One Hundred and Sixty: Presenting Flowers Borrowed from Another

The Grand Minister of the Guard was a high-ranking official of the imperial court, one of the Nine Ministers. As the saying goes, beneath the Three Excellencies were the Nine Ministers. The Grand Minister of the Guard was responsible for the emperor's carriages, livestock, and imperial processions, making him a close attendant to the son of heaven and qualified to take a place in the imperial court. As for the "battle-axe wrapped in yellow cloth" mentioned by the soldier, it was actually a symbol of an imperial special envoy, known as a battle-axe of authority, which could be said to be an token of the emperor.

To go to war carrying this item meant fighting on behalf of the emperor; to go on a diplomatic mission to the provinces with this item meant acting as an envoy on behalf of the emperor. In this era, this practice was called "holding the axe of authority." Words spoken while holding this item were equivalent to the emperor's own words, and actions taken were equivalent to the emperor's own actions. In an era where imperial power supreme, few dared to impersonate an envoy holding the axe of authority, let alone three hundred cavalrymen arriving all at once. Ordinary petty thieves could not possibly disguise themselves as such, so Cao Hong immediately concluded that they were inevitably envoys from the imperial court.

As for the reason for their arrival, it was also quite easy to understand. Li Jue and Guo Si currently controlled the court, but they did not want to sour relations with regional factions, so they dispatched envoys of the emperor out of Chang'an to pacify various factions, bestowing official posts where appropriate. However, Cao Hong had not expected the envoys to come to him; logically, they should have gone to major bosses like Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shu.

Plagued by doubt, Cao Hong galloped out of Chengshi County and arrived before the troop of cavalry five miles away. Every horseman rode a famous Liangzhou steed, and the men on horseback possessed consummate and skillful equestrian skills with fierce and stalwart expressions, evidently veterans of many battles. At a glance, Cao Hong could tell that these cavalrymen were undoubtedly elite soldiers of Liangzhou under the command of either Li Jue or Guo Si.

Among these horsemen was an old man approaching sixty, wearing the official robes of the imperial court, with a silver official seal hanging from his waist, to which a cluster of cyan silk threads was tied. Cao Hong knew this kind of item; it was called a silver seal with a cyan ribbon, which was the symbol of the Nine Ministers, whereas the Three Excellencies wore gold and silver seals with purple ribbons.

Seeing someone approaching head-on, the cavalrymen immediately reined in their horses and stopped. The foremost horseman, clad in bright-shining armor and holding a halberd, shouted, "Who goes there?"

Cao Hong cupped his hands and said, "I am Cao Zilian, the Central General of the Standard-Bearing Army under Governor Cao of Yanzhou. Hearing of the arrival of the imperial envoys, I have come out of the city to welcome you. The officials within the county are already lined up at the city gate to greet you!"

The old man wearing the seal and ribbon asked, "Could you be Cao Zilian, who received the crown-attiring ceremony from He Xiu, the 'Ocean of Learning'?"

Hearing the old man utter He Xiu's name, Cao Hong knew he must be a contemporary scholar. He promptly changed his form of address and replied, "This student is indeed he. May I ask the great name of your excellency?"

The old man chuckled and said, "Zhao Qi, style name Binfing, a native of Jingzhao. Back in Luoyang, I once had a chance meeting with your esteemed uncle, and I admired his scholarship to the utmost."

Cao Hong cupped his hands and said, "Lord Zhao flatters me! This is no place for conversation; I beg you to enter the county seat to talk!"

Zhao Qi nodded, then said to the leader of the group, "Let's go!" The horseman nodded and led the procession forward, with Cao Hong walking at the front to guide the way.

Just then, Zhao Qi called out, "General Cao, please come over and speak."

Cao Hong acknowledged the call, came to Zhao Qi's side, and asked, "Does Lord Zhao have any instruction to bestow upon me?"

Zhao Qi smiled and said, "Old me previously went to Juancheng and saw Governor Cao, conveying the emperor's edict to appoint him as the Governor of Yanzhou. Governor Cao also showed me around Juancheng for a while. Passing by Guilin Temple, I observed its thriving incense and smoke, much resembling the White Horse Temple of former years. I also quite appreciate Buddhist scriptures and philosophy, so I lavishly praised Governor Cao for building this temple. Later, Governor Cao laughed and said that this temple was built by you, Zilian, and only then did I find it unsurprising."

