The Great Zhou Dynasty: From Imperial Guards to Founding Dukes and Marquises

Chapter 16 Uncle—Benefactor—Lord Taishan!

After the vigorous spring planting season ended, Li Xuan returned to the market to do business. Familiar stall owners greeted him and congratulated him on a successful spring planting.

Li Xuan returned the gifts one by one and focused on setting up the stall to sell fish.

By afternoon, Li Xuan was puzzled as to why Aunt Wang hadn't come today. She had deliberately left a few fish in a basin, which were now going to go unsold. If all else failed, she would have to sell them to restaurants in the city as appetizers. The restaurant owners were all very shrewd; they knew as soon as they saw the fish delivered that afternoon that they couldn't carry them away, and they would definitely try to haggle down the price.

After waiting a while, Li Xuan called her three friends to begin today's study. Three large sandboards were intricately divided into squares with fine lines. The "students" wrote in each square.

Just as everyone was studying hard, a middle-aged man wearing a straw hat quietly walked in, seemingly wanting to see what game the teenagers were playing.

Li Xuan and the others keenly sensed someone approaching and simultaneously looked up. Wang Xianqing, Pan Desan, and Fang Youfu exchanged glances, unable to recognize the person. However, since Aunt Wang was following behind the newcomer, they assumed they were family.

Li Xuan paused, glancing at Aunt Wang, then at the middle-aged man. The memory in his mind seemed to slowly merge with the man's face. Li Xuan slowly stood up, his voice trembling slightly: "Nephew Li Xuan greets Uncle."

The three companions on the side suddenly realized, "Oh, he's our lord's elder!" They all followed suit and bowed. The commotion attracted the attention of the surrounding stall owners. But it was just attention; everyone could tell at a glance that the middle-aged man wasn't there to cause trouble; he was probably a relative or elder.

The middle-aged man, Feng Daoji, was also filled with mixed emotions. No matter how long he had been investigating behind the scenes, no matter what his previous guesses about Li Xuan were, when the real Li Xuan appeared before him, all he felt was sadness for his deceased friend and heartache for the suffering his friend's son was enduring.

Feng Daoji looked at the stall, then at Li Xuan's current appearance, and blurted out, "Xuan'er, I'm late."

Li Xuan couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat, thinking of the successive deaths of his parents, and how the petty officials began harassing him after their passing. He also thought of the year he voluntarily bribed officials to lower his household registration level in an attempt to reduce taxes, only to find that the taxes actually became even heavier after the lower registration level.

Thinking back to those two years when a severe drought struck, reducing or eliminating the yield of irrigated land, what could a mere child like him do besides sell off ancestral property? Smuggling salt, manufacturing counterfeit salt, and using expired permits to evade detection were all skills that a former young master had gradually developed.

Feng Daoji's eyes welled up with tears. He stepped forward, took Li Xuan's rough, calloused hand, and gently stroked it. Some were from martial arts training, some from farm work, and some from years of rowing and paddling.

Sensing the vicissitudes of Li Xuan's life over the years, Feng Daoji felt increasingly ridiculous about his own doubts. Xuan'er wasn't unrealistic or restless; he had endured countless hardships and sufferings, gaining a profound understanding of the world before making his decision. It was laughable that after more than a decade in office, he was less insightful than his daughter.

Li Xuan suppressed his bitterness and comforted Feng Daoji, saying, "The world is in chaos and people are suffering. I have been doing very well. How can you call it suffering? It is a blessing to meet you today, Uncle. I have some money now, so I dare to invite you for tea and wine."

Feng Daoji couldn't help but complain, "What are you saying? Pack up your stall and come home with me. What are you going to eat outside when we get to Guangling City?"

Just then, the tax collector in charge of the market happened to pass by. He looked at Feng Daoji in surprise, and quickly forced a smile and stepped forward to apologize: "This humble servant greets County Magistrate Feng. I didn't expect that Brother Xuan would know County Magistrate Feng."

Feng Daoji said to him, "Xuan'er is my junior, and we are very close. You mustn't bully him."

The tax collector immediately protested, "How could I dare? When I first met Brother Xuan, I knew he was an exceptional person with a bright future, so I specially allocated a good spot for him."

Feng Daoji took a piece of silver from his pocket and handed it to him; "That's good. I'm grateful for your help in looking after Brother Xuan. Take this and have a drink."

The tax collector understood immediately, received the reward money, and quickly took his leave. After dealing with the tax collector, Feng Daoji instructed Li Xuan to take his troops with him.

Li Xuan said to the trio, "Clean up the rest of the fish. I was wondering why Aunt Wang hadn't come today; it turns out Uncle has arrived."

