Chapter 073: The First Phase of the Nurturing Plan, Part Two

The plane leaves at ten and I’ll be home at midnight.

I cannot guarantee a noon update; it will likely be delayed until around five. My apologies.

First update of Sunday, here it is!

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“Ah Fu, what do you think?”

Just as Dian Wei and Man Chong were arguing, Deng Ji, seated on the other side of Cao Peng, suddenly spoke up and asked.

To be honest, if not for Dian Wei’s presence, neither Cao Peng nor Deng Ji would have been qualified to sit on the couch in this hall.

Even so, men like Wei Yan and Cao Ji could only take seats near the door.

As for Cao Peng, Deng Ji, and Xiahou Lan being seated nearer the front, there were special reasons. Xiahou Lan’s rank was not high, but at least he was a man under Cao Cao’s banner, and moreover a military commandant. That office was neither too high nor too low, but his status was there all the same.

Cao Peng and Deng Ji looked like scholars, so Man Chong regarded them with a certain degree of importance.

Without that, the two of them would likely have been seated with the rest, in the lower places.

Cao Peng was eating with relish. Though the flavor of food in this age could not compare with that of later times, it had its own charm.

In later ages, seasonings had been invented, and dishes seemed to be full of flavor. But at the end of the Later Han, wealthy official households commonly relied on rich broth to bring out taste. When great houses hired cooks, the first thing they asked was whether the man knew how to make broth. If not, he had no right to be called a cook.

As governor of Runan Commandery, Man Chong’s household naturally lacked for neither cooks nor comfort.

Hearing Deng Ji’s question, Cao Peng set down his chopsticks and knives, glanced at Man Chong and Dian Wei—staring at each other like a pair of fighting cocks—and could not help but laugh.

“The law is never separate from feeling and reason. Governor Man has his own difficulties, and Uncle Dian has his own position. It is hard to say who is right and who is wrong.”

As one who had enforced the law in a later age, Cao Peng said this only out of necessity.

Strict enforcement, punishment for every violation… in the end, it had all come to naught, leaving only ruined homes and broken lives, like a reflection in water or a flower in a mirror.

In this world, law is needed, but it can never be relied upon alone.

Man is a selfish creature, driven by desire and ambition. Even if one is an enforcer of the law, can one truly keep the scales perfectly balanced? Cao Peng did not believe so.

Having read the history of the Three Kingdoms thoroughly, Cao Peng knew who Cao Hong was.

He also knew Cao Hong’s relationship with Cao Cao, and he understood the position Cao Hong would later hold within Cao Wei. If one wished to secure a footing in Cao Wei, there were certain people one absolutely could not provoke. Cao Hong was one such man: Cao Cao’s kinsman, and also his lifesaving benefactor.

Cao Peng also knew that Man Chong was by no means to be underestimated.

In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Man Chong was not especially dazzling.

In scholarship, he could not compare with men like Guo Jia or Xun Yu, and in military command he was not among the famed Five Elite Generals. Yet whenever Cao Wei’s campaigns reached a stalemate, Man Chong would always be sent forth. Especially in the struggle against Eastern Wu, Sun Wu never seemed to gain the upper hand over him. Later, Man Chong rose to Grand Commandant and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Jing. Within Cao Wei, he was unquestionably a figure of rank and substance, equally capable in civil and military affairs.

So whether it was Cao Hong or Man Chong, not only must they not be offended, one must strive to build good relations with them.

“Brother-in-law, I remember that you also study the law, do you not?”

“Yes.”

“If you were in Governor Man’s position, what would you do?”

Deng Ji said decisively, “Since the magistrate of Langling has been levying excessive taxes and extorting the people, he has already broken the law. If he is not held to account, then the statutes will lose all force and deterrence, to the detriment of Lord Cao’s great cause.”

At that moment, Dian Wei and Man Chong also became attentive to the exchange between Cao Peng and Deng Ji.

Dian Wei immediately broke into a broad smile and glanced at Man Chong, as though to say: your nerve has grown smaller; you are not even as bold as a commoner.

