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What did the Zuo Tradition of the Spring and Autumn Annals truly represent?
What was the deeper meaning behind Cai Yong passing this book on to him? And what about the assessment Li Ru had given when they first met?
Naturally, Fei Qian could not find answers to these questions right away. Perhaps when the time came to bring his mentor Cai Yong here, he would have the opportunity to seek his teacher's guidance and unravel this puzzle.
Fei Qian could not help but rub his temples, which were beginning to throb from overthinking. Just as he was about to take a brief rest, a personal guard came to report that Chang Lin, courtesy name Bohuai, had come to visit.
That day, Chang Lin had followed Cui Hou here and only met with him briefly before disappearing without a trace again. Most likely, he had been surveying and observing the surrounding area. However, since Fei Qian's territory was still in a state of rebuilding from scratch, with the truly valuable workshops still located in Beiqu, and given how overwhelmingly busy matters had been lately, he had simply not paid any attention to Chang Lin. Now, had he finally come to a decision? There was no helping it—during the Han dynasty, the gentry clans indeed possessed such a prerogative: to examine and select a person in whom to invest and offer assistance, much like the venture capital firms of later generations.
Fei Qian stepped out of the main hall to greet his guest outside the gate. Upon seeing Chang Lin, he said, "Matters have been so tedious and numerous these days; I have truly been remiss. I hope you can forgive me, Bohuai."
Chang Lin bowed deeply, nearly touching the ground, and said, "General of the Household Fei, you overwhelm me with your words. I came uninvited and have truly disturbed you; I must earnestly beg your forgiveness."
Fei Qian chuckled, stood to the left of the gate, and extended his hand in invitation.
Chang Lin repeatedly declined, absolutely refusing to enter through the main gate ahead of Fei Qian. In the end, Fei Qian gently took hold of Chang Lin's arm, and the two of them walked in together.
Compared to when they had met in Wen County, Chang Lin was visibly far more cautious and deferential. A constant smile remained on his face, and in every action and gesture, he placed Fei Qian at the center of consideration.
Back in Wen County, Fei Qian had merely been a figure discussed in other people's hearsay, whereas now he could be considered a minor regional lord in Pingyang, north of Beidi. This disparity naturally made Chang Lin handle everything with extra care.
The Chang clan was a gentry family that had relocated. Such a large-scale migration was nothing like a publicly funded business trip in later ages. On one hand, they had abandoned the property and livelihoods they had previously relied upon for survival. On the other hand, whether it was the expenses for food, drink, and shelter along the journey, or the costs of resettling at their destination—constructing or purchasing houses—all of it consumed a vast amount of their accumulated wealth.
Thus, even if the Chang clan had once been quite prosperous, they had probably been worn down considerably by now, with little left to spare. Of course, even an impoverished gentry clan was still a gentry clan. Compared to the common peasants beneath the walls of Pingyang City, who lacked sufficient clothing and went hungry, they still held advantages in many respects. For instance, after arriving in Xihe, Chang Lin had used Fei Qian's letter of introduction to secure a position as a Records Officer, a minor clerical official post, which allowed him to establish a foothold.
To acquire new properties and grow the family's assets, one could not depart from the four words: "increase income, reduce expenditure."
Chang Lin had followed Cui Hou south this time, firstly to express his gratitude for Fei Qian's earlier recommendation, and secondly, having heard Cui Hou's accounts, he felt that if his Chang family wished to develop anew, drawing closer ties with Fei Qian was of critical importance. So, when the Commandant of Xihe returned with his troops, Chang Lin resolutely stayed behind. Although he had heard that very day that Fei Qian had suddenly been promoted to General of the Household, he still felt he needed to observe a bit more carefully and consider everything a bit more thoroughly.
After all, Chang Lin was responsible not just for himself, but for the rise and fall of the entire Chang clan. This visit to Fei Qian, in fact, signified that Chang Lin was willing to place an investment on Fei Qian's side.
Once seated, perhaps sensing that someone of Fei Qian's age might not appreciate overly veiled expressions, or perhaps wanting to demonstrate his sincerity, Chang Lin did not beat around the bush with too many embellishments. Instead, he spoke rather directly: "I have heard that you wish to open a route through Shangdang, General Fei. Might I ask if you have any old acquaintances in that region?"
Sometimes, such directness was quite a good thing. For Chang Lin to say something like this naturally meant he had familiar contacts in Shangdang.
Fei Qian immediately responded, "Does Bohuai have old friends in Shangdang?"
Chang Lin cupped his hands and said, "During my late father's lifetime, he had considerable friendship with the worthies of Huguan's Chongxian village…" At this, he paused briefly.
Huguan's Chongxian, was it?
