Chapter 67: Arriving at Xingyang, the Great Sui’s Rewards

Yingyang City.

Fu Zihou rode in a carriage, following Li Jingjie into the city. At first, Fu Zihou assumed their lodging would be as modest as those along the way—a small inn or humble dwelling. Unexpectedly, the carriage continued straight to the gate of a grand residence.

"Zheng Clan!"

Alighting from the carriage, Fu Zihou immediately saw the ornate plaque above the gate. He watched as his uncle, Li Jingjie, stepped forward and exchanged words with the household servant, who hurried off to report. Fu Zihou had not anticipated that his uncle would be acquainted with the Zheng Clan, and apparently, their relationship was quite cordial—for in other cities, Li Jingjie had visited no one.

Soon after, as Fu Zihou and Elder Liu waited, a middle-aged man, similar in age to Li Jingjie and dressed in scholar's robes, hurried out from within to greet his old friend. After their exchange of pleasantries, Li Jingjie beckoned Fu Zihou forward.

"Zihou, this is your Uncle Zheng! This is my nephew, Zihou, descendant of the Fu family..." Li Jingjie introduced him first, then Elder Liu. Upon hearing Fu Zihou's name, the man—Zheng Shanjia—was visibly surprised.

"Fu Zihou? Are you the young man who, in Wanqu City, deduced the presence of thieves and identified their leader as Lu Mingyue?" Zheng Shanjia inquired.

"A mere guess, Sir. I happened upon the truth—pure luck," Fu Zihou replied, bowing respectfully.

"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!" Zheng Shenguo nodded repeatedly, clearly impressed by Fu Zihou's humility.

Li Jingjie, watching his old friend praise the young man he had brought, felt a surge of pride. Yet the smile on his face faltered for a moment as he remembered that Fu Zihou was not his son-in-law.

"Please, come in!"

At Zheng Shanjia's invitation, Li Jingjie returned the gesture and led Fu Zihou and Elder Liu into the Zheng residence.

Compared to the Li residence in Qiu County, the Zheng estate might lack scenic beauty, but its sheer size was daunting, resembling a labyrinth. Passing through various front and side courtyards, auxiliary halls, and small gardens, Fu Zihou felt he would never have found the entrance without a guide.

Within the estate stood a dedicated library tower—a hallmark of every distinguished clan. The tower served not only to educate the clan's youth, but also as a symbol of the family's cultural heritage.

It was here that Fu Zihou discovered Zheng Shanjia's role mirrored Li Jingjie's; both were responsible for educating the younger generation, uninvolved in official affairs.

Soon enough, word of Li Jingjie's arrival spread.

Zheng Shanjia's uncle, Zheng Quan—a man in his sixties—arrived, accompanied by cousins Zheng Yuanrui, Zheng Shenguo, Zheng Yuanxiu, Zheng Yuancong, Zheng Yuanxun, and other middle-aged men of the Zheng Clan. The library tower instantly became lively; Fu Zihou counted twelve men of Li Jingjie's generation, and over twenty Zheng men of Li Lingchuan's age. And this excluded the matriarchs, women, and children—had they all gathered, the tower would have been overflowing.

Fu Zihou and Elder Liu were overwhelmed, and even Li Jingjie was surprised that, despite the passing of the New Year, so many members of the Zheng Clan remained in the old residence at Yingyang.

After exchanging pleasantries, Li Jingjie was about to introduce Fu Zihou, but before he could speak, Zheng Shanjia took the initiative.

When the assembled Zheng men learned that the youth before them was the one who had predicted Lu Mingyue's assault on Wanqu City, their surprise was palpable—not just among the younger members, but also in the faces of Zheng Yuanxiu, Zheng Yuancong, and the other middle-aged men.

Through Zheng Shanjia's introduction, Fu Zihou met the elders of the Zheng Clan and realized the significance of their presence.

Zheng Quan, in his sixties, was chief registrar of Shu Prefecture.

Zheng Yuanxiu, in his forties, was Duke of Xin, Grand General of the Right Martial Guard, and prefect of Wencheng County.

Zheng Shenguo, also in his forties, was Senior Official of the Right Court.

Zheng Yuanli, likewise, was Duke of Guichang. All the middle-aged men of the Zheng Clan held either noble titles or official positions.

Even more astonishing to Fu Zihou was the network revealed within the residence: the matriarchs of the Lanling Xiao Clan numbered two, the Qinghe Cui Clan one, the Yuan Clan one, the Lu Clan one—and this did not include the wives of Zheng Yuanxiu and Zheng Shenguo, themselves women of distinguished families such as the Wang and Li Clans. The breadth of the Zheng family's connections was truly remarkable.

Inside the library tower, Zheng Xuanxu and Zheng Xuandu—youths of the clan—watched Fu Zihou, their faces glowing with pride. Here was the source of the respect and awe others showed Zheng family sons.

At that moment, a servant approached Zheng Quan to report that imperial eunuchs had arrived, bearing an edict from the court. They had traveled from Ji Prefecture, seeking Fu Zihou.

Zheng Quan ordered the eunuchs to be brought to the tower. As the servant left, the family turned their curious gaze toward Fu Zihou.

"Half a month ago in Qinghe Prefecture," Li Jingjie explained, "rebels led by Zhang Jincheng attacked Qinghe County. With local forces dispatched north, hope seemed lost. It was Zihou who led prisoners from Qiu County, routed the rebel army outside Qinghe, slew their commander Xu Jinpeng, and relieved the siege!"

Li Jingjie guessed the eunuchs' errand was to reward Fu Zihou for his deeds in Qinghe.