With just a few fish, Wang Xianqing and his two companions excitedly picked up their buckets and followed Feng Daoji and Li Xuan into Guangling City. The tax collector guarding the city gate, seeing Li Xuan with County Magistrate Feng Daoji, immediately added him to his list of those allowed free entry and exit, showing remarkable shrewdness and understanding.

封宅

The three henchmen followed Aunt Wang with the fish. Feng Daoji pulled Li Xuan to sit in the study and said with emotion, "The last time I saw you, you were only this tall. Now you're a fine young man, even a head taller than your father. Good, very good. In this day and age, being strong and living a long life is a blessing."

Li Xuan expressed his gratitude sincerely: "Thank you for your praise, Uncle. I am just a tall boy with no other skills. I am still selling fish in the market and have disgraced my ancestors."

Feng Daoji corrected him, "Disgrace? You lost your parents' protection and struggled to survive on your own. What's wrong with selling fish? Even the Marquis of Huaiyin sold fish. You didn't steal or rob, so how did that disgrace your reputation? If we're really talking about what's affecting your reputation, it's probably your salt business."

Li Xuan chuckled to himself. It seemed his Uncle Feng hadn't been idle these past few days; he'd done his homework on him. He opened his mouth to explain.

Feng Daoji stopped him: "I'm just worried about your safety. Salt prices are soaring these days. If the government set the price, people would have died from salt shortages long ago. So I'm not blaming you. It's not easy for you to find a way. How could your uncle be so old-fashioned as to interrupt? Today we've reunited, so let's not talk about unpleasant things. Let your uncle take a good look at you."

Li Xuan nodded vigorously and began chatting with Feng Daoji. Feng Daoji was asking Li Xuan about his past, and Li Xuan was asking Feng Daoji how his family had been doing these past few years.

Before long, several dishes were served. Li Xuan drank and chatted with Feng Daoji.

Suddenly, Feng Daoji said, "A wise man doesn't mince words, and a gentleman should be upright and honest. Xuan-ge sells fish at the market, and Aunt Wang informed me about it last year. Because of the complicated situation caused by the King of Qi, and also because I wanted to understand Xuan-ge's situation over the years, I have neglected him until now. I will punish myself with a cup of wine."

Li Xuan quickly chimed in, "Uncle, what's wrong with being busy with official duties? Even if there were some delays, it was out of care and concern. Actually, I also made a mistake. In February, I met Aunt Wang in the city. I thought she might be the manager of some household, so I followed her to try and sell some refined salt. But as we walked, I felt more and more familiar with the route, and before I knew it, I had followed Aunt Wang to the outside of her house. Only then did I realize that Uncle and Aunt were caring for me and had been secretly protecting me, which is why I've had peace and quiet since I started selling fish."

A fleeting look of embarrassment crossed Feng Daoji's face. "Good child, so kind." He smiled and said, "Your father and I were very close. We almost made a childhood vow together. But we worried about whether you and Niao Niao would grow up, so we postponed it. Unexpectedly, we lost contact with you. Although your parents are gone, your Aunt Feng and I are not the kind of people who break their promises. So, during this time, your uncle has acted like a villain, not calling you to come and take care of you, but instead inquiring about you within the Li clan." (For boys, eight years old is called "龀"; for girls, seven years old is called "髫".)

Li Xuan shuddered in fright, quickly realizing what was happening, but still somewhat at a loss: "Your nephew is foolish and doesn't understand what Uncle means?"

Feng Daoji raised his glass solemnly towards the sky; "Brother Xuan is of upright character, which pleases me greatly. I hope that Brother Li in heaven will grant my request and protect my children."

Li Xuan inwardly cursed, "Damn it! Don't keep calling me 'Dad'!" He said, half-laughing and half-crying, "Uncle, Uncle, since my parents had a previous agreement, and since you are willing to marry Niao Niao into my family, I am extremely grateful. However, my family is poor, and I'm afraid it will put Niao Niao in a difficult position. I urge you and Aunt to reconsider."

Feng Daoji said unhappily, "My daughter is not that kind of spoiled and unruly person. Once she enters your family, she will stay with you for life. How could she look down on your family? Besides, you and Niaoniao are not strangers. Your aunt and I are at ease entrusting her to you. What do you mean by poverty? Can you really be poor by selling salt? Have you given away all the money you've earned over the years?"

Li Xuan had no choice but to confess honestly: "I can earn over a hundred to several hundred strings of cash from salt trading each year. However, after making bribes at various levels in Hailing, Guangling, and Jinling, there is not much left. This year, I also purchased military equipment and organized troops, so my family is a bit poor. I'm afraid that you haven't found out everything, which may have harmed Niao Niao and damaged our relationship."

Feng Daoji shook his head and said, "Don't think that Niaoniao is some pampered child who never complains about the finest food. Since your uncle has spent several months searching for you, he must have discussed this with your aunt and Niaoniao many times. Since you dare to keep servants, you can't be considered poor. My daughter has her own dowry, so she won't suffer and can even help your cousin."

