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After Cai He left, Fei Qian pondered for a while. Although he had a rough idea of what Cai He, on behalf of Cai Mao, was trying to convey, he still wasn't entirely sure. After all, this wasn't a joking matter...
But why would the Cai family do this?
Were the Cai and Kuai families really working together?
If this turned out to be another trap, things would get really messy...
Why couldn't these people just play nice? They've just finished celebrating the New Year, and already they're busy scheming and plotting. Isn't it exhausting?
But no matter how much Fei Qian complained, he still returned to his wooden house on Deer Mountain with a heavy heart.
As soon as he saw Pang Tong, Fei Qian had an idea. Here was a ready-made strategist! Why not ask for his advice? Who was Pang Tong? The "Young Phoenix"! Sure, he might still be a bit "young," but you shouldn't underestimate him!
However, when Fei Qian approached Pang Tong with a smile, Pang Tong immediately became wary. He looked Fei Qian up and down, then picked up a bamboo scroll and prepared to retreat to his room...
Hey! I haven't even said anything yet!
Fei Qian quickly stepped forward to stop Pang Tong and said, "Shiyuan, how have I treated you all this time?"
"Not well," Pang Tong replied without hesitation.
"No... How could that be?" Fei Qian's eyes darted around as he said, "Didn't I let you have the roasted lamb leg yesterday?"
"Hmph! Don't even mention that. You only gave it to me because you couldn't finish it yourself!" Pang Tong turned his face away, completely unimpressed.
"Well... What about the day before yesterday? Didn't I let you and Zijing have all the new tea? I didn't drink a single drop!"
Pang Tong thought for a moment and nodded, but still seemed skeptical. "That's true, but... I have a feeling you didn't drink it because it didn't taste good..."
Fei Qian vehemently denied it, putting on an expression of being wronged. "How could that be? I saw there wasn't enough tea for the three of us, so I decided not to drink it!"—Fei Qian would never admit that the tea had been brewed with too many added ingredients that day, making it completely unappetizing...
In the Han Dynasty, tea was boiled, not steeped, and it was common to add all sorts of things to it...
Pang Tong studied Fei Qian's expression carefully, blinked, and then said hesitantly, "...Alright, fine. Let's say that's true. So, what do you want? Let's see if it's worth a bowl of tea..."
Fei Qian ignored Pang Tong's sarcasm and spilled everything—how he'd been framed, his encounters with Yi Ji and Cai He, and what they had said.
To his surprise, Pang Tong clapped his hands and laughed heartily. "It's about time! Who told you to collect your salary without doing any work? Haha..."
Fei Qian's face darkened. He leaned closer and said, "Didn't I share the money and grain I brought back with you? When you were eating, why didn't you say anything? If you're so unhappy about it, why don't you spit out everything you've eaten?"
"Well..." Pang Tong was momentarily speechless, then said, "...It's simple. Since the Cai family has already said what they said, why are you still worried? Just send some arrows over to the Cai family, and whether it's more or less, it's just a matter of words, right?"
Fei Qian nodded, then shook his head. "But I don't think it's that simple. If the Kuai family proposed this, wouldn't they have some control measures in place?"
Pang Tong nodded as well and said casually, "You have a point. That's a possibility. But the Cai family should have some tricks up their sleeves too..."
Fei Qian sighed in frustration. "Why did they have to target me? I haven't done anything to the Kuai family..."
"It's not about you. You're just..." Pang Tong stopped mid-sentence, realizing he'd said too much. "...Anyway, I'll go back to my room now. I'll think about it later..."
Fei Qian was stunned for a moment, then quickly figured it out. He grabbed Pang Tong, who was trying to slip away, and said, "So I'm just a pawn to test the waters! No way. Since you're involved in this too, you'd better come up with a good solution for me..."
Seeing that Fei Qian had figured out the real purpose behind the scheme and unable to escape, Pang Tong had no choice but to sit back down and start thinking seriously—
Pang Tong counted on his fingers as he spoke. "First, the Kuai family has recently entered officialdom. Although they hold some important positions, compared to your position as Assistant to the Governor..." He glanced at Fei Qian.
"Yeah, yeah, don't look at me like that. I get it. Go on..."
"Second, the Kuai family's roots are in Nan Commandery. They've been established there for many years, and their foundation is solid. Now that they've come to Xiangyang, they must want to expand their influence here..." Pang Tong folded down a second finger.
Pang Tong continued, "...Third, the Pang family has long been established in Jingxiang, but this time, when Governor Liu tried to recruit Pang Degong, he refused. The Kuai family might be trying to stir up trouble between Governor Liu and the Pang family..."
"...So you, Ziyuan, are the perfect target. If they succeed, they can potentially take your position as Assistant to the Governor, damage the Pang family's reputation, and expand their influence in Xiangyang. If they fail, it's no big loss. After all, the Kuai family is acting in the name of righteousness, and you, as an outsider, can't cause much trouble in Xiangyang..."
Fei Qian nodded and said, "So that's the Kuai family's plan. But what about the Cai family? What's their angle?"
Pang Tong smiled and said, "The Cai family? Hehe, they're probably trying to use the Pang family to counter the Kuai family's moves. After all, the Cai family's roots are in Xiangyang. They won't easily let the Kuai family establish themselves here. If you want to keep things simple, just follow the Cai family's lead. At most, you'll owe them a favor. It shouldn't be a big deal..."
After listening to Pang Tong's analysis, Fei Qian finally had a clearer picture. It seemed the Cai and Kuai families weren't on the same page. The Cai family's mention of the military scribe was likely a hint to Fei Qian that as long as he sent over some arrows, the Cai family would handle the rest—whether by falsifying records or mixing in their own stock, they would make sure the books showed 40,000 arrows...
As for the Kuai family's spot checks, according to Pang Tong, the Cai family likely had countermeasures in place.
However, this would mean Fei Qian would owe the Cai family a favor, effectively handing them leverage over him. If the Cai family ever came knocking with requests in the future, it would be hard to refuse.
So after some thought, Fei Qian said to Pang Tong, "If I don't want to owe the Cai family a favor, is there another way?"
"If you don't want to go through the Cai family..." Pang Tong pondered for a moment, then said, "...there is another way..."
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A/N: Noble families often have private soldiers, and storing a supply of common arrows is standard practice. So the Cai family could either collude with the military scribe to falsify records or contribute their own stock of arrows to Fei Qian's delivery. 40,000 to 50,000 arrows might sound like a lot, but spread out among the soldiers, it's just one quiver per person.