HCT – Chapter 176 Questioning the Descendants of Duke Jin

Zhu Xiang’s words struck the Zhang brothers like a bolt of thunder, leaving their faces deathly pale, their bodies swaying as if they might collapse at any moment.

“You—you dare insult my father!” Zhang Liang was the first to snap back to his senses. Gripping the iron bars so tightly that his knuckles bulged, he looked like an enraged pup desperate to break free from its cage.

Zhu Xiang said coolly, “Look at your elder brother’s face.”

Zhang Liang jerked his head up to glance at Zhang Sheng.

Zhang Sheng froze for a moment, then instinctively turned his face away, refusing to meet Zhang Liang’s gaze.

The veins on the back of Zhang Liang’s hands stood out from how tightly he was gripping the bars. With pleading eyes, he whispered, “Elder brother…”

Elder brother, why won’t you refute him? I’m begging you—please refute him!

“It’s not like that—it’s not like that! Han will not perish… Even if Han should be destroyed by the lawless state of Qin, the Zhang clan will advance and retreat together with Han!” Zhang Liang said through clenched teeth.

Zhu Xiang asked solemnly, “On this journey through Qin, from what you have seen and heard, can you still call Qin a lawless country? Let me ask you—between Qin, where even the Chancellor must obey the law, and Han, where the Prime Minister’s son can freely play in places of utmost secrecy—who is truly lawless?”

“You…!” Zhang Liang’s face flushed red. “If Qin is righteous, then why do they wage war against other states!”

Zhu Xiang laughed. “A fine question. Then let me ask you—has Han never destroyed another state before?”

Zhang Liang stammered, “Th-that’s not the same…”

Zhu Xiang’s smile faded. “Indeed, there is a difference. Qin’s founding ancestor was granted land by the Zhou King and told to fight the Western Rong—whatever land he could conquer would be his fief. Qin rose to the rank of a feudal lord because it had rendered great service in escorting the Zhou King. Han, Zhao, and Wei, however, were born from betrayal—by carving up Jin among the three families.”

He let out a long sigh, then asked in all seriousness: “And now, where are the descendants of Duke Jin? Sons of Han’s Prime Ministers, do you even know?”

Zhang Sheng could no longer restrain himself. Clenching his fists, he demanded, “Why does Lord Changping say these things to us? My brother and I will never become Prime Ministers of Han—what does the office have to do with us anymore?”

Zhang Liang looked at him in disbelief. “Elder brother, what are you saying?!”

Gritting his teeth, Zhang Sheng said, “It was my mistake. Father told me to separate the family, to find a place to live in seclusion, and to have you apprentice under Prince Fei. I thought Father only wanted to preserve the Zhang bloodline, while letting you inherit our clan’s place in Han’s court. I already knew that Prince Fei would never be tolerated by the Han King—if you studied under him, it would surely be difficult to secure a position in court. But who could have known…”

Zhang Sheng bent down, pounding his thighs with his fists, his eyes red. “It was your foolish elder brother—acting clever, thinking he understood. What a fool I was!”

Zhu Xiang said, “A gentleman can be deceived with what is proper. Zhang Ping knew that by entrusting his son to Han Fei in his last words, along with the Zhang clan’s full resources, Han Fei would protect Zhang Liang, even if he still bore resentment.”

Zhang Sheng wept. “But the one I encountered was not Prince Fei—it was Lord Changping. Lord Changping was Prince Fei’s teacher—so is that why you’ve come to warn the Zhang family not to scheme against him?”

“Scheme…” Zhang Liang murmured, his grip tightening even further.

Zhu Xiang had intended to deny it, but he felt the anger rising within him. His eyes half-closed, he said coldly, “Yes.”

So he was angry. It was just that his anger was so childish. Although Zhang Sheng was about his age, Zhang Liang was still just a youth. Perhaps he should not have been rebuked so harshly. But—so he truly was furious.

“After Han Fei came to Qin to study, he suffered greatly,” Zhu Xiang said. “The more he learned, the more he saw no hope for Han’s survival. So he resolved to become a sinner to Han, and serve as an official in Qin. If Han were destroyed, at least he could continue the ancestral sacrifices. Though the royal family of Han would no longer be kings, they could return to the ranks of the great lords, as before.”