Who would have thought Deng Ji would continue, “However, the Remonstrance Grandee recommended the magistrate of Langling, yet he has no connection at all to the matter. Privately, as a kinsman of Lord Cao, the Remonstrance Grandee represents Lord Cao’s face. Governor Man previously already caused the Remonstrance Grandee to lose face in Xu City; if further action is taken, it will surely arouse dissatisfaction among Lord Cao’s clan. If so, Governor Man will find himself in a difficult position and may very well be unable to establish himself in Xu City.

“Publicly, the Remonstrance Grandee commands troops at Ye County and bears grave responsibility.

“The magistrate of Langling’s deeds should not, in principle, have much to do with the Remonstrance Grandee. Since that is so, why drag him into it as well? After all, Lord Cao will sooner or later launch another expedition against Zhang Xiu. If the Remonstrance Grandee is implicated at such a time, I fear it may upset the Lord’s arrangements in Nanyang Commandery.”

The same saying held true: law is never separate from feeling and reason.

Deng Ji’s words struck exactly at Man Chong’s heart, and Man Chong could not help but nod slightly.

“What is your name?”

Man Chong suddenly asked.

Deng Ji hastily rose, though his manner remained neither servile nor overbearing, and said solemnly, “I am Deng Ji, once an assistant clerk in Jiyang County. Because I offended the powerful of Jing and Xiang, I had no choice but to flee with my family under my father-in-law’s guidance… Fortunately, I received help from Uncle Dian, and was thus able to go to Xu City and settle my household there.”

“You offended a noble family? Which one?”

“The Huang family of Jiangxia…”

A faint smile appeared on Man Chong’s face.

He had little fondness for the great clans, and he valued a scholar from a humble background like Deng Ji all the more.

“Deng Ji, I ask you!” Man Chong hesitated briefly, then said in a deep voice, “If you were to handle this matter, where would you begin?”

“Only question the guilty official; why seek out others to bear responsibility?”

“Hm?”

“Langling’s magistrate, Cheng Yao, was originally the county magistrate of Wuyin. Back when he was in Wuyin, he was already known for greed and meanness. He nearly monopolized the trade routes of Zhongyang Mountain, allowed his kinsman to run wild, and left the common people in deep resentment… Now that he has come to Langling, everything he has done has been by his own hand. Cheng Yao is not a child who knows nothing, so whatever he does, he must bear the guilt for it. That is only natural.

“If I were handling this matter, I would take Cheng Yao’s head… and then, under the charge of negligent defense of the territory, I would lessen the matter of his privately established checkpoints. In this way, the people can be restored to bright and open justice, the laws of our Han properly upheld, and the Remonstrance Grandee need not be dragged into it, so that he may rest securely in Ye County and serve the Lord. In short, Cheng Yao must be punished, but it need not necessarily be by the charge of privately setting up checkpoints.”

A man must know how to adapt.

A capable man who cannot adapt is not necessarily truly capable.

One who lacks ability but understands adaptation can soar ten thousand li and enjoy a smooth road all the way.

In his former life, Cao Peng had been the sort of person who could not bend, and so he valued this art of flexibility exceedingly highly.

Dian Wei wanted to kill Cheng Yao, not necessarily because he truly meant to offend Cao Hong; and Man Chong was not unwilling to punish Cheng Yao, only afraid of implicating Cao Hong in the process.

“Deng Ji, if I entrust this matter to you, can you handle it properly?”

Deng Ji froze. Just as he was about to refuse, he felt Cao Peng tug lightly at his side. Looking down, he saw Cao Peng nodding at him.

“To take Cheng Yao’s head would be, for me, as easy as reaching into my own pocket.

“If Governor Man entrusts this matter to me, then within three days I will present Cheng Yao’s head.”

“Do you require troops from me to assist?”

“Governor Man, if troops are sent, I fear the serpent will be startled in its nest. Langling occupies a vital position; if Cheng Yao catches wind of it, he may well make the matter much bigger. I do not require a single soldier or supply cart from the governor. I only ask that you grant me full authority to handle it, and I can certainly put it to rights.”

