Chapter 3

As Ji Ying served Wu Xie his rice, she said, "Just after the morning sacrifice, I sent the fresh rice to Father, and then rushed over here, sweating all over. Yet you have the heart not to finish the story and even sing a song of complaint, saying, 'Chopsticks and spoons, go back, there is no meat to eat,' sigh."

Speaking these words of complaint, when Zhao Wu Xie came over to wipe the sweat from her forehead, the dimples at the corners of her mouth betrayed her enjoyment of the task.

The young girl held the tray with respect, a gesture usually reserved for fathers, brothers, or husbands, but she made an exception for her half-brother. Moved by this, Zhao Wu Xie sat up straight and respectfully received the tray.

The fine rice was somewhat sticky and rather monotonous, but it was far better than the food in the stables: the minor officials ate unhusked rough rice, and the servants had only bean leaf soup and rice bran, with a vegetarian sauce made from soybeans, and they only had two meals a day.

Adhering to the etiquette of not speaking while eating, he finished the last bite of his meal, drank a full cup of thick sour milk, and then asked about the hunting rituals.

It turned out that during the Spring and Autumn period, the annual spring hunt, summer hunt, autumn hunt, and winter hunt were all conducted during the agricultural off-season. This was also a way for the lords of the Spring and Autumn period to train their archery and chariot driving skills, of course, with corresponding rules.

If Zhao Wu Xie wanted to participate, he first needed to have a war chariot to stand proudly on and accompany the guests in their galloping and archery.

So, after bidding farewell to his sister, Zhao Wu Xie headed to the chariot shed.

In the past, he always thought that the saying "cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world" would be obviously problematic if applied to later generations.

Why must one regulate the family before governing the state and bringing peace to the world? Isn't the family a personal private matter?

But this saying was perfectly appropriate for the Spring and Autumn period, as the concept of "family" was different from later generations.

Zhao Wu Xie now understood.

A "family" was the fief of a noble, with its own land, subjects, army, and self-sufficient economy, like the Zhao family's palace.

In short, the "family" was the first force that a noble could mobilize, the basic unit of the feudal system of the State of Jin. If one could not regulate one's own family, how could one talk about governing the state and bringing peace to the world? Go home and daydream.

Since the family was so important, it needed someone to manage it, hence the existence of family ministers.

The head of the family ministers, the family steward, was the chief of the entire family's affairs, like Yin Duo, who dared to argue with the lord, Zhao Yang. Below the family steward, there were many different positions of family ministers, usually passed down from generation to generation.

This hereditary system of family ministers, which Zhao Wu Xie found somewhat corrupt and lacking in vitality, produced a large number of loyal ministers willing to die for their lord.

A minister from the State of Qi once said to Duke Jing of Qi, in front of him, about a rebellious family minister: "You, as a private family minister, want to be loyal to the public lord, which is a grave sin."

And Duke Jing of Qi, who represented the interests of the public, greatly agreed with this statement.

This was the loyalty concept of the scholars in the Spring and Autumn period: my lord's lord is not my lord, which can be described in this way.

For example, the family minister in charge of the Zhao family's chariots, "Cha Che."

The Zhao family's chariot manager, Wang Sun Qi, was in his thirties, with a square face, a black beard, and a dignified appearance. Wang Sun, this was a significant clan name, indicating that his ancestor might have been a prince of the Zhou dynasty.

Looking at the four hundred years of Zhao family history, it was a long process of rising from a scholar to a noble, and then to a high-ranking official.

But Wang Sun Qi's family took the opposite path: from the royal nobility to a noble, and then from a noble to a fallen scholar, and finally to a family minister. It is unknown when they fled from the small Chengzhou and became the Zhao family's chariot manager for generations.

At this moment, Wang Sun Qi was frowning, with a business-like expression.

"According to the family law, no one may use the war chariot without permission!"

"But Father has summoned all the sons to participate in the hunt, and I am included."

"Words are not enough; there must be a token to authorize the use."

"I am Father's son, his own flesh and blood! Would I take the chariot and run away?"

"Serving the lord, one must be loyal. Without the lord's token, even if the Duke of Jin came in person, it would be no exception."

Faced with such a hard-nosed person, after a round of talk, Zhao Wu Xie was at a loss.

According to the logic of loyalty in this era, even if the king or the Son of Heaven came, the family minister could legally and reasonably ignore them.

The Legalists of the Warring States period came from the Three Jin, and the Legalists of the Three Jin came from the Zhao family. His stepfather, Zhao Yang, had a strong tendency towards the rule of law and even participated in the casting of the first written law of the State of Jin ten years ago.

Following the idea that governing the state must start with regulating the family, the Zhao family naturally had a clearly published family law, and Wang Sun Qi was not lying.

Moreover, even if he managed to get a war chariot, he still needed two "scholar" level attendants as deputies.

The "chariot driver" had to control the galloping four-horse chariot, which was a technical skill. And when encountering bad roads, the "right chariot attendant," responsible for pushing or even carrying the chariot, was a physical task. Where could Zhao Wu Xie find such people in a short time?

At this moment, the sound of chariots and horses came, and a beautifully decorated four-horse war chariot drove out of the chariot shed.

On the left side of the chariot, there was a young gentleman with a fair face and no beard. He was dressed in fine clothes, wearing a hunting-specific leather cap, carrying a long bow, and a deer skin quiver on his back. He was Zhao Wu Xie's uncle, Zhao Shu Qi.

According to Ji Ying, the Zhao family's sons would gather in the afternoon, head to nearby Mianshang, join the family convoy, and wait for the head of the clan, Zhao Yang, and the noble guest from the State of Song to inspect them.

