"Should we return these books to Middle Official Cai?" Zhao Yun carefully tucked the selected books into the pouch under his horse’s belly, then, holding a hand-copied edition of the Book of Han in silk fabric, he asked somewhat gloomily.
Zhang Fei stuffed scrolls and paintings into the pouches under his and Guan Yu’s horses’ bellies with the expression of a bandit.
"Ha, if you don’t say anything, and I don’t say anything, who would know about these books? With one fire, Luoyang would be gone, and if the books are lost, who would know?" Chen Xi rolled his eyes and said, "Alright, once the books are securely packed, take whichever you fancy. They are all bait for luring scholars in the future!"
"This isn’t right, is it?" Zhao Yun felt it was somewhat outrageous to act like bandits stealing books and tentatively argued, yet his hands did not slow in the slightest, tidying up all the letters and leaving not a trace on the ground.
"What’s with all the fuss, Zilong? If you think it’s wrong, then hand over the books you’ve got. I saw you pocket a copy of Weit Liaozi," Zhang Fei, while selectively gathering books useful to him, started filling a prepared cart with the others.
"Enough, enough, Yide, and Zilong, let’s keep it down. The books are taken, so they are taken. You should know that it is most proper that we are the ones taking them at this moment," Chen Xi casually rolled up a copy of the Book of Han and tossed it onto the cart.
"Eh, Zichuan, what kind of logic is this, and why aren’t you calling me ’Second Brother’ anymore?" Guan Yu interjected, puzzled.
"Calling you ’Second Brother’ is a private matter; this is official business, or rather, a matter of the state. Haven’t you thought about whose residence this is?" Chen Xi rolled his eyes and said.
"Middle Official Cai’s residence, what of it? Everyone has left. If we don’t save these books, there will be nothing left. If we take them away, what’s wrong with that? Better we take them than let them be consumed by fire," Zhang Fei said nonchalantly.
"Sigh, that’s not what I mean. Don’t you think there are too many books?" Chen Xi rolled his eyes again.
"Now that you mention it..." Zhao Yun’s eyes lit up, "So they’re all ill-gotten gains, eh! Fine, I’ll consider it robbing the rich to help the poor."
"It’s not exactly ill-gotten gains; these are books from the Eastern Pavilion of the Han Dynasty. After Dong Zhuo entered Luoyang, the Aristocratic Clan feared that the Xiliang warriors and Xiang Yu would do the same thing, so they divided up the three hundred thousand volumes from the Eastern Pavilion. Since Middle Official Cai was editing the national history in the Eastern Pavilion, he managed to take a bit more during the division, giving Wang Can and Wang Zhongxuan ten thousand volumes, leaving this much behind," Chen Xi shrugged and said, "So, it is most proper that we are retrieving them now."
"O...One thousand volumes?" Guan Yu stuttered.
"Yes, ten thousand volumes," Chen Xi said helplessly. "As a Han Imperial Kinsman, it’s only right for Lord Xuande to reclaim these Han treasures. I’m even thinking of trying to retrieve those ten thousand volumes from Wang Can."
Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun all wanted to curse inwardly. They found it difficult to have one volume for their family collection, yet Cai Yong had actually given away ten thousand volumes.
"Zichuan, where is that guy Wang Can? I’ll go reclaim those ten thousand volumes. The Han treasures must not fall into others’ hands!" Guan Yu stood up, gripping his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, and spoke with righteous indignation.
"If I could find them, I wouldn’t have had you come here." Chen Xi rolled his eyes. His family was a branch of the Chen Family and his parents once lived extravagantly. Even his home boasted only a shelf of books, barely over a hundred volumes, amounting to a dozen or so complete works. Ten thousand volumes would be sufficient to adorn the entire lineage, leaving no room for others to speak ill of a family of scholarly repute.
It can be said that in this era, the Aristocratic Clan monopolized knowledge, with books as the carriers of knowledge being owned only by the Aristocratic Clan. If a common family had one or two volumes, they would definitely pass them down as a family heirloom.
Similarly, the reason why Great Confucian Scholars received much respect in this era was simple; they were willing to share their knowledge with more people rather than keeping it to themselves. Although they only accepted three to five core disciples and a bunch of auditors, it cannot be denied that they indeed passed on knowledge to these people. Even though it wasn’t much, it was enough to change destinies.
Looking at the three men with red eyes and faces filled with anger, Chen Xi could only try to soothe them slowly. Three hundred thousand volumes—these were the treasures of the Han Dynasty, spared from the destruction wrought by Wang Mang, now all in the pockets of the Aristocratic Clan. What was going on?
"Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to recover those volumes," Chen Xi comforted the trio, teeth grinding in frustration.
"Zichuan, there’s no need to do this. For the Great Aristocratic Clan, life is not important; only the legacy of the family matters most. And for the legacy, only land and family teachings are central. The books they’ve taken aren’t likely to be returned," Zhao Yun shook his head and signaled to Chen Xi that they didn’t need comforting.
"Aren’t these the same?" Chen Xi shook the book rolls in his hand. "This matter is relatively simple. You’ll see, they will return them as long as they’re not foolish! Put everything away, we’re going to meet with Lord Xuande. The campaign against Dong Zhuo is coming to an end; we’re going to take possession of our assets."
When Chen Xi returned with Guan, Zhang, and Zhao, Hua Xiong was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the camp. Seeing Chen Xi enter, he stood up stiffly, "Zichuan, has the Minister left?"
"He’s gone, and we’re planning to pursue and kill him," Chen Xi said, looking at a gloomy Hua Xiong. "Do you want to go? You might encounter Lyu Bu."
"I don’t want to go. Like we talked about earlier, I, Hua Xiong, will switch allegiance to Lord Xuande without dispute. As for Minister Dong, I don’t wish to face him." Hua Xiong sighed and said. He wasn’t utterly disheartened by Dong Zhuo’s actions; if it were in the past, he might have been, but now he had another choice and he hoped not to misjudge this time.
"You won’t face Dong Zhuo. I just need your help to retrieve what belongs to us, our spoils of war. You wouldn’t want the elite cavalry of Xiliang reduced to dust," Chen Xi explained with a smile. Hua Xiong was an important figure, a renowned Xiliang warrior once known as the mightiest in the military ranks before Lyu Bu.
"Alright!" Hua Xiong hesitated for a moment before agreeing.
Accompanied by the four mighty generals, Chen Xi found Liu Bei, "Lord Xuande, has Lord Cao invited you to pursue Dong Zhuo?"
"Yes, but I’ve declined. I believe Zichuan has his plans. Zijian, now that you’ve joined me, I will not treat you poorly. For now, just follow Zichuan’s orders," Liu Bei appeared to be quite familiar with Hua Xiong and didn’t try to win him over. He simply ordered him to obey Chen Xi’s commands.
"Yes!" Hua Xiong clasped his fists and then stood behind Chen Xi, seemingly ready to act as a bodyguard.
"This..." Chen Xi wanted to refuse but thinking back to his previous act of withdrawing his hand, he suspected Liu Bei thought he wished to leave. With a silent sigh, he accepted Liu Bei’s arrangements. [Even though I harbor thoughts of leaving, there’s no intent to kill me. You’re trying to win me over with affection. Don’t worry, I won’t leave unless absolutely necessary.]