan City are truly hateful. Not a single one stands up for the people. I heard there used to be quite a few good officials here..."

"Ha ha ha..."

The old man laughed. "I have lived here for decades, but I have never seen any good officials. When have these people ever spared a thought for us common folk?"

"The common people in their eyes are probably all men like Shu Qu. Those of us with no farmland or houses can only be called vagabonds. Even when we suffer injustices as vast as the sky, no one ever stands up for us. You are the first!"

"I heard someone say the Imperial Court wants you to become emperor. That explains it, I thought. Only a true Son of Heaven could be like you."

Cao Mao frowned again and said nothing for a long time.

The old man was puzzled and could not help asking, "Does something seem to be troubling you, Lord Cao? Though I am old and feeble, and only a lowly man, if you have any instructions, I can be of service."

"It's nothing, nothing. Things simply haven't gone smoothly lately."

"Lord Cao, every household has its worries, and everyone has times when things go badly. There is no need to be so dejected. Old Wang, who lives next door to me, lost three sons and five grandsons in battle in Liangzhou, yet he still works hard to care for his gravely ill wife. Zhou Sheng, who lives across from me, had his legs broken and crawls to the fields every day..."

"We have never studied books. We aren't as clever as noble folk and don't understand lofty principles. But where in this world is there any sense in letting lifeless troubles torment a living person?"

"Whatever the trouble, there is always a way to resolve it. Besides, you are so benevolent, Lord Cao. Heaven itself will protect you. Why worry?"

The old man left with his grandson, thanking Cao Mao repeatedly for his kindness before departing.

Cao Mao, however, looked somewhat bewildered and lost in thought.

Suddenly, realization struck him.

Yang Zong was still drinking when he saw Cao Mao suddenly appear before him.

Cao Mao seized Yang Zong by the collar and stared straight into his eyes.

"The Great Han has not fallen!"

"Huh? What did you say?"

"The nation lay broken, yet its mountains and rivers remained!"

"Han has already been replaced by Wei, and Wei will be replaced by others! But this land beneath our feet! These people upon it! They will never change! Even two thousand years from now, they will still be the same people!"

"They will not bow their heads to hardship! They will not be crushed! They will not hide away like you, living in a drunken stupor!"

"And neither will I!"

"Huh???"