After Zhang Chen dealt with Han Xuan, he returned to the county office and ordered someone to bring Pan Feng to see him.
Pan Feng entered and, seeing Zhang Chen, immediately asked, “What have you done to Lord Han?”
“How dare you!” Gao Shun roared, “The Lord has not yet spoken; who told you to speak!”
“Do not be rude.” Zhang Chen stood up, bowed to Pan Feng, and said, “General Pan, rest assured, Lord Han’s life is not in danger. I merely gave him a small punishment as a warning, just to teach him a lesson. I observe that General Pan is an upright person; why are you willing to stay by the side of such a person?”
Pan Feng’s tone softened slightly as he said, “To tell you the truth, my Lord, I am a subordinate of Imperial Censor Lord Han Fu’s mansion, not a subordinate of this Han Xuan.”
Zhang Chen nodded: “So that’s how it is.”
It was exactly as he had guessed.
No wonder Pan Feng was the top general under Han Fu, his status even above Zhang He and Qu Yi. It turned out that as early as this time, Pan Feng had already pledged allegiance to Han Fu.
“Han Xuan is a nephew of Lord Han’s clan. This time, Lord Han ordered me to accompany him throughout his journey to ensure his safety, but I have failed in my important trust, which is truly shameful.”
After Pan Feng finished speaking, he bowed again and said, “Zhang Chen, I have traveled with Han Xuan and know full well that this person’s conduct is not proper. Now that he has received a lesson, it can be considered his own doing. However, this person is always vengeful; since he suffered a loss at your hands, he will certainly not let it go easily. Please be vigilant, Lord.”
Zhang Chen listened, smiled slightly, and said, “Thank you, General Pan, for the information. As long as he does not harm my people of Guangping County, whatever revenge he seeks, I am always ready. But if he uses revenge as an excuse to harm the common people, as the parent official of this county, I absolutely cannot tolerate it!”
Zhang Chen spoke righteously, and Pan Feng could not help but secretly admire him.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Zhang Chen informed Pan Feng that Han Xuan was currently recovering from his injuries at the medical hall and then presented Pan Feng with the hundred taels of gold he had originally intended to “bribe” Han Xuan with.
Zhang Chen said, “I know General is not a greedy person, but these hundred gold coins are Zifan’s sincere wish. Rather than giving them to a scoundrel like Han Xuan, it is better to use them to befriend a righteous person like General. Rest assured, General, this money was accumulated from my family’s business and is absolutely not ill-gotten gains from the common people.”
Pan Feng, hearing this, had no choice but to bow in gratitude and accept, then took his leave.
Zhang Chen looked at Pan Feng’s retreating figure and could not help but sigh with emotion.
After this departure, he wondered what his fate would be, and if he would repeat the history of the Three Kingdoms, dying at Sishui Pass at the hands of Hua Xiong?
“My Lord, what Pan Feng said just now cannot be ignored.” Ju Shou stroked his beard, saying with some worry.
No matter what, that Han Xuan was an imperial envoy from the capital. What My Lord did today was indeed a bit impulsive.
“Gongyu, do not worry. A mere Han Xuan cannot cause much trouble.”
Zhang Chen showed a profound smile.
In fact, his actions today were not entirely due to impulsiveness.
Firstly, this Han Xuan was merely a member of the Han Family. Let alone him, even Han Fu was only an Imperial Censor at this time, holding no real power.
Moreover, matters of inspection do not directly reach the emperor. For an official of Zhang Chen’s humble rank, he must first report to the Prefect, and then to the Governor.
Prefect of Wei Commandery, Lord Li Wen, has always been upright and incorruptible. The last time he killed Zhao Xiong, such a big matter was suppressed. As long as he writes a letter explaining the situation, he believes Lord Prefect will handle it impartially and will certainly not believe Han Xuan’s one-sided story.
Secondly, by publicly whipping Han Xuan, he could also let the world know how much he detested evil and how he feared no power. As long as it was under his governance, no one should dare to act unlawfully or disrupt the peace of his jurisdiction!
As for the third point, he was thinking a bit further ahead.
When today’s events spread, the world would surely scorn the actions of the Han Family. In the future, if Han Fu were to become Governor of Ji Province, his reputation would certainly be damaged, making it difficult for him to achieve anything significant.
