Chapter 85: Parting with a Cup, Heading East (Part 1)

At the Huifeng Tower, Han Gang thought that apart from Wang Hou, only a few familiar friends like Wang Shunmin and Zhao Long would be present. The usual farewell for ten miles would be held tomorrow when he set off, and at that time, Wang Zhao and Wu Yan might even be there. Today, it should be Wang Hou finding an excuse to have a drink.

He was not wrong. Wang Shunmin came, Li Xin arrived, and Yang Ying, who was from Wang Zhao's hometown in De'an and his closest confidant, also came. Even Zhao Long, after bidding farewell to Wang Zhao, hurriedly came to the banquet. Indeed, all his familiar companions came to see him off.

But he was wrong again. He did not get to drink the farewell wine hosted by Wang Hou. As soon as he walked up to the third floor of Huifeng Tower, a guest sitting at the best table sent a servant to greet Han Gang.

Lifting his eyes, both Wang Hou and Han Gang were surprised. Although Han Gang was unfamiliar with the face and had never interacted with him, he knew who he was, and so did Wang Hou.

Liu Xishi, the imperial envoy of the Qin-Feng Road.

A eunuch.

From the palace, by rule, he should not associate with local officials. Yet, the eunuch, who was supposed to be in charge of the imperial envoy, did not attend the spring banquet after the ox-whipping ceremony but was here at Huifeng Tower, sending someone to greet Han Gang.

"Is this Han Yuku?" Liu Xishi called out from a distance.

Han Gang hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and bowed to Liu Xishi, "Han Gang greets Liu Zouma."

Liu Xishi stood up and returned a half-bow, smiling, "I have long heard of Han Yuku's great name, but we always missed each other. Today, I finally get to meet you, and I see that your reputation is well-deserved."

Wang Hou, perhaps thinking it was Han Gang's first time seeing a eunuch, watched his expression with some tension. He knew that scholars generally had no good feelings towards eunuchs and feared that Han Gang might act rudely. However, Han Gang's respectful bow relieved Wang Hou, though he felt a bit disappointed.

Unlike Wang Hou's expectations, Han Gang did not discriminate against eunuchs. It was just a matter of missing a few ounces of flesh. As long as he himself was not missing anything, he did not care if others were. Han Gang would not mix history with novels and knew that eunuchs in the Northern Song did not practice the "Kuihua Manual" or the "Evil-Repelling Sword Technique." Still, he secretly hoped to meet a eunuch who could say, "Bring the imperial edict, come on, let's write one for him."

The eunuch Liu Xishi who appeared before Han Gang was not the effeminate stereotype. In a crowd, he looked like an ordinary man, just without a beard. His voice was slightly high-pitched, but there were also men with intact bodies who had high, feminine voices. If not for the introduction, Han Gang would not have noticed anything different about him immediately.

The full title of the imperial envoy is "Imperial Envoy of the Various Roads' Pacification and Military Commandery," but it is usually abbreviated to "Zouma" or simply "Zou," similar to how Han Gang's title "Pacification and Military Commandery Officer" is abbreviated to "Fu Gou."

Liu Xishi took Han Gang's hand and led him to his table, showing great warmth, "Yuku is indeed a great sage. I recently visited the Gangu Convalescent Hospital, and the many injured soldiers there praised you highly, expressing their gratitude."

"Zouma flatters me. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time," Han Gang was puzzled by Liu Xishi's friendliness, and the goosebumps on his skin from the eunuch's touch were well hidden.

Liu Xishi laughed heartily, "To be in the right place at the right time and help the city's soldiers without worry, when you officially take charge of the injured, how many soldiers in the region will still fear the enemy like tigers? When the Western barbarians invade Qin Prefecture again, you will surely have a share of the credit. Come, come, come, you are leaving for the capital tomorrow. Since you are still in Qin Prefecture today, let me offer you a cup of watered wine to see you off."

Liu Xishi pulled Han Gang to sit at his table and invited Wang Hou to join. Wang Shunmin and the other three, whose ranks were not high enough, sat at a nearby table, served by Liu Xishi's attendants.

Liu Xishi held a special position in Qin-Feng, and everyone respected him. Even Li Shizhong did not want to offend him casually. Since Huifeng Tower was an official property, no one dared to treat Liu Zouma rudely.

Soon, fine wine and delicacies filled both tables. A moment later, the two top courtesans of Huifeng Tower also came up. Huifeng Tower was the largest official hotel in Qin Prefecture, and the courtesans were carefully selected from the Imperial Music Bureau. They played the lute and sang gracefully by the table. Although it was a common song by Liu Yong, it was not a melancholic tune like "The cicadas' mournful cries, the long pavilion at dusk, the sudden rain just stopped," but rather "The changing scenery, the twelve gates of the capital, the fifteenth day of the first month, the full moon shining bright," singing of the Lantern Festival in the capital. It was both timely and appropriate, as Han Gang was heading to the capital during the festival.

