Chen Yun's Audience Hall - Gaomi

[Cao Chao]

From the west, a dusty enclosed carriage was seen crossing the border markings into the territory of the newly established Marquis of Jiaodong. Within the carriage sat a scholar endowed by the Heavens with remarkable intelligence and skill, considered by many to be a veritable dragon among men. A student of the teachings of Confucius, he was one of the few Confucian scholars who survived the pogroms of the First Emperor and his Prime Minister, Li Si. The former Master of Purification under the now fallen Qin regimes of Ying Fusu and Jianglu, he was the famed architect that had supervised the reconstruction of the famed Qin capital of Xianyang. Who was he but the man surnamed Hua, named Jianying.

But now all that was behind him, he was once more a scholar searching for a place to call home and a man of worth to serve. He had believed that the Qin represented by Ying Fusu and his ranking subordinates, Meng Tian and Meng Yi, would have been able to bring the much needed changes to the world, but he was sorely mistaken. Now that Qin lay crumbled under the betrayal of a vassal. The ideals that it represented have died and there was no longer any reason for the scholar to remain in a land where hope had met its final doom and perished.

As he sat quietly in his carriage, traveling east, he pondered the next course of action. He considered the many offers that he had received from the eastern lords eager to attain his service. They were many in number and he was unsure as where he was to begin. But after the accolades and respect garnered from his service with the Qin, he was disinterested in anything but a return to a standard of life that he had enjoyed. Gone was the desire to blindly make sacrifices. While his name had already entered into the history books for his short but distinguished service in Sai, he hoped to solidify his legacy.

His first stop along his journey eastward was the city of Gaomi, the center of the holdings of Chen Yun, the Marquis of Jiaodong. Brought to a halt at the main gates, one of the scholar's attendants passed over the letter that had been penned and sent to his master.

[antlan87]

Seeing that the letter indeed had the Marquis's Seal and signature, the guards allowed the man passage unmolested, as he was an expected guest. Besides, the men inside protecting their lord were well trained and always on alert.

As soon as their guide arrived, he led Hua Jianying and whatever escort he required, provided it was a small one, to the Audience Hall. There in his seat was the Marquis, Chen Yun. "Welcome Hua Jianying! I am glad you could make it. If you wish to be seated, just signal one of my attendants to bring you one."

[Cao Chao]

With the authorization granted by the guards stationed at the main gates, the carriage entered the city and made its way through the bustling streets before arriving before the administrative center of the city. While one of the attendants held the horses pulling the carriage steady, the other pulled back the heavy cloth that covered the front of the carriage, moving to help the sole occupant of the carriage out. The scholar stepped out from the confines of the carriage and stood on the street. Taking a calming breath, he moved slightly, working out the kinks in his muscles, sore and tense from the long journey eastward. He allowed his eyes sharp eyes to dart around, here and there, up and down, as he acclimated himself to his new surroundings. Gesturing for his servants to tend to the carriage and the horses, the scholar took the steps and passed through the guarded entrance of the administrative complex.

The scholar was led to the main audience chambers where he was warmly greeted by the Marquis of Jiaodong. Bowing politely at the waist, the scholar spoke, responding to Chen Yun's words. "Thank you, lord, for your welcome. A seat would be nice, some tea and snacks too . . . I am thirsty, hungry too, after traveling so far. And if you could, my attendants are in the same straits that I am in . . ." His words showed the damage that the fall of Qin had upon his psyche compounded by the grueling cross country travel from west to east.

[antlan87]

"Of course, I shall see to it at once, I would be a terrible host to do so otherwise. If you would prefer, after you finish eating, I could have a bath prepared for you before we get down to business, or you could wait until afterwards. I'm sure after your travels you would like one." Chen Yun signalled some attendants ever as he spoke, and had refreshments brought before Hua Jianying, and had some sent out for his guest's attendants. Chen Yun patiently waits for his guest to finish and reply to his offer.

[Cao Chao]

"Of course, I shall see to it at once, I would be a terrible host to do so otherwise. If you would prefer, after you finish eating, I could have a bath prepared for you before we get down to business, or you could wait until afterwards. I'm sure after your travels you would like one." Chen Yun signalled some attendants ever as he spoke, and had refreshments brought before Hua Jianying, and had some sent out for his guest's attendants. Chen Yun patiently waits for his guest to finish and reply to his offer.

With the dignity and refinement of his station, the scholar slowly sipped some tea, allowing the liquid to help wash away the grime that had accumulated in his mouth and throat. He ate a few small dim sum. And when he was done, he spoke. "I am grateful for your hospitality, Lord," he said, bowing his head politely at the Marquis of Jiaodong in a sign of thanks.

Pouring himself more tea, he sipped quietly for a few moments before he spoke. "I must say that I am unaccustomed to the rigors of travel. The weeks it took to traverse the distance from the Qin homeland to this eastern province was arduous and I sincerely hope that this journey was not made in vain." He paused, flashing a warm smile at Chen Yun, "Your letter spoke of rewards for efforts and service, Lord. What exactly what my duties entail and what rewards should I expect for meritorious service?"