The reason Zhang Chen considered this layer was also because he was not sure if his arrival would affect the original historical trajectory. In the history of the Three Kingdoms, after Dong Zhuo entered the capital, in order to win over the Han Family, he memorialized the emperor to appoint Han Fu as Governor of Ji Province.
And his current early planning, several years in advance, was to bring the entire Ji Province under his control before Dong Zhuo entered the capital!
But what if Dong Zhuo still recommended Han Fu? Or, like Yuan Shao, parachuted someone into the position of Prefect?
His whipping today would first destroy the Han Family’s reputation, so that the world would know what kind of people the Han Family truly were!
Later, when I am widely supported, and your reputation is ruined, what will you have to compete with me?
...
That night, at an inn in the west of the city.
Inside the top-tier room, moans of pain could be heard.
“That bastard Zhang Chen! If I don’t avenge this, I swear I’m not human! Ow, ow, lighter, you good-for-nothing!”
Han Xuan wailed while cursing the servants who were applying medicine to him.
“Where’s Pan Feng? Where did that good-for-nothing die?” Han Xuan shouted, “My uncle is really something, treating all sorts of trash like treasures, telling me how powerful he is, and yet he was captured in just a few moves! Ow! You good-for-nothing, you want to kill me with pain!”
Han Xuan cursed and kicked a servant out.
The servant scrambled up from the ground, quickly picked up the basin, and ran out on the pretext of fetching water.
When this spoiled brat throws a tantrum, everyone around suffers. It’s better to quickly get away from this troubled place.
As soon as the servant left the room, he met Pan Feng walking towards him.
“How is the young master?” Pan Feng asked anxiously.
He wasn’t truly concerned about Han Xuan; it was just a task Han Fu had entrusted to him, and now that it wasn’t handled well, he naturally felt guilty.
“The young master… received a whipping in public, and he’s currently raging inside. General Pan, perhaps you should go later…”
“Pan Feng, you good-for-nothing! My uncle told you to protect me, and this is how you protect me! When I return, I’ll make sure my uncle deals with you properly! Ow…”
Han Xuan’s curses came from inside the room again. Pan Feng frowned and stepped inside.
“Young master, how are your… injuries?”
Pan Feng stepped forward, bowed, and asked with concern.
Han Xuan looked up, saw it was Pan Feng, and saw that he was unharmed. He immediately became furious, pointed at Pan Feng, and shouted, “You good-for-nothing Pan Feng! As a household slave, you stood by idly while your master was humiliated. Speak! Did you conspire with that Zhang Chen long ago, deliberately plotting to harm me?!”
Pan Feng was greatly alarmed by this and quickly said, “Young master, what are you saying? Your subordinate has always been loyal to the Han Family, heaven and earth can bear witness!”
“Nonsense! If you were loyal, then why am I beaten like this, and you have not a single scratch? It’s clearly that Zhang Chen bribed you early on, and you two conspired together to harm me!” Han Xuan raged, “I wondered why Huang had disappeared without a trace. It seems you must have let her go!”
“Young master, your subordinate did not!”
“You traitorous wretch! Men, seize him!”
With a loud shout from Han Xuan, several attendants immediately rushed in.
When they saw that the person to be seized was Pan Feng, they exchanged glances, at a loss. Han Xuan then shouted twice more, and only then did the few men step forward and hold Pan Feng down.
“Young master, your subordinate absolutely did not conspire with others. Please see clearly, young master!”
The strategist beside him also hastily said, “Young master, calm your anger. General Pan is, after all, Lord Han’s subordinate, and should not be dealt with rashly.”
“Hmph!” Han Xuan snorted, “Very well, since the strategist is pleading for you, I will spare your dog’s life for now. Get back to Luoyang immediately, and don’t ever appear before my eyes again!”
“But, young master, Lord Han ordered your subordinate to protect…”
“Bah! With your pathetic martial arts, you can’t even deal with a mere county magistrate. You’re not even enough to embarrass me!”
Pan Feng felt unspeakable bitterness in his heart. That Guangping County magistrate, how could he be an ordinary person? Although he was unprepared today, even in a fair fight, he was probably no match.
He never expected that such a small county as Guangping County would harbor hidden talents.