Chapter 9: A Wonderful Piece of News from Father

“Son, your father has great news to share with you.”

Liu Bei’s face was radiant with joy, a slight curl at the corners of his mouth, a hint of pride shining through his happiness.

From this expression alone, one could tell how delighted Liu Bei was about this wonderful event, and how proud he was of himself for making it happen.

Liu Feng smiled gently, leaning forward with a playful gesture: “Congratulations, Father. Your son is all ears.”

All ears?

Liu Bei pondered this new phrase, finding it both clever and memorable.

He was already accustomed to Liu Feng’s habit of coming up with novel expressions, each time deepening his fondness for his son.

“Feng’er, today your father has arranged for you to have a renowned scholar as your teacher!”

Liu Bei couldn’t help but laugh heartily, stroking his beard with satisfaction. “I have long been close friends with Yuan Long. When I was appointed governor of the province, Yuan Long lent great assistance. Both he and his father come from prominent families of Xuzhou. His great-uncle Chen Qiu even served as Grand Marshal under Emperor Ling and once taught my own teacher, Master Lu Zhi. So, in a way, Marshal Chen is like a grandmaster to your father.”

Chen Qiu, like Ma Rong, had been a teacher to Lu Zhi, who in turn had taught Liu Bei. Truly, Liu Bei could claim to be Chen Qiu’s spiritual grandson.

Though, in truth, this lineage was somewhat tenuous—Liu Bei was not a direct disciple of Lu Zhi, more an outer student at best.

“I have long wished to find you a worthy teacher, but never found one satisfactory. After meeting Yuan Long, I intended for you to study under him, though I feared imposing upon him and causing discomfort. But I did not expect that Yuan Long had already heard of your filial devotion, your reputation for ‘cherishing oranges’ and ‘lying on ice to catch carp.’ He praised your deep respect for your grandparents and parents without end.”

“As soon as I mentioned it, Yuan Long agreed at once, ha ha ha...”

Liu Bei laughed again, unable to contain his joy.

No wonder he was so pleased.

The Chen family was one of the second-tier aristocratic clans of the Eastern Han Empire, among the leading noble houses of Xiapi in Xuzhou. Since the time of Chen Wei, Chen Gui’s grandfather, several family members had held the rank of ‘Two-Thousand Stone’ officials—seven or eight in total. It even produced Chen Qiu, who rose to the rank of Grand Marshal under Emperor Ling.

If Chen Qiu had not been killed during the purge of the eunuch Wang Fu, sparking retaliation from other eunuchs, the family’s scholarly reputation suggested that another high-ranking official of equal stature might well have emerged.

Even so, the Chen family still held the prestige of a Grand Marshal lineage. Compared to such an established clan, “Big-Eared Brother” was nothing but a nouveau riche upstart. Moreover, his wealth and power—the governorship—had been secured largely through the combined efforts of Chen Deng and Mi Zhu.

Both publicly and privately, at this moment, Big-Eared Brother dreamed of forging a deep alliance with the Chen family. Becoming a disciple and arranging marriages were the most effective means.

Since ancient times, the relationship between teacher and student was akin to that of father and son, and in the Eastern Han, this bond was elevated to its peak.

Beyond the father-son parallel, the teacher-student relationship also resembled that of lord and subject.

A teacher was responsible for the student’s future and had the duty to leverage his political influence to secure official posts. The student, in turn, owed loyalty to the teacher as a subject would to his lord.

Due to the recommendation system of the Han dynasty, teachers and students were politically intertwined; if one lost office or rank, the other would inevitably suffer consequences.

Should the recommended party lose office due to misconduct, the recommender might even face imprisonment and prosecution.

This was a distinct feature of the dual-monarchy system of the Han.

Put simply, from the standpoint of modern peacetime thinking, Chen Yuan Long accepting Liu Feng as a disciple was an even greater favor to Liu Bei than recommending him for governor.

Liu Bei’s governorship was incomplete—his actual territory was but two diminished commanderies. If disaster struck, Chen Deng and the Mi family could quickly disavow responsibility, claiming public interest and severing ties with Big-Eared Brother.

But if Chen Deng accepted Liu Feng as a disciple, Chen Yuan Long himself would be deeply bound to Liu Bei.

This, in turn, meant shared glory and shared misfortune; no wonder Big-Eared Brother was so overjoyed.

He and Chen Deng were kindred spirits, instantly drawn to each other, eager to talk through the night.

Now, with such unwavering support, the man who had long suffered from a lack of backing by aristocratic scholars felt as if parched land had been refreshed by sweet rain.

He likely had already laughed to himself many times before meeting Liu Feng.

What Big-Eared Brother did not know was that Liu Feng was secretly about to bring trouble upon them all.

“Chen Gongcao is a renowned scholar of Xuzhou, with a frank, calm, and open personality, wise and resourceful. Your son has long admired him and feels honored to now, by your grace, have such a great sage as his teacher. This is the highest fortune for your son.”

At this moment, Chen Deng had been appointed to an important official post in the provincial government, responsible for selecting and examining officials in Xuzhou—an influential position.

Liu Feng, as a junior, showed respect and admiration by addressing Chen Deng as “Chen Gongcao.”

Liu Bei nodded happily, as if Liu Feng’s words were music to his ears.

But little did he know, there is always a “but” that follows the best intentions.

Sure enough, Liu Feng immediately shifted his tone: “However, now is truly not the time to formally become Gongcao’s disciple, lest great calamity arise.”

Big-Eared Brother, still beaming, suddenly found his smile freeze. He stared at Liu Feng, utterly baffled.

Liu Bei even wondered if he had misheard his son’s words.

He hesitated, seeking confirmation: “Son, what did you just say?”

Liu Feng replied solemnly, “I said that at this time, under no circumstances should I become Gongcao’s disciple, or else our family will face great disaster. At worst, we would lose our home and livelihood; at worst, our lives would be at risk.”

“You!”

Big-Eared Brother, furious, sprang to his feet and glared fiercely at Liu Feng.

One had to admit, Liu Bei was a hero of the late Han and a seasoned battlefield commander.

His wrath unleashed a tremendous pressure that bore down on Liu Feng, who would have been overwhelmed if he were fainthearted—he might not even have dared to look up.

“You… absurd!”

Big-Eared Brother trembled with rage, pacing back and forth, his eyes fixed on Liu Feng with venom.

After a moment, Liu Bei stepped forward, his face like dark iron, and asked coldly, “Who has sown such slander in your ears that you harbor such distrust against Yuan Long? Tell me, who is it!”

Liu Bei could not believe his son would be so insolent; instinctively, he suspected someone was plotting to drive a wedge between Liu Feng and Chen Deng.

Yet, faced with Liu Bei’s fury, Liu Feng knew this was a critical moment—there was no retreat.