Chapter 8, The Accusation of Guilt

A Fei estimated that Shi Yi, having lost his wife in middle age, took in three concubines but none bore him children. He only had Shi Xun, his precious son, and was truly worried. He probably still needed to engage in guerrilla warfare with Governor Zhang in the prefecture for quite some time. To avoid any concerns, he decided to send his son back to their hometown first. Moreover, he was also planning to leverage the power of the family to win over certain officials and report Governor Zhang's misconduct to Luoyang, aiming to have that thorn in his side removed from Lelang Prefecture.

However, according to A Fei's memory, this should be the time when the feudal lords began to discuss the removal of Dong. How could the court still have the leisure to concern itself with the affairs of Yue Lang? ... No, it should be said, where is there still a proper court to lodge a complaint?

In his previous life, A Fei was ultimately not a specialist in history, but merely an ordinary enthusiast of the late Han and Three Kingdoms period, and his memories were somewhat distorted. In the sixth year of Zhongping, which corresponds to April 189 AD, Emperor Ling of Han passed away, and the young Emperor Liu Bian ascended the throne, changing the era name to Guangxi; in August, Dong Zhuo entered the capital, changing the era name to Zhaoning; in September, Dong Zhuo deposed the young emperor and established Emperor Xian Liu Xie, changing the era name to Yonghan; in December, the era names Guangxi, Zhaoning, and Yonghan were abolished, and it was still referred to as the sixth year of Zhongping. In the sixth year of Zhongping, which corresponds to April 189 AD, Emperor Ling of Han passed away, and the young Emperor Liu Bian ascended the throne, changing the era name to Guangxi; in August, Dong Zhuo entered the capital, changing the era name to Zhaoning; in September, Dong Zhuo deposed the young emperor and established Emperor Xian Liu Xie, changing the era name to Yonghan; in December, the era names Guangxi, Zhaoning, and Yonghan were abolished, and it was still referred to as the sixth year of Zhongping

He told his son not to worry, saying that he had long anticipated similar turmoil and had arranged countermeasures. He instructed his son to leave Le Lang and head north to seek refuge with his uncle Shi Yi. "Set off at night, and do not bring too many people; two skilled companions will suffice to avoid leaking information. You should arrive at Nanpu by the day after tomorrow at the latest, which is the 4th day of the month. On that day, a large ship will set sail for Qingzhou, and the shipowner is a friend of your father, Qian, whom you have also met."

Shi Xun found it strange; before he could inquire, a steward rushed out to summon him into the inner chamber. A Fei and Lun Jia were busy unloading the game, tidying up their weapons, and grooming their mounts. At this time, A Fei had already switched to a semi-new mulberry and Tushu wood bow, with a draw weight close to 100 pounds, but there was no mount for him. Although the northern part of the Korean Peninsula is known for producing fine horses, the Shi family, being local tyrants of a remote district, could not afford too many. Among this group, only Shi Xun and Lun Jia had horses. Shi Xun had previously promised that when A Fei came of age, he would provide him with a horse to ride. Although the northern part of the Korean Peninsula is known for producing fine horses, the Shi family, being local tyrants of a remote district, could not afford too many. Among this group, only Shi Xun and Lun Jia had horses. Shi Xun had previously promised that when A Fei came of age, he would provide him with a horse to ride

I can't believe it, they really are having an affair with Goguryeo! It seems that the charges set by Governor Zhang against this family are not baseless accusations, but rather they are indeed true!

According to Ah Fei's judgment, it seems that the conflict between Lord Zhang and Master Shi has finally escalated to the point where action must be taken. Since the swift horse came from the south, it is likely that someone in the county has informed Master Shi. In a direct confrontation, the Shi family cannot withstand Lord Zhang; even without going through the Captain, Lord Zhang can readily mobilize nearly a thousand county soldiers. In contrast, the Shi family's estate here has only over one hundred servants, and even when considering other locations and nearby tenants, they can muster at most three to five hundred people, most of whom are elderly, weak, or ill. Therefore, retreating is a wise choice; Master Shi's urgency to relocate is entirely reasonable.

A Fei smiled at the people while cursing inwardly: "Damn, this is really heavy... With so much money, if it were converted into silver coins or gold leaves, it should be much easier, right? It's unclear whether gold and silver can circulate directly in this era..."