Li Xuan said with embarrassment, "I didn't expect Uncle to have investigated so thoroughly. In that case, I thank Uncle for his kindness. After returning to my hometown today, I will prepare gifts and ask the elders of the clan to come and propose marriage."

Feng Daoji pulled Li Xuan aside and whispered, "Don't come here to propose marriage. Your aunt and Niaoniao are in Qingquan Village. I'll send someone to Lijia Town to guide you and your elders there."

Li Xuan asked in bewilderment, "Why is this? Why aren't my uncle and aunt receiving the wedding ceremony at home? It might be inappropriate to go to another house for the ceremony."

Feng Daoji sighed deeply: "Child, don't worry. It's not that your uncle and aunt are disrespecting you. We really have our reasons. The King of Qi is acting recklessly, and the people in the city are in a state of panic. All the young women and wives who can run away have run away, and your uncle is afraid too. Let's not be so particular and just take care of things in our villa in the countryside. Let's not let the people in the city, especially those wolves under the King of Qi, smell the scent."

Li Xuan said angrily, "Even the wife of an official like my uncle has run away. How can the King of Qi be so disgracing of the Yu state? Is there no one in the court to impeach him?"

Feng Daoji said meaningfully, "Duke Zhuang of Zheng defeated Duan at Yan. The King of Qi is Your Majesty's younger brother and was greatly favored by the late Emperor and Empress Dowager. He also has a reputation for being brave and skilled in battle. How could Your Majesty not be moved? Even now, your uncle cannot tell whether the King of Qi is ruining his reputation or whether Your Majesty is deliberately indulging him and waiting for him to commit a serious crime before dealing with him. The ministers in the court are all seasoned veterans who have served several reigns, so they are naturally even more cautious."

Li Xuan nodded with difficulty; "In that case, I am unworthy of your kindness, Uncle and Aunt. I will soon ask our elders to propose marriage to you, Uncle. I wonder when would be a convenient day for you, Uncle?"

Feng Daoji had already planned it out: "May 20th is an auspicious day, as I happen to be off duty. On that day, I will send someone to wait at your clan leader's residence in Lijia Town. Along the way, the boats should not be decorated with banners or have gongs and drums played; just come quietly."

Li Xuan understood that the waterways outside the city were not as safe as those in the countryside. When transporting salt, Li Xuan had to bribe the major bandit groups along the way to ensure his safety. Naturally, he needed to be even more careful when getting married. If he was too ostentatious and attracted too many people's attention, his bride would have nowhere to cry if she was kidnapped halfway through the journey.

Li Xuan replied, "I understand. I will follow your instructions, Uncle."

Feng Daoji's face hardened: "Why are you still calling me uncle?"

Li Xuan chuckled and said, "I will obey all orders from my lord, and I will not refuse."

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Emerging from the Feng family's residence, Li Xuan couldn't suppress a smile. His three retainers were curious about what benefits Li Xuan had gained inside; they had just enjoyed a good meal and drinks in the courtyard next to the kitchen, their faces glistening with oil and their spirits high. The county magistrate—the county magistrate was their lord's uncle, and they seemed to have a particularly good relationship. The future looked increasingly promising!

Fang Youfu mustered his courage and asked, "Master, sir, is there some good news?"

Li Xuan smiled and said, "There is good news, but it's not safe in the city. Let's talk about it when we get back."

Fang Youfu nodded tactfully, because he had placed his order for serving food first, and he now trusted and supported Li Xuan completely.

The group did not leave the city directly, but instead went to Li Hua's main store. Li Hua greeted them. Li Xuan recounted how Feng Daoji had asked him to propose marriage.

Li Hua thought Li Xuan had come to ask him to propose marriage, and he was both touched and ashamed. He said, "Brother Xuan, the Feng family of Guangling and our Li family are bound by blood. But it is still your good fortune that Magistrate Feng values ​​you, so you must not be negligent. Although I am your uncle and elder, I am just a merchant and it is difficult for me to propose marriage for you. If you want to propose marriage, either your closest elder or the clan head should do it. If it is inconvenient for your close elders, I will take you to see the old clan head."

Li Xuan thanked Li Hua for his concern and said apologetically, "I am deeply grateful to my uncle for bestowing upon me his beloved daughter. I dare not be negligent in this regard and would like to ask my uncle for advice on the betrothal gifts. I wonder if you have any fine fabrics? If you could bring two bolts, it would certainly show your thoughtfulness."

Li Hua laughed heartily: "Oh, that's easy. Your uncle has two bolts of Shu brocade here, the first batch of new goods sent from Shu this year. Originally, they were in short supply, but many women in the city have run away, so there are only two bolts left. Consider them your uncle's gift."