Man Chong smiled.

“What you say being so, I shall grant you this power to decide!”

Hearing this, Dian Wei frowned.

“Bening, could it be you want me to remain here for three days?”

Man Chong smiled. “I know your heart is with the Lord, and you may not be willing to stay here. If you wish to return, then go at once… I have already sent men riding hard to Xu City. I expect that before long, the Lord will learn that you are alive, and he will certainly be very pleased.”

Dian Wei stood and looked at Deng Ji, then at Cao Peng.

“If Shusun is to stay and help Bening, I will not stop him… but I must return to Xu City as quickly as possible. Ah Fu, what do the two of you intend to do?”

Cao Peng glanced at Deng Ji and smiled.

“Of course we shall accompany Uncle to Xu City.”

“Then rest for one night, and set out at dawn tomorrow.”

The reason Cao Peng had pushed Deng Ji forward was not a sudden whim. Deng Ji’s destination still lay in Xu City. But once there, relying on Dian Wei alone, Deng Ji might not be able to gain recognition. If he wished to raise Deng Ji up, he would need a more powerful figure.

And by powerful, he did not mean martial strength.

Deng Ji was taking the path of a civil official, and his studies lay in the laws and penal codes of Han.

Though Dian Wei enjoyed Cao Cao’s favor, he was after all a purely military man. If the matter concerned martial prowess, Cao Cao might trust Dian Wei’s judgment. But when it came to governance and administration, Cao Cao would never simply heed Dian Wei’s words. At such a time, one needed someone who could speak with authority. Though Man Chong was not among Cao Wei’s topmost civil officials, he nevertheless possessed enough influence to have his voice heard.

For Cao Peng, that was enough.

Leaving Deng Ji behind to handle Cheng Yao’s affair was merely a way to display his talent before Man Chong.

When the right moment came, Man Chong could, as a matter of course, recommend Deng Ji to Cao Cao… and that recommendation was immensely important.

Man Chong also rose and ordered someone to arrange lodgings for Cao Ji and the others.

Just as he was about to depart, Cao Peng stepped forward first and barred his way.

“Governor Man!”

Man Chong paused, looking at Cao Peng in confusion. “Young friend, is there something else?”

On the other side, Dian Wei also turned to look at Cao Peng with curiosity.

Cao Peng said, “I have long heard that Governor Man is upright, loyal, and courageous, and equally skilled in letters and war. Runan Commandery is a place of great importance in Yu Province, and its significance to Lord Cao needs no speaking of. Governor Man’s talents are exceptional, but one man’s strength is still limited. There is an old saying from my homeland: it takes three stakes to support a fence, and three men to help a hero. Thus, with some boldness, I would like to recommend someone to Governor Man. This man is outstanding in martial skill, well versed in military methods, and strict in the governance of troops. It is only unfortunate that he comes from a humble family and has never been greatly valued in Jing and Xiang… This time, too, he was persecuted by the Huang family of Jiangxia, and so he has brought my family and himself to seek refuge with Lord Cao. Seeing that Governor Man must not only reform the administration, but also drill and train troops, I fear it is far too burdensome. The governor is a trusted minister of Lord Cao and must take even greater care of his health… If Wei Yan could receive the governor’s patronage, he would certainly be able to share your burdens.”

One may have seen bold people before, but never had Man Chong seen anyone so bold as to openly recommend his own man to him with such shameless candor, almost to the point of favoring the talented without shunning the near.

Had it been anyone else, Man Chong might already have slapped him hard across the face.

But toward Cao Peng, Man Chong remained curious.

Not only because Cao Peng was Dian Wei’s lifesaving benefactor, but also because of Deng Ji, and because of the unique and unusual bearing Cao Peng himself possessed.

“Wei Yan?”

Man Chong turned, puzzled, toward Dian Wei, as though asking: what sort of man is this?

Dian Wei, however, furrowed his brow… looked at Man Chong, then at Cao Peng. After a moment’s hesitation, he still nodded.