"Zishang, are you interested in trying it?" He Yan asked, looking at the curious Sima Zhao.
Sima Zhao's eyes gleamed. "Yes, yes... ow!"
While Sima Zhao was staring intently at the packet in He Yan's hand, he had no idea that his elder brother Sima Shi's fist was already coming down on his head.
"Brother?" Sima Zhao held his head and looked at Sima Shi with an innocent expression.
Sima Shi pressed a hand firmly onto Sima Zhao's head and said to He Yan, "My younger brother is young and knows no better. Please forgive him, Brother Pingshu."
He Yan gave the Sima brothers a meaningful look. "Ah, I sincerely wish to share this with everyone. If Zishang really is interested, why not give it a try?"
Sima Shi paused. He could tell at a glance that the stuff was nothing good.
Leaving aside whether it really could refresh the mind, the mere fact that it made people unbearably hot and prone to running around naked meant he would never let his younger brother Zhao try it.
Sima Shi suddenly cupped his hands. "Brother Pingshu, I understand the rules. If my younger brother truly likes it, he will certainly visit you in person another day to ask about the formula."
Those words struck right at He Yan's heart. He had poured so much painstaking effort into perfecting that formula; how could he simply give it away?
He Yan said with satisfaction, "That works too."
Then everyone turned the focus of the banquet back to bidding Xiahou Xian farewell, raising their cups and chatting merrily.
The day after that banquet, Xiahou Xian set out for Yang Province.
It was roughly a thousand li from Luoyang to Shouchun, the administrative seat of Yang Province. Including rest stops along the way, the one-way journey would take ten days or so.
Shouchun was also the administrative seat of Huainan Commandery, and could be called the foremost strategic city in all of Wei State's Yang Province.
It had originally been Jiujiang Commandery under the Han dynasty. After Yuan Shu usurped the imperial title, he renamed it Huainan Yin. Later, it became Wei State's Huainan Commandery.
Xiahou Xian's commandery governor's office was also in Shouchun, but his word did not carry the weight of nine tripods within the city.
How to put it? Yang Province was a "small pond with plenty of turtles." Besides Xiahou Xian's commandery governor's office, above it stood Wang Ling's office as inspector of Yang Province and Man Chong's office as General of the Front.
Thus, Xiahou Xian did not dare enter the city with great fanfare as his mother had instructed.
However, the grand procession of dozens of carriages was simply too conspicuous. Keeping a low profile was impossible. As a result, the moment they entered the city, the gate officials mistook them for merchants from elsewhere and stopped them.
"Uncle Shi, sorry for the trouble, but please go see what's happening." Hearing the commotion outside, Xiahou Xian hurriedly summoned Shi Feng.
"Please wait a moment, young master." Shi Feng immediately went out to take a look.
Before long, Shi Feng returned.
"Young master, the gate officials say they need to inspect our name cards, and also check the goods on our carts."
"Name cards?" Xiahou Xian raised his head slightly. "We left in such a hurry that we didn't bring any. Still, haven't they heard that a new governor of Huainan is coming to take office?"
Shi Feng shook his head.
Xiahou Xian thought he might as well let it go. Being newly arrived, he should treat others courteously. "Let them inspect the goods if they wish. As for name cards, tell them we have none."
"Yes." Shi Feng immediately climbed down and jogged over to the petty official inspecting the goods. "Soldier, our young master is the newly appointed governor of Huainan, not a traveling merchant. Could you perhaps make an exception?"
As he spoke, Shi Feng quietly slipped a string of jadeite beads into the petty official's hand. But the man refused to oblige. "He's the governor just because you say so? We're acting on orders. Stand aside."
The petty official's manner was certainly overbearing, but it was not unreasonable.
Spies from Wu State often disguised themselves as traveling merchants and brazenly slipped into Shouchun.
After Cao Xiu died, the first thing the newly appointed commander of Yang Province, Man Chong, did upon taking office was tighten inspections at the city gates.
Shi Feng could only wait to one side and watch the petty official work. He had thought the man would stop after making a show of it, but before long, a burly man in armor came over.
The man had a square face and a small, splayed mustache. He was clearly the superior of these gate officials.
At last, someone who was actually in charge. Shi Feng thought that explaining his young master's identity to this man should put an end to these tedious procedures.
Unexpectedly, just as Shi Feng was about to speak, the man beat him to it, pointing at a sack on a cart. "Open it!"