The head of the Zhao family, Zhao Yang, had four sons and one daughter: the eldest son Bo Lu, the second son Zhong Xin, the third son Shu Qi, and the fourth daughter Ji Ying. The names Bo, Zhong, Shu, and Ji were all used, and it just so happened that Zhao Wu Xie was born when they were all used up.

This also showed how out of place he was among Zhao Yang's five children.

Wu Xie, in his understanding, probably meant "lacking love from a young age" or "not needing love"... the degree of being disliked was evident.

In his scattered memories, Zhao Wu Xie indeed did not receive any fatherly love from a young age. In Zhao Yang's eyes, he was a low-born son of a "barbarian maid," with an average appearance and no particular talents, just an extra and impure bloodline of the Zhao family.

He could not enter the public school with the legitimate sons to learn the six arts of a gentleman; each of the three elder brothers had their own dedicated chariots, with a retinue when they went out, while Zhao Wu Xie was like a forgotten person.

Zhao Wu Xie slightly lowered his head and bowed to Shu Qi.

The rituals of the Spring and Autumn period were complex. There were different rituals for scholars meeting nobles, scholars meeting scholars, sons meeting elder brothers, fathers, and sisters... when he first arrived, Zhao Wu Xie made a big mistake with the rituals, and Ji Ying pulled his ear and gave him a thorough lesson. Now, at least in daily greetings, he could do it without making mistakes.

It was not until he passed by Zhao Wu Xie that Zhao Shu Qi seemed to notice him, exclaimed, and had his chariot driver stop the chariot. He stood on the chariot and casually returned the greeting with his hands.

He then called out in his hoarse voice, "Wu Xie, aren't you supposed to be reflecting in the stables? Why are you here?"

Shu Qi deliberately emphasized the words "stables" and "reflecting." His chariot driver and right chariot attendant looked at Zhao Wu Xie with a sneer.

"Let me inform my elder brother, Wu Xie is also going to participate in the hunt."

Shu Qi looked around and immediately understood Zhao Wu Xie's situation. He said with a smile that did not reach his eyes, "Indeed, Father did not say you couldn't go. But Wu Xie, it seems you don't have the token to command the chariot. The family law is strict. Without the token, even my elder brothers Bo and Zhong would be helpless. Why don't you ride with me? You can be my right chariot attendant."

Zhao Wu Xie looked down, though his memory of this life was not very clear, he still remembered that Shu Qi was a somewhat cunning person, and their relationship was not good. But today, he was overly enthusiastic.

Being the right chariot attendant, holding a sword and a spear, seemed like a kind gesture from a benevolent elder brother to a fallen younger brother.

However, in the Spring and Autumn period, the left side of the chariot was the place of honor, and the right side was the deputy, which was a lower position.

Zhao Yang had not yet chosen the heir to the family, so theoretically, the sons were equal in status, even a low-born son had his own dignity and opportunities. But once he became Shu Qi's right chariot attendant, Zhao Wu Xie's status would automatically be lower, and it would be seen as a sign of early allegiance to Shu Qi.

Of course, these were things Ji Ying had instructed him before he came, and he did not know them in such detail. He would have probably climbed into the chariot and served as a companion without thinking.

Zhao Wu Xie did not want to be a companion to Shu Qi and lose in the starting line of the competition for the heir.

Others thought Wu Xie did not even have the qualifications to participate, but he knew he must win!

For his sister, for his family, to better change this era!

"Thank you, elder brother."

So he expressed gratitude but firmly refused.

The "chariot manager" Wang Sun Qi, with his poker face, was originally watching coldly, but now he was slightly surprised and impressed by Zhao Wu Xie's determination.

Shu Qi's eyes darted around, and after one plan failed, he came up with another. He jumped off the chariot, patted Wu Xie's shoulder in a seemingly intimate manner, and whispered in his ear.

"Wu Xie, you won't get the chariot, but I often see you galloping in the stables. Why not make an entrance like that for this hunt?"

Zhao Wu Xie was puzzled but somewhat tempted, as Zhao Shu Qi's suggestion reminded him of a famous military reform by a "descendant" two hundred years later, which gave him a bold idea.

One cannot be held back by a full bladder. Without a chariot, he could not just trail behind his step-brothers, trailing in the dust. Should he go to his father Zhao Yang to ask for the token? Zhao Wu Xie did not dare to test the patience of that ruthless man. Should he ask his sister Ji Ying to plead for him? He could not bear to lose face.

So, although he still had doubts about Zhao Shu Qi's excessive enthusiasm today, the idea he proposed seemed to have little risk in Zhao Wu Xie's mind, at least Ji Ying had not said it was not allowed.

Zhao Wu Xie forgot that his thinking was largely still in the modern era two thousand years later, while the Spring and Autumn period had its own set of rules he was not familiar with. And how could Ji Ying have expected that he would be so clueless about the most basic common sense...

Shu Qi's right chariot attendant, Shi Tuo, was a strong and imposing man but had a pair of triangular eyes that seemed out of place. Seeing Zhao Wu Xie slowly walking towards the stables, he flattered Shu Qi, "Thanks to the gentleman's brilliant plan, today's hunt will surely be especially lively."

Zhao Shu Qi stroked the red tassel under his chin and said, "If that low-born son really does that, my elder brother Zhong, who is strict about rituals and highly values chariots, will definitely make him lose face on the spot!"

"Once Zhong and the low-born son are at odds, my sister will definitely stand on the low-born son's side. After they both suffer, I will reap the benefits. As for my elder brother Bo, who has always been quiet and obedient and does not win Father's favor, the position of heir will surely be mine."

"The gentleman's plan is brilliant! Brilliant!"

Shu Qi was even more pleased, "Ha, Shi Tuo, you have pledged your loyalty to me and helped me. When I inherit the family, I will not forget to give you a thousand-household fief as a steward!"