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The sky had already grown quite dark, and at this hour, Pang Degong would likely have already retired for the night. He had already disturbed Pang Degong once today; to trouble him again so late would be even more improper. So, Fei Qian gathered up his scattered emotions and made his way toward the wooden hut.
By the time he reached the wooden hut, although the familiar surroundings still stirred a sharp pang of grief within him, it was already much better than when he had first heard the news. His heart had calmed considerably.
Entering the courtyard, he found Pang Tong and the others seated in the open atrium, taking advantage of the last lingering rays of the setting sun to read from the scrolls in their hands.
Pang Tong, being a youth, was shooting up in height at a rapid pace. Compared to before, he was now taller by more than half a head. He sat there, a bamboo scroll dangling idly in his hand as he read. Seeing Fei Qian enter, he first stole a glance at Fei Qian's expression. Then, with a beaming grin, he stood up, circled around Fei Qian twice, and let out a couple of hearty laughs. Wagging his head with a hint of smugness, he declared, "Nothing so black as a fox, nothing so dark as a crow!"
Fei Qian remained silent. As Pang Tong circled past him, he suddenly shot out an arm and locked Pang Tong's large head under his elbow, teasing him, "Oh, wonderful! You little dolt of a bird, your wings have hardened, have they? You dare come and mock me now!"
"Ah! Ah! Let go, you big water-fish, bullying me with brute strength again!" Pang Tong howled and wailed, struggling with all his might. Yet although Pang Tong had indeed grown, compared to Fei Qian, who had been tempered by a life of military campaigns, their strength was not on the same level at all. No matter how he thrashed, he could not break free, drawing a round of laughter from Zao Zhi and the others nearby.
Fei Qian held Pang Tong's head close and, while everyone's attention was elsewhere, whispered a word of thanks into Pang Tong's ear. Only then did he release him.
Pang Tong gave a disgruntled snort and scuttled off to one side.
Zao Zhi, Xu Shu, and Taishi Ming all stepped forward one by one to exchange formal greetings with Fei Qian.
Afterwards, they all gathered together and sat down in the open atrium...
Looking at where everyone was seated, Fei Qian suddenly felt a sense of dazed unreality and froze, stunned, for several seconds.
The group fell silent for a moment.
Fei Qian came back to himself and smiled. "It's nothing, nothing. I just suddenly remembered how we used to sit together like this and debate all sorts of questions... In the blink of an eye, it seems as though so much time has passed... Have you all been continuing your discussions lately?"
Zao Zhi nodded. "Naturally, we have."
A sudden spark of interest ignited in Fei Qian. "What questions have you been discussing then?"
Zao Zhi replied, "After you left, we spent some time debating the governance of commanderies and counties, and we also discussed the Covenant of Suanzao..."
Xu Shu, who was seated to the side, suddenly let out a snort of suppressed laughter. Seeing everyone turn to look at him, he hastily waved his hands and said, "It's nothing, nothing. It's just that when Zijing mentioned it, I was suddenly reminded of who ultimately won the debate on the Covenant of Suanzao..."
The moment Xu Shu's words fell, it set off a round of muffled snickers and chuckles from the group.
As for Taishi Ming, he sat to the side, scratching his head in some embarrassment.
"Zijian, were you the one who won that particular debate on the Covenant of Suanzao?" Fei Qian also found the thought amusing. With several fellows of such exceptional intelligence and decisive minds debating together, the final conclusion must have been a brilliant one.
Taishi Ming grunted an affirmative and then said, "Well, it was just a lucky coincidence. Everyone else had made such excellent points at the time, and then I simply said that, in the end, Chancellor Dong would run away..."
Pang Tong, off to the side, slapped his thigh and roared with laughter. "That's it! That's exactly it! Oh my, it still cracks me up... At the time, Yuanzhi and I had analyzed every single general from Shandong to Shanxi, and it all fell short of that one sentence from Zijian..."