"So it was Zihou who defeated Zhang Jincheng's rebels?" Zheng Quan, Zheng Shanjia, Zheng Yuanxiu, and Zheng Shenguo all looked at Fu Zihou in astonishment.

Most of the Zheng men served as officials in Hedong and other prefectures, and with few merchants traveling during the New Year, they had only heard that reinforcements from Qiu County had broken the rebel siege at Qinghe.

The incident was often discussed among the family during the festival, but none realized the young leader of those troops stood before them—and that the reinforcements were prisoners.

"Prisoners? Nephew, could you recount what happened?" Zheng Yuanxiu, unable to contain his curiosity, asked.

As one of the Zheng Clan's pillars, Zheng Yuanxiu had spent decades commanding troops; hearing of Fu Zihou's exploits, he was eager to know more.

"Your Grace, Duke of Xin! It was luck, nothing more," Fu Zihou replied, bowing to Zheng Yuanxiu. He then described in detail how, with the help of registrar Zhou Hao, he selected prisoners, led them on a night march along the Yongji Canal, and launched a surprise attack on the rebel rear.

"Excellent!" Zheng Yuanxiu's eyes shone as Fu Zihou finished. The elders—Zheng Shenguo, Zheng Quan, Zheng Shanjia—were all deeply impressed. The younger Zhengs were stunned; though they had studied military texts, this was their first time hearing of someone so young, younger than themselves, executing battlefield strategy so skillfully.

Particularly when Fu Zihou analyzed Qinghe's terrain and the effect of winter morning fog, the younger Zhengs were awestruck. Was this the "timing" spoken of in the military classics?

At that moment, led by Zheng family servants, several eunuchs from Luoyang hurried into the library.

Li Jingjie, seeing the family elders' admiration for Fu Zihou, felt a pang of regret—this was the son-in-law he should have been most proud of! He nearly faltered, eyes reddening, recalling how he had denied his daughter to the Fu family due to its decline.

He wondered what reward the Sui court would bestow upon Fu Zihou. Glancing at the eunuchs, Li Jingjie's gaze fell on one carrying a wooden plaque draped in red cloth—its shape unmistakably that of a seal.

A seal!

Li Jingjie's scalp tingled, his heart raced, and he breathed rapidly as he looked at Fu Zihou.

The entire library held its breath as the eunuchs read the imperial edict aloud, announcing Fu Zihou's appointment as Martial Captain, stationed at the Taiyuan Eagle Command.

From sixth-rank Martial Captain, a subordinate officer of the Taiyuan Eagle Command!

He is so young!

"Taiyuan!"

Fu Zihou himself was stunned. If the appointment as Martial Captain had filled him with anxious excitement, learning he was to be stationed at Taiyuan Eagle Command brought a shadow of concern.

"Nephew, offer your thanks!" Zheng Yuanxiu and Zheng Shenguo, seeing Fu Zihou's shock, smiled and reminded him. Their own ranks far surpassed that of Martial Captain, but their admiration for Fu Zihou was genuine.

Both had inherited their fathers' titles and positions, aided by elders and connections. Fu Zihou, by contrast, had earned his post entirely on his own merit.

"Fu Zihou! Offer thanks to His Majesty—long live the Emperor!"

Fu Zihou bowed deeply, accepting the seal.

Yet his thoughts were troubled: in three months, Wei Dao'er and deputy general Zhen Zhai'er would lead a force of one hundred thousand bandits against Taiyuan; the Sui general Pan Changwen would fall in battle. Instead of elation, Fu Zihou felt only unease.

Taiyuan, a year later, would become the coveted prize—those who rose there in later times would be trusted confidants in the Tang court, holding sway over the realm.

Compared to ministers who surrendered later, those who took up arms in Taiyuan had seniority and authority.

Taiyuan had always been Fu Zihou's goal.

But now—this was the worst possible time.

Taiyuan was a place of near-certain death.

Fu Zihou understood: with the imperial edict issued, as Martial Captain, if he asked the Cui Clan to help him leave Taiyuan, he would likely never have another chance to go there.

And without Taiyuan, lacking a background in a distinguished clan, even if he later served the Tang, he would never wield significant influence.

No matter how talented, he would be outmatched by ministers from noble families—their clans intermarried, representing the stability of all regions.

Without extraordinary achievements, those noble-born ministers would not merely disregard him; they would seek to supplant him.

A tree standing tall in the forest, a man of virtue above others—without sufficient weight, even the greatest talent cannot escape the sword hanging overhead.

"Congratulations, nephew!"

"Congratulations, nephew!"

Zheng Yuanxiu and the others, after bowing to the eunuchs, turned to Fu Zihou and offered their congratulations. The younger Zhengs, who had previously basked in their clan's superiority, now looked at Fu Zihou with nothing but envy.

Fu Zihou forced a smile, bowing and saluting, though inside he could only laugh bitterly.

Beside him, Li Jingjie was dumbfounded.

Martial Captain! Unlike the hereditary officers of the Cloud Cavalry, Brave Cavalry, or Feather Cavalry, this rank was awarded only for great service to the court—a mark of true honor among all Martial Captains of the Sui.

And sixth rank—equal to his younger brother Shaozhi, who served as Senior Clerk in Wuyang Prefecture.

Watching Fu Zihou, who now exchanged greetings with the Zheng elders, Li Jingjie felt as if his head were spinning, his face dazed.

He could not imagine how his mother would react to this news.

Nor how his wife, Lady Zhou, would respond.

And his daughter...