'What does he want?' Wang Hou's face was full of questions. In the current Qin Prefecture official circles, Wang Zhao was not well-liked. As Wang Zhao's top strategist, Han Gang naturally received the same treatment. Now, Liu Xishi was inviting Han Gang to a banquet, clearly to support Wang Zhao. Why was he doing this?

Wang Hou's doubts were clear to Liu Xishi, but Han Gang's calm and composed smile showed no signs of unease. With Han Gang's intelligence, could he not see the significance of the imperial envoy's invitation in the Qin-Feng official circles? He must have seen through it. Liu Xishi sincerely sighed, "Indeed, his reputation is well-deserved."

Liu Xishi's task was to serve as the emperor's "eyes and ears" in Qin-Feng, with the actual duty of inspection. He was responsible for supervising all civil and military officials in Qin-Feng and had the authority to report on hearsay.

However, not every big or small matter needed to be reported; there was a selection process. The downfall of the Chen family, the battle in Pei Valley, and Han Gang's success in identifying Western barbarian spies were all reported to the court. The conflict between Han Gang and Xiang Bao's servant in Fugang City was not reported, partly because Xiang An handled it well afterward, and partly because Liu Xishi did not think it was worth offending Xiang Bao over such a trivial matter.

From the perspective of the imperial envoy, they were just intelligence officers with a supervisory role and should not favor any local official or have factional tendencies. Even when inspecting various forts, they were not allowed to accept banquets from the fort commanders.

However, people have their own positions, and the connection between the imperial envoy and the emperor was not one-sided. Sometimes, the emperor's intentions were conveyed through the imperial envoy. Wang Zhao was personally promoted by Emperor Zhezong and placed in Qin-Feng. Supporting his actions would be appreciated by the emperor.

At the same time, Liu Xishi also had ambitions. Therefore, he sought to engage Han Gang in conversation. If he directly approached Wang Zhao, it would be considered associating with local officials. But Han Gang was a new official about to take office. Meeting him and sitting together to understand his character and abilities would not be considered a mistake, even if it reached the emperor's ears.

Han Gang could not see through all of Liu Xishi's calculations, but he could deduce the significance of the imperial envoy's farewell banquet and the potential changes it might bring to the official circles. This was truly a timely help...

The eunuch had truly done him a great favor. Han Gang raised his cup to toast Liu Xishi. This gesture reassured Wang Hou, "It seems it's not a bad thing for the master." His mood relaxed, and the previously ignored singing became clear in his ears.

The two main performers at Huifeng Tower were young beauties under twenty, trained from a young age in the Imperial Music Bureau. Their lute playing was skillful, and their singing was melodious, truly a combination of beauty and talent. Wang Shunmin and the others at the table were captivated, staring in awe. Wang Hou, with strict family discipline, only glanced a couple of times and dared not look again. Only Han Gang, who was drinking and chatting with Liu Xishi, paid no attention to the performance, his eyes seeing only mountains and streams, not even blinking.

Thump, thump, thump, the stairs creaked again.

"Where did the two main performers of Huifeng Tower go? It turns out they are singing for someone here." With a somewhat affected voice, seven or eight people came up from downstairs. The leader was a young man with oiled hair and a powdered face, his skin pale and his lips red. Upon closer inspection, he was indeed heavily made up.

Han Gang's eyelids finally twitched. Liu Xishi, the eunuch, looked like an ordinary man, but the person in front of him was undoubtedly a cross-dresser. Men wearing makeup was a custom from somewhere, but Han Gang had never seen it in Qin-Feng.

Liu Xishi stood up, and after a pause, Han Gang followed. The person who could make the imperial envoy of Qin-Feng stand to greet must be an official. However, from his appearance, he was not a regular official but likely a hereditary appointee.

'Which member of the Dou family is this?'

Han Gang was familiar with Li Shizhong's family and knew there was no one like this. In Qin Prefecture, the only official qualified to have hereditary appointees, besides Li Shizhong, was Dou Shunqing. As Han Gang was thinking, Liu Xishi provided the answer, "It's Dou Qiuyan."

"Dou Jie," Wang Hou whispered to Han Gang. He was always well-informed about the Qin Prefecture official circles, "Dou Shunqing's eldest grandson, from the main branch, ranked seventh in the family. However, the first six grandsons of Dou Shunqing all died young, so he is still considered the eldest grandson and has been appointed a ninth-rank right attendant."

Wang Hou's slight snort when mentioning the hereditary appointment was light but noticeable to Han Gang, who smiled in understanding.

Wang Hou, of course, did not like the term "hereditary appointment" because he was not Wang Zhao's eldest son. Wang Zhao could recommend Han Gang but not his own son. Wang Hou was not suited for scholarly pursuits and would normally have to wait for a hereditary appointment. However, in terms of hereditary appointments, Wang Hou ranked lower than his elder brother Wang Kuo. Hereditary appointments always favored the eldest son and grandson. Although Wang Kuo lived a leisurely life at home, and Wang Hou endured the harsh conditions on the northwestern frontier, the rules were the rules, and Wang Hou had to wait for another opportunity.