Hearing this, Cao Hong asked, "Why is that?"

Zhao Qi replied, "Your uncle in Mount Tai is Sheng Xiaozhang, a renowned scholar of the world, and your mentor is He Xiu, the 'Ocean of Learning.' Only such cultivation could allow Zilian, amidst the slaughter of a crumbling world, not to lose such refined tastes, and to allow the common people to find a tiny pure land in a chaotic age. This is truly a child's heart. My itinerary originally did not include a trip to Jiyin, but upon seeing Guilin Temple, I wished to come and meet the young friend favored by the 'Ocean of Learning' and Sheng Xiaozhang."

Cao Hong smiled faintly without a word, though inwardly he sighed to himself: Another accidental success! Little did I expect that a Guilin Temple would win the praise of Cao Cao, and now the praise of one of the Nine Ministers as well. This Zhao Qi must be a pedantic bookworm; otherwise, he wouldn't want to meet me just upon seeing a temple.

Then he heard Zhao Qi continue, "However, old me can only come here to reminisce with Zilian, and cannot bestow an official post upon Zilian, because that would be tantamount to souring the relationship between Zilian and Governor Cao. Therefore, I can only wait for a future day when I can see Zilian in the imperial court before recommending you to the emperor."

Cao Hong desperately wanted to say: Do you think that once Cao Cao learns of your coming here, he won't be suspicious of me? As a dignified Grand Minister of the Guard, you come to the territory of a middle-ranking general under the provincial governor, linger for a while, and then leave—isn't this framing me? If you, old immortal, wait until Cao Cao welcomes Emperor Xian to Xuchang and then recommend me, I will be dead beyond all doubt!

Cao Hong was utterly baffled as to how someone lacking such political common sense could live to such an old age and even become one of the Nine Ministers. At the same time, he finally understood why the Han dynasty's empire was in such a pathetic state—those running the court were simply a bunch of impulsive scholars and literati. It would be a miracle if it didn't perish!

However, Cao Hong naturally could not hurl abuses at this old man right now, so he simply made idle chatter with him. After a while, the group arrived outside Chengshi County. Seeing that Li Jin had already brought the county officials to the city gate to welcome the imperial envoy, the moment Cao Hong saw Li Jin stepping forward, he immediately thought of a strategy to prevent Cao Cao from being suspicious of his meeting with Zhao Qi.

Li Jin approached the group, bowed with cupped hands, and said, "Li Jin, the Magistrate of Chengshi, specially welcomes the imperial envoy here."

Zhao Qi nodded and said, "Rise! County Magistrate Li, accompany us inside."

Li Jin gave his assent, then led Zhao Qi's horse into the county seat. Cao Hong suddenly said to Zhao Qi, "Lord Zhao, this county magistrate of mine has quite an impressive background."

Hearing this, Zhao Qi asked in surprise, "Oh? Why does the General say that?"

Cao Hong replied, "This county magistrate is a recommended talent of Jiaozhou from the fourth year of Zhongping, but right after coming here, he encountered the chaos of the struggle between imperial relatives and eunuchs, so he never got to go to Luoyang to report on his duties."

Hearing this, Zhao Qi grew greatly interested and asked, "Was he recommended as a talent by Zhang Jin, Inspector of Jiaozhou?"

Li Jin answered, "Indeed!"

Hearing this, Zhao Qi smiled and said, "This man is a disciple of the Yuan clan, and he can be considered an old acquaintance of mine. Since you are a recommended talent, I will validate your status as such, record it in the registry, and memorialize the emperor upon my return to Chang'an. According to our dynasty's regulations, a person who recommends a talent to official service starts with a rank of six hundred piculs. Since you are already the Magistrate of Chengshi, it cannot be considered wasting your talent; in the future, promotions can be made separately according to your achievements and merits."

Overjoyed, Li Jin immediately expressed his gratitude. At this moment, the party arrived in front of the county administrative office, and Cao Hong promptly invited Zhao Qi into the manor to host a welcoming banquet for him. As for the three hundred accompanying cavalrymen, they were entertained by the county commandant in charge of military affairs. To be continued...