"Oh? What exactly did Zijian say at the time?"
Taishi Ming hemmed and hawed for a long moment before replying, "...At the time, I said, when two men in my village fight, the one who can't win always runs..."
Fei Qian was momentarily stunned, then burst into hearty laughter himself. No wonder Pang Tong and Xu Shu had been so thoroughly amused. It wasn't that they were mocking Taishi Ming; rather, they found it hilarious that, when faced with the exact same tangled knot of hemp, Pang Tong and Xu Shu had each delved deep into the nature of the fibers, the density distribution, and other such profound analyses of the tangle, launching into exhaustive discussions of every conceivable possibility. But Taishi Ming had simply stepped forward, casually plucked at one loose end... and unraveled the whole thing.
That was the sheer absurdity of it.
Fei Qian said, "Zijian was right, complex matters are sometimes truly that simple. Hmm... Thank you, all of you. I understand the meaning behind your words." Although the method of consolation had been rather unique, he was still deeply grateful for it.
Pang Tong let out a triumphant "Ha!" and stretched out a hand to either side. "Come now, one silver bean from each of you. A wager is a wager; you must accept your loss..."
"Huh?" Fei Qian was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. "You actually used me as the subject of a bet... Tell me, how were the odds calculated?"
Pang Tong, looking immensely pleased with himself as he collected the silver beans, explained, "I bet that you would grasp it by the first round. Yuanzhi and Zijing bet on the second round. As for Zijian... he's just a child—not allowed to participate..."
"Taishi Ming is still a child? He's even older than you, isn't he?" Fei Qian shook his head. "I wouldn't have guessed you had such confidence in me..."
"That's a matter of generational seniority; it's different. Besides, no matter what, you're still a water-fish..." Pang Tong bobbed his large head from side to side.
Fei Qian ignored Pang Tong's unspoken insinuation and instead said, "Since everyone seems to be in good spirits today, how about we debate another question?"
"All under Heaven?" Pang Tong asked.
"Something like that. The Two Yuans," Fei Qian replied.
Xu Shu chuckled lightly. "We actually debated this very question just a few days ago."
"Oh? And what conclusions did you reach?" Fei Qian inquired.
"Zijing believes it will be Yuan Benchu. I believe it will be Wang Zishi. Shiyuan and Zijian believe it will be neither," Xu Shu stated.
Zao Zhi nodded and elaborated, "Yuan Gonglu is unbearably arrogant and overbearing. Although he has many followers, they are as scattered and incohesive as loose sand. Yuan Benchu, though confined to Ji Province alone, treats others with humility and deference. Many scholars from Yu Province have thus traveled north to join him."
Xu Shu followed up, succinct and to the point: "But Wang Zishi holds the great moral authority of righteousness."
Fei Qian nodded and turned to Taishi Ming. "And what of Zijian's opinion then?"
Taishi Ming said, "I... I just feel, when two brothers are fighting, but there's a whole crowd of people standing around watching... even if one of them wins, it might not necessarily be a good thing..."
Pang Tong nodded in agreement. "My thinking is along the same lines. Besides, both of the Yuans have shown themselves to be far too impatient..." Pang Tong had originally intended to say more but, after a quick glance at Fei Qian, swallowed the rest of his words.
It was Fei Qian, however, who spoke frankly, without hesitation: "Is it because it goes against the proper rites?"
Pang Tong nodded. Since Fei Qian had broached the subject openly, he no longer held back. "Although the custom of observing mourning rites upon an elder's passing has not been enshrined as a codified law, to defy it so blatantly will inevitably invite scorn and ridicule. That is the first point. The second is this: to this day, neither of the Two Yuans has raised a clear banner of purpose. Before, one could still claim it was for the sake of the state and the imperial altars, to avenge a family blood debt. But now that Chancellor Dong is dead, they yet continue, without pause, to recruit soldiers and purchase horses... Such conduct, inevitably, carries a certain..."