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The mountain wind at night was quite strong, so the servants had already enclosed the Feilong Pavilion with blue curtains and lit a fire pit in the center. This made the temperature inside the pavilion bearable.
Once Huang Chengyan, the head of the Huang family, arrived, everyone else, including Pang Tong, was dismissed. This was an annual event reserved solely for the three family heads—no one else was allowed to participate.
Pang Tong was utterly exhausted, and Fei Qian wasn't faring much better. The two of them hurried back to the wooden house, ate a quick meal, washed up, and went straight to bed.
However, up on Lushan, inside the Feilong Pavilion, the tripartite meeting was just beginning.
This meeting had been initiated by Pang Degong many years ago. Every Spring Festival, the heads of the Cai and Huang families would personally visit Pang Degong to communicate and exchange ideas.
After all, as families grew larger, there were bound to be overlapping interests or conflicts. By addressing these issues in advance or providing explanations afterward, misunderstandings could be avoided, preventing situations from escalating beyond control.
The relationship between the three families was also quite close. The Pang and Huang families had always been on good terms, and Huang Chengyan, the head of the Huang family, had married the eldest daughter of Cai Feng, the head of the Cai family, as his second wife. Thus, the Pang, Cai, and Huang families formed a stable alliance, collectively dominating more than half of the scholar-gentry in Jingxiang. Once these three families reached a consensus on something, it was essentially a done deal.
Recently, the Cai family had been in the spotlight. Cai Feng's daughter had married Liu Biao, and Cai Mao had taken up an official position. The Cai family's influence was beginning to surface, drawing considerable attention.
Cai Feng asked Pang Degong, "I heard that Liu Biao, Liu Jingsheng, visited you?"—The Cai family was most concerned about whether Pang Degong had any intention of entering officialdom. Although Pang Degong specialized in Huang-Lao Daoism, there was no rule saying that a Daoist couldn't serve in government. Moreover, Liu Biao was, after all, a member of the imperial family, and serving the royal family was a relatively prestigious choice.
Pang Degong naturally understood what Cai Feng was getting at, and since it was a reasonable concern, he didn't hide anything. "Indeed, he did. Governor Liu invited me to serve, but I am too old now, so..."—Of course, Pang Degong wouldn't say that he declined because he didn't think highly of Liu Biao. After all, perspectives differed. What Pang Degon considered unfavorable, the Cai family might see as acceptable...
Cai Feng received Pang Degong's signal and nodded. His biggest worry had been that Pang Degong might enter officialdom, which would inevitably reshape the political landscape of Jingxiang. But now that Pang Degong had no such intentions, the Cai family would continue to dominate Jingxiang's political scene—as for the Kuai family, Cai Feng felt they were still slightly lacking...
As a gesture of goodwill toward Pang Degong, Cai Feng provided some information: "I've heard that Liu Biao, Liu Jingsheng, plans to reorganize the positions in the Governor's office after the New Year..."
It was customary for political positions to be adjusted after the New Year, but Cai Feng's emphasis on the Governor's office clearly indicated that this reorganization might affect someone connected to Pang Degong. The only person currently in the Governor's office who could be considered Pang Degong's protégé was Fei Qian...
Although the Huang family had no one in the political arena, Huang Chengyan was no fool. He immediately understood Cai Feng's implication and asked, "Is Pang Gong planning to take on a new disciple?"
—After all, it was well-known that Fei Qian was studying under Pang Degong at the foot of Lushan. However, there had been no official announcement or ceremony, so Huang Chengyan's question was natural.
Moreover, Huang Chengyan had another point. If Pang Degong was planning to or had already accepted Fei Qian as a disciple, then Liu Biao's move against Fei Qian would be seen as a slight against the Pang family, almost as if he were looking for trouble...
"Hehe," Pang Degong said slowly, "He's half a disciple."
Half a disciple? Could a disciple be split into left and right halves?
Cai Feng and Huang Chengyan both looked at Pang Degong, waiting for an explanation.
Pang Degong continued in his unhurried tone, "Don't forget, this young man is also a disciple of Cai Yong, the Imperial Secretary, and Liu Hong, Liu Yuanzhuo..."
"He's also Liu Yuanzhuo's disciple?" Cai Feng was surprised. Although he had heard that Liu Biao had recruited Fei Qian during a public parade, he had only known about Fei Qian being Cai Yong's disciple, not Liu Hong's...
For Huang Chengyan, Cai Yong's focus on the classics, history, philosophy, and literature didn't align with his interests. But Liu Hong, who specialized in mathematics, was more to his liking. Upon hearing that Fei Qian was also Liu Hong's disciple, he couldn't help but exclaim, "No wonder! No wonder!"
Seeing that both Pang Degong and Cai Feng were looking at him, Huang Chengyan chuckled and recounted the story of the pulley system presented by the craftsman Huang Dou during the Huang family's grand examination. He said, "I was wondering how he was so skilled in mechanics. Now that I know he's Liu Yuanzhuo's disciple, it all makes sense..."
Cai Feng nodded and said, "It seems this young man is quite humble, much like Imperial Secretary Cai." It was no joke—being a disciple of two such prominent scholars yet rarely boasting about it. If it weren't for Liu Biao's public display at the Governor's office, many might still be unaware that Fei Qian had the backing of both Cai Yong and Liu Hong...
But the above information was still relatively minor. What Pang Degong said next was like dropping a depth charge: "...I have already taught him the "Six Secret Teachings"..."
"What?!" Cai Feng and Huang Chengyan exchanged glances, hardly believing their ears.
What was the "Six Secret Teachings"? It was Pang Degong's most treasured possession. The fact that Pang Degong had imparted such an important text to Fei Qian could only mean one thing: Fei Qian was held in extremely high regard by Pang Degong, far beyond what Cai Feng and Huang Chengyan had initially estimated.
Huang Chengyan thought of something and asked, "Pang Gong, what about Pang Shiyuan..."
"Hehe, Shiyuan is still young. I plan to teach him in a couple of years."
Cai Feng and Huang Chengyan nodded, relieved. They had almost thought Pang Degong was dissatisfied with Pang Tong and didn't intend to teach him. It turned out he simply thought Pang Tong was too young.
With this, the matter of Fei Qian would need to be reconsidered and re-evaluated.
Cai Feng and Huang Chengyan began to ponder their next steps.
Pang Degong smiled, sipping his tea leisurely. In his heart, he thought—'For the sake of the path you've chosen, this is as much as I can help you. What happens next depends on your own fortune...'
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A/N At that time, the Ma and Xi families in Jingxiang were also present, but they remained relatively indifferent to Liu Biao.