“He submitted memorials for five years—five whole years—without receiving any response from the King of Han.”

“One day, drunk, he wept bitterly before me, saying that his uprightness could not endure the crooked ministers. The corrupt ministers he cried about—just which noble families of Han did he mean? The Zhang family, who served as Chancellor for five generations of Han kings, would surely know, would you not?”

Zhu Xiang drew a deep breath, sneering coldly “I truly admire the Han Chancellor—so very admirable. But Han Fei’s choices are for him alone to make. I will write him a letter; in all likelihood, he will act just as the Chancellor predicted. I only want your Zhang family to be clear about one thing—it is you who seek out Han Fei, you who owe Han Fei. Do not take advantage of him and still wear the expression as if he were the one exploiting you!”

“I will not take him as my master.” Zhang Liang’s voice was hoarse from crying. “I will not leave Han. I will never leave Han!”

“Zhang Liang, do not be willful!” Zhang Sheng scolded.

“Elder brother,” Zhang Liang cried in disbelief, “we’ve been reprimanded like this, and you still speak of no dignity?”

“The Zhang family’s future, and your life, matter more than dignity,” Zhang Sheng said.

“…” No. That was not it! Elder brother could not possibly mean this!

Zhang Sheng bent low, bowing hard to Zhu Xiang “Please, Lord Changping, write to Master Fei. If he agrees, I will personally take Zhang Liang to Nanqin to study under him.”

“Elder brother, are you insane?!” Zhang Liang roared.

Zhu Xiang glanced at Zhang Sheng, slightly surprised.

Tears fell from Zhang Sheng’s eyes. “My younger brother is still so young. I beg Lord Changping to show him mercy.”

Zhang Liang’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.

Zhu Xiang regarded Zhang Sheng for a long moment before sighing. “Whether the Zhang family has failed Han has nothing to do with me, a marquis of Qin. But seeing Han Fei humiliated, seeing…”

In his mind flashed the ridiculous sight of the King of Han donning mourning garb when he came to Qin.

The King of Han was, after all, a sovereign. In his own land, his word was law; he had held power for so many years. To disgrace himself so—did he truly feel no shame?

Zhu Xiang remembered how King Renwen of Qin once sighed, saying that if Han wished to flatter Qin, it should have been done by his ministers. “When the ruler is shamed, the minister dies.” Even Chu had fought to the death after King Huai of Chu perished in Qin, refusing to submit despite defeat. Yet among Han’s court ministers, not a single one had chosen to die remonstrating?

Looking at the Zhang family’s frantic scrambling for a way out, Zhu Xiang could not help but wonder—perhaps not only did no one remonstrate, perhaps they were the very ones who petitioned the King of Han to step forth and bear the shame.

With one hand, Zhu Xiang helped Zhang Sheng to his feet. “I acknowledge your affection in protecting your younger brother, and will write the letter for you. But whether it comes to pass will still depend on whether your brother himself is willing. I will let him study at the Academy of Xianyang for one month. Let him see for himself what reforms Han must undergo if it is to grow strong. Han is not Qin’s first target at the moment. If you awaken to this, there may yet be one more chance.”

Zhang Liang’s eyes lit up.

“But why,” Zhang Sheng asked, puzzled, “would Lord Changping help Han?”

“I am not helping Han,” Zhu Xiang replied. “I am helping Qin. I am certain that the King of Han and his ministers will never change. Your actions are doomed to fail. And when you fail, the King of Han will lose his last shred of popular trust, and Han will lose the last of its fate. Qin’s unification of the realm is only the beginning. To govern it—that is the true trial awaiting the King of Qin.”

He looked at Zhang Liang, whose eyes once again shone with hope, and said: “This is an open stratagem. Will you two brothers take it?”

Zhang Liang immediately replied: “I’ll take it!”

Zhang Sheng said: “Liang, you—”

But Zhang Liang cut him off, saying: “If I don’t try, wouldn’t that make our Zhang clan as useless as Lord Changping said? With the Zhang family’s influence, we must accomplish something! Elder brother!”

Zhang Sheng hesitated.