One master and two servants casually filled their bags with some items—Shi Xun added a bit of corn rice, roasted chicken legs, frozen mustard greens, and pickled meat soup, while A Fei and his companion had bean bran cakes, pickled radishes, and warm water—then they began to pack their belongings. In fact, the two servants had little luggage to pack; they each brought a set of change of clothes and a pair of straw sandals, which they placed under the saddle, and then hung a water pouch and a bag of dry food on the side of the saddle.

Indeed, Ah Fei is still underage, yet by a stroke of fate, he has finally managed to acquire a young horse to ride and some illustrated books. He feels a bit excited and somewhat nervous. Someone advised him, saying: "Don't worry, anyone can ride a horse. You just need to squeeze the horse's belly with your legs, and you won't fall off. This horse is gentle; as long as it isn't galloping at full speed, you really don't need to learn how to ride."

Go to Beihai

On the last day of November, Shi Xun once again took A Fei, Lun Jia, and others out for hunting. They roamed in the wilderness for a full two days and one night. It was not until the evening of the second day that they returned to the estate carrying several rabbits, birds, and a yellow goat. As soon as they entered the estate gate, they saw the servants bustling about, seemingly busy with packing things up

At the end of this year, the Shijia family suddenly encountered misfortune

Young master, where are we headed to?

A Fei made small talk all the way, probing for information from Shi Xun. Over the past few years, he had been by Shi Xun's side, relying on his quick wit and sweet tongue, and had long since gained Shi Xun's absolute trust. In a certain sense, he had already come to manipulate this young master at will. Shi Xun, trusting him and unguarded in his speech, was filled with doubts and grievances, and thus he was quickly probed to the bottom by A Fei.

Shi Xun is two years older than A Fei, born in the spring of the second year of Xiping, the year of Gui Chou. In the seventh year of Zhongping, upon reaching eighteen, he held a coming-of-age ceremony under the guidance of the elders in the county. One elder stated: "The 'Rites of Zhou: Summer Officials' says: The king's merit is called Xun. Our teacher Zheng Kangcheng explains that it assists in establishing the king's achievements, like the Duke of Zhou. Therefore, it can be given the character 'Fu'." Thus, his courtesy name was established as: Hongfu.

The message sent from the capital Luoyang to the easternmost part of the empire, Lelang, would take nearly a year even without urging the horses to go faster. Ah Fei could only conclude that either everyone had completely disregarded this remote little county, or that bandits had once again become rampant along the way. Moreover, he chuckled to himself, it wouldn't be long before the family tree would need to be revised along with the books, because since the reign of Emperor Ling last year, there had actually been three emperors in total, and starting from the Zhongping era, there had also been three different reign titles. This year, it would change again, becoming the first year of Chuping.

After leaving the manor, the three of them rode swiftly westward. According to the plan, there is a small town called Nanpu near the estuary of the Liao River (Datong River) in the southwest, where they can find boats to cross the sea. They would then take a boat to the Shandong Peninsula, disembarking at Huang County in Donglai County, and from there proceed to Beihai County.

Having just completed the coronation ceremony, we filled in the old name, new character, and the date of the ceremony in the family tree. Suddenly, news arrived that there had not been seven years in the middle; the emperor had passed away last April, posthumously named Ling, and the crown prince had ascended the throne, changing the era name to Guangxi. Consequently, everyone hurriedly and flusteredly pulled out the bamboo slip that had just been filled in and replaced it with a new one.

In modern society, information is extremely advanced, especially in large cities. From the moment one opens their eyes in the morning, various forms of information from television, radio, newspapers, and the internet are consciously or unconsciously inundated into their minds. In comparison, the amount of information during the late Han Dynasty was significantly less, and its timeliness was nearly zero—particularly within a wealthy family estate in a remote county.

According to his investigation, the Shijia family originally had ancestors who were officials of the Qi state during the Warring States period, residing in Yiling County of Beihai Commandery. During the four hundred years of the Han dynasty, they produced a total of seven or eight mid-level officials, ranging from the rank of one hundred stones to eight hundred stones, thus qualifying as a prominent family within the commandery. The father of Shixun was named Shi Yi, courtesy name Ziyin. He was not the head of the Shijia family; rather, in the third year of Xiping, which was the year before the birth of the body of A Fei, he was invited by Wu Feng of Chenliu to cross the sea and take up a position in Lelang—Wu Feng being the governor of Lelang, and Shi Yi serving as his subordinate.

