Chapter 7 of 10

Chapter 7

15 min read3,652 words

In the third year of Guanghe, on a midday in early September.

Outside the Fanyang Pavilion, a young man on horseback arrived. He was about twenty years old, wearing trousers and a jacket, with no hat but a headband, and a ring-pommel sword hanging from his waist. "Trousers and jacket" were foreign imports, from nomadic tribes, resembling the later upper garments and trousers.

His name was Xun Zhen, the newly appointed head of the Fanyang Pavilion.

Although it was already autumn, the so-called "autumn tiger" made the weather very hot. Xun Zhen had been traveling under the sun for half a day, and his forehead and face were drenched in sweat. In front of the pavilion, he reined in his horse, wiped the sweat with his sleeve, and looked around.

Like most pavilions in the empire, the Fanyang Pavilion was located on a key route.

In front of the pavilion was a straight and wide official road, the same road he had just traveled.

On both sides of the road were vast wheat fields.

The year's harvest was good, and after the autumn rains, the winter wheat in the fields was lush and green. The wind blew, and the green wheat stalks swayed, a fresh fragrance mixed with the heat wafted to his nose. In the distance, a few field slaves and tenant farmers could be seen working in the fields, wearing short pants and bare-chested.

It was not long past noon, and there were many carriages and pedestrians on the road.

There were Confucian scholars in simple clothes, merchants in colorful attire, and commoners in black or white. Because the world was not peaceful and the roads were not safe, most pedestrians carried short knives or long swords.

Xun Zhen turned his horse to let a passing ox cart pass.

Inside the cart sat an elderly Confucian scholar with a high hat and broad sash, neatly dressed and sitting calmly. Beside him was a child of about seven or eight years old. As they passed, the child looked at Xun Zhen curiously.

The child had a clean and smooth complexion, like a sculpture of powder and jade, sitting upright in the cart, very cute.

Xun Zhen gave him a friendly smile. The ox pulling the cart, the wheels, and the body of the cart were all covered in dust, looking weary from a long journey. It seemed that the old man had come from a distant place, probably visiting a friend in the city with his grandson.

Following the official road straight ahead, it was several dozen miles to Yingyin County.

Yingyin (now Xuchang) was located in the heartland, under the jurisdiction of Yingchuan Commandery, known for its cultural and intellectual elite. The two most famous families in the city were the Liu and Xun families. The Liu family was descended from the "Jibeizheng Wang" of the Former Han, and the Xun family was descended from the Confucian master Xun Kuang of the Warring States period.

Xun Zhen was from the Xun family.

In a major epidemic many years ago, his parents died one after another, leaving him as the only survivor. Thanks to his ancestors' blessings, he owned a house and several hundred acres of good land. Compared to his clan members, he was neither the richest nor the poorest, but he was considered a middle-class family.

...

The ox cart creaked away, and Xun Zhen's mind quickly returned to the present.

He dismounted, tidied his clothes, and approached the pavilion.

"Pavilion" means "to stop."

The local "pavilion" was not only the most basic unit of law and order but also had the responsibility of hosting passing officials and providing accommodation for travelers, so the "pavilion" was quite large.

Yingyin was a large county, and the Fanyang Pavilion was one of the largest in the county, with a grand entrance.

From a distance, one could see a pillar over ten feet tall standing inside the pavilion, with two large wooden boards crossing at the top. This object was called a "huabiao" or "huanbiao," an ancient legacy used to indicate road directions and serve as a landmark, as well as a symbol of the pavilion.

Now, up close, it was even clearer that the pavilion occupied a large area, with a foundation higher than the ground and stone steps connecting to the official road.

Standing under the blue sky and white clouds, between the wheat fields and the official road, he looked at the pavilion for a while, feeling both familiar and strange.

Familiar because he had seen many similar pavilions on his travels; strange because he was about to become the master of this pavilion, a feeling that was hard to describe.

"This is where I will live from now on. I have been in this era for ten years, and after much hardship, I can finally take charge of a pavilion. Although the area under my jurisdiction is only ten miles, I can start planning for the 'great plan.'"

After joking with himself, he led his horse up the steps, and the first thing he saw was a large gate.

...

Beside the gate, an old soldier was sitting. Seeing him approach, he came out of the house and asked kindly, "Are you here to stay, or do you have some business?"

"I am Xun Zhen."

The old soldier straightened up and asked, "Are you the new pavilion head?"

"Indeed."

"Oh, please forgive my poor eyesight." The old soldier was very respectful, lifting his robe to kneel and bow.