[antlan87]

"Should you choose to join my administration, I was hoping to use your talents and experience to administer the city of Jimo, and perhaps get you to help out with transforming some of our villages into towns, and towns into cities should you wish a change of pace. In return, I'd be willing to to pay you 100 taels of gold every month, as well as the rank of Minister of Instruction after I become the Duke of Jiaodong, in honour of your years of skill and experience. I can offer you the rank of Chief Magistrate until then, as I am still testing out my other officers in different fields, and some who hold ranks may find themselves in entirely different fields." Responds Chen Yun, having considered from the moment he sought out the man.

[Cao Chao]

"Should you choose to join my administration, I was hoping to use your talents and experience to administer the city of Jimo, and perhaps get you to help out with transforming some of our villages into towns, and towns into cities should you wish a change of pace. In return, I'd be willing to to pay you 100 taels of gold every month, as well as the rank of Minister of Instruction after I become the Duke of Jiaodong, in honour of your years of skill and experience. I can offer you the rank of Chief Magistrate until then, as I am still testing out my other officers in different fields, and some who hold ranks may find themselves in entirely different fields." Responds Chen Yun, having considered from the moment he sought out the man.

"Your offer does sound quite tempting," replied the scholar, nodding his head slowly at the offer. 100 taels of gold a month wasn't something to be sneezed at, twice the salary that he had made as the Master of Purification to the Qin and the rank that was being offered was on par with what he had held as a Qin official. "Tell me, Lord, what is your relationship with your neighbors and what ambitions do you hold for the future?"

[antlan87]

"Tian Dan of Qi is not well liked outside his own sphere of influence in Qi, and several of those who do serve him do so only because the option was death. There are several officers within our ranks who have personal reasons and would be happy to see him go, myself included. We are on good terms with the armies of Fei Lak, and our previously decent relationship with Xia Xi's forces have soured since the Li Zhu took over, though that was caused more by Xia Laingyu, Xia Xi's daughter insulting my predecessor when my guards were only doing their job by stopping an unexpected guest and requesting she relinquish her weapons or wait until either Tian Loc or I could come and verify her identity, as we were the only people who had met her within the city. There has been no real diplomatic relations with the other lords in the area, on either sides behalf. I have considered correcting this if possible, once I've become fully adjusted to my position."

"As for my ambitions, I wish to bring prosperity to the land, and have been an ardent supporter of the founding of several villages within Jiaodong the past several months. If this requires that I expand my territory, then I will, but I won't drag my people into a war that will see all we done to make their life better fall apart in some vain attempt to make a name for myself at their expense. A war with Tian Dan may come soon, but I hope to secure our other borders first to prevent opportunistic warlord from taking advantage of such a move." Replies Chen Yun to Hua Jianying, hoping he was satisfied with his response.

[Cao Chao]

"Tian Dan of Qi is not well liked outside his own sphere of influence in Qi, and several of those who do serve him do so only because the option was death. There are several officers within our ranks who have personal reasons and would be happy to see him go, myself included. We are on good terms with the armies of Fei Lak, and our previously decent relationship with Xia Xi's forces have soured since the Li Zhu took over, though that was caused more by Xia Laingyu, Xia Xi's daughter insulting my predecessor when my guards were only doing their job by stopping an unexpected guest and requesting she relinquish her weapons or wait until either Tian Loc or I could come and verify her identity, as we were the only people who had met her within the city. There has been no real diplomatic relations with the other lords in the area, on either sides behalf. I have considered correcting this if possible, once I've become fully adjusted to my position."

"As for my ambitions, I wish to bring prosperity to the land, and have been an ardent supporter of the founding of several villages within Jiaodong the past several months. If this requires that I expand my territory, then I will, but I won't drag my people into a war that will see all we done to make their life better fall apart in some vain attempt to make a name for myself at their expense. A war with Tian Dan may come soon, but I hope to secure our other borders first to prevent opportunistic warlord from taking advantage of such a move." Replies Chen Yun to Hua Jianying, hoping he was satisfied with his response.

"I see . . ." replied the scholar, as he considered the relationships that the Marquis of Jiaodong possessed with his numerous neighbors. "It was not dissimilar to the situation that the Qin had found itself in its waning months, surrounded by enemies and allies that could hardly be trusted. The scholar murmured a few lines to himself, inaudible to any who attempted to listen to what he said. "And what relationship do you possess with the Brotherhood?"

[antlan87]

"The Brotherhood? I once met their founder on a trip to visit my home province of Yong, but I hear he had died, so even such a loose connection such as that no longer exists between us. I'm not even sure what the Brotherhood stands for, as their 'Brother Lao' was somewhat enigmatic about it when I asked. It is hard to trust someone who was so evasive and if the Brotherhood takes after it's founder, then such a relationship could prove my undoing." Honestly replies Chen Yun.