Afei vaguely felt that he had heard this phrase somewhere before... Ah, right, it was from https://www.hetushu.com, where Professor Calculus from "The Adventures of Tintin" said: "Anyone can drive a car..."

Ah Fei observed the surroundings with keen eyes and listened intently, quickly grasping the general situation within the manor. It was said that nearly an hour ago, a swift horse had galloped in from the south. After a brief conversation with Shi Yi, the rider hurriedly departed. Immediately, Shi Yi sent someone to urgently find her son and ordered the packing of belongings, her expression anxious, as if she intended to embark on a long journey to evade disaster

After the initial peace, it should be the Jian'an period, right? The old era has completely come to an end, and the chaotic times of the late Han and the Three Kingdoms have begun. How am I supposed to survive in this turbulent age? ... I can't remember whether later the Lelang Commandery was swallowed by Goguryeo or returned to the Gongsun family of Liaodong

In other words, the year is collectively referred to as the sixth year of Zhongping in SLG games, not merely for the sake of convenience

A Fei ultimately possesses a consciousness from two thousand years in the future. His ability and speed in absorbing information can be considered unparalleled in the late Han Dynasty. Moreover, he intentionally or unintentionally employs this unique talent of his, absorbing various types of information like a sponge soaking up water, and soon becomes the one and only "King of Gossip" in the village.

After the death of Governor Wu, the court appointed Teng Shu as the Governor of Lelang. At this time, Shi Yi had already established a foothold in the prefecture, acquiring a thousand acres of land and several estates, making him a significant local power. Therefore, Governor Teng had no choice but to employ him heavily, appointing him as a supervisor. At the end of the first year of the Zhongping era, after the Yellow Turban Rebellion was quelled, the court replaced Teng Shu with Zhang Qi from Ganling. After Governor Zhang took office, he engaged in corruption and malpractice, soliciting and accepting bribes. Shi Yi repeatedly advised him but was ignored. In a fit of anger, he decided to resign and retreat into seclusion.

At first, Shi Xun was reluctant to leave, concerned for his father's safety. However, Shi Yi smiled faintly and comforted him, saying: "I have been at odds with that thief for several years. He holds the esteemed position of the county and the *Tu* bookkeeper, so how could I not prepare for unforeseen circumstances? Once the estate is in order, I will head north to hide in Zengdi at dawn tomorrow. The county magistrate there is an old acquaintance of mine and will surely provide good arrangements. If the county soldiers come chasing after me, I have also contacted a favored minister of the King of Goguryeo, Da Jiaoyu, who will bring Goguryeo soldiers to resist them. Once the estate is in order, I will head north to hide in Zengdi at dawn tomorrow. The county magistrate there is an old acquaintance of mine and will surely provide good arrangements. If the county soldiers come chasing after me, I have also contacted a favored minister of the King of Goguryeo, Da Jiaoyu, who will bring Goguryeo soldiers to resist them. To take a step back, if things do not go as planned, I can still sneak into Goguryeo. The king has long admired my father and has promised to appoint me as a registrar. You should rest assured and not worry about me."

As expected by A Fei, the local book assistant sent someone to inform Shi Yi, stating that after several years of painstaking effort, Governor Zhang had managed to implicate both the county magistrate and the military commander in his schemes. Therefore, he planned to dispatch the county troops in the next couple of days to raid the Shi family's estate and behead Shi and his son on the charge of colluding with Goguryeo

Of course, this information was obtained from the Shi family, so the evaluation of Shi Yi will naturally be more positive. According to Ah Fei's own analysis, it should be due to the unequal distribution of spoils between the new officials and the old clerks that led to Shi Yi's dismissal. Although he has been dismissed, the resentful Shi Laoye still occasionally undermines Governor Zhang in secret.

Shixun had quite a lot of belongings, with two sets of clothes and shoes for changing, along with a scarf and a crown to highlight his noble status. He packed everything into a large bundle, and finally stuffed in a big bag of copper coins and two wooden tablets tied together—Afei guessed that these were letters for relatives back home. With such a large load, Shixun, as the owner, certainly would not carry it himself, nor would he want to burden his fine steed, so he dumped it all onto Afei's shoulders.

Indeed, Shixun went in to see his father, and after just half a meal, he came out with a stern face, calling to Afei and the others: "Hurry up and eat something, then follow me on the road"

Moreover, in the year 190, the era name was changed to Chuping, followed by another era name, Xingping, before it finally reached the Jian'an era name