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Although the words were said and the reasoning was such, there was still a sense that matters weren't fully resolved, that his thoughts weren't completely at ease. Unfortunately, such was the way of the world.
Jia Qu took the gift list and excused himself first to calculate exactly how much would be just right...
Meanwhile, Fei Qian stood before the hall, feeling somewhat melancholy.
This world.
Morality, justice, order, fairness.
In an individual event, in a specific detail, these could be achieved. But when one widened the perspective and looked down upon the entire world, one would find these things were all illusory...
Believe that evildoers will one day be captured, brought to justice, then everyone rejoices, the whole world sings with joy?
Fine, even if they are caught, the question is...
Caught by whom?
The judiciary.
In the Han Dynasty, that meant imperial authority. In later ages, it meant such-and-such...
So where did imperial authority and that such-and-such come from?
How did Liu Bang get his throne?
By killing Xiang Yu.
So-called kingship, so-called ruling power, is the right to speak seized by one political group after snatching it from another political group.
Primitive society cursed slave society as robbers and murderers; slave society damned feudal society as demons and executioners. The losers are ugly; the winners have the right to make the rules.
In his past life, Fei Qian was someone with the most upright of values. Moreover, the philosophical concept of seeing the essence through the phenomenon was taught from junior high school. These ideas were constantly emphasized, constantly repeated. But it wasn't until Fei Qian stepped into society and truly began struggling in the mortal world that he discovered everything had already been explained, clearly, plainly, in black and white...
Just like Laozi's "The Way that can be spoken of is not the constant Way." It wasn't that it wasn't said; it was that one didn't comprehend it.
It was all said long ago. If you didn't understand, whose fault was it?
Right?
Just like now. Unless Fei Qian had the power to sweep aside the scholar-official families, to topple all the Han Dynasty's gentry clans, then acting recklessly and overturning the table at the slightest disagreement was merely a quick path to death.
Therefore, it could only be handled this way—still sit down and play "Fight the Landlord"...
Wasn't the entire history of the Three Kingdoms period handled this way?
First, they fought for the Landlord role, and Cao Cao won it...
Oh yeah, Cao Cao was holding the Joker pair.
Then the two poor, lower-middle peasants began fighting the landlord...
Right, it's the same.
Fei Qian smiled self-mockingly. To be honest, if he introduced playing cards and mahjong, wouldn't they become wildly popular across the country...
Fei Qian took a couple of steps outside, just about to head towards where the black-robed elder was being held, when he suddenly saw Xu Huang standing to one side, bowing with clasped hands towards him.
"Does Gongming have something to discuss?" Fei Qian asked.
Xu Huang bowed slightly, hesitated for a moment, but still said, "May I ask the Lord, how do you intend to deal with the bandit leader Li Le?"
Li Le, mentioning him by name...
"Naturally, execute him, report it to the court as a warning to others." Although Fei Qian didn't know why Xu Huang seemed to have some particular feelings regarding Li Le, for defeated White Wave bandit leaders, especially fallen ones, there was never a second choice.
Xu Huang's expression was subtle—seemingly somewhat relieved, yet also somewhat expectant. He said, "I have a favor to ask. I hope the Lord will grant it."
"Please speak, Gongming."
"The original Magistrate of Yong'an was my elder clansman. He died unjustly at the hands of the bandit Li... Therefore, I wish to request a written order from the Lord, to personally behead the bandit Li, to offer sacrifices to my clansman's spirit in heaven..." Having said this, Xu Huang gave Fei Qian a deep bow.
This, of course, was no problem. Li Le was to be executed anyway; who did it made no difference. Since Xu Huang raised the request, naturally there was no reason to refuse.
Suddenly, an idea struck Fei Qian. He immediately called for paper and brush, wrote an order, and handed it to Xu Huang. Then he said, "I also have a favor to ask. I hope Gongming will consent."
Xu Huang paused slightly and said, "I dare not presume the word 'favor.' The Lord may give his command."
"Your clansman was originally the Magistrate of Yong'an, possessing a fine reputation. Yet he met this calamity. Now, the people of Yong'an are fearful and unsettled; everything lies in ruins awaiting revival. Having no one in charge is truly not proper. I hope Gongming can continue your clansman's work, shoulder this heavy responsibility, assume the duties of County Magistrate, guard the peace of the region, relieve the people's suffering, and fulfill your clansman's last wishes. I wonder if Gongming is willing?"
Who knew what the last wishes of Xu Huang's clansman were? But at least at the moment the White Wave Army arrived, he was willing to resist strenuously, which meant he was a relatively competent official. So giving some positive evaluation wasn't excessive. Moreover, this was the best position Fei Qian could currently offer.
Pingyang County was a defunct county. It would require Fei Qian reporting to the court and going through procedures before he could officially cast the seal and appoint a magistrate. Puzi County had Chen Rui. So the only vacant magistrate position was Yong'an County's. With this particular relationship involved, it was just right to offer it to retain Xu Huang's service. Truly most suitable.
However, Xu Huang did not immediately accept with eager delight. Instead, he asked, "Yong'an still belongs to Hedong. Why..."
"Oh, it's like this..." Fei Qian explained his agreement with Wang Yi, then said, "Gongming, with your loyal character and righteous blood, you are a man of great talent. However, Yong'an City is small, insufficient for you to fully display your abilities. Please stay there for a while. When the time comes for military action in Shangjun, you can follow the example of Ban Chao, achieving complete victory and carving a stele at Mount Yanran."
Mount Yanran, carving a stele... Xu Huang lowered his head, eyebrows slightly downcast. After remaining silent for a while, he agreed.
Earlier, Wang Yi had wished to appoint Xu Huang as Commandant. A Commandant ranked equivalent to two thousand shi. But Xu Huang understood that Commandant position might not be easy to handle...
Though the Hedong Commandant position was high-ranking, he would need to obey Wang Yi's orders. And Wang Yi's performance in this Hedong conflict was clearly less impressive than Fei Qian's. Furthermore, even if this matter was temporarily concluded, Wang Yi and the Wei clan would still have to face each other daily thereafter—hardly a recipe for stability. As Commandant, he would either be a figurehead unable to control the entire commandery's troops or be forced into direct confrontation with the Wei clan, becoming Wang Yi's pawn in the struggle for military power against them.
Therefore, Xu Huang hadn't immediately accepted Wang Yi's offer back then but delayed it.
Now he had a second choice. Though the Yong'an County Magistrate was only equivalent to one thousand shi, it was a local chief position, a proper appointment. Apart from being accountable to Fei Qian, the regional Lord, he could decide other matters independently. Moreover, there was his clansman's reputation, and he could avoid direct conflict with the Hedong Wei clan. In the future, if Fei Qian truly managed to reclaim Shangjun, there would naturally be room for promotion.
In the Han Dynasty, no merit was greater than expanding territory; no noble title was more prestigious than military achievement.
Thus, in the end, Xu Huang decided to choose the smaller position with greater potential—Magistrate of Yong'an—rather than Wang Yi's larger but more restrictive position—Hedong Commandant.
Of course, Fei Qian was unaware of these considerations. Seeing Xu Huang willing to join his command, he was greatly pleased. He immediately had someone bring the official seal of Yong'an County and placed it in Xu Huang's hands.
Xu Huang performed a grand bow of gratitude. After receiving the seal, he silently rubbed it for a moment, showing a trace of sorrow, then put it away properly, regaining his composure. He bid farewell to Fei Qian and headed towards Yong'an.