The Prince of Yongqiu was Cao Zhi, the loser of the struggle for the succession all those years ago.
After Cao Pi ascended the throne, he had specially established supervisory envoys to "assist" the princes in their fiefs and keep them under control.
This assistance, of course, included a whole series of special attentions, such as monitoring their words and deeds and restricting them from leaving their fiefs.
One could say that the princes of Great Wei were worse off than dogs.
It was perfectly normal for Cao Zhi to feel discontented.
But a former heir who had once been deeply favored by Cao Cao and had contended with Cao Pi for years could hardly have been foolish enough to choose this moment to court death.
The supposed drunken ravings were most likely a deliberate fabrication by the supervisory envoy, and who had instructed him went without saying.
Cao Pi was a very petty man, and his ability to handle affairs could not begin to compare with his father Cao Cao's.
That was not to say Cao Cao was necessarily broad-minded, but at least he knew how to weigh gains against losses and rarely let things go to his head.
That was precisely the problem Man Chong had faced at the time.
Cao Pi plainly intended to convict Cao Zhi. Would you still dare handle the case impartially?
Xiahou Xian pondered for a moment before finally speaking in a grave voice. "I would report the truth to His Majesty and clear the Prince of Yongqiu's name."
Man Chong paused, then asked solemnly, "Prefect Xiahou, are you aware of what is at stake?"
"I am," Xiahou Xian said. "But I would not turn black into white just to become a blade in someone else's hand."
"Do you truly think so?" Even Man Chong's manner of addressing Xiahou Xian suddenly changed.
Xiahou Xian said earnestly, "I did not enter office to enjoy wealth and glory, but to make our Great Wei more prosperous."
"If officials disregard the law, fawn upon the powerful, and act only according to the looks on others' faces, sooner or later our Great Wei will follow in the footsteps of Emperors Huan and Ling."
"Hmm..." Man Chong drew out the sound and stood with his hands behind his back, remaining silent for a long time. Only after a while did he speak again. "I thought you would be a wastrel like your honored father. Now it seems I misjudged you."
Man Chong sat down solemnly. "In that case, I shall entrust this matter to you."
Xiahou Xian listened quietly.
Man Chong declared, "I have decided to suspend trade with Eastern Wu for the time being. What do you think?"
Xiahou Xian considered Man Chong's intentions, then replied after a little thought, "I believe it is feasible. To be frank, our Huainan region itself produces abundant grain, and with supplies from Qing Province and Xu Province to the north, it can fully support our large army stationed in Huainan."
"As for trade with Eastern Wu, there were never many merchants traveling back and forth to begin with. With war year after year recently, there have been fewer still."
"Rather than keep this channel open for a cup of water against a cartload of burning firewood, we might as well cut it off outright."
"If I may venture a guess, General, you intend to root out some of Wu State's intelligence network in our Huainan."
"Precisely," Man Chong said, picking up the thread. "Eastern Wu's spies have been infiltrating our Huainan for years, yet the Grand Marshal back then paid it no heed."
"My first task upon taking office will be to tear this intelligence network of Eastern Wu out by the roots."
In fact, Xiahou Xian had already guessed earlier what Man Chong intended to do.
What he did not understand was why Wang Ling had been so angry when this was clearly a good thing. Only Man Chong's next words made Xiahou Xian see the light.
Man Chong said, "Furthermore, Eastern Wu's spies in Huainan do more than merely pass along intelligence."
"They have even had dealings, to varying degrees, with officials at every level here in Huainan."
"This is even more serious than stealing military intelligence. If officials or generals in key positions turn their weapons against us in battle, our Huainan will be trapped, unable to advance or retreat."
Man Chong said a great deal in one stretch, as though he had already had all these matters firmly in mind before taking office.
Xiahou Xian could not help admiring Man Chong's practical spirit.
After some thought, he suddenly lowered his voice deliberately. "General, Inspector Wang was angered by this just now. Could it be...?"
Xiahou Xian wanted to draw something out of Man Chong and see whether he already had evidence of Wang Ling's misconduct.