Zhu Xiang said: “If you fail, you will at least know that Han’s downfall is not the doing of Qin, but of Han itself. After Han perishes, you can serve Qin in peace. And even if you don’t serve Qin, retreating into the mountains to live in seclusion is still better than becoming rebels and bringing suffering to the people.”

Zhang Sheng was finally moved. He turned again to Zhang Liang: “Liang, your elder brother will enter the court and strive for reform. If I fail, will you then acknowledge Prince Fei as your teacher?”

Zhang Liang gritted his teeth: “Agreed!”

Zhang Sheng then said to Zhu Xiang: “If what I do in the future can earn your recognition, Lord Changping, then I ask you to recommend my younger brother to apprentice under Prince Fei.”

Zhu Xiang replied calmly: “Very well.”

He turned to leave. “I’ll have the jailers release you. Rest for a day, tomorrow I’ll send someone to fetch you.”

The Zhang brothers watched the figure of Lord Changping disappear into the distance, not daring to look at each other for a long while.

After leaving the prison, Zhu Xiang did not depart immediately. He dismissed the jailers and guards, then hid by the doorway.

When he saw a thin figure in black passing by, Zhu Xiang sneered: “Your Majesty, still have the habit of eavesdropping? So idle—clearly there aren’t enough memorials on your desk.”

Zichu’s face stiffened, but he retorted with righteous tone: “I heard that the son of Han’s Chancellor was posing as the son of Qin’s Chancellor and was thrown into prison by Zheng. I came to personally release him, to show the magnanimity of the King of Qin. Who knew I’d find the dignified Lord Changping bullying juniors?”

Zhu Xiang cursed: “Magnanimity? I say you just thought the whole thing amusing and came here to watch the fun.”

Zichu rubbed his nose: “And you knew it, but still exposed me?”

Zhu Xiang: “…”

This fellow—after becoming King of Qin, his skin had only grown thicker… no, his skin had always been this thick! Otherwise, how could he have hidden his identity and freeloaded in my humble household as an accountant for food and drink!

“Then why are you hiding?” Zhu Xiang said irritably, stepping into the carriage alongside Zichu.

Seeing he had already been found out, Zichu simply instructed the driver to head straight to Zhu Xiang’s manor instead of returning to the palace.

“I only thought, seeing you bullying juniors, you might feel embarrassed,” Zichu said with mock pity. “The great Lord Changping, tsk tsk.”

Hearing that, Zhu Xiang felt a little awkward himself.

He stiffened his neck and said: “That Zhang Sheng is about my age. How can he be called a junior?”

Zichu shot him a sideways glance: “And Zhang Liang? Is he about your age too?”

Zhu Xiang replied: “Zhang Liang is only a few years younger than Zheng. He was imprisoned by Zheng, so it’s Zheng bullying him, not me.”

Zichu sneered: “Who was it that, before a son still in mourning for his father, insulted that very father? And you say that isn’t bullying?”

Zhu Xiang argued stubbornly: “I never insulted him. I only spoke the truth. Since when is speaking the truth called insulting?”

Zichu waved his hand: “Ah, there you go again—using ‘truth’ as an excuse. Why insist on exposing the Zhang family’s hidden intentions? What if what they said really was true? An open stratagem, you call it?”

Zhu Xiang said: “The open stratagem I thought up last night—what do you think of it?”

Zichu praised: “Not bad, quite vicious. If you hadn’t been reluctant to sacrifice Han Fei—if you’d let him return to rally support only to fail—perhaps Han’s fate would have collapsed even sooner.”

Zhu Xiang shook his head. “No, Han Fei never had that kind of effect. Han Fei was never trusted by the King of Han. Neither the scholars nor the common people of Han even knew who Han Fei was. The Zhang family, father and sons, served five generations of Han kings as prime ministers. For the scholars and the commoners of Han, there was only the Zhang Chancellor; they didn’t even know which king was on the throne. So, when the Zhang family failed to save Han, the King of Han and the court denounced them as traitors, and only then did the people of Han rise up in indignation.”

Zichu sneered. “They know only the prime minister, not the king, eh?”

He glanced at Zhu Xiang. “You’d better be careful. The people of Qin might soon know only you, the Lord of Changping, and forget their Qin King.”

Zhu Xiang chuckled. “Oh? Who’s been whispering slander about me into your ears?”