Xun Zhen stopped him, smiling, "No need for that!" He looked at him again, seeing that he was thin and small, with a face full of wrinkles like mountains and valleys, and asked tentatively, "I visited Mr. Zheng the other day, and he mentioned that the pavilion father here is named Huang Zhong. Is that you?"

"Yes, it is I."

"Mr. Zheng," named Zheng Duo, was the previous pavilion head. He was promoted to the county for his excellent performance in saving people during last year's epidemic.

"Pavilion father" is one of the deputies of the pavilion head.

Although the "pavilion" is the most basic unit, it still has jurisdiction over a ten-mile area, so under the pavilion head, there are subordinates, including the "qiu dao" (responsible for catching thieves) and the "pavilion father" (responsible for opening and closing the gates and cleaning). If there are many households in the jurisdiction, there may be several "pavilion soldiers" depending on the situation.

A smile appeared on Xun Zhen's lips. He thought, "Huang Zhong, Huang Zhong. When I first heard this name, I was a bit surprised. Now it seems that the name fits him well, indeed a 'old Huang Zhong.'"

Huang Zhong said respectfully, "I only received the notification from the county yesterday, and I didn't expect you to come today, so I couldn't welcome you at the pavilion boundary. Please forgive me. ... The others are still inside, Mr. Xun, please wait a moment, I will call them out."

"No need. I will go in."

Climbing the steps, Xun Zhen glanced at the side room beside the gate. The room was simply furnished, with just a bed and a table.

On the wall of the side room, there were about twenty portraits. From a distance, he could not see clearly, but he could see that the people in the portraits were of different ages. Each portrait had several lines of text on the left and a red seal on the right.

"Are these all wanted criminals by the court?"

"Yes, some are from our commandery, and some are from other commanderies."

Posting wanted criminals' portraits in the pavilion was a tradition inherited from the Qin dynasty. This was to facilitate the reporting by passing civilians and to help the pavilion officials check travelers. At the end of the Xin dynasty, Emperor Guangwu's brother, Liu Bozeng, was also wanted for gathering a rebellion.

Xun Zhen nodded, did not go to look closely, and entered the courtyard.

...

Upon entering the courtyard, he found that the pavilion had two sections.

The front courtyard was smaller, with a central open area where the "huanbiao" he had seen from a distance was erected.

On the right were three rooms, a hall, and two bedrooms, in the standard "one roof, two inner rooms" style. Next to them was a small kitchen.

On the left was a stable, large enough for two or three horses, but it was empty now.

Next to the stable was a chicken coop, where four or five chickens were perched on a wooden frame, clucking as someone entered. Next to the chicken coop was a toilet.

Huang Zhong led the horse into the stable, "shooed" the chickens into the coop, and walked back to Xun Zhen, introducing him, "This front courtyard is where we live, and Mr. Xun's residence is in the back courtyard."

"The back courtyard?"

"Yes. The back courtyard is larger and quieter. The previous Mr. Zheng lived there."

Xun Zhen took a few steps forward. The door to the back courtyard was slightly ajar, and through the gap, he could see the eaves of the buildings and a large elm tree in the courtyard, which was just beginning to shed its leaves. Although there were already some leaves on the ground, the branches were still lush, adding some shade to the "pavilion courtyard."

Huang Zhong continued, "If officials or civilians stay, they also stay in the back courtyard."

At this point, he remembered something, paused, and said, "In June, the court issued an edict seeking talented people. A Mr. Yuan from Runan was recommended and went to the capital. Because it was late and the night curfew was in effect, he stayed at this pavilion for one night and was very satisfied, leaving a message on the wall. Would Mr. Xun like to see it?"

Xun Zhen smiled and said, "Not in a hurry. The message is on the wall, it won't run away. I can see it anytime." He looked at the back courtyard and the rooms on the right and asked, "Where are the other people in the pavilion?"

As a new official, he had been there for some time, but apart from Huang Zhong, who was on duty at the gate, no one had come to welcome him. Although they might not have known he was coming today, the noise of leading the horse into the courtyard and the clucking of the chickens should have been heard.

"They are all in the back courtyard."

Xun Zhen was slightly surprised and thought, "Not on duty in the front courtyard, but in the back courtyard, what are they doing?" Although surprised, he did not ask but said kindly, "If so, please lead the way and introduce me to the people in the pavilion."

Huang Zhong responded, bowed, and led Xun Zhen to the back courtyard.

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