Fei Qian blinked slightly, searching his mind for relevant information about Huguan. Right, Huguan had a Linghu Chong… No, that was wrong. It was Linghu Mao—a name renowned far and wide, widely celebrated.
Back in the day, when Emperor Wu of Han's paranoia flared up and he became convinced that the Crown Prince was plotting rebellion, he sought to punish the prince. As a result, the Crown Prince truly did revolt in desperation. Emperor Wu was incandescent with rage and immediately mustered a large army to suppress him. The Crown Prince was defeated and fled. At that time, Linghu Mao held the esteemed position of one of the Three Elders. He submitted a memorial to Emperor Wu, directly pleading the Crown Prince's case and declaring his innocence.
By then, Emperor Wu had also sobered somewhat from his frenzied fury. Reading Linghu Mao's memorial, he saw the earnest and heartfelt words, the deeply sincere sentiments. Further investigation revealed that the Crown Prince had never engaged in any scheming or troublemaking; it was all a false accusation by a man named Jiang Chong. Stricken with remorse and awakening to the truth, Emperor Wu pitied the Crown Prince's innocence. He then exterminated Jiang Chong's entire clan, built the Palace of Longing for His Son, and erected the Tower of Gazing Homeward at Hu, reposing his memories and longing there.
Afterward, he bestowed upon Linghu Mao's village the name "Chongxian," meaning "Venerating Worthies," implying that a village so named for its worthy men would surely continue to produce worthies from within. This was the origin of Huguan's Chongxian village, which gradually became a metonym for the Linghu clan. The Linghu family was also a long-established lineage in the Shangdang region.
"I never imagined that Bohuai had ties to the Linghu clan!" Fei Qian said with a slight smile. On the surface, his expression remained as warm as ever, but inwardly he was pondering. That Chang Lin had connections with the Linghu clan was indeed unexpected. But ultimately, this was a friendship dating back to Chang Lin's deceased father's generation. How much of that bond remained now, in Chang Lin's generation?
He recalled how, after his own father had passed away, all sorts of covetous eyes had immediately turned towards him. Had Fei Qian not crossed over from a later era to take the place of the original, the moment the male head of the household perished, various people eager to feast on a wealthy house or on a family line extinguished would have come knocking, swallowing up every last remnant of the Fei family's remaining wealth and land completely. Once a man departs, the tea grows cold—this was the normal state of the world.
Chang Lin seemed to perceive this as well, and so he said, "The Linghu originally belonged to a prominent clan, yet since the time of the Three Elders, none have achieved renown empire-wide through classical scholarship, a fact they consider a regret. Three years ago, I visited Chongxian and spent a night talking knee to knee with Linghu Kongshu. He possesses high aspirations, as pure and clear as ice and snow, and treats others with forbearance. He often sighs that he has been unable to bring glory to his clan… Now, General, you intend to restore the teachings of the forest of classicists, recover the lost lands of the Upper Prefecture, and secure the territory north of Bingzhou. This is truly an unparalleled achievement! Therefore, I am willing, on your behalf, to invite Linghu Kongshu out of retirement… I wonder what you might think of this?"
This was truly a surprise!
This was naturally the best of all possible things!
Fei Qian had originally assumed that Chang Lin's visit and his mention of Shangdang affairs were merely to secure the rights to the Shangdang trade route for the Chang clan, to siphon off some goods from Cui Hou's hands and earn some profit to build up the Chang family's fortune. If it were merely that, it would naturally be a matter of little consequence. Depending on the attitude Chang Lin demonstrated, allocating him some goods as circumstances permitted would be harmless enough. But he had never expected that Chang Lin would give him such a delightful surprise!
Chang Lin's entire speech tightly targeted what Fei Qian needed most right now, and also his greatest weakness: this current situation desperately lacked talented individuals! Truly, not a single son of a gentry clan was a simple character!
By offering such goodwill, Chang Lin was, on one hand, recruiting talent for Fei Qian; on the other hand, paving a stepping stone for Linghu Kongshu. Furthermore, if Linghu Kongshu truly came, wouldn't he inevitably owe considerable thanks to Chang Lin, the great matchmaker? Whether the matter succeeded or not, Chang Lin was demonstrating his utmost goodwill. Thus, in terms of both sentiment and reason, as a return gesture, Fei Qian certainly could not let Chang Lin leave empty-handed. He would inevitably have to entrust the Shangdang trade route to Chang Lin's management.
However, Shangdang bordered Jizhou, and the Yuan family's meridian line was still currently looping circles around Jizhou. So why would a Linghu from Huguan choose to come here?
Although Fei Qian harbored some slight doubt in his heart, seeing that Chang Lin seemed quite confident, he did not hesitate for a moment. He immediately rose to his feet, faced Chang Lin, and offered a solemn bow. He then wrote a letter and entrusted this entire matter to Chang Lin.