Shi Feng instructed the servants under him to comply. Once opened, it revealed some carefully wrapped Shu brocade.
A gleam appeared in the man's eyes. He reached out and felt the fabric. "Where have you merchants come from?"
"Uh..." Shi Feng had lost count of how many times he had explained this today. He paused. "We are..."
"Since you like it, General, you may have it."
Just then, Xiahou Xian suddenly appeared beside them.
"Young master." Feeling he had failed in his duties, Shi Feng lowered his head in shame.
"Oh? This young master is certainly generous." The man laughed heartily. "But I'm still curious where you have come from."
"Luoyang," Xiahou Xian replied at once.
The man's powerful frame jolted. He had heard that the court in Luoyang had recently dispatched a new commandery governor, supposedly of imperial clan descent.
He looked at the procession's splendor and immediately sensed that things had gone badly wrong.
"Young master, could you be...?" the man asked, cupping his hands.
"Xiahou Xian of Qiao County, newly appointed governor of Huainan." As he spoke, he turned to Shi Feng. "What, did Uncle Shi not inform you, General?"
The man's expression changed drastically, and he immediately dropped to one knee. "I did not know you were coming, Governor, and have given much offense. Please forgive me!"
Xiahou Xian hurriedly helped him up and said kindly, "There's no need for this, General. It was only a misunderstanding. Perhaps I arrived a few days earlier than the agreed date."
Xiahou Xian had said this deliberately to give him a way to save face. Looking at the burly armored man, he asked, "Oh, yes. I still haven't learned your name, General, or what position you currently hold."
The man had been thinking that this new governor seemed rather different from the previous ones, but those words put him on his guard.
Was he planning to settle accounts after the autumn harvest?
If that really was the case, there was nothing he could do. After some thought, he cupped his hands and said, "I am Wen Qin, currently serving as Huainan's headquarters general, responsible for Shouchun's city defenses."
Xiahou Xian's eyes lit up.
Wen Qin was a famous figure. Of course, most of his fame came from his son, Wen Yang. Judging by his appearance, Wen Qin at this time was probably only a few years older than Xiahou Xian.
In Xiahou Xian's memory, Wen Qin was arrogant, rude, and hot-tempered, which was why Cao Rui had "banished him to the frontier" to serve as a mere headquarters general.
"General Wen, please, rise." Xiahou Xian said earnestly, "You have done very well. These days, Eastern Wu's infiltration of our Great Wei seeps through every crack, and our Huainan bears the brunt!"
"With a general as devoted to his duties as you, General Wen, our Great Wei is truly fortunate."
Xiahou Xian showered him with praise, making no mention whatsoever of his sordid attempt to extort valuables.
Wen Qin, meanwhile, was left utterly bewildered by what he heard. Xiahou Xian's praise left him at a loss for words.
"General, after I take office, I will certainly put in a good word for you before Inspector Wang."
Wen Qin was instantly moved to tears of gratitude. Grasping Xiahou Xian's hand, he said excitedly, "Thank you, Governor!"
Wen Qin immediately ordered his subordinates to let them through.
Rows of carts rolled leisurely through the gate and into the city.
Suddenly, Wen Qin noticed that one cart had fallen behind. Laden with goods, it eventually stopped before the city gate.
Wen Qin went over to inspect it and discovered that it was the very cart carrying the precious Shu brocade from earlier.
"Governor, your goods!" Wen Qin tried to chase after him, but a household servant Xiahou Xian had left behind called him to a stop.
The servant bowed. "General, our young master said that since you like them, these are yours."
Wen Qin stared at the cart full of valuables, rooted to the spot.
On Shouchun's broad thoroughfare, Shi Feng drove the horses pulling Xiahou Xian's carriage.
After thinking for a long time, Shi Feng finally asked, "Young master, that General Wen was clearly a greedy man. Why give him so many valuables?"
It was clear that Shi Feng could not understand it at all.
Xiahou Xian replied, "Naturally, I know what sort of man he is. An ordinary person really might not think much of those things of ours."
"With people, you have to cater to their tastes."
"We've only just arrived. The officials in this city, great and small, may not truly be of one mind with me. Securing my position as commandery governor is bound to take some effort."
"But people like Wen Qin live simply."
"Since it's so easy to establish friendly relations with someone, why not?"