Zichu dragged a chest out from under the carriage seat. “All the memorials cursing you are in here. You can read them later—very entertaining stuff.”

Zhu Xiang was speechless. So this guy didn’t just leave the palace to laugh at little Zhang Liang—he came to laugh at me too?

“When I was in Southern Qin, every time I did something, I made sure to declare it in the King’s name. The people of Southern Qin all praised the late king as a benevolent ruler.” Zhu Xiang said proudly. “I’m a professional when it comes to polishing a monarch’s reputation. When I return to Southern Qin, I’ll sing your praises as well.”

Zichu snorted coldly. “I don’t need you to puff me up. I’ll establish my own achievements.”

“That still needs publicity. It’s also a way to reassure the people,” Zhu Xiang replied. “Just wait—I’ve already started drafting your story. Once it’s ready, I’ll let you see it first.”

Zichu said, “You’re seriously writing one? Don’t make it too absurd—none of that ‘the sun fell into your lap, the dark bird entered your dreams’ nonsense…”

Zhu Xiang scoffed. “That kind of stuff doesn’t fool anyone anymore. I’ll write that when you were in Zhao, you carved little holes in the wall to borrow light from your neighbors, caught fireflies in the summer to use as lanterns, and that despite the harshest conditions you never put down your books, often studying until you spat blood. Birth doesn’t matter—what ruler hasn’t had their background polished? Only then can that persona be passed down through the ages.”

Zichu: “…”

He was silent for a long time, then raised both hands solemnly and bowed to Zhu Xiang. “I admit defeat. I, the King, admit defeat. Please, Lord of Changping, accept my obeisance.”

Zhu Xiang modestly helped him up. “No need, no need… Hm, though if I recall correctly, I am still your teacher? Then you should bow after all.”

He let go.

Zichu immediately swung a fist and punched him.

Inside the carriage, the monarch and his subject were laughing and bickering—it didn’t sound like a monarch and subject at all.

The coachman was sweating buckets. He really didn’t want to overhear this kind of treasonous banter between the Qin King and the Lord of Changping! Couldn’t they at least keep their voices down?

But wait… there were actually people who slandered Lord Zhu Xiang at court?

The coachman fell into deep thought, deciding to share this matter with his neighbors.

Though Qin folk did not openly discuss politics, chatting privately was no problem. Surely they would curse those treacherous ministers who dared slander Lord Zhu Xiang!

After all, those who could serve as the Qin King’s coachman were trusted confidants. What’s more, Zichu clearly intended for his coachman to spread the word.

He knew there were always people trying to probe into his private sentiments. No matter how strictly he managed the palace, the royal clansmen and great ministers had their ways of sniffing out his moods. So he might as well leak the message himself.

Originally, Zichu had been infuriated by the slanders, so he packed them into a chest and came to vent about them with Zhu Xiang. Who would have thought the Han envoy would lose a child, and that child would be caught by little Zheng? He had deliberately taken a detour to enjoy the spectacle.

At that moment, Zichu finally understood why King Zhaoxiang of Qin and King Renwen of Qin had loved amusement so much. When a king is weighed down with worries, he desperately needs entertainment to ease his heart.

When Zhu Xiang said he wanted roast duck, the household cooks had already hung one to roast. Ying Zheng was waiting for his uncle to come back and carve the duck, only to see his father arrive to fight him for food—his face immediately fell.

And when Zichu cheerfully handed Zheng the memorials accusing Zhu Xiang of overshadowing the King’s reputation, Zheng’s face fell even further, his appetite vanishing on the spot.

Zichu roared with laughter.

Zhu Xiang reminded him, “Although you and Zheng are both past the mourning period, didn’t you just recover from an illness? The imperial physicians said you should eat light. You should have duck-bone soup. I’ll add plenty of noodles for you.”

Zichu’s laughter froze.

Ying Zheng opened his mouth and let out a long, exaggerated laugh, which made Zichu so angry he raised his fist to beat this unfilial son who dared mock his own father.

Hearing that the Qin King had arrived, Xunzi hobbled over on his staff to pay his respects—only to see the King and Crown Prince chasing Zhu Xiang around.

Xunzi raised his staff and scolded, “What kind of conduct is this!”

This time it was Zhu Xiang who burst out laughing.