But Man Chong said, "Master Xiahou, do not be so suspicious of your colleagues."
"Inspector Wang is somewhat hot-tempered, but there was indeed some merit in what he said."
"Still, what needs investigating must be investigated. If he truly is involved, I shall naturally handle it impartially."
"Yes!" Xiahou Xian nodded in acknowledgment. The two looked at one another in silence for a while before he asked Man Chong, "May I ask where I should begin investigating, General?"
Man Chong stroked his somewhat graying beard, seemingly having waited for this very question from Xiahou Xian. "I plan to sever the trade routes with Jiangdong completely in a month. No, to be precise, all merchant traffic."
"Including merchants from our Wei State?" Xiahou asked.
"Precisely." Man Chong's expression was solemn. "I have already submitted a memorial to the court on this matter. A reply should arrive in a few days."
Uh... so Man Chong meant he had not yet received the court's approval.
Still, regional commanders did have the authority to make their own decisions on matters other than large-scale campaigns.
Man Chong's memorial was less a request than a notification.
"I shall openly release this news today. Those spies from Wu State will surely make a move."
"I shall give them one month."
Xiahou Xian nodded slightly in thought, understanding that this was meant to lure Wu State's spies into acting hastily so they would show their tails.
Having finished, Man Chong picked up the bamboo slips on the table and began reading them carefully again. "Very well. I shall leave that matter to you, Prefect Xiahou."
Xiahou Xian took the hint, cupped his hands, and withdrew.
Xiahou Xian returned to the prefect's residence and, after spending much of the day busy, finally had time to take a look at his own estate.
Come to think of it, this estate was considerably grander than the prefects' residences in other commanderies.
Its buildings had tiered upper chambers and winding corridors that looped around and connected with one another. In the courtyard, rocks had been piled into hills, and water channeled into ponds.
Xiahou Xian had learned by chance that this had once been Yuan Shu's residence as General of the Left, before he proclaimed himself emperor.
It was no small feat for it to have survived the turmoil of war. He had heard that in spring and summer, the fragrance of flowers and birdsong greeted anyone who stepped inside.
Clearly, the previous prefect had also possessed quite refined tastes.
A pavilion stood in the middle of a small pond. It was the eleventh month, and at first glance the place looked rather desolate.
Xiahou Xian walked briskly into the pavilion and instructed Shi Feng to fetch a brazier. Then, bored and idle, he gazed at the artificial hill before him and tilted his ear to the murmuring stream.
Thinking back, he had really agreed without reservation to Man Chong's assignment on a sudden impulse today.
Admittedly, he very much agreed with Man Chong's views.
"To repel threats from without, one must first secure peace within." Those words applied even to the mere two commanderies of Wei State's Yang Province.
As a bridgehead on Great Wei's frontier, this region could not be allowed to crumble from within at Wu State's hands.
What gave Xiahou Xian a headache, however, was that he had only just arrived and had no foundation here whatsoever. He was a commander without a single soldier!
His connections in Luoyang were of no use here. There were quite a few people in his household, but he could hardly take his servants out to investigate cases.
After turning it over in his mind, he concluded that he needed to recruit some capable assistants as soon as possible to move the work forward.
Under the "dual-sovereign concept" practiced from the Eastern Han to the present, officials ranging from prefects to the Three Excellencies and the various generals all had the right to establish their own administrative staffs.
In this era, a commandery was treated as a state, and its prefect was like its sovereign.
Thus, even in an age when rites and music had crumbled, such as Wei and Jin, many people would continue to show loyalty to a superior they had once sincerely served, even if they were later transferred or promoted.
Hmm...
At this thought, Xiahou Xian considered asking around about useful talents in Shouchun when he had time.
Before that, however, he needed to find someone familiar with the city's defenses.
The city's defenses?
Xiahou Xian suddenly rose and called out to Shi Feng, who was outside the pavilion, approaching with the brazier.
"Uncle Shi, hurry